The Archives of Ontario are starting a Vital Statistics digitization project. The 2009 transfer of Vital Statistics (B-1913; M-1928; D-1938) and the 2010 transfer (B-1914; M-1929; D-1939) are all going to be digitized and put online for free. The completion date is set for early 2011.
©2010 – Blair Archival Research
Whew! It has been a dizzying month!
It started with my first trip to Salt Lake City which is a trip I have always wanted to make. The preparations began late last year when I started going through all my family history data and creating my “To Do List” which was made easier by my genealogy computer program. My “To Do List” was 38 pages long and I completed every item on that list during my 11 days in Salt Lake City.
The opportunity to do research in the Family History Library is something I would recommend everyone endeavour to do at least once. I spent all of my time on floor B2 which is the British research floor. This includes England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. I had microfilms, microfiche and books relating to these countries available at my finger tips. Some I had to order ahead of time from the Vault but they were waiting for me when I arrived.
Everyone was so friendly and helpful. A smile and a greeting awaited me as I arrived and left the library every day. It was open every day but Sunday so the obvious thing to do is to take a tour of the city on Sunday. It started with a performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. A sight to behold and a sound to hear, then a tour of the city from mountain top to valley. We even did a tour of the Great Salt Lake in the afternoon.
Brigham Young University was holding a conference called Computerized Family History and Genealogy which they normally hold in Provo but thankfully because of the large numbers of people attending the National Genealogical Society conference they decided to hold it in Salt Lake City. As a result I got the chance to attend this two day event. They introduced me to so much technology that I do not know if I will be able to keep up with it all.
The NGS conference started on Wednesday so there was more new information and announcements as well as meeting old friends and new. The attendance numbers were approximately 2700 which were great. The marketplace had an additional section this time; it covered genealogy technology and is known as GENTECH.
There was a special event on Thursday night “A Celebration of Family History” held at the LDS Conference Centre. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed. I will say for me the highlight was the vignette of the Clan McCloud and then moving into the bag pipes and the hymn Amazing Grace. It brought tears to my eyes. David McCullough also spoke very eloquently about history and family. You can view pictures and the video vignettes here.
Ten days after I got home was the start of the OGS conference. During this time I did the final preparation work on my presentations. I was a speaker at this conference as well as an attendee.
I had the privilege of speaking at the Ontario Library Association pre conference day and at the OGS conference. The Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists was holding an Ask a Professional free consultation service and a panel discussion both of which I participated in. Again there was more new information, announcements, meeting old friends and new.
This conference finished a week ago Sunday and I am still trying to catch up with everything including my sleep. One thing is certain; I want to go back to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library!
©2010 – Blair Archival Research
Anyone who does Irish research ought to examine Hayes Manuscripts. These books are the result of a massive indexing project. Richard J. Hayes was the National Library Director who started the project in 1941.
Hayes wanted the library to catalogue all the data relating to Ireland or the Irish for all periods around the world. The final project was called “Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation”. It was completed in 1965 and there was a supplement in 1975. According to the National Library of Ireland’s website this resulted in “23 substantial volumes, containing over 17,000 pages of records.”
To use these indexes you had to go to a national, university or very large library. In the Toronto area I know there is a copy at Robart’s Library in the University of Toronto.
The earliest record in these indexes is 1785 and the records cover about 200 years. The digitization project started in late 2007 and it is now available online for free.
What exactly can you find in Sources? According to the National Library of Ireland’s website it is the following:
“All of the National Library’s manuscripts catalogued up to the 1980s; Irish manuscripts held in other libraries and archives in Ireland and worldwide, listed between the 1940s and the 1970s; articles, reviews and other content that appeared in over 150 Irish periodicals up to 1969.” There is also a link to download a list of the journals that are included in the collection.
If you find an article you would like a copy of you can order it through the library’s Copying Services. You can contact the Reprographics Department to find out the cost of the copying.
©2010 – Blair Archival Research
