Toronto City Directories

The first Directory of Toronto was published in 1833, when the total population was only some 9,000. In 1903 the forty-second issue of the City Directory of Toronto contained 97,087 individual names, exclusive of firms, corporations, etc. The estimated population for the city at the end of 1902 was 267,000.

By 1908 the directory has entries for 129,355 individuals, for an estimated population of 365,000. In a statistical table it shows 28,839 births and 20,051 deaths for the period 1903 to 1907. That's a net natural increase of 8,788. The remaining increase of some 90,000 was accounted for by people moving into the city, many of them part of the huge influx from Britain in the first decade of the 20th century.

Directories are a valuable resource for genealogy, and some Toronto directories for this period are now available at The Internet Archive. The links for these two years are: 1903 directory`and 1908 directory. Get to earlier Toronto directories, and other digital publication of the Toronto Public Library, here.

BBC Genealogy Videos

I'm impressed.

In connection with their BBC1 series Who Do You Think You Are? the BBC have put together short videos on genealogy basics. You can get to them on their web site and follow the link to Video: How to Get Started.

The information content is provided by Britain's premier media genealogist, Nick Barratt. He gives clear explanations of the fundamentals, with a presentation that is not at all stuffy. There are segments on census returns, death records, personal memorabilia, historical context, immigration, oral history, birth records, marriage records, tracing relatives, and wills and probate. Some material is repeated between segments, not a bad idea as, despite it being out of fashion, repetition aids memory.

The video borrows video techniques from a generation nurtured on MTV. Humour and some good motivation are thrown into the mix. If you're looking to see a different approach to learning about family history you can't go wrong with this series.

It's worth exploring the rest of the web pages too. There's more advanced material on, Localizing Your Ancestors, 'What's Been Done Before?', Using Libraries, 19th Century Immigration, Directories and Periodicals, Church Courts and, 19th & 18th Century Sources written by Else Churchill who is Genealogist with the Society of Genealogists. Material on Crime, Family Secrets and Professions is authored by Nick Barratt.

Welsh Genealogy - three lives lease

Casgul'r Tlysau doesn't mean much to me. The translation from Welsh is Gathering the Jewels and refers to a web site where "you will find over 20,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, libraries and record offices in Wales." It's a surprising genealogy source.

As I have no deep rooted Welsh ancestry I explored the site using the origins of a Welsh-born friend. I've traced his origins back to the village of Pentyrch in Glamorganshire. Searching Pentyrch on the site gave 13 hits. The Iron Age bronze terret with red enamel inlay, shown here, has a caption which informs it would have guided the reins of a chariot drawn by two ponies, and was found near Pentyrch in the 1960s.

Of particular interest to me was an image of a page from a 1824 land use survey (terrier) of the Glamorgan estates of the Marquess of Bute. There is a land lease to Thomas Jenkins, the same name as my friend's earliest known ancestor. It documents a three lives lease of 81 acres of land at a rent of seven pounds and sixpence. The lease commenced in 1764 and two of three people whose lives are mentioned are still alive in 1824, ages 66 and 64. They would have been four and six when the lease started. When the last of them died the lease would end.

The value of a three lives lease in its later stages is well illustrated. Whereas Thomas Jenkins benefits from 11.6 acres for each pound of rent the adjacent entries on the page get only 3.3 and 2.3 acres for an "at will" lease. The trick at the start of the three lives lease, assuming you negotiated a good deal, was to choose people who would live to a ripe old age so you, or likely your descendant, would benefit as long as possible.

Genealogy Lectures Online

Earlier in the month the US Federation of Genealogical Societies held its annual conference in Boston. Most of the lectures were recorded and many are available as mp3 downloads for $1.99 US each here. There are quite a few lectures of Anglo-Celtic interest --- British, Irish and Canadian topics. Those involved as a director of a genealogical society, or thinking of becoming involved, may want to check out some of the lectures on different aspects of running a society.

The only thing lacking is that the graphical material that usually accompanies a live presentation is not available. On a skypecast last evening Drew Smith, a board member of FGS and co-host of the Genealogy Guys Podcast, explained that speakers fear they will lose speaking opportunities if they let their complete presentation go for $1.99. I can see the concern, but speakers might also consider that making one presentation available online, perhaps for a limited time, would be a great promotion tool. David Attenborough, Tim Berners-Lee, Bill Bryson, Jared Diamond and others seem to have no such concern in making their Royal Society (London) lectures available here.

International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Based on my experience with DNA testing I'm impressed. Not everyone is, including long time genealogy newsletter writer Dick Eastman, as I found out during a brief conversation on Saturday. Dick sees a role, but isn't an enthusiast.

There are just too many good stories about people who have made breakthroughs on intractable genealogical problems to dismiss genetic genealogy. A new one was briefly related to me by a member of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa on Saturday, and a goodly number of them are found at the web site for the International Society of Genetic Genealogy. Take a look.

Will genetic genealogy turn out to do for genealogy in the next decade what the internet has done in the last? There's a chance.

Bridge -- Warning

Travellers between Ogdensberg (NY) and Prescott (ON) are advised of a bridge malfunction just on the US side of the international border. While no reports of problems have been received construction of an artificial island may be underway. Only light traffic may be expected at customs and immigration terminals.
Images courtesy of Google.

A Cornish Sourcebook

The British are parodied as insular, the best example being the perhaps apocryphal newspaper headline "Fog in the Channel: Continent Isolated." How can this be reconciled with the extent of the British Empire at its zenith?

For genealogy and local history insularity can be a virtue. Residents take a delight in their unique clearly circumscribed situation. Although a peninsula rather than an island Cornwall has similar unique attributes. It was a delight to stumble upon this site which seems to be a labour of love by one Chris Bond. Delve into the Index to the Historical Place Names of Cornwall to be delivered to a world marked by Celtic names distinct from those of the rest of England, certainly more like Wales. Look through for the list of Cornish place name elements for insight into the meaning.

The other sections of the site include: Historical Illustrations of Ancient Cornwall; Maps and Plans of Cornwall; Historical Texts; Parish and Manor Bounds; Postcards of Cornwall; Public Domain Photos; and more. If you're looking for something specific, and there are many surnames mentioned, try the whole site index found by scrolling to the bottom of the home page.

Smart Family History

Smart Family History, newly published in 2006, is written at an intermediate level for the person researching family history in England and Wales. The blurb by The National Archives, the publisher, reads "This is a unique concise guide for family historians who have looked at basic sources and are impatient to find out more. .... Renowned for his talk ‘I’m stuck (up my family tree): where do I go from here?’, expert Geoff Swinfield offers a wealth of smart ideas to help you save time, avoid common pitfalls and progress your research more efficiently. ..."

Your Family Tree wrote "There is a wealth of intelligent advice...a useful, concise and informative book to keep at your side." and "Every genealogist will find new things to try in this convenient and affordable guide."

It is arranged by the stages of life, and the records to be expected for each of them, together with hints on research technique. Judging by the sample and statistics the writing is not overly technical. The layout seems rather pedestrian, but that's based on only two sample pages available out of nearly 250.

This is another good selection by Diana Hall, genealogy specialist at the Ottawa Public Library, to be purchased for their collection by way of a donation from the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. Available at amazon.ca. ISBN: 1903365805

Genetic Genealogy: Go Directly to Oblivion, do not collect publicity

It happenned again, Matthew Stibble has blogged on something that hit a chord with me.

I've just finished an article on DNA and genealogy for a British genealogy magazine, and attempted to contact several commercial testing companies for information. All had comprehensive websites which answered most of my questions, but I was looking for more.

One company gave an email address, no telephone number. I received an automated email reply. From a previous experience with the organization I expect to eventually receive a another reply explaining that they have been overwhelmed with emails and apologizing for not getting back sooner.

The second company has a 1-800 number where I left a voicemail message. After three weeks, and several attempts to call, each responded to by voicemail, I have still received no response. What confidence would you have in this company?

A third responded promptly but then failed to follow up.

The news was not all bleak. Family Tree DNA responded promptly and provided scanned images that I wanted the same day. No prize for guessing which company will receive the good publicity.

Genealogy Crowdsourcing

In one of the blogs I regularly monitor Matthew Stibble asked for input for an article he is writing on "crowdsourcing, web 2.0, long tail and social networking - all the latest buzzes online." Crowdsourcing was a new word to me, but a gentle google found 572,000 English pages, "The Rise of Crowdsourcing" from a June issue of Wired magazine being the first hit. Worth reading.

Wikipedia defines crowdsourcing as "a business model akin to outsourcing. The difference is that instead of professional vendors, crowdsourcing relies upon unpaid or low-paid amateurs who use their spare time to create content, solve problems, even do corporate R & D. Crowds targeted for crowdsourcing include data companies, such as Jigsaw, garage scientists, amateur videographers, freelancers, photo enthusiasts, smart mobs and the electronic herd." Wikipedia itself is a crowdsourcing project.

What sort of crowdsourcing projects are there in genealogy? Dick Eastman's Encyclopedia of Genealogy would qualify, although the crowds seem to be rather muted. There are innumerable places, notably Rootsweb newsgroups, where genealogists can post their genealogical conundrums and ask for advice. To get to those postings you do have to sort through assorted inane cackle and self aggrandisement in some of those groups, notably GENBRIT-L.

Perhaps the UK is further ahead. I subscribe to genesreunited, an offspring of friendsreunited, where you can post information on ancestors you are seeking, and people who link to that person can contact you (if they subscribe). It was the resource that allowed me to link to a whole branch of second cousins in the family tree earlier this year.

If you can think of other crowdsourcing examples in genealogy, particularly any where the person supplying the solution can receive a monetary reward, please let me know about it at aa327 at ncf.ca .

Cemeteries and Cemetery Symbols

This is one of the symbols I imaged recently at Ottawa's Beechwood cemetery. I'd had it in the back of my mind to explore the meaning of this and other cemetery iconography, then came across this site worth a look. Although the site is US-based, and the examples are from Colorado, many of the organizations mentioned, and the symbols, are international.

There is a Visual Glossary of Religious Symbols at an about.com site. I'm always a bit leery in mentioning about.com sites despite good content. They used to have aggressive behaviour, and I'm not sure my experience isn't better now only owing to better blocking.

How Our Ancestors Lived: A History of Life A Hundred Years Ago

A few months ago the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa made a donation to the Ottawa Public Library for the purchase of books related to the interests of the Society membership. Some were familiar, others new to me. From time to time I'll blog about some of the acquisitions, which were selected by Diana Hall, the OPL's librarian who specializes in family history.

Family History Monthly reviewed How Our Ancestors Lived: A History of Life A Hundred Years Ago as "a brilliant account of what Britain was like during the 1800s and 1900s ." The synopsis is that "David Hey draws on material from the 1901 census to paint a picture of what life was really like for our ancestors a hundred years ago. He describes work, play, love and death with expert text and a unique collection of historic photographs and graphic art. Illustrated case studies tell the stories of individual lives and allow the reader to build a picture of their own family's past."

David Hey, Emeritus Professor of Local History at Sheffield University, has a name I recognize, but not one I can place. He is the author of The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History, Family Names and Family History, and Journeys in Family History: Exploring Your Past, Finding Your Ancestors.

This is one I shall be looking to read when it arrives.

Date and Time

Where do you go when you want to calculate birth date from date of death and exact age, to the day, when someone died? I first checked out the calendar tool in Family Tree Maker, but from the description it wasn't clear how it handled the change in the calendar from the Julian to the Gregorian system. The British Empire changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752 when 11 days were skipped 2 September 1772 being followed by 14 September. There is a good Wikipedia article on the Gregorian calendar here.
Fortunately there is a calculator at dateandtime.com which makes if very clear the calendar change is being included. Find it here.
Did the person who provided the exact age information you're using do the calculation properly?

Family Stories: Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins

A few months ago the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa made a donation to the Ottawa Public Library for the purchase of books related to the interests of the Society membership. Some were familiar, others new to me. From time to time I'll blog about some of the acquisitions, which were selected by Diana Hall, the OPL's librarian who specializes in family history.

Do you have stories in your family, stories repeated over generations. One of mine is that an ancestor was one of the founders of the original Globe Theatre in London where Shakespeare's plays were originally mounted. I have no way of knowing if its true, but can think of one other family connection with theatres and Shakespeare that could be the distorted source of the story.

Family stories weave a web around us. They are part of our inheritance and any family historian worth the name will ensure they are preserved, along with the lineages, when they document the family history.

First on the OPL list was "Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins" by Elizabeth Stone. When first published in 1988 the New York Times reviewer summarized "... most readers will find this book highly evocative. Much the way ''Roots'' made people aware of family history, ''Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins'' is very likely to make people conscious of family narrative. It may not change the way we speak to one another, but it will certainly change the way we listen." Read the whole review, which is not without qualification, here.

Vernon's City of London Directory 1909-10

Back in April I blogged about a series of scans of Ontario city directories, and a few other books, becoming available on the Internet Archive. Since then there has been a hiatus in their being posted. The Toronto Reference Library informed me of an additional 50 volumes ready to go on the site, but it appears other things took priority. A lot of US history has been posted lately. Last Friday up pops Vernon's City of London, street, alphabetical, business and miscellaneous directory 1909-10. Nice to see the collection being augmented. Let's hope the rest arrive promptly, there has been a bit of a drought in new genealogical resources of all types.

New Genealogy Blogs

There are several new, or new to me, genealogy blogs out there that could well be of interest to you. How will you know unless you try? Check out the news, or opinions, expressed by knowledgeable folks anxious to share. If there are others that merit inclusion in the list please let me know by leaving a comment.

Mass of Excitement
Creative Gene
Genea-Musings
Genealogy Education
Librarians Helping Canadian Genealogists ...
Your Family Tree

For some other blogs, and to learn about blogging, try here.

Eaton's Catalogues 1906

What would you do? Your ancestor arrived in Ontario in 1906, a period of tremendous emigration from Britain to Canada, and found they needed a coat, or shoes, or a hat. Eaton's Catalogue to the rescue. The T. Eaton company and its catalogue brought the latest fashionable apparel from the city. It became a Canadian institution.

Discover the wares on offer, and prices of 1906, in a scan of the catalogue available online here.

Free Ticket to Genealogy Conference

That's right, a no charge ticket. Just right click on the image, paste it into your graphics program and print it.
There is a little catch, the ticket is free ... but it won't get you in. The ticket was generated at Say-it.com where you're welcome to make your own free and fun custom tickets, church signs, or have your most or least favourite US politician, or the pope, say things of your choice.
To attend my presentation on Saturday 23 September at the British Isles Family History Society annual conference, or any of the other presentations, you'll need to register which can be done using the form here. A full conference registration is the way to go as you'll see if you browse the program. I'll be talking about DNA testing, understanding mitochrondrial and Y-DNA tests and my own experience.

Genealogy by mtDNA

Yesterday I received an email from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) informing me they had another client who exactly matches my mitochrondrial DNA (mtDNA) . For those not familiar with mtDNA, it's passed from generation to generation along the maternal line. I got mine for my mother, but as a male I won't ever pass it on to my children.

That makes three of us, clients of FTDNA, who share identical DNA in both Hypervariable regions 1 and 2 - that's a high resolution match. Because I've agreed to release of my name and email address to those who match I was able to see the new person's information.

A few hours later I received an email from that person giving his earliest know maternal line ancestor and asking about mine. From paper records I can trace my maternal line back seven generations, the earliest three of which were in one locality. That puts our earliest documented ancestors about a century and the North Atlantic Ocean apart.

mtDNA changes slowly which means that with present tests exact matches occur for people related quite distantly in time along their maternal lines. From the FTDNA web site, an exact high resolution mtDNA match has about a 50% chance of sharing a common ancestor within the last 28 generations (about 700 years). My new DNA cousin and I both have a lot of researching to do to get back that far!

FTDNA advertise they have about 31,000 clients who have taken mtDNA tests. I don't know if they all agreed to limited release of their results, but if so the three of us who share my mtDNA are about 1 in 10,000. With 300 million people in the USA, 60 million in the UK and 30 million in Canada, we could look for another 39,000 matches if everyone in those countries got a test. If they all descend from one woman 28 generations ago the intermediate generation daughters would have to have had daughters at a rate of 1.48 per generation. If the line started 54 generations ago the rate would be 1.22 per generation. That doesn't account for lines that don't produce daughters, so you'd expect the rate in surviving lines to be larger. What's the daughter production rate in your family history?

Battle of Jutland

There is a detailed article on the Battle of Jutland fought on May 31 - June 1, 1916, at Wikipedia. It was the largest naval battle of WW1.

More than 6,000 British officers and men were killed and those casualties are listed at a new web site that also includes transcripts of some contemporary reports. North East Medals, which also has good information on British medals, makes available this interesting source.