"Tales of pioneer hardship and deprivation have been told many times. Yet still we remember in wonder, that people accomplished so much with so little; that men and women with simple tools, their bare hands, and their own inventiveness cleared the land, drained the swamps, made their own clothing and provided their own food. Through all these difficulties God was with them and they wanted their children educated intellectually and spritually." from Norfolk Street United Church history

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Heart of the Kitchen





Kitchen ranges popular in the last half of the nineteenth century did double duty - heating space and cooking food.

By the turn of the century, Eaton's 1901 catalogue was illustrating the "finest ranges on the market, so proportioned that the designs and ornamentations are shown off to the best possible advantage...."

"The Royal Alexandra, a twentieth century name and a twentieth century range."

"This is positively the finest range on the market. It has the drop hearth-plate, draw-out duplex grate, draw-out oven rack, accurately proportioned firebox, full size square oven, extra large water reservoir...We positively guarantee this range to be perfect in every part."


In reading further in the catalogue it can be assertained that the prices for this essential part of every rural kitchen was from $30.00 to $49.25...and to finish you off and make the reader drool for this product they state...

"The Alexadra stoves are the finest made and for bakers are head and shoulders over all competitors...."


Findlay's Oval is a cook stove with all the gleaming arrogance of a pre-war Cadillac and the same kind of reputation. Production of the original model stopped in 1958 and began again twenty years later in the Ontario Mennonite community of Elmira.

Today, the Elmira Stove Works, of Waterloo, Ontario has brought back those days by incorporating the best of the old-fashioned looks and quality with today's state-of-the-art features to create the ultimate in antique/country styled ranges.

Company founder, Tom Hendrick, who has been in the Antique Style Range business for over 20 years, developed the Cook's Delight style of cookstove, to meet the demand for a modern appliance with the aesthetics of a woodburning range. It was modelled after an Early American range called the "Classic Clarion" first produced around 1850.

Another longstanding, traditional cookstove is the Enterprise which was built by Dominion Foundry Company of Sackville, Nova Scotia, founded in 1852 by Mr. R.M. Dixon.

At one time Enterprise was the only company in the world manufacturing a complete line of cooking products using wood, coal, oil, gas, electricity and microwave energy all in one factory.

In the 1980's the company changed to Enterprise-Fawcett Limited where, the skills of generations of craftsmen came together in the production of the" world's finest cook stove". The original molds made from wooden patterns carved by hand inspired the successful Legacy Series. The Monarch, King, Savoy Oil and Savoy Wood cook stoves combine authentic styling with todays standards.

Now isn't this familar? The T. Eaton Company had claimed back in 1901 the almost the same glowing words for the "Royal Alexandra."

Friday, March 25, 2011

Government of Canada to Establish a National Holocaust Monument





OTTAWA, March 25, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State (National Capital Commission), today announced on behalf of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, that Bill C-442, an Act to establish a National Holocaust Monument, received Royal Assent.

"Our government will establish a National Holocaust Monument in the National Capital Region," said Minister Cannon. "We will always honour the memory of those who perished in the heinous crimes perpetrated during the Holocaust and recognize the important contributions to our country of those who survived."


The monument will help ensure the memory of the Holocaust is never lost. It will also promote a better understanding of the historical events of the Holocaust and how they have affected Canadian history — an understanding that will benefit Canadians in every community across the country.

Transport Canada will oversee the planning and design of the monument, the selection of a suitable site and public consultations, in cooperation with the National Holocaust Monument Development Council. The department's responsibilities will also include the construction and maintenance of the monument. The Council will be required to spearhead a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of the monument and to submit an annual report to the Minister and the appropriate committee of the House of Commons.

The government wishes to acknowledge the strong expressions of support from parliamentarians in the House of Commons and in the Senate, as well as from members of Canada's Jewish community. The efforts of Member of Parliament Tim Uppal and Senator Yonah Martin, who sponsored the bill in this session of Parliament, contributed to its timely passage.

Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca


Heritage Canada Foundation Welcomes Senate Committee's Recommendations for the Future of Canada's Lighthouses





OTTAWA, March 25, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) strongly supports the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans' Report on the Implementation of the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act tabled yesterday, March 24, after many months of consultation with Canadians.

In its Report, the committee recognizes that the intent of the 2008 Act was undermined by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' move to declare 473 of its active lighthouses as "surplus." As a result, local groups and communities are under pressure to assume the financial responsibility for maintenance and protection of almost all of Canada's iconic lighthouses.

HCF strongly endorses the committee's recommendation that the federal government therefore "provide the Heritage Canada Foundation with the seed funding to help launch a comprehensive campaign dedicated to raising funds for the restoration and preservation of Canada's remaining historic lighthouses."

"HCF is eager to work with the federal government, the corporate sector and private individuals to create a national lighthouse fund," stated Natalie Bull, HCF's executive director. "We agree with the senate committee that the ability to launch a comprehensive campaign that will deliver significant funds depends upon federal support."


As the only national registered charity working to protect Canada's historic places HCF has been fighting for the preservation of Canada's lighthouses since 1997.

The Heritage Canada Foundation is a national, membership-based, non-profit organization with a mandate to promote the preservation of Canada's historic buildings and places. Visit www.heritagecanada.org.


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Ernest Charles Drury honoured through Premiers' Gravesites Program





Photo Source - Wikipedia

TOWNSHIP OF SPRINGWATER, Ontario, March 24, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a marker commemorating the gravesite of the Honourable Ernest Charles Drury, Premier of Ontario from 1919 to 1923.

"Ernest Charles Drury devoted much of his career to improving the quality of life in the province's rural areas," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "We are proud to commemorate his place in our history with this gravesite marker."


Born in Simcoe County in 1878, Ernest C. Drury was Ontario's eighth premier. He was a leader in the farming community, and became the first president of the United Farmers of Ontario in 1914. The group became a political party in 1918 and won the election of 1919. Drury was then asked to form a government. Known as the "Farmer Premier," Drury enacted progressive legislation that improved life in rural jurisdictions, and began an ambitious road-building program. Drury retired from provincial politics in 1923.

"Through advanced social programming and expansion of the province's road network, Premier Drury gave a voice to rural Ontario," said Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan. "He is remembered for his significant contributions to his community and to his province."


The Premiers' Gravesites Program honours Ontario's former premiers and their service to Ontario by marking their gravesites. Specially designed bronze markers inscribed with the individual premier's name and dates of service are installed at each gravesite, along with flagpoles flying the Ontario flag, where possible.

This program is administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust with funding support from the Government of Ontario. The Trust is an agency of the government dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

Quick Facts:

Eighteen premiers will be commemorated through the Premiers' Gravesites Program. This is the 13th marker to be unveiled through the program since it began in 2008. View them all at Ontarioplaques.com

Learn More:

For more information on the Premiers' Gravesites Program, visit www.heritagetrust.on.ca.


Sunday, March 20, 2011

We're Officially Reading More Online News Than Newspapers





from TreeHugger.com
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York

The Digital Migration Continues to Change the Face of Consumption

A new study from the Ponyter Institute reveals that by the end of 2010, more people were reading their news online than in traditional newspapers. 34% said they read news online, while 31% read the paper. A noted shift in advertising revenues supported the same claim -- more money went to online sources than to daily dead tree editions, too. This story serves to highlight a changing trend not only in how we consume media, but how we consume resources as well.

Mashable parses the report:

Poynter's annual State of the Media report showed that the web was the second most popular source of news; local television news is still the number one source for the majority of people. Local TV also led in revenues, with digital media coming in second. Also, online news media was the only medium that saw growth year-over-year; from radio to television to newspapers and magazines, every other medium saw a decline in audience.


And then there's the scary part: "In general, it can be said that text-based news audiences are dwindling. Only 40% of people in Poynter's study said they read the news in an online or print newspaper, a 12% drop from five years ago." But I digress.


The most common reactions to this story will probably be further musings on the demise of the newspaper and reflections on the role of media in an age that's continuing a march towards supreme digitalization. And the poll certainly raises the all those old questions about how we consume new media. But there's another kind of consumption trend that this poll highlights; that of good old fashioned natural resources. Reading the newspaper is a highly consumptive habit -- it requires a continuous supply of wood (or post-recycled consumer product).

Of course, reading news online is a consumptive habit, too, just a different kind. It drains electricity -- which, here in the US, is most often generated by the burning of coal -- instead of forestland. We've done comparisons between online reading and newspaper reading to try to suss out which is actually 'greener', and it comes out pretty close (unless you get your power from clean sources)... read more story at TreeHugger.com


Saturday, March 19, 2011

Google Your Family Tree - Unlock the Hidden Power of Google





Book Review from Genealogy Newsline

GOOGLE YOUR FAMILY TREE – UNLOCK THE HIDDEN POWER OF GOOGLE,
by Daniel M. Lynch; 2009; 352 pp; Soft Cover; 8.25x10; Indexed; ISBN: 978-0-9820737-1-1; Item # DL1

Since the last Newsline, one of the major genealogical events was RootsTech, which took place here in Salt Lake City. Over 3,000 people showed up for the conference. Several lectures were about using Google for genealogy. One of the speakers was Dan Lynch, the author of Google Your Family Tree. As we all know, Google is by far the most popular Internet search engine available to us today. The Internet is also loaded with genealogical and historical databases, web pages, indexes, photographs, video and stuff we never even thought of before. Finding and accessing these resources is our challenge – and it looks to me like if you know how to harness the overwhelming power of Google, you may – just may – be able to break some of those genealogical brick walls you have before you. If nothing else, you’ll certainly be able to locate data that will fill in holes and add richness to your family story.

Dan's book can help. First off – and maybe more important than anything else, Dan explains though words, illustrations, and pictures just how to search “smart.” Sure – you can just type in that string of words that you think may be on the Web somewhere, but then again, you might want to type words that will bring you the results you actually want. The first three chapters of the book, as well as Appendix E (see below) really get down into the nitty-gritty of searching.

Chapters 3 through 14 deal with Google applications that enhance the family history research experience. Apps like Language Tools, Google Books, Google News Archive, Blog Search, Images & Video, Google Alerts, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Notebook, and the Google Toolbar all have direct application to our genealogy search.

Google is truly helping genealogists open up the resources of the Internet – and Dan’s book makes using Google easier and more produce than ever before. Every genealogist with a computer can profit from the volume.

The following is directly from the Table of Contents:

Foreword
Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Search Engine Basics The Foundation of all Google searches, this chapter describes basic functionality, screen layout, use of keywords, basic commands, and syntax

Chapter 2 – Interpreting Web Search Results The anatomy of Google Web Search results and the powerful commands that can be accessed from links appearing within your search results

Chapter – 3 – Advanced Search Techniques A detailed description of advanced search techniques, both command-line entries as well as those used in the Advanced Search Form

Chapter 4 – Language Tools Using the foreign language capabilities of Google, including automatic language translation, International content search, and Google’s offering worldwide

Chapter 5 – Google Books Tapping the content archives found within Google’s growing online digital library and tips for using these books in your family history search

Chapter 6 – Google News Archive Stepping beyond the current-day news into the rich historical news archive, learn to use the time line feature to quickly sort through historical results

Chapter 7 – Blog Search An in-depth look at searching through and using blog postings as an effective means to conduct your family history research

Chapter 8 – Images & Video Bring you research to life with pictures and video by learning special tips for getting the most value from Google’s image and video archives

Chapter 9 – Google Alerts Search while you sleep! Discussion and step-by-step instructions for using Alerts to make Google work as hard as you do in finding your ancestors

Chapter 10 – Google Maps A look at the indispensable tool for researching places and unique integration with Google Local and Street View

Chapter 11 – Google Earth An in-depth look at one of the most addictive of all Google applications, you’ll be able to “travel” to the home of your ancestors and anywhere else you desire

Chapter 12 – Google Notebook Google Notebook enables you to keep your research organized and available – even when performed on different computers – and easily shared with others

Chapter 13 – The Google Toolbar An optional add-on requiring download and installation, the Google Toolbar offers a host of one-click wonders; also includes brief mention of Google Chrome

Chapter 14 – Other Tips and Tricks More than a dozen additional features of Google that are too good to ignore, even if they don’t have a direct connection to genealogy research

Appendix A – Getting Started in Genealogy A condensed step-by-step guide for those just starting to trace their family tree

Appendix B – Top Sites for Genealogists An overview of the leading free and fee-based websites for genealogy, including a top-ten favorites list and dozens of other useful resources from around the world

Appendix C – Other Internet Search Engines A look at the useful features of more than a dozen other Web search engines

Appendix D – Web Search Engine Defined The history and evolution of Internet Search Engines, courtesy of Wikipedia

Appendix E – Syntax Summary & Quick Reference A concise listing of Google commands and syntax with examples of their use for genealogy

Index

Google Your Family Tree is available at the FRPC website, and can be purchased with FREE SHIPPING within the United States through Tuesday, March 21, 2011. In fact, all new orders for U.S.A. delivery over $25 placed at the FRPC online genealogy bookstore before Midnight MDT on Tuesday, March 11, will be shipped FREE. Sorry, orders shipping to Canada and other countries have the normal shipping fees.

From Genealogy Newsline Vol 1 #2, Tuesday, January 18, 2011; a publication of Family Roots Publishing Co. LLC - www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com

Exhibitions: Musée McCord Museum





http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/keys/virtualexhibits/

The Musée McCord Museum is located in Montreal, right across from McGill University. Visitors who can't make the trek to Montreal can enjoy several of their virtual exhibitions right here.

There are five online exhibits, which are:

..."Where to Draw the Line? Editorial Cartoons in Quebec 1950-2000",

..."The Photographic Studio of William Notman",

..."Urban Life Through Two Lenses",

..."The Victoria Bridge", and

..."The Magic Lantern".

Visitors shouldn't miss "The Urban Life Through Two Lenses" exhibit, as it contains 19th
century photos of Montreal taken by William Notman, matched with photos "reshot" from the same perspective and same location, by contemporary photographer Andrzej Maciejewski. The photos are shown side-by-side in the exhibit, so visitors can see vividly the changes and similarities. The Editorial Cartoon exhibit is also worth checking out, as both Canadian
events and world events are skewered in the cartoons. Canadian or not, this exhibit is enlightening and funny.

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011.
http://scout.wisc.edu/


Halton County, Ontario Libraries Launch Digital Newspaper Archive





from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
Wednesday, March 16, 2011


The Halton Digital Newspaper Archive launched Wednesday. This new online resource is all about preserving community memory by indexing newspaper articles from the north part of Halton County, Ontario. The Archive builds on the indexing already performed by Halton’s public libraries but now provides much more convenient online access to community newspapers, an index previously available only on microfilm.

The work began with Halton Hills volunteer Marshall Neilson who entered births, marriages and deaths from the back files of the Acton Free Press. He started that work in 1984 and over the next 10 years added over 150,000 names from the Acton, Georgetown and Milton papers. Volunteers, staff and summer students have now contributed hundreds of additional hours to this index. The new database contains the index only, not images of the newspapers. Photocopies of the original articles are available by contacting the library that contributed the information to the index.

The Ontario Ministry of Culture honoured the project with the Angus Mowat Award of Excellence. The digitization of the back microfilm of the Acton and Georgetown papers was made possible through a $14,200 grant from the Ontario Genealogical Society: Halton-Peel Branch.

...read more story at Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter


Unique Memorial to Home Children on Display at Museum This Month





Story from Perth EMC:

A unique memorial to the British Home Children who came to Canada between 1869 and 1948 will be on display at the Perth Museum until March 31.

The term "Home Children" refers to a child migration scheme founded in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were shipped to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa from the United Kingdom. The scheme was intended to alleviate the problem of child poverty in Britain by sending poor and orphaned children to countries of opportunity.

A memorial quilt produced in honour of the "Year of the British Home Child in Canada" in 2010 is part of a complete exhibit on the subject of home children. Each panel in the quilt depicts the story of an individual home child, with many incorporating photographs.

"They decided to put this quilt together and capture the story," said Perth Heritage Manager Karen Rennie, who also has a personal connection to the story. "This is a modern look at how you can tell a story with a quilt."...read more story at British Home Children Decendents


Creating a Functioning Family Tree Workshop - Friday, April 29, 2011





As with most hobbies and professions, genealogy research requires a special set of skills and research strategies. Genealogists use a variety of charts, forms, systems and standards in an effort to organize and record the piles of data that seem to accumulate during the course of their research.

Learn how to use these tools to help you keep track of your own family tree.


Guelph Wellington Seniors Association
Evergreen Seniors Community Centre - Computer Lab
683 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario Canada

Cost: Member: $19 / Non-Member: $26.50

Finding Family on the Web - Workshop Friday, April 15, 2011





Reaching out to and collaborating with family members and fellow family history enthusiasts is a great way to leverage each other's resources, avoid duplication of efforts, learn from the experience of others and extend your family tree.

The Internet offers a wonderful array of databases, records, and other resources for researching your family tree online.

Learn how to search like a pro, find genealogy databases, and discover your family history on the Web.

Guelph Wellington Seniors Association
Evergreen Seniors Community Centre - Computer Lab
683 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario Canada

Cost: Member: $19 / Non-Member: $26.50

Software - Paid and Free Workshop Friday, April 8, 2011





Many family history enthusiasts find that a software program can be an excellent tool for organizing and saving their family history. A good genealogy program also makes printing reports and family history books, and exchanging family history information with your relatives much easier. We offer guidance on choosing the right genealogy software for you, along with ratings and reviews of the popular family tree software programs.

Guelph Wellington Seniors Association
Evergreen Seniors Community Centre - Computer Lab
683 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario Canada

Cost: Member: $19 / Non-Member: $26.50

Genealogy Primer Workshop Friday April 1, 2011





Diving into your family history can be an amazing adventure - one in which the learning never ends. Whether you're a genealogy novice just looking to learn a little bit more about your ancestors or the meaning of your last name, or a more experienced researcher wanting to explore new horizons, you'll find we can offer a wide variety of help in finding your way.

Guelph Wellington Seniors Association
Evergreen Seniors Community Centre - Computer Lab
683 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario Canada

Cost: Member: $19 / Non-Member: $26.50