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Thank You for Helping Us Build a Stronger OGS on
#GivingTuesday – November 28th
The Ontario Genealogical Society
 The Ontario Genealogical Society participated in our first Giving Tuesday campaign this week, and we are thrilled to report that our donations in conjunction with the campaign totalled over $2,100.00. We want to sincerely thank all of those who made a contribution to the campaign, including Society members and friends, Board members, and staff of The Society. These donations will help us continue to grow and serve the needs of the family history community in Ontario and far beyond.
For the past 56 years the growth and expansion of the Ontario Genealogical Society, which includes its 34 Branches/SIGS, has been the result of the generosity of like-minded people. Without this continuous and overwhelming support, OGS would not be the largest family history organization in Canada, helping thousands of genealogists.
THANK YOU!
 
Giving For The Future, Preserving The Past
#FutureGivingPast
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Got a question for the Librarian and Archivist of Canada?
#AsktheLAC
 Dr. Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, will take to Twitter on Monday, December 4th between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm to answer your questions. Send them to his Twitter account @GuyBerthiaume2 and join in the conversation!
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A Vacancy on the OGS Board of Directors
Patti Mordasewicz, President and Alan Campbell, Past President
It is with regret that we announce the resignation of Ali Thompson from the OGS Board of Directors, for personal reasons, effective November 23rd. We want to sincerely thank Ali for her contributions to the Board during her six months with us. We enjoyed Ali’s involvement and input on matters under discussion by the Board, and her willingness to work with our Branches and SIGs – we will miss her.
Our Bylaws require that the Society’s Board operates with a minimum of four Directors-at-Large, and so we need to fill this vacancy for the remainder of the Board term, which runs until June 2nd, 2018.
Operating as a strategic Board with a need for Directors-at-Large with specific skills does not negate having a place for “…candidates who are willing to learn on-the-job and ascribe to the three ‘C’s of our Board team: commitment, collegiality, and completion.” All of the ‘C’s are the hallmark of effective genealogists, which begs the question posed: Is it time to throw your hat into the ring?
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is considering a position on the Board to step in to fill this void and determine whether this is a good fit for him or her. As a team we provide support and encouragement to each other, and while we focus on the needs of The Society, its members and its Branches and SIGs, we also have fun in carrying out our duties.
For more information on what serving as a Director-at-Large might mean, see pages 28 and 29 of the November 2017 issue of our journal, Families, or contact Alan Campbell at Pastpresident@ogs.on.ca.
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Library and Archives Canada Celebrates the First International Digital Preservation Day
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) was pleased to mark the first International Digital Preservation Day (#IDPD17) on Thursday, November 30th.
The inaugural theme is “Bits decay: Do something today,” to remind everyone that digital materials are inherently vulnerable to degradation. Did you know that media such as diskettes, computers and USB keys decay much faster than paper does, so content saved electronically is at greater risk of being lost?
Consequently, we take great care at LAC to ensure that all of our collections, including digital materials, remain readable, understandable and reusable over time, regardless of the media in which they were created, or to which they were saved.
LAC’s New Strategy for a Digital Preservation Program
What a perfect time for us to launch our Strategy for a Digital Preservation Program!
This strategy shows LAC’s commitment to securing Canada’s documentary heritage. It details further steps we need to take to preserve our country’s digital treasures for the future.
Read the Strategy for a Digital Preservation Program.
What else is going on?
See our new blog post on Digital Preservation at the Crossroads to learn more about what we do to ensure that digital items remain safe.
View Thursday’s announcement of the “Bit List” of Digitally Endangered Species to discover which digital materials are most at risk, according to the international digital preservation community. LAC’s Faye Lemay was on the Bit List Jury.
Visit the international Digital Preservation Coalition website, and follow #IDPD17 on Twitter to see what is being done elsewhere around the world to preserve digital materials.
See you again next year! From now on, International Digital Preservation Day will be held on the last Thursday in November.
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Durham Region Branch Christmas Social - NEW Location!
Nancy Trimble, Chair, Durham Region Branch, OGS
Our December 5th meeting will feature "Bring and Brag" / "Show and Tell" by our members, and also our Potluck Christmas Treats.
 Here is your chance to show that priceless heirloom you inherited from your great-grandfather and tell its story. Or maybe you can present how you solved a brick wall, found a wonderful website or discovered a new cousin through DNA!
Bring a small plate of Christmas goodies to share with others at the meeting. Drinks will be supplied.
The Durham Region Branch presentation begins at 7:30 pm in the Bobby Orr Room at the Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex, 199 Thornton Road South in Oshawa. Parking is on the east side of the building and is free.
Visitors always welcome! Further details at https://durham.ogs.on.ca/.
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How to Get Your Ancestry Match to Respond
Kitty Cooper’s Blog
Most of the time when you send a message to a DNA match at Ancestry you get no response. I used to assume that their membership had lapsed or that they had not logged in and seen their messages but, it turns out, that may not be the reason at all.
The real reason is that many people are using the Ancestry App on iPads, Tablets, or Smartphones and the Ancestry App does not show your messages. I was shocked when I finally got this response today from a match: “Sorry, I use the app most of the time and it doesn’t show when someone sends a message. I have requested that they fix that”.
The last date that someone has logged in shows on the match page and I had seen that this person was logging in regularly, but it was from their tablet! So everyone who uses the app please complain to customer service at Ancestry!
So how did I get his attention? I left a comment on an ancestor on his tree with a link to the find-a-grave entry! The next day I got the message above. Leaving a comment always generates an email which finally gets their attention.
Editor’s Note: To read the rest of Kitty’s posting about this topic, including screen shots, visit her blog here!
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Join the OGS Family!
The Ontario Genealogical Society
Have you found a Grow Our Family partner yet? If you do, you can save $31.50 on your membership renewal for 2018. Not yet a member? Reach out to an OGS member to partner with you and get on board for $31.50! The best member benefit of all is the sense of community that comes from meeting and getting to know people who share your passion for family history. Our other Member Advantages continue to grow – check out the latest list on our OGS website here!
 Our membership season has opened, and our Grow Our Family offer is back for 2018. Pair up – an existing OGS member and a new-to-OGS member – and you will each save 50% of our membership fee for 2018. That’s two for the price of one! Got a friend or cousin who is just starting out in genealogy? Make them an offer! When you both join OGS, you both benefit from everything OGS offers its members, and you do it while saving money!
The deal expires with 2017 (December 31st) so take action now!
Find all of the details on our website at https://ogs.on.ca/grow-family-campaign/
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Progress on Digitizing Tweedsmuir Community Histories
John D. Reid, Canada’s Anglo-Celtic Connections
In January, I reported that "135 GB of digitized material, including Home and County newsletters, original constitution, 3 published history books, 11 Tweedsmuir histories and more" had been digitized in a Women's Institute project funded by the Documentary Heritage Communities Program.
With continued funding there are now 72 Tweedsmuir histories online for locations on the map. The majority are in Eastern Ontario where the project is based, and include Amherst Island, Appleton, Apsley, Arnprior, Balsam Hill, Braeside, Burnstown, Clay Bank, Delaware, Galetta, Glasgow, McGregor, North Tarentorus, Pine Grove, Ramsay, Renfrew South District, Stewartville, Teeswater, West Lorne, White Lake and Willow Run.
All these digitized copies can be browsed and searched, including for names in the full text, from here.
A few additional volumes under What's New are for Sidney South, Demorestville, Bloomfield, Solway and Quinte.
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Free Webinar at American Ancestors
American Ancestors.org
Ever wondered how to get the most from databases on American Ancestors, the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society? The Society is offering a free webinar on using its resources.
AmericanAncestors.org holds more than 1.4 billion searchable records with new databases and names being added each week. On Thursday, December 14th from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, join Associate Director of Database Search and Systems Don LeClair to learn more about the scope of these databases, how to leverage search terms to find your ancestors, and what improvements are being made to the website in a webinar entitled “Searching Databases on AmericanAncestors.org. You can register for FREE here.
Can't attend the live broadcast? Not a problem! You will be able to watch a recording of the presentation on our website following the broadcast. Free and open to the public.
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Our Latest eStore Offering
Ontario Genealogical Society eStore
Check it out on our OGS Store website.
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Looking for a photo of Private James Ross MacPherson of Nova Scotia and British Columbia
Gail Dever, Genealogy à la carte
Do you own a photo of Private James Ross MacPherson from Corne Mills, Nova Scotia, who served with the 193rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), Canadian Expeditionary Force?
John Hurst in London, England is looking for a photo of this Canadian serviceman who lost his sight in the Halifax Explosion on December 6, 1917. Mr. Hurst is a volunteer at the charity, Blind Veterans UK.
Since 1915, Blind Veterans UK has been caring for servicemen and women blinded in conflict.
Mr. Hurst is working on a long-term project — The Historical Photography Project. The Blind Veterans UK archives have thousands of photographs and records of the men and women whom they have looked after, from the original St. Dunstan’s Hostel until now. (If these photos are on the website, they are difficult to find.)
The task is to help identify these people, essentially putting names to the faces of those who served in the First World War.
Mr. Hurst needs the public’s help in the case of Private MacPherson, who was born on November 29, 1895, served in the 193rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (service number 902152), and enlisted on March 11, 1916.
In a letter to the editor of the Halifax Chronicle Herald, Mr. Hurst writes about Private MacPherson:
“On the day of the Explosion, he was working in a building about half a mile away. The force of the blast destroyed the building and he was blinded. He arrived at St. Dunstan’s in London on Sept. 25, 1918, where he joined many other Canadian servicemen who’d been blinded fighting in Europe, e.g., at The Somme and Passchendaele. He was rehabilitated and retrained and he left us on July 8, 1920, to return to Canada with his wife (a Miss Carman, whom he married on 10 April, 1920). We do not know much more about Pte. MacPherson other than he moved to B.C. in mid-1921 and died on Feb. 9, 1966.”
Editor’s Note: Thanks, Gail, for spreading the word. Gail’s blog contains another article about the Halifax explosion, as well as postings about Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal and an online exhibit concerning Peterborough during World War 1. Click on the link here to read these and other stories.
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Leeds & Grenville Branch Presentation on December 11th
David Mackenzie, Publicity, Leeds & Grenville Branch, OGS
Peggy Stewart will speak about Daniel McKenzie, an ancestor who was a partner in the Northwest Company and who is buried in the Blue Church Cemetery. He was imprisoned in 1816 at Ft. William by Lord Selkirk, whom he successfully sued. He was also connected with fur trader Sir Alexander MacKenzie, after whom the river is named. The event takes place at the Brockville Museum, 5 Henry Street in Brockville, starting at 7:30 pm. The public is invited to attend.
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Trace Ancestors on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Findmypast.com
Additions this week to Findmypast number nearly 8.5 million! Over six million of those are US records, including Boston (Ship) Crew Lists, 1917-1943, Massachusetts Deaths from 1969-2010 and United States Obituary Notices transcribed from the tributes.com website, and United States Marriages from Kentucky, Maryland and South Carolina.
In addition, there are new records from Yorkshire – Rotherham Memorial Inscriptions and Burials in Brunswick Chapel, South Street and Carver Street in Sheffield.
When complete, Findmypast’s premium collection of United States Marriages will be the largest record set of its kind available online, and one of the most essential resources for tracing ancestors in America. Just like this week, we regularly add new additions to this mammoth record set, so it’s always worth checking it from time to time to see if there’s anything new you can discover.
And don’t forget that OGS members can take advantage of a 50% discount on a premium subscription! If you want to try out their Starter Package, we still have some available to OGS members.
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Toronto Branch Winter 2018 Courses
Publicity, Toronto Branch, OGS
The winter semester of Toronto Branch’s educational activities begins in January 2018 and we have four courses for you to choose from in the New Year.
 On Wednesday mornings in January, join Linda Reid for Introduction to Genetic Genealogy, a three-week course for genealogists who wish to confirm and expand their family trees with genetic evidence, particularly through Family Tree DNA tests.
Marian Press will survey and explain the many options for Putting Your Family Tree Online in a three-week course on Wednesday evenings in January and February.
Learn to navigate the land record collections at the Archives of Ontario and put your skills into practice under the guidance of Jane MacNamara in Hands-on Early Ontario Land Records, a three-week course on Thursday afternoons in February.
And, if you are just starting out on your genealogical journey, don’t miss our fast-paced one-day course on Saturday February 10, Introduction to Genealogy and Family History — Linda Reid will review the essential records and techniques you’ll need to research your ancestry.
Registration is now open for all of the above courses. Visit our Learn with Toronto Branch pages for full details and to sign up online. We encourage you to register before the end-of-year rush to avoid disappointment. Space is limited in all of our educational events and they can fill up quickly.
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FamilySearch Update for November 2017
FamilySearch.org
Millions of records from around the world have been added to FamilySearch this month. For the period of November 1- 30, 2017, the following collections have been added or updated:
- Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950
- BillionGraves Index
- Brazil, Paraíba, Civil Registration, 1879-2007
- Brazil, Piauí, Civil Registration, 1875-2014
- British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices
- Czech Republic Church Books, 1552-1963
- Delaware Marriages and Marriage Licenses, 1683-1894
- Denmark Census, 1834
- Denmark Census, 1835
- Denmark Census, 1840
- Denmark Census, 1845
- Denmark Census, 1850
- Denmark Census, 1855
- Denmark Census, 1921
- Denmark Census, 1925
- Denmark Church Records, 1484-1941
- England, Cambridgeshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1599-1860
- England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1537-1918
- England, Hampshire Bishop's Transcripts 1680-1892
- France, Saône-et-Loire, Census, 1856
- France, Saône-et-Loire, Census, 1876
- Germany, Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1800-1870
- Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census, 1900
- Great Britain, War Office Registers, 1772-1935
- Honduras, Civil Registration, 1841-1968
- Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
- Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994
- Italy, Padova, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1621-1936
- Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921
- Netherlands, Archival Indexes, Public Records
- Netherlands, Archival Indexes, Vital Records
- New Jersey State Census, 1895
- Peru, Cusco, Civil Registration, 1889-1997
- Portugal, Coimbra, Civil Registration, 1893-1980
- Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1910
- Sweden, Kronoberg Church Records, 1589-1921; index 1612-1860
- Sweden, Stockholm City Archives, Index to Church Records, 1546-1927
- United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
- Uruguay, Civil Registration Index Card, 1900-1937
For a complete list of all added/updated collections, go to https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list.
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TONI Hits Five Million Records with a Boost from CanadianHeadstones.com
Mike More, TONI Coordinator
The Ontario Name Index (TONI) has added all of the CanadianHeadstones.com Ontario Records to its index, swelling the number to over 5 million records. There are currently 5,005,815 records available in TONI.
TONI (The Ontario Name Index) is the OGS project to index personal names from Ontario's genealogical and historical records.
TONI is an INDEX, not a source. An index is defined as "a descriptive list, as of items in a collection."
TONI is a list of everyone mentioned in a document pertaining to Ontario's heritage, along with a description of the record type where the name was found and, when known, the place and timeframe. Indexes, particularly name indexes, are the most valuable thing a genealogical society can produce. TONI aims people in the right direction to locate information about a person of interest in Ontario. This may be in a Branch document, a website, a microfilm, a family history, an archive, etc. Some of these sources will require payment, such as the publications on the OGS e-Store; some may require you to travel to the repository where they are located or find somebody to research for you there. Others are on free websites.
TONI is an INDEX and NOT a digitization program. TONI is not limited to on-line sources but it may point to some of them. TONI is on the public part of the OGS website so that anyone can access the index but it may point to sources in the OGS or Branch/SIG Members Only websites.
TONI includes over 5 million names. These names were found in:
- over 2400 Ontario cemeteries or about 38% of the known cemeteries in the province (a large portion was transferred from the Ontario Cemetery Ancestor Index but almost 700,000 names are new entries)
- over 500 of the 3500 family histories in the OGS Library
- almost 300 family and local histories from Branch/SIG libraries and in other libraries
- Branch/SIG newsletters
- scrapbooks held in Branch/SIG libraries
- newspapers held in other archives or museums
- microfilm from the Archives of Ontario
- obituaries
- non-cemetery Branch publications for sale
- Canadian Headstones Ontario website
- other resources.
You can search TONI by name and location at https://ogs.on.ca/databases/toni/. Read the TONI Search Advice immediately beneath the search fields for useful suggestions to help you find the ancestors that you are looking for. Just think of how many resources you can check from the comfort of your own home.
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With increased digitization of genealogical records in England and Wales, documents relating to your ancestors are far more readily available but how are the records structured? Where are they located? And what information can be gleaned from these primary sources? Taking you through the basics by examining various record sets in the parish chest, Kirsty Gray highlights the online and offline resources available to today's genealogist when researching before 1837 in England and Wales.
Register Here |
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Check out our Global Events Calendar above to see the meetings and events coming up soon. If your Branch or SIG has an event that you wish to advertise, please include it in the calendar. Many of our events are webcast so you do not have to live nearby in order to attend.
Many Branches (including Durham, Essex, Hamilton, Kent, Lambton, Niagara, Toronto, and the British Home Children Special Interest Group) also stream their monthly meetings and speakers’ presentations. Be sure to watch them from the comfort of your own computer!
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Don't be left behind. Click here to see what you missed in the last eWeekly.
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Community Calendar
