CCCR sign, grounds, 2013 CCCR Genealogy classes will begin again in April 2024. Registration begins April 10th & 11th. Please see the College website for details: www.cccrburnaby.org Watch for brochures at Burnaby libraries and community centres. For information on my regularly scheduled genealogy and family history courses at the Community College for the Retired (CCCR) in Burnaby, BC, please see the CCCR website. Usually there are 8 - 2 hour sessions in each term, on Friday afternoons. We meet in the CCCR computer lab. Terms begin in January, April and September. There are a number of other CCCR courses that may interest genealogists and family historians, for instance, on memoir writing and photography. Genealogy display, CCCR Open House, 2013

A Stray Document from France - 1940s? A Student Identification Card (booklet style) for Jacqueline Berdillon in Paris. This was a Vancouver, BC find, so there may be a Canadian connection to her or perhaps to her family. As of right now, I have no more information about her. But please do contact me if you recognize her name or know her family. Inside of her card with photograph. Front and back covers of the booklet.

BLOGGING SINCE February 5th, 2005 Yes, it's a selfie. With lots of family behind me. My reason for writing about Canadian genealogy and volunteering in various ways - including talks, workshops, classes, tours, one-on-one consultations - is to help others find out about their families, no matter how short or how complicated their questions may be. Some need quick answers - "What was Grandma's name; where was she born?" "How can I find her?" Sometimes the answers take a while coming and the researcher gets hooked on the whole process, as I did. Originally I decided I'd just find out where each of my Canadian immigrant ancestors was from. That was going to be good enough. Silly me! New to Canadian genealogy and family history? My Canadian Genealogy - Essential Links and Books page will be helpful. (Updated January 2020) And sign up below for CanadaGenealogy News via e-mail. Or if you have a question, ask away. I will be blogging more 'quick tips' about family history research in Canada, and I do try to answer all my e-mail. Here's a little more about me. Why do I write, research and talk about genealogy and family history? I write and volunteer because I feel learning about your family history: 1. deepens your understanding of yourself and your place in history. 2. sharpens your brain and exercises your adaptability, curiosity and ingenuity muscles. Genealogy is one big puzzle, after all, most often with a few of the pieces missing. 3. gives you stories to share with family (even kids) and neat tidbits for cocktail parties. (I'm sort of 3% Neanderthal, how about you?) So - I want to make it easier for more people to find their families. I've been doing genealogy on-line and off far longer than I care to remember. Likely Bob Daniel and I were the first 'real' Canadian genealogy bloggers when we started the BC Genealogical Society blog in 2006 (?). (We were using Wordpress. I still love it.) CanadaGenealogy's Blogaversary is 3 Feb (2005). Why Jane's Your Aunt? I'd been using 'Jane's your aunt', for years, as in "Press alt, control, delete & Jane's your aunt, (& Bob's your uncle), that frozen programme's shutting down!" As a girl, I really thought that 'Bob's your uncle' was western Canadian slang, but apparently not. It's been heard in England and other Commonwealth countries, including Canada, since at least 1937, according to Michael Quinion, who is my favourite word expert. I like to feminize, or womanize, my expressions (these two words need new definitions, too!), so I started using 'Jane's your aunt'. I see on the web that a few other people use it too. The Toronto (Ontario, Canada) Public Library once had a great genealogy search engine called "Bob's Your Uncle, eh". That must have been one of the first, but it's long been discontinued, although the library has a good genealogy section in its Virtual Reference Library. Since "Bob's Your Uncle, eh!" was so well known in Canadian genealogy, I thought 'Jane's Your Aunt' an almost perfect title for my blog about Canadian genealogy & women's history. (Could be Jeanne, in French.) Just for the record, I was born and brought up in British Columbia, and don't think I ever heard of that 'eh' before the Bob & Doug McKenzie characters of SCTV's "Great White North" spread it all across our country in the 1970's. Now it seems a point of Canadian honour to add it in somewhere, once a day at least. Happy family researching! Diane R M. Diane Rogers [email protected] Contact me about upcoming talks and workshops, or about a consultation. Looking for a speaker? My page at the Genealogical Speakers Guild has a list of many topics I cover. If yours isn't there, do ask. I teach genealogy regularly; I always am working on something new. Or learn more about my experience and current teaching and workshop topics here. M. Diane Rogers 2024 (.pdf) M. Diane Rogers' trading card, created for 'Saturday Night Genealogy Fun', 2009.

Titled: "John Klatt family. Emigrated from Tubitz, Galicia, about 1893." Vicinity, Lemberg, Saskatchewan, Canada, c. 1906. Theodor Nickel ...

"10 acres - Olivet Cherry spraying outfit, Kelowna, B.C." 1900-1910. Photographer, John Woodruff (1859-1914). Credit: Canada. Dept. of Mines and Resources / Library and Archives Canada / PA-020982. John Woodruff apparently took many photography trips for the Canadian government. If anyone has more information about him, please contact me.1 My computer found this list which it says I wrote 2 years ago. Post-New Year's resolution blues maybe? This started out, I think, as a list of only 5 because that was the title. This is in fun, of course. (But a couple of these really do work, especially #8. And I know I need to take #7 to heart.) 1. Don't get yourself into any dull routines, like usually getting started on your biggest (or worst) project first thing in the morning. Life is just too crazy to plan. 2. Forget about putting away all that stuff in piles on your desk. These things are all important; you'll need them soon and it's easier for you to remember how far down the pile they are than which shelf or file they belong in. 3. Check your e-mail, Facebook and Twitter accounts constantly. You never know when something (or someone!) exciting might pop up. 4. Try not to even think beyond today's deadlines – one day's work is more than enough to worry about. 5. When you think of a new project, get started on it right away! Don't wait to finish all those others half-done. 6. Never make a list with more than one day's to-dos. It just looks 'too busy' to see all your work laid out neatly with daily/weekly tasks, objectives and goals. 7. Taking a stretch or snack break interrupts your work; don't do it. And don't take a day off with friends either. After all, they'll always be there when you do really need them. 8. Read a novel every chance you get. You'll always find a good quote or idea. 9. Don't ask for advice or look for help for a task or project. You can figure it out faster all on your own – right? 10. Remember 'life is just a bowl of cherries'. Oops, I don't really like cherries much, but eating Prunus avium or Prunus cerasus is much better than contemplating a 'chair of bowlies', especially in a pie. References "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries",Jack Hylton, 1931: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x4U1NiJ7PI Life is just a bowl of cherries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_Just_a_Bowl_of_Cherries A Tale Of Pits and Stems in Paradise (and a recipe), Green Bin: http://meandmygreenbin.blogspot.ca/2012/07/cherries.html Note 1 "Commissioned Photography" by Jim Burant, Library and Archives Canada (LAC), in Moving Here, Staying Here, on-line exhibit.

Since I'm heading off to Victoria for some research time and a family wedding, I thought I'd post a favourite stray photograph taken there. Grace Adams, Victoria, BC, Canada, street photo - Candid Photo Studio What a happy smile she has! And look - either she's been to the library or she's found one of Victoria's many book shops. Wonder which book that was? This photo is identified in writing on the back as Grace Adams, numbered '38438' and stamped as 'Candid Photo Studio 720 Yates St., Souvenir of Victoria, BC'. From what I can see in the window display behind Grace, I think the photo might have been taken just outside the Candid Photo Studio (or another camera related shop). I believe I see an ad or display for a Ful-Vue camera. These were manufactured from the late 1930s to the 1950s. I love that you can see another lady's white shoes in the shop front facing. They don't look like nurses' shoes, so the photo must have been taken before Labour Day, but after Easter. Maybe it's very early in the season as Grace has a fur piece on, but has only her coat's top button done up. Of course, the weather is always that bit nicer on southern Vancouver Island,. If you know Grace Adams, please be in touch. Since I did find this stray photo here in BC, it's tempting to think she's the Miss Grace A. Adams I see listed as living in Oak Bay in the 1940s voters' lists, but, of course, Victoria has always hosted visitors from around the world, so she may have been from much further away.

Possibly? a photograph of Alexander Carmichael, born 1856, Fenelon Township, Victoria County, Ontario, Canada. Photographers [Hamilton] Fowler & [Isaac] Oliver, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. Private collection. One of the many moustachioed men in my family tree. I'm hoping a closer family member may have a copy of this photo or another of Alexander Carmichael from a similar time period. If this is Alexander, then he was the .... Husband of Esther Ann Currin, - Essie - married 1 January 1885 in Islay, Ontario, Canada. With Essie, he was a parent of Donald, Eliza Ann, John, Daisy, Jessie and Margaret. Son of Margaret Gilchrist and Donald Carmichael, and brother of Janet, Ann, Mary and Margaret Carmichael and Diana Gilchrist. Alexander Carmichael died in 1922 at Newdale, Manitoba, Canada. This is a family photograph identified as Alexander and Essie Carmichael with son Donald by my grandmother, Amy Estella Scott, née Irwin. Photographer E. [Eli] Williamson, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. Private collection. References Fenelon, Ontario, Canada marriage registration, 011338, marriage1 January 1885. Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data:Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto. Harrison, Manitoba, Canada death registration, 1922-030379, death 23 August 1922. Province of Manitoba, Canada, Vital Statistics Agency. More information on this family available from my family files. For more about Lindsay, Ontario, Canada photographers, see The Ontario Photographers List - Volume 1 (1851-1900) & Volume 2 (1901-1925) by Glen C. Phillips (originally published, Sarnia, Ontario: Iron Gate Publishing Co., 1990; new edition, Milton, Ontario: Global Heritage Press, 2002, 2010.)

CURRENT ONLINE EVENTS OF INTEREST- 2024 TALKS/WORKSHOPS EVENTS SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL Save the Memories workshop, BC Historical Federation Conference, Chilliwack, 2017. Photograph courtesy of the BC Historical Federation. I'm always happy to connect with anyone interested in genealogy and history. Sign up for CanadaGenealogy News below. And if I can help you with tracing women, or Canadian or Scandinavian genealogy, or your DNA results or questions, I'm doubly happy. I teach genealogy classes regularly in Greater Vancouver. I give talks and do workshops and webinars relating to genealogy year round. Let me know if you're looking for a speaker or workshop leader, whether for general interest or for specific topics. Learn more about my experience and topics here. Come and meet up with me at an event or connect with me on social media, via e-mail or even - by telephone. But I warn you either Twitter or e-mail is best as I'm not home much. Too busy doing genealogy! I do my best to answer e-mails and messages in a timely manner. For Online Events, see CONFERENCE KEEPER: https://conferencekeeper.org/ My favourite way to keep up with events! UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS - Still Few In Person Events... In recent years, I've been doing online meetings and coaching and spoke at events, mostly online, instead of the 'usual' events and activities. I'm almost always at - The Vancouver Genealogy Group - monthly, free. A fun, friendly, supportive group whether you're new to genealogy or experienced. Second Tuesday every month; Central Branch, Vancouver Public Library, 3rd Floor meeting room. Online sessions now. Learn more about us at our Vancouver Genealogy Meetup site. The Scandinavian Genealogy Group - monthly except July/Aug & Dec.; free. A very helpful group researching all Nordic countries and emigrants too. Usually the third Saturday, Jan-June/Sept-Nov, 1-3 pm at the Scandinavian Centre in Burnaby. In person, we Zoom too, if needed. Learn more about us and see all upcoming dates at the Scandinavian Culture Society's website. The Lower Mainland Bookcrossing Meetups - free; twice monthly, in Vancouver and in New Westminster. We share books, give away books and we do talk about everything (including some genealogy). Periodic online sessions now. Get the details at the Lower Mainland Bookcrossing Meetup site. The Guild of One-Name Studies Pub Crawls - a lively discussion and help group for those doing or thinking about researching surnames. Find our details at one-name.org Now in 2024, I am again meeting people, teaching, speaking and consulting at - Genealogy classes, Community College for the Retired, Burnaby beginning in April. Finding Your Roots, 1 session workshop, Friday. Genealogy 301- 8 sessions, Fridays. Online, Intermediate and Advanced Research. Researching Photographs & Postcards Register in person. See the CCCR website: https://www.cccrburnaby.org/genealogy Contact me if you have questions about the classes. Scandinavian Genealogy sessions at the Scandinavian Community Centre, Burnaby. See above as we may still meet virtually, if you need to. Abbotsford Family History Day - More soon. Virtual Genealogical Association, 6th Birthday Party! https://virtualgenealogy.org SOCIAL MEDIA - sometimes I'm known as eicuthbertson - my old handle Twitter - Follow @mdiane_rogers I'm often in these - #genchat and #ancestryhour Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/m.diane.rogers Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.ca/eicuthbertson Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/m.dianerogers LibraryThing - https://www.librarything.com/profile/eicuthbertson Bookcrossing - https://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/eicuthbertson E-MAIL E - canadagenealogy @ shaw.ca Here I am in my school days!

Mum in Athens, Greece. Photographer, M. Diane Rogers. My mum was a great one for keeping useful things (as was my dad) - cottage cheese containers, plastic bags, newspaper and magazine clippings - lots of clippings!, recipe cards, school papers, books, of course, with a few 'important' papers mixed in. Since Mum and I always had a lot of the same interests, I've found it hard to get rid of anything much, although the cottage cheese containers are long gone. I've been scanning and transcribing things, but it's a slow process. That's one reason I wanted to do the 52 Ancestors Challenge. Today what I have may interest some non-gen friends since it's a Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) pamphlet from the 1940s. It was with some baby related things - that baby was me! I think it must have been given to my mother in preparation for my birth. Both my baby brother and I were born at VGH in the Willow Pavilion, which opened in 1906 as new hospital facilities (then it was called the Fairview Pavilion) but by the late 40s it was the Maternity area. Both my children were born there too. Ever since the BC Women's Hospital Health Centre opened in Vancouver in the 1990s, the Pavilion has served other purposes. Today some are working to rescue it.(See below.) Vancouver General Hospital pamphlet, 14 pages; no date; private collection. Cover shows "Architect's Conception of the Proposed 800-Bed Pavilion." Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This VGH booklet gives a bit of the hospital's history, and some information about facilities, admittance procedures and "Do's and Don'ts" [sic] for visitors. Among the don'ts were: "Smoking in Semi-Private rooms or wards may be objectionable to other patients. If you ask, they may be too polite to deny that it bothers them." [No Comment!] Also discussed is the British Columbia Hospital Insurance Service which then provided to subscribers in good standing "Complete hospital maternity service, with no conditions or waiting period." That was only for public ward beds. (The difference for private or semi-private accommodation was to be billed.) I reemember my mother said she was in a ward because there were no private rooms when I was born. She thought she'd have been very bored all on her own as then after a birth women stayed in 10 days or so. Hospital Insurance also covered anaesthetics, but not the doctor administering it, or the woman's own doctor. (My mother told me she was 'out' and remembered nothing about our births.) According to the booklet, radios were available but their use 'controlled', or one could bring their own, provided the Nurse-In-Charge approved and the Hospital Electrician passed it. A telephone could be installed in a room for 10 cents a day; or an operator would place a call for a patient. And mail, including parcels, could be received at the hospital. Of interest to me is the mention of telegrams. A nurse would assist in sending these. Since my maternal grandparents were then in Hamilton, Ontario, I'm guessing there was at least one telegram sent announcing my arrival. Maybe two as it would be likely they'd want to let family in Nottawa know as well. Visiting for maternity patients was restricted to the husband and the mother of the maternity patient for the first 5 days. (Since Na, my mum's mum, wasn't here, I wonder if Grandma Rogers snuck in to see Mum and me?) Even after five days, only two visitors at a time were allowed during visiting hours - and no children. I thought some who live in Vancouver might like to see this map of the hospital from the booklet. There are some historical photographs of VGH buildings including the Heather Pavilion on Flickr and here is the link to the Heather Heritage Society's website. You will see the Maternity building on the map. Now I hope someone can tell me when Heather Pavilion became the maternity area. Map of Buildings and Grounds, centre fold, Vancouver General Hospital pamphlet; no date; private collection. Your Baby, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Canadian Head Office: Ottawa; no date (pamphlet may be missing title page); private collection. A very different image from today's expectations!

CANADIAN GENEALOGY - ESSENTIAL LINKS AND BOOKS Most years, I've published my own list of essential links for Canadian national Genealogy – these will be specially useful for those new to Canadian research but these are websites useful to me every day. I have decided to update this list by adding the most useful books too as I feel the best published guides (and indexes) are too often overlooked. From time to time, I'll include more special topic links. Canada is a 'federation' of provinces and territories; specific types of records are held either by national, provincial or local governments, or by private or non-profit bodies. When I was a girl, we had to know the 'British North America Act' of 1867 which established Canada, its levels of government and their responsibilities (as of 1982, the Constitution Act). This has stood me in good stead since I got into history in 1958! Official military and census records are national Canadian records, for example. Vital statistics are provincial. (There are always some exceptions, and for any grey areas, Canadians - those my age- have always called for a Royal Commission. Don't worry, this is a Canadian joke!) Borders have changed a bit. Canada didn't become officially Canada till 1867 and that Canada didn't include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Newfoundland and Labrador. These were then either British colonies or for most of the prairies and part of Ontario, lands controlled by the Hudson's Bay Co. See the Canadian Geographic's historical Maps of Canada for a look at 1867 Canada. You will find that there are many British records relating to Canada and parts of it. Most of those with genealogical information have been copied and are available at least on film in Canadian archives or other large repositories. But, for example, if you are looking for a World War I pilot, you may need to look at both Canadian and British records. For information specific to British Columbia, Canada, be sure to see the British Columbia section of the FamilySearch Wiki as there are good records there: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/British_Columbia,_Canada_Genealogy You will see below that I've included here some guides I've written for Canadian research available on the BC Genealogical Society website. Watch for more of these to be added here early in 2020. Penny Allen also has an article "Finding Your Ancestors in B.C.". As I often say, each of these resources is tried and true, although one or two may sometimes be trying. If it's been a while since you've looked at Canada, you'll notice some changes, especially at Library and Archives Canada. Most changes there are cosmetic, persevere, and you will find new resources there. Many Canadian genealogy and history websites will be available in both French and English. Notice that almost all are free! Let’s do our best to keep it that way. CANADAGENEALOGY LINKS - ESSENTIALS LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA (LAC): http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ Of special interest at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) – GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY SECTION (previously known as the Canadian Genealogy Centre). Specialized access to genealogical indexes, images and resources, including digitized census and passenger lists, land records, etc., and guides to searching for both topics and places. (Note - not all databases are included in the Ancestors Search.) LAC is now having some records digitized 'on demand', for example, Border records. And there are a number of microfilmed records that are very simply microfilmed as is. These are, as yet, unindexed. Canada's World War I attestation papers for the military, nurses and chaplains are available on-line. These serve as an index to the greater collection of World War I service files which LAC has now digitized so almost all service files are on-line: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/genealogy/Pages/introduction.aspx SEARCH PAGE – 'search all' or search for library items or archival material only, or for images – or try the Ancestors search, but remember this includes only a small number of the collections: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/all LIBRARY – two catalogue searches - AURORA for published materials held at Library and Archives Canada and VOILÁ for those at over 1300 libraries across Canada. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/search/Pages/library-search.aspx Note - Newfoundland and Labrador (united in 1927) did not become part of Canada till 1949. LAC does have some records for this province, but most are held by the provincial government. Since some of the Labrador borders were disputed, you may find records relating to Labrador in Quebec. See the Newfoundland and Labrador Archives, known as The Rooms: https://www.therooms.ca/collections-research and the free genealogy website, Newfoundland Grand Banks: http://ngb.chebucto.org/ Note - Now you can comment on LAC’s services. Do you love what’s available on-line at the site or on Flickr maybe? Is there another set of records you think should be digitized? Or is something missing that used to be easily accessible? Let them know. GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH LIBRARY (GRL), Now the GLOBAL RESEARCH LIBRARY. An unsung Canadian resource, and now a resource for worldwide genealogy and other research. When I found one of my Whites somewhere new by using this website, I was impressed for life. Indexes to directories, census, etc. “16 million ancestors”. (This is the updated Internet version of the books, the “Western Canadians”, 'Central, Atlantic and French Canadians', compiled by Noel Montgomery Elliot.) Personal $ subscription fee; for details. New URL: http://www.edu.global/ AUTOMATED GENEALOGY. Name and place indexes and links to census page images at LAC – for the 1851/52, 1901, 1911 Canadian censuses; also to the 1851 New Brunswick census and to the 1906 Prairie census. All indexed by volunteers: http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/ FAMILYSEARCH. Canadian census indexes 1851-1901, prairie censuses 1906/1916, earlier censuses, unindexed Merchant Marine agreements 1890-1920, Mounted Police obits 1876-2007 and many provincial databases. Canadian national and provincial research guides in the wiki. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: http://www.familysearch.org Also check out the FamilySearch research pages for Canada and for Canadian First Nations on Facebook. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Genealogy_Research_Groups#North_America_Research_Pages_and_Groups CANADIAN PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES – A WEB GUIDE, by M. Diane Rogers, from the British Columbia Genealogical Society: http://www.bcgs.ca/?p=2786 ANCESTRY.COM / ANCESTRY.CA / ANCESTRY LIBRARY EDITION. Even when information is free elsewhere, Ancestry is worth looking at as its searches are often more extensive and flexible than others and the family trees may provide useful clues. And because Library and Archives Canada has chosen to enter into certain exclusive agreements with Ancestry, you may find there indexes and images unavailable elsewhere. Canadian census indexes with links to record images at LAC - 1851/52, 1901, 1911, also immigration and passenger list indexes, prairie census 1906/1926, 20th century directories, Canadian soldiers, nurses and chaplains of World War I, indexes of Loyalist claimants and 1812 soldiers, etc. An important source of more recent information on Canadians is the Canada, Voters index (1935-1980). $ subscriptions or use Ancestry Library Edition at a participating library or Family History Centre: See below. http://www.ancestry.com/ FINDMYPAST. Find My Past promised exciting Canadian content. So far, it's not much and not so exciting. We only recently rated our own category. However, if you are a subscriber as I am the content there will be useful. Now FindMyPast has Canadian censuses and Canadian cemeteries are included in the Billion Graves website search there. The newspaper collection does include a number of Canadian papers (from NewspaperArchive, I believe.) The most interesting content for many will be in the digital books from the ArchiveCD Books Canada collection - all searchable. Don't forget to check PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, for genealogy articles on Canada and articles in Canadian genealogy journals (like The British Columbia Genealogist). FindMyPast has the most up to date PERSI version. Check what's available there on the FindMyPast A- Z: a 'Canada' search - http://search.findmypast.com/historical-records?SearchedRecordsetName=Canada&Region=World and a 'Canadian' search - http://search.findmypast.com/historical-records?SearchedRecordsetName=Canadian&Region=World $ subscription or use FindMyPast at a participating library or Family History Centre. See below. http://www.findmypast.com/ NOTE Re free Access to Ancestry and FindMyPast- In the Lower Mainland of B.C., go to Cloverdale Library in Surrey, or to the New Westminster, West Vancouver or Vancouver libraries for free Ancestry Library Edition access or go to a Family History Center in Abbotsford, Surrey or Burnaby for both Ancestry and FindMyPast and MyHeritage. Cloverdale Library in Surrey offers FindMyPast too. See FamilySearch above for Center locations. And, did you know that CLOVERDALE LIBRARY in Surrey, B.C. is the best place in the west for on-site Canadian genealogy research? Right now (Feb 2020) Cloverdale's Family History Collection is temporarily housed at the Surrey Central Library due to renovations at Cloverdale. You will find much helpful information and advice in the library’s “Canadian Genealogical Resources: A Guide to the Materials held at Cloverdale Library” or at an orientation session. And the Cloverdale Library has free downloadable genealogy guides to Canada's provinces: https://surreylibraries.ca/services/family-history CANADA GENWEB PROJECT. Wide array of Canadian and provincial/territorial resources and projects, for instance, the CanadaGenWeb Family Bible transcription project and the Immigrants to Canada list: www.rootsweb.com/~canwgw Marj's Place, Marj Kohli. See especially the sections on Child Migrants and Home Children (and see below) and also on 19th Century Immigration: http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj OLIVE TREE GENEALOGY, Lorine McGinnis Schultz. Over 1900 pages of free information, guides and indexes –many of these are for Canada. Read the index page and the FAQ first. www.olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml Browse the Site Map: http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/sitemap.shtml See what’s new: http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/freedata.shtml CANADIAN MILITARY HISTORY GATEWAY. Wide array of resources: http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/ GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES OF CANADA. Database search and related information and guides: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography/place-names/10786 OUR ROOTS. Digitized Canadian local history books: http://www.ourroots.ca/ CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (CBC) DIGITAL ARCHIVES. Thousands of historical television and radio clips, search or browse by topics: http://www.cbc.ca/archives/ ARCHIVES CANADA, maintained by the Canadian Council of Archives. Includes search of archival record descriptions, access to digitized exhibits and projects: http://www.archivescanada.ca/ CANADIANA.ORG. Many Canadian sources here are now free. Previously Canadiana had an exclusive agreement with Library and Archives Canada but has now chosen to open these records to all. Note that many of the records they offer are available on microfilm or microfiche elsewhere. The collection includes many early and older publications and documents from Canada: http://www.canadiana.org And last, but never least, although some of the site is still 'in transition'. ROOTSWEB, THE big free site for mailing lists and genealogy resources. Canada wide message boards and mailing lists for queries include CAN-WW1-L for Canadian World War I military research, CAN-CENSUS-L, CANADA-ROOTS-L, AUSTRIAN-CANADIAN-L, Irish-Canadian-L: http://www.rootsweb.com/ And for many more of the best Canadian links for many topics and places, see CANGENEALOGY. Dave Obee’s website for Canadian links. Browse by region and by subject: http://www.cangenealogy.com/ THE BASIC BOOKS FOR CANADIAN GENEALOGY Finding Your Ancestors: A Beginners' Guide by Sherry Irvine and Dave Obee (2007). Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census by Dave Obee (2012). Destination Canada: A Guide to 20th Century Immigration Records by Dave Obee (2010) - on passenger/immigration records. Federal Voters Lists in Western Canada 1935-1979 by Dave Obee. Download this book for free at DaveObee.com: http://www.daveobee.com/books.htm Canadians at War 1914-1919, A Research Guide to World War One Service Records by Glenn Wright (2010). Records of The Federal Department Of Indian Affairs At The National Archives Of Canada by Bill Russell (2005). Genealogy to Go! Migration Canada and the United States (2012) by Elizabeth LaPointe. List updated January 2020 SPECIAL TOPICS below - Canadian Home Children, Royal Visits to Canada, Western Canada - Land. CANADIAN ‘HOME CHILDREN’ – From 1869 to 1948, thousands and thousands of children were sent to live and usually, to work, in Canada from Britain. British Home Children in Canada: http://canadianbritishhomechildren.weebly.com Home Children 1869-1932 - databases and information. Updated Nov. 2015. Library and Archives Canada: http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/home-children-1869-1930/Pages/home-children.aspx British Home Children Advocacy & Research Association (Facebook group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/Britishhomechildren/?fref=ts Families of British Home Children / British Child Migrants (Facebook group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/60555734110/ Home Children, British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO): http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=4 ROYAL VISITS TO CANADA The Crown in Canada, including royal visits since 1953: http://canadiancrown.gc.ca/eng/1331825668647/1331825371752 The Official Website of the British Monarchy, royal visits to Canada: http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Royalvisits.aspx The Royal Visit, ONFB,1939 (film, 90 min.) National Film Board of Canada: http://www.nfb.ca/film/royal_visit/ The Story of the Canadian Royal Train of 1939, timeline,ThemeTrains.com: http://www.themetrains.com/royal-train-timeline.htm Their Majesties in Canada: The 1939 Royal Tour, radio clips, etc. CBC Digital Archives: http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/the-monarchy/their-majesties-in-canada-the-1939-royal-tour/topic---their-majesties-in-canada-the-1939-royal-tour.html Behind the Diary [of William Lyon McKenzie King], Politics, Themes, and Events from King's Life - The Royal Tour of 1939 [archived pages at Library and Archives Canada]: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/king/023011-1070.06-e.html The British Royal Visit [to the USA], June 7-12, 1939, text, photos and film, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/royalvisit.html WESTERN CANADA - LAND A few beginning links to information and indexes for Western Canadian land grants, homesteading and CPR land sales. **See also the Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and British Columbia Genealogical Societies's websites. Finding Aid: Prairie Land Records, Dave Obee: http://www.daveobee.com/columns/dominion.htm Prairie Land Grants and Homesteading, Family History Alive: http://www.familyhistoryalive.com/Prairie-Land-Grants-and-Homesteading--Manitoba-Saskatchewan-and-Alberta.html Western Land Grants 1870-1930, Library and Archives Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/western-land-grants/001007-100.01-e.php Alberta Genealogical Society, Index to Homestead Records, 1870-1930: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/western-land-grants/001007-100.01-e.php Saskatchewan Land Records, Index, Saskatchewan Archives Board: http://www.saskarchives.com/collections/land-records History of Agriculture in Manitoba, Manitoba, Agricultural Hall of Fame: http://www.manitobaaghalloffame.com/history2.php Grain Elevators in Canada, 1911-1998, Peel's Praire Provinces: http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/geic.html Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Land Sales Index, Glenbow Museum: http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesCPRSearch.aspx Quick Guide to Land Records, British Columbia Archives (.pdf): http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/general/guides/Land_Records_quick_guide.pdf Pre-emption and Homestead Claims, British Columbia Archives (.pdf): http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/general/guides/preemptions-homesteads_research_guide.pdf British Columbia Historic Crown Grant search: https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/rd/html/index.html Métis LAND RECORDS **See also the BCGS MANITOBA research links: http://www.bcgs.ca/?p=2991 Métis Scrip, Our Legacy: http://scaa.sk.ca/ourlegacy/exhibit_scrip Métis Scrip Records, Library & Archives canada: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/metis-scrip/index-e.html The Historiography of Métis Land Dispersal, 1870-1890 http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/30/metislanddispersal.shtml BOOKS See also Back to the Land: A Genealogical Guide to Finding Farms on the Canadian Prairies by Dave Obee (2001). MAPS Online-Historical Map Digitization Project: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canmaps Peel's Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta: http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/maps Historical Maps of Prairie Provinces, University of Alabama Map Library: http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/canada/prairie.html Glenbow Museum map collection, many descriptions, not all on-line: http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/libraryMapSearch.aspx

Love this photograph of a woman and her dog. Don't they look smart! She's a mystery still, though I think she must be a Saggers or Staines relation. From my grandmother's album. Last week it was time for more of Randy Seaver's Genealogy Fun at Genea-Musings. This month he's asking genealogists to answer the 20 questions Ellen Thompson-Jennings posed at her blog, Hound on the Hunt, a few weeks ago as "Even More Questions About Your Ancestors and Maybe A Few About You". For my answers to questions 11-15, please follow this link to my July 14th post. QUESTIONS 1-10 1. Which ancestor had the most children? It can be a couple or a single person. I believe that is my second great grandparents with 11 children – Mary Ann Adams and Lancelot Rogers. But it seems too likely that for some older families (and even perhaps Mary Ann and Lancelot), there were babies I do not know about. 2. How many years have you been working on your genealogy/family history? In an organized fashion? Since about 1988. 3. Do you collaborate with other genealogists on your family history? Not that many are researching our families. One cousin, Ross Irwin, did ‘the’ research in Ireland and in Ontario on our Irwin-Livingston families from County Cavan, Ireland. When I started, I came across his queries and contacted him. He shared information on my family branch and I gave him updates. 4. Have you hired a professional genealogist to work on your family history? Even if it was just a small branch of the family. No, but I would not rule this out. 5. If you have family heirlooms what’s your plan for their future? I have lists of who should get what. I’m just reviewing these now. However, I think most things will eventually be ‘lost’ to the family. That’s why, on and off, I started writing about my ‘heirlooms’. Now I wish I’d started out earlier and doing that all on-line. I should at least work on consolidating those I’ve done. Sigh… another genealogy project! 6. How many DNA companies have you tested with or transferred to? Have you tested at all the 5 major companies? All 5 and a few more. Started out with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. That was the beginning, now 'the olden days'. Then 23andMe first when consumer testing was available. After that it snowballed. 7. Do you have an ancestor that had a successful business? Is it still in business? None that are still in business. I think all, including all the farms but one, are out of family hands now. 8. How long ago was your last “genealogy/DNA happy dance?” Oh, about a month ago. I'm due another 😊 9. Did you ever discover that a friend was also a distant cousin? Indeed, while perusing a DNA match list for one of my genealogy students I saw my own name! And recently another student joined my classes. I was quite surprised to realize hearing her family story that she was a cousin (not DNA related). And while checking another genealogist's library and workbook lists, I realized we are likely related. But I haven't nailed down that connection yet. Always more to find. 10. Do you have a genealogy brick wall? Do you think you will be able to use DNA to work past it? Yes, I do have some challenging families, the worst? Currently the Whites. Possibly someday DNA will help, so far it’s found me a few more recent cousins, but this is a very common English surname line. But I never give up.

Some of the favourite talks I’ve given have been about women’s work in the home. These prompt lots of discussion! The ‘women’s pages’ of the newspapers, as we used to call them, in the 1890s included a variety of topics suitable for readers from many walks of life. In this one newspaper, I just read “Useful Recipes” for a Jennie Lind Cake, Thin Cookies (“Watch them constantly as they burn very easily.”) and “homemade tooth soap”, a variety of salads and an Omelet with Baking Powder (!). As well there are descriptions of “Interior Novelties” most women seldom dreamed of, for example, a wallpapered dining room with garlands of rosettes and knots of ribbon, and a row of pearl ornaments above the moulding. And then there’s a long practical discussion of “The Kitchen Floor” – “It must be something that will stand the tramp of many feet in a farm-house. Boys and men, with heavy boots, pass over it many times a day…. A clean floor is a delight to a tidy housewife, and a soiled one an annoyance which must be removed at the first opportunity.” Whether in BC or on the Canadian prairies in the past, for most women there was always a task to be done, a chore to be completed, and a new day full of the same routines and challenges ahead, most often with few conveniences and never enough hands. But as my Na used to say “A change is as good as a rest” and any opportunity for socializing was likely appreciated, even if work was involved, as in this photograph. Greta McCleery (right, born about 1880) and her cousin Agnus Mary (born about 1881), in a kitchen, churning butter". Documenting Dunbar project, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Courtesy of the City of Vancouver Archives: AM1533-S2-4-: 2009-005.231. This poem, printed in the ‘Ladies’ section of this 1893 Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada newspaper, one that my relatives likely read often, sums up decades of women's experience. A Hard-Working Woman All day she hurried to get through; The same as lots of wimmin do: Sometimes at night her husban’ said: “Ma, ain’t you goin’ to come to bed ?” An’ then she’d kinder give a hitch, An’ pause half way between a stitch, An’ sorter sigh, an’ say that she Was ready as she’d ever be, She reckoned. An’ so the years went, one by one; An’ somehow she was never done; An’ when the angel said as how “Mis’ Smith, it’s time you rested now,” She sorter raised her eyes to look A second, as a stitch she took: “All right: I’m coming now,” says she, “I’m ready as I’ll ever be. I reckon.” The author’s name wasn’t given but I’ve since learned the poem was by Albert Bigelow Paine. Published in the Portage la Prairie Weekly Review, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, 8 March 1893, page 2 – “FOR THE LADIES”. Many of Manitoba’s historical newspapers, and more, can be searched and read for free at the University of Manitoba's Digital Collections (formerly on Manitobia).

I won't be writing about all my 52 Ancestors in any particular order, but I thought since I've already written about my Mum I'd best be following with my Dad. This is one of my favourite photographs of him, taken by me in my parents' house in the 1980s with the Rogers cats. Dad, with Purrt and Teddy (Purrt's son), 1990s. Private collection. When she was cross, my Mum was quick to say he and I were a lot alike ("just like your Dad!") and I think that's true, but we surely didn't always agree. He was a more practical person (and very handy at fixing things). He loved his family, and was interested in big band jazz, stamps, coins and politics, not always in that order and yes, he loved cats. Here's one of my past articles about him: "Vancouver, 1951 - After the Election - Ready for Work". Born in South Vancouver in 1917, he lived in the Vancouver area all his life except during World War II when he was mostly in Washington, D.C. He had several successful businesses, the last with my Mum, and although he retired a couple of times, he never stopped working, just looked around for something different to do. One of my few genealogical / historical regrets is that I didn't write down the stories he told me early on about his growing up years, especially about working at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver where he had worked with his dad. He didn't seem to think these were very important, but now that he's gone, of course, they are to me.

My grandmother identified this family as Dave and Helen (Nellie) Irwin, with their daughters, Edna, Muriel and Mildred. Photographers, Craig & Will, Headquarters, Regina, Assa. [Regina, Assiniboia, North West Territories, later part of Saskatchewan, Canada.] David had already moved to Neepawa, Manitoba with his parents when he and Helen Irwin were married in Ontario, Canada in 1895, and they lived in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, before settling last in Vancouver, British Columbia. Both Edna May and Mildred Marie Irwin moved to California, USA in the 1920s. Mildred Marie married Russell J. Cleland, while Muriel Ilene stayed in Vancouver and married William Franklin in 1931. Helen's parents were George Tomblin and Elizabeth Birmingham. David's parents were my great great grandparents James Irwin and Mary Ann Moffat.

Why were my Stewart Cousins, my Aunties? Anna and Muriel Stewart; embossed signature of photographer J. Paynter (Joseph). Muriel Scott Stewart (1899-1978) and her sister, Catherine Anna Steele Stewart (1896-1986) They were the children of Benjamin Stewart, a jeweller, and Mary (Marie) Scott. The sisters were born in Carberry, Manitoba, as was their brother, John Haliburton Stewart. Aunt Muriel and Aunt Anna never married; they came to British Columbia and lived in North Vancouver from 1920 in the home Benjamin bought for the family. I remember our visiting with them many times at our home and in North Vancouver. Yes, I did call them "Aunt", and my mum referred to them so, although they were my second cousins, once removed. This was a courtesy title extended in my day to my mother's closer friends and older relatives. Likely Mum didn't want to explain it all to me, the child with far too many questions. But their grandfather, John Scott, and my great grandfather, Walter Scott, were brothers. Now, of course, I'm sorry I didn't listen more closely to their conversations. I could have saved quite a bit of time with my Scottish research! And known about the oft married relative sooner. But now I wonder if perhaps Mum thought the family divorce (bigamy) might as well stay buried. (She did tell me but long, long after.) I liked both Muriel and Anna - they got on well with children. And I thought them artistic. Muriel was a music teacher; Anna, a North Vancouver School teacher. I'm glad to have this charming photograph of them as girls. The family house in North Vancouver (245-248 Fifth St. E.) was moved in 2015 to the Port Hammond area of Maple Ridge as a heritage find. The house their brother, John, and his wife, Doris Garling, lived in later is also seen as a heritage house, and is still there, I believe. (455 20th St. E.) References Joseph Paynter, photographer, born in Owen Sound, Ontario, died in Winnipeg in 1931. He was active in Carberrry, Manitoba, Canada, from 1899-1918, according to Glen C. Phillips' book, The Western Canada Photographer's List (Global, 2002). The Carberry Plains Archives has more of his Carberry photographs: https://main.lib.umanitoba.ca/carberry-plains-archives Joseph Paynter Obituary, The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Tuesday, 22 September, 1931, p. 22. "North Vancouver Heritage Homes Bought for $1"...., by Maria Spitale-Leisk, August 10, 2015 REW Blog: https://www.rew.ca/news/north-vancouver-heritage-homes-bought-for-1-and-moved-to-maple-ridge-1.2026071 North Vancouver Heritage Register, 2013: https://www.cnv.org/-/media/city-of-north-vancouver/documents/heritage/2013-heritage-register.PDF

See you at the BC Highland Games, June 15th - LaFarge Lake Park, Coquitlam. Manitoba, Canada - official tartan. (Public domain image, Mr Absurd; Wikipedia.) Take the Skytrain. Lots of activities and things to see. More info: https://bchighlandgames.com Here's a British Columbia Scottish snippet from my paper research files. Mick McMillan was "still able to dance the Highland reels as of old" on his 95th birthday, according to this Vancouver Sun report. Mick was originally from South Uist, Scotland, had come to BC about 50 years before and farmed in Glen Valley (Langley area) until his retirement in 1924. His birthday was celebrated at D. Johnston's home in Vancouver, possibly the Duncan Johnson who played the pipes at the party. Vancouver Sun, 21 September, 1929, page 1. Note: I've used the Manitoba tartan here to celebrate my Scottish maternal and paternal immigrants, who emigrated to Canada and whose descendants ended up in Manitoba, and later British Columbia. Manitoba's tartan, designed in 1962 by Hugh Kirkwood Rankine, was officially adopted that year. The red refers to the Red River Colony, and the blue, to the Clan Douglas tartan. The green lines represent the many peoples of Manitoba, and the gold represents the importance of the province's agricultural history.

Clipping found in The Province published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on 9/30/1918. Two recipes from the Patriotic Cook Book.

My grandfather, James Walter Scott (known as Walter), was born in Nottawa, Ontario in 1885. I have quite a lot of information about his Scott family and have a basic family tree here. At the turn of the century in 1902, Grandpa moved to Manitoba by himself and settled in Newdale where he met and married my grandmother, Amy Estella Irwin, in 1910. According to my grandmother, Grandpa Scott first worked in Thomas N. Peter's store. In the 1910s, he was in business operating a general store with W. R. (William Robert) Lavery. This photograph, identified by my grandmother as showing Grandpa (on your right), W. R. Lavery (left) and Jack Kaskey (centre) together, seems to corroborate my mother's information - that he was also in business with at least one other person. I would like to learn more about Mr. Kaskey. Walter Scott, Jack Kaskey, W.R. Lavery, Cabinet card; no photographer's information. Private collection. It appears that there was a second photograph taken of the three men on the same day. I've posted that on tmy Newdale Genealogy website today.

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Today P is for Periodicals in British Columbia Blogging about British Columbia Genealogy Resources British Columbia Historical News, Summer 1982 cover. Picnic in Stanley Park. Vancouver; photographer Philip Timms. (Original photo, Vancouver Public Library Special Collections: VPL Accession #: 5397). If you've been following my A-Zed series on British Columbia Genealogy Resources, you will have noticed many of the sources I look at are not, strictly speaking, 'genealogical', but rather historical. Setting your ancestral history within a historical framework is vital to doing genealogy and family history research and writing, I believe. And using local/regional historical background in your writing or snippets as 'fun facts' or in timelines or even old recipes could spark more interest from others reading your family history. (Don't miss the Bonus at the end here.) In British Columbia, we have a great historical periodical that's easily available and digitally archived 1923-2015 - British Columbia History (formerly BC Historical News/The British Columbia Historical News/The British Columbia Historical Quarterly). If you are doing British Columbia genealogy or family history, I highly recommend that you subscribe and that you search old issues and new for information on topics and BC places you are interested in. You might like to submit an article yourself. (The Editor is a very family history friendly person.) Subscriptions and current issues are available through the BC Historical Federation or ask if your local historical/genealogical society is a member or check your public or other libraries: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bch You may find other articles of interest in BC Studies, an academic journal. Many issues and articles are online free and indexed. https://bcstudies.com/ Once you've done that, doing your own historical research in contemporary popular or specialized magazines and journals can be rewarding and fun, especially if they are now digitized and reasonably searchable. Here are a few provincial and national ones I've found generally useful to get you started. Let me know which others you find useful. British Columbia Monthly [1918-1927]; British Columbia magazine [1911-191-], Canadiana: http://www.canadiana.ca/ The Beaver, the Hudson Bay Company (think fur trade and Canada's north) 1920-2013, free digital archive: https://canadashistory.partica.online/canadas-history/the-beaver-october-1920/flipbook/1/ Maclean’s Magazine, news and general interest, from 1905, Ebsco Publishing database - available through some larger libraries. Chatelaine, news and views from women's point of view, from 1925. ProQuest database 1928-2005, available through some larger libraries. La Revue moderne, a magazine for women and families, published in Québec 1919 to 1960. Available at the National Library and Archives of Quebec: http://numerique.banq.qc.ca/ressources/details/RJQ "...a way to say 'We are friends' to the Chinese.' ", WWII Coca-Cola™ ad, Maclean's Magazine, 15 January 1944. Personal collection. The Grain Growers' Guide 1908-1928, later The Country Guide (various titles). Peel's Prairie Provinces (Peel's Bibliography) 1909-1918: http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/GGG/ ElectricCanadian has a growing list of Canadian digital magazines and journals, including The Busy Man's Magazine (later Maclean's) and the Canadian Home Journal: https://electriccanadian.com/magazines/index.htm Country Guide: The Farm Magazine (Canada), July 1977. Personal collection. Bonus - a recipe from this Country Guide, July 1977. Could be useful right now! Carrot Marmalade 3 ½ c. coarsely shredded carrots (about 6 medium size) 3 oranges 1 lemon Sugar Cook carrots in as little boiling water as possible; drain. Grate orange and lemon rinds finely. Section the fruit and remove white membrane; cut sections into small pieces. Measure cooked carrots, rinds and fruit; add 2/3 as much sugar. Boil gently until jelly stage is reached. Pour into sterilized jars and seal with 1/8” melted paraffin. Yields 3 jelly glasses.

The Cross of Sacrifice; one of the military sections at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC, Canada. When I went yesterday to put Canadian flags on my parents' grave for Remembrance Day at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, I also took more photos of other graves. I do that almost every time I'm there, but I have made myself a pledge for this year and next to take photos in all the military sections and of all the military related headstones and plaques or other memorials that I can locate. This is a large cemetery, 106 acres, with about 92,000 grave sites and now new columbaria too. Mountain View estimates that there are 12,000 veterans buried there, as well as a number (about 320) who died in active service. However, many veterans are not identified as such (like my parents) and about 900 of the veterans identified do not have individual markers, although there is a Veterans Project to collect funds for that purpose. All across Canada today, people are remembering Canada's war dead. [Link to CBC's on-going coverage.] This year, leading up to the centenary of World War I, I'm thinking, as I always do, of my great uncle, Bert Saggers, who died 11 November 1916 in France.

Canadian Genealogy & Women's History: Current Ideas, Information & Projects

March 8 is International Women's Day, where we celebrate women from all walks of life. Here are 12 of the inspiring quotes and best memes from ... you guessed it, women!

Härkeberga kyrka during the spring, a 14-15th century Swedish church. Photograph by Kevin Cho, taken in Uppsala, Sweden, May 14, 2015. CC BY SA 4.0 license. Activities Since 1 January I have been tweeting Swedish words and terms useful for genealogy. This was The Simple Living Genealogist's idea - it's a #GenealogyAlphabetGame. We are up to P now. But since I'm looking at Swedish genealogy, I'll be tweeting a little longer than most there. English has only 26 alphabet letters; Swedish has 29! Doing this has given me a few new ideas for future talks and projects. For example, it's been illuminating to see how the meaning of some words that look simple in the genealogy glossaries has changed over time. I've read quite a few articles relating to this, and dipped into even more old dictionaries. Always fun. Reading, of course. And this year again, I'm on My Book Pledge keeping track of books I read - 20 so far for 2021. My favourite books last year were The Saxon Stories series (in order) by Bernard Cornwell. I have the last two to read right beside me. I do read a lot of mysteries, including as many genealogy related ones as I can find, but really almost every one has something genealogical or research related. On Twitter, watch for me during Bout of Books (next: May 10-16) or Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (April 24) or monthly at #GenChat. Webinars Galore - it's wonderful to see how much is being offered on-line right now, much of it free. Be sure to sign up for RootsTech Connect - February 25-27, 2021. This year it's all on-line and all free. https://www.rootstech.org/?lang=eng And check at least these two websites for many more regional and local events. Stretch your genealogy wings and sign up for one or two that are not your usual choices. Conference Keeper - https://conferencekeeper.org/ GeneaWebinars - http://blog.geneawebinars.com/p/calendar.html Not every event is on these websites, so if there is a topic you are especially interested in, keep an eye out on social media, if you can, or sign up for newsletters from your favourite libraries or archives or genealogy groups. Perhaps set up a free Google Alert for yourself like -- Sweden Swedish genealogy event. (If I were able to speak Swedish, I'd add an alert written in Swedish too.) https://www.google.ca/alerts For example, here's an upcoming free event from the National Archives of the United Kingdom (TNA), "Top Level Tips: Discovering your Family History" with Audrey Collins, who is a great presenter and a Family History Records Specialist at TNA. Sat, 23 Jan 2021, 02:00 PST. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/top-level-tips-discovering-your-family-history-tickets-131446336531?aff=twitter&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo And be sure to check your local libraries and museums too. Many have 'gone virtual' with events. Stay safe! Enjoy 2021!

Woodland Branch Alcott Club, 1910s? Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Branch lantern slide. Couldn't resist this photograph. Maybe one of these young women is related to me. Could be... Courtesy the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery: CC BY-SA 4.0 license. As of this week, AncestryDNA® has introduced new DNA Communities and updated results. An Ancestry blog post published 1 February 2021 outlines the update and gives some background to the Genetic Communities™. With the update, now there are 33 in Germanic Europe, 151 in the Mid-Atlantic, 138 in the Midwest and 26 in New England. (See image below.) Altogether 1,300 regions are now offered by AncestryDNA® between communities and ethnic regions. Here is a graphic showing all the new Communities, courtesy of Ancestry. Ancestry had previously identified one Community for some of my DNA matches and myself - "Scottish Lowlands, Northern England & Northern Ireland". This community fits nicely into my known genealogy and with what I usually refer to as my pretty boring DNA story. Effectively both my parents were only children (Uncle David died very young) so I am challenged sometimes to find close matches. At Ancestry, which certainly has the biggest DNA database for genealogy, I have only 468 labelled as 4th cousins or closer. This may be why I'm so pleased to be able to help others with their usually much grander close match results! My new Community was unexpected: "Ohio, Indiana & Eastern Kentucky Settlers"; more specifically "Northern Ohio & Northeastern Indiana Settlers". Ancestry points me to three of my DNA matches, labelled as third cousins, who are now identified with me as belonging to this Community. We are also linked in AncestryDNA Thrulines™ (also based on trees and autosomal DNA results) and have been for a while. None of the three appear in the "Scottish Lowlands..." Community with me. As it happens, I know quite a bit about the families of these cousins and myself. We are closer cousins than third, but removed, and for sure related via common Scottish and Irish ancestors. I believe we are all in Canada, as were our known common ancestors. To me, it seems a bit of a warning that the three cousins are quite closely related to each other. Two do have United Empire Loyalists in their direct ancestors, although I haven't looked too closely till now at that as I know another family member already did. And one of the matches at least has family ties to Ohio. I have a close connection to Ohio too, but on a different line. Now I want to check out that history and genealogy for myself. I'm a bit doubtful that I'll find many close relatives related to me among the "Northern Ohio & Northeastern Indiana Settlers", but I would not be surprised if there are further back connections there perhaps via North Carolina, or certainly Ireland and Scotland. I'll feel less doubtful if more matches who are not so closely related to each other show up later in this same AncestryDNA® Community. But I'm intrigued enough to work on this for myself. It's worth remembering how Ancestry defines these communities. It's not necessarily that I have close or direct relatives there. "A community is a group of AncestryDNA® members who likely descend from a population of common ancestors, people who traveled to the same place around the same time, or from the same place around the same time. " By this definition, my three cousins and I are a known community already, descending "from a population of common ancestors, people..."from the same place around the same time". But what about that third cousin who descends in a slightly different route from our other two cousins. Might his other lines offer some interesting tidbits - or even a breakthrough - about our family members or connections? I hope to begin to investigate that for myself soon. I'll try to report back on this by the summer. I'll be very interested to see what others find in their updates. If you already have DNA test results at Ancestry, do take a look to see if you have updated Communities. If you haven't yet had your DNA tested, but you are interested in adding DNA to your genealogy tools, I recommend you watch Diahan Southard's webinar, aired this morning, "Me and My 1000+ DNA Cousins" which will soon be available free to watch for a week. Or 'forever' if you subscribe to the Legacy Family Tree Webinars. (Well worth every dime, in my opinion!) This will give you a good idea what you might accomplish after taking an autosomal DNA test. (And after watching the webinar, you'll have a Legacy discount code. Also a code for Diahan Southard's book or mentoring.) Diahan is very positive about AncestryDNA®'s communities and does discuss them in the webinar.

Last week I answered 15 questions for Randy Seaver's Genealogy Fun at Genea-Musings. This month he asked genealogists to answer the 20 questions Ellen Thompson-Jennings posed at her blog, Hound on the Hunt, a few weeks ago as "Even More Questions About Your Ancestors and Maybe A Few About You". I'm looking forward to reading all the answers. Hope someone has compiled these. From the Rogers recipe box. Now - which Jean gave this recipe out? I think I know but if you ate these cookies too, please contact me. For my answers to questions 1-10, please follow this link to my July 20th post.. And for questions 11-15, please follow this link to my July 14th post. QUESTIONS 16-20 16. If you’re into DNA which would you say you work on more? Genealogy or DNA? Or about the same? 'Genealogy' more likely for my own families. To me, the DNA test results provide me with new information and some new genealogy tools, alongside the documents, and interviews, etc. And in genealogy research, the more tools the better. Of course, sometimes you start out with only DNA results, but confirmation usually involves other sources. 17. Do you think that your genealogy is ever really done? No. I’m sure I’ll never run out of people and associated places and time periods to research. There’s always something new (old) and even new people to be found. 18. Did you ever search an ancestor’s name on the internet and you were surprised at what you found? I do have Google Alerts for many family names and places. That’s how I learned quite a while ago that one relative is a politician. That was a bit of a surprise. My dad would have liked to know this – he was quite political himself. 19. Do you ever feel like your ancestors are nudging you in the right direction in your research? Well…. I’m not usually thinking like that, but there have been times. Mostly in cemeteries, when it seems I’ve walked up and down the aisles fruitlessly searching for an hour, and ‘something says’ “make a little turn and look again”. ‘Aha!’ Then again, maybe like many of my ancestors, I’m just stubborn, and won’t give up. 20. If you could give one piece of advice to someone new to genealogy, what would you tell them? Enjoy the genealogy hunt! Yes, be methodical and thorough, yes, cite those sources. But never stop thinking of family history research as a chance to satisfy your curiosity about people and places you knew - and those you never knew in person - and, indeed, to meet new-to-you relatives and make genealogy friends too

This postcard has had some hard wear, and it seems to have had problems during printing. The postcard back is blank, never addressed or stamped. You can make out some of the faces and details. If you have ideas about researching this card image, do comment! I think I was attracted to the chummy posing of the men in the front. Click the postcard to see a bigger image. Although it doesn't say, I do think this was from England. What do you think?

Fun at the Photographers! The Rogers children, 1950s, Vancouver, BC It was Saturday Night again - and time for some more Genealogy Fun at Randy Seaver's Genea-Musings!! This Saturday he's asking genealogists to answer Part 3 of the 20 questions Ellen Thompson-Jennings posted at Hound on the Hunt two weeks ago - "Even More Questions About Your Ancestors and Maybe A Few About You" (27 June, 2019). I'll catch up with the rest this week but here are my answers to #11-15. Check out Ellen's blog (link above) to see all the questions. 11. If money wasn’t an issue; where would you go to do genealogy research? Sweden! Yes, I could do some research there, although now I do a lot on-line, but better yet, I could take my kids. We would see all the places their families lived, visit the churches, learn about the country, and likely meet some living family. Now, of course, I’d want us to go to Norway (there are a couple of Norwegians who married in), and Denmark and Iceland and Finland too. And maybe on the way home, we could hop over to Scotland? To get them a drink at the Canal Inn in Falkirk (our James and Judith Scott ran the Inn way back) and the Orkneys and the Hebrides. Lots of Scandinavian influence (and DNA) in those places. 12. Do you ever feel like you’re the only person researching your family? Definitely! But the ease and lower prices of DNA kits for genealogy have interested some of the younger family members. I’m hoping they start branching out their own trees, and take up a surname or two. 13.Why do you think you’re interested in your family history and other family members might not be? I grew up with some stories about my mum’s side of my family, but very few about my dad’s. And because of migration and geography, and since I’m one of the young cousins in my generation, I didn’t know my cousins or other closer relatives as many of my friends did. And I was always interested in history, especially Canadian history. I started genealogy to answer questions from Mum’s stories, but I think I got hooked when I realized I felt myself ‘finding family’ even though most were gone. 14. Do you intend to write about your genealogy/family history findings? I do write about my family history finds – sometimes here on my blog or in a genealogical society journal, but much of my writing is still on my computers. I’m not thinking of ever writing ‘the one big family book’ though, perhaps several smaller books on the various lines, or a few special topics. I’m working on one right now about a set of family postcards, for example. 15. Did you ever make a genealogy mistake that caused you to have to prune your family tree? Not yet! But then I think I’m pretty wary of adding people till I’ve got lots of evidence, perhaps because most of my family names are so common. I do have a number of speculative files and trees. And a small collection of ‘not us!’ BMD certificates. (Mostly surname: White)

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Over on Twitter, in recent days I've been 'microblogging' Swedish genealogy vocabulary from A to Ö. This was for the #GenealogyAlphabetGame hosted by The Simple Living Genealogist @SimpleLivinGene . Do follow her on Twitter. If not on Twitter (why not?), check out her blog here: https://www.thesimplelivinggenealogist.com I thought of doing this because right now I've been spending time researching a small family postcard collection, most Swedish or involving Swedish family. Af kärlek / English - Of Love. Embossed postcard mailed from Ostersund, Jamtlands Lan, Sweden in 1910. This has prompted me to think about doing another A to Ö project. Next time, it will be about Swedish genealogy and history, and family, with maybe a recipe or two? that I hope will interest my 'kids'. I see it's almost my 16th Blogaversary- 3 February. Still a teenager! Something to celebrate! And good to see "CanadaGenealogy, or, Jane's Your Aunt" made the Top 100 Genealogy Blogs and Websites in 2021 as calculated by Feedspot. There are 138 blogs on that list so search there and take time to read one new to you. Be nice to see more Canadian genealogy bloggers in that list for next year. Penny at the UK to Canada Genealogy blog has the names of all the Canadian bloggers on Feedspot's list. And she's compiling a new list of Canadian genealogy bloggers.

Randy Seaver's been busy again this weekend with his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!! challenge. This time he wants to know about 'best summer vacations'. I wrote about this quite a while ago, even posted some photos, so I point to that article, written for the 5th Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival way back in 2009, on Sunday, July 12th. Do follow the link and read this again. One thing I've realized now though is that our 'big' family vacations weren't in the summer, but rather at Easter time when, in my day, there was always a 10 day or so school holiday. Although I don't know for sure, I suspect that by Easter my mum, 'a prairie girl', was tired of Vancouver's rain and looking forward to, for example, some California sun. Summer here is always nice, so we didn't have to go too far from home to have a sunshiny 'day trip' as my dad called it, off to Hope or somewhere to see the country. or for a few days on a little holiday to Vancouver Island, or Sechelt or Bowen Island, or Alta Lake which was a favourite because Dad could always go up on the train and stay for a day or so, then back to work he went. (You may know the Alta Lake area now as Whistler.) Fun memories!

A very sweet stray photograph from my collection! And for once, some identification of the little ones. So often, 'we' forgot to add their names. On the back pencilled on a short strip of masking tape are the names: Marguerite Neil Cecil Neil Leo Brandt The children are dressed up for their photograph, and Marguerite has on what looks like a flower corsage. Might this mark her birthday? Or possibly the boys’ christening, although they look a little older than I’d usually expect for that. Could the children be close cousins or half siblings? I'm not certain, of course, but the 1911 Canada census does show a Marguerite, age 3, and a Cecil Neil, 10 months old, in Euphemia Township, Grey County, Ontario. The parents of that family are Milton and Ellen. Do contact me if you know this family. The photographer was J. C. Kentner, Markdale, Ontario, Canada.

Kelowna and Its Surroundings In The Province of British Columbia Dominion of Canada Published by the Agricultural and Trades Association of Okanagan Mission Valley, 1898. This 1898 pamphlet is in my own collection of ephemera. It's faded, a bit stained, but is a great introduction to the economic history of Kelowna and area. It gives us a tour of the Kelowna ranching and farming areas in 1898 and promotes the opportunities available then. I've included here two photographs and added a brief index (created by myself; square brackets indicate I have added information) to the people and businesses, etc. mentioned in "Kelowna and Its Surroundings" Clearly, it does not refer to all Kelowna's inhabitants (neither do the directories), but mostly to prominent men's names and to those interested and involved in promoting local industry and development at that time. For comparison, or if your vintage Kelowna family name isn't here, or if you are looking for given names for an individual, refer to the 1898 Henderson's British Columbia Gazetteer and Directory sections for Kelowna here and Okanagan Mission here. (BC City Directories, 1860-1955, Vancouver Public Library, vpl.ca ) The pamphlet was published by The Province Publishing Co. Ltd., Lty. of Victoria and Vancouver, BC, Canada. There is no identification for the writer or photographer(s). Far below is a link to my 'as-is' .pdf copy of the pamphlet. You are free to use it in a historical or genealogical non-commercial project or research but do include the credit line. Contact me for any other use or if in doubt. Mr T W Stirling's Orchard ADVERTISEMENTS Lakeview Hotel - Arch. MacDonald Kelowna Shippers Union - (and Manufacturers of Cigars) Lequime Bros & Co., - dry goods, etc. Crowley & Downton, butchers D W Sutherland, Notary Public, Conveyancer, Insurance Agent Mr Collin's Tobacco Field--Okanagan Mission Valley, near Kelowna, BC PHOTOGRAPHS Kelowna and Okanagan Lake The Wharf, Kelowna Mr T W Stirling's Orchard Mr G Whelan's Orchard and House Duck Lake The Episcopal Church, Kelowna Mr Collins' Tobacco Field - Okanagan Mission Valley, Near Kelowna BC Mr G Whelan's Orchard and House. KELOWNA PEOPLE, RANCHES, BUSINESSES, ETC. MENTIONED Mr T Woods Wm. Postill Mr Swallwell Duck Lake Mr A Postill (the late) Mr G Whelan Mr J Christien Mr Conroy Mr Price Ellison, MPP Mr J T Davies Mr LaBelle Mr Dell Mr Watson Mr B E Crichton Mr W D Hobson, Justice Mr G G Mackay (the late), Mackay Meadows Mr Eli Lequime, Lequime Ranch Mr Collins and Mr Holman (tobacco fields) Mr Bernard Lequime Indian Mission, Roman Catholic Church Mr J Corsorso Mr Fitzgerald Healey Mr Tidmarsh Gusichan Ranch, Lord Aberdeen's property Mr Alan Crichton Mr Crozier Mr Ray Mr J L Pridham, JP Mr Dundas Mr T W Stirling Mr Knox, Knox Ranch SS Aberdeen Kelowna Shippers' Union Company Ltd. Lequime and Lloyd Jones -sawing and planing mills Mr McDonald - Lakeview Hotel Church of England Church [Episcopal] Mr Bailey, Postmaster and librarian - Kelowna Lending Library Lequime and Waddell's General Store - Superintendent Mr Weddell Mr C S Smith - Managing Director of the Kelowna Shippers' Union Mr C A S Atwood - Secretary of the Kelowna Shippers' Union The Agricultural and Trades Association of Okanagan Mission - founders: Mr Bailey, George Rose [tobacco farmer], Mr Atwood, Mr Raymur, Mr Crozier. In 1898 - President, Mr Raymur; Vice-President, Mr Stirling; Secretary, Mr Watson. DOWNLOAD a .pdf copy of Kelowna and Its Surroundings...1898 here for historical or genealogical non-commercial purposes (OneDrive link; 8.84 MB). Include the credit line and link: Courtesy of M. Diane Rogers, CanadaGenealogy, or Jane's Your Aunt: https://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com Contact me for any other use or if in doubt: [email protected]