Tuesday, February 25, 2014

DNA Seminars from WDYTYA - free online

Thanks to John D. Reid for this, with direct links to individual lectures at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2014/02/wdytya-live-dna-seminars-via-youtube.html


Enjoy!
Pat

USA Indian Land Cessions 1784 - 1894: free maps

This is a really great website for any of us with US interests. It's another one of those sites that can really put 'meat on the bones'. I have family who lived in various parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and North Dakota [so far] from the early 1600's to the present day. I'll continue poking through these maps, and learning so much more about what life may have been like for them through geography. Often maps let us make sense of some of the decisions our ancestors made. Thanks to the Library of Congress American Memory Project for the awesome work they are doing! http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwss-ilc.html


I LOVE maps!!
Pat

Monday, February 24, 2014

Who Do You Think You Are - HANDOUTS

Another great opportunity to get the handouts (free) for selected presentations at the recent WDYTYA which just wound up. Happy reading on those lovely days you're not going outside! :)) http://www.sog.org.uk/learn/who-do-you-think-you-are-live-2014-speakers-handouts/ The intro suggests there will be more so keep checking back. Me? I'll probably forget.


Cheers [from Lake Havasu where it's a lovely 84F - sorry to those in the frozen north ;((]
Pat

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Home Children - 11% of Canadians are Descended from

Taken from Library and Archives Canada

Background

Between 1869 and the late 1930s, over 100,000 juvenile migrants were sent to Canada from Great Britain during the child emigration movement. Motivated by social and economic forces, churches and philanthropic organizations sent orphaned, abandoned and pauper children to Canada. Many believed that these children would have a better chance for a healthy, moral life in rural Canada, where families welcomed them as a source of cheap farm labour and domestic help.

After arriving by ship, the children were sent to distributing homes, such as Fairknowe in Brockville, and then sent on to farmers in the area. Although many of the children were poorly treated and abused, others experienced a better life here than if they had remained in the urban slums of England. Many served with the Canadian and British Forces during both World Wars.

The Home Children database is being produced by the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO)http://www.bifhsgo.ca/ in cooperation with Library and Archives Canada. BIFHSGO volunteers go through different archival fonds held at Library and Archives in order to locate names of children. So far, passenger lists (1869-1922), selected files from the Immigration Branch: Central Registry Files (1869-1935), the Department of Agriculture (1869-1892) and other governmental fonds, 1869-1935 (e.g. RG 25, 15, 2, 31) have been consulted. BIFHSGO volunteers have also indexed the records of the Boards of Guardians (1886-1916). Other fonds have been identified and will eventually be consulted and indexed.

To read more about Home Children, you may wish to visit the Young Immigrants to Canada Web site http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/homeadd.html {NOTE: the site is under construction so link does not consistently work - Google it]. You will find information about homes and organizations, reunions, titles of books on the subject and some lists of children's names.


Children were sent to various locations in Canada, including western Provinces. Most NEVER spoke about it, and so you may find an ancestor within this group. 11% of Canadians are descendants of the Home Children. Read more and search the free databases http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/index-e.html

There is a story about Canada's oldest living home child at http://littleimmigrants.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/at-105-walter-goulding-is-canadas-oldest-living-home-child/#comments


Don't you marvel at the myriad of stories of where we came from?
Pat

RootsTech 2014 [select] Sessions Available now

The live sessions that were videoed have now been made available, with titles, so have a look. They're FREE, and 2013 sessions are there too. https://rootstech.org/about/videos/

The 2014 Syllabus entries are there too, in their entirety, but they are not clearly labelled. Anyway, they are also FREE https://rootstech.org/about/syllabus-materials/ I do not know how long they will remain, so if interested, don't hesitate too long.


All this FREE Genealogy is becoming VERY time-consuming!! ;)
Pat

USA Historical Newspapers online

From the University of Pennsylvania ... very cool and sorted by State http://guides.library.upenn.edu/content.php?pid=338800&sid=2770243


Happy Reading!
Pat

Friday, February 7, 2014

RootsTech Today - Day 2

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've only managed to watch two sessions today, but they were both excellent and I encourage you to see them.

Lisa Alzo - Tweets, Links, Pins, and Posts: Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls with Social Media
Lisa and I used to teach together through an online group called GenClass ... way back when ... so I knew she was good! Today she was really really good. She offers so much encouragement for people who have been hesitating to get involved with social media for a variety of reasons. She spoke about Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, online cemetery sites, YouTube, Blogs, Chats & Hangouts, and more! She broke them down, briefly, and offered up wonderful examples of how they can help, often in ways you'd never think of AND that could never be repeated in any other format. And in usual Lisa fashion her syllabus entry is chock full of web links. Give her a listen, download the syllabus (linked from bottom of RootsTech home page), and learn!


Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com by Crista Cowen
I have heard Crista many times before and she is always a wealth of information on how to use Ancestry most effectively. Every single time I listen, I learn something new, and I've been a member for at least 15 years. Today was no exception!! So now I'm anxious to get back into Ancestry to try out all the new things I learned, and/or had forgotten. I cannot find a syllabus entry from her on this topic, but I'm pretty sure she is all over YouTube [do a search] and I also believe she does other sessions on Ancestry website. GREAT stuff!!


That may be all I watch today, but who knows? Anyone else enjoying these free sessions? And they will be archived on RootsTech website so for you worker bees you'll be able to catch up over the weekend, or next year!! I'm hitting the golf course tomorrow so not sure what I'll watch live ... I could be in the 'archived' versions too. Hahaha


Feb. 8th Thanks to Dick Eastman there is additional info from Day 2 http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2014/02/rootstech-day-2.html


Feb. 9th - sorry to anyone who was waiting for a Day 3 update about RootsTech. I have been under the weather for a couple days so did not get to participate in Day 3. ;-( Just a 24 hour thing I guess as I am beginning to feel better, so I'll also be watching re-runs [haha] from the RootsTech website. Don't forget to check out the Syllabus entries as they will not remain online for long.

Cheers Everyone!!
Pat

Thursday, February 6, 2014

RootsTech Today - Day 1

Well something happened and the last online session is not being shown live, but it is to be available, archived, within 24 hours. Technology is sooooooooooo awesome ............. when it works!! haha


Major Three Things I Learned Today
1. Family History Centre's will have FREE onsite access to several of the best genealogy sites, including Ancestry.com [World Edition], FindMyPast.com [plus subscription], and MyHeritage [plus subscription]. AND members of the LDS Church will have free access in their homes as well!! Lucky them!!

2. The 3-2-1- Backup Plan: 3 copies, in at least 2 different current formats, with at least one 1 off site. WHAT great advice!!

3. Genes have no race.


Can't wait for tomorrow's sessions, although I am pretty excited about hitting the driving range tomorrow too!! ;-))))
Pat

RootsTech Sessions on NOW

These sessions do not seem to be as easy to locate as other years, or ........... maybe it's just me and you guys have already tuned in? Whatever, here ya go https://rootstech.org/

The sessions being broadcast are listed here https://familysearch.org/node/2519 Remember these times are MST.


Pat

Saturday, February 1, 2014

USA County Quiz - just for fun

Anyone with US connections might be interested in this little quiz. I love games that teach, or make us think. I scored 8 out 10 ... not bad, but I should have checked on abbreviations before I guessed at one and then I would have had 9! Excuses, excuses, excuses!! hahaha http://www.mob-rule.com/quiz?nstates=10


Have Fun, and let me know how you make out?
Pat