LAC Co-Lab Update for September

One project reports progress among the Library and Archives Canada’s Co-Lab Challenges; 14 report no progress.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary is 29% complete, and was 27% complete last month.

Expo67 remains 2 % complete.

Summiting Mount Logan in 1925: Fred Lambart’s personal account of the treacherous climb and descent of the highest peak in Canada remains 13% complete.

Women in the War remains 1% complete.

Arthur Lismer’s Children’s Art Classes remains 0% complete.

John Freemont Smith remains 93% complete.

Canadian National Land Settlement Association remains 98% complete.

Molly Lamb Bobak remains 94% complete.

Diary of François-Hyacinthe Séguin remains 99% complete.

George Mully: moments in Indigenous communities remains 0% 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 3% complete.

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

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

Other unidentified Co-Lab activities not part of the Challenges have seen progress. There are currently 3,724 items in Collection Search identified as Co-Lab only contributions, an increase from 3,718 last month.

This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

Choose from selected free online events in the next five days. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Are you looking for more options? Additional mainly US events are listed at https://conferencekeeper.org/virtual.

Tuesday 19 September

2 pm: Ottawa Virtual Drop-In, for OGS Ottawa Branch.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/virtual-genealogy-drop-in-2-2023-09-19/

2:30 pm: Researching Your Black Sheep Ancestors, by Bryan Mulcahy for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/9077897

8 pm: Follow the Trail of Records and DNA from Ireland to Oregon (1810-1860), by Karen Stanbary for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/follow-the-trail-of-records-and-dna-from-ireland-to-oregon-1810-1860/

Wednesday 20 September

2 pm: Genealogy Escape Room: The Case of the Only Name Change at Ellis Island, by Thomas MacEntee for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/genealogy-escape-room-the-case-of-the-only-name-change-at-ellis-island/

2 pm: Migration throughout the UK, by Debbie Bradley for Essex Society for Family History.
https://www.esfh.org.uk/events/Migration%20throughout%20the%20UK%20[Zoom%20Only]-837.html

7 pm: The Miner Family Legacy, by David Thompson for OGS Essex Branch
https://essex.ogs.on.ca/meetings/essex-branch-presentation/

7 pm: Monumental Memories, by Tonya Davidson and David Dean for Heritage Ottawa.
https://heritageottawa.org/events/monumental-memories

Thursday 21 September

6:30 pm: A Genealogist’s Guide to Sanborn Maps, by Michelle L. Spencer for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/9077903

Friday 22 September

10:15 am: 10 Things To Do Before Leaving a Library or Archives, by Melissa Barker for Legacy Family Tree Webinars Webtember https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/10-things-to-do-before-leaving-a-library-or-archives/

Followed every 75 minutes by Webtember presentations by Ann G. Lawthers, Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, and Nicka Smith.

7 pm: The Land at the Crest of the Hill, by Graham Segger for OGS Niagara Peninsula Branch.
https://niagara.ogs.on.ca/events/niagara-peninsula-branch-monthly-webinar-series-2023-09-22/

Friday, 22 September, to Sunday, 1 October
All About That Place

 

 

Military Monday: No Remembrance

Did you guess the person’s name for yesterday’s 1931 census challenge? George R. Pearkes was awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War and was Minister of National Defence in the Diefenbaker government.

I’ve been investigating the reason why members of the Forces who died in suppressing the 1885 North West Rebellion (or Resistance) are not commemorated in the Books of Rememberance, and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

They might have been.

On 3 September 1957 the Minister of Veterans Affairs, A. J. Brooks, proposed two Books of Remembrance be added to those for the two World Wars. One was proposed to be for the Nile Expedition (1884-85), The North West Rebellion 1885, and the South African War (1899 – 1902), the other proposed was for United Nations Operations – Korea.
In making his recommendations Brooks added —

The record of the Cabinet meeting in which the matter was considered records —

Pearkes view prevailed.

Except!

The Books of Remembrance now include one for the RCMP which does include the names of those who died in 1885.

We have the anomolous situation where those who died in a NWMP uniform while suppressing the rebellion are commemorated, but those who died serving in a military force uniform are not.

 

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, has graciously accepted the request to continue in the viceregal tradition of serving as Patron to The Historical Society of Ottawa. This is the continuation of a tradition that dates back 125 years ago, originally with the spouses of Canada’s Governors General.

Ontario Road Maps
Post to Wikimedia Commons by the Archives of Ontario, 147 Official Road Maps of Ontario from 1923 depicting the province’s transportation infrastructure, including the network of provincial highways, other principal roadways, steamship routes and rail lines. Information of interest to tourists, such as Canada Customs regulations and excerpts of fishing and gaming laws, are included on the sheets, as well as traffic regulations and tables of mileage between cities. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_from_Archives_of_Ontario_%E2%80%93_RG_14-100_Official_Road_Maps_of_Ontario.

 

Studs Terkel
A familiar name, why so well known?

He was a writer and broadcaster whose radio show aired in Chicago, on WFMT, from 1952 to 1997. The Studs Terkel Radio Archive has a growing archive of more than 2,000 programs where he talked to the 20th century’s most interesting people.

The City of Ottawa Archives will host the Open House of the Archives Association of Ontario Municipal Archives Interest Group in 2026, in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

 

Another 1931 census challenge.
Born in England in Watford, Hertfordshire, on 28 February 1888.
Came with a brother to Red Deer, Alberta, in 1911.
Joined the Royal North-West Mounted Police.
Enlisted in the CEF in 1915.
Who is it?
Awarded the Victoria Cross for “most conspicuous bravery and skilful handling of the troops under his command during the capture and consolidation of considerably more than the objectives allotted to him, in an attack” during the Battle of Passchendaele.
Now who is it?
In the 1931 census he was living in Pittsburgh Township, Frontenac-Addington with his wife a daughter and new-born son.
He became an MP, Minister in the Diefenbaker government and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

 

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Anonymous, Teresa, Unknown.

New at Findmypast

Continuing to catch up after my vacation.

  1. This Friday over 40,000 Non-Conformist parish records from the Surrey parish of Southwark have been added. They comprise 11,354 baptisms, 896 marriages and 1,915 burials as well as 24,844 congregational register records.
  2. Last Friday 121,225 Dorset records appeared on FMP  across baptism (38,873 new records), marriage (52,622 new) and burial (29,730 new) sets. There are now records from 342 parishes, the coverage is detailed here.
  3. Two weeks ago there were 30,149 additions to FMP’s collection of Norfolk Memorials. Also, addition of 31,741 records from a census counting all troops around Ireland as they were at midnight on the 13 November 1922. There aretranscriptions expanded to include information such as rank, address, attestation dates, marital status, next of kin and other extra details from the original records with links to the Irish Military Archives website.

FreeBMD September Update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Thursday, 14 September 2023, to contain  289,023,749 unique index records, increased from 288,680,995 at the previous update on 23 July.

Years with additions of more than 10,000 records are: for births 1992-4, for marriages 1991-3, for deaths 1987, 1990, 1883, and 1995.

 

New Canadian and UK Records at MyHeritage

Now back from vacation, I’ve some catching up to do, starting with MyHeritage.

1931 Census of Canada

As with the US 1950 census, MyHeritage wasn’t the first with a name indexed version, but isn’t that far behind and is ahead of Library and Archives Canada.
You can search the MyHeritage version by name, place and year of birth, census place, and optionally add the same information for other family members in the household, and gender. There are links to the original images at LAC. Several fields remain to be digitized.
A quick test on the surname Northwood found all the people I expected.

United Kingdom, Deceased Estates Notices

This collection of 737,924 UK deceased estate notice records runs from the year 1998 onwards. Records typically include the name of the deceased, place of residence, date of death and the date that the notice was published in the London Gazette.
Find the same information for free at https://www.thegazette.co.uk/wills-and-probate

Better Late Than Never

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and Library and Archives Canada (LAC) have partnered on a pilot project to improve access to LAC’s materials in the Héritage collection through Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). The pilot project will process a subset of RG 10 collection, “Records relating to Indian Affairs,” with Transkribus ICR software developed by READ-COOP. This project will improve access to a highly used set of records and begin the journey towards our long-term aspiration to make the Héritage collection full-text searchable.

Read the rest of this announcement at https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/crkn-and-library-and-archives-canada-partner-improve-access-digitized-handwritten-materials

COMMENT

I’m guessing the selection of the RG10 collection for the pilot project is related to availability of funding.

Wiki Loves Monuments

Explore over 1.2 million photos of monuments around the world — selected parts of it. There are entries for France, Ireland, Poland,Sweden, the UK and USA.

Here’s an example of what’s available, the Canada Memorial in Green Park, London.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Canada_Memorial,_London

Outside of the major centres it’s a bit hit and miss, so use in case Google Streetview doesn’t do it for you.

There’s a competition to add photos to Wikipedia.

Sunday Sundries

While I’m away, here’s a 1931 census challenge. Who is it?
Mainly raised by her grandparents from 21 months old after her mother died of tuberculosis.

As a child, she was lonely and had imaginary friends named Katie Maurice and Lucy Gray who lived in the “fairy room” behind the bookcase in the drawing room.

Following school she spent one unhappy year (1890) in Prince Albert with her father and her stepmother, Mary Ann McRae.

Get it now for bragging rights!

She trained as a teacher in Prince Edward Island, studied literature at Dalhousie University, then taught in PEI.

She published over 100 stories between 1897 and 1907.

Her best-known book was published in June 1908 and by November 1909 had gone through six printings.

Too easy now!

Following her marriage to Ewen Macdonald in 1911 the couple moved to Ontario.

During the First World War she was an intense supporter of the war effort.

She is found in the 1931 census in Esquesing Township.

Thanks to those who posted comments or sent hints this week.

BIFHSGO September Meeting

In-person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall, or online, BIFHSGO meetings resume on Saturday 9 September after the summer break at 9 am with the first in a Back to Basics series.

The series, presented by Ken McKinlay, starts with the basics of England and Wales research.

At 10 am Paul Cripwell will present Loctions and Occupations: Using Census Analysis to Explore Family Dispersion. This is based on his research towards a one-name study of the Cripwell families and their dispersion  around England.

https://www.bifhsgo.ca/events