Your Genealogy Today: July/August 2018

Here's the line-up in the latest issue of Your Genealogy Today from Moorshead Magazines.

COVER STORY: Circular Genealogy 
George G. Morgan looks at how you can review and plan your genealogy research with an eye on targeting success!
Comment: Details approaches for a genealogy do-over.

Genealogy & the Law
Judy G. Russell looks at a memorial erected for 195 American war dead on Nova Scotia's Melville Island.

Celebrating Sherwood Inn with Family Memories
Andrew Hind looks back at one family’s connection to a famed Muskoka, Ontario resort.
Comment: An example of how a property/business can frame a family history story.

Working Around the 1890 Census Disaster
David A. Norris looks at how to work around the loss of records using other resources
Comment: There's a one in ten thousand chance the record for someone in the 1890 US census survived. For the rest here's advice on substitutes to fill the void of its destruction.

Advice From the Pros
Diane L. Richard suggests looking at your ancestors’ FAN club to see how they lived
Comment: Ledgers as sources.

Genealogy on the Rocks!
Sue Lisk recommends that family historians need to pay attention and listen intently before plunging ahead
Comment: Another charming story by Sue Lusk, this about her Pontiac (Quebec) roots.

Finding Balkan Roots
Ron Verzuh embarks on a search for family beginnings in Croatia
Comment: The challenge of pursuing family history in the aftermath of civil war.

Researching Foreign Ancestors
Elizabeth Jones offers tips and suggestions to assist you with researching ancestors located in far-off lands

In Other Words: A Question of Translation
Sue Lisk suggests doing your homework before hiring a translator to assist you in your document translation needs
Comment: A linguist, Sue Lisk appears to be writing from experience.

Language & Genealogy
Gena Philibert-Ortega looks at the pedigree chart

Between The Pages Of A Book: Unusual Places To Look For Family Treasures
Leslie Michele Derrough suggests you might find some remarkable keepsakes among your ancestor’s belongings

The Back Page
Dave Obee says: “Don’t overlook the visuals when planning a presentation!”
Comment: Hear, hear!

Sunday Sundries

Happy Canada Day

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Climate Change: A Defining Challenge for the 21st Century.
Caffeine from four cups of coffee protects the heart with the help of mitochondria
What did you find in your DNA? - Ottawa genetic genealogist Mags Gaulden of Grandma's Genes was the guest expert for a CBC Radio phone in on Friday.

British Newspaper Archive additions for June

The British Newspaper Archive now has a total 26,297,490 pages (25,613,154 last month).

The 34 papers (64 last month) with new pages online this month include 16 (25) new to the collection.

Papers with more than 10,000 pages added are:
Bicester Herald (1855-1876, 1879-1896, 1898-1917)
Birmingham Mail (1881-1884, 1887, 1890-1891, 1896, 1900-1901, 1904-1906)
Coventry Evening Telegraph (1891-1896, 1899-1903)
Coventry Herald (1875-1876, 1878-1880, 1882-1883, 1885-1892, 1895-1896, 1899-1905, 1907, 1909-1913)
Cumberland & Westmorland Herald (1871-1895, 1897-1911)
Henley Advertiser (1870-1906)
Lakes Herald (1880-1916)
Liverpool Echo (1879-1880, 1884, 1889, 1892-1893, 1897-1898, 1911, 1913, 1970)
Manchester Evening News (1874-1876, 1878-1887, 1890, 1892-1895, 1897, 1899, 1901-1903)
Maryport Advertiser (1853, 1862-1864, 1866-1895, 1897-1905)
Millom Gazette (1892-1933)
Newcastle Journal (1980-1991, 1993-1994)
Norwood News (1868-1872, 1875-1962)
Soulby's Ulverston Advertiser and General Intelligencer (1848-1890, 1892-1909)
Ulverston Mirror and Furness Reflector (1860-1885)
Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette (1861-1863, 1868-1869, 1875-1896, 1898-1957, 1986-1999)
West Cumberland Times (1874-1875, 1878-1891, 1893-1897, 1899-1911)
Wigton Advertiser (1857-1868, 1870-1940).

I'd love to be able to report of newspapers digitized by Library and Archives Canada during the month.

New on Findmypast

Leading the additions to FMP this week are 38,386 records of burials at Stoney Royd Cemetery in Halifax. The total for the Yorkshire Burials collection is now 5,164,222.

Moving north to Northumberland and Durham come 14,370 new memorial inscriptions from churchyards in Birtley, Blyth, Boldon, Eighton Banks, Gosforth, Great Lumley, Penshaw, Ryhope, South Shields, Whitley Bay, Woodhorn. That collection total is now 119,133 records.

Down south, Sussex Monumental Inscriptions adds 1,839 records from churchyards in Eastbourne, Litlington, Lullington and West Dean for a collection total 24,941 records.

Bringing life to the additions are 2,485 entries in Kent, Lydd Midwife's Birth Register 1757-1815.
The records in this collection were transcribed from the original birth register of William Waylett (1729-1815), a male midwife who practiced in Lydd and the surrounding parishes. The original document is held in the Wellcome Library in London. Transcripts will reveal a combination of birth date, birth place, parents' names and any additional notes. Notes may include details of the pregnancy, delivery, mother, or payment for services.

What if LAC's Secret Bench of Knowledge Could Talk?

This post was prompted by an item from the Essex Record Office, You Are Hear Listening Bench Tour Draws to a Close.
The ERO made location-appropriate audio clips available to those sitting on the bench.
What would be an appropriate audio item, or items, for The Secret Bench of Knowledge at the entrance to 395 Wellington?

New Filtering System for MyHeritageDNA Matches

If you have DNA test results at MyHeritage you may find the new result filtering system just introduced useful. There's also a bit of a tweak to the interface. For information take a look at the MyHeritage blog post here.
My own MyHeritageDNA results are dominated by matches to Ashkenazi Jewish clients, many I suspect appearing closer than they are owing to endogomy and the attraction for that community to test with an Israel-based company. Even filtering for my Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ethnicity still left the matches dominated by Ashkenazi Jewish clients.
I suggest MyHeritage adopt a combined filter that allows filtering in one ethnicity and filtering out another.

LAC Annual Report 2017-2018

Read the Library and Archives Canada annual report and you can't help but be impressed by the achievements grouped under fourteen headings. I won't repeat them.

What's the highlight? In his introduction Guy Berthiaume writes "First and foremost, as a result of funding allocated to LAC in Budget 2017, the implementation of activities that respond to the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has accelerated significantly, allowing us to contribute to the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages."

There's a danger in allowing priorities to be dominated by availability of special funding. Yes, historical neglect needs to be addressed. Is that being done by neglecting core activities? Achievements should be benchmarked against those of peer organizations internationally.

For instance, was it appropriate to devote the entirety of external funding for the National Heritage Digitization Strategy to LAC indigenous newspaper digitization, especially when the LAC newspaper collection is so neglected?

A test will be how the $1 million external funding available to the NHDS in 2018-2019 will be distributed ?

Nursing Sisters of the Canadian Army Medical Corps in the First World War

A two-part blog post from Library and Archives Canada is about the more than 3,000 nurses who served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, including 2,504 who went overseas.
Part one describes the overall situation for nurses and nursing while part two is about the 21 who died in service from enemy action.
Although nurses generally did not serve near the front lines. Most were posted well back from the front lines, working in general or convalescent hospitals. On occasion they were at the Casualty Clearing Stations as described in part one. BIFHSGO has a project on No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station.
The image is Personnel riding bicycles, No. 6 Canadian General Hospital, Troyes, France, June 2, 1917. Photograph Album of Alice E. Isaacson, R11203-01-E (e002283123)

AncestryDNA Canada Day Offer

AncestryDNA, the DNA test for genetic genealogy with the largest database, is on sale until 3 July at a Canada Day price of $89. It includes taxes but NOT shipping. Find out more at www.ancestry.ca/dna/.
The more people who test the greater the chance of finding a serendipitous match.
Most matches are good news.
Be aware there is always the chance of finding a relative whose connection had been hidden which may or may not be good news, but is reality too.

Society of Genealogists supports Family Tree Live

The following is via a press release from Family Tree Magazine.

Family Tree Live, in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies
Alexandra Palace, London – 26 and 27 April 2019
The team behind the new family history show Family Tree Live are delighted to
announce the Society of Genealogists (SoG) as an Associate Sponsor of the event.
In addition to the sponsorship, SoG will also be sponsoring the ‘Society of Genealogists
Lecture Theatre’ at the two-day London event and will be giving visitors help and advice
from the SoG stand.
Else Churchill, Genealogist at SoG, said: ‘Genealogy education and learning is at the
heart of the Society’s foundation and hence we are delighted to be sponsoring a lecture
theatre at Family Tree Live. Additionally, on the SoG stand you can meet our members
and experts who are on hand to offer help and advice with your research and show how
the Society’s library and remarkable research collections can take your family history
further.’
Family Tree Live is set to become the UK’s most popular family history event. The major
exhibition will feature lectures, workshops, displays and stands and will be suitable for
all levels of family history experience.
Helen Tovey, Editor of Family Tree magazine, said: ‘It’s fantastic to be working with the
Society of Genealogists, and their support fits perfectly with the strong learning aspect
of Family Tree Live. We’re excited with the range of lectures, workshops and hands-on
activities to be offered over the two days, and delighted to welcome SoG as an associate
sponsor, an exhibitor and the sponsor of the Society of Genealogists Lecture Theatre.’

About Family Tree Live:
Family Tree Live is brought to you by the team behind the Family Tree magazine
and website, in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies and
will provide visitors with a vast range of learning opportunities under one roof. The
event will take place in The Great Hall at Alexandra Palace, one of London’s most iconic
venues.
Visitors to Family Tree Live will be able to learn from a comprehensive range of family
history lectures across multiple lecture theatres. These will include: world-class
speakers who are established experts in the field of genealogy; and specialists on core
and unique aspects of family history research. The lecture programme will comprise
topics suitable for all levels of family history visitor, from those just starting to research
their family trees, to those with many years, even decades, of experience under their
belts.
Tickets for Family Tree Live are on sale now at: www.family-tree.co.uk

Oxford Ancestors Revival

The first commercial DNA testing company, Oxford Ancestors, looks as if it will not close as previously announced. On a new website they are offering very basic mitochondrial and Y-chromosome tests.

The Oxford Ancestors MatriLine Classic service examines a 400 base pair long section of mtDNA. The cost is £199, about $351 Canadian. Compare that of the Family Tree DNA test of the full mitochondrial sequence of 16,569 base pairs (41 times more than Oxford Ancestors) for $199 US about $265 Canadian.

The Oxford Ancestors Paternal Ancestry test covers "twenty-six elements of your yDNA fingerprint" at a cost of £199, about $351 Canadian. Compare that to the FTDNA 37 marker test at $169 US or about $225 Canadian.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Webinar: Lightroom or Photoshop? What should I use for my photo editing?

Do you edit photos? If so the free Legacy Family Tree Webinars presentation this Wednesday on Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom may be of interest.

The webinar will breakdown why you should choose one over the other and why both of them are important to know and use.

Find out more about this webinar by Jared Hodges at https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=735

For those whose requirements are more modest GIMP or Paint.NET, both free, were recently recommended.

YouTube: Maurice Gleeson on Using DNA to solve unknown parentage cases

Something old, something new, somethings borrowed, something blue (blood that is!) If you've viewed past videos I've posted from Maurice Gleeson you'll likely recognize some of the material in this talk from the post-conference tour arranged by the New Zealand Society of Genealogists. It's an overview of his approach to dealing with adoptees, foundlings, or illegitimacies commonly encountered during family tree research.

Immigration to Canada

The statistics in this chart are taken from the Canada Year Book and for later years Citizenship and Immigration Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration (Google it for the year of interest).

Research and Rootstech 2019

Rootstech is a once in a lifetime experience. Not to be missed—once. Very intensive with 17,000 people milling around.
OGS is offering a group package for C$1799.00 pp sharing, NOT include RootsTech registration. It leaves from Toronto on Sunday 24 February returning on Sunday 3 March. I note the flights are direct non-stop which minimizes the stress of travel.
Find out more at https://ogs.on.ca/research-rootstech-2019/.

New: Arnprior Chronicle, 1885 - 1937 digitized

657 issues of the weekly Arnprior Chronicle are now available online, from 3 July 1887 to 30 December 1937 thanks to an initiative of the Arnprior & McNab-Braeside Archives.
The coverage is not complete. There are scattered issues from the period to March 1890 with complete coverage for the remainder of the year. Then there's a gap until June 1897, scattered issues to January 1912, no issues for 1913, good coverage for 1914, scattered coverage again to January 1929 and then virtually complete coverage to the end of the period in December 1937. AMBA hope to fill the gaps when other issues are donated to the Archives.
Issues are searchable individually as pdfs.

Scattered issues of other newspapers are also available:

Newspaper	Date Range	Copies
Almonte Gazette	1900 - 1901	3
Arnprior Diamond Jubilee	1897	1
Arnprior Review and South Renfrew Chronicle	1876 - 1877	2
Arnprior Watchman	1892 - 1920	16
Arnprior Weekly Review	1874	1
Canadian Times	1865	1
Neilson's Weekly	1869	3
Ottawa Citizen	1901	1
Scottish American Journal (New York)	1863-1864	22
Semi Weekly News	1897	1
The Arnprior News	1879 - 1899	5
The Arnprior News and Quyon Quebec Times	1899	1
The Carp Review	1912	2
The Renfrew Mercury	1900 - 1917	2
The Saturday Globe	1892	1

The digitization was funded by a grant from the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

Thanks to Irene Robillard for the information.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Is Trump Ready for a Global Outbreak?

History; June 20 1942: Canada under attack!

What will happen when artificial intelligence and the internet meet the professions?

Victorian London’s East End: what can a foul murder tell us about life in the city?

What Makes People the Most Happy (receiving rather than giving?; dogs rather than cats?)

From last Monday at Library and Archives Canada, a panel of experts
Nathaniel Gleicher, Director of Cybersecurity Policy, Facebook
Chris Dornan, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University
Jennifer Anderson, Archivist, Science, Environment and Economy, Archives Division, Library and Archives Canada
Jeremy Kinsman, former Canadian High Commissioner to the UK and former Canadian ambassador to the EU, and to the Russian Federation
chaired by Guy Berthiaume, Librian and Archivist of Canada, discusses challenges and solutions regarding the spread of misinformation online.

Findmypast adds Wiltshire Social & Institutional Records 1123-1968

422,199 assorted social & institutional index records; no images are linked. Types of records included are:

Apprenticeship
Assizes
Bankrupts
Baptism
Bastardy records
Bear club
Biography
Births & deaths
Bond of indemnity
Burial (out of area)
Calendar of prisoners
Census
Charity
Chelsea out-pensioner
Church records
Confirmation
Coroners report
Criminal register
Crown or civil pleas
Diary
Directory entry
Divorce
Emigrants
Estate papers
Exchequer
Fire
Gamekeepers
Garments for the poor
Goddard documents
Illegal assizes
Inclosure
Injury
Inquisition postmortem
Insurance
Land documents
Leases
Legal matters
Local council documents
Local history
Machine breakers
Manor records
Meetinghouse certificate
Military
Miscellaneous
Monumental inscription
Newspaper / book reference
Non-conformist
Obituary
Overseers, etc.
Pass
Pedigree
Petty sessions
Poor law union
Prison records
Pubs and inns
Quakers
Quarter sessions
Recusant rolls
Register of strangers
Register snippets
Registration
Removal orders
Rental ‘census’
School record
Settlement certificate
Settlement examination
Subscriptions
Survey
Taxation
Tithes
Vagrants
Wills

Fourth anniversary: Dr Guy Berthiaume

A salute to Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Dr Guy Berthiaume, on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of his assuming the role.

What a difference four years make!

OGS issues call for conference 2019 presentation proposals

"Breaking Down Genealogical Barriers" is the theme for the Ontario Genealogical Society conference in 2019 to be held at the London Convention Centre, 21-23 June.

A call for presentation proposals is issued.

Proposals should include a unique title and a summary of at most 250 words, identification of the intended audience (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and specific A/V requirements. Include full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, website address (if applicable) and biographical information, including recent speaking credits. Multiple proposals are encouraged.

Speakers will receive an honorarium alongside appropriate expenses and complimentary Conference registration.

Send proposals by 19 August 2018 to program.conference2019@ogs.on.ca