City of Ottawa Archives

The City of Ottawa Archives is a special place. It contains the historic records of the old City of Ottawa as well as the other municipalities who were merged into the city. The Archives also houses the extensive collections of many historical, cultural and genealogical societies. The City of Ottawa Archives welcomes all researchers: students, genealogists, City employees or anyone with a keen interest in history. You can visit the Archives website at http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-culture-and-community/archives.

The City of Ottawa Archives houses the collections of the Partners:

·         Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS).  The Ottawa Branch OGS encourages, assists and brings together all those interested in the pursuit of family history in the former counties of Carleton, Lanark, Renfrew, Prescott and Russell. Ottawa Branch is one of thirty-four branches of the Ontario Genealogical Society.  They have been a partner of the City of Ottawa Archives since 1987. The focus of the Ottawa Branch library collection is Ontario and the Ottawa Valley in particular. However because most Canadians are immigrants or descendants of immigrants there is some material dealing with the country of origin. There are over 5000 items in the collection, including journals, microfilm, cassettes and microfiche. The catalogue of their library can be found at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/library/.

·         Sir Guy Carleton Branch, United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC). Like Ottawa Branch, the Sir Guy Carleton Branch is a member of a larger organization. The UELAC Mission is To preserve, promote and celebrate the history and traditions of the Loyalist epoch in Canadian History. Sir Guy Carleton Branch has a small library collection of approximately 500 items focusing on the United Empire Loyalists especially in Ontario. Access to their catalogue of holdings is at http://www.uelac.org/Carletonuel/.

·         British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO).  Their mandate is to encourage and facilitate family history research, and its dissemination, by people with ancestry in the British Isles. The society became a partner of the City Archives in 1999.  Their library holdings number approximately 2000 items which include books, journals, CDs and some microfiche and microfilm. The focus is on the British Isles and the people who immigrated to Canada from the British Isles. The BIFHSGO Library catalogue can be found at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/libraryRecords.php.

·         C. Robert Craig Memorial Library.  Hosted by the Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders (OVAR), the library was founded in 1994 to commemorate Bob Craig’s life, his role as a founder of OVAR and its first president. The library holdings consist of 1200 book and pamphlet titles, 35,000 slides and photographs and long runs of major North American railway and model railway journals.  The library’s primary clientele is a vibrant community of railway fans in the Ottawa Valley; also it attracts inquiries by private railway researchers and railway historians from across North America and overseas.   Its pictorial resources are strong for the transition period between steam and diesel power and are much in demand.  Although the library holds no genealogical records, it holdings cover the history of the railway in Canada, an institution that touched almost all Canadians.

·         United Church of Canada Archives, Montreal/Ottawa Conference Ottawa Presbytery. The City of Ottawa Archives holds the records from Seaway Valley Presbytery and local church records of its pastoral charges and the records of Ottawa Presbytery and local church records of its Ontario pastoral charges. More information is available at http://www.uccanottawa.org/archives.html.

The Central Archives is home to the City’s extensive non-circulating Reference Library is also available. This collection includes:

·         a variety of published and unpublished items relating to the history and residents of Ottawa

·         books, reports, maps, publications and newsletters of projects and programs of the City of Ottawa and its former municipalities

Archival research is fun, but it can be time consuming. As there is no single subject index for the entire collection, you should allocate plenty of time to search, order and read the records when you visit. Sometimes it may take a few business days to deliver records that are located off-site to the reading room. If you have specific historical questions about Ottawa, reference staff can provide assistance by phone, e-mail or fax. For more complex questions or topics, you will need to visit the Archives.

The City of Ottawa Archives is open Tuesday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (September to May, except long weekends). The Partners provide volunteers to work with visiting researchers, giving the City thousands of hours of free labour every year. Volunteers from Ottawa Branch and BIFHSGO are available every day that the Archives is open but the other Partners normally work specific days of the week, so researchers should contact the Archives to arrange an appointment: archives@ottawa.ca

The latest edition of `Anglo-Celtic Roots’ (Fall 2013) from BIFHSGO has an article by Ian White titled `The Ottawa City Archives: a Treasure Chest for Genealogist’. Ian has volunteered and researched in the Archives for many years and points out that “the Ottawa City Archives are a tremendous asset to both family and local historians” with “masses of material useful in family history research”

We hope to see you there soon.

City of Ottawa Archives: http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-culture-and-community/museums-and-heritage/contact-us. 

Ottawa Branch Meeting - Saturday, September 14, 2013

Ottawa Branch Meeting

Saturday, September 14, 2013
13:00 – 15:15
Free refreshments and networking

City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Room 115

Speaker: Shirley-Ann Pyefinch

Topic: FamilySearch for Now and Into the Future

In this presentation, Shirley-Ann Pyefinch will detail the features of the FamilySearch website, explain how to use the tools and information resources available in order to be able to create and leave a legacy for future generations.

Shirley-Ann Pyefinch has served since 2005 as the Director for the Ottawa Ontario Stake Family History Centre of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has lectured at various societies, and conferences. She teaches family history classes, preservation workshops, and hosts annual family history conferences at the centre.

This meeting will be simulcast for members who can't join us in person.
To join the meeting, go to: http://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/ottawaogs/

If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before:
Test your connection: http://genealogicalstudies.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html

OGS Heritage Societies: Fathers of Confederation

This lineage society, established by the Ontario Genealogical Society, is open to anyone who can prove descent from one of these 36 officially-named Fathers of Confederation:

Sir Adams George Archibald, George Brown, Sir Alexander Campbell, Sir Frederick Carter, Sir George-Etienne Cartier, Sir Edward Barron Chandler, Sir Jean-Charles Chapais, Sir James Cockburn, George Coles, Robert B. Dickey, Charles Fisher, Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, Col John Hamilton Gray, Sir John Hamilton Gray, Sir Thomas Heath Haviland, William Alexander Henry, Sir William Pearce Howland, John Mercer Johnson, Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, Andrew Archibald Macdonald, Sir John A. Macdonald, Jonathan McCully, William Alexander McDougall, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Peter Mitchell, Sir Oliver Mowat, Edward Palmer, William Henry Pope, John William Ritchie, Sir Ambrose Shea, William H. Steeves, Sir Etienne-Paschal Tache, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Sir Charles Tupper, Edward Whelan, and/or Robert Duncan Wilmot.

Click here for full details and an application form for the Fathers of Confederation Society.

If you require more information or assistance with your Fathers of Confederation Society application, please contact our membership coordinator at: membership@ogs.on.ca

You Don’t Need to Know What You’re Looking For But You Do Need to Know What You’ve Found

Are you new to family history research? If you are doing the work to produce a family history, you will want it to be useful to your descendants and other relatives. Where do you learn the best methods?  When do you use abbreviations? How do you record a place? How do you record a married woman? What if they don’t spell their name like we do? How do you cite your sources? What other information can you find on-line? Where can you find more information on your family? Where do you find out about computer programs? How do you handle old photographs? And much much more.

WE CAN HELP YOU!

Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has been bringing together people who share a common interest in genealogy for more than forty years.  Learn how to make use of the information that you find on line and in other research facilities. The Society has 3500 members. Ottawa Branch holds our own monthly meetings as well as an annual conference where speakers share their knowledge and experience on a wide variety of genealogical subjects. We produce quarterly journals with valuable tips and idea. Our reference library of useful information is housed in the City of Ottawa Central Archives.

There are also special interest groups in Ottawa Branch for Irish Research and Computers.

Ottawa Branch OGS:

ogsottawa.on.ca

ogs.on.ca

Colonel By Day, Ottawa, Ontario. August 5, 2013

Colonel By Day, Ottawa, Ontario. August 5, 2013

The day turned out to be a great day for this celebration. The weather cooperated with no rain. It was sunny mostly with a little breeze coming off the Ottawa River and funneling up the Rideau Canal entrance locks in Ottawa.

 Elizabeth and I along with Kyla and Mike looked after the Ottawa Branch Ontario Genealogical Society table for the day. We talked to a number of people during the day. There were a lot of people passing by but the traffic in the Exhibition tent seemed to be lighter than usual.

Three of us, Elizabeth, Edward and Kyla dressed up in costumes representing different time periods. I know that I did attract a little attention, as a number of people asked to take my photograph. Kyla had a demonstration of book binding and even made it on the CTV news that evening for about 5 to 10 seconds.

 The one group that did attract attention was the 78^th Fraser Highlanders Fort Glen Garrison. This is a re-enactment group staffed by students. They had a great drum and fife band and presented mini concerts throughout the day. There were many people dressed in costume wandering around during the day. There was the annual celebration at the Irish Workers Memorial cross beside the canal.

To find out more about Colonel John By do a goggle search and look at the Wikipedia article.

Also have a look at Council of Heritage Organizations of Ottawa (CHOO)website under events. www.choocopo.ca/english/.

Goulbourn Museum’s bid brings war medals home

The Goulbourn Museum yesterday had the winning bid in the purchase of the medals belonging to Clarence Rielly, a former Richmond resident who served in both the First and Second World Wars. And Ottawa Branch was pleased to contribute to the funds raised for the purchase. You can read more about the acquisition in the Ottawa Citizen at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Goulbourn+Museum+brings+medals+home/8795028/story.html. Congratulations.

CBC Radio One - Ottawa Morning - 1921 Census

Hi everyone:
You may be interested in the following.

Elizabeth and I were invited to be interviewed on CBC Radio One - Ottawa Morning, about the 1921 Canadian Census.

The interview took place today at about 6:25 a.m.

The interview can be found at:

http://www.cbc.ca/ottawamorning/index.html

Go to the Featured Audio section on the right side of the page and use the sliding bar to look for 1921 Census.

Enjoy!

It was an experience and so early in the morning!