Free Access to Canadian Records

 Announcement posted on Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Report From NGS 2023 Conference

Maureen E. sent this report from the recent national conference. Thanks, Maureen!

I attended the National Genealogy Society conference in Richmond June 1-3. The conference is recuperating from the pandemic. Fewer in-person attendees and vendors were present in contrast to pre-pandemic meetings. Covid vaccinations or negative tests were required to attend and a few speakers required masks. Hopefully that will all be a thing of the past. There were over 100 talks and ten were recorded for the folks attending virtually.  Of particular focus were Virginia and neighboring states. Since my husband’s families are from Virginia and North Carolina, I had multiple opportunities for learning.  Many presentations addressed particular issues for African Americans including slavery. NGS leadership made a formal apology for its earlier history of racism including the exclusion of minorities from membership. In addition, tracks included DNA and tools for skill building. Each day luncheons (for an extra charge) were sponsored by the supporting organizations.  On the day before the formal meeting started, there were multiple tours and meetings for librarians, genealogy society organizers, etc. The app that provided Conference information allowed us to find people with similar interests. Meeting fellow genealogists is a great secondary benefit.

NGS has not announced the venue and topic for the 2024 conference, although I understood that would happen at the Richmond conference.

Things to consider for future NGS events:

1.  Although there are always multiple topics of interest, the focus always is on the location of the conference. Review the brochure for your own areas of interest.

2. Register early and make your hotel reservation as soon as allowed or you will be shuttling or paying much higher rates.

3. Believe them if they tell you the conference center will have variable temperatures—too cold or too hot.

4. Don’t follow the rules (if there are any), regarding bringing your own drinks and snack—just act dumb. Limited and expensive eating options in Richmond and other convention centers.

5. Overall enjoy, as NGS is a wonderful source for genealogists!

Canadian Census Glitch

Evidently too many folks wanted to check out the 1931 census! Update from Library and Archives Canada.

After a tremendous take off for the launch of the 1931 Census on June 1, traffic increased rapidly. Our system started showing signs of slowing down, followed by difficulties with loading images. Unfortunately, this affected our users’ online experience, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We are as disappointed as our users, given the tireless work that went into preparing for the 1931 Census release and the anticipation around that release.

We are actively working on finding technical solutions and testing is ongoing.

While we do not have a timeline to offer at the moment, giving our users a great online experience with the 1931 Census data is our top priority.

1931 Canadian Census is Now Online

 

Here's the press release from Library and Archives Canada:

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is proud and excited to offer access to the digitized 1931 Census of Canada, 92 years after it was conducted. This is the first time that LAC has provided online access to census content on the first day permitted by law. The 1931 Census data delves into where people lived, but also how they lived; it is an extremely valuable tool for genealogy and research since it captures people and their relationships, the languages they spoke and how and where they lived—whether with extended families, within their immigrant communities or in institutions and rooming houses.

The release of the 1931 Census data is taking place in two phases. Today marks the public launch of phase one, which includes 234,687 digitized images and an interface for users that allows them to browse by district and sub-district.

Phase two involves transcribing the entire census to offer an intuitive and user-friendly search experience. As soon as the fall of 2023, all users—regardless of their level of genealogical or research expertise—will be able to search the census by name or place using Census Search. To accomplish this work in record time, LAC has been working and will continue to work collaboratively with its partners Ancestry® and FamilySearch International.

Arizona Genealogy Day

At least a couple of our members attended the third annual Arizona Genealogy Day on April 26. This is an online program presented by the Arizona State Library. Watch for another session next April.

J. Mark Lowe's topic was "Missing People: Fractured Relationships, Divorce and Murder." He suggests that when an ancestor seems to disappear we consider those possibilities. We should examine the divorce laws for a particular locality and time period to get started. 

Ari Wilkins discussed using Sanborn Maps, census reports and city directories to reconstruct a neighborhood to help to learn who our ancestors' associates might be.

Cyndi Ingle demonstrated how to create genealogical proof articles to analyze information gathered about a difficult research problem.

Another session addressed how to research your home: "If These Walls Could Talk." The fifth topic was Arizona Genealogy 101, containing an overview of online resources for research in Arizona. 

The Photo Angel

Vista Grande Library's April genealogy presentation was a very interesting Zoom talk by Kate Kelley, who has been nicknamed "The Photo Angel." For the past couple of years, she has been rescuing labeled photos from antique stores, researching the names written on the backs, and attempting to return them to a family member or descendant.

She told us how she got started because of her curiosity about photos of people in her grandparents' collection who were unrelated to the family. She also spoke about several of the interesting back stories, and invited us to participate ourselves! She has a Facebook page devoted to her specialty; Google her name if you are interested.

RootsTech Celebrates DNA Day

 

RootsTech is proud to celebrate DNA Day on April 25, 2023, with 8 free online classes led by DNA experts covering a wide variety of topics. DNA Day began in 2003 as an annual celebration of the discovery of DNA's double helix structure and the important role that genetics play in our lives.

 

A Few Thank Yous

 

It's time to say thank you to all of our members, especially the officers: Susan, Diane, Dick, Bob and Nancy.

Thanks to Laurie, who arrived early most Tuesdays in order to help set up tables and chairs.

Thanks to Maureen and Maureen for preparing and giving multiple presentations.

Thanks to Diane and Beth for stepping up with workshop topics.

Thanks to Nancy for posting club information each week on Next Door.

Thanks to those who signed up to be mentors and then followed through by helping out.

Thanks to all members who welcomed/visited with/assisted beginners or new members.

Thanks to the enthusiasts who attended nearly every meeting and continually expressed their interest in genealogy!