For more gems like these throughout the week, join the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group. When you submit your request to join, you will be asked to answer two quick questions about your family history research.
Genealogist and geologist Wayne Shepheard from British Columbia has created a new version of his signature talk about Genealogy and the Little Ice Agethat is available on Legacy Family Tree Webinars. It is free to watch until September 5. Legacy Family Tree Webinars members will continue to have access to it after Thursday.
Mr. Shepheard re-recorded the presentation that he originally delivered in 2018 and added information on some topics. One part of the presentation is about the weather that caused the Great Famine and another is about disease and epidemics, such as the Black Death.
Here’s a snippet from the webinar description:
Because the Little Ice Age is the time frame that most coincides with genealogical research, it is important to understand the physical conditions under which people lived in order to assemble the most complete histories of families.
This presentation will hopefully bring perspective to the study of the generations of families who lived through the time of the Little Ice Age.
The kids are back in school and the summer holiday season is coming to an end. That means there is plenty to learn this week from Ontario Ancestors and its branches. There will be six virtual or hybrid presentations. All are open to the public and all but one are free.
Topics include Loyalists, newspaper research, natural disasters, weavers, an Ontario genealogy research toolbox, and even Walt Disney.
The following times are in Eastern time.
Monday, September 2, 7:00 p.m. — Leeds & Grenville Branch How to Develop Online Newspaper Research Skills by Kenneth R. Marks
This webinar is intended to build newspaper research skills for genealogy and history researchers. Online newspaper research can be a frustrating endeavor for several reasons. The goal is for the audience to understand why it can be difficult, and to learn some skills that will drastically improve search results. The webinar will cover why to search old newspapers and the challenges in searching old newspapers online, provide several skills and techniques to successfully search newspapers online, and include a demonstration of these skills and techniques. Register to watch online.
Tuesday, September 3, 7:30 p.m. — Durham Region Branch All Kinds of Loyalists by Kathryn Lake Hogan, U.E.
During the American Revolutionary War, approximately 35% of the population of the Thirteen Colonies was loyal to King George III of Great Britain. Was your ancestor one of them? How do you know if your ancestor was a Loyalist? In this presentation, learn what to look for in documents and records to determine if your ancestor meets the qualifications of being a Loyalist. Register to watch online.
Wednesday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. – Huron County Branch Huron County Encounters with Natural Disasters by David Yates
Through fire, flood, wind and snow, David Yates examines five disasters that have shaped Huron County in the last 200 years. From the extermination of the passenger pigeon to the F-3 Tornado that swept through Goderich in 2011, he hopes to illuminate some of the more interesting stories from our county’s past. Register to watch online.
Thursday, September 5, 7:00 p.m. — Ontario Ancestors A Genealogy Toolbox for Researching Ancestors in Ontario by Ken McKinlay
We are fortunate that there are many online resources available to those researching their ancestors who settled in Ontario. But for those starting off their Ontario family history research it can sometimes be overwhelming and we might miss some key records by not knowing what is available. In this talk we take a look at some of Ken’s favourite sites and resources that he uses when researching the various branches of his tree that came to Ontario. We will look at some well-known genealogy focused sites and also some lesser known resources that can help you in your research journey. Register to watch online. This webinar is free for society members and $10 for non-members.
Saturday, September 7, 10:00 a.m. — London & Middlesex Branch I went to the weavers after some carpet; Weavers and Customers in Rural Ontario, 1859 to 1922 by Deborah Livingston-Lowe
This presentation will explore the relationship between weavers and customers in rural Ontario. To further expand our general understanding of the approximately 2000 weavers who worked in nineteenth century Ontario, Deborah will use the Ontario censuses and period textiles in museum collections. In particular, she will discuss three weavers from Middlesex County: John Campbell, Thomas and John Alder and their customers by examining their account books and material culture. The presentation will be illustrated with images of textiles, textile equipment and written sources. This study of weavers and their customers provides insight about the local economy, the persistence of preindustrial technology in a period of technological change and the relationship between production and consumption of handwoven cloth. Register to watch online.
Saturday, September 7, 2:00 p.m. — Simcoe County Branch Pioneering Spirit: Walt Disney’s Connection to Four Pioneering Families of the Huron Tract by Mike Miles
Walt Disney became famous with his pioneering efforts in animation and entertainment. His ancestors were likewise possessed of this pioneering spirit revealed through an examination of his genealogy. Walt fondly remembered his grandmother Disney, who is Mike’s connection to the Disney family. She had come as a child with her family to Huron Tract from Ireland. Her Disney family, along with two other families, had originated from a small region of Ireland and from within the community of former plantation colonists. More than coincidence brought them together to settle a particular part of backwoods Ontario. Join us to hear Mike describe how the families came together in the mid 1800s and then went their separate ways.
This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at the Northwest Barrie United Church at 464 Ferndale Drive North or register to watch online.
If you have relatives who lived in New Brunswick between 1884 and 2024, you may want to consider exploring Fredericton’s Daily Gleaner on Newspapers.com. There are almost one million searchable pages for paper alone. A friend told me the publication is a fairly new addition to Ancestry’s newspaper website.
Right now, there are seven other New Brunswick papers on Newspapers.com, but the Daily Gleaner is by far the biggest. The others are:
Bugle Observer, Woodstock — 2010-2024 Evening Times-Globe, Saint John – 1992 L’Acadie nouvelle, Caraquet – 1984-2014 L’Indice économique – 1990 Telegraph Journal, Saint John – 1963 and 1992 Weekly Gleaner, Fredericton – 1896-1900 (only 24 pages) York Gleaner, Fredericton, 1882-1884
The Telegraph Journal in Saint John is the only New Brunswick-based English-language newspaper to be distributed province-wide. It has also had the highest readership. Let’s hope the 151 pages for 1963 and 1992 on Newspapers.com are just the beginning of Ancestry’s plans to add the paper’s entire run.
If you don’t have a subscription to Newspapers.com, you can still visit the site to see which newspapers are available by country, province, state and county. You can also see how many times your keyword appears in a particular newspaper. If searching for a first and last name, put quotation marks around the name, such as “Jane Doe.” Also try a first initial, such as “j doe.”
The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa’s (BIFHSGO) annual conference is always popular, well-organized, and filled with great speakers. Registration opened yesterday.
Entitled “Teaghlach Gaelach: A Celebration of Irish Family History,” the virtual event takes place on the weekend of October 26 and 27.
There will be six speakers and topics, ranging from researching your farming ancestors to understanding Irish Palatines to using surnames to map families.
The two Connect sessions will return. You’ll be able to talk to Irish genealogists specializing in Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster in the Expert Connect session, and also discuss Irish research, DNA or general topics with your fellow registrants in the social session.
If you can’t attend the live presentations, you will have access to the session videos and handouts until November 30.
There will also be a virtual Expo Hall, discounts and door prizes.
On the first day, you can even drop in at an Ottawa Irish pub night to socialize in 3D with other registrants.
The registration fee is $35 for members and $50 (about US$37) for non-members.
Learn more about the conference and how to register on BIFHSGO’s website.
Late last week, the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick added to its website 1,405 digitized photos by photographer Ole Larsen.
The photos in the Ole Larsen fonds cover the years 1889 to 1924 and were taken primarily in Northumberland and Gloucester Counties.
Although Larsen’s work reflects visits to Bathurst, Caraquet, and Tracadie, most of his photographs are of Newcastle and area, notably Chatham, Blackville, Doaktown, Millerton, Whitney, and Quarryville.
Included among the images are photos of square-rigged sailing vessels, steamboats, steamships, ferries, picnics, parades, official openings, sulky races, quarries, gristmills, sawmills, lumber yards, logging operations, banks, stores, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, bridges, train stations, schools, convents, churches, private residences, and construction sites. The collection also contains numerous individual portraits, as well as group photos of families, school children, boy scouts, cadets, hunting parties, workers, bands, organizations, and military regiments.
Thomas A. Clarke family, King George Highway, Newcastle, New Brunswick, circa 1900. Left to right on the porch: Mrs. Sam Russell, Felicia Thomas, Miss Elizabeth McIntosh (from Bushville), Lizzie McLachlan (standing by post), Lydia Thomas (seated), Thomas and Anne Clarke. Clarke children in front of porch left to right: Arthur (in the pram/carriage), Edith, Percy, and Gertrude. Thomas A. Clarke operated Thomas Clarke & Co., a dry goods and clothing store in Newcastle. Mrs. Thomas and her daughter, Felicia, were Quakers from Philadelphia. Photo by Ole Larsen. Source: Ole Larsen fonds, P6\319, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
Larsen is perhaps best known for his logging scenes. The fonds includes photos of lumberjacks felling timber, log drivers breaking jams, teams hauling logs, and lumber camps, many taken during Larsen’s visits to Ernest Hutchinson’s Miramichi lumbering operations.
Larsen (born Olaf Larsen) was the son of Laerz and Ann Larsen. He was born in Norway in 1849. In about 1869, he emigrated to the Miramichi region of New Brunswick, finally settling in Newcastle no later than 1881.
Before launching his career as a professional photographer, Larsen worked at several occupations. In the early 1880s, he was employed as a fireman in Newcastle and later tended bar at the local Waverley Hotel. By 1889 he had opened a photography studio above George Stables’ Grocery Store fronting the Public Square, probably working in photography on a part-time basis until about 1894.
Castle Street in downtown Newcastle, New Brunswick, 1897. Photo by Ole Larsen. Source: Ole Larsen fonds, P6\115, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
To browse the online photos in the Ole Larsen collection, select Ole Larsen fonds (P6) in the drop-down Collections menu on the provincial archives’ website. To search this collection, enter a key word, such as School or Newcastle, and select the Larsen fonds in the Collections menu.
Here’s a helpful note about associated material on the website: “Researchers interested in photographs of the Miramichi should consult P18 J.Y. Mersereau Photographs, P34 Dr. Ferdinand Pedolin Photographs, P125 St. Michael’s Museum Collection, and P226 Park Family Collection.
“Researchers interested in photographs of the Acadian Peninsula, Bathurst, and other communities in Gloucester County should consult P38 Eudist Fathers Photographs, P146 Fidele Theriault Collection, P380 Northern Light Photographs, P20 Nicholas Denys Historical Society Photographs, P48 Arthur Gallien Collection, P149 Evelyn Eardley Collection, and P442 Angus E. Branch Collection.”
For more gems like these throughout the week, join the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group. When you submit your request to join, you will be asked to answer two quick questions about your family history research.
For more gems like these throughout the week, join the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group. When you submit your request to join, you will be asked to answer two quick questions about your family history research.
