Gene-O-Rama 2013 and 2014

With the OGS Conference 2012 behind us, Ottawa Branch is gearing up for Gene-O-Rama 2013. It will be held on 5 and 6 April at Library & Archives Canada (395 Wellington St). We are still booking the speakers, so keep an eye on the website for more details (http://ogsottawa.on.ca). Marketplace will include all your favourite vendors and more.

The title of the post includes Gene-O-Rama 2014. Gene-O-Rama 2014 will be the last for a couple of our organizers, including myself. My workload at the Society level will continue to increase and I can no longer dedicate the time necessary to Gene-O-Rama. There is plenty of time to join us this year and "job shadow" for the 2013 version, before taking over for the next year. We will also be looking for a new Registrar for 2014, so several opportunities. Contact me if you are willing to lend a hand: conference@ogsottawa.on.ca

Timeline October 30 & 31

October 30
1735  John Adams, the second president of the United States 1797-1801, was born in Braintree, Mass.
1892  Charles Atlas, Italian born American bodybuilder, who co-created mail-order bodybuilding course, was born.
1938  Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing anxiety in some of the audience in the United States.
1953  George C. Marshall, who, as secretary of state following World War II, engineered a massive economic aid program for Europe, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

October 31
1517  Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
1632  Jan Vermeer, Dutch painter, was born.
1795  Poet John Keats was born in London, England.
1926  Magician Harry Houdini died.

Legacy Family Tree Webinar October 31

Wednesday, October 31, 2012. 2:00 PM Eastern
Judith Eccles Wight

Breaking Down Your Irish Brick Wall.
Where do you turn when you can't find your Irish ancestors in civil registration, church records or what few censuses survive? Experienced researchers dive right in to the Irish estate records. There is a surprising array of material in estate records that can be used to document the tenants who lived on the estates that covered rural Ireland. In this webinar you will learn how to identify the estate where your ancestor lived, repositories where estate records might be found, and what types of records were kept.

These webinars are free. You must register in advance.
www.legacyfamilytree.com/webinars.asp

Timeline October 28 & 29

October 28
1466  Desiderius Erasmus, theologian and Catholic priest, was born.
1628  The Siege of La Rochelle, which had lasted for 14 months, ends with the surrender of the Huguenots.
1793  Eliphalet Remington, American firearms inventor and manufacturer, was born.
1875  Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, American geographer and president of National Geographic Society, was born.
1886  The Statue of Liberty, a gift of the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbour by President Grover Cleveland.
1914  Dr. Jonas Salk, American medical researcher. Who developed the first polio vaccine, was born.
1955  Bill Gates was born.
1962  Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the US that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

October 29
1618  English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England.
1682  William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, landed at what is now Chester, PA
1929  Stock prices collapsed on the New York Stock Exchange amid panic selling. Thousands of investors were wiped out.
1956  Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula during the Suez Canal crisis.
1969  The Internet had its beginnings when the first host-to-host connection was made on the Arpanet - an experimental military computer network - between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, Calif.
1998  John Glenn, the first American to orbit the moon, returned to space 36 years later, at
age 77.
2004  European Union leaders signed the EU's first constitution.

Timeline October 25 to 27

October 25
1400  Geoffrey Chaucer, author, died in London, England.
1415  The army of Henry V of England defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt.
1760  Britain's King George III succeeded his late grandfather, George II.
1802  Joseph Montferrand, Canadian logger and strong man, was born. (d. 1864)
1825  Johann Strauss Jr., Austrian composer, was born.
1854  The "Charge of the Light Brigade" took place during the Crimean War, in the Battle of Balaclava.
1971  The United Nations General Assembly voted to admit mainland China and expel Taiwan.

October 26
899   Alfred the Great, king of Wessex died. (b. 849) An imposing statue can be found in Winchester, England.
1786  Henry Deringer, American gunsmith, was born.
1806  John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada died. (b. 1752)
1825  The Erie Canal opened, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River in upstate New York.
1854  Charles William Post, US manufacturer of breakfast cereal, was born.
1861  The Pony Express officially ceased operations.
1881  The gunfight at OK corral took place in Tombstone, AZ.

October 27
1553  Condemned as a heretic, Michael Servetus is burned at the stake just outside Geneva.
1728  James Cook, British naval captain, was born.
1811  Isaac Merrit Singer, American inventor, who developed Singer sewing machine, was born.
1858  Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the US, was born in New York City.
1967  Expo '67 closed in Montreal.

Do you belong to a genealogical society?

At her presentation Saturday to Ottawa Branch OGS about the Canadian Genealogy Survey (http://genealogyincanada.blogspot.ca/), Dr Leighann Neilson said that they found that barely a third of genealogist joined a genealogical society. I know that it is much cheaper to rely on "free" forums and mailing lists for your information but do you know if the person replying to you actually knows what they are talking about? As genealogists, we seek support for any information that we find about our ancestors but many seem to accept as gospel the words of any unknown e-mailer.

On the other hand, you can find a great deal of expertise at the meetings of genealogical societies as well as guidance towards sources that may solve your problem. As one person said "Joining a local society means I have a whole group of "experts" to ask when I need help or information." I often tell people to come out to a meeting and learn from our mistakes.

On the blog, one comment is that "Few who join a society subsequently leave; they soon come to see the merits of meeting like-minded people and exposing themselves to new ways of thinking at meetings and conferences." Dr Neilson also mentioned a study that "suggested that one of the major reasons for belonging to a family history society was that it provided an opportunity to share." Presumably, most of us plan to do something with what we have learned. Most people plan to share with their family, some plan to share with a genealogical or historical society. At a society meeting, other genealogist can share their experiences in researching and "sharing" their family research, including the pitfalls on putting your information on the Internet. How do you put a price on experience?

October 21 to 24

October 21
1520  Ferdinand Magellan discovered a strait now known as Strait of Magellan.
1805  A British fleet commanded by Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated a French and Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar; Nelson was killed in battle.
1833  Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish chemist, was born.
1879  Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ.
1917  American soldiers first saw action in WW I on the front lines in France.

October 22
741   Charles Martel, leader of the Franks, died.
1734  Daniel Boone, American pioneer and hunter, was born.
1797  French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of 3,200 feet.
1811  Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer, was born.
1964  Canada: A Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selected the design which became the new official Flag of Canada.

October 23
1707  The first Parliament of Great Britain met.
1885  Lawren Harris, Canadian painter, was born.
1939  Zane Grey, American author, died. (b. 1872)
1946  The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time, at an auditorium in Flushing, Queens, New York City.
2001  Apple announced the iPod.

October 24
1260  The spectacular Cathedral of Chartres was dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France. The cathedral is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1601  Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer died. (b. 1546)
1648  The Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Year's War and effectively, the Holy Roman Empire.
1911  Orville Wright remains in the air 9 minutes and 45 seconds in a Wright Glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
1929  "Black Thursday" stock market crash on the New York Stock Exchange.
1945  The United Nations charter took effect.
2003  The era of supersonic jet travel came to an end as three British Airways Concordes landed at London's Heathrow Airport.

Canadian Genealogy Survey blog

There are lots of blogs out there to help you learn how to do family history research. The Genealogy in Canada blog lets you hear about the Canadian Genealogy Survey. They also track developments in research on family history. The latest discussion revolves around "WHY BELONG TO A GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY?"

Check out  the Genealogy in Canada blog at http://genealogyincanada.blogspot.ca/

Ottawa Branch OGS - October Meeting

Date           Saturday,  October 20, 2012; 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Location     City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Room 115
Speaker      Ron Doering
Topic          Defending our Home: Loyalist Families of Dundas County and
                   the Battle of Crysler´s Farm (A War of 1812 Novel)
Details:        ogsottawa.on.ca

We will also have an update from Leighann Neilson on the Genealogy Survey results.

Everyone is welcome.
Please arrive by 1:00 p.m. for free refreshments and a chat time (networking).

Timeline October 18 to 20

October 18
1595  Edward Winslow, English founder of the Plymouth Colony, was born.
1867  United States took possession of Alaska after purchasing it from Russia for $7.2 million.
1892  The first long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York was opened.
1919  Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and 1980-4, was born.
1926  Chuck Berry, rock singer, was born.
1931  Thomas Edison, inventor, died at age 84 in West Orange, NJ.
1954  Texas Instruments announced the first Transistor radio.
1929  The Persons Case was decided. (Persons Day in Canada)

October 19
1216  King John of England died.
1781  British troops under Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, VA.
1812  French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte began a retreat from Moscow.

October 20
1632  Sir Christopher Wren, English architect, was born.
1803  The US Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.
1818  The Convention of 1818 signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, among other things, settled the Canada – United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.
1891  James Chadwick, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate, was born.
1904  Tommy Clement Douglas, Canadian politician, was born.
1992  In the first World Series game to be played outside the US, the host Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.

Timeline October 16 & 17

October 16
1555  Hugh Latimer & Nicholas Ridley, English Protestants, were martyred in Oxford, England.
1758  Noah Webster, American lexicographer, was born.
1793  Marie Antoinette was beheaded during the French Revolution.
1923  The Walt Disney Company was founded by Walt Disney and his brother, Roy Disney.
1925  Angela Lansbury, actress, was born.
1995  The Skye Bridge, connecting the Isle of Skye with the mainland Highland of Scotland, was opened.
2002  President George W Bush signed a congressional resolution authorizing war against Iraq.

October 17
1777  British forces under Gen John Burgoyne surrendered to American forces in Saratoga, NY, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
1888  Thomas Edison filed a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
1931  Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was released in 1939.
1933  Physicist Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
1989  An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern California killing about 63 people and causing $7 billion in damage.

Timeline October 14 & 15

October 14
1066  Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
1322  Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence.
1633  James II, King of England 1685-8, was born.
1644  William Penn, English Quaker and advocate for religious liberty, founded American colony of Pennsylvania, was born.
1884  The American inventor, George Eastman, received a U.S. Government patent on his new paper-strip photographic film.
1947  Air Force test pilot Charles E Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier when he flew the experimental Bell X-1 rocket plane over Edwards Air Force Base in California.
1964  Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader, was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
1977  Bing Crosby, singer, died at age 73.
1990  Leonard Bernstein, compose-conductor, died at age 72.
2012  Felix Baumgartner jumps from the stratosphere to try to break the record of the highest free fall jump, at an altitude of 39,068 meters

October 15
1701  Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, first native Canadian canonized, was born.
1815  Napoleon I of France began his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.
1878  The Edison Electric Light Company began operation.
1951  The situation comedy "I Love Lucy" premiered on CBS.
1956  Fortran, the first modern computer language, was shared with the coding community for the first time.
1987  The Great Storm of 1987 hit France and England.

Timeline October 11 to 13

October 11
1776  American Revolutionary War: Battle of Valcour Island – On Lake Champlain a fleet of American boats is defeated by the Royal Navy, but delays the British advance until 1777.
1890  The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in Washington, DC.
1968  Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched with astronauts Wally Shirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R Walter Cunningham aboard.
2002  Former US President Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize.

October 12
1860  Elmer Sperry, American inventor, best known for perfecting the use of gyroscopes, was born.
1935 Luciano Pavarotti, Opera singer, was born in Modena, Italy.
1960  Nikita Khruschev, Soviet Premier, disrupted a UN General Assembly session by pounding on his desk with a shoe.
2007  Former US VP Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming.

October 13
1307  Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into a "confession" of heresy.
1812  Battle of Queenston Heights. As part of the Niagara campaign in Ontario, Canada, United States forces under General Stephen Van Rensselaer are repulsed from invading Canada by British and native troops led by Sir Isaac Brock.
1884  Greenwich, in London, England, is established as the Universal Time meridian of longitude.
1974  Ed Sullivan, TV host, died at age 72.

Ottawa Branch OGS - October Meeting

Date           Saturday,  Oct. 20, 2012; 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Location     City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Room 115
Speaker      Ron Doering
Topic          Defending our Home: Loyalist Families of Dundas County and
                   the Battle of Crysler´s Farm (A War of 1812 Novel)
Contact     program@ogsottawa.on.ca

We will also have an update from Leighann Neilson on the Genealogy Survey results.

Everyone is welcome.
Please arrive by 1:00 p.m. for free refreshments and a chat time (networking).

Timeline October 9 & 10

October 9
1604  Supernova 1604, the most recent supernova to be observed in the Milky Way.
1635  Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he speaks out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land.
1940  John Lennon, British musician and song writer, Beatles, was born in Liverpool, England.
2008  A series of bank and insurance company failures triggered a financial crisis that effectively halted global credit markets and required unprecedented government intervention.

October 10
1731  Henry Cavendish, American chemist, was born.
1738  Benjamin West, American painter, was born.
1813  Giuseppe Verdi, composer, was born in Le Roncole, Italy.
1886  The tuxedo dinner jacket made its American debut at the autumn ball in Tuxedo Park, NY.
1970  In Montreal, Quebec, a national crisis hits Canada when Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte becomes the second statesman kidnapped by members of the FLQ terrorist group.
1971  Sold, dismantled and moved to the United States, London Bridge reopens in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
1979  Wayne Gretsky made his National Hockey League debut as the visiting Edmonton Oilers took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Timeline October 7 & 8

October 7
1691  The English royal charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay was issued.
1763  George III of Great Britain issued the British Royal Proclamation of 1763, closing aboriginal lands in North America north and west of Alleghenies to white settlements.
1765  The Stamp Act Congress convened in New York to draw up colonial grievances against England.
1885  Niels Henrik David Bohr, Danish physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922, was born.
1955  Yo-Yo Ma, French-born American cellist, was born.

October 8
1645  Jeanne Mance opened the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, the first lay hospital in North America.
1871  The Great Chicago Fire erupted.
1904  Edmonton, Alberta was incorporated as a city.
1904  Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was incorporated as a city.
1945  President Harry S Truman announced that the secret of the atomic bomb would be shared only with Britain and Canada.

Re-enactment Battle of Queenston Heights Oct 13/14

Re-posted From "Loyalist Trails" UELAC Newsletter 2012-38  Sept 23, 2012

Re-enactment Battle of Queenston Heights Oct 13/14
    For those following the 1812 activities and commemorations, keep October 13 and 14 open. A Re-enactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights will be held in Queenston, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Lewiston, New York on the 13th followed by a re-enactment of the Funeral of General Sir Isaac Brock at Fort George on the 14th.  Brock’s funeral drew over 5000 mourners at the time and the American forces acknowledged his death across the river with a multiple cannon salute ordered by his adversary at the Queenston battle, Major-General Stephen Van Rensselaer.
    October 13, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the historic Battle of Queenston Heights. Join us at Queenston Heights where historic interpreters and musicians, re-enactors, merchants and suttlers will make history come to life! Take a tour of the battle site, and climb the 235 steps to the top of Brock's Monument to get a bird's eye view of battle site. Don't miss the re-enactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights, which will be starting at 3:00 pm. Following the re-enactment, there will be a ceremony commemorating those who fought and fell during the War of 1812. After the ceremony, Brock's body will be taken away on a horse drawn wagon, followed by a spectacular fireworks display on the heights to commemorate the life of Sir Isaac Brock.
    Hundreds of re-enactors will be participating in the funeral procession of Major General Sir Isaac Brock, and his fallen Aide de Camp, Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonell. The funeral procession will carry the bodies from the Courthouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake towards Fort George National Historic Site, the original resting place of Upper Canada’s Fallen Heroes. A commemoration of the life of Brock and MacDonnell will take place at Brock’s Bastion, Fort George, followed by a Drumhead service, music by the Fort George Fife and Drum Corps, and a musket and cannon salute from inside Fort George, and across the river from Old Fort Niagara. Closing ceremonies will take place inside Fort George, honouring the 200 years of peace and friendship that has existed between Canada and the United States.
    For more information and links to greater detail, go to http://www.friendsoffortgeorge.ca/event.htm
                David Moore (with the Canadian Fencibles) and Paul Federico

Timeline October 4 to 6

October 4
1861  Frederic Remington, American artist (western themes), was born.
1895  The first US Open golf tournament was held, at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.
1957  The Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite into orbit.
1957  Avro Arrow roll-out ceremony at Avro Canada plant in Malton, Ontario.
1958  The first trans Atlantic passenger jetliner service was begun by British Overseas Airways Corp. with flights between London and New York.

October 5
1902  Ray A Kroc, the American businessman who built the McDonald's fast food empire, was born.
1905  Wilbur Wright pilots Wright Flyer III in a flight of 24 miles in 39 minutes, a world record that stood until 1908.
1962  The Beatles' first hit, Love Me Do, was released in the UK.
1975  Kate Winslet, English actress, was born.
1984  Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

October 6
1683  Thirteen families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in present day Philadelphia to begin Germantown.
1744  James McGill, Scottish born Canadian fur trader, merchant and politician, was born.
1769  Sir Isaac Brock, British politician and soldier, Canadian hero of the War of 1812, was born. Died Oct. 13, 1812.
1846  George Westinghouse, American industrial engineer, was born.
1889  American inventor Thomas Edison shows his first motion picture.
1927  The era of Talking pictures arrived with the opening of The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson.

OGS Governance Review Committee

I don't know how many of you read this is the recent OGS e-Weekly Digest. We need to ensure that there is a good representation from across the province on the committee, so please consider if you can help.

September 29, 2012

Governance Review Committee

The OGS Board is calling for a few passionate members to form a Governance Review Committee to ensure the OGS Board is structured to serve members in the best possible way.

We are seeking 5-6 volunteers for this small committee and you do not need to be a Board or Branch Executive volunteer to take part.

If you are interested, please contact OGS President, Shirley Sturdevant at president@ogs.on.ca and share with her your interest and the skills and experience you can bring to this committee.

Timeline October 2 & 3

October 2
1452  Richard III, King of England was born.
1535  Jacques Cartier discovered the area where Montreal, Quebec is located.
1944  Nazi troops crushed the two month old Warsaw uprising, during which 250,000 people were killed.
1998  Gene Autry, Hollywood's singing cowboy, died at age 91.

October 3
52 BC Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Julius Caesar.
1226  St. Francis of Assisi died.
1863  US President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the US.
1941  Chubby Checker, rock singer, was born.
1990  West Germany and East Germany ended 45 years of postwar division, declaring the creation of a new unified country.

War of 1812

I just found out that 13 October has recently been declared 'General Brock Day' in Ontario. No doubt to commemorate the Generals death at the battle of Queenston Heights on that date.

Timeline September 30 & October 1

September 30
1399  Henry IV was proclaimed King of England.
1791  Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" premiered in Vienna, Austria.
1882  Hans Geiger, German physicist; introduced the Geiger Counter, was born.
1938  British, French, German and Italian leaders agreed at a meeting in Munich that Nazi Germany would be allowed to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.
1949  The Berlin airlift came to an end.
1980  Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation.

October 1
1207  Henry III, King of England (1216-72) was born.
1800  Spain ceded Louisiana to France via the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
1880  John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Band.
1880  The first electric lamp factory is opened by Thomas Edison.
1935  Julie Andrews, actress and singer, was born.
1949  Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China during a ceremony in Beijing.