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2012-2013 Branch
News
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
from the Quinte Branch
Executive (Photograph by Georgette Green)
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Standing L-R: Bob Dawes, John
Carew, Sue Carew, Mary Culloden, Peter Johnson, Sharron Buttler,
Carole Foshay, Larry McQuoid, Rodney Green, Terry Buttler
Seated L-R: Georgette Green, Barbara Dawes, Lois Duggan, Angela
Johnson, Clare Westheuser, Duane Foshay
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Silent No More:
Researching Canada's War Dead 1885-1945
by John Carew photograph by
Georgette Green
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It was our final presentation, held on
November 16th, to cap off the 2013 series of genealogical lectures
for Quinte Branch OGS members and guests. Glenn Wright,
currently from Ottawa, has ties to Ancestry.ca and is the current
President of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater
Ottawa. Glenn is an experienced lecturer and several times published
author on this subject and others.
The attentive audience was looking for tips and insight to the
sometimes difficult tasks of researching family military history,
and they were not disappointed. Approximately 45 attendees were
treated to a thorough rendition of Canada’s War Dead research
opportunities covering the period 1885 to 1945. The talk highlighted
some of the key features of researching since Confederation with
attention to the Northwest Rebellion circa 1885, the South African
War of 1899-1902, and World Wars 1 and 2.
The South African War was the first time that Canada sent large
numbers of troops abroad, about 7000 including nurses. The Canadian
Contingent war dead are recorded in the South African War/Nile
Expedition Book of Remembrance. Additional records can be found in
the South African Constabulary (SAC) records for several hundred
Canadians who volunteered to help keep the peace in South Africa
after the conflict through the period 1900-1908.
The two World Wars garnered the most attention by the presenter and
the audience, owing to the size of the conflicts, the number of
deaths, the complexity of burials and commemorations in cemeteries
and memorials. Today there are several well known memorials such as
Vimy Ridge and Beaumont Hamel in addition to the Menin Gate
Memorial, and many others, which are dedicated to the missing with
no known graves from WW1. Add to that hundreds of Cemeteries
throughout Europe where thousands upon thousands of war dead from
both sides of the two conflicts are interred and documented for
posterity.
The variety of information available includes service records, War
diaries, circumstances of death registers, and war graves registers.
In addition, Books of Remembrance are also available online, as well
as regimental histories, honour rolls and there are numerous war
memorials in almost every community here in Canada. The internet has
made provision of and searching for information about our fallen
heroes and family members all the more easy to present and collate.
It was not an accident to have Glenn Wright speak to us this fall on
this subject. As we approach the 100th Anniversary of the beginning
of WW1 and the 75th Anniversary of the beginning of WW2, our minds
and sentiments will surely be aimed in that direction and at the
lives of our family members who gave everything. To prove the point,
I spent a few minutes following up on my Grand Uncle, Robert Carew,
who was killed at Passchendaele in 1917. I was able to add three
times the amount of information I had already recorded about him and
his part in the war, using mainly the Library and Archives Canada
and Veterans’ Affairs websites. Good luck with your own research!
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Glenn Wright is thanked by Chair John Carew and Vice-Chair Terry
Buttler
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Solving Cemetery Problems: Vandalism, Abandoned Cemeteries,
Registration and Heritage Designation
by John Carew, Photographs by
John Carew and Georgette Green
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On Saturday, October 19, 2013, the
Quinte West Council Chambers were filled to capacity to hear
Diane Clendenan and Marjorie Stuart from Toronto speak to us on
the Ontario Genealogical Society perspective on the status of
Ontario cemeteries, the dilemma of having lost track of and fallen
behind in the preservation of some of our ancestral history, and the
processes and efforts in motion to rectify the situation and reclaim
our heritage. Prior to their presentation, Quinte Branch OGS took
the opportunity to update the audience on our membership situation
of 308 individual members for 2013 and to officially and publicly
transfer ownership of some important historical documents to two of
our sister organizations in the community.
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At the September Quinte Branch OGS Executive Committee meeting, a
number of documents were approved for donation, respectively to the
Campbellford-Seymour Heritage Society and to the United Empire
Loyalists’ Association of Canada, Bay of Quinte Branch. In the first
instance, the documents consisted of 8 historical Deeds and
Mortgages for a property situated in the Village of Campbellford,
Northumberland County, covering the period 1885 to 1929. The package
of old property records was surely saved from oblivion this summer
by Quinte Branch Executive Committee members, Debbie McDonald and
Debb Walker, when purchased by them at a local auction. The first
Deed in the set dated 1885 transferred title from Milo Adin Hawley
to Mrs Catherine Lane. On hand to take possession of the documents
was Ann Rowe, a former chair of Quinte Branch OGS and the current
Past President of the Campbellford Seymour Historical Society.
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Following, a Land Patent document for
the East Half of Lot 17, Concession 5, Township of Murray, granting
title to Isaac DeMille, a United Empire Loyalist of the Township of
Sophiasburg, Prince Edward County, Midland District, dated 17 May
1802, and signed into effect by Peter Hunter Esquire, Lieutenant
Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, was presented to the
United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, Bay of Quinte
Branch. The Land Patent was entrusted to Quinte Branch earlier this
year by Tina Sanders of Toronto on behalf of her mother who had been
in possession of the Land Patent for a number of years. Tina and her
family were originally from Prince Edward County, and she has UEL
family history flowing from the Cronk and Sanders families. On hand
to receive the Land Patent was Peter W Johnson UE, Past Chair of
Quinte Branch OGS and the current President of the UEL Association
Bay of Quinte Branch.
In their acceptance remarks, both Ann and Peter acknowledged their
appreciation for the donations to their respective groups, and
applauded the ongoing level of cooperation and mutual support
amongst the various member organizations of our local genealogical
and historical community.
During the introduction of our guest speakers, Diane Clendenan and
Marjorie Stuart, Co-Chairs of the Joint Ontario Genealogical Society
and Ontario Historical Society Cemetery Preservation Committee, and
of specific interest, the Cemetery Registration Project, the Chair
of Quinte Branch OGS took the opportunity to highlight and
acknowledge a number of recent local initiatives in the restoration
of cemeteries and burial monuments. These included, inter alia, City
of Belleville restoration work at the Jones Cemetery and others in
Thurlow Township in the interest of public safety and heritage
preservation carried out by Campbell Monument Company of Belleville,
an award from the City of Prince Edward County earlier this year to
Hugh Heal of MAGRC/7th Town Historical Society for his individual
efforts to repair, restore and upright over 500 monuments in the
County, the personal efforts of Betty La Rue and Marg Asselstine to
make improvements to the Plainfield Cemetery in Thurlow Township as
reported in the Belleville Intelligencer earlier this month, and
many individual achievements such as the repair, restoration and
uprighting of the Reuben White/Esther Marsh monument in White’s
Cemetery.
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Speaking in tandem, Diane and Marjorie gave a spirited and detailed
account of the status of the extensive cemetery inventory throughout
the Province of Ontario, estimated at close to 10,000 individual
sites, of which approximately only 6,000 are registered with the
Government of Ontario. Registration as pointed out is a critical
first step towards ensuring that a cemetery has official standing
with government and is protected from development initiatives which
otherwise might mean the end to part or all of a cemetery.
Registration is an ongoing project of OGS/OHS and deserves our full
understanding and support of its importance. Their talk also covered
the not so pleasant reality that by means of vandalism, discontinued
management of old cemeteries, neglect of various kinds and the high
cost of professional assistance to restore burial monuments to their
former glory, many cemeteries around the province are regrettably
showing more than their fair share of damage, dysfunction and
disarray. Individual efforts to rectify specific situations, while
laudable, are not nearly enough to put everything right, and the
shortfall, which is considerable, does not always have an advocacy
support group or individual with either private or public funding to
bridge the gap. Many examples of horror stories and successes were
highlighted, and the Q&A which followed explored even more, and
clearly showed the interest and concern of the audience.
Following the meeting, refreshments were enjoyed while those in
attendance visited and were able to peruse the Quinte Branch and
Clendenan and Stuart sales tables. On hand for the afternoon was
Steve Clendenan, VP Finance OGS. On this occasion, Steve was riding
shotgun on the trip from Toronto, and helping out with book sales.
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British Home Children
by John Carew, Photographs by
Cheryl Levy
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On Saturday, September 21, the fall
session of family research lectures sponsored by Quinte Branch OGS
was kicked off at the Quinte West Council Chambers. Our guest
speaker was Sandra Joyce from Toronto, author of the book Street
Arab in its third printing, who spoke to an attentive audience on
the Home Children saga, blending some of the historical realities of
this period with this particular event of social engineering in
Canada and a not so sweet rendition of the darker side of the Home
Children experiences. The approximate 120,000 Home Children, orphans
and destitute children from the British Isles, were mainly
indentured to farm and domestic service in Canada until their
eighteenth birthdays and then released into society to fend for
themselves. On balance, while there were good, bad and neutral
outcomes of just how correctly or incorrectly these children were
treated during the period of 1869-1939, many of the stories were
about treatment that most of us today would consider without
hesitation, less than ideal.
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The question period following Sandra’s evocative, personal and
effective presentation was equally enjoyable and equally personal.
After the presentation, sales of her autographed book Street Arab
were brisk and plentiful.
You can keep track of Sandra’s activities and the British Home
Children on her website,
http://www.sandrajoyce.com/
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Sandra is the Director of
the British Home Child Advocacy and Research Group.
She is also the daughter
of a Home Child.
If you are interested
in information about
the OGS British Home Child -
Special Interest Group,
please visit their
website. |
Doors Open 2013 at the Quinte Genealogical Centre
by John Carew, Photographs by
John Carew
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On Saturday, September 14, Quinte
Branch played host to Doors Open in the Quinte Genealogical Centre,
as part of the Quinte West “Doors” initiative. From 10 am to 4 pm,
there was a steady stream of the curious, friends of OGS members,
current members, and some potential new members who were thinking of
starting a family history projec, or were in the early stages of
discovering their past. A number of Quinte Branch volunteers were on
hand to answer questions, explain the roles and function of Quinte
Branch and OGS, and show how to use our library research resources.
Of particular note, one couple with a family tree in progress,
discovered Quinte Branch for the first time and spent a good part of
the day working on the computer databases to find numerous relatives
connected to the De Mille family. Perhaps membership in OGS and
Quinte Branch will be the logical outcome for them.
Everyone who attended went away with our goody bag of pamphlets and
tools to encourage and interest them in genealogy and family
research. I trust our guests found the day as informative and
worthwhile as much as our volunteers found the time enjoyable and
rewarding.
Thank you to volunteers Debb Walker, John Carew, Terry and Sharron
Buttler, Carole Foshay, Clare Westheuser and Lois Duggan, who made
the day a success.
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Welcome to Doors Open 2013 at Quinte West Public Library and Quinte
Genealogy Centre
Carole, Lois and Claire with DeMille descendants...Carole Foshay
with Bernie and Gayle Desjardins
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Why
Can't I Find It Online?
by Bob Dawes, Photographs by
Georgette Green
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The Quinte West council chamber was
filled on Saturday, June 15th to celebrate Quinte Branch's 33rd
birthday, and listen to Ruth Blair's presentation: "Why
Can't I Find It Online."
Ruth started her presentation with a review of the easy items that
can be found on the most popular websites, and then delved into some
of the more mundane ways to find your missing pieces. She explained
that not everything is online and some research requires a visit to
the archives or library, but that you can get leads online as to
where it is located. An example would be the English and Welsh vital
statistics certificates, which can easily be found indexed on
FreeBMD, but
require an order from the General Registry Office to obtain
the certificate by mail. The same goes for country and local
archives where you can search their catalogs online, but must order
the documents for delivery by mail.
Ruth then explained how to use less popular online resources, such
as newspapers and probate records, to search for family events. Some
newspapers may be available to you at home through your local
library by using your library card, so it is important to check just
what your library offers as many carry the major newspapers. Other
useful websites are listed at the end of this article.
Ruth reminded us how important it is to join the genealogy societies
from where your ancestors originated. They can provide a wealth of
information on how to do local research, including obscure websites
that might have what you're looking for freely available. I know
that I have discovered this in Cambridgeshire, where their burials
are all listed on their website for free. Also, the Manchester
FHS has a Scottish Marriage Index that covers Scottish
marriages worldwide.
Finally, if you want more information, you can follow Ruth on
Facebook by looking for Blair Archival Research or on her
blog The Passionate Genealogist.
The meeting closed with refreshments and a birthday cake.
Important websites:
Second Heir and Devisee Commissions Case Files
Canadian War Museum
Campbell Divorce blog
National Archives
of Scotland
Archives and Local History Manchester Central Library
FreeBMD
General
Register Office England & Wales
Contact Ruth Blair, PLCGS:
The Passionate
Genealogist
Blair Archival
Research
Blair Archival Research on Facebook
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Quinte Branch Publications Booktable | Ruth Blair is
thanked by Chair John Carew | QB 33rd Birthday |
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What's New in Genetic Genealogy?
by Bob Dawes, Photographs by
Georgette Green
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Quinte Branch celebrated the Victoria
Day week-end by inviting Dr. John D. Reid to update local
genealogists on what's new with DNA research. He provided the
audience with an review of the differences between Y, mitochondrial
and autosomnal DNA and how they're used to determine genealogical
ancestry. John reviewed the various providers along with their
respective costs and benefits. The companies reviewed were Family
Tree DNA, 23andMe, Ancestry DNA and National Geographics. Ancestry
is not available in Canada yet, although he indicated that he has
been promised by Ancestry.ca that it is coming later this year. The
National Geographic's Genographic Project only provides deep
ancestry and not connections between relations. Family Tree DNA and
23andMe were the only options for personal tests that provide
information about possible relatives, plus your deep ancestry
locations. Family Tree DNA's Family Finder kit is $199 plus $20
shipping, although they do have frequent sales, while 23andMe's
equivalent kit is $99 with shipping at $60, although they do offer a
20% discount on multiple kits, and a further discount on multiple
shipping. 23andMe offers the added benefit of providing your
susceptibility to a variety of health issues. The presentation was
followed by a lively discussion. |
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Websites for further research:
www.familytreedna.com
www.23andme.com
www.dna.ancestry.com
genographic.nationalgeographic.com
www.isogg.org
www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com
Check out Dr John D Reid's blog:
Anglo Celtic
Connections |
Autosomal DNA Analysis
by 23 and Me |
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Clare Westheuser thanks
Dr. John D Reid for his informative presentation |
Volunteer Service Awards:
Lynne Heale (10 yr) and Carol Foshay (10 yr);
Missing:Tina Gemmel (10 yr), Robin Edison (5 yr) |
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April
Meetings
by Bob Dawes, Photographs by
Georgette Green
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On Saturday, April 20th, Quinte Branch hosted the annual OGS
Region 7 Meeting at Christ Church in Glen Miller.
Although the weather refused to
cooperate, there were 31 members in attendance from Quinte,
Kawartha and Durham branches. |
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Quinte Branch Report given by
Peter Johnson UE, Past Chair
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The morning program included welcoming remarks from Region 7
Director, Carole Foshay and annual reports were given from the three
branches.
Nomination and appointment of a new Region 7 secretary
went to Janice Carter.
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Next was a presentation from OGS
Vice-President, Mike More, on the results of the Governance
Committee Report. This is accessible from the members only section
of the OGS website. Comments on its recommendations are welcomed.
Mike reported that it is too late for the recommendations to be
implemented by this year's Conference, so they are being planned for
the 2014 AGM.
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Mike More, OGS Vice-President |
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Lunch was provided by members of the church, following which several
additional people joined the group for the afternoon.
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Researching in Scotland: The Lowlands & the Borders
was presented by Sher Leetooze on her researching experience
in Scotland. Sher reviewed the lowland and border counties of
Scotland, including their parish structure, geography and local
points of interest. She shared highlights about various record
repositories available, as well as occupations one would expect to
find in that region based on the local industries and landscapes.
More detailed information is available in Sher's book by the same
name.
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Separation of Highlands & Lowlands
Sher Leetooze & John Carew, Chair
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Following Sher's presentation there was a final coffee break with a
last chance to browse the sales tables and question the presenters.
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Clare Westheuser at Quinte Branch
table
Branch publications and other resources |
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Tracking the Loyalists
by Bob Dawes,
Photographs by Deb Walker and Lynn Heale
The Quinte West Council Chamber was filled to capacity to hear
acclaimed Canadian editor, author and journalist, Peter C. Newman,
speak about his new work in progress called Hostages to
Fortune, which is about the United Empire Loyalists.
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Peter C. Newman was welcomed by
Programme Coordinator, Clare Westheuser
and greeted by Past Branch Chair and Loyalist re-enactor, Peter Johnson UE.
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Mr. Newman read excerpts from his book and then filled in the
details regarding this time period. He was able to weave the big
picture of world politics and current wars into the world of daily
life for the transplanted Loyalists. He explained that the
Revolutionary War was really the first American Civil War and that
the fighting was ferocious and dirty, with people regularly changing
sides depending on who was winning. When it was all over, somewhere
between 50,000 and 100,000 people left their homes and businesses in
the American Colonies to begin a new life in the wilderness of
Canada. One flotilla of emigrant refugees from New York had
over 140 ships, which in comparison, is bigger than the Spanish
Armada.
These newcomers completely overwhelmed the inhabitants and
scattered throughout their adopted country, and completely changed
it. They and their descendants rightly deserve their UE heritage
designation for giving us the Canada we know today, and for saving
it from domination by the new nation of the United States. |
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After his presentation,
Peter C. Newman was presented with an honorary membership
by Quinte Branch Chair, John Carew. |
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Hints & Tips for
Users of Family Tree Maker
by Bob Dawes,
Photographs by Georgette Green
The Quinte West Council Chamber had a full house to hear Rick
Roberts presentation on Family Tree Maker 2012 software. Both
Rick and his wife, Sandra, had brought a little of their Global
Genealogy store with them and their sales tables were busy with
eager customers both before and after the presentation.
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Rick's presentation concentrated on the latest offering from
Ancestry: Family Tree Maker 2012. You can upgrade to this product
directly from older versions of Family Tree Maker, Legacy, PAF and
The Master Genealogist. All others require a GEDCOM file import.
Unlike previous versions, this product does not change your original
file so you can easily go back and forth between versions, although
any changes in FTM2012 won't be reflected in any earlier version or
other program.
On the synchronization issue, FTM2012 allows you to work seamlessly
between computers, tablets and smartphones. Rick used the example of
snapping a photo of a tombstone while on business in downtown
Toronto and having the update on his desktop when he got home. To
make this work properly, you must have the free
Ancestry app installed on your smartphone or tablet. The web
syncing feature allows a selection of privacy choices so you can go
from complete sharing of your data with the world, to just using the
feature for personal backup security.
The main menu bar looks significantly different from previous
versions and other genealogy products with tabbed choices for PLAN,
PEOPLE, PLACES, MEDIA, SOURCES, PUBLISH and WEB SEARCH. For a
complete review of all its features and a comparison to other
popular products,
click here.
Some of the features that impressed me were the linking of images
from their source location, so your pictures are not stored in the
program file, and the ability to globally edit sources, places and
media without needing to access the individuals they are associated
with. This product is definitely worth a look and can be obtained
from Global Genealogy.com
under the software tab. FTM for Mac 2 (v. 2012) is also available.
Both can be downloaded directly from the Global site for those who
are impatient to try it.
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Branch Programme
Coordinator,
Clare Westheuser
thanked
presenter
Rick Roberts,
of Global Genealogy
for his very detailed
and informative presentation. |
Global Genealogy book table |
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The Crouse-Wanamaker Lecture
(Historic Hastings)
by Bob Dawes,
Photographs by Georgette Green
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The Quinte West Council Chamber was filled with a lot of new faces
as the branch kicked off its 2013 season with the annual
Crouse-Wanamaker lecture.
The new executive committee was introduced and ratified by the
members in attendance and these are: |
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John Carew - Chair
Vacant - Vice Chair (however, we are hopeful that this will be
filled soon)
Debbie McDonald - Secretary
Larry McQuoid - Treasurer
Other new volunteers noted at the meeting were Cheryl Levy
(Webmaster), Debb Walker (Publicity) and Lillian Wannamaker
(Newsletters Archive).
There are still positions open for various branch projects, so if
you are interested, don't hesitate to contact any member of the
executive committee to find out more. One of these is the position
of branch librarian, so if you have any skills in this regard, or
would like to learn them, please volunteer.
Marilyn Harry introduced the Crouse-Wanamaker Lecture by explaining
the history of the branch and its founding members Gordon Crouse,
Loral Wanamaker and Mildred Wanamaker. Bob Dawes then introduced the
speaker, Hastings County Historian Emeritus, Gerry Boyce. |
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Gerry regaled the audience with stories taken from his new book,
Historic Hastings - Volume Two. The original was prepared for
the Canadian Centennial in 1967 and is almost 50 years out of date
and a lot has changed in Hastings County since then. In addition to
the new volume, the original is also being reprinted with an
enlarged introduction and a new index, which includes all names
found in the book. A boon for genealogists.
Since the new book will be almost 300 pages, Gerry gave the audience
a chance to ask questions on their areas of interest, which he
answered from his draft copy. These included subjects like area
sports other than hockey, the Tibetan enclave, boundary changes,
First Nations and more. |
Larry McQuoid, Treasurer,
with Historian and Author, Gerry Boyce. |
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Incoming Chair, John Carew, wrapped up the meeting by presenting
Peter Johnson UE with a certificate honouring his three years as
Quinte Branch Chair. |
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Writing Your Family History
by Bob Dawes,
Photographs by Georgette GreenQuinte
Area genealogists gathered in the Quinte West Council Chambers to
hear speaker, Harry van Bommel, talk about the Canada 150 Project.
This aims to record as many personal stories as possible for
Canada's 150th birthday in 2017 and it isn't too early to start. In
fact, Harry challenged everyone in the room to identify forty
stories they would like to pass on to their children and
grandchildren. He suggested that we write ourselves a one-page
letter about each topic and aim to complete them by Christmas 2013.
Those forty pages, along with related photographs and other
clippings, could easily result in a book of 150 to 200 pages.
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Harry explained that the Boomer
generation, and the ones that have followed it, have not recorded
their history in the same way as their ancestors did. We do so much
by email and with digital cameras, which is all saved on our
computers. He also pointed out that our children, who inherit our
memorabilia, are very mobile and will likely have lost it by their
third or fourth house move. Therefore, it is especially important
that we record whatever we want to say to the future generations in
our families. The Canada 150
Project aims to help anyone to do this with printed guides, a
website and a blog. The website is located at
http://www.canada150.com,
where you can download and print the guides or the whole e-book.
Paper copies are also available for sale from the same website.
Ultimately, your family stories recorded on paper will reside in
Library & Archives Canada, or will be preserved digitally through
http://www.canadiana.org, so
that they aren't lost to future generations.
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Lynn Heale, Membership Coordinator,
thanked
Harry van Bommel for sharing his inspiring presentation. |
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Beginning Your Family History
by Bob Dawes, Photographs by Georgette Green
What better way to spend a dismal fall
afternoon than to re-energize yourself to attack your genealogy
brick walls over the coming winter. On Saturday, October 20th,
thirty-six area members and guests gathered in the Quinte West Town
Hall to hear Claire Nabrotzky speak on how to begin your family
history search. As she pointed out repeatedly, we all succumb to the
same poor practices such as, not documenting where we find
information, so it was refreshing to go back over the basics, even
for the experienced genealogists in the room.
Claire's presentation was organized
into three parts:
No. 1 Gather Information:
Search out and accumulate all of the family records you can find,
from the official vital records to the obscure family cookbooks,
which may contain photos and memories.
No. 2 Record Information:
Take advantage of the free software programs and standard genealogy
forms available on-line to log your research, starting with the
basic pedigree chart and family record sheet. Record your
information using more than one method, so that you have a back up
of your information. A new form that I hadn't seen before was the
Family Heirloom Inventory, which records who in your family has
items from your ancestors.
No. 3 Start with One Person:
Set an objective using known facts to make a hypothesis, and then
set about proving it in an organized way, recording everything as
you go.
A spirited question
and answer session followed with many in the audience receiving
directions about what to do next. Some helpful suggestions included:
Top
Software |
Free Software |
Free
Forms |
Self Help
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Branch Secretary, Clare Westheuser thanked
presenter Claire Nabrotzky for her informative presentation. |
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Doors
Open 2012 at the Quinte Genealogy Centre
by Bob Dawes, Photographs and captions by Stacy
Goddard
On Saturday September 15th, Quinte Branch participated in the
Doors Open event in Quinte West. There was a steady stream of visitors throughout the day who were interested in getting started on their family trees or how to overcome roadblocks in their research. Serendipity struck when a couple from Seattle ran into a cousin staying at the same hotel in Napanee. Many branch volunteers were on hand to provide one on one assistance. The most common question was about Home Children with many people trying trace them to their origins in England or track down other siblings in North America. All the computers were constantly busy with many using the CemSearch database, the Names Index Finding Aid and library catalog requests. Most visitors were genuinely surprised that they could use the branch research library any time the Quinte West Public Library is open. Goody bags were handed out containing maps, cemetery locations, branch information and a Quinte West pin. From a personal perspective, I think that the biggest benefit was for many of
the volunteers who learned more about how our library functions and how to use its resources.
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Quinte Branch volunteers Peter
Johnson, Stacy Goddard, Bob Dawes, Barbara Dawes, Mary Culloden,
Marilyn Harry, Clare Westheuser and Lois Duggan greeted
genealogically motivated guests with goody bags and helped them to
better understand and use the library resources.
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Contact
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