Anglo-Celtic Connections

Here’s a report on progress with Library and Archives Canada’s Co-Lab Challenges since last month.

John Freemont Smith is 72% complete, 2% complete last month

War Diaries of the First World War: No. 2 Construction Battalion is 79% complete, 38% last month.

Canadian National Land Settlement Association remains 94% complete.

Molly Lamb Bobak is 88% complete, 86% complete last month.

Diary of François-Hyacinthe Séguin remains 98% complete.

George Mully: moments in Indigenous communities remains 2% complete.

Correspondence regarding First Nations veterans returning after the First World War remains 99% complete.

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 remains 96% complete.

Legendary Train Robber and Prison Escapee Bill Miner remains 99% complete.

Japanese-Canadians: Second World War, remains 61% complete.

The Call to Duty: Canada’s Nursing Sisters remains 93% complete.

Projects that remain 100% complete are no longer reported here.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

TNA Podcast: Trials: Ordeal and combat
The first instalment of a three-part series examining the history of trials by ordeal and combat. This episode has witch trials, defamation lawsuits from accused witches, myth-busting, strong-men for hire, Irish landowners fighting to the death in a castle, and some facts about duels.

UK House History Show

MyHeritage announces free availability of birth records, 115 collections containing a total of 1,144,541,613 individual records from all over the world. Some of the collections contain indexes that help you find out where the birth record is located, while others contain the actual image of the record.

If you need it this is an opportunity to explore MyHeritage’s strength — its international collection.

Last Wednesday the BIFHSGO London SIG heard how advice from a retired police officer helped a genealogist solve a knotty ancestry problem.

There’s a switch about.  According to OGS Newsleaf the Toronto Police have contacted OGS President Heather McTavish Taylor to “ascertain if there are any interested genealogists amongst our ranks, that would be interested in applying to be part of a pool that would be drawn upon, to help clear this backlog of cases. They are looking for 10-50 people to potentially work 20 hours per week in a paid capacity. They have warned that this is not for everyone. Some of these cases are gruesome.”

Heather is collecting a list of names of interested parties for submission by Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 at noon.

If you feel that you have an interest, a skill set or a desire to use your genealogy passion to fight crimes, then please email Heather to indicate your intention to apply at Heather.McTavish.Taylor@ogs.on.ca/.

Global Genealogy has recently reprinted two publications of early Ottawa BMDs
Birth, Marriage and Death Abstracts – Bytown Gazette 1836-1845 Bytown Independent 1836.

This book, originally published in 1979 by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, is a facsimile edition of the original 1979 book.

Birth, marriage and death announcements of apparent Canadian relevance are cited as well as news reports of accidental deaths. The abstracts are not literal transcripts but information of genealogical interest has been retained including names of employers, ministers and priests to aid in identification.

Find out more, with a list of surnames included, at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/ontario/eastern-ontario/resources/otw-7907.htm

Index to Birth, Marriage & Death Notices – Bytown Packet 1846-1849
This is a facsimile edition of the original 1974 book originally published in 1974 by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. It is more than just a nominal index. Much important information is included with each entry.

Find out more at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/ontario/eastern-ontario/resources/otw-7402.htm

A new batch of Kent baptism, marriage and burial records, 46,574 in total, are now available on FMP.

Australia, Military Commemorative Rolls & Rolls of Honour is compiled for exploring the lives of Australia’s military heroes. There are 139,638 entries from a growing number of sources including :

The Australian Imperial Expeditionary Forces Roll of Honour
The Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
New South Wales Government Railways & Tramways Roll of Honour 1914-1919
Northern New South Wales Honour Roll
Queensland, Windsor Town Council Honour Roll 1914-1925

T Bremner who served with the Canadian Field Artillery and died 20 April 1916 is the only Canadian in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission April appeal for next of kin for soldiers who fell in the war. Could you be connected to him or any of the others listed?

Thomas Bremner served with the 31st Battalion out of Alberta. His attestation paper gives birth on 5 August 1893 in Sterling, Scotland, where he’s buried, and next of kin his father William Bremner at 10631 104th Street in Edmonton. According to an article in the Edmonton Journal of 22 April 1916 he had three sisters and one brother so there must be a good chance of there being descendants of one or more of them.

Lesley Anderson is hosted by the Quebec Family History Society at 2 pm on Sunday, 18 April for a free Zoom session Myth-busting Ancestry.

There seems to be misinformation about Ancestry and this session will bust those myths & misconceptions!  Ask your questions – Solve your dilemmas – Tips & Tricks

Lesley Anderson has worked for Ancestry.ca for over 14 years as their Canadian Spokesperson and has done numerous presentations for genealogy societies and conferences across Canada as well as TV and Radio appearances.

Please sign up to receive an invitation to the Zoom session at least a day before the Zoom Event by email at qfhs@bellnet.ca

The session is free. Donations through CanadaHelps gratefully accepted.

Claire Santry’s Irish Genealogy News reports “A freshly re-designed website has launched to provide a ‘gateway to the history of each of Cavan’s 2,000 townlands’. It’s called CavanTownlands.com, and brings together historical data and sources for each individual townland.”

The headline article in the issue is Heraldry: Your Get Started Guide. Author Mike Bedford looks at the history of heraldry, the elements of a heraldic “achievement,” the language of blazon, advice if you discover an armigerous ancestor and, where to see “heraldry in the flesh.”

For those of us whose ancestry is more prosaic, archivist Lisa Edwards recounts the history, restoration and future of a working-men’s club, while editor Helen Tovey reports on a research project to shed light on workhouse ancestors.

There’s also an article on the loss of 32 firemen and 2 firewomen as a result of the bombing of Old Palace School, St. Leonard’s Street, Bow on 20 April 1941 – 80 years ago.

Plus there’s the usual mix of news, views, advice and problems solved.

The magazine is likely available free through your Canadian public library subscription to digital resources. In Ottawa, that’s either Press Reader or Overdrive Magazines (Formerly RBDigital Unlimited Magazines -Zinio).

We mourn the passing of Dr. Edward Kipp UE on Saturday 10 April 2021, six days short of his 78th birthday after a life of service.

Ed was widely known as a mainstay of many genealogical and other activities in Ottawa and area summarized in this citation for the award of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

His years of volunteerism included his work with the Ontario Genealogical Society Ottawa Branch (treasurer, editor, Gene-O-Rama, conference, etc.), his personal genealogical work on the Kip/Kipp family which is used by researchers around the world, various activities both nationally and internationally with the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (bus trips to the USA, King’s Name Project, newsletter St. Lawrence Branch, webpage Sir Guy Carleton Branch), his activities with the Alumni Association Ottawa Branch of the University of Western Ontario for over a decade, editor of the Directory of Amateur Radio Operators in the Ottawa Area for a number of years, his lectures on genealogy/local history both in Canada and in the United States of America, various roles at Orleans United Church (treasurer, camp coordinator, etc.) and a number of other volunteer activities throughout his life.

Condolences to his wife Elizabeth and family.

There are three feature articles in the May WDYTYA  issue.

Archives in Lockdown
Explores how UK archivists have risen to the challenge of COVID-19. Although planned events were not able to go ahead, and physical access has been closed at times, restricted at others, progress has been made without “pesky customers: around. The article gives examples of improved research services, online exhibitions, and engagement vis social media that’s been possible.