Anglo-Celtic Connections

Have you searched for and located a previously unknown immediate or closely related genetic relative using DNA?

If so, you may be able to help Prof Barbara A. Mitchell of Simon Fraser University with her study funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for 2023–2027. The project “Aging Amateur Family Genealogists: Linking Lives and Long-Lost Relatives” focuses on the psycho-social impacts of discovering previously unknown family members, drawing upon historical and archival records, family stories/memories, and home-based DNA kits.

Genealogists aged 55 and older are being sought to complete a web-based survey consisting of three questions, which should take less than half an hour to complete.

Find out more at https://www.sfu.ca/gerontology/research/agegen2.html

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Technological Unemployment
Dan Gardner on Kurt Vonnegut and the long history of a jobless future

Cooking for all Seasons
Community cookbooks are a thing.” Favourite” recipes are collected and published with the person suggesting them given. One compiled from suggestions by employees and friends of Environment Canada (Downsview) was published in October 1994, Cooking for All Seasons, and has recently come online. It jogged my memory of several former colleagues. If an ancestor’s organization, church, or similar community group compiled such a book, it should not be overlooked as a source for adding a personal touch to a family history.
Has a genealogy or family history society produced such a publication?

Teeth record the hidden history of your childhood climate and diet

Global Genealogy Website News
Rick and Sandra Roberts continue to work on completing the transfer to a new website at GlobalGenealogy.ca/. The original website, launched in 1995-96, has been permanently replaced by a new, modern website that offers advanced functionality, precise search, intuitive browsing, easy checkout, immediate automated downloads of PDF books, discounted shipping, and immediate tracking of physical items. Many of the most popular titles have been added to the new site, with approximately 1,000 more titles to be uploaded. The immediate focus is on adding dozens more Eastern Ontario titles.

International Bomber Command Center: Losses Database
TheGenealogist has incorporated this record set documenting individuals who lost their lives while serving with Bomber Command.  The records are linked to the IBCC database, which is compiled from over 6.2 million pieces of data, providing information for each individual, often including a photo.
● 67,140 Records
● Covers 1936 to 1968
● Gives over 100,000 names of Parents, Spouses, Siblings and Children

Ancestry Updates
UK, British Army World War II Medal Cards, 1939-1945 was updated on 9 July with 834,078 records.
Ireland, Railway Employment Records, 1870-1940 was also updated on the same day with 306,881 records.

The Contronym Conundrum
By Claude

I dusted off my dusty shelf today,
Which left me quite perplexed—
Did I add dust or sweep it all away?
English leaves me vexed!

I clipped a coupon, then I clipped my hedge,
One saved, one cut apart—
The same word walks a contradiction’s edge,
Language is quite an art!

“I’m finished!” cried the student with his test,
But was he done or through?
Or did his teacher finish him instead?
Words can mean one thing—or two!

So when I weather storms or weather fades,
And fast means quick or stuck,
I marvel at these verbal masquerades—
Contronyms! What luck!

 

Did you notice? Over the next few days, southern Ontario will experience hot and humid conditions. The temperatures and humidex will meet or be extremely close to heat warning criteria. A shift in the weather pattern is anticipated on Thursday.  The UK and other parts of Europe have also been experiencing sweltering conditions.
Summer can get to be too much of a good thing, and it’s only going to get more so as climate change takes hold.
In a new Storylines video, How to Maintain Your Writing Motivation Through the Summer Months, Lynn Palermo at The Family History Writing Studio recommends specific actions to change the pace while maintaining writing momentum. However, if you retreat into an air-conditioned room or space, you may find yourself becoming more, not less, productive.

This week’s update features over 6,600 new photographic records, additions to monumental inscriptions for Middlesex and Yorkshire, and more than 200,000 newspaper pages.

Passenger Ship Photographs: 5,528 photographs, prints, paintings and photos of models covering the years 1870-1960. Ships in this set include Maurentania, Aquitania, Titanic, Athenia, Olympic, and Britannic. Many are not the large trans-Atlantic liners. There are many photos of the same ship.

Findmypast Photo Collection: 1,465 photos of England, Wales, and Scotland have been added for the period 1880-1900. There are now 14,112 photos in the collection

Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions: 2,702 new inscriptions from 1635-2009. The total of transcriptions is now 341,589

Middlesex Monumental Inscriptions: 1,541 new inscriptions from 1653-2007. The total for the collection is now 87,469, many with linked images.

Newspaper Archive Expansion: 202,203 additional pages.

New titles are:

• Dean Forest Mercury, 1889
• Evening Journal, 1890
• Harrogate and Claro Times and Knaresborough Guardian, 1907
• Leyland Guardian, 1986-2004
• Life, 1879-1905
• Provincial News (Lydney), 1910
• St. Andrews Gazette, 1914-1915
• Trade Unionist, 1892

Updated titles are:

• Cambridge Daily News, 1905
• Cheltenham Journal and Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette, 1824
• Cork Examiner, 1856, 1877–1880, 1887–1893
• Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette, 1862–1865, 1867, 1869, 1873, 1877, 1897, 1900, 1923–1942
• Glasgow Evening Times, 1882–1883, 1885–1887, 1889–1893
• Grays & Tilbury Gazette, 1884–1888, 1890–1896, 1898, 1909–1911, 1913–1920
• Illustrated Police Budget, 1893–1896, 1908–1909, 1911–1912
• Maidstone Telegraph, 1930–1938, 1958
• Morning Advertiser, 1873–1876, 1892–1895, 1899
• Salisbury Times, 1910–1937, 1940–1949, 1960–1962

CRKN made a lot of additions at canadiana.ca on 8 July. Although I was curious about why a collection of works by Oscar Wilde, originally published around 1910, would be the largest part, and even some by him in translation to German, there are a few additions I found more interesting.

Here we go again. The Carney government has directed cabinet ministers to identify areas for reduced program spending by 7.5 percent in the fiscal year that begins next April, 10 percent the year after, and a cumulative 15 percent for 2028-29. If expenditures are to meet NATO’s targets, stimulate the economy and protect social programs, the money must come from somewhere.

What does that mean for Library and Archives Canada?

The 2025-26 Main Estimates allocated $208,150,119 to Library and Archives Canada, representing a 4.2% increase from the previous year’s $199,806,690. LAC’s expenditures support three statutory responsibilities:

Providing access to documentary heritage
Acquiring and preserving documentary heritage
Internal Services

Here’s the fundamental financial data for each, with the 7.5% decrease applied equally across all categories in the right-hand column.

Category	Expenditure Type	2024-25 Amount	2025-26 Amount	Percent Increase	2026-27 Amount
Providing access to documentary heritage	Operating	$37,820,020	$56,786,182	50.15%	$52,527,218
Providing access to documentary heritage	Capital	$44,790,676	$35,252,002	-21.30%	$32,608,102
Acquiring and preserving documentary heritage	Operating	$67,100,827	$67,199,899	0.15%	$62,159,907
Acquiring and preserving documentary heritage	Capital	$7,791,921	$5,727,792	-26.49%	$5,298,208
Internal Services	Operating	$43,147,246	$44,259,244	2.58%	$40,939,801

It’s improbable the cut would be across the board. How much will small p politics play into it? Would it be politically acceptable to curtail or downscale the opening of Ādisōke next year due to budget cuts?

As with plants, periodic pruning of an organization is healthy. Could we see fewer LAC blog posts, such as “Pineapple-cheese salad from the 1950s“, reconsideration of the priority of hosting a Creator in Residence, or termination of the failing Co-Lab challenges?

Will we see consolidation, resulting in a reduction in the number of managers? No doubt some of them possess skills that could be employed in priority areas outside LAC. There is presently one vacant director position and seven acting directors at LAC.

Will LAC seize the opportunity?

 

Episode 26 of Mark Thompson and Steve Little’s podcast (posted July 7, recorded mid-June) covers some fascinating developments in AI and genealogy. The hosts discuss recent updates from Gemini and Claude, share insights from their RootsTech panel on responsible AI, feature an interview with Jessica Taylor from Legacy Tree Genealogists, and discuss the announcement of ChatGPT 5.

I share their enthusiasm for Google’s Gemini—after trying it during a free two-month trial that’s now ending, I’m impressed enough to continue with a paid subscription. Given their high praise for Claude’s Sonnet 4, I decided to test it by having it review this very post. The result? Only minor refinements were needed, which (it suggests) speaks well for both the original draft and Claude’s editorial restraint.

Where to listen: You can find Episode 26 on most podcast platforms or visit https://blubrry.com/3738800/ for direct access and links to previous episodes.

On 12 May 2026, Statistics Canada will administer the next Census of Population. A statistically significant sample of the population will be selected to receive the long-form questionnaire, Form 2A-L, to provide extensive data for detailed analysis. The remaining households will complete a short-form census.

The 2026 long-form questionnaire includes the introduction of new questions to gather data on general health, sexual orientation for respondents aged 15 and over, and experiences with homelessness. A question on religion will be reinstated to support analysis of societal trends.

Here are the long-form questions of interest for family history:

• Names and Household Listing (Step B): The fundamental list of all persons living at an address on May 12, 2026,  even if they are temporarily away.
• Address and Dwelling Information (Step A & E): Provides the exact place of residence, which is critical for placing ancestors in a specific location. Details about the dwelling (type, when built, number of rooms) add valuable context to their living conditions.
• Relationship to Person 1 (Question 5): This explicitly defines family structures within the household (e.g., spouse, common-law partner, child, parent, sibling, grandchild).
• Date of Birth and Age (Question 2): A primary fact for identifying an individual and distinguishing them from others with similar names.
• Marital Status (Question 6 & 7): Indicates whether a person was married, widowed, divorced, or single, and clarifies common-law relationships, helping to trace family units and life events.
• Place of Birth (Question 19 & 20): Crucial for tracing migration patterns. The census asks for the province or country of birth for the individual and for their parents. This provides clues for tracing the family back at least one generation and potentially to overseas origins.
• Citizenship and Immigration (Question 21): Details on Canadian citizenship by birth or naturalization, and citizenship of other countries, can help pinpoint when and how a family arrived in Canada.
• Ethnic or Cultural Origins (Question 23): This self-identified information on ancestry provides significant clues about a family’s deeper roots and cultural background, which can guide further research.
• Indigenous Identity (Questions 24-29): For those with Indigenous heritage, these detailed questions about First Nations, Métis, or Inuit identity, including membership in specific First Nations or land claims agreements, are invaluable for tracing lineage.
• Religion (Question 30): Can help locate other vital records, such as baptismal, marriage, and burial registers, which religious institutions often hold.
• Language (Questions 8-10): Information on mother tongue and languages spoken at home can indicate a family’s country of origin and cultural community.
• Mobility (Questions 32 & 33): By asking where a person lived 1 and 5 years prior, the census tracks migration within Canada or from another country, helping to fill in an ancestor’s timeline.

Choose from these selected free online events; it’s another week of thin pickings. All times are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Registration may be required in advance—please check the links to avoid disappointment. For many more events, mainly in the U.S., visit conferencekeeper. 

No rain?

Tuesday’s Ottawa forecast is for a mix of sun and cloud. High 25. Humidex 30.

If that holds, I’ll head for The Beechwood Cemetery Stroll, a guided historical tour through Beechwood, the National Cemetery of Canada. Rain or shine, it begins at 10:30 AM.

Find out more at https://beechwoodottawa.ca/en/foundation/events/full-beechwood-stroll-8-july-2025-west-half

 

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) provides a valuable resource by offering free online access to back issues of its journal, Anglo-Celtic Roots. Issues from the last five years remain an exclusive member benefit.

While the online Index of Titles is useful for locating specific articles, it does not allow for a full-text search of the content. This can be a limitation when you recall a piece of information but not the corresponding article title.

A built-in full-text search capability, such as is available for the Historical Society of Ottawa’s Bytown Pamphlets, would be convenient. There is an alternative.

Google’s advanced search capabilities provide access to the publicly available ACR content.

Procedure:

1. Navigate to Google’s advanced search page.
2. Input your search terms in the “Find pages with…” section.
3. In the “Then narrow your results by…” section, specify the search domain by entering the following URL into the “site or domain” box: https://www.bifhsgo.ca/uploads/files/ACR/.

Inaccuracies occur, resulting in imperfect or incomplete search results. It may only be half a loaf, but a powerful tool for locating information within the extensive archive.

Thanks to Ken McKinlay for bringing this facility to my attention.

 

 

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles
This dictionary, which you may have heard of, has a new version available as of May 15th. From “A-tent” to “zunga” the total content is now over 12,000 words and almost 15,000 meanings. They’ve added 137 new words or updated old ones.  What’s a Canadianism? A word or phrase that’s either from Canada or really common here, even if other places use it too.

3 British Customs and Folklore Associated with July
From Fishwrap, the official blog of Newspapers.com

The Old Farmer’s Almanac for June
This June, the mean temperature in Ottawa was 19.2 °C; the OFA prediction was 17°C, 2 °C below average.
FAIL

The OFA predicted 95 mm of total precipitation at Ottawa. The actual was 65.5 mm.
FAIL

An Historian Beyond the University
Adam Bunch reflects on being an independent public historian.

OGS eWeekly
Every Saturday morning, I wake up to an email with the OGS Weekly. Mentioned several times previously, it bears repeating. There are announcements of family history interest, and regular content: “Updates from our Favourite Bloggers”, “What’s New at The Big 4” and “Calendar of Events.” It’s a simple and free way to keep updated. Go to https://ogs.on.ca/ to subscribe and view an archive of past issues.

Josh Johnson
A US stand-up comedian who keeps turning up in various feeds, including in a recent post by Persephone here. There’s a bonus link to an Ottawa cartoonist.

 Thanks to the following for comments and tips: Anonymous, Patricia & Gerry Mannella, Teresa, Unknown