Anglo-Celtic Connections

Fields such as finance, engineering, law, education, healthcare, arts, and social services are prominent among the 83 latest appointments to the Order of Canada. Genealogy is not explicitly mentioned. Four mention history.

David Gordon Ben, C.M.
Toronto, Ontario
David Ben is one of the finest sleight-of-hand artists in the world. An influential figure in Canadian performance art, he has spent more than four decades exploring, developing, performing and preserving magic at home and abroad. Devoted to sharing wonder, he has written important books on the history of magic and its greatest practitioners. He also co-founded Magicana, a world-renowned arts organization dedicated to the exploration and advancement of magic.

John Terry Copp, C.M.
Elora, Ontario
Terry Copp has nurtured Canadians’ understanding of our history. Professor emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University, and the founder and director emeritus of the Laurier Centre for Military and Strategic Disarmament Studies, he fostered a rich community of scholarship and cemented Canada’s role in the Second World War. His ongoing work is a legacy to future generations and their knowledge of our past. https://terrycopp.com/

William Anthony Fox, C.M.
Peterborough, Ontario
William Fox is one of Canada’s foremost authorities on archaeology. A research fellow and adjunct professor at Trent University, this retired public servant and long-standing leader of the Ontario Archaeological Society devoted his career to advancing knowledge of Canada’s archaeological past. He was among the first to advocate the participation of Indigenous communities in preserving their material heritage, thus broadening our understanding of Canadian history.

Sylvia D. Hamilton, C.M., O.N.S.
Grand Pre, Nova Scotia
Sylvia D. Hamilton is an esteemed filmmaker, writer, poet and artist based in Nova Scotia. Her award-winning films have premiered at festivals in Canada and abroad, and are taught extensively in schools and universities across the country. Her groundbreaking body of work documents the struggles and contributions of African Canadians, particularly Black women, and have helped to enrich and reframe conceptions of Canadian history.

Here’s an (almost) complete listing of contents of the July 2024 issue.

FAMILY HISTORY NEWS
Read up on new family history-related projects, appointments & developments.

SURNAMES AS FALSE FRIENDS
Professional genealogist Chris
Paton explains how surnames may be both a blessing and a problem for our research. In his in-depth guide, he also explains how to trace changes of name.

TWIGLETS: AND SO, TO FRANCE
Tree-tracing diarist Gill Shaw starts her foray into the
records of France to map her adopted ancestor’s French
family tree

JOIN FAMILY TREE TODAY & SAVE!
Subscribe to Family Tree magazine today and never
miss an issue. Plus, you’ll save on the cover price!

DREADED INSTITUTION: A HISTORY OF THE
WORKHOUSE
Author Susie Kearley considers the conditions in
which inmates lived and worked.

‘PROOF’ OR WORKS OF FICTION
Family Tree Academy tutor David Annal invites us to reflect on how far we can rely on the details in official records and why erroneous information may have crept in.

REUBEN JOYNES: WEAVER & ACTIVIST
Family historian Sue Tumer recounts her ancestor’s life
experiences, the desperation that drove him to leave & the compassion that made him fight for workers’ rights.

SHAPE UP YOUR SEARCH SKILLS IN 5 STEPS
Dr Sophie Kay shares five very practical tactics to start
using today for successful family history searching.

DNA WORKSHOP
DNA advisor Karen Evans helps readers solve mysteries surrounding the identities of a grandfather, a great-grandfather & a possibly prestigious surname connection.

PRINTING FAMILY TREES WITH ANCESTRY (Ad)

GETTING STARTED & KEEPING ORGANISED
Tips for family history newbies (or those looking for a
refresher) on helpful websites, how to keep your records
tidy & how to remember what you’ve found out.

PHOTO CORNER
Proto-dating expert Jayne Shrimpton shares valuable:
dating clues.

THOUGHTS ON…
Diane Lindsay says she’s really tried not to have fun with Hints, but…

Three more databases in Findmypast’s Home Child initiative celebrate the contribution of these children who journeyed to Canada thanks, in part, to the support of the Canadian government.

Home Children Burial Index
This new index, created in partnership with Home Children Canada, includes burial information for over 7,000 Home Children.

Home Children Enlistments and Military Deaths
This brand-new collection tells the story of Home Children who went on to enlist in armed forces across the Commonwealth between the 1890s and the 1950s.

Home Children Hazelbrae Barnardo Home Index, 1883-1923
These 9,050 new records document Home Children that were received at the Hazelbrae Barnardo Home in Ontario, Canada between 1883 and 1923.

A British genealogy podcast from Mell Turford. It’s new to me. Each episode is about 30 minutes. https://armchairgenealogy.com/ . Episodes are:

Brad Argent from Ancestry Studios” TV series chats about DNA and newspaper research
Helen Tovey, editor of the UK’s Family Tree Magazine, chats with the Genealogy Guy
Nick Barratt about his research & work on “Who Do You Think You Are?” TV series
Chat with Ted Udall (from Somerset and Dorset Family History Society )
Paul McNeil hints & working on the ITV series ‘DNA Journey’
Donna Rutherford talks about the basics (101) of DNA
Mark Bayley (of The Genealogist website) talking about their new historic maps facility
Welcome to the Podcast (2 minutes)

Just 186 years ago, did your ancestors participate in celebrations? The coronation of Queen Victoria took place on 28 June 1838.

The occasion was not just a royal affair in Westminster Abbey. Joyful celebrations marked the occasion in marketplaces and usually tranquil village greens. This poster, for Wells, Somerset, vividly captures the amusements.

Here’s a newspaper report on the celebrations at St Neots.

A triumphal arch was erected at the entrance to the town from the bridge, in the centre of which was suspended a crown with V.R., composed of flowers, which was done by the Misses Brown, who displayed great taste. At ten o’clock the gentry paraded the town with a band of music and a beautiful banner, with the inscription “ Victoria ; long may she reign.” At two o’clock 1,500 sat down to dinner in the market place, the band playing. At four o’clock the sports commenced on the common, which afforded excellent fun :—the best race was between Mr. J. Smith’s and Mr. H. Shepherd’s horses ; donkey racing ; treacle-bun catching ; pole swarming ; grinning, &c. &c. About five o’clock the women had tea on the market-hill. A splendid display of fireworks took place at ten o’clock, much to the satisfaction and delight of the inhabitants.

Was your ancestor a Buffalo? In this clip from the BBC’s WDYTYA? programme, Joe Lycett learns about his great-grandfather, a Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes member.

My grandfather was also a Buffalo, so the background in this clip attracted my interest.

Find out more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Antediluvian_Order_of_Buffaloes

Here are the top-ranked YouTube videos based on views per day for the past week:

1. “My DNA Test Results Are Here” by Ali Koca – 93,500 views/day

2. “Henry Ford’s Proud Irish Roots | The Genealogy Roadshow | Ancestry®” by Ancestry – 16,364 views/day

3. “Does My Chinese Family Have Caucasian Ancestors? | On The Red Dot – Family Mysteries | Full Episode” by CNA Insider – 5,857 views/day

4. “The Grave in the Tree #norfolk #kingslynn #history #genealogy #familytree #ancestry #familyhistory” by Find My Family – 2,000 views/day

5. “Calculate Birth Dates from Tombstones and Census Records! (2024)” by Genealogy TV – 1,300 views/day

To watch any of these videos, enter the title on youtube.com

ScotlandsPeople has significantly expanded its online archive by adding nearly 4,000 new volumes of Church of Scotland records, over 3,000 Kirk session records and documents from presbyteries, synods, and the General Assembly. They’re free.

From the 1560s to 1900, these are minute books, accounts and cash books, communion rolls, seat rents, poor relief, and education records. Browse by reference numbers, court names, and place names.

Kirk session minutes provide insights into local events and social issues, documenting illegitimate births, irregular marriages, and poor relief. Communion rolls and seat rents reveal parish inhabitants, while school records and ministers’ diaries offer unique historical data.

Read the ScotlandsPeople announcement at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/news-article-more-church-court-records-released-scotlandspeople

On Tuesday, 2 July, at 2 pm BST (9 am ET),  the Society of Genealogists (SoG) offers a free online talk on Manuscript, Sheet, and Roll Pedigrees within SoG’s extensive archive collections.

• Registration: Book your free place here

Genealogist Else Churchill will guide us through these records, providing expert insights and tips. Prebook to access the recording later or watch it on the Society’s YouTube channel.

Post WW2, this Ancestry collection is a secondary historical source derived from the UK government site at https://www.search-armed-forces-memorial-roll-of-honour.service.gov.uk/ (not returning data when I tried it). As Britain decreased its military following WW2 and withdrew from its colonies, the strength of its forces decreased. So did the number added to the Roll of Honour.

Fluctuations reflect the military actions in Korea, the Falklands and Iraq.

Records in the collection may include the following information:
Name
Birth date and place
Military service number
Rank
Regiment number
Unit
Branch
Death Date

Here’s a dive into the Record Group Crew or Passenger Lists collection, part of the Canada, Canadian Pacific Steamship Company Records, 1897-1981 now available on Ancestry. They are sourced from the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology (Ingenium).

There’s a drop-down to select the year ranging from 1904 to 1981, with many gaps. There are also lots of anomalies! For 1903 the document is a wine list!

The table below shows the number of voyages completed by each ship by year from 1954 to 1957. All have complete passenger lists showing name, age and place (final destination). Most are westbound.

The Beaverford and Beaverlodge were freighters, with accommodation for up to 12 passengers, usually sailing from Antwerp. The Empresses usually sailed from Liverpool.

The other record groups available are:

Immigration Regulations and Policy
Journals, Logs and Ship Movement Books
Miscelanious Records
Named Ships
Programmes, Menues and Events
Promotional Artwork
Schedules and Fares
Ships Officers, or Company Officials
Voyage Reports

The spelling is Ancestry’s!

Ship Movement Books record the time and date that ships arrived and departed. Voyage Reports, vary in detail, such as injuries to passengers, are not available for all voyages.