Monday 27 February 2017

Proceedings of the Municipal Council / Auditor's Reports




We have taken a look many times at the Sessional Papers of Canada and of the provinces, but if you want to know what went on closer to home, it is the Proceedings of the Municipal Council that we need to take a look at.





More often than not local businesses and persons were hired for goods or services in their community. They were paid by the municipal treasurer and probably mentioned in the treasurer's report in the proceedings of the council.


Colchester, NS



You may also find names of citizens who have petitioned the council for something they would like done, either in the town or on their property, or perhaps to be paid for a service rendered.



Baltimore, MD


Look for: Annual Reports of the City council, Proceedings of the City Council, Treasurers Report for the County, Auditors Report for City, etc

Check for more at Internet Archive, HathiTrust and the local library or city archives



Relevant Links

Minutes and proceedings of Municipal Council for Colchester, NS 1882

Minutes and proceedings of the Municipal Council of Cumberland County, NS

Proceedings of the Municipal Council of Welland, ON


Auditor's Report for Dorchester (Boston, Mass)

Auditor's Report for Dunbarton NH

Auditor's Report for Weston VT

Journal of Proceedings of City Council of Baltimore 

Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen New York

Proceedings of the Council of the City of Manchester, UK





Sunday 26 February 2017

Canada 150 - Chartered Accounts of Ontario (and beyond)





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...





The Institute of Chartered Accountants was formed to give the public a guarantee of efficiency and ability, by testing candidates and giving Diplomas and Certificates to competent and reliable persons in the profession.




You can see by the list of members that they come from all across Canada.



Relevant Links





Thursday 23 February 2017

Canada 150 - Old Macdonald Had a Farm





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


Old Macdonald had  a farm.... 


...Old William Christopher Macdonald that is, who planned and funded Macdonald College on the west island of Montreal.






When it opened its doors in 1907, 110 years ago, Macdonald College was one of the most modern agricultural colleges in the world, and the largest in Canada.




It was not just a teaching farm, but was often opened to the community.  I remember my Mom going there in the fall to pick a bushel of fresh apples to make her famous, prize-winning apple pies.  The Girl Guides and Boy Scouts did orienteering on the grounds of the college.  The public can have a guided tour of the farm during the summer. 

With spring hopefully looming in the not too distant future, mosey on down to the Morgan Arboretum for their annual sugaring off. I remember the first time my parents took us for maple taffy on snow and when we got home we had our Dad tap the only sugar maple on our property.  Of course it takes more than one tree to get enough sap to make maple syrup hahaha. 




William Macdonald didn't stop with the college, he also funded an elementary and a high school, both of which I attended. I also worked at the college coffee shop for a time when I was in high school. 



Relevant Links

The Macdonald Farm Journal, 1952-1968

Clan Macdonald Yearbooks, 1932-2000

Macdonald College Magazine, 1910-1932

The Macdonald Journal, 1940-1952

The Dram (Macdonald College Newspaper)

What's in the Archives




Monday 20 February 2017

Monthly Record of BMD for 1861 UK and Ireland




I came across this publication for finding ancestors in the UK or Ireland in the 1860s.





It says for the month ending January 1, 1861 on the cover but the first section is 1860 and mostly December but there are some records as early as September. The next section is 1861 and goes through the whole year.

This paper "entered at Stationer's Hall" was published monthly and distributed to subscribers in all the colonies.

Also has an "alphabetic list of estates of deceased persons, upon which claims will be barred unless made on or before the particular dates"



Relevant Link






Sunday 19 February 2017

Canada 150 - The Boer War





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


Canadians in the South African War (Boer War)


The Boer War (1899-1902) was the first time a Canadian military force was sent overseas. According to LAC, "Canadians participated in nine important battles between the November 1899 arrival of the first contingent in South Africa, and the end of the war in May 1902."


A total of 7,368 soldiers from all across Canada and 12 Nursing Sisters served in South Africa.




Relevant Links


The 2nd Regiment Canadian Mounted Rifles and 10th Canadian Field Hospital, A.M.C. : organized in Canada for service in the field in South Africa : roll of officers, non-commissioned officers and men and nursing sisters.

The second Canadian contingent for special service in the field in South Africa

Soldiers of the South African War (Boer War) - service files at LAC

Info on the Boer War at the Canadian War Museum (units, battles, uniforms, maps, etc)

Images at LAC - Boer War

Our Boys Under Fire: NB and PEI Volunteers in South Africa




Friday 17 February 2017

LaFrance Update




The Drouin Institute LaFrance collection has been updated at Genealogy Quebec.






The LaFrance collection is a detailed index with a link to the original documents for baptisms, marrriages and burials in Quebec. Find out how to use the LaFrance collection in my previous post explaining all the collections at Genealogy Quebec.


See the update details, read about their RootsTech experience, and subscribe to their newsletter here.


As always, their ever-growing obituary collection ranging from 1999 to the present is FREE and can be accessed here.







Thursday 16 February 2017

Canada 150 - Meet the Press





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


The Press Associations



The objectives of the press associations were to promote the general interests of the journalistic profession and to improve the quality of journalism.


Relevant Links

Journal of proceedings at the sessions of 1889 of the Maritime Press Assn

Dominion Editors and Reporters Association: list of members 1874-75

Canadian Press Association, lists of members

Press Association, Province of Quebec



Monday 13 February 2017

Lumber Industry




The two main industries on the island where I live are fishing and logging.
It is the logging companies that create the free camping spots we frequent on the ocean side or on lakes by their logging roads. The logging company office may also give you a map of where you can pick up wood (not cut down trees) for firewood.




Canada has the second largest forested area, after Russia. Most of the logging is done in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Most forest lands are owned and administered by the federal or provincial governments. People or companies wishing to log must obtain a timber license.





Timber license records can be found in the provincial and federal sessional papers.




In the UK it is a Felling License from the Forestry Commission that is needed to cut trees.


Relevant Links


Western Lumberman, Canada

Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen Bulletin

Four L Lumber News

American Lumberman

Lumberman Periodicals at HathiTrust

Canadian Forest Industries

Ontario Sessional Papers

BC Sessional Papers





Sunday 12 February 2017

Canada 150 - Illustrated Journal





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


Canada: Illustrated Weekly Journal 




This weekly journal was "for all those interested in the Dominion". It contained business news and personal notices from all across Canada.





Relevant Links

Canada: An Illustrated Weekly Journal (Internet Archive)

Canada: An Illustrated Weekly Journal (HathiTrust)



Thursday 9 February 2017

Canada 150 - Royal Military College





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


Royal Military College of Canada



Names of officers, wounded, gentlemen cadets, etc


Relevant Links


Royal Military College at Kingston, general regulations, 1883



Monday 6 February 2017

The Electrical Trade




According to his obituary my great uncle Wilfred Tait was well known throughout Eastern Canada in the electrical engineering and supply trade. He was an electrical draughtsman when he joined the Navy in WWI. He later worked for the electrical engineering department of the Steel Company of Canada, then went on to work for Square D Electric.

This photo was taken at the 32nd Canadian Electrical Association Conference in Ottawa at the Chateau Laurier in June 1922. I think my great uncle was too new to the trade to be in this photo.






Electrical trade periodicals usually have a personal section (appointments, retirees, obituaries, etc) and a section on new patents. May be called news or notices (contracts, bankruptcies, new companies, etc). Check the contents at the beginning of each number. There could be more than one number in a book.








Relevant Links

Canadian Electrical News and Engineering

The Electrician NY 1882-1883

The Electrician UK, Vol 57 1906

The Western Electrician, Chicago

The Southern Electrician NC 1911

Great Electricians 1909

Electrical World 

The Electrical Review, UK 

Journal of Electricity, Power and Gas (Pacific Coast Electric Transmission Assn)

IEEE membership directory (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1914

The Post Office elecrical engineers' journal (many names in back- Britain, India, Africa, Uganda) 1908-1922

J A Berly's British, American and continental electrical directory and advertiser

The Universal electrical directory

McGraw electrical trade directory

Tait's electrical directory of Australia and New Zealand (in library only)

American electrical directory 1888

The Electrician, electrical trades directory and handbook 1889-1917

The Electrical Trade Chicago 1895-1918

Proceedings, annual meeting - Canadian Electrical Association

Proceedings, annual meeting - Minnesota Electrical Association 1909

Proceedings of the Electrical Institute of Engineers



Sunday 5 February 2017

Canada 150 - Winnipeg Grain Exchange




During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.


Today I have for you...


Annual Report of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange


The Winnipeg Grain Exchange was founded in 1887 by local grain merchants to trade and set prices of grains in the Canadian West. My great uncle George John Seale was a member of the Grain Exchange as an officer of the Royal Bank of Canada. 


Relevant Links







Thursday 2 February 2017

Canada 150 - Newfoundland Quarterly





During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...


The Newfoundland Quarterly


The Newfoundland Quarterly was founded in 1901 focusing on the arts, culture, history and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is still published today, making it the second oldest magazine in Canada. Searchable and can download.



Relevant Links

The Newfoundland Quarterly, archives online courtesy of Memorial University

The Newfoundland Quarterly



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