Second World War Service Files: Canadian Armed Forces War Dead

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has announced the launch of a new online database, Second World War Service Files: Canadian Armed Forces War Dead.

"Through this online database, researchers can access references to the service files in the Department of National Defence Fonds (RG 24) for the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who lost their lives during this conflict. Over 1,159,000 men and women served in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War (1939-1945) and 44,093 people lost their lives.

The database is available at:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/index-e.html

Library and Archives Canada gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, without which this project would not have been possible. The contributions of many LAC staff were instrumental in the success of this project, and their efforts are much appreciated"

In addition to the information available from the Commonwealth War Grave Commission this index adds the exact date of birth and LAC reference for the full service record. For WW2 fatalities the complete service record is accessible without restriction.

The (UK) National Archives Annual Report

Several years ago TNA announced their aim is to provide "almost all that customers want online, either through access to pre-digitised records, or through digitisation on demand, which will provide, at the moment, up to 10 pages and delivery within 24 hours for £8.50."

As far as I can see the online service goal is not addressed in the UK National Archives 2007-2008 Annual Report, posted here.

However, the report does include some interesting information. Page 13 contains a table showing impressive performance against 2007-2008 Key Performance Indicators.

85,621,313 documents were supplied onsite and online, exceeding the target of 66,275,000 and 22% above the previous year figure.

56,865,522 visits onsite and online exceeded the target of 40,655,000 and more than doubled the previous year 23,239, 023 visits.

Targets for onsite and online customer satisfaction, 90% and 80% were also exceeded with improvement over the previous year.

Why the conference?

As we enter September, with the BIFHSGO conference starting in 18 days, I was interested to see a short article "What’s in It for Me?" by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking in the Ancestry Weekly Journal.

Sandra describes herself as a Dedicated Conferee and writes about the benefits of family history conferences with particular reference to the FGS conference starting in Philadelphia in a few days.

Sandra writes "It’s fair to assume that you are going to be enlightened at a conference. The top speakers in the country will be delivering knowledge about a myriad of topics."

As a smaller specialized conference BIFHSGO 2008 doesn't have the same myriad of topics as FGS, but does have top speakers. Experience in previous years is that people already find they have to make difficult choices between two sessions offered at one time. Why make life too difficult? This year BIFHSGO's keynote speaker, Sherry Irvine, is giving three plenary presentations to avoid that problem. I've seen the handouts -- it's the right decision. For the other sessions there remains the challenge of the choice.

The BIFHSGO conference also offers something else Sandra writes about "The activity ... people bustling from class to class ... talking in the halls about the great presentation ... electricity in the air ... a feeling you are a part of something wonderful --- mak(ing) a ton of new friends ... shar(ing) discoveries and pass(ing) along tips ... exchanging stories of finding a long-lost cousin over coffee and a doughnut.

Sandra enthuses about shopping for products, like books, magazines and CDs, and services such as supplied by family history societies. Savy shoppers often plan to skip a session to allow them to talk to the knowledgeable exhibitors.

Not mentioned in Sanrda's article, but also offered at the BIFHSGO conference, is a computer Internet and CD look up room and the opportunity to consult with knowledgeable genealogists.

Read Sandra's complete article here.

Records from the British Isles Vital Records Index, 2nd Edition, online at Ancestry

Databases with information extracted from English and Welsh birth and christening records (1530-1906) and marriage records (1538-1940) previously published in CD form from the LDS as the British Isles Vital Records Index are now on Ancestry.

The records are for a selection of localities in England and Wales. Coverage is far from complete, but you may get lucky.

I've had the CDs for many years but rarely used them after the initial screening for my ancestors. Now having them integrated with the other Ancestry databases means not having to remember to search a separate data set.

The CDs are still valuable as they contain additional Irish material not (yet?) available through Ancestry.

University of London Student Records, 1836-1926

Registers and lists of University of London students are now online. Available are searchable pdfs for:

Students up to (and including) 31 March 1901
University of London General Register parts I and II (published 1890, 1899)

• Part I includes graduates who died before 31 December 1890 and those who were undergraduates up until 31 March 1883 but had not passed an examination up until 31 December 1890.
  A searchable PDF of this document is available here (2.17Mb)
• Part II contains graduates who died, 1 January 1891- 30 March 1899, and those who were undergraduates, 31 March 1883-31 March 1893, but had not passed an examination by 31 March 1899.
  A searchable PDF of this document is available here (2.16Mb

University of London General Register part III (published 1901)

• Details of all graduates and undergraduates up until 31 March 1901 (except those listed in parts I-II).Names of Chancellors, officials, and teachers up until 1901.
  A searchable PDF of this document is available here (4.61Mb)

Graduates, 1836-1926
University of London Historical Record, 1836-1926 (published 1926)

• A list of all University of London graduates up to December 1926.
  A searchable PDF of this document is available here (4.33Mb)

More details here.

Via SOG

Loyalist books online

One of my regular stops is the list of new items posted by Ancestry. Most often these are digitized books. Those with United Empire Loyalist interests might want to check out three items new on Ancestry:

United Empire Loyalists, Enquiry into the Losses and Services in Consequence of their Loyalty, by Alexander Fraser, Parts I and II

The Old United Empire Loyalists List by Milton Rubicam

Both are publications of the Genealogical Publishing Company.

Government blow to digitization

The following from Michael Geist's blog. I can hardly wait for the opportunity to express my view on this at the ballot box!

"Most of our major trading partners, including the United States, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and China have already established digitization strategies that feature robust programs and ambitious plans. Those countries recognized that an effective digitization strategy yields significant domestic benefits such as wider access to knowledge for all communities, a greater appreciation of national cultural heritage, and the facilitation of lifelong learning. There are tangible international advantages as well, since digital access supports cultural exports and collaborative scientific research.

Yet the announced cuts move Canada in the opposite direction. For example, just as the government was cutting $11.7 million to the Canadian Memory Fund (which gives federal agencies money to digitize their collections and post them online), the European Union - which is currently led by the Conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy - was committing nearly $200 million next year alone toward digitization and efforts to provide online access to Europe's cultural heritage. The European Commission has urged its member states to increase their digitization budgets, as Europe works toward the creation of a massive European Digital Library.

These program cuts seemingly guarantee that Canada will fall further behind the digitization race, leaving Canadians without online access to their cultural and historical heritage and doing precious little to promote Canadian content to the rest of the world. The decisions may provide short-term gains among some voting constituencies, but also promise long-term pain for Canada's presence in the online world."

FreeBMD Update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Thursday 14 August 2008 and contains 154,016,737 distinct records (198,415,308 total records). Don't forget to check back to see if that elusive ancestor has been added.

The database now contains 70,418,809 unique records for births, 37,981,251 for marriages and
43,096,978 for deaths.

An additional coverage chart, for 1930-1949, has been added for each of vital record set. There's not much coverage for that period yet but it's encouraging to see the intention implied.

A little more on BMD index digitization for England and Wales

The Federation of Family History Societies has posted a response, hardly news to those who have followed the issue, from the British Government to a petition on this topic.

After mentioning availability on microform the response states:

"GRO recognises that the creation of a publicly-accessible online index will be of even greater value to many family historians. GRO was transferred on 1 April 2008 from the Office for National Statistics to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). IPS has confirmed that the creation of an accessible online index is a commitment which GRO will continue to work
towards.

A necessary pre-requisite is that all the registration records from 1837 must be created in a digitised format. The project to achieve this has encountered delays, with about half the records currently digitised. IPS is investigating a new project to complete the work and to address the requirement for an online index. At this stage options for the best method
of implementation are being reviewed, and new timescales will be announced as soon as decisions based on the outcome of the review can be taken.”

No timeframe. Best for who?

LAC Services Consultation

Historian, genealogist, researcher ... whatever the reason you use the services of Library and Archives Canada; whether you use those services on-site or remotely by inter-institutional loan or the LAC web site, your opinion on LAC Service Branch service strategy is sought.

LAC has prepared a Discussion Paper which is now available on this LAC web page. This Paper provides background on LAC public services, identifies examples of possible service changes and encourages LAC clients to share their ideas on service-related issues, challenges and opportunities. Check it out here.

A Queen's thanks leaves historical legacy

Queen Elizabeth, mother of the present Queen Elizabeth II, arranged to have a decorative letter of thanks sent to people who hosted British children evacuated to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA at the start of WW2.

Designed and printed in Ottawa, 7000 copies were produced. The Queen's desire to show appreciation produced a flurry of administrative activity, not the least of which was trying to track down who to send the letters to. Children moved. They spent long summer holidays away from their school-time homes. Everyone had to be thanked; authorities wanted to avoid missing anyone out. The result is a raft of records which in Canada are in the files at Library and Archives Canada in RG9.

These records are especially valuable as they document otherwise difficult-to-trace children and their host families who came privately, with schools, companies and non-profit organizations, not just the children evacuated under the government (CORB) program .

The not so good old days

My high speed connection is down and I'm reliving the olden days of dial-up. Expet light blogging until its fixed. In the meantime I'll contemplate the remainder of the new databases promised by TGN (Ancestry) CEO Tim Sullivan in a posting back in May, and in particular:

• Canadian Passenger Lists (1865-1935) – 8 million names of immigrants and other travelers arriving to Quebec and other major ports during that timeframe.
• Inbound UK Passenger Lists (1878-1960) – 20 million names of those passengers traveling to the UK.

Bartholomew's Fair

The anticipation is building for August 24, St Bartholomew's Day. Bartholomew's Fair was celebrated for centuries in London, an important enough event to be opened by the Lord Mayor at Smithfield Market. How did your London ancestor, over 200 years ago, celebrate this important social event?

A 1802 newspaper, The Morning Chronicle , reported that at the instant the Lord Mayor declared the Fair open "... the most hideous noise commenced. The screaming of fiddles, the beltching and bursting of French-horns and trumpets out of tune, the squeeking and squalling of wretched clarinets, flutes and hauteboys ... formed a concert superior to what Discord herself could have invented."

"The booths are numerous, and fitted up in the usual style of splendour. On one hand we have a Theatre Royal, where dramatic pieces are enacted with the amazing celerity; and it is a fact that Pizarro and Blue Beard were performed in one of these Retreats of Thespis in the very short space of 18 minutes!"

"Proceeding a little further towards Saint John Street, the attention is called off on the other hand by a splendid Royal Circus, where a performer, who is styled Equestrian to their Majesties, exhibits his wonderful feats. There are also various receptacles for wild beasts, conjurors and charlatans of every denomination; philosophical entertainments, rational amusements, with everything which can possibly tend to exalt and improve the human understanding!"

"It would not be fair to omit that favourite amusement of the youthful visitors of both sexes of this elegant place of resort, we mean swings, roundabouts and etc. Neither would we be justified in not recording the delicacies which present themselves to the hungry; yards of fried sausages were devoured with particular avidity, and, ... nothing was to be seen but oceans of gin, and mountains of gingerbread, intersected with the appearance of hilarity and universal satisfaction.”
The article continues "To be serious," deploring the excesses it sees in the Fair.

It took more than 50 years but this annual fair was eventually ended in 1855.

Ancestry / JewishGen partnership

The following press release, interesting in its own right, is also notable for being datelined CHICAGO. The Generations Network corporate website mentions no business office in that city, and most previous press releases are out of the corporate offices in Provo, Utah, or datelined in two locations including Provo. There is a Jewish genealogy conference underway in Chicago, but could the lack of mention of Provo, or Utah, be to distance the company from the Utah-based LDS Church which has had a rocky relationship with Jewish authorities?

CHICAGO – Aug. 19, 2008 – The Generations Network, Inc., parent company of Ancestry.com, and JewishGen, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching and promoting Jewish genealogy and an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, today announced a partnership designed to provide easier online access to millions of important Jewish historical documents. JewishGen’s collection of databases will be integrated and be made available for free on Ancestry.com, making these historical Jewish records and information more accessible than ever before. As part of the agreement, the JewishGen site will also be hosted in Ancestry.com’s data center.

For the first time ever, those interested in researching Jewish ancestry will be able to search JewishGen’s databases on Ancestry.com, taking advantage of Ancestry.com’s powerful search technologies, including tree hinting and the ability to search all JewishGen databases through one simple interface. The agreement will also give researchers the ability to make connections within family trees and to perform broader searches – searching JewishGen’s databases in combination with the other 7 billion names and 26,000 databases available on Ancestry.com. In addition, visitors will be able to network with millions of Ancestry.com members to connect with others interested in Jewish genealogy and discover distant relatives.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with JewishGen, an elite and well-respected resource in the Jewish genealogy community,” said Tim Sullivan, president and CEO of The Generations Network. “Both organizations are committed to the preservation of important historical records. We look forward to working with JewishGen and to making these wonderful collections even more accessible for free on Ancestry.

Under the new agreement, some of the important JewishGen content that will be available on Ancestry.com includes databases from many different countries, the Holocaust Database, Yizkor Books (memorial books from Holocaust survivors), The Given Names Database and JewishGen ShtetlSeeker, among others. The JewishGen collections will be available on Ancestry.com by the end of the year.

“This important partnership between JewishGen and Ancestry.com demonstrates a commitment both to preserving Jewish heritage and providing the public with unprecedented access to these records,” said Warren Blatt, Managing Director of JewishGen. “The impact on the genealogy community will be significant; not only will genealogists now have the use of powerful search tools to make research easier, they will be able to find everything for their Jewish heritage research needs at one location.

David G. Marwell, Director, Museum of Jewish Heritage, said, "The continuity of Jewish heritage is central to the Museum's mission. We are pleased that this partnership will make it easier for users to discover their Jewish roots and connect or re-connect to their family's history.”

To learn more about this important agreement, or if you would like a sneak peek of the Jewish collections that will be available on Ancestry.com, visit www.ancestry.com/JewishHeritage.

About JewishGen

JewishGen, www.jewishgen.org, became an affiliate of the Museum on January 1, 2003. An Internet pioneer, JewishGen was founded in 1987 and has grown from a bulletin board with only 150 users to a major grass roots effort bringing together hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide in a virtual community centered on discovering Jewish ancestral roots and history.

Researchers use JewishGen to share genealogical information, techniques, and case studies. With a growing database of more than 11 million records, the website is a forum for the exchange of information about Jewish life and family history, and has enabled thousands of families to connect and re-connect in a way never before possible.

About Ancestry.com

With 26,000 searchable databases and titles and nearly 3 million active users, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information. Since its launch in 1997, Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history, simplifying genealogical research for millions of people by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources to build their own unique family trees. Ancestry.com is part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network of family-focused interactive properties, including www.myfamily.com, www.rootsweb.com, www.genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties receive nearly 8.5 million unique visitors worldwide (© comScore Media Metrix, March 2008). To easily begin researching your family history, visit www.ancestry.com.

SOURCE: Ancestry.com, JewishGen

CONTACTS: Sara Black, +1-213-996-3812, sblack@painepr.com, for Ancestry.com, and Abby Spilka, +1-646-437-4333, aspilka@mjhnyc.org, for JewishGen and the Museum of Jewish Heritage

Autosomal DNA for genealogy

Did you hear the one about the Englishman, Irishman and Dutchman who went into a pub ... no, hold that ... it's so yesterday.

The new version is they went into a genetic analysis laboratory and, along with 2,511 other individuals belonging to 23 different subpopulations, widely spread over Europe, they had their DNA tested.

The test results, according to an article in the New York Times reporting on a paper in Current Biology, showed them to be genetic brothers, quite distinct from some other Europeans ... Finns, Poles, Hungarians, Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese.

This is just one exciting result now appearing from analysis of autosomal DNA, that's the DNA in chromosomes in the cell nucleus that aren't the sex chromosomes Y (commonly used in genealogy DNA testing) or X

Unlike Y-DNA, the autosomes are subject to variation not only as a result of occasional mutations, but also owing to cross-overs between chromosomes donated by the mother and father. Electronic SNP-chips capable of analysing 500,000 chromosome locations are helping to unravel the complexity of autosomal DNA inheritance.

The technology and understanding appear to be developing fast. I look forward to exciting new advances leading to new help for genealogists from massive autosomal DNA analysis.

Evaluation

Do you like this posting? Tell me now!

We had a meeting of the conference planning group for the BIFHSGO conference last Saturday at which I queried if all the questions on the evaluation form we ask attendees to fill out are really useful. On review it seems quite a few could be eliminated without much loss of useful information.

One thing BIFHSGO does right is ask folks to fill out the evaluation form at the end of the conference. It wouldn't make much sense to ask whether they found the information they sought before hearing the presentations.

But that's exactly what LAC is doing with its on-line survey.

Occasionally, just after you enter the site, a form pops up asking if you'll take a five minute survey. One of the questions is along the lines ... did you find the information you came to find. How could you have done?

Ask a silly question ... get a silly answer.

Update on forthcoming Genealogy Books

On May 22 I posted about forthcoming genealogy books, according to Amazon. Here's an update.

The Official Guide to Ancestry.com (Paperback)
by Susan Sherwood Parr (Author)
to be released 1 August 2008

Author now indicated as George G Morgan, an update of his earlier book by the same title dated 1 May 2007. According to Amazon "This title has not yet been released."

Basics of Genealogy Reference: A Librarian's Guide (Paperback)
by Jack Simpson (Author)
to be released 30 July 2008

Listed as now scheduled for release 30 September, 2008

Tracing Your Jewish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians (Paperback)
by Rosemary E. Wenzerul (Author)
to be released 23 July 2008

Amazon now lists this as an August 2008 publication, and temporarily out of stock.

Finding Your Italian Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)
by Suzanne Russo Adams (Author)
to be released 1 July 2008

Amazon lists this title as not yet released.

So it looks like all of them are still forthcoming! I wonder, will any of them be available for Christmas?

More on the 1916 census of the Prairie Provinces

Here's more news about the newly released 1916 census now that I've had a chance to look at a sample.

First the really good news. The census includes lots more information than in the 1906 census: family and first name, military service, domicile (township, range, meridian, municipality), relation to head of household, sex, marital status, age, place of birth (province or country), religion, year of immigration, year of naturalization, nationality, race or national origin, whether can speak English, whether can speak French, mother tongue, whether can read, whether can write, occupation, employer/employee/self employed.

The question on military service is especially interesting as the possible answers are overseas, in Canada or none. It looks as if people who would normally be in the household, but were away on service during WW1, are also being enumerated.

Second, the good news. There's a finding aid at the LAC Genealogy Desk which details the communities. As with the 1906 census finding aid, locations are often only identified by township and range and meridian, and sometimes by community name. It's helpful to know the geography of the area you're searching.

Third, not so good news but easy to fix. The drawers containing the LAC microfilms aren't identified. I had to look two drawers down from the last labelled drawer to find the microfilm I wanted.

Fourth, the bad news. The quality of the microfilm copy was mixed on the film I examined. The image at the top of the page was usually quite legible but darkened considerably toward the bottom, particularly at the sides, so that in some cases it was impossible to read the names in the lower third of the page.

CBC TV ignores Canadian history

According to CBC TV audience relations the network has no plans to air programming relating to Canadian history in the coming months. The exact information was that there is no series planned, although there may be history items within the context of other series.

CBC, which receives substantial tax-based funding, has a mandate to provide a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains. Programming under that mandate is supposed to be predominantly and distinctively Canadian, reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, contribute to shared national consciousness and identity, and reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada.

Last year's Who Do You Think You Are? series fulfilled the mandate admirably, providing insight into the diverse origins of Canadians, and did it in an entertaining way by using Canadian personalities. Unfortunately it was a half-hearted CBC effort with poor publicity and only a half-hour program compared to the winning one hour format in the UK.

Meantime Australian and US versions of WDYTYA are in production. In the UK the return of the series last Wednesday brought in 6.85m (29.9%) to BBC One in the 9pm hour, more than 10% up on the same time slot the previous week and marginally better than for the start of the series a year ago.

Having fumbled it last year CBC TV has now completely dropped the ball on Canadian history.

Fraternal Societies

Exactly a century ago the Toronto Globe carried an article on page 2 on the election of officers to the Sons of England Benefit Society Supreme Lodge.

Such prominent coverage indicates the importance attached to what The Canadian Encyclopedia (1988) called "the largest and most important English cultural society."

In 1913, just at the peak of migration from England to Canada, the Sons of England had 40,000 members with Lodges across Canada."

These were the days before the social safety net and the Sons played a role as a mutual benefit society, organizing receptions of newcomers, provided medical services and paid unemployment and disability benefits.

Also according to the article "the social evening "At home," was modelled on the English music hall. On these occasions, the Sons were expected to thrill to jingoistic songs, weep at evocations of England, savour warm, dark ale, and revert to regional dialects."

At the BIFHSGO Conference, September 19-21, Glenn Wright will be giving a presentation on Fraternal Societies. Today, September 15, is the final day to take advantage of discount registration, available to all, not just sons of England.