Month: June 2021

Over 2.2 million Irish records were just posted on Ancestry, although dated 28 June.

These are all sourced from the (Irish) National Archives; check out their genealogy resources at https://genealogy.nationalarchives.ie/.

The following Ancestry collections, taken from newspaper obits, updated on 24 June 2021 were made available on 28 June.

Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-Current now has 9,387,518 records, increased from 8,926,805 records at the beginning of December.

UK and Ireland, Obituary Index, 2004-2019 has 6,470,815 records, up from 6,029,096 records last December.

Australia and New Zealand, Obituary Index, 2004-Current has  1,982,265 1,982,265 records, up from 1,891,525 records last December.

U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current has 191,120,426 records.

The British Newspaper Archive now has a total of 43,214,356  pages online (42,915,614 last month).

This month 29 papers had pages added (65 in the previous month). There were 9 (29) new titles. Dates range from 1801 to 1999

Those with more than 10,000 pages added were:

Choose from free online events in the next five days. All times are ET except as noted. Those in red are Canadian, bolded if local to Ottawa. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed.

Tuesday 29 June, 2 pm:  Virtual Genealogy Drop-In, from Ottawa Branch of OGS and The Ottawa Public Library. https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/.

Tuesday 29 June, 2:30 pm: Discovering Your Ancestors in Poorhouse Records, by Elizabeth Hodges for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, (US-oriented). https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5191925

Wednesday 30 June, 11 am: A Hard Lot to Labour: Exploring Occupations, by Rose Stevely-Wadham for Findmypast. www.facebook.com/findmypast

Wednesday 30 June, 2 pm: Genealogy for Houses, by Jeanie F Glaser for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.  (US-oriented). https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=1633

Friday 2 July, 11 am: Friday’s Live. with Alex Cox for Findmypast. www.facebook.com/findmypast

Saturday 3 July, 2 pm:  Chipping Away at the Brick Wall, by Ken McKinlay for Simcoe Branch OGS. https://simcoe.ogs.on.ca/events/simcoe-county-branch-chipping-away-at-the-brick-wall-with-ken-mckinlay/

Coming

19 – 26 September 2021: BIFHSGO Conference. Irish Lines and Female Finds: Exploring Irish records, female ancestors and genetic genealogy. www.bifhsgo2021.ca/.

As a former meteorologist, I can’t let the recording-breaking heat recorded on Sunday go unmentioned.

Here’s the tweet.

Lytton’s official high-temperature today June 27, 2021 is 46.6 C. Lytton BC now holds the record for Canada’s all time maximum high. The previous record was 45.0 C set on July 5, 1937 at Yellow Grass, and Midale, SK.

Part of a Canadian weather-person’s common knowledge was the records — hottest temperature in Yellow Grass, SK, and the coldest in Snag, YT. 

The record will not be official until the thermometer that recorded it is recalibrated. Perhaps the Science and Technology Museum will ask to have it donated as a bit of Canadian history.

If you’re subscribed to the blog you should receive a Daily Update email shortly after 7 am. I’m hearing for some it’s delayed. Please check the timeslot you usually receive the email.

Thanks for helping.

I’d wanted to add this interview of Margaret Atwood by Steve Paikin to Sunday Sundries. Missed it for Sunday. Here it is anyway …

There are several sources for historical weather information for the UK.

One of the most accessible as it hits the highlights of more extreme events is WEATHER IN HISTORY 11,000BC TO PRESENT.  In half-decade periods since 1600, and even back further learn about the weather events that may have disrupted your ancestor’s life.

The British Meteorological Office Digital Library and Archive website includes various resources listed under UK Observations. The most valuable if you’re looking for daily information is Daily Weather Report /Daily Weather Summary with data from 1860 onward. Choose a date in your UK family history and find out the weather on that day.

British newspapers often covered weather including in regular commentary columns. If you have access to newspapers.com try The Guardian, available with the Publishers Extra subscription.  Try newspapers available through Findmypast and the British Newspaper Archive.

A recent source for monthly rainfall, freely available files ready to be loaded into a spreadsheet, is the product of a crowdsource project described in the article Citizen Scientists Digitized Centuries of Handwritten Rain Data.

Following up on a post about CEF Infantry Battalions information came an email asking where a photo of the  183rd Btn might be found. I didn’t know.

Battalions with higher numbers were used for recruiting and training, then dispersed once in Europe. The 183rd, headquartered in Winnipeg, went through that in 1916. My best suggestion was to contact the Archives of Manitoba and City of Winnipeg Archives.

On Saturday the OGS eWeekly had an item Archives of Ontario Shares Photos to Wikimedia Commons. Included is a high-quality example of the type of photo, this for Soldiers of the 227th Regiment, Gore Bay.

If you know of a source for a photo of the 183rd please post a comment.

Harold James Duncan, born 9 Jan 1898, had a difficult childhood in Ottawa. His mother (Mary Elizabeth nee McGregor) died when he was age four. His father (Albert James) married again. Siblings from both marriages died as infants, His father died of TB before Harold was age 10.

He first attested in April 1916, age 18, giving his occupation as window dresser. Serving with the Canadian Army Service Corps he proceeded to Valcartier but was hospitalized with TB from August that year. He was released in April the following year, then attested again in May spending time in sanitoriums in Quebec, Ontario and B.C.

He died at Mountain Sanitorium in Hamilton, Ontario on 27 June 1921 and was buried at Beechwood Cemetery in Lot 94. South-West. Sec. 29.

This month’s meeting will take place on Monday, June 28, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). It will be entirely online and open to all—but you must register in advance.

Genealogy professional Thomas MacEntee will be joining us to talk about Hiding Out in the Open: Discovering LGBT Family History. Have you heard family stories about a relative who was “different” or someone who simply “disappeared”? Find out why you might want to consider the possibility that your relative was lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. And learn how to modify your search strategies to improve your chances of locating and researching LGBT folk in your family tree so that you can preserve and share their stories.

We’ll round out the evening with a short presentation by Glenn Wright, titled Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Cousin Lyman and the Power of the Press.

Click here to find out more and register for “Hiding Out in the Open” on June 28.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Casualty Returns
On the BIFHSGO Facebook Group a query was posted about a shipwreck in 1947. A promising looking resource is the Casualty Returns refering to the total losses of ocean going merchant ships over 100 gross tonnes. The Returns were published quarterly and annually from 1890 to 2000, recording losses according to flag and cause of loss.

Scotland’s 1921 census release delayed
ScotlandsPeople have announced that the release of the 1921 census in Scotland, originally scheduled for summer 2021, has been pushed back to late 2022.

Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Census & Population Lists 1792-1821
A small (less than 5,000 entry) addition to FMP last week.

Mispronunciation: why you should stop correcting people’s mistakes
Guilty

Ottawa Branch OGS
In the absence of Heather Oakley the AGM on Saturday  was chaired by Mike More. All votes passed unanimously. Branch Council membership remains the same, membership numbers are steady around 315 and thanks to the low expenses of a virtual meeting a substantial surplus was created from Gene-O-Rama 2021. Local genealogical organizations continue to benefit from Branch grants – typically $2,500.

Environmental action: why some young people want an alternative to protests

Thanks to this week’s contributors:  Anonymous, Bev Craig, Gail Benjafield, Judith H., Sue C., Unknown.