Links Family History Blog

Bursting with useful information!  Looking for a free resource for your Scottish ancestors in Quebec, Canada? Try the Huntingdon Gleaner Extracts  hosted by the Huntingdon County branch of the  Canada GenWeb  genealogy website. Fig. 1: Gleaner Extracts indexed by year at Huntingdon County GenWeb The Gleaner newspaper was established in 1863 and included regions such as Elgin, Godmanchester and Huntingdon in Beauharnois Regional County (now part of Monteregie Region), Quebec, Canada.  It is notable that the newspaper's first editor, Robert Sellar, also wrote a contemporary social history on the area,  The History of the County of Huntingdon and the Seigniories of Chateauguay & Beauharnois from their settlement to 1838  (published by The Canadian Gleaner in 1888). An early settler to this region my founding ELDER ancestor, George ELDER, Sr. (1780-1848) , is mentioned in this work. The Gleaner Extracts are are primarily birth, marriage, and...

Family. Food. Traditions.    All of these things we associate with the feeling of being "home." My family's traditional recipes have made their indelible imprint on my heart and spirit, their smell and taste even now evoking the feeling of family, and of security and belonging, even though so many of my family are now gone.  But that nostalgic feeling of home is renewed when a familiar dish is served. It's that connection to the past and to people through long-ago memories that are brought forth by the familiar sight, smell, and taste of traditional family recipes. Such as my dad, who just couldn't get enough butter tarts. Or me, who couldn't get enough of my mom's special peanut butter cookies, or my waking up to the yeasty scent of her making fresh homemade bread. Or the mouthwatering apple-cinnamon aroma of my grandmother's apple crisp baking in the oven.  A taste of home - my grandmother's Apple Crisp recipe My grandmother in 1946, Margaret (Hu...

Mapannapolis: Website Home Page Acadian Map-History Fusion. What do you get when you combine the technological know-how of Nova Scotia's Centre for Geographic Sciences (COGS) and the ingenuity of a group of family historians? Mapannapolis , of course! This innovative project, recognized in 2017 by the Governor General of Canada for Excellence in Community History Programming, began in 2012 when students studying digital map creation (GIS mapping) were asked to map something a little bit different: heritage buildings and structures, graveyards, and churches. The result was maps of: the first 17th century Acadian settlements along the Annapolis River;  18th century Black Loyalist settlements;  the 43 existing and historical wharves to record Annapolis County’s early economic development;  pre-European arrival canoe routes; and  community trails in several villages. Additionally, Acadian settlements and graveyards were studied and, on the discovery of several unmar...

The Truth Is Out There... In my last update , I had resolved to call in the professionals to help me identify my unknown great-grandfather. While I did contact a professional genealogist who was experienced in adoption situations, she told me that the key was definitely in DNA - but that was not her specialty. I was back to square one...or was I? Having it confirmed by a professional that the answer lay in DNA evidence galvanized me to focus exclusively on analyzing my DNA matches. But where to start? A YouTube video I had watched on investigative genetic genealogy (one of those serendipitous video suggestions that seem to pop up when you most need it) stuck with me. A tip from the video linked DNA to traditional research: use ethnicity to search for surnames. In a recent AncestryDNA update to my ethnicity regions, I had noticed a curious development: unexeplained Dutch DNA . I restarted my search, but this time with a clearer understanding of where I was headed. Convinced that the 192...

Signed Up for RootsTech 2026?   Running this year from Thursday, March 5th to Saturday, March 7th, time is running out to sign up for your favourite courses at  RootsTech 2026 . Go to the  FamilySearch  website's Home page, then click on the RootsTech links to register. Start Your RootsTech 2026 Journey at the FamilySearch Home Page (click image to enlarge) What is RootsTech 2026? RootsTech is the annual global family history and genealogy learning conference hosted by FamilySearch. Customize your learning experience by choosing from a large variety of courses, webinars, and keynote addresses presented by premier genealogists in their field. From beginner to advanced skills development classes on a wide range of topics and themes, RootsTech 2026 has something for everyone. Why sign up for RootsTech? Free to attend online, or starting at $79 USD to attend in-person (at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA), RootsTech is a budget-friendly way to ramp up your DIY genealogy sk...