Honoring Ancestors on Remembrance Day

To honor my ancestors on Remembrance Day, here is a list of those who gave their lives in Wars:

My 3rd great-grandfather Levi Peer's brother Stephen Peer fell at the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812, leaving behind a pregnant wife and young son.

All of my grandmother's brothers fought in WW1. Her youngest brother, Philip Edgar Peer (called Edgar by family), died in France in 1918 just days short of his 21st birthday.

Many of my family served in the Military. Here are some of them.

My husband's great uncles Bill and Cecil Sandercock also fought in WW1 along with their father Samuel. Both Bill and Cecil were killed, one year apart. Bill was killed Aug. 23, 1917, his brother Cecil was at his side. One year later almost to the day, on Aug. 28, 1918, Cecil was killed. A few years ago I submitted Cecil's photo to Veterans Affairs Canada to help honour his memory.

WW2 saw the death of my Uncle, James Nevin (aka Nev) Bonar. He died October 23, 1944 in Belgium at the age of 27.

Please take a few moments today to remember those brave men and women who fought and died, and those who are still fighting in Wars around the world.

Twile Integrates with FamilySearch

The following announcement was made last month by Twile and FamilySearch:

Twile and FamilySearch International have announced the launch of a new feature that will let FamilySearch.org users generate a family history timeline and share their research with other family members online.

The timeline is designed to make research and discoveries more engaging for the broader family—especially younger generations—and to encourage collaboration.

Connecting securely to FamilySearch.org, Twile imports a user’s tree and automatically adds events, such as births and marriages, to a personal, interactive timeline of their family history. Users can then browse the timeline, add photos, and share it privately with other family members.

By presenting a family tree as a timeline, Twile makes it easier for the non-genealogists in a family to explore their ancestry through events, stories, and pictures. It also encourages collaboration by letting them add missing details, their own life events, and recent photos.

UK-based Twile won two awards in the Innovator Showdown at RootsTech 2016, including the People’s Choice award. In response to customer requests, Twile immediately started development on its FamilySearch integration.

Descendants of 272 Slaves to Receive Admission Advantages to Georgetown University

"Georgetown University has announced that descendants of 272 slaves, from whose sale the school profited in 1838, will receive "an advantage in the admissions process" as part of a larger effort to address the school’s early ties to slavery."  [Georgetown Univ. Announces Admissions 'Advantage' for Descendants of 272 Slaves Sold in 1838]

School President John DeGioia created the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation, which issued the recommendations, and has personally met with descendants of the slaves living in Washington State and Louisiana.

Read more about this story and view the Georgetown Slavery Archive at the following sites:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/us/slaves-georgetown-university.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/us/georgetown-university-search-for-slave-descendants.html

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 63R Newspaper Clippings

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

63R Newspaper Clippings

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Meme: Immigrant Ancestor The Walloon Philip Casier

There is a lot of discussion about immigration in America right now. Tempers have flared, and different groups hold various strong opinions. There is also Brexit, where immigration was a large focus of the recent vote which resulted in the U.K. leaving the E.U.

I've been following this for several months and it occurs to me that those of us in Canada, America, and Australia have immigrant ancestors. Have you researched yours? Do you know who they were, why they came to your country and when? Do you know how they fared once settled in their new land? Were they welcomed? Were they shunned? Was their discrimination based on their religion or ethnic origin? These are all questions that are important, and interesting to discover. With that in mind, I'm the dedicating Saturdays (as many as needed) as the day to join me in discussing your immigrant ancestors.

You will be able to read any you are interested in by using the keyword Immigrant Ancestors. I'm going to share each week what I know of my immigrant ancestors to North America (whether that is USA or Canada)

My 10th great-grandfather Philippe Casier was born circa 1616 in Flanders France. We can summarize his life in these few words:  

Philippe, a Walloon,  fled religious persecution, escaping France for the West Indies in 1635. Forced out of West Indies he took his family to Holland, then fled to New Netherland on the Gilded Otter in 1660. He died in 1663 in Harlem New York. 

But wow! Think about what those words mean. What a life he led - full of adventure, turmoil, no doubt tragedy, and a great deal of hard work in forging a new life - several new lives in each country to which he fled for safety and freedom of religion. 

The Casier family is first mentioned in the Huguenot settlement of Martinique in the French West Indies. In 1635 a party of old and experienced settlers had gone to Martinique from the neighbouring island of St. Christopher, which had been settled by French Huguenots in 1627. Philippe and Marie (Taine) Casier's first two children, Jean and Marie, were born on Martinique. In 1645, Philippe Casier and others left the island and returned to Europe. Casier went first to Calais, then to Sluis, Flanders where his daughter Hester was born. Many French and Walloon exiles from England and from the Dutch seaboard were fleeing to Mannheim, drawn there by assurances of freedom and protection under the government of the Protestant Elector, Charles Lewis who held out strong inducements to the refugees to settle there. Some time after 1652, Philippe and his family moved to Mannheim in the Lower Palatinate of Germany, along with other Huguenots and Walloon Protestants.

On 16 November, Philippe was made a magistrate, but near the close of the ensuing winter, he died.  The widow bought a house in the Markvelt-steegie in New York and lived there for some years with her sons Jean and Jacques who were bakers. In 1671, she married Jean Le Roy of Harlem. 

Death Finds a Way Available as an e-book or Paperback

Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze


Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. With her husband Steven, Janie heads to Salt Lake City Utah to track down her elusive fourth great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to more than she bargained for. Her discovery of a dark secret brings her closer to danger. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present, and untangle a web of lies before disaster strikes?

Available now as a paperback on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca   Also available as an e-book on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

See my author website www.LorineSchulze.com for reviews and details of my upcoming Janie Riley mystery!

Breaking Down A Brick Wall

Angus C. asked Olive Tree Genealogy about the parents of his 2nd great-grandparents, Kenneth Roderick McKenzie and Hughenia Ross 

Kenneth Roderick McKenzie October 1839 Boularderie, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia died 26 June 1916 North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Hughenia Ross 1835 Boularderie, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia died 8 May 1869 Boularderie, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia In both cases for Hughenia Ross and Kenneth Roderick McKenzie I have not been able to find any information about their parents, where they were born or died is totally unknown to me. Any help and guidance you can give me to break through either (or both) my "brick walls" would be greatly appreciated.

A quick search of Nova Scotia Historical Vital Records using Hughenia's full name gave no results but using their "starts with" choice in the search engine, and only typing in HU provided this entry for a Hughessie McKenzie, died 1869 in Baddeck, Victoria County She was listed as born in Boularderie to John Ross, a farmer and Robina McKenzie. The informant is named as Kenneth R. McKenzie and her date of death matches what Angus C. sent me as well as her burial record which I found with a quick search online.

Her burial is recorded with her husband in Man O War Point Cemetery, Boularderie Island, Victoria County, Nova Scotia.

 Kenneth R MacKenzie, merchant, d June 26, 1916, age 83 his wife Hughenia Ross d May 8, 1869, age 33, their youngest child John Knox MacKenzie d Mar 21, 1869 age 4 mo.

A newspaper article extraction found on Ancestry.com revealed the marriage of Hughina and Kenneth, with much more detail. Angus C. can now send for the full article to see what, if any, other clues are found in it.

Continue reading this article at Using Search Engine Tools Provided to Find an Ancestor

Scottish Found to Have "Extraordinary" DNA

Gotta love even old DNA stories. According to a 2012 BBC news story, "The Scotland's DNA project, led by Edinburgh University's Dr Jim Wilson, has tested almost 1,000 Scots in the last four months to determine the genetic roots of people in the country."

The study found that Scottish DNA is extremely diverse. The project found that Scotland has almost 100 different groups of male ancestry from across Europe and even further.

A small number of Scots were found to be direct descendants of the Berber and Tuareg tribesmen of the Sahara. This is a lineage known to be over 5500 years old.

Continue reading Study reveals 'extraordinary' DNA of people in Scotland

If you have not yet had your DNA tested you might want to do that. DNA testing has come a long way since this 2012 story and many genealogists are discovering new relationships and surprising information on ancestors. This is my favourite company for DNA testing - DNA Kit at Ancestry.com!

A Spooky Look at Past Hallowe'ens

It was always so much fun creating costumes for my boys for Hallowe'en.

What are your memories of this fun holiday?

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 45 V Red Cross Helper

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with her permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right­hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left­hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Immigrant Ancestors Meme: The Huguenot Philippe Casier

There is a lot of discussion about immigration in America right now. Tempers have flared, and different groups hold various strong opinions. There is also Brexit, where immigration was a large focus of the recent vote which resulted in the U.K. leaving the E.U.

I've been following this for several months and it occurs to me that those of us in Canada, America, and Australia have immigrant ancestors. Have you researched yours? Do you know who they were, why they came to your country and when? Do you know how they fared once settled in their new land? Were they welcomed? Were they shunned? Was their discrimination based on their religion or ethnic origin? These are all questions that are important, and interesting to discover. With that in mind, I'm the dedicating Saturdays (as many as needed) as the day to join me in discussing your immigrant ancestors.

You will be able to read any you are interested in by using the keyword Immigrant Ancestors. I'm going to share each week what I know of my immigrant ancestors to North America (whether that is USA or Canada)

1572 Massacre of Huguenots in France

Philippe Casier (ca 1616 Calais, Flanders, France - ca 1662 Harlem New York) was a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution, escaping France for West Indies in 1635. Forced out of the West Indies he took his family to Holland, then fled to New Netherland on the Gilded Otter (der Vergulde Otter) in 1660. He is recorded on the manifest as "Philip Cassier, farmer from Calais, wife and 4 children, 23, 16, 12 and 3 yrs"

Philippe Casier (my 10th great-grandfather) of Calais France, is first mentioned in the Huguenot settlement of Martinique in the French West Indies. In 1635 a party of old and experienced settlers had gone to Martinique from the neighbouring island of St. Christopher, which had been settled by French Huguenots in 1627. Philippe and Marie (Taine) Casier's first two children, Jean and Marie, were born on Martinique. 

In 1645, Philippe Casier and others left the island and returned to Europe. Casier went first to Calais, then to Sluis, Flanders where his daughter Hester was born. Many French and Walloon exiles from England and from the Dutch seaboard were fleeing to Mannheim, drawn there by assurances of freedom and protection under the government of the Protestant Elector, Charles Lewis who held out strong inducements to the refugees to settle there. Some time after 1652, Philippe and his family moved to Mannheim in the Lower Palatinate of Germany, along with other Huguenots and Walloon Protestants. 

 Philippe Casier is listed as a Schepen [magistrate] of Harlem as of 16 November 1662. New magistrates were appointed by the Director and Council and the new board was Jan La Montagne, Philippe Casier and Derick Claessen. One of their first acts was to provide for the more careful placing of houses and fences.

Philippe Casier and wife Marie Taine, united with the church October 1662. On 16 November, he was made a magistrate, but near the close of the ensuing winter, he died. 

Third Annual 2017 RootsTech Innovator Showdown Boasts $100,000 in Prizes

The global innovation competition is now accepting entries

RootsTech, the world’s largest family history and technology conference, is now accepting entries for the 2017 Innovator Showdown—a “Global Innovation Competition” for developers and entrepreneurs seeking an opportunity to impact the growing multi-billion dollar family history industry while competing for $100,000 in cash and prizes.

The Innovator Showdown seeks to support, foster, and inspire innovation within the family history marketplace. The deadline for submitting to the 2017 Innovator Showdown is December 1, 2016. The winners will present on stage and be selected by judges and live audience voting at RootsTech 2017 on Friday, February 10, 2017. Go to RootsTech.devpost.com for more information.

Last year, 50 contestants, including six international applicants, competed in the Innovator Showdown. In 2017, the total cash and in-kind Innovator Showdown prizes will again be $100,000—making it one of the most attractive innovator contests in the nation.

Showdown Calendar:

    Submissions will be accepted: today through December 1, 2016
    Online Judging: December 1–20, 2016
    Semifinalists Announced: December 20, 2016
    Showdown Semifinals: February 8, 2017
    Showdown Finals: February 10, 2017 at RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Out of all applicants, the field will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists. Showdown semifinals will be held during lunch at the RootsTech Innovator Summit in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 8, 2017 where we will introduce the semifinalists and their products. Five finalists will be announced that evening.

The exciting Showdown Finals are held during RootsTech before a panel of industry judges, including genealogy, technology and business gurus, and a live audience of 3,000 family history consumers, making the Innovator Showdown arguably one of the largest live audience tech competitions in North America. Finals will also be streamed live through RootsTech.org to tens of thousands of online viewers. This year, five finalists will pitch their innovations, field questions from judges, and await the announcement of the winners, while real time audience voting is taking place via texting to determine the winner of the People’s Choice prize.

Cash Prize Breakdown for Finalists:

    Judge’s 1st Choice: $20,000
    Judge’s 2nd Choice: $14,000
    Judge’s 3rd Choice: $6,000
    People’s Choice: $10,000

Besides cash prizes, winners will receive fabulous in-kind prizes from sponsors to assist in successfully launching their products to the awaiting world of family history enthusiasts, bringing the total prize value up to $100,000.

2016 Showdown winners represented a wide variety of family history related products that included:

    1st place winner, TapGenes by Heather Holmes—Tools to identify medical and genetic threads that tie your family together. TapGenes also competed in the 2015 competition.
    2nd Place winner, Studio from Legacy Republic by Michael Chang—Technology hardware and software for digitizing hard copy photo albums using off-the-shelf smartphone technology
    3rd Place winner, Twile by Paul Brooks from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK— Web app that populates a visual family timeline with data and media
    People’s Choice winner—Twile

Entries for the 2017 Innovator Showdown can be made through http://rootstech.devpost.com/ and must include a video.

Image Credit: Innovator+Showdown-lj-0566.jpg from FamilySearch.org

Unlock the Past Cruise 2018 - Alaska

Ready for a sea trip? Join the Unlock The Past Cruise 2017 Papua New Guinea



Date: 28 July–7 August 2017
Duration: 10 nights
Ship: Pacific Aria
Price:

• conference AU$450 (non-genealogy companion sharing a cabin ($250)
• cruise – at the rate of the day – click here for current guide to rates

An exciting new cruise featuring:

• a completely different kind of itinerary – to Papua and New Guinea and and its islands, one of the emerging and exciting new cruise destinations.
• a 10 night cruise providing a balanced schedule:
  • 4 days at sea – lots of time for our usual wide ranging conference
  • 5 days in ports and/or around islands – great sightseeing and fascinating shore excursions
• some of the  best conference facilities of any ship we have seen – we will have two of the Pacific Aria‘s three conference rooms available for our exclusive use for the entire cruise
• a conference program headed by Dr Tom Lewis, one of Australia’s foremost Pacific war historians and authors, supported by other recognised experts. The program will have around 40 talks, mostly in a single stream
• a special WWII Pacific War stream. 2017 will be the 75th anniversary of the Pacific war coming to both Australia and New Guinea. 1942 was the year:
  • the Japanese attacked the Australian mainland (including Darwin and Broome by air and Sydney by submarines).
  • the Japanese attacked New Guinea including Rabaul and Milne Bay (places visited by this cruise) and the Kokoda Trail.
  • of Battle of the Coral Sea, the first time the Japanese were checked in their relentless southward advance.

Maya Calendar Proven to be America's Oldest Manuscript

The Grolier Codex  is a Mayan document that first appeared in the public eye in the 20th century. The codex consists of a fragment of a Maya book, containing almanacs of Venus.

Since its appearance there has been much discussion and disagreement over the document's authenticity. Tests in 2007 did not completely clear up questions but recent tests and analysis of the paper, the ink and the style of drawing have proven the document to be from the 13th century.

Read the full story at Once dismissed as fake, Maya calendar is now proven as Americas’ oldest manuscript, scientists say

Image: Page 6 of the Grolier Codex, depicting a death god with captive. Public Domain

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 33R Carrying Stretcher

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with her permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right­hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left­hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Immigrant Ancestors Meme: The Dutchman Herman Coerte

There is a lot of discussion about immigration in America right now. Tempers have flared, and different groups hold various strong opinions. There is also Brexit, where immigration was a large focus of the recent vote which resulted in the U.K. leaving the E.U.

I've been following this for several months and it occurs to me that those of us in Canada, America, and Australia have immigrant ancestors. Have you researched yours? Do you know who they were, why they came to your country and when? Do you know how they fared once settled in their new land? Were they welcomed? Were they shunned? Was their discrimination based on their religion or ethnic origin? These are all questions that are important, and interesting to discover. With that in mind, I'm the dedicating Saturdays (as many as needed) as the day to join me in discussing your immigrant ancestors.

You will be able to read any you are interested in by using the keyword Immigrant Ancestors. I'm going to share each week what I know of my immigrant ancestors to North America (whether that is USA or Canada)

I don't know much about my 10th great-grandfather Herman Coerte. He was from Voorhusyen, Holland and died 26 November 1689 in Bergen New Jersey.

He arrived in New Netherland on the ship De Trouw, February 12, 1659 with his wife Aertje Gerrits and 5 Children ages 5, 6, 8, 9 and 17 years

He made a declaration regarding the raid on the town by Captain John Scott in 1664 in New Utrecht.He made the Oath of Allegience to the King of England in 1665 in Bergen, New Jersey.Harmen Coerton of Voorhuysen was buried in the Dutch Church, Bergen, New Jersey. Being the 19th member of the church, the 105th person to be buried there, and the 48th to be covered with the church pall at his funeral.

His wife Aertje died on 2 December 1684 in Bergen, New Jersey. Aertje Gerrits was buried in the Dutch Church, Bergen, New Jersey. Being the 9th member of the church, the 78th person buried there, and the 26th to be covered with the church pall at her funeral.

Propaganda Postcards 1900s Warning Men of Dangers of Women's Rights

Thanks to my friend J.D. Thomas for posting this link to these ridiculous but interesting postcards. The site explains the postcards this way:

Here’s a collection of totally ridiculous vintage postcards and posters dated from around 1900 to 1914 warning men of the dangers associated with the suffragette movement and of allowing women to think for themselves.  

View the postcards at Absurd propaganda postcards warning men about the dangers of women’s rights, early 1900s

You'd Think No WW1 Widows are still Alive, but They Are!

Almost a century after the First World War ended, 54 Canadian women are still getting veterans' benefits linked to the war. Eleven live in Ontario, 12 in British Columbia, and 11 outside Canada. 

My grandmother's brother in WW1 and his wife and daughter

I think it's fascinating to think of these women and the stories they can tell us. I hope someone - a family member or friend, has interviewed them and recorded their stories. Global News is asking anyone who knows one of these widows to contact them.

Read the rest of this story at Dozens of Canadian First World War veterans’ widows still get pensions

Interestingly enough, the U.S. is also paying pensions to widows and children of 16 people who fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898, and to widows of over 4,000 people who fought in the First World War.

October Update WW1 CEF Files Digitization

The following announcement was sent out by Library and Archives Canada:

As of today, 347,005 of 640,000 files are available online in our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10,686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the contents of some boxes have been moved. You might find that the file you want (with a surname that should have been digitized) is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

    Latest box digitized: Box 5848 and Mahony.

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 33V Sports Race

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

Needle and Thread Race. Sports 1st July

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with her permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right­hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left­hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"