Ancestry adds Ireland, City and Regional Directories, 1850-1946

You can search a total of 6,171,447 records and browse Ancestry`s collection of Thom`s Directories starting with the seventh annual edition in 1850.
Up until 1922 the directory is for the United Kingdom and Ireland with a focus on Dublin. It doubled in size up to 1922, then drops to its original size with the UK omitted, growing back to the 1922 size by the end of the series.
The focus is on the great, the good, businesses and almanac type information. Nevertheless, it may be useful in lieu of census records prior to 1901 and after 1911.
Missing are the volumes for 1860-62, 1873, 1895, 1900, 1905, 1920, 1923, and 1927.
Findmypast has volumes from 1844 to 1900.

OGS Quinte Branch March Meeting

The Quinte Branch meeting on 18 March, 2017 is a digital presentation "What shape is your DNA?" by Diahan Southard.  It covers the latest methods of analysis and interpretation for the non-scientist genetic genealogist.
The video in the Legacy Family Tree Webinar series was presented to a live webinar audience on June 29, 2016.
Everyone welcome, bring a friend.  Quinte West Public Library, 1-3 pm.
Visit www.roostweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs

Diahan Southard is the featured speaker at the Alberta Genealogical Society conference , Ye Olde Genealogy Faire, this April.

Legacy Webinar: Why are Irish records so weird?

If you have Irish genealogy interest don`t miss the opportunity of a webinar on Wednesday, 15 March at 2 pm EDT by John Grenham.

Not all Irish records were destroyed in 1922, but the burning of the Public Record Office in that year did leave an immense gap. As a result, Irish genealogical research has to deal with idiosyncratic, fragmentary and sometimes marginally relevant records in ways that can seem very strange to those used to British, US or Australian sources. In addition, Ireland came late to digitization and has done it unsystematically. To be polite. This talk unravels the ways in which marginal records have become essential for Irish research, and the peculiarities in using them online.

 Register from http://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=528

Elizabeth Lapointe R.I.P.

Sad news. Elizabeth Lapointe, a longstanding member of the Ottawa and Ontario genealogical community passed away on Monday, 13 March 2017.
A genealogy blogger, professional researcher. writer, journalist, author, editor of the Ontario Genealogical Society journal Families and proud Nova Scotian, Elizabeth had many talents and abilities.
Regrets to Elizabeth`s many friends and long-time partner Mario who informs me that plans for a memorial service are in progress for the coming weeks.

UPDATE

The following appreciation was sent to members by Patti Mordasewicz, President of The Ontario Genealogical Society

Obituary – Elizabeth Lapointe

The Ontario Genealogical Society regrets to announce the sudden passing of our Families editor, Elizabeth Lapointe.  Elizabeth had just completed the spring 2017 issue, which will be available in the next week, and it will stand as her last issue.  Elizabeth became Editor of Newsleaf with the November issue of 2006, and continued in that role until April of 2011.  During her tenure as editor of Newsleaf, she expanded the publication to include an e-Newsleaf edition, which began in March of 2008, and was issued in months in which the longer print edition was not published.

In August of 2010 Elizabeth stepped in as the Guest Editor of Families, taking over from an ailing editor and working with volunteers and OGS staff to complete the August edition.  Her first complete edition as Editor occurred with the November 2010 edition, and she has faithfully produced four issues per year since then, culminating in her 26th issue, the Spring edition about to be released.

Throughout her tenure with The Ontario Genealogical Society, Elizabeth set the bar high in terms of editorials, content and standards for publication.  She was always willing to work with content, copy and layout editors to produce both publications which were respected and well-read in genealogical communities far beyond OGS.

In addition to her outstanding contributions to OGS, Elizabeth’s Genealogy Canada blog was widely read and had a large and loyal following of genealogists and those interested in Canadian family history.  As a professional genealogist, Elizabeth helped others in their quest for family history knowledge.

Our sincere condolences go out to J. Mario Lapointe, Elizabeth’s husband and helpmate, on this sudden and profound loss, from the entire OGS family.

Ye Olde Genealogy Faire

Come to the Alberta Genealogical Society conference, themed as Ye Olde Genealogy Faire, and I'll show you how to research a knotty problem Mary Smith, and about researching a Canadian first, both Edmonton residents. That's in my presentation "Researching Early 20th Century British Immigrants to Canada."

With five parallel streams you'll be sure to find something of interest from the "Notable authors, historians and specialists (who) will enlighten the audience with presentations on Canadian, Quebec, British, Irish, Scottish, East European, Czech genealogy, DNA technology, FamilySearch, WDYTYA, WWI, Social Media and more.

Act now. Wednesday, 15 March is the deadline for early bird registration at www.abgenealogy.ca/2017

Library Elf

Today is the anniversary of the first post on this blog.
On 14 March 2006 I wrote about Library Elf -- a free service that reminds you when your library materials are becoming due. It's still going strong, still recommended.

St. Patrick Savings 💚

You're in luck with St. Patrick Day promotions, if you love to save on items you'd buy anyway

Global Genealogy has 20% off all in-stock items until 17 March.

AncestryDNA is $20 off in Canada, that's $109 (plus shipping), down from $129 until 19 March.

Irish Newspaper Archive has a 20% discount on purchase of a monthly or annual subscription to INA's entire database. Donegal001 in the coupon code box until 18 March. (via Claire Santry's blog)

Free is the ultimate in saving.

Findmypast is making access to its Irish records free through Friday.

Canadian Newspapers Online for Genealogists

In the past few days one of the go-to sites for finding digitized Canadian newspapers has been updating content, province by province.
Since the start of the month Ontario, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia all have been updated on Kenneth R. Marks site The Ancestor Hunt.
Given the disarray in central organization for Canadian newspaper digitization, a black mark for Library and Archives Canada, The Ancestor Hunt, along with the Historical Canadian Newspapers Online from Bowling Green State University are the best resources for Canadian newspaper researchers.
While at The Ancestor Hunt check out the tutorial videos on the YouTube Channel for Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario.

Sir Guy Carleton Branch, UELAC Spring Social/AGM

Saturday April 22, 2017 : 11:30am - All are welcome!

Best Western Plus Ottawa City Centre, 1274 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Speaker: Romaine Honey

Topic: "Ottawa Public Library: Hidden and not-so-hidden Treasures for Genealogists"

Romaine Honey is a Local History and Genealogy Librarian and Program Development at the Ottawa Public Library. She holds a Masters' Degree in Library Science from Western University and has experience in government libraries as well as in various positions at OPL for the past 15 years.
As a genealogy librarian, she enjoys both researching her own family tree and helping others in their research.

Cash Bar after 11:30 a.m.; Lunch at 12:15; Cafe 1274
Meal includes: Garden Salad with buns and butter
Entree, your choice of:
- Roast beef au jus with potatoes and vegetables
- Chicken breast with white wine sauce with potatoes and vegetables
- Poached salmon with dill sauce and rice Dessert, with coffee or tea

The price is $30 per person. Please specify your choice of entree. Send your cheque to Bob Adair, 34 Briardale Crescent, Nepean ON, K2E 1C2
Phone number is 613-274-3331.

Ancestry interview with Diahan Southard

Diahan Southard, featured speaker at the Alberta Genealogical Society's Ye Olde Genealogy Faire, 22-23 April in Edmonton, answers Ancestry's questions on genetic genealogy. Asked about tools she would like to see she diplomatically avoids mentioning a chromosome browser from Ancestry!
I like her closing statement that a DNA test is now a standard part of researching your family history, just as much as looking at the census.

New Canadian Militia 1907 Database from BIFHSGO

Announced at Saturday's BIFHSGO meeting, and in my column in the society Spring Anglo-Celtic Roots quarterly chronicle, this new database is an alphabetical index to a list of 1,991 Canadian militia personnel in the permanent or volunteer force in 1907 who were not born in Canada. Most were of British origin.
The information has been hidden away in plain sight in a place most of us don't think to search, a Sessional Paper, since 1908.
The index contains surname and forenames or initials, rank, age, country of origin, military division, page on which the name is found, and a link to the image of the original table. You don't need to be a BIFHSGO member; it's open for all to view, search and retrieve the information at http://bifhsgo.ca/cstm_foreignBornMilitia.php/.

There's also background information at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=356

Findmypast weekly additions and updates

The spotlight is on Australia with the addition of one major database, over 1.3 million records in Victoria Wills & Probate.

Victoria Divorce Cause Books 1861-1938 is over 39,000 records; New South Wales, Tea Gardens cemetery inscriptions 1898-2008 over 524 records; New South Wales, Stroud Baptismal Register 1892-1925 235 records and there are 408 additions to Australian Capital Territory Marriages.

In addition to newspaper updates, mainly Irish, there are over 3,00 records of the Derbyshire, Chesterfield union workhouse death index 1838-1904 and 55 records for British Army, Plovdiv (Bulgaria) Military Cemetery Burials.

Surprises through the Canadian Federal Science Library Portal

If you've ever been surprised at something useful you've come across browsing library shelves you could be equally surprised at resources you uncover searching this new gateway to Canadian Federal Science Libraries. I was when I found an entry for a 1913 book The Newspaper by G. Binney Dibblee with this image as frontispiece.

From the 6 March press release:

The Federal Science Library is a one-stop, self-serve web portal that makes government research and resources visible to all Canadians by connecting them with the collections of seven departmental libraries. The portal allows users to view or request items from a vast collection of publications in science, technology, engineering and health and other related economic, policy and program information. Wherever possible, departmental publications, reports, data sets and other content are freely available for anyone to access or download. It also gives users the option to expand their search beyond the holdings of the seven federal science libraries to include millions of publications from around the globe.

The Federal Science Library partners are:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Health Canada
• National Research Council Canada
• Natural Resources Canada
• Public Health Agency of Canada

Explore the new Federal Science Library.

Genealogy Courses in Toronto

Registration is now open for the following courses being offered in May and June by Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

• Using the iPad and iPhone for Genealogy: A hands-on course on three consecutive Thursday afternoons in April and May on putting mobile devices to work for family history – to capture data, pictures, records and audio; organize and enhance research findings; and share them with others. Instructor: Carol Nichols.
• Designing Genealogy Posters: A two-session workshop series on Tuesday evenings in May and June exploring new, engaging and low-cost ways to display research findings and tell family stories. Instructor: Ellen Maki.
• Creating Genealogy Videos with Adobe Spark: A two-session workshop series on Tuesday evenings in May and June on using a free graphic design program to produce videos from family history materials. Instructor: Jaclyn Gunton.

In addition, there are still a few spaces left in the final winter 2017 course:

• Introduction to Genetic Genealogy: An intensive fast-paced one-day course on Saturday 25 March introducing essential records and techniques for family history research. Instructor: Linda Reid.

For further information, please visit our Branch website at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/learn.

Thanks to Gwyneth Pearce for the tip.

Family History stored in stone: Granite Mountain

Every so often we get a glimpse of Granite Mountain, the FamilySearch record storage facility outside Salt Lake City, in WDYTYA segments and other genealogy TV programs. A new video takes a more in-depth look at this amazing facility.

A Code of Conduct for Genealogy Conferences?

A newsgroup I follow is having a spirited discussion on a code of conduct for conferences. One participant wrote they won't attend a conference that lacks a code of conduct.

I was unaware of such codes, or the need, assuming that the normal law of the land sufficed. Although I've always felt safe at conferences I acknowledge that may not be the case for everyone.

The following is an extract from the Ontario Library Association Superconference code based on the Code4Lib Creative Commons Conference Code.

PURPOSE:
We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Harassment is understood as any behaviour that
threatens another person or group, or produces an unsafe environment. It includes offensive verbal
comments or non-verbal expressions related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual
orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religious beliefs, sexual or
discriminatory images in public spaces (including online), deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

PROCEDURES:
Each OLA event will have a designated Code of Conduct Committee consisting of no less than two
OLA member volunteers involved in the event and an OLA staff person. The committee members will be identified in advance and at the event should a delegate need to contact them.

If at any time, a presenter, guest, delegate or visitor feels that they have been harassed or that this
code of conduct has been breached, it is important that this person report it to a member of the Code
of Conduct Committee.

Do any genealogy conferences have such a code? Are they needed?

Biographical Index of British and Irish Botanists

I was lucky to be able to watch live the final episode of the current BBC series of WDYTYA featuring BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth. In the final minutes she found several relatives in a book originally published as Biographical Index of British and Irish Botanists in 1898. As explained in the episode the senior botanist/gardiner was a respected member of staff of a stately home on a par with the butler. The garden was a hallmark of status.
There's a more recent version of that book available in limited view on Google books. The original publication digitized is at https://archive.org/stream/cu31924014492015#page/n23/mode/2up and elsewhere.
Don't expect to find ordinary gardeners. Charles Darwin and Edmund Halley (Halley's Comet) are included.

BIFHSGO March Meeting

The main event this Saturday, 11 March at 10 am is a presentation
From Famine to Prosperity to the Longue Pointe Asylum: the Varied Life of John Patrick Cuddy, given by Gillian Leitch.

John Patrick Cuddy immigrated to Canada from Swinford, Ireland, during the Famine migration of 1847-1851. Once in Montreal, he was able to create for himself a very successful business and a large family. The presentation covers his life in Swinford, his migration, the network of family and friends in Montreal, his business, his wife and children, and the last months of his life which were marked with an arrest, committal, court case, and the ensuing unusual judgement. 

Gillian Leitch’s PhD thesis about Montreal’s British population, “The Importance of Being English?: Identity and Social Organisation in British Montreal, 1800-1850,” was completed in 2007 at the Université de Montréal. After a year as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh, she joined CDCI Research in Ottawa as a historical researcher. In addition to her work and publishing on Canadian history, she has also published three academic books on popular culture (science fiction: time travel and Doctor Who).At 9 am

At 9:00 a.m. Ken McKinlay will present the Before BIFHSGO Education Talk — Searching Findmypast's Newspaper Archives.

Open to members and visitors. Free admission and parking. The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa.

Trolley Women

The Spittlefields Life blog has a way of turning the spotlight on the seemingly mundane. A good example for IWD is Tuesday's post Stephen Gill’s Trolley Women.

Take the paragraph below. The words may even seem like parody, but when paired with the photos (go to the blog) exquisitely express the dignity of an overlooked aspect of everyday.

"Observe the hauteur of these noble women, how they grasp the handles of their trolleys with such a firm grip, indicating the strength of their connection to the world. Like eighteenth century aristocrats painted by Gainsborough, these women claim their right to existence and take possession of the place they inhabit with unquestionable authority. Monumental in stature, sentinels wheeling their trolleys through our streets, they are the spiritual guardians of the territory."

International Women's Day: Books by Women for the Genealogist

It's International Women's Day. Let's recognize it by profiling a short list of books of genealogical interest by female authors, one published each year since 2012 and a forthcoming book.

Genealogy: Essential Research Methods, by Helen Osborn
" . . . advice and inspiration on methods and problem-solving and helps the amateur family historian understand what successful professionals do to get results, and why we should copy them."
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Robert Hale (Dec 1 2012)
ISBN-10: 0709091974

See my review at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.ca/2012/10/book-review-genealogy-essential.html

Tracing Your Ancestors Through Death Records, by Celia Heritage
. . . expert advice, going above and beyond in helping you through the details of finding and examining your ancestors' death records.

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Pen and Sword (April 19, 2013)
ISBN-10: 184884784X

Celia Heritage will be a plenary speaker at the BIFHSGO Conference 2017.

The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy: Trace Your Roots, Share Your History, and Create Your Family Tree, by Kimberly Powell
The 3rd Edition, helps you:

• Effectively search various websites
• Decipher census data and other online records
• Choose the best way to share data with family members
• Connect with other genealogists through social media

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Everything; 3 edition (Jan. 8 2014)
ISBN-10: 144057068X

How to Use Evernote for Genealogy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Organize Your Research and Boost Your Genealogy Productivity, by Kerry Scott
Evernote tips and strategies, with real-life examples
Step-by-step instructions for managing different types of genealogy information.

• Tricks for using Evernote to speed up research tasks.
• Search-optimize Evernote data so your information is easy to find
• Ideas for enhancing Evernote with external apps
• Tips to protect your data and troubleshoot issues, and more.

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Family Tree Books (Nov. 16 2015)
ISBN-10: 1440343837

Atlantic Canada's Irish Immigrants: A Fish and Timber Story, by Lucille Campey
While I could have chosen any of Ottawa-born, English resident Lucille Campey's books on Scottish and English immigration to Canada her most recent explains why the "Irish immigration saga is not solely about what happened during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s; it began a century earlier."
Paperback: 424 pages
Publisher: Dundurn (August 2016)
ISBN 978-1-45973-023-6


The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland, by Claire Santry
Not yet published, but advertised as becoming available in May

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher F&W Media, Incorporated, 2017
ISBN 1440348804, 9781440348808