Saturday 31 October 2015

Serendipity Sunday (on Saturday) - The Vivisector


This is NOT for the faint of heart. 
Readers discretion is advised.

This week I came across this publication.




It is a Directory of all Vivisectors licensed in the UK, with some information about them, not all having the same info.  Some have dates of birth, death, some have addresses.

Vivisectors are those that experimented on living creatures for the scientific study of normal function in living systems.



Relevant Links

The Vivisectors' Directory UK 1884  (Reader's discretion is advised)

The British Vivisector's Directory: a black book for the United Kingdom 1890






Tuesday 27 October 2015

Soldiers of the Queen




Today I came across this website - Soldiers of the Queen - a virtual museum of British Military photographs and research.



Interesting site of British soldiers wherever they served, India, Canada, Africa, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand, West Indies, etc, and of course at home.

I like the site design, and it is easy to navigate.

Some of the photos are unidentified... perhaps you will find your ancestor here?  Go on over and take the tour - admission is free to this museum!   


Relevant Links








Monday 26 October 2015

"Life Without Bees.....


"Life Without Bees means life without chocolate." 

That is the title of a blog post I noticed when I was reading about how to make a bee friendly garden. Bees pollinate about 75% of the food we eat, so I would say that is true!

A few yeas ago when we drove north in the spring we would pass a stretch that has orchards on both sides of the road.  It was like going through a bee-storm! Our RV got battered by bees coming and going and we had to stop at least twice to wash the dead and spattered bees off the windshield and out of the grill.  Ewwww! But I also felt bad for the bees, having watched the Bee Movie. That has not happened in a couple of years now. Is it due to disappearing bees?

Like a lot of people of the time, my grandparents tried their hand at beekeeping.



My parents had other friends who kept bees and when we would stop in to see them they would give us kids pieces of honeycomb. Yum!

There are many publications about keeping honey bees, and a beekeepers association in most cities or states. Look in the newspapers for associations your ancestors may have belonged to.


Edinburgh Evening News, September 12, 1894


Studies show that due to poor bee and hive health globally there are not enough honey bees to pollinate crops.  More and more people are growing their own food and here are ways to attract honey bees to your garden. Even if you are not growing food there are ways you can help keep bees thriving.

I have a friend, Cathern who told me of this short YouTube film clip on pollinators, and she is making seed bombs to toss into wild areas for all of Mother Nature's creatures. This post is dedicated to Cathern who is doing her part to help save the honey bees, and whose birthday it is today!

Were any of your ancestors apiarists? Check local libraries and archives for local, state and provincial Beekeeping Associations.



Relevant Links

The ABC's of Bee Culture; with biographies of noted bee-keepers 1890 

Ontario Beekeepers Association 1888 

Manitoba Beekeepers Association 1918

Wintering Bees in Canada 1926 

Beekeeping in the Kootenays, BC 1918

Annual Report of the General Manager of the National Bee-Keepers USA 1904

Gleanings in bee culture

The Bee-Keeper's dictionary 1800

Bee Keepers Review - USA

British Bee Journal & Bee-keepers' Advisor

Bee-keeper's legal rights

Annual Report of the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association

First Report of the State Bee-Keepers' Association of Pennsylvania 1906

American Bee Journal

Iowa State Apiarist

Pennsylvania Beekeeper

Lone Star Apiarist

The American Apiculturist








Sunday 25 October 2015

Serendipity Sunday - Original Lists of Persons of Quality to 1700



This week while researching my ancestors, I came across this publication...



 
 
Emigrants, religious exiles, political rebels, serving men sold for a term of years, apprentices, children stolen, maidens pressed, and others who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations - 1600-1700: with their ages, the localities where they formerly lived in the Mother Country, the names of the ships in which they embarked, and other interesting particulars. - 1874


Here is a sneak peek...


"13 November.   Grant to James Marquis of Hamilton, Henry, Earl of Holland, and others, all that continent, Island or Region commonly called Newfoundland, bordering upon the Continent of America, to them and their heirs."  (Newfoundland mentioned in a few places throughout)

Includes records for New England, Newfoundland, Bermuda (Sommer Islands) and Barbados. List of Walloons (of Belgium) and French promising to emigrate to Virginia.





Wednesday 21 October 2015

More Sessional Paper Discoveries



This past week or more leading up to the Federal Elections in Canada we have been delving into the  Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada, where you may find the names of your ancestors in the 1st Volume of each year.  That is the volume reserved for the Auditor General's report, and looking under Expenditures for each section gives names, wages and sometimes other information. Not only payments to employees, but also to outside contractors.


 


We have covered quite a few in the last several days, but there is much more. Some of the other departments for 1918 that may hold names and locations of our ancestors are:
(Note that not all years give lists of people, eg naturalization, convicts, census)

Auditor General's Office, legislature, privy council, etc..

Agriculture Department: Experimental Farming, livestock, food inspectors, etc.

Archives Department

Finance Department:  Pensions and supperannuations (1901)

Inland Revenue Department: covering excise tax, adulteration of food

Interior Department:  land sales, surveyors, inspectors, settler inspections, timber and forestry, water power, national parks

Government of the Yukon (under Interior Dept) 1918

Government in the Yukon 1901

Marine and Fisheries: government steamers and inspectors, meteorological, services, marine hospitals, fees collected for Master & Mate certificates

Militia and Defense: Militia, permanent force, cadets, civil employees, military college

Department of Mines: geological surveyors, assay offices

External Affairs:  Canadian Foreign Consuls, Foreign Country Consuls (1921)

Secretary of State:  Companies issued licenses, naturalization, civil service lists.

Department of Indian Affairs: School teachers, agents

Naval Service:  dockyards and staff, lifesaving stations, fishery wardens & patrol and hatcheries

Printing and Stationery 

Public Works:  buildings, harbours, telegraph lines, etc

Railways and Canals: canal and locks staff, Hudson's Bay Railway and other gov't railroads

Northwest Mounted Police: Crimes during the year, often mentioning criminals by name.

Trade and Commerce


Each Volume has an Index in the back to make it easy to find what you are looking for. Perhaps your ancestor worked for or was under contract in one of these departments? 



Related Posts:  Sessional Papers


Tuesday 20 October 2015

Citizenship & Naturalization



The Government of Canada published lists of naturalized immigrants as stipulated by the Naturalization Act of 1914 and later acts.  The lists from 1915-1951 were published in the Reports of the Secretary of State in the Sessional Papers of Canada and in the Canada Gazette.


Sessional Papers 1922

Looking at the year 1922, I checked the index at the front of any volume number.  I see in the Index that the Secretary of State Report is No. 29, which I find in the Contents is in Volume 8. So on the list at Internet Archive under 1922 I would look for Vol 58, No 8 Sessional Paper No 27-32, for 1922. I didn't find any lists of names for other years that I checked, just numbers from each country.




Relevant Links

Sessional Papers 1922: Aliens granted Certificates of Naturalization (pg 319-613)

Citizenship and Naturalization Records at LAC, 1915-1951

Nationalization records at olive Tree Genealogy

The Canada Gazette Archives

How to find US Records of Immigration and Naturalization

How to find British records of Naturalization

How to find Australian Naturalization records

Naturalization and Alien Registration Records of New Zealand



Monday 19 October 2015

The Justice Department



In the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada the employees of the Justice Department are mentioned in the Auditor General's Report.  In this department are the Chief Justice, sheriffs and judges, circuit judges, Court Staff, Provincial justices and judges, the Dominion Police, and Penitentiary staff.


Old Supreme Court of Canada 1890

Search the Sessional Papers for other years, under the No 1, Auditor General's Report.



Relevant Links


Justice Dept 1901

Justice salaries at Ottawa

Supreme Court and Exchequer Court

Justices and judges - Provinces

Dominion Police

Penitentiary Staff - All provinces

Pensions to Judges

Justice Dept - Bilingual 1918

Justice Salaries at Ottawa and Supreme Court

Justices and judges, Provinces

Gratuities to Relatives of deceased officials

Dominion Police

Penitentiary Staff - All provinces

Pensions to Judges



Related Posts:  Sessional Papers

Sunday 18 October 2015

Customs and Immigration Officers



I used to live in a small border town, and we were always going back and forth from Canada to the US. We got to know a lot of the customs officers and they were pretty easy going since we were all "regulars".  One time when I was going across, the long-time officer on the US side, who was stuck there most of the day, asked if I would get him come cigars on my way back. It was like that. The worst was in summer when they had student help... they didn't know us, were more by the book and real sticklers. 

A customs officer is a federal position, therefore in the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada their names, stations and wages were listed in the Auditor General's Report.





The Department of Immigration was responsible for advertising for settlers, and making sure they arrived safely and were cared for. Immigration officers and staff were also listed in the Auditor General's Report, under the Department of the Interior.

My husband's mother's family immigrated to Canada in 1900 from Galicia, Austria. Canadian immigration agencies advertised for hard working families that were willing to farm for free land. They were taken to Hamburg where they were put on a ship to Halifax, from there put on a train to Winnipeg. They stayed there a while before moving on to Saskatchewan. At that time Mr. W F McCreary was the  Commissioner of Immigration in Winnipeg and his report in the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada for 1901 listed several people responsible for locating, transporting, visiting and feeding the Galicians (as well as other immigrant groups).




These records are great whether your ancestor was an Immigration Officer or an Immigrant!



Relevant Links




























Related Posts:  Sessional papers



Saturday 17 October 2015

The Lighthouse Keepers



Living on the west coast and having visited the east coast we have seen many beautiful old lighthouses. One of our neighbours was once a Lighthouse Keeper, and he and his wife enjoyed the life until he retired.  It took them a while to get their land legs.  Imagine being paid to live by the ocean?  Despite the beautiful surroundings the life of a lighthouse keeper can be a lonely and isolating one.




There are not as many manned lighthouses as there once were, with modern technology both on boats and in lighthouses. Just as one would have a GPS for road vehicles, there are marine GPS's and chart plotters that show shallow waters and trouble spots and keep ships on track and out of harms way. In theory. In a fierce storm it is a comfort to see the lighthouse beacon keeping you company and showing the way.

In 2010 the Canadian Senate Committee was looking into shutting down or automating the remaining lighthouses on both coasts. The Globe and Mail wrote an article about it with an interview with a couple of lighthouse keepers and the story of Canada's first lighthouse keeper. In 2011 the Globe and Mail wrote another article about the Committee's findings.

If you think being a lighthouse keeper is the job for you, you can find out how on John Coldwell's website Lighthouse Memories.  He is also in the ongoing process of making a lighthouse keepers database.

The Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada hold names, locations and wages of lighthouse keepers under the Auditor General's reports, under the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The 1903 volume has some old photos of lighthouses.





There is an Association of Lighthouse Keepers open to everyone.  You can get a Lighthouse Passport to collect stamps from lighthouses you visit.

To find names and salaries of lighthouse keepers for years other then those mentioned below, look in No.1 (Auditor General) and its Index (after Contents), sometimes No 1 is in 2-3 Volumes)



Relevant Links

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion - 1903

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion 1916

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion 1922

Marine Expenditures for Maintenance of Lights for 1873 (keep turning pages for location of lighthouses and other provinces)

Lighthouse Keepers of New Zealand list

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in New Zealand

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in Australia

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in the USA

Lighthouse Personnel in England, Wales and the Channel Islands c1790-1911

British Lighthouse Keepers Database

Lighthouse Memories

Women Lighthouse Keepers Canada

US Women Lighthouse Keepers




Related Posts:  Sessional Papers



Friday 16 October 2015

Workin' on the Railroad!



People that worked for Canadian government departments were often mentioned and paid under the Auditor General Report. These reports were sent to the House of Commons and the Senate during sessions of Parliament. We have covered Postmasters, the Office of Indian Affairs and Census Enumerators and today we will dive into the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada for some Railway workers. Specifically those of the Intercolonial Railway (1872-1918), The Windsor Branch, the Prince Edward Island Railway (1871-1918) and the National Transcontinental Railway 



In the Sessional Papers of 1906 they reported not only the expenses of running the railways, but also the names and wages of all the employees - those in the shops, the yards and those on the trains.




In some of the previous pages you may find names of porters, secretaries and officials.



Relevant Links

Intercolonial Railroad Workers and Wages - 1906 (Pg W210)

Intercolonial Travel of Officials - 1906 (Pg W205)

The Windsor Branch Railway - 1906 (Pg W316)

Prince Edward Island Railway 1906 (Pg W317)

National Transcontinental Railway 1906 (Pg W328

Railroad Workers in Sessional Papers 1916 - start here

Railroad Workers in Sessional Papers 1903  - start here

Return of Accidents and Casualties on the Intercolonial Railway lines - 1902

Employees Provident Fund of the Intercolonial and Prince Edward Island Railways records at LAC





Related Post:  All Aboard!

Thursday 15 October 2015

Canada Census Takers



When it came time to conduct the census in Canada, people were hired to go door to door to take down the information.  They were paid for the time they took from their daily schedule for instruction on how to take the census, as well as for doing the work. Some may have been reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses. The enumerators that were given distant or rural routes were paid travel expenses. Some cities hired interpreters for the duration, while in other cities the enumerator paid for his own interpreter and was reimbursed under the travel allowance section with a * beside the amount.

The Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada of 1913 (Volume 1, Part 1) holds reports by the Auditor General, which include payments to 1911 Census takers and other officials under the Agricultural Department Expenditures (Pg C68). They are listed by Province, and it gives the route, enumerators name and payment amounts.  





The Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada of 1907 (Volume 1, Part 1) holds the same census reports for the 1906 Provincial Census of Western Canada (Pg D10).




Was your ancestor an enumerator for the 1906 or 1911 Census?
For the 1921 census only the Commissioners were named.


Relevant Links


Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada 1911

Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada 1906

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Montreal's Old English Burying Ground




The Old English Burying Ground of Montreal was once situated at the corner of Dorchester and St Urban Streets. 

Member of Parliament Walter Shanly had written down inscriptions on some of the tombstones there, and when the cemetery was destroyed in 1875 to make a park he thought it best to publish them and his letter was written up in the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada of 1890.




There are 29 inscriptions. Looking  up their burial records on Ancestry most seem to have had their funeral service at the old Christ Church, with a few at St Gabriel. In some few cases surviving descendants, when notified of the impending destruction, removed their loved ones to the Mount Royal Cemetery. James McGill and his two brothers were buried here, and James' remains were removed to the McGill University Campus (does not mention his brothers).  The rest were plowed over. The site became a park named Dufferin Square.





Relevant Links







Tuesday 13 October 2015

Canada Prisons




I have tooted the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada before, they are rich with information about the country at that time and of our ancestors. The Sessional Papers contain documents tabled to the House of Commons, mostly by Government Departments, but also by Royal Commissions, Task Forces and Census. Some years the reports of different departments are terse, other years they are more detailed with names, addresses, wages, dates, etc. These are not just names of government employees (eg PostMasters, Indian Affairs, etc) but also people or companies granted certain licenses or paid for work done.

At the front of each set of papers, go past the Alphabetical Index to the List of Contents, tells you what is covered in each volume for that year, so you know where to look. Not all reports were printed, so going through the paper you may find some of the Numbers of the volume missing. Some of the unpublished documents can be found at places like Queen's University Library in Kingston, Ontario.

   




Here is an example of detailed Reports from Prisons.

This sample is from 1903, volume 13.  I am linking only to the pages that list names, but the whole section is pretty interesting.

Search google images with [name of prison] and again with [name of prison] + inmates.



Related Links

Prisoners at Kingston, ON - names, where sentenced, the crime

Recommitments at Kingston - name, crime, where sentenced, date, term

Recommitments at St Vincent de Paul, QC - Dorchester, NB - Manitoba and BC

Convicts Pardoned or Paroled

Convict deaths and list of insane convicts

Convicts who served terms in prison isolation

Kingston salaries and expenditures

St Vincent de Paul salaries and expenditures

Dorchester salaries and expenditures

Manitoba salaries and expenditures

BC salaries and expenditures

List of Officers - date of birth, apt dates, salaries

Regina Jail, SK - list of convicts

Regina, pardons and commutation of death sentence

Regina salaries and expenditures

Prince Albert Penitentiary, SK - list of convicts

Prince Albert recommitments

Prince Albert officers, salaries and expenditures

Canada's Penitentiary Museum

Canadian Sessional Papers at McGill University

How to search Kingston Inmate history description ledgers at LAC

General Index to the Sessional Papers printed by the House of Lords, UK 1801-1859

British Sessional Papers at McGill University

List of Canadian Correctional Workers who have died in the line of duty

Personnes incarcérées dans les prisons de Québec au 19esiècle




Related Post: Sessional Papers of Dominion of Canada








Sunday 11 October 2015

Happy Thanksgiving



As I make preparations to receive family and friends for our Thanksgiving feast, I give thanks for all I have. I also give thanks for all the memories of Thanksgiving celebrations past. The kids picking bread for the turkey stuffing as they watch a special on TV on Thanksgiving Eve.  In the morning Mom starting preparations for the feast, then the aroma of cooking turkey starting to fill the house. The children outside foraging for nuts, leaves, berries and other interesting bits of nature to make the traditional centerpiece for the holiday table. Dad sharpening the old carving knife, getting ready to do his part.




In Canada Thanksgiving Day has been the 2nd Monday in October since 1957.




Relevant Links

Thanksgiving in Canada

Two discourses delivered October the 25th, 1759 : being the day appointed by authority to be observed as a day of public thanksgiving for the success of His Majesty's arms, more particularly the reduction of Quebec, the capital of Canada, with an appendix containing a brief account of two former expeditions against that city and country, which proved unsuccessful

The Centenary celebration of the Baptist Missionary Society 1892-3: reports of the commemoration services held at Nottingham, Leicester, Kettering, London and Northampton, and list of contributions to the Thanksgiving Fund

Queenland Peace Thanksgiving Carnival 1918



Monday 5 October 2015

Boating Clubs



We sold our 40' sailboat this week, after many years of adventures around the coast, and thinking about boating reminded me...

My maternal grandmother Mavor had tucked among her family photos this 1904 newspaper clipping of the Grand Trunk Boating Club.  I don't know if my grandfather or his brother are in this photo, or in fact members of the club.



 I know his older brother Stanley Mavor was a Senior Member in 1924. 



My paternal grandparents went canoeing at the Maple Grove Boating Club, near Chateauguay, Quebec. 



Looking around, searching for information, I came across some yacht club and boating club publications, with lists of members. 

Perhaps your ancestor belonged to a boating club. 




Relevant Links






























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