Anglo-Celtic Connections

I like to keep track of what’s new in the Canadiana collections. CRKN makes that easy with a listing here. Just don’t rush to check it out, as nothing new is in the Canadiana (publications) collection and two items in Héritage (archives).

Land submissions to the Executive Council : Upper Canada Land Petitions “S” Bundle, otherwise Land submissions to the Executive Council, is from LAC microfilm C-2823. It’s one of eight microfilms on the subject. Find out more at Land Petitions of Upper Canada, 1763-1865 from LAC.

Western Land Grants is from LAC microfilm C-6599. Find out more at the LAC guide Land Grants of Western Canada, 1870-1930

I received emails from both MyHeritage and Ancestry promoting sales of their DNA tests. Both are bargains, so I wouldn’t want you to miss out —  if you have the need.

The MyHeritage DNA Black Friday deal is $48 Canadian, plus shipping, available at https://www.myheritage.com/dna/. MyHeritage boasts detailed ethnicity results covering 2,114 regions. They connect testers with relatives worldwide through advanced DNA matching and “the most comprehensive set of genetic genealogy tools available.”

Ancestry DNA‘s offer is $79 Canadian plus taxes and shipping. It ends 24 November 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Some DNA features may require an Ancestry® subscription. 

Which one to choose?

MyHeritage provides ethnicity estimates for more regions than Ancestry

Ancestry has a more extensive client database than MyHeritage. My impression, I don’t have a source to back that up, please let us know if you do, is that Ancestry focuses more on North American clients and perhaps the UK, while MyHeritage, which promotes its multilingual service, is more international.

The November issue of Families, the quarterly publication of the Ontario Genealogical Society, has just been released.

Contents include
Once Upon a Time in Genealogy: Common Family History Myths (or Misbeliefs), by Robbie Gorr (who was a regular contributor to the late lamented Moorshead Magazines),
Certificates and Service Records of soldiers in WWI,
Our Ontario’s newspaper collection, by Drew von Hasselbach,
Tremaine’s Map Company and County Maps as Genealogical Evidence by Graham Segger,
Northbound to Canada: Thomas Best Howells
by Henry Coggeshall Howells IV.

There are also various regular columns.

Drew von Hasselbach’s article quotes from Art Rhyno, chair of Our Digital World, the parent organization to Our Ontario,
which local archives and libraries can hire to digitize
their newspaper and local history collections. He explains that local Ontario newspaper digitization is happening piecemeal because Canada has had no funding for large-scale newspaper digitization efforts. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) — I’m looking at you. That’s unlike the U.S., where the National Endowment for the Humanities provided leadership. 

Advancing technologies, such as AI, should result in cost reductions. As written in the article, “Digitizing Ontario’s local newspapers is worthwhile and necessary. Newspapers are a global conduit of history.”

It’s late, but not too late. OGS could help by taking up the cause through its often-neglected advocacy mandate.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Cats, Dogs and Health

The Qualicum Beach Family History Society
Sadly, the Society will be dissolved at the end of 2024. In the final advertised event, on Wednesday, November 20, at 10 p.m. ET, Dave Obee will present on Destination Canada. The next nearest FHSs are Nanaimo, which hosts an online presentation by Glenn Wright on 18 November, and the Comox Valley Genealogy Group.

Ireland: Historic Maps and Data

Wolford Chapel
Despite its location in the English countryside, this chapel is the property of Ontario.

OGS Weekly Update
Just after 6 a.m. each Saturday, I look forward to receiving an email with the week’s news about OGS and other Ontario news. It’s an entirely free subscription here, and you can also access an archive of past issues.

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Ann Burns, Anonymous, Barbara Lavoie, Barbara Tose, Brenda Turner, gail benjafield, Glenn Wright, Gloria Tubman, Lois Logan, Paul Cripwell, Teresa, Unknown.

Following up on the post What was scraping trees in 1835? the 15 April 1865 issue of the New England Farmer offers an opinion, probably more than you care to know!

Scraping Trees. Yes, apple trees ; and what is it done for? We have asked the question many times of orchardists, and the reply uniformly is,  “Oh, it destroys the insects that shelter themselves under the bark, and hatch out their young there.”

“What other advantage is there in scraping fruit trees?”

“Well, it makes them smoother and look better.”

“These are the only reasons we have ever heard given for scraping apple trees. As to the first reason, the insects, we have now continued our pleasant labor over many trees, and although working with eyes wide open, have not seen a dozen insects, or their larvae, under the bark.

There is no doubt but insects of various kinds avail themselves of the shelter afforded by the, rough bark, both for their own comfort and as a place in which to produce their young, and if they had not this, would proceed to the moss on a stone wall or the bark on a rail fence, and reproduce themselves there, within a convenient distance of the orchard, if they chose to prey upon it. We do not, therefore, think much of this as a reason for scraping apple trees.
The other two are sound reasons; it does make them smoother and look better. We improve upon Nature by grafting, getting a fairer and more symmetrical tree, to say nothing of the fruit. Nature leaves the stem of the grafted tree in a very rough condition as it advances in age. Is this roughness the result of a mechanical operation, or is it especially designed as a protection to the tree, or is it both? Do the expanding forces of the tree gradually break the outer bark, causing it to scale off as it becomes dry, or is it a special provision of nature to protect the tree from atmospheric changes, heat and cold ?

As a fruit-bearer, is the tree in any way improved by scraping it? Does it grow either faster or more firmly for scraping, or will it produce a single apple more for such treatment? We cannot see that it will. But scraping greatly improves the appearance of the tree, giving the orchard a neat and finished condition that commends itself at once to all. This would not apply to forest and shade trees, as they are in a natural condition and cannot be improved by any art of man. After apple trees have been carefully scraped, if they are washed with common soft soap, diluted with rain water to the consistency of thin cream, they will assume a greenish hue that is pleasant to the eye and gives them much of the appearance they had when ten or a dozen years old. The scraping renders this operation easy, and the washing is decidedly beneficial to the tree. What is spilled upon the ground in washing is just what the tree likes, perhaps needs, and we are inclined to think that the foliage of a tree washed two or three times a year with soap and water, extending the wash well up the larger branches, will show a foliage larger, of a darker green and more vigorous growth than the same kind of trees that are not washed. What do you think, Orchardists? tell us, will you ?

On the same page, this:

WASH FOR TREES.

We have no great faith in the efficacy of either washing or scraping trees—but as some persons have, a few words on the subject may not be useless.

If washing is determined upon, the best material in our knowledge is common soft soap mixed with water until it is of the consistency of cream. It may be applied with a brush, or a swab. If applied in the month of July, it will have a tendency to destroy the eggs of insects which are then deposited on the bark, and about the roots of trees.

This wash will also be found effectual in removing moss and other parasitical productions. A sufficient amount of potash is contained in the soap to accomplish these ends, and yet not enough to injure the bark of the tree, and as it is of vegetable origin, it is more congenial to the tree than lime, and is always to be preferred. It does not close the pores of the bark, as lime wash does, but leaves them unobstructed and open to atmospheric influences, and in a state of vigorous and perfect health. It has long been used by orchardists and gardeners, and has never been known to injure any fruit tree, when made and applied as above directed.

A weak solution of potash might secure similar results, but its highly caustic nature makes its use quite dangerous.

These days, dormant oil spray, fungicides and insecticides are proposed. https://indianapolisorchard.com/home-apple-tree-care-spray-guide/. We’d likely be healthier if old-fashioned soft soap were used.

British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers’ Medical Records
20,460 images and transcriptions were added. The whole collection has 1,378,307 results.

This collection comprises The National Archives’ series, MH106, War Office: First World War Representative Medical Records of Servicemen. Only a sample of the medical records was retained. Each result has an image and a transcript of the vital details. The transcript may include a combination of the following facts:

Name
Birth year
Service number
Rank
Corps
Admission date
Transfer date
Death year
Hospital
Country
Register type
Description
Series description
Record year range
Archive
Images

The images may provide additional details such as:

Number of years in service
Description of disease or wound
Religion
Other notes or observations

A search for Canad* returned 59,729, although not all were with the Canadian Forces. Some gave no name, but around 40 did include a service number.

Prisoners of War, 1715-1945
20,000 Second World War additions to search. 3,790,672 items are in the complete Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 collection.  Many entries, from various sources, only include surnames along with Residence, Year,  Service number, Birth place, Nationality, Rank, Rank as transcribed, Regiment as transcribed, Ship name, Prison camp or ship, Conflict, Archive reference, Document details,

A search for Canad* returns 64,550 items.

British Women’s Royal Naval Service Ratings’ Service Registers, 1918-1919
You can now discover additional age, next of kin, and image details for 6,894 previously available records. Each record includes a transcript from original material held at The National Archives in London in Series ADM 336. The amount of information varies; you should find: Name, Enrolment date, Service number, Rank or roll.

This Saturday, 16 November 2024, at 1 pm, tune in to an OGS Ottawa Branch presentation by David Loveridge, Director of Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Canada, Americas, and Pacific Area.

David Loveridge will discuss the CWGC’s work maintaining the 1.7 million memorials and markers in Canada, the Americas, and the Pacific regions. Attendance is free.

Register in advance: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrf-yoqD4rEtPuTIXk0g5dtddC-O0NtP6b

This 39,513,800-item collection, new to MyHeritage and derived from the Drouin, has an interesting title. Records typically include the names of the groom and bride, their date and place of birth, date and place of baptism, date and place of marriage, and the names of their parents. Some records may also include the date and place of death and the place of burial.

Ancestry has added 19,715 records in the collection: Web: Isle Of Man, Wills Index, 1600-1864

A search returns Name. Will Date, Court House, Will Place and the Original URL.

The original data is Will Summaries. Isle of Man: Joyce M. Oates, at http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/willsums/index.htm/. I’ve not linked it as Bitdefender blocks it as suspicious due to an expired security certificate.

I’ve been looking at John Galbraith’s Diary from the Rural Diary Archive at U. Guelph.  He farmed in Oxford Country, Ontario. I asked Claude AI to summarize the activities month by month for 1835. The result:

January 1835:
Received visitors and attended church services
Chopped firewood
Tended to household and agricultural tasks

February 1835:
Chopped and gathered firewood
Attended church and community meetings

March 1835:
Tapped maple trees and made maple sugar/syrup
Did orchard work like scraping and pruning trees

April 1835:
Continued orchard work like pruning and scraping trees
Planted and tended crops

May 1835:
Pruned apple trees
Cut brush and did other orchard and farm maintenance

June 1835:
Pruned and washed apple trees
Worked on road maintenance
Visited with neighbors and attended church

July 1835:
Haying and harvesting crops
Scraping and pruning apple trees
Attended church and community events

August 1835:
Harvested apples and began drying/preserving them
Cleared brush and worked in the swamp
Attended agricultural exhibition

September 1835:
Apple harvesting, peeling, and preserving
Fenced the orchard
Attended church

October 1835:
Continued apple harvesting and cider making
Repaired fences
Attended church

November 1835:
Finished apple picking
Chopped and gathered firewood

December 1835:
Chopped firewood
Hosted a community wood-cutting “bee”
Attended church and visited neighbors

It’s interesting to see the annual cycle of farm tasks, but what was the “scraping trees” that occupied him in March, April and July?

According to Google, “Scraping trees” refers to the act of a deer, usually a male during mating season, rubbing its antlers against the bark of a tree, often to remove the velvet covering on the antlers, mark territory, or attract mates, which can damage the tree’s bark and sometimes even girdle the trunk if done excessively; essentially, it’s a behaviour where the deer “scrapes” its antlers on the tree by rubbing them against it.

I doubt Galbraith had antlers. If you know what he might have been doing or can speculate, please post a comment.

Until 19 November 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET, new subscribers can get a 6‑month membership for $50.99 for Canada Discovery Plus or $77.99 for World Deluxe, which is 40% off.

Read the fine 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 or by contacting Ancestry.

If you want to continue subscribing at the full price, do nothing. If you want a better deal, cancel. Most people find they can get a better than full-price deal sooner rather than later.

BIFHSGO President Dianne Brydon has announced that Paul Cripwell has come forward to volunteer as the new managing editor of the society quarterly chronicle , Anglo-Celtic Roots 

He takes over from Barbara Tose, who will leave the position after the Winter issue in December.

Dianne expressed her appreciation to Barbara for her years working on the ACR and to Paul for stepping in to lead the dedicated team of editors and proofreaders. He will also look after layout.

Paul was born in England and came to Canada at an early age. He is retired from a senior position at NAV CANADA and is pursuing a study of the  Cripwell surname about which he has made two BIFHSGO presentations.