January, 2006 News

(This news feature is divided into topics of Genealogy, Heritage, and History)

Bonus Feature - Website Pick of the Month!
Press Release - Editor of GenealogyCanada.com Named as Director - International/At Large
01 Jan 2006

(Ottawa, Ontario) George Morgan, President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE), announced on December 30, 2005, the appointment of Elizabeth Lapointe as Director - International/At Large.
    Genealogy columnist, author, and editor of GenealogyCanada.com—a Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history news service—Elizabeth will be finishing the term of fellow Canadian genealogy journalist, Sandra DEVLIN, of Moncton, New Brunswick, who resigned her position due to personal reasons. Sandra belonged to the organization for several years, and her presence will be sorely missed.
    "I have written for the genealogy community for over ten years and have been the editor of GenealogyCanada.com for two years," said Elizabeth. "As Director - International/At Large, I will be responsible for bringing new members to ISFHWE and for being the spokesperson for Canadian and international members."
    Elizabeth will be at the Ontario Genealogical Society's annual meeting this spring (May 26th to May 28th) in Oshawa, and invites ISFHWE members and fellow genealogists to come over and say "Hi!".
    Now living in the Ottawa area, she is originally from Nova Scotia, of a United Empire Loyalist background on both sides of her family.
    Elizabeth can be reached at <genealogycanada@aol.com>.
    For more information on ISFHWE, please visit their website at <http://www.rootsweb.com/~cgc>.


"Genealogy News"

OGS Annual Seminar in Oshawa
    The Ontario Genealogical Society Seminar will be held from May 26 to May 28th, 2006 in Oshawa, Ontario. Entitled "FROM BUGGY WHIPS ... TO MICROCHIPS", it is being hosted by the Durham Region Branch this year. It will be held at the Durham College & University of Ontario Residence and Conference Centre, where attendees can stay at the South Village Residence.
    Besides workshops and lectures, the seminar will feature George Morgan as its keynote speaker, will have a "WALL OF ANCESTORS," and there will be professionals there to answer your questions.
    There are savings to be had if you register before January 31, 2006.
    Visit the site at <http://www.ogsseminar.org/contact_us.htm>, contact them by email <info@ogsseminar.org>, or phone (905) 683-4008.
    The mailing address is: The Registrar, OGS Seminar 2006, Box 433, Bowmanville, ON L1C 3Z2.

Ireland Announces Agreement with Library and Archives Canada
    This agreement will see the Irish Census Records for 1901 and 1911 digitized, indexed, and placed online for free access by the 70 million Irish diaspora around the world.
    Thirteen percent of Canadians can trace their ancestry back to Ireland.
    For more news, go to <http://www.genealogytoday.com/roots/xweb.mv?xc=Display&xo=rescms&xn=-1&xr=875&xz=>.

Best Top Ten Canadian Websites
    For the second year, Canadian Connections author E.B. Lapointe has picked 10 top Canadian websites for the year 2005. This year, she has included newsletters as well as websites.
    For more on the Top Ten, see <http://www.GenealogyCanada.com/Columns.htm#Top_Ten_2005>.

Genealogy Courses Given at North York Library
    This coming winter and spring, the North York Public Library in Toronto <http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/pro_nycl.jsp> will be busy with three new courses being offered with the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS).
    The Basic Genealogy and Family History Course—in which the student will learn how to collect, record, and compile information—will be given Wednesday, January 25th, February 1st, 8th, and 15th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Meeting Room 1. The four sessions will cost $60.00.
    The Introduction to Ontario Family History Research Course has a basic prerequisite of the basic genealogy course, or equivalent experience. A brief historical background and introduction to Ontario records are given over five sessions on Thursdays. The course will be given on Thursday February 16th, 23rd, March 2nd, 9th, and 16th from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Meeting Room 1. The cost is $75.00 for five sessions.
    The Multimedia Scrapbooking and Genealogy Course is the third to be given, covering how to create and manage photos. It is $30.00 for two sessions, on Tuesdays March 28th and April 4th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Meeting Room 2.
    You can register with the Toronto Branch of the OGS at least 14 days before the course starts. After that date, you can register by calling the Toronto Branch at (416) 733-2608 or by e-mail at <dclenden@netrover.com>. Registration forms are available at the 6th floor information desk.

The Ontario Genealogical Society Chooses New President and New Editor
    The President and Board of Directors of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Fraser E.F. Dunford, P.Eng. as the Executive Director of the society.
    He has worked with outgoing Executive Director, Mr. Ken Bird, since November 28, 2005, and who has now retired. The transition was completed by December 16, 2005.
    Previously, Dr. Dunford held a position of OGS Regional Director for the areas of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk Counties and the Hamilton and Niagara Regions, as well as volunteering as the editor of the society's newsletter, Newsleaf. He is an avid genealogist, a published author of a number of books of genealogical interest, and will provide leadership for the society as it advances into new areas of genealogical research in the coming years.
    A new editor, Lewis Zandbergen, has also been chosen for Families, the society's quarterly journal, and Newsleaf, their newsletter. His tenure will begin with the first issues of 2006.
    The Ontario Genealogical Society is Canada's largest society with 7,000+ members. It will celebrate it's 45 years in existence with the 2006 seminar called "FROM BUGGY WHIPS ... TO MICROCHIPS" to be held from May 26 to 28th, 2006 in Oshawa, Ontario.
    The website for the Ontario Genealogical Society is <http://www.ogs.on.ca>.
"Heritage News"

CanStage Presents "Homechild"
    'Homechild", a play by Joan MacLeod—with Joyce Campion, Patrick Hamilton, Randy Hughson, Eric Peterson and Brenda Robins, and directed by Martha Henry—will open in Toronto January 2nd and close January 29th.
    It is a national story about Alistar MacEachern, a crotchety farmer who, for 70 years, has silently longed for sister he left behind.
    Joan MacLeod tells a quintessential Canadian story that unearths the secret of the 100,000 Home Children sent to Canada from Britain between 1860 and 1930.
    Contact the CanStage website <http://www.canstage.com> for more information.

 200th Anniversary of St. James' Cathedral, Toronto
    The archives of the St. James' Cathedral of Toronto is looking for the following items that people may be able to lend for a display: pictures; letters; diaries; school books connected with staff, students, and their families; and of those associated with the opening of a publicly-funded school in York and the early days of Toronto (up to the 1870s).
    The Archives and Museum Committee of St. James' Cathedral—in co-operation with the Jarvis Collegiate Institute Bicentennial Project Planning Committee—is arranging a kick-off exhibit meant to focus on the early years when the school was closely associated with the church, and is scheduled to open February, 2006. For more information on this project, visit their website at <http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/archives.asp?pgid=7&openart=466#466>.
    If you can help, please contact Nancy Mallett, Chair, Archives and Museum Committee, St. James' Cathedral, 65 Church Street, Toronto, ON M5C 2E9. Phone (416) 364-7865 Ext. 233. The e-mail address is <archives@stjamescatheral.on.ca>.

PEI Schools Receive Gift from PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation
    A full collection of the Island Magazine is being distributed to all island schools by the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation <http://www.gov.pe.ca/peimhf/index.php3?number=80752&lang=E>.
    "We are very pleased to receive this donation," said Education Minister Mildred Dover. "The magazine collections will enrich our libraries, provide students with relevant information, and pique their interest in Island history."
    Between 1976 and 2005, the Island Magazine published 58 issues, and includes more than 350 articles.

Heritage Designation for Ontario Cemeteries
    Brampton will designate all of its cemeteries under the Ontario Heritage Act, the city council has decided.
    There are 29 heritage and pioneer cemeteries, many with only rudimentary stone markers.
    Among the cemeteries to be designated are Brampton Cemetery on Wilson Avenue; Cheyne Cemetery on Maine Street South; Hilltop Gore Cemetery on Gore Road; Shiloh Cemetery on Highway 50 North; and Eventide Cemetery on Maine Street North.
    The heritage designation helps protect the cemeteries from encroachment and alternations that do not fit with the heritage characteristics.

Make Valentines for Veterans
    Visitors can make "Valentines for Veterans" each weekend in January when they visit the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. This is a special program held with Veterans Affairs Canada in which the Valentines will be distributed in long-term facilities across the country.
    Craft materials will be supplied, and the event takes place in the lobby from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday.

"History News"
The Valiants Memorial to be Unveiled in Ottawa - (News Story)
    The Minister of Canadian Heritage announced on the 13th of August, 2003 that a memorial honouring fourteen valiant men and women who gave wartime service to Canada during the last of four centuries would be erected in Confederation Square in Ottawa on May 8th, 2006.

"Let Loose our Library" Project and Fundraiser
    A major project for 2006 is making the Dominion Office Library of the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada available to researchers. To this end, organizers need about $25,000 to make this happen.
      The library has a number of published and unpublished family histories and genealogies, and the library needs to be newly catalogued and reshelved. Furthermore, they intend to put the catalogue online.
    So far, they have raised about 4.7% of the cost needed to make the library ready for use. For details on donations (a receipt will be issued), the currents status is updated on their website at <http://www.uelgovsimcoe.org/Loyalist-Library/UELAC-Loyalist-Library.php>.

Website Pick of the Month!

Sir John A. Macdonald's Birthday
    Sir John Alexander Macdonald was born on January 11, 1815 in Scotland and came to Kingston, Ontario with his parents in 1820.
    At 29, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly and by 1857, he was Premier of Upper Canada (Ontario).
    He was a "Father of Confederation", as he was the first to have the idea of forming Canada outside of being Britain's North American colony.
    He went on to build the railroad to British Columbia and became known as the "Old Chieftan". He died in office in June 1891.
    For further information on Sir John A., go to <http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top-ten/nominee/macdonald-john.html>.
    For a history of Kingston and a profile of the Parliament of Canada building in the city, please go to <http://www.cityofkingston.ca>.

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