Durham Region Branch OGS

Monday, December 8, 2008

Retired Firefighter Donald A. Heard Dies

HEARD, Donald A. - retired First Class Fighter #76 - Oshawa Fire Department (February 25, 1935 to December 3, 2008) peacefully at Lakeridge Health, Oshawa due to a lengthy illness with cancer, at the age of 73 years. Beloved husband of Ruby (nee Hockley) for 50 years. Loving father of Robyn Daniels (Jim) of Whitby, Scott Heard (Carol) of Oakwood, Donna Short (Kelly) of Bowmanville. Beloved papa of Justin Daniels, Jessica and Aaron Heard, Holly and Becca Short. Dear brother of Bev Heard (Doris deceased) of Oshawa; Ruby Norton (Bill), both deceased, of Oshawa; Irene Nemis (Bill) of Lindsay; Ina Pomery (Don), both deceased, Lorne Heard (Evelyn) of Oshawa; Shirley Wallis (Gord) of Whitby; and twin Ronald (Betty) of Oshawa. Relatives and friends paid their respects at the COURTICE FUNERAL CHAPEL, 1587 Highway #2 (King St. E.), Courtice, 905-432-8484 on Saturday December 6th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Funeral Service was held at Trull's Road Free Methodist Church, 2301 Trull's Rd. S., Courtice on Monday December 8th at 11 a.m. Donations made in memory of Don to the Durham Regional Cancer Centre or Trull's Rd. Free Methodist Church would be appreciated by the family. Thanks to Doctors and Nurses of 6F Lakeridge Health, Oshawa for their loving and special care. Cremation will follow the Funeral Service with interment of cremated remains in the spring. On-line condolences or expressions of sympathy may be made at http://www.courticefuneralchapel.com/

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

New ONTARIO Births, Marriages, & Deaths INDEX Microfilms added to Whitby Public Library Collection

These reels are the indexes of the B,M,D's for Ontario and are up to date as per what is available. These reels do not have actual event documents.
The local Family History Centre may have all the up to date index reels. They certainly have some (but not all) of the reels of the actual records to go with the indexes. The Archives of Ontario will have all of them. Always check online before striking out for Toronto.
The benefit the reels we have locally is that you can go through the indexes at your leisure and then either order the pertinent B,M,D reels on inter-library loan, or be prepared when you visit the Archives of Ontario in Toronto or the local LDS FHC.
Births:
1910 Reels 22 & 23
1911 Reel 24
Marriages:
1925 Reel 23
1926 Reel 24
Deaths:
1935 Reel 23
1936 Reel 24
Ancestry is about two years behind on what they have available online in this area.
Thank you Stephe Wood for providing this information.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Camp X Historical Society Lecture

Evelyn Davis (Camp X Veteran) on

Friday November 28th (7:30pm) at the

Centennial Building in Whitby.

She and her late husband Les Davis were both veterans of Camp X and Evelyn has put together a presentation that relates her and her husband's experiences working at Camp X during WWII. Opportunities to meet and ask questions of Camp X veterans are getting more rare each year.

The cost is free but there will be a donation box so that we "keep the lights on" this small historical society. Attached is a "flyer" with all the needed information.

Ally Ramsay,

Camp X Historical Society

Click Here to Download Flyer/Poster

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Links Referenced at Nov 4 2008 Durham Branch Meeting

1. GED-GEN is short for "GEDCOM Web Page Generator
2. Our Roots - Canadian local histories in French and English
3. Automated Genealogy hosts several projects to index Canadian censuses
4. County Atlas Project based on forty-three Ontario Atlases
5. Worldcat connects to books in 10,000 libraries worldwide

Public Roll Call for Canada's War Dead

VIGIL: 1914-1918 - 9,700 names projected each night on buildings from London England to Ottawa
Nov 03, 2008 Mitch Potter, EUROPE BUREAU

LONDON–It will be one long and final march home for 68,000 lost Canadian souls.
When the sun sets over the British capital tomorrow night, an ambitious act of remembrance begins when the first name is projected against the walls of Canada House in Trafalgar Square. One after another, the names of each Canadian to fall in World War I will follow.
As the sun moves westward to Canada, the names will go with it, projected against buildings in six cities, including Toronto City Hall. The sequence continues with 9,700 names per night spread across 13-hour, sunset-to-sunrise vigils until the last name appears at the break of dawn on Nov. 11.
Read the whole TORONTO STAR article at http://www.thestar.com/article/529253

LAC launches "In Quarantine: Life and Death on Grosse Île, 1832–1937"

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the launch of In Quarantine: Life and Death on Grosse Île, 1832–1937, a project funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Canadian Culture Online Program.
Featuring a variety of documents preserved and digitized by LAC, such as lists of births and deaths at sea, hospital registers, journals, letters, photographs and maps, this virtual exhibition tells the story not only of the quarantine station, but also of the individuals who experienced life on the island.
Immigrants at Grosse Île, a database containing thousands of digitized documents related to individuals who lived on Grosse Île, is now available through this website.
You are invited to visit the site at: www.collectionscanada.ca/grosse-ile.
The contributions of many LAC staff were instrumental in the success of this project, and their efforts are much appreciated. LAC also wishes to thank Parks Canada for its participation and full cooperation in the creation of this virtual exhibition. For more information, please contact project managers Sarah Hatton or Jean-Sébastien Potvin at webservices@lac-bac.gc.ca.

(Thank you Krista Jorgensen, Librarian Archivist, Whitby Public Library who forwarded this to us.)