Month: January 2025

Canada, Hudson Bay Company Corporate and Employment Records, 1766-1926

New on Ancestry, 124,430 records in a unique early collection. “This collection includes records of employees, investors, stakeholders, and associates, and other assorted records of the Hudson’s Bay Company that were produced between 1790 and 1910. Employee records may include: ledgers with lists of employees and corresponding information, individual employee contracts with typed text and handwritten biographical information, and handwritten wills of employees. Records that use the word “servant” refer to an employee of the company. The documents are written in English and French.”
When I tried it the transcriptions were not being served, but the original images were fine.

WDYTYA Magazine: February 2025

The feature articles in this issue are:
Sort Your Research with Timelines
A look at the benefits of constructing a timeline in exploring an ancestor’s life, or part of it, and helpful facilities from Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindmyPast and elsewhere.
Irish Migration in 5 Records
Tips on finding ancestors that moved from Ireland to America.
The Birth of the British Chippy
The story of the contested origin of this British “delicacy.”

Also in the column Family Hero, is a “celebration of ancestors who embarked on a terrifying journey to start a new life in Canada.” The journey, for the family with English roots, was from Nebraska to Alberta.

FamilySearch Full Text Search
A search for records between 1525 and 2024 now yields 955,002,536 results. Here’s the content by region.

It’s Cold in Ontario

Chances are last night was one of the, if not the coldest of the year, whether you’re reading from Almonte, Byng Inlet, Cochrane, Colpoy’s Bay, Dryden, Fort Severn, Georgian Bay, Goderich, Guelph, Haileybury, Kenora, Kingston, London, Matheson, Merritton, Moosonee, Muskoka, North Bay, Ottawa, Paris, Parry Sound, Prescott, South Porcupine, Thunder Bay, Toronto, or Windsor,

Those are among the places to be mentioned in my presentation, “Connecting Weather and Personal Histories,” hosted by the Ontario Genealogical Society, next Thursday, 6 February, at 7 pm.

For more information and to register, go to https://ogs.on.ca/february-webinar-connecting-weather-and-personal-histories-john-reid/

 

 

On 28 January 1965, sixty years ago, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially approved Canada’s official flag — the single red maple leaf. The declaration was signed at Buckingham Palace by Prime Minister Lester Pearson.

Thanks to Glenn Wright, author of “Controversy, Compromise and Celebration: The History of Canada’s National Flag” for the reminder. He tells me that the publisher, the Historical Society of Ottawa, has received a surge in orders from Canadian schools for the anniversary.

 

This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

Choose from selected free online events today. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about a few more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.

Tuesday, 28 January

2:30 pm: Forgotten Women: Researching the Marginalized Women on Your Family Tree, by Janet Few for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12451846

Wednesday, 29 January

2 pm:  Researching the Great Migration of New England 1620-1640, by David Allen Lambert for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/researching-the-great-migration-of-new-england-1620-1640/

Thursday, 30 January

6:30 pm: Bringing Green Book Locations to Life, The
Chitterling Circuit, BBQ, and more, by Shamele Jordon for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12451854

Friday, 31 January

8 pm: Oops! Married twice (at the same time) Case Studies in Bigamy!  by Helen V Smith for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/oops-married-twice-at-the-same-time-case-studies-in-bigamy/

Saturday, 1 February

10 am: In search of ‘Little Johnny O’Connor’ and his family” (sole survivor of The Donnelly murders), by Dan Brock for OGS London and Middlesex Branch.
https://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca/events/london-and-middlesex-branch-in-search-of-little-johnny-oconnor-and-his-family-sole-survivor-of-the-donnelly-murders

FreeBMD January Update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Monday, 27 Jan 2025, to contain 292,327,249 unique records, updated from 292,099,269 in December. Years with more than 10,000 updates are 1993, 1995-96 for births, 1994-96 for marriages, and 1994-95 for deaths.

Did you know?

The Great Lakes Storm of November 1913 was Ontario’s most deadly weather disaster. This catastrophic event resulted in the sinking of 38 ships and the loss of 244 lives. I will mention this and much more in my presentation, “Connecting Weather and Personal Histories,” to be hosted by the Ontario Genealogical Society at 7 p.m. on February 6.

For more information and to register, go to https://ogs.on.ca/february-webinar-connecting-weather-and-personal-histories-john-reid/

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week. In this post:

Social media is making many people more depressed – Buddhist philosophy may offer an explanation

FindmyPast Weekly Update
Three new Australian record sets this week, 89,356 additions from the state of Queensland.  Imperial pensions, criminal depositions, and dentist records are now available for the 19th and 20th centuries. Also, 49,384 parish records were added, and a new Bournemouth newspaper.

The cold?
January has been cold. No doubt about it. This year, the lowest temperature in Ottawa so far has been -21.1C, on 22 January. That’s close to the coldest day of the year on average. But it was not as extreme as the  -25C forecast a few days previously.
As I write this, the Ottawa forecast low temperature for Thursday, 30 Jan, is -26C. Let’s hope that, too, is more extreme than occurs!

My next webinar
Learn how to find weather records and understand their significance in genealogical research at “Connecting Weather and Personal Histories.” Mark your calendars for 6 February at 7 pm, hosted by the Ontario Genealogical Society.

Don’t take sides during meetings. Try on these 6 hats instead.

Benny Hill and Tony Hancock
To promote their update to the 1939 Register, 292,259 newly opened records, TheGenealogist has a press release about these British comedy legends who were recorded living near each other in Bournemouth at the outbreak of WWII.

Thanks to Anonymous, Gail, Teresa, Terry Buttler and Unknown for this week’s contributions.

 

First, the small print.

Excludes current subscribers. Your membership will automatically renew at the end of each 6‑month period and at that time your chosen method of payment will be charged $84.99 for Canada Discovery Plus or $129.99 for World Deluxe, plus applicable taxes, unless you are notified otherwise. If you don’t want to renew, cancel at least two days before your renewal date by logging into your Account Settings page.

Offer ends 27 Jan 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 6‑month membership special offer prices: $42.49 Canada Discovery Plus or $64.99 World Deluxe.

 

CONTENTS
Tonight: OGS Ottawa Branch Monthly Meeting
Legislative Acts and Ontario Genealogy
LAC Co-Lab Update for December
United States, Deceased Veteran Benefit Claims
AI Astrology

Tonight: OGS Ottawa Branch Monthly Meeting

7 pm: British Home Children to Canada – Three Sisters from Kensington and Chelsea Union (Ottawa), by Gloria Tubman
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/ottawa-branch-presentation-details-tbd-2025-01-23/

Legislative Acts and Ontario Genealogy

The latest blog post from Ken McKinlay.

Smuggling gangs and coastal policing in 19th-century England

The latest blog post from TNA.

LAC Co-Lab Update for December

There are currently 4,095 items in LAC’s Collection Search identified as Co-Lab-only contributions, down from 4,096 in December.

Here is the progress on the challenges since December. Three shows progress.

Games of the XXI Olympiad, Montréal 1976 remains at 80.8% complete.

Treaty 9, with 27 images, remains 3.7% complete.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary is 69.4% complete, up from  66.1%.

Expo67 is 5.1% complete, down from 6.8%.

Summiting Mount Logan in 1925: Fred Lambart’s personal account of the treacherous climb and descent of the highest peak in Canada remains 13.4% complete.

Women in the War remains 1.4% complete.

Arthur Lismer’s Children’s Art Classes remains <1% complete.

John Freemont Smith, RG10, Volume number: 4079 remains 88.5% complete.

Molly Lamb Bobakis 95.1% complete, up from 94.7%.

Diary of François-Hyacinthe Séguin remains 99% complete.

George Mully: moments in Indigenous communities remains 0% complete.

Correspondence regarding First Nations veterans returning after the First World War remains 98.5% complete.

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 remains 94.7% complete.

Legendary Train Robber and Prison Escapee Bill Mineris 99.5% complete, up from 99%.

Japanese-Canadians: Second World War remains 2.8% complete.

Projects that remain 100% complete are no longer reported here.

United States, Deceased Veteran Benefit Claims

From MyHeritage, records from the year 1800 onwards for all US military branches, typically including the veteran’s name, date of birth, date of death, and enlistment and discharge dates. Known as the Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) availability is through the efforts of  Reclaim the Records. Beware of transcription errors, as there are no original record images. I doubt Ray A. Jones, born 1840, served between 1917 and 1945.

AI Astrology

Did you know you can ask Open Ai’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini to cast astrological birth charts. Just give it date of birth, time of birth and place of birth. They provide different levels of detail. For amusement only!

This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

Choose from selected free online events today. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about a few more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.

Tuesday, 21 January

2 pm: Ottawa Virtual Genealogy Drop-in, by OGS Ottawa Branch.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/virtual-genealogy-drop-in-2-2025-01-21/

2:30 pm: Piecing Together the Past: Tools and Techniques for – African American Genealogy, by Sarah Day for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12433567

8 pm: The Everleigh Sisters: A Case Study in Conflict Resolution, by Karen Stanbary for Legacy Family Tree Webinars and BCG.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/the-everleigh-sisters-a-case-study-in-conflict-resolution/

Wednesday, 22 January

2 pm: Using the Collaborate Tool at FamilySearch, by Karen Clifford for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/using-the-collaborate-tool-at-familysearch/

7 pm: The Abbot of Kingsmere: MacKenzie King and His Ruins, by Peter Coffman for Heritage Ottawa. 
https://heritageottawa.org/events/abbot-kingsmere-mackenzie-king-and-his-ruins

Thursday, 23 January

7 pm: British Home Children to Canada – Three Sisters from Kensington and Chelsea Union (Ottawa), by Gloria Tubman for OGS Ottawa Branch.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/ottawa-branch-presentation-details-tbd-2025-01-23/

Friday, 24 January

2 pm: 10 Practical Uses of AI for Family History, by Andrew Redfern for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. (Members only)
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/10-practical-uses-of-ai-for-family-history/

Saturday, 25 January

5 am to 7 am, and 9 am to 11 am: East Surrey Family History Society Virtual Family History Show
https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/london-westminster-middlesex-fhs-1975

How to Browse All Digitized Titles in Chronicling America

How and why the UK National Archives move documents offsite

Ancestry Announces Leadership Transition

Deb Liu to step down. , Howard Hochhauser, presently Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer, appointed new President & CEO effective 1 February.

The Family History AI Show: EP22: The Google Empire Strikes Back: Deep Research Challenges Perplexity, NotebookLM’s Big Updates, and Facebook Adds AI to Groups

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week. In this post:
Extreme Cold Warning
Congestion Pricing
FindmyPast Weekly Update
New on Ancestry
British Newspaper Archives Update
Newspapers.com Canadian Updates
Identifying a Canadian Birth Mother: A DNA Story

Extreme Cold Warning

Overnight temperatures in Ottawa are forecast to drop below -20C on Monday and Tuesday nights. Those would be the coldest since February 2023. Be prepared if you’re looking skyward to see the rare alignment of six planets on 21 January.

Congestion Pricing

On Sunday, 5 January,  New York City became the first in the US to implement congestion pricing. It costs $9 for passenger vehicles during peak hours and $2.25 off-peak to enter Manhatten’s busiest part. Congestion pricing has existed in London, Singapore and Stockholm for years.
https://grist.org/article/the-climate-benefits-of-nycs-hard-won-congestion-pricing-plan/

FindmyPast Weekly Update

The 89,704 Kent monumental inscriptions added bring the total to 106,278. These index entries provide name, age at death or birth year, denomination and place. Year of death is not given. There is a link to the Kent FHS with more detail, usually for £2.50, £4.00 for some. For those interested in the name Keel, are now 26 items in the collection.

Kent, Freemen of Canterbury has 18,380 records which document those granted the honour of Freedom of the City of Canterbury from the 16th to 19th centuries. Find the name of the master, father and spouse. The records are from the Canterbury Cathedral Archives .

Wiltshire Burials provides 55,967 new records for burials
between 1559 and 1837, bringing the total for this index to 2,151,528.

New on Ancestry

Updated is Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968, now with 41,012,638 records.
New is Ballymena, Antrim, Northern Ireland, Headstone Inscriptions, 1671-1996, with 10,193 records.

British Newspaper Archives Update

There are now 88,412,104 pages in the collection. In the past month, the following six new titles were added:
Bournemouth Times and Directory (1934–1950)
Cannock Chase Chronicle (1987–1995, 1997–2003)
Walsall Chronicle (1991, 1993–1995, 1998)
Louth Leader (2004)
Northern Weekly Gazette (2003)
Midland Counties Express (1995, 1998–1999).

Many of the additions are for 2004. Here are the top ten by number of pages added.

Newspaper Title	Number of Pages	Date Range
People’s Friend	64,074	1869–1928
Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette	60,068	1990–1991, 2004
Northampton Chronicle and Echo	54,962	1951, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2004
Milton Keynes Citizen	33,650	2003–2004
Cannock Chase Chronicle	31,220	1987–1995, 1997–2003
Ross-shire Journal	42,326	1877, 1913–1994
Epworth Bells, Crowle and Isle of Axholme Messenger	30,238	1905–2004
Walsall Chronicle	27,798	1991, 1993–1995, 1998
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail	27,694	1976–1977, 2004
South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times	24,556	1950–1951, 1953–1955, 1974, 1976–1991

Newspapers.com Canadian Updates

Here are the Canadian newspaper updated in the past month, including only those that date back for more than a century. Many of the updates are adding 2024, those earlier are bolded.

Newspaper	Location	Years	Pages
Gleaner	Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada	1818–1837	725
The Fountain	Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada	1847–1847	8
The Hamilton Spectator	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	1852–2024	2,251,324
The Gazette	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	1857–2024	2,189,000
The Leader-Post	Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada	1883–2024	1,372,215
Daily News Advertiser	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	1887–1917	98,577
Calgary Herald	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	1888–2024	2,545,971
Vancouver Daily World	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	1888–1924	164,187
Telegraph-Journal	Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada	1874–2024	944,622
The Times-Transcript	Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada	1875–2024	900,366
Daily Gleaner	Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada	1884–2024	991,437
The Windsor Star	Windsor, Ontario, Canada	1893–2024	1,611,978
Waterloo Region Record	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada	1893–2024	1,367,539
The Province	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	1894–2024	2,410,673
The Times	Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada	1895–1915	8,042
The Ottawa Citizen	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada	1898–2024	2,120,889
The Toronto Star	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1900–2024	3,895,092
Edmonton Journal	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	1903–2024	2,101,100
National Post	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	1907–2024	869,051
The Vancouver Sun	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	1912–2024	2,225,506

Identifying a Canadian Birth Mother: A DNA Story

Thanks to Anonymous, Ken McKinlay, Teresa, and Unknown for this week’s contributions.

 

Canada, Names & Stories in Newspapers from OldNews.com has 382,759,442 entries. United Kingdom, Names & Stories in Newspapers from OldNews.com has 44,766,610.

These collections contain records of names, events, and stories extracted from newspaper articles using advanced AI technology developed by MyHeritage.
Records typically include the name of the individuals mentioned, the relationships between the individuals, the newspaper name, the publication place and date, and a snippet of text from the newspaper containing the reference. Records may include events such as birth and marriage announcements, obituaries, public achievements, business events, and more. Records often include additional details such as residence, occupation, and associated locations or institutions. Every record includes a useful summary of the article, generated automatically by AI.

Whereas the Canadian coverage is for various regional papers, most, if not all, of the UK entries are from the London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazette.

LAC ATIP action plan progress report

Issued in December, the report shows progress for the 6 months ending 30 September. For all types of records, 8,645  items were late, down from 9,404 in June. At that rate, late items will be eliminated in 6 years’ time. Is that satisfactory progress?

Ancestry adds Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, Valuation Rolls, 1855-1930

The 1,821,383 records in this collection may include Name, Occupation, Name of tenant, Name of occupant, Address, and Parish Name. Valuation rolls typically state the type of property and its monetary value or rent charged. Browseable images of the original are included.

MyHeritge adds Israel, Marriages and Divorces

This collection includes 428,426 records from the Israel State Archives, dating from 1919. They typically include detailed information about the groom and bride, their names, birth year, residence, occupation, and ethnic community. Additionally, the records provide the date and place of the marriage or divorce, as well as the names of the parents of both individuals and the witnesses to the event. These are in a mix of Hebrew and other languages. For many, MyHeritage provides translation; ChatGPT was able to translate some that MyHeritage missed.

Canadiana Heritage adds Kingston Penitentiary : inmate description ledger

Now available, 1160 images from microfilm T-1948, the RG73-C-6 series at Library and Archives Canada.  They are handwritten punishment record books documenting inmate infractions, punishments, and disciplinary practices. These records include names, offences, and punishment details.
ChatGPT did a good job of transcribing an extract.

1921 Censuses of England, Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man on Ancestry

Ken McKinlay has a new blog post that may help you “in your noble quest to learn more about your family lines!” It’s his usual thorough exploration, this time for a 1921 census.

9 New Year Newspaper Research Resolutions

The latest newsletter from The Ancestor Hunt includes an article shared with permission from Storied.

 

This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

Choose from selected free online events today. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about a few more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.

Tuesday, 14 January

9 am: Family History Introduction, by Norfolk Record Office (UK).
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-history-introduction-online-workshop-tickets-1040497314477

2 pm: MyHeritage: Your Family Stories are Just One Click Away, by Melissa Barker for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/myheritage-your-family-stories-are-just-one-click-away/

2:30 pm: Back to Basics: Understanding Autosomal, Mitochondrial, X-DNA, and Y-DNA Inheritance Patterns, by Laura A. Weber for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12454712

3 pm: Choosing a DNA Test for Your Research Goals, by Melanie McComb for American Ancestors.
https://www.americanancestors.org/events/choosing-dna-test-your-research-goals

Wednesday, 15 January

2 pm: Collaborative Trees: Making Them Work for You, by Drew Smith for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/collaborative-trees-making-them-work-for-you/

Thursday, 16 January

6:30 pm: Heritage Travel: Top 10 Tips for Walking in Ancestral
Footsteps, by Lisa Vogele for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12433727

Friday, 17 January

2 pm: Las Californias: Alta, Baja, and Beyond, by Lisa Medina for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/las-californias-alta-baja-and-beyond/

7 pm: World War II and The Polish Diaspora, by Nadia Rupniak for OGS Niagara Peninsula Branch.
https://niagara.ogs.on.ca/events/world-war-ii-and-the-polish-diaspora-with-nadia-rupniak-niagara-peninsula-branch-webinar-series/

Saturday, 18 January

10 am: Family History Show and Tell, OGS Kingston Branch. 
https://kingston.ogs.on.ca/events/kingston-branch-meeting-family-history-show-and-tell

1 pm: The Loyalist Era, by Jessica Chase for OGS Quinte Branch.
https://quinte.ogs.on.ca/the-loyalist-era-2/

Family Tree Magazine: January 2025

Here are the contents, copied from pages 4 and 5 of the latest issue.

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

DEAR PAUL
Paul Chiddicks proves what a treasure trove old newspapers can be. (amusing odds and ends)

TWIGLETS
Gill Shaw trots on to pastures new with the Tonges – the family nobody seems to know much about …

FINDING YOUR WAY WITH HISTORICAL MAPS
Dr Sophie Kay is here to guide you through using maps with your family history research.

BEYOND IRISH BIRTH RECORDS
Chris Paton reflects on the impact of illegitimacy, societal expectations, and more, and how this may impact family history research in Ireland.

DNA WORKSHOP
DNA advisor Karen Evans helps readers to piece together their family history research with the aid of DNA.

EVIDENCE IN THE PARISH REGISTERS
Family Tree Academy tutor David Annal shows us how to break down a brick wall by thinking differently about what the parish registers can tell us.

WHERE WAS MY ANCESTOR FINALLY LAID TO REST?
Jonathan Conibere tells us about the challenge of locating the final resting place of an ancestor.

EXPLORING A TREASURE TROVE OF FAMILY LETTERS
Tania Taylor surveys an extensive collection of 19th century family letters

PHOTO CORNER
Jayne Shrimpton shares advice to help you date your unidentified pictures

ANCESTRY DNA
A mini guide to regions, subregions & journeys

SIX THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN THEN
David Allen shares several invaluable lessons he has
learnt during the quarter of a century in which he’s been’
doing family history

YOUR LETTERS
Readers share their views.

INTERVIEW TIPS
Follow our handy checklist to make the most of a family history interview

DIARY DATES
Your round-up of the latest genealogy events

CLASSIFIED ADS
Professional researchers and more. Be sure to mention
Family Tree when responding to adverts!

CONTACT US
Useful contact details

THOUGHTS ON …
All is right with the world,

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Genealogy Meets AI: Panel Discussion
It’s not just because this blog received a shoutout. Thank you Mark. I highly recommend viewing this panel discussion with Andrew Redfern, Blaine Bettinger, Diana Elder, Mark Thompson, Steve Little and Thomas MacEntee. Free until Wednesday at https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/genealogy-meets-ai-panel-discussion/

RootsTech
Find a full schedule of presentations and registration for RootsTech 2025 at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/registration

Embroidered daily journaling

Irish Lives Remembered
It’s January 2025. Here’s the Summer 2024 issue, just released. We can’t blame Canada Post for the delay on this one.

How Trustworthy is a Welsh Accent?

2024 was the warmest year on record globally
According to the British Meteorological Office, 2024 was the first year that was likely more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Findmypast Weekly Update
New this week are United States, Passenger and Crew Lists. For New York they are from 1915 to 1957, 1,275,830 records; and California and Guam from 1947 to 1952.

TheGenealogist adds 1935-1940 Directories
This addition has 39 directories, mainly for England, covering over 6 million individuals and businesses.

Thanks to Anonymous, Teresa, and Unknown for this week’s contributions.