Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Gordon A. Watts on Canada's Censuses

"Federal Government Destroys Value of Future Census" Gordon A. Watts, Gordon Watts Reports.

As an update to my article yesterday, "Are Canada's Historical Censuses in Jeopardy", please read Gordon A. Watt's article today at Global Genealogy.

Gordon is writing to his Member of Parliament about the federal government's decision to strip the Canadian census of much of its value, and I hope all my Canadian readers will do the same.
He will also be filing appropriate Access to Information requests. I'm sure he will keep us updated on the responses and information he receives.

In addition, he is calling for genealogical, family history, historical and associated societies to "band together" to make our views about the importance of the census known to the government.

I also urge you to make your feelings known.

Please read his article here -
Gordon Watts Reports.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Are Canada's Future Historical Censuses In Jeopardy?

Will Canada's family historians, genealogists, academic and independent historians, and even perhaps her statisticians, again have to take time away from their personal, academic and other research to defend Canada's historical censuses?

Many will remember the successful efforts of Canadians to ensure that Canada's 1901 and 1911 censuses were accessible to all, and that post-1911 censuses would be available to future researchers. Compromises were made, and not everyone was quite happy, but in the end, agreement was reached that later censuses would be available to researchers after 92 years had passed successively, and that in 2006, and likely 2011, the census would include a consent clause for future access.

Today, however, there is news about very quiet changes to the census process which would affect historical and genealogical research far into the future. In a CanWest News Service article, today, Shannon Proudfoot's article "Genealogists slam new restrictions on census information" says that Canada's 'long form' census will no longer include the usual broader questions which give a snapshot of the lives of Canadians. Instead, these questions will be included in a "new, voluntary National Household Survey" for selected households which will never be accessible to historical researchers. Presumably the bare statistics will be available, but Statistics Canada's effectiveness will surely be immediately affected by these changes, as data collected from voluntary Household Surveys could never replace that broad collection of data from the national, mandatory census.

Erik Waddell, a spokesman for Canada's Industry Minister Tony Clement, apparently said that this was a government decision, not a Statistics Canada one, and that this was prompted by privacy concerns.

It does not appear, however, that there was any consultation about these changes, nor does there appear to be evidence of any privacy complaints concerning the census.

On the contrary, thousands of Canadians - more than 75,000, petitioned the federal government to guarantee that Canada's historical census information would be available in the future. And as Gordon A. Watts, co-chairman of the Canada Census Committee, the grassroots campaign for census access, is quoted as saying in this article: "The census is the single most important documented information available to the historical and genealogical community."

Almost on the eve of Canada Day, and at a time when many genealogists and family historians are considering how to best celebrate and document Canada's upcoming 150th anniversary in 2017, this is sad and sobering news. Without access to historical census information, Canada's future history would be poor indeed.

"Genealogists slam new restrictions on census information" by Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service. Posted 29 June, 2010 7:02 PM, Canada.com:
http://www.blogger.com/www.canada.com/technology/Genealogists+slam+restrictions+census+information/3217316/story.html

Friday, June 25, 2010

Billie Who? The Annual Swimsuit Edition - Carnival of Genealogy

This edition of Creative Gene's Carnival of Genealogy is: The Annual Swimsuit Edition! Here are three 1910s photographs from my collections.





These two photographs show my mother (in the middle) and an unknown friend at the shore, probably at Clear Lake, Manitoba, Canada. As you can see, as a child my mother had a very bad habit of writing on photographs in crayon. "ME" she says... (I think the "J. ?" is meant to be her initials, JM.)


From the same album, though is this photograph of a young boy in his bathing costume. Likely he too was from Newdale, Manitoba, where my mother lived. "Billie", I think, it says,
but - oh, dear, Mother dear - Billie Who?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day, Dad - Vancouver BC

A sunny Vancouver day! Dad and his mum, Chester Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1920s.
Snapshot from album in personal collection. George William Rogers 1917-1993; Sarah (Saggers) Rogers, 1877-1954.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Before the Internet - Treasure Chest Thursday

The Pocket Household Encyclopedia: What To Do - How To Do It, compiled and edited by N.H. and S.K. Mager. Pocket edition, 1951, 1953, 1954. (New York: Pocket Books, Inc.) Twelve Big Manuals in One Big Volume, 1000+ charts and illustration, 10,000+ "helpful hints on how to save time, effort, energy and money".

As you can see from its condition and from the repairs, this was an often called for book in our family home - with information on all kinds of topics. From home decorating to first aid, spot removal, etiquette and cooking, insects or vegetables, it was all in here.

I know 'it's all on the Internet' now, but really - wasn't this convenient - and no added expense - no batteries, no power needed - after bringing it home from the bookstore. Sadly, this book is no longer as useful. Its pages are torn, its index has fallen out, it's ready for reincarnation, but not, I hope, in a computer manual. That would be sad!

Now the Magers, I would think, must have been an interesting couple. I wonder if they were both handy? Did they test all their tips? Did they have encyclopedic memories or card files full? Nathan H. Mager and Sylvia (Kornmehl) were their names. (Nathan H. Mager, obituary, The New York Times, published April 3, 1986.)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

BC DIGITIZATION SESSION - JUNE 2010

Yesterday I attended the BC Digitization Update session in Vancouver, BC. This was a follow-up to the BC Digitization Symposium of 2008 which I wrote about then.

Speakers were:

Lynne Copeland, President, Canadiana.org, also University Librarian and Dean of Library Services, Simon Fraser University

Carolyne Presser, Chair, Canadiana.org Marketing & Membership, previously Director of Libraries, University of Manitoba

Simon Neame, Chair, BC Digitization Coalition, and Assistant Director, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia

Gordon Coleman, Project Co-ordinator, BC Electronic Library Network

Chris Hives, University Archivist, University of British Columbia Library

There was a good range of participants from Lower Mainland academic and public libraries and larger museums, and a few from outside the region, as well as representatives from the British Columbia Genealogical Society. the British Columbia Historical Federation and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs Resource Centre, the Sto:lo Research and Resource Management Centre and the Pacific Newspaper Group (a division of Canwest Publishing Inc.).

The first presentation was about Canadiana.org's current membership and outreach approaches, next was an update on the BC Digitization Coalition's work, a look at the Digital Collection Builder (DCB) software, and then information on the BC History Digitization Program and its 2010 grants.

There were good questions asked throughout and the session wrapped up with a discussion centred around the participants' comments on the 'Components' document published in the Spring by the BC Digitization Coalition.

I have a lot of ideas and concerns about strategies for digitizing British Columbia and Canada's historical resources, so I'll be posting those and more about these presentations over the next few days.

LINKS

BC Digitization Coalition


BC History Digitization Program


Canadiana.org

Friday, June 11, 2010

Find My Past.com - Free FIFA offer

When England play, you don't pay!

Are you a football fan? Or is it the others in your family that are? (Many Canadians call it soccer, in case you're wondering.) It's time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - in South Africa this year. (FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association)

Here in Canada, we'll be able to watch it live on CBC, and hear all the news and analysis, but if you're not that big on the game, DON'T LET THE FAMILY FANS USE YOUR COMPUTER.

During England's games only, from 30 minutes before kick-off, FindMyPast.com will be free for 3 hours. Even the 1911 English and Welsh census records will be free. Only the 'Living Relatives' searches and Memorial scrolls aren't included. (And why is that? But I digress. Never mind, it's a great offer.)

FindMyPast is one of the very best sites for researchers of English and Welsh genealogy and family history and includes the censuses from 1841-1911, a complete on-line index for births, marriages and deaths (BMD) from 1837-2006, overseas BMD indexes, parish records from 1538, a wide array of military records, outbound United Kingdom passenger lists 1890-1960, an electoral roll search, and more.

And, even if you know no one from England and Wales is in your family tree, have a good look at those outbound passenger records as many from Europe 'stopped over' on their journeys to the Americas or Australia, etc. Others may have visited the UK on holiday too.

You will need to be registered first, and I do recommend that you have a look ahead of time at FindMyPast's guides and tutorials, so you'll be ready to run! Follow this FindMyPast link to see the announcement.

I believe the first of England's matches is tomorrow - 12 June, 2010 at 20:30 South African time. Then the others are June 18 at 20:30 and June 23 at 16:00. Check the FIFA schedule to make sure. And check on-line to convert the time. (I usually go to TimeAndDate.com for this.)

FindMyPast wants to hear about your finds - post them on the Facebook page and there will be prizes too. Watch for a competition question for each game on the FindMyPast blog. Recently, there was a cute FindMyPast blog post about animals listed in the census - keep an eye out for anything like this. (And I would sure like to hear about any suffragettes!)

A little hint too - if you are a football fan, and don't want to miss England's games, you can use the free indexes at FindMyPast anytime. After that, you can subscribe, of course, or if you need just a few things, you may be able to use the 'Pay as You Go' options. FindMyPast has a very efficient website and is one of the few genealogy companies that offers 'loyalty' discounts. And, check with your local Family History Center or a local library. You may find that FindMyPast is available for free. (It is at my local Family History Center in Burnaby, BC.)

Monday, June 07, 2010

Movie Poster Restoration event - June 9, 2010 - Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, Vancouver

The City of Vancouver Archives is inviting the public to see what they do – on a grand scale.


Archives conservators will be piecing together a huge - 81 inch by 81 inch - 1924 movie poster that was discovered in the Orpheum Theatre during renovations in the 1980s. The poster, Western Luck, offers a glimpse into popular culture in Vancouver in the 1920s. The Orpheum Theatre itself is one of my favourite Vancouver buildings - many happy hours were spent there - and now is a Canadian national heritage site.

Western Luck is a movie poster that is made from six separate sheets of paper, known as a ‘six sheet’, and relatively rare. Staff will join the sheets, flatten the poster and provide information to the public about the process.

When: Wednesday June 9, 2010 between 10:30 am and 2 pm.
Where: Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, Vancouver.

Student interns with the Archives have already put in about 100 hours of work to restore the poster. This poster was in very poor condition when received by the Archives in the early 1990s, but if stored properly, the restored poster can last 300 to 500 years or longer. Discussions are underway on long-term storage options.


Conservation started with surface cleaning, removal of the acidic paper backing and separation of the six poster sheets. Each sheet was then specially washed and lined onto Japanese backing paper. Washing removes the soluble acid from paper and increases its life expectancy.


For my 'film-crazy' friends, according to the OMDb, Open Movie Database, and a few other sources, Western Luck was a western (as I might have guessed), directed by George Andre Beranger. The writer was Robert N. Lee and the film starred Charles 'Buck' Jones, Beatrice Burnham, Pat Hartigan, Thomas G. Lingham, J. Farrell MacDonald, Edith Kennick, and Bruce Gordon.

This was written with information from the City of Vancouver Archives: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/archives

The Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, History & Heritage: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/theatres/orpheum/index.htm

Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre blog: http://moberlyartsculturalcentre.blogspot.com/