Anglo-Celtic Connections

For St Patrick’s Day, a cornucopia of lectures about Irish history, the famine, well-known historical figures, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trasna+na+tire+lectures+

Be aware, there are lots of ads inserted.

Find out why you might here.

That’s from IrishCentral where you can also read

What is the real meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day?

The true history of “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” revealed

The ODW Newsletter,  just out, profiles these activities which should help the family historian if successful.

NHDS Strategic Planning Underway
The National Heritage Digitization Strategy is undertaking a series of broad-scale consultations as part of a strategic planning process, with a report due in the summer of 2022. Some key themes/takeaways so far:

• the greatest benefit and opportunity of an NHDS is to increase access;
  a major role for the NHDS is in the coordination and mobilization of digitization, preservation and standards;
• there is a definite need to connect local, institutional and national capacity, expertise, and strategies;
• the NHDS has a role in coordinating the sharing of resources, particularly for smaller institutions;
• and there is a lot of interest in making digital collections more discoverable, the public library community in particular wants a shared platform for Canadian digital heritage.

LAM Community Newspapers Working Group
The Ontario LAM Community Newspapers Working Group is comprised of members from the Archives Association of Ontario (AAO), the Archives of Ontario (AO), the Ontario Library Association (OLA), the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), OurDigitalWorld organization (ODW), Toronto Public Library (TPL), and Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Formed in response to the mass closure of newspapers that occurred in late 2017, the group’s aim is to work together amongst the Library, Archives and Museum (LAM) community in Ontario to ensure the preservation and access of community news content as part of the historical record. Please feel free to get in touch with us about our work, and/or to share any news or concerns you may have about community newspapers by sending an email to: CommunityNewspapersON@gmail.com

Comment:  Both these activities barely register on my radar screen. Did I miss something from OGS on the newspapers working group which appears to have no web presence?

You can subscribe to the ODW Quarterly Newsletter at https://ourdigitalworld.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a44e6c427dcc76c98e2bd623c&id=f366343f27

 

Featured in the April issue

In Researching 18th Century Ancestors, Else Churchill covers parish, poor,  probate, military, apprentice and voting records.

“You are most likely to need records not yet online so use catalogues … to establish what records exist for places where your ancestors lived.”

Finding a Home in the 1921 Census, by Deborah Sugg Ryan

How to Use MyHeritage DNA, by Debbie Kennett points out that although AncestryDNA has a larger database of MyHeritage tests are sold in a larger array of countries.
Comment. As a friend experienced, a MyHeritageDNA test of someone with deep Quebec roots found no French ancestry whereas the Ancestry test did. This would appear to be a deficiency of the MyHeritage database used to access ethnicity.

Posted in the Past, by Caroline Roope is a history of the picture postcard.

Also, just in time for St Patrick’s Day, a six-page Focus On article on Irish Catholic Church Records.

Elsewhere in the issue of Canada interest

The Star Letter, The Man with Three Names from a subscriber includes an image of a British Columbia death certificate,

The Best Websites article on Schools by Jonathon Scott mentions the archive of Rugby School at rugbyschoolarchives.co.uk/. Following the link and searching Canad* finds 307 mentions. There are 10 for J G Mcgee who flew with the RCAF, author of the poem High Flight.

Here is the announcement.

Services to the public: Library and Archives Canada moves closer to resuming regular operations
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) continues its gradual return to regular operations. If you visit one of our service points on or after March 22, you will see a marked increase in our capacity. These new openings are available for booking now, using our online reservation system.

The health and safety of employees and clients remains our priority. As a result, current health measures will be maintained until further notice. Visit our Keeping you safe during your visit page for details on each of our service points and the services offered.

Please note that remote reference and genealogy services are still available. Contact us by using our Ask Us a Question or Ask Us a Genealogy Question forms, or by calling 1-866-578-7777 (option 8; toll-free in Canada and the United States).

Comment: I’m hearing that many of the existing open workstations are not being used. It could be they are booked and then people don’t show. If your experience is different please let me know in a comment.

Why would LAC not relax the requirement to book two weeks in advance and allow researchers, especially those from out of town, to reserve additional times?

Those who have been involved in genealogy for more than a few years will be sorry to learn of the passing of Canadian Gravemarker Gallery founder Murray Pletsch on 18 February.

He was a pioneer in systematically photographing gravestones and placing them online. See an early example via the Internet Archive here.

His obit is at https://martynfh.com/tribute/details/12805/Murray-Pletsch/obituary.html

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 or recommended

Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed.T

Tuesday 15 Mar. 2 pm: Virtual Genealogy Drop-In, from Ottawa Branch of OGS and The Ottawa Public Library.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/

Tuesday 15 Mar, 2:30 pm: Hiding in Cyberspace, by Luana Darby for Allen Country Public Library Genealogy Center. https://acpl.libnet.info/event/6235191

Tuesday 15 Mar. 8 pm: Identifying Unnamed Free Born African Americans – A DNA Case Study, by David Rencher for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/identifying-unnamed-free-born-african-americans-a-dna-case-study/

Wednesday 16 Mar. 7 pm: Discovering the Hidden Treasures of Rural Ottawa: Fitzroy, by Barbara Bottriell for Heritage Ottawa.
https://heritageottawa.org/events/discovering-hidden-treasures-rural-ottawa-fitzroy

Thursday 17 Mar. 7 pm: A Fresh Light on Newspapers, by Dave Obee for Brigham Young University Family History Library.
Pre-registration not required.
byu.zoom.us/j/97185943513?pwd=TkUyRkhucTJPMDVmRUROSm1RbWdlZz09

Saturday 19 Mar. 10 am: Irish Protestant Immigration to Upper Canada: A Case Study, by Janice Nickerson for Kingston Branch OGS.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItceivrj0rHt3vHGTYpu5z9QA6Jufn8G7Z

Saturday 19 Mar. 1 pm: Software for Genealogists, by Bob Dawes for Quinte Branch OGS. https://quinte.ogs.on.ca/2022/03/09/software-for-genealogists/

Saturday dates corrected.

 

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Saturday 12 March 2022 to contain 284,334,041 unique records, 283,958,905 at the previous update.

Years with changes of more than 10,000 records since the last update are: for births 1990-92; for marriages 1990-92; for deaths 1987-92.

In celebration of today, 14 March.

3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 5 3 5 8 9 7 9 3 2 3 8 4 6 2 6 4 3 3 8 3 2 7 9 5 0 2 8 8 4 1 9 7 1 6 9 3 9 9 3 7 5 1 0 5 8 2 0 9 7 4 9 4 4 5 9 2 3 0 7 8 1 6 4 0 6 2 8 6 2 0 8 9 9 8 6 2 8 0 3 4 8 2 5 3 4 2 1 1 7 0 6 7 9

I’ve been researching RAF personnel training in Canada during the Second World War.

RAF recruit, Henry Eric Maudslay was to train at Tern Hill, Shropshire until the school was transferred to Canada in 1940. What can available records reveal?

He left Liverpool with a group of 1,048 RAF officers and men on 1 November 1940 on the S S Duchess of Richmond travelling to Montreal. Of those 42 officers and 521 men left on a 17-car train on 10 November for Moose Jaw and 32 Service Flight Training School.

Some of the stats for the voyage from Liverpool mentioned above are on Microfilm C-5704 from image 3289 to image 3385 at Canadiana.ca Héritage documents  Much of the microfilming is of poor quality.

Graduating in February 1941 Maudslay flew 29 operations and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross before becoming Squadron Leader.

In the 617 Squadron’s Dum Busters raid (video) on the Mohne and Eder Dams on 17 May 1943 his whole crew, including two RCAF members, Flg Off R A Urquhart DFC (Navigator), and WO A P Cottam, were fatalities when his Lancaster bomber was shot down.

Over four years the school at Moose Jaw graduated 1,207 pilots for the Air Forces of Canada, New Zealand and Britain. LAC has original Operational Record Books for No. 32 Service Flying Training School, Moose Jaw, from January 1941, but not microfilmed. The University of Saskatchewan has a photo collection “Moose Jaw Air Training Base 1941 Photographs” which I’m hoping might provide an illustration for an article.

 

From Londonist, a London Etymology Map.  It has links to a map of Anglo-Saxon London, to the medieval tube map, through to detailed pieces on every tube station name.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Sunny Ottawa
The blog post Wikipedia’s Climate Data on an Interactive Map links to a facility where you can easily find climate data worldwide. Di you know that Ottawa has more annual hours of sun than the surrounding communities?

Society of Genealogists Family Trees

Whatever the politicians say, keep wearing a mask.

Online meetings have problems too!
In a previous blog post, I  pointed to the advantages of online rather than in-person meetings. When I looked out of my window on Saturday and saw the snow that had fallen overnight it seemed like another positive for online. Then at 9 am when the BIFHSGO meeting started we were informed that there was a power outage at the speaker’s home. Sad, but a power cut can occur anywhere and at least we didn’t have to drive to a meeting location only to find there was a power cut there!

Anglo-Celtic Roots: Spring 2022
The new issue is now available in the Members Area of the BIFHSGO website. Remember to log in first, click on the Membership tab, select Members Area and then click on Anglo-Celtic Roots. Don’t miss my exciting Cream of the Crop column so you have something to talk about around the water cooler!

The Really Useful Podcast from the Family History Federation this month is on Newspapers —  https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/podcast

Thanks to this week’s contributors. Ann Burns, Anonymous,  Brenda Turner, C, Graham, Dave Mullington, Don Ross, Family History Finds, Gail B., Glenn Wright, Jean, jon ackroyd, Ken McKinlay, M. Anne Sterling, Marilyn Astle, Maureen Guay, Melissa, Teresa, Toni, Unknown.

 

An article by Bill Weiser in today’s Globe and Mail notes the 110th anniversary of the proclamation of The Public Archives Act of Canada.

He notes the significance of the 1904 appointment of Arthur Doughty as Dominion Archivist. With strong political support, he secured recognition of the Archives as a separate department under the Secretary of State.  Generations of genealogists and students of history have investigated the constantly growing archives, now partly online, as they interpret and reinterpret the story of Canada.