In my last post I alluded to more than one new resource. And here it is! Another new book about Scots who initially settled in along the Ottawa Valley in Ontario but then migrated to Utah after converting to Latter Day Saints. Their travel takes them through Nauvoo Illinois, Council Bluffs Iowa and then along the Mormon Trail.
There are several surnames listed in the book's 32 page index as well as some 50 family tree charts contained within the book.
Click here for the index showing the surnames listed within the book.
And click the link to GlobalGenealogy where the book can be purchased in either print or PDF formats. Global ships internationally.
I recently received the GlobalGenealogy newsletter and was thrilled to see new resources for those researching their Scottish ancestors. The first is a book about the Settlers of Lanark County Ontario, later known as the Lanark Settlers. This was a huge settlement of Scottish immigrants, primarily from the lowlands of Scotland.
The book is entitled Narrative of a Voyage to Quebec and the Journey from Thence to New Lanark in Upper Canada
Several ships brought these settlers into Ontario with the largest groups coming in 1821 and 1822. The book gives a first hand account by one John McDonald. Interestingly, I read a first hand account of the passage across the sea by the same John McDonald when I was in the National Records of Scotland in May of this year. 9 days of rough seas and seasickness. I honestly can't imagine. I suffered seasickness for 2 hours and was ready for the knackerman.
McDonald gives a bit of a negative spin based on his own experiences, but given that his writings were contemporarily written, give a wonderful insight into the settlement scheme which allowed Scots to have land - something that never would have been a possibility had they remained in Scotland. The settlement itself was very successful and the book shows us the obstacles that the new settlers faced when they arrived in Ontario (then Upper Canada).
The book is available in print or PDF download from GlobalGenealogy. Global ships internationally.
Global Genealogy has an article about Ancestry.ca stopping the production and distribution of the CD format of their FamilyTree Maker software. It will only be available as a download - directly from Ancestry.ca of course. http://globalgenealogy.com/news/articles/00086.htmI understand that we live in a tech world, but this one just reeks. Or maybe it's the straw that has finally broken this camel's back. Ancestry is on the fast track to a worldwide monopoly on genealogy. First they take over the digitizing and indexing of the 1921 Canadian census. Yes, it will be free - as it would have been if LAC had managed the indexing. For now. Once the 1921 Canadian census is indexed by name, Ancestry makes the money on the backs of Canadians. Not cool since for every other census, we have had free access to these records. I'm not opposed to paying for records. I get the cost involved in scanning and the manpower involved in indexing. Not to mention the cost of the bandwidth to make the records available online. It's the principle on this one that irks me. Then Ancestry "paired up" with FamilySearch to digitize/transcribe/index their records. That have always been freely available and we are told will continue to be on the FS website. But not on Ancestry. And there isn't a genealogist on the planet that hasn't found major transcription errors - even more so when the conglomerates fast track the process in order to have the the records first. Next it was the purchase earlier this week of Find-A-Grave. Another free resource that is about to cost genealogists, thanks to Ancestry's quest for a monopoly. Now they are discontinuing our option of purchasing a hard copy (CD) of our genealogy software. On the face of it, this seems inoculous. The software will still be available. By download. Directly from Ancestry. So, they are taking the middleman out of the consumer equation. No money for the distributor. No option for the consumer. And likely no option of paying for one copy and being able to install it in all of your devices. It will probably be a set fee for either one download or three downloads, but what happens when you upgrade your computer? Or when it crashes and you have to re-install? Personally I am tiring of Ancestry's drive for a monopoly. I believe in consumerism. Including a healthy sense of competition. This isn't happening the the world of genealogy consumerism.
