Asian Heritage Month

May is Asian Heritage Month. This acknowledges the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. It also provides an opportunity for Canadians across the country to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

The definition of "Asian" may be inclusive and broad, and applies to people who come from or whose ancestors come from:

East Asia - China, Hong Kong S.A.R., Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan.
South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Central Asia - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Southeast Asia - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

To help celebrate Asian Heritage Month here in Canada, here are a list of recommended local history and genealogy resources for you to check out:

Local History

* Evans, Brian L. The Other Side of Gold Mountain: Glimpses of Chinese Pioneer Life on the Prairies from the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection = Jin Shan Dong Fang: Caoyuan Sheng Fen Hua Ren. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Libraries, [2010].

* Izumi, Toshiaki. Stories I Heard in the Wheat field: Stories of Japanese and Japanese Immigrants in South Saskatchewan. [Saskatchewan: T. Izumi, 199-?].

* Kato, Arthur. A History of Japanese-Canadians in Regina. [Regina: A. Kato], 1980.

* Luk, Lordson W. The Assimilation of Chinese in Saskatoon. Saskatoon, SK: L. W. Luk, 1971.

* Project Integrate: an Ethnic Study of the Chinese Community of Moose Jaw. Moose Jaw, Sask. : [s.n.], 1973.

* Soo, Wen Lee. Crossings : a Portrait of the Chinese Community of Moose Jaw. Moose Jaw, Sask. : Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, 2005. Click here to view the online exhibit hosted on the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) website.

Genealogical Resources

Boey, Danny. Basic Guide to Chinese Genealogy. Singapore : Chineseroots, c2002.

Chao, Sheau-yueh J. In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Printed for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Pub. Co., 2000.

* FamilySearch.org: Maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), this free website offers a number of terrific set of genealogical records for anyone researching their Asian ancestry, including China, Collection of Genealogies from 1239-2011; India, Birth and Baptisms from 1786-1947; and Philippines, Births and Baptisms from 1642-1994. Equally helpful is the Research Wiki pages on the various countries that help explain the geography, customs, naming conventions, types of records that can be found for the locale and further research tips.

Recommended Websites

* Asian Heritage Month in Canada Project: Developed and maintained by Radio Canada International, the website offers three multi-media pages on the history of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese peoples in Canada.

* CBC Digital Archives: Featuring a huge collection of audio files, video clips and photographs from the CBC Archives, this website features a number of fascinating exhibits and lesson plans for teachers.

World War I Historical and Genealogy Resources

April 9-12, 2013 will be the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which is often described as key turning point in shaping Canada as a nation. To commemorate this milestone, here is a brief list of key genealogical and historical resources for those interested in learning more about Saskatchewan’s involvement in War World I.

Vimy Ridge Memorial image attributed to etnobofin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/etnobofin/5022513982/)

Battle of Vimy Ridge

* Ted Barris. Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9-12, 1917. Toronto, ON: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2007.

* Peter Barton. Vimy Ridge and Arras: the Spring 1917 Offensive in Panoramas. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press, 2010.

* Pierre Burton. Vimy. [Toronto, ON]: Anchor Canada, 2001.

* Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Vimy: Vimy Ridge 90. Toronto, ON: Morningstar Entertainment, c2007.

* Michael Krawchuk. The Battle of Vimy Ridge: Wall of Fire. Calgary, AB: Detselig Enterprises, c2009.

Note: for more library books and DVDs pertaining to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, click on this link.

Saskatchewan's Participation in World War I

* Bill Barry, Doug Chisholm and Beth Parsons. Age Shall Not Weary Them: Saskatchewan Remember Its War Dead. Regina, SK: People Places Pub., 2005.

* James Pitsula. For All We Have and Are: Regina and the Experience of the Great War. Winnipeg, MB: University of Manitoba Press, c2008.

Genealogical Resources

* Soldiers of the First World War Database: Maintained by Library and Archives Canada, this database holds the personnel records for the 600,000 Canadians who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War.

* Kenneth Cox. A Call to the Colours: Tracing your Canadian Military Ancestors. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press, c2011.

* Norman Holding. World War I Army Ancestry. Plymouth, England: Federation of Family History Societies, c1997.

* Neil Storey. Military Photographs & How to Date Them. Newbury, England: Countryside Books, 2009.

Recommended Websites

* Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial: a website dedicated to commemorating Saskatchewan's war dead.

* Canadian War Museum's "The Battle of Vimy Ridge": site examines not only the battle but also discusses the artwork on the Vimy Ridge memorial in France.

LEST WE FORGET

Irish Genealogy Resources

With St. Patrick's Day less than 2 days away, now is a good time to provide a quick round-up of some genealogical resources to help you re-connect with your Irish roots:

Handbooks and Manuals

* Adolph, Anthony. Tracing Your Irish Family History. Richmond Hill, ON: Firefly Books, 2009.

* Elliott, David R. Researching your Irish Ancestors at Home and Abroad. Toronto, ON: Dundurn, c2012.

* Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: the Complete Guide. Baltimore, Md. : Genealogical Pub. Co., c2006.

* Mitchell, Brian. Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, c2008.

* MacLysaght, Edward. Irish Families, Their Names, Arms and Origins. London, UK: Hodges, 1957.

Births, Marriages and Deaths

* FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org) - FREE; website offers Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958; Ireland, Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881; Ireland, Marriages, 1619-1898; and Ireland, Deaths, 1864-1870. The site also offers 8 online courses on Irish genealogy.

* Irish Family History Foundation (http://www.irish-roots.ie/) – $ Subscription site; website contains Birth, Death, Marriage as well as Gravestone records

Census Records

* The National Archives of Ireland (http://nationalarchives.ie) – FREE; website offers the fully digitized 1901 & 1911 Irish census records

* Origins Network (www.origins.net) - $ Subscription site; website offers the Griffiths' Valuation tax census as well as the 1851 and 1901 Dublin City censuses.

Maps

* Mitchell, Brian. A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., c2002.

Passenger Lists

* Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) - FREE with a valid Regina Public Library card and only available on Regina Public Library computers at all branches; the largest genealogy website in the world provides access to passenger arrivals for major American and Canadian seaports including New York, Boston, Halifax and Quebec City. The site also offers American and Canadian census records.

* Punch, Terrence M. Erin's Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada, 1761-1853. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., c2008.

* _____. Erin's Sons. Vol. 2: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada, 1761-1853. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., c2009.

* _____. Erin's Sons. Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada, 1751-1858. Volume III. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. 2009.

* _____. Erin's Sons. Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada to 1863. Volume IV. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 2010.

Other Useful Websites

* Find My Past (Irish version; http://www.findmypast.ie) - $ Subscription site; website offers a mixture of Irish records including census, passenger lists and directories. Click on this link for a full list of their records.

* Ireland Gen Web (http://irelandgenweb.com) – FREE; a local resource index page for Ireland research broken down by county

Happy Researching!

Confused where to go to get a copy of your great-grandmother's birth record in Texas? Or did you find that your grandparents married in the United States instead of Saskatchewan as previously thought?

Not to worry. Staff at the Prairie History Room can be just as baffled as you on where to go. As more American archives, libraries, and historical societies digitize their work, it get kinda confusing. Luckily, the editors of Family Tree Magazine are very good at compiling the "Best of..." lists. Click on the following link for the 75 Best State Websites of 2012.

Some hidden gems include:

* Dunham—Wilcox—Trott—Kirk: features extensive church and cemetery records from Connecticut
* Sampubco: index of New York wills
* California Digital Newspaper Collection: from than 5 million newspaper articles from California newspapers 1846 to 2011
* Texas State Library and Archives Commission: offers databases for you to search for your Texan ancestors, including vital statistics (e.g. your great grandmother's birth record!)

NOTE: Not all the websites are free. Many of the sites allow you to search their indexes for free but there is typically a fee associated with requesting a copy of the actual record. Nonetheless, this list should help get you started or going with your family history research. Happy searching!

-- May P. Chan, Prairie History Librarian

One of my library colleagues pointed out this website to me this past weekend:

The National Library of Scotland has more than 700 digitized Post Office Directories (http://digital.nls.uk/directories/index.html) available online, spanning 1773 to 1911. These directories are similar to city directories in that the listing reveals not only their names, but their addresses and in some cases, their occupations.

As Dick Eastman recommends, you can view the pages via the browser but users may find it faster to download the entire document first and then view it on your computer versus over the internet.

Happy hunting to our many Scottish researchers!

- May P. Chan, Prairie History Librarian

FindMyPast has added the Royal Household records to their searchable databases.

Here's the link: www.findmypast.co.uk/content/news/royal-archives

FindMyPast is a popular UK subscription-based research site. It appears you can do the search and see the search results for free, but to view transcriptions and the original images, you must subscribe or use their PayAsYouGo system.

The North Central History Project

The Regina North Central Community association has a new website called the
North Central Regina History Project at www.northcentralregina.ca

A strong focus of the websitse is an interactive map that can be browsed through a range of years (click Year Range)

source: Regina Sun April 22, 2012 article "Site creates a new page in history"

April 2 was a banner day for genealogists as the 1940 US census was finally released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). What makes this update so exciting is that the records are available online for free!

People at home can access it through the U.S. National Archives site at:
http://1940census.archives.gov/

This site has a step-by-step guide to get started but researchers should note that the census is NOT indexed meaning that researchers can only search by location right now. Like any new product launch, people should be aware that access will be slow for the first few days, since many people will be using this invaluable resource.

In addition, FamilySearch.org is looking for volunteers to help index the 1940 US Census.

For those who were unable to make it to past Saturday's presentation on "Best Genealogy Websites of 2012", click on the image to take you to the online presentation. This link leads to a downloadable and printable PDF file of the websites that were discussed in Saturday's lecture.

RootsTech, a leading family history and technology conference currently meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, 2012, is broadcasting 14 sessions live and free over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org.

The free online sessions include the keynote speakers and a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the fourteen broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST):

Thursday, February 2
8:30-10:00 am, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Do I Trust the Cloud? by D. Joshua Taylor
1:45-2:45 pm, Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink
3:00-4:00 pm, Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore by Thomas MacEntee
4:15-5:15 pm, Eleven Layers of Online Searches by Barbara Renick

Friday, February 3
8:30-9:30 am, Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities (Keynote Address) by Josh Coates
9:45-10:45 am, Publish Your Genealogy Online by Laura G. Prescott
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Optimize Your Site for Search Engines by Robert Gardner
1:45-2:45 pm, Genealogists “Go Mobile” by Sandra Crowly
3:00-4:00 pm, Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy by Dave Barney

Saturday, February 4
8:30-9:30 am, Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry (Keynote Address) by Tim Sullivan and Ancestry.com Panel
9:45-10:45 am Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 by Lisa Louise Cooke
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Future of FamilySearch Family Tree by Ron Tanner
1:45-2:45 pm, Privacy in a Collaborative Environment by Noah Tatuk

This is a great way to update your research techniques without having to travel to Salt Lake City!