September
5th, the first Monday of September, is Labour Day in Canada. On July
23, 1894, the government of Canada enacted legislation making the first
Monday of the month of September a national holiday. "Genealogy News"
Automated Genealogy This website at <http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/index.html>
is planning to transcribe the 1911 census. The question is when, and
the answer to that is not yet known - but they have the census and you
can start to index it now. Go to the website and let them know that you
wish to transcribe the census.
Remember, you can check the index for the 1901 census on the Library and Archives of Canada website at <http://www.collections.gc.ca>.
Death Registers for the City, Halifax, 1890-1908 In 1884, the Government of
Canada began to collect death statistics, and from one of them was the
city of Halifax.
Two registers for the city of Halifax have survived
this project for a total of 457 pages, and covering 17,890 entries. For
the years of 1884-1889, they have not survived.
The database is now available online in fully
searchable format with the two registers. Names appearing in the
database are directly linked to their corresponding pages in the
registers.
The website is <http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/vitalstats/death/halifax/>.
"Heritage News"
New Website - The Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is pleased to announce the launch of
the online Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. The
online register is currently composed of all grants, registrations,
confirmations, and approvals of heraldic emblems made through the
Canadian Heraldic Authority in Volume IV, since 1999, for pages 2 to
420. Further pages will be added in the future from volumes I, II and
III. Just one third has been included on the website for now.
"We hope that this new feature will be of interest
to both general inquiries and heraldic researchers", said Bruce
Patterson of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
The website url is <http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/index_e.asp>.
"History News"
30 July, 2005 - Mi'kmag Site Recognized in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Chapel Island, called Mniku Island in Mi'kmag, is the historical capital of the Mi'kmag.
The island has been a meeting place for the Mi'kmag
of the Maritime provinces since time immemorial," says the website,
located at <http://chapelisland.ednet.ns.ca/main.html>.
The federal government marked the spot with a plaque and a monument.
01 August, 2005 - Library and Archives Presents "Theses Canada"
The National Theses Program is celebrating its 40th
anniversary this year. The program is to acquire and preserve the
theses of Canadian universities, and to make them accessible to everyone.
The LAC provides open access to over 45,000 theses.
The theses are located at <http://www.collectionscanada.ca/thesescanada/index-e.html>.
03-07 August, 2005 - Library and Archives Canada at New France Festival
The LAC will be inside the old walls of Quebec
City, presenting "La sebile est pleine''
(the cup is full), a play which tells of traders from France who are
not so trustful, and of Ignace Gamelin, a local merchant who tells the
people about them and gets a petition addressed to the governor, asking
that they be stopped.
Check the New France Festival at <http://fnf2005.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/2005-en>.
11 August, 2005 - Compton Country, Quebec to Offer Tour The Compton County Historical Museum Society is offering a guided
house, garden, and museum tour on August 11, 2005 at 9 p.m. to raise
money for one of Quebec's oldest heritage preservation groups.
They will visit eight historical places of interest and will include
a hot lunch, which will be served at the Bulwer Community Centre.
The tour starts at the Cookshire-Eaton Information Centre in Birchton on the
corner of Rte. 108 and Harvey Road, where you will receive a map and a
passport to each place.
The cost is $27.00 per person.
Pre-registration is required. Contact Pat Boychuck at
<patboychuck@sympatico.ca> or drop into the offices of the Quebec
Anglophone Heritage Network at 257 Queen St., Lennoxville, Quebec. 28 August, 2005 - Caledon's Walk of Fame
At 11 o'clock, the 60th anniversary of the Allied
victories of World War II , the town of Caledon, Ontario will inscribe names on a
stone on Caledon's Walk of Fame to honour all of those who returned to
Caledon and contributed to the town after the war.
It will take place at the Caledon East Trail Pavilion, 15940 Airport Road. Contact Nadia Koltun at <d.pullen@sympatico.ca> or go to the town's website <http://www.town.caledon.on.ca/townhall/departments/recreation/Walk%20of%20Fame.asp>. Morin Heights Historic Walkabout
The Morin Heights Historical Association is hoping to raise money for
historic plaques to be placed throughout this Laurentians village.
English-language tours are scheduled for August 14th and September 25th.
All tours begin at Hillside Chapel at 1:30 p.m. A $5.00 fee is charged.
To reserve, please phone (450) 226-3232, ext. 143.
New Governor General to be Named in September
Governor
General Adrienne Clarkson is set to retire in September. At the
request of the reigning Liberal Government, she was asked to stay on another year when
it won a minority government.
Speculation is high over her replacement, with the
list of candidates running from James Bartleman, Ontario's lieutenant
governor (and the first aboriginal Canadian to be appointed) to Marc
Garneau, Canada's first man in space.
Written by War: Canadian Family Stories, 1913-1945
This
year marks the Year of the Veteran, and there is an exhibit marking it
by displaying stories written by Canadians, which will be open from 06 June,
2005 to 04 March, 2006. This exhibit is on at the Library and Archives
Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa. Tel: (613) 996-5115.
"Nearly one in ten Canadians served in uniform
between 1939 and 1945; millions more served in factories, on farms, and
in the merchant marine. It is their stories that are told through the
archival documents on display in this exhibition."
This exhibit is open from 9:00 am to 10:00 p.m. daily, in Exhibit Room C. There is free admission.
Former Residential School Made Museum
A former residential school, the Rufus Prince Building in Portage la
Prairie, Manitoba, has been turned into a museum.
Long Plains First Nation Chief Dennis Meeches, who
is the head of the project, said that "There is no better place to
house the museum than a former residential school. We want to be able
to tell the story through First Nation peoples, through our eyes,
through our experiences."
The Rufus Prince Building was a residential school
from 1916 to 1971. It is expected to reopen as a museum by 2008.
Producer Seeks Mysteries
A Toronto filmmaker, Rafael Losinski of Karow Prime
Films, is making a documentary called Unexplained Canada for CHUM TV on various mysteries of the Plains of Abraham.
In particular, he is interested in Lost Treasures of
the Citadel, and is also intrigued by General Wolfe and how he
allegedly predicted his own death by reciting a poem before the fateful
battle of 1759.
Mr. Losinski can be reached in Toronto at (416) 466-5007 or by e-mail <rafael90@sympatico.ca>.
Historic New Brunswick Church Burned
Sainte-Anne-de-Kent Roman Catholic Church in New
Brunswick burnt to the ground on June 30 after it's steeple was struck
by lighting.
About 75 people formed a human chain to pass some
statues, three small alters, and other relics from the church.
The church was known for its rare chandeliers and
beautiful paintings on its walls. Seventy-two paintings by Edouard
Gautreau were lost, as well as an Italian-made chandelier.
No one was injured in the fire.
Website Pick of the Month!
The Great War: Vimy Ridge This website <http://www.censol.ca/research/greatwar> is dedicated to Canadian soldiers serving in the
British 3rd Army, 34th Division, 23th Battalion of the Northumberland
Fusiliers (Tynside Irish) and to the Battle of Arras.
This website is packed with genealogy of George Van Wyck Laughton M.C., along with the history of the
Battle of Arras, and is posted by the grandson of Mr. Laughton with such
dedication and euthusiasm that it comes through in the many sections this
home page is divided into (i.e. the Official Canadian Record of the
Battle of Arras; George Van Wyck Laughton, M.C. "The Hero"; and the
Battlefield memorabilia).
Richard Laughton, the grandson, welcomes any input, corrections, or
suggestions that relate to the information posted here. He has also
posted photographs and keeps the website updated on a regular basis.
