Canada Monthly - August 2018

Question

Hear ye, hear ye! If you are interested in Canada, and the people who made it what it is today, then the Canadian History Project might be for you!

Canadians in the News

• David Vivian Currie
  • Tumilty, Ryan, "Canadian War Museum steps in to save Victoria Cross." CBC News, May 1, 2018.
• William Donegan, Henry Priddle, and Archibald Wilson
  • Gatehouse, Jonathan, "Canadian soldiers ID'd a century after they fell in WWI Battle of Hill 70." CBC News, May 22, 2018.
• "Legacy of slain Fredericton officers endures in RCMP training 40 years later." CBC News, June 29, 2018.
• Don and Phyllis Munday
  • O'Connor, Joe, "The Search for B.C's Mystery Mountain: Experts said it didn't exist -- then Don and Phyllis Munday found it." National Post, July 2, 2018.
• Garry Lowe
  • "Big Sugar bassist Garry Lowe dead at 64 after battle with cancer." CBC News, July 8, 2018.
• Ray Emery
  • "Ex-NHL goalie Ray Emerson was giving back to Hamilton the night before he died." CBC News, July 16, 2018.
• Van Dyk, Spencer, "Archaeologists dig up history of men lost to Spanish Flu in Matapédia, Que." CBC News, July 23, 2018.
• Sergio Marchionne
  • "Sergio Marchionne, hailed for Chrysler and Fiat turnarounds, dead at 66."CBC News, July 25, 2018.
  • Gitlin, Jonathan M., "Sergio Marchionne, the man who saved Fiat Chrysler, dies at 66." Ars Technica, July 25, 2018.
  • Paukert, Chris, "Sergio Marchionne, recent Fiat Chrysler CEO, dead at 66." C|Net, July 25, 2018.
• Jerry Gadwa
  • "Alberta First Nation mourns firefighter who died battling Ontario forest fires." CBC News, July 28, 2018.
• Paul Walfish
  • Taylor, Alexa, "'He changed medicine': Canadian pioneer of thyroid cancer treatment dies at 83." National Post, July 31, 2018.
• Rick Genest
  • "Montreal model and artist known as Zombie Boy dead at 32." CBC News, August 2, 2018.

Canadian Notables

The following former Prime Ministers of Canada have open profiles that are not (yet) connected to the main tree:

• John Thompson
• Mackenzie Bowell
• R.B. Bennett

Much to my surprise, I found former Governors General of Canada who not only aren't connected, but does't even seem to have WikiTree profiles: Georges Vanier, Roland Michener, and Jeanne Sauvé. So this is something which clearly must be rectified as soon as possible.

Currently, there are 133 profiles listed in the Unconnected Notables Canada report.

Incorrectly Categorised Canadians

Currently, there are 49 people connected directly under the Canada category, rather than under the category for the city, town, or village where they were born, lived, or died. Those profiles need to be placed within the correct categories (if we can find out what they are).

Unconnected Canadians

Currently, there are only 4 people listed in the Canada Unconnected Profiles category, although there are lots more listed under various provinces and territories. Those profiles need to be connected and have that category removed. (And, of course, doing that can earn you points in the Connectors Challenge.)

Unsourced Canadians

Currently, there are 937 people listed in the Canada Unsourced Profiles category. Those profiles need to be sourced and have that category removed. (And, of course, doing that can earn you points in the Sourcerers' Challenge or upcoming Saturday Sourcing Sprints.)

Canadian Sources

This month, I want to point you to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Unlike census records, only a small number of people are listed in the dictionary, and not even all the planned articles have been completed and posted yet. Then too, the dictionary doesn't qualify as a primary source, and should be listed under a "See Also:" header under the main sources section, but if you're working on a profile for a Canadian notable, the dictionary makes a nice addition to a profile, and may lead you to other sources that can help you in your work. You can see an example of a citation from the dictionary on the profile for the founder of Neilson Dairies William Neilson.

Provincial Sub-Projects

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Quebecois

Past Issues

• Canada Monthly - October 2017
• Canada Monthly - February 2018
• Canada Monthly - April 2018
• Canada Monthly - June 2018

Answer 1

Such a cool idea Greg!!!

Comments

I'm hoping that somebody else will take on this job. I don't mind compiling the "Canadians in the News" section, because the stories accumulate in my RSS reader anyway, but doing a monthly report for Canada (and then one for each province and territory too) would be too much like work for me. I need to shed tasks on WikiTree, not add more. So if anybody wants to take Canada, a province, or a territory, and work up a monthly or bimonthly G2G post, I'd be thrilled. (Well, there already is a regular Ontario Project Update, so that's covered.)

Once all the Prime Ministers and Governors General have been added and connected, there are tons of other Canadian notables to be checked: premiers of the United Province of Canada, colonial governors and Governors General, chief justices of the Supreme Court, Victoria Cross recipients, members of the Order of Canada, Nobel Prize winners, and the list goes on...

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Sorry Greg, but it wont be me.

I already have way too much to do with all NZ stuff I am doing (it is my country of origin) plus I already do the Monthly Notables G2G posts and the weekly 52 Ancestors posts.

I know I live in Canada now, but really, most of my husbands Canadian genealogy has been from the maritimes and that's it. I dont even follow the news from there really. I just read whatever news comes out of Toronto really.

Answer 2

I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Canada for a number of years, in Montreal, and loved it!  I miss Canada often!  Great people, great country, great memories!

So I had to go look for one of my favorites - and was completely SHOCKED to not find her - Rita MacNeil!  She's a national treasure, a tremendous talent who came from nowhere, battling the childhood humiliations of a cleft palate, poverty, and sexual abuse.  But instead of becoming bitter and hateful, she rose above it, and used her talent to connect to working and struggling people everywhere.  When you have heard some of her songs, like Working Man (the beautiful and unforgettable anthem of miners everywhere), Nova Scotia (hauntingly beautiful), and Flying On Your Own (a beautiful and inspiring anthem, especially for struggling women), you can never forget them.

I see Prime Ministers listed, but I personally consider Rita more notable than most of them.  The list of 'Unconnected Notables' has so many names I don't recognize, that I can't understand why Rita hasn't been honored.  There's nothing at all about her on WikiTree!

I know genealogy is not about recording the most deserving, but if we're going to emphasize 'notables', then, for me and many others, she ranks well above most royals and politicians and celebrities.

Comments

Any time anybody asks, "Why isn't so-and-so on WikiTree?" the answer is, "Because nobody has gotten around to it yet. Why don't you get it started?"

Remember that this is a site which is done by volunteers. Nobody is making decisions like "Oh, this person is worthy of having a profile, but that one isn't." You can create profiles for anybody you want, whether they're related to you or not. (Or, more precisely, "whether you know how you're related or not", since everybody in the world is related somehow, and the question is identifying the how.)

Complain not. Create, or create not. There is no complain.

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Message received.  I didn't think I was complaining, just a bit shocked at her absence, even from the list.

Unfortunately, I'm currently swamped, way behind on a number of unfinished projects.   I'll try when I can.  Doesn't seem like a good idea though, to just enter the profile.  I'll want enough time to also add family and try to connect her.

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Sorry. I may have put too much voltage into that. I'm kind of resonating after having just found my great-uncle's service record from World War I. He lied about his age to get in, and ended up spending most of his military career in hospital. Poor kid.

And, yes, I have been kind of obsessive about getting all the prime ministers and governors general done properly. That's not because I care all that much about politicians, but it's a nice, finite, serial task that we can point to at some point and say, "There. That's done." (At least, until the next funeral.) Being able to say that a job is finished is a rare and precious thing in genealogy.

Next month, I plan to obsess on aviation figures. At least in B.C. I had no idea that there were so many (or that they were so cool). It's a shame that so few of them have profiles. But, as Willy Wonka is wont to say, "Too much time and too little to do. Wait. Scratch that. Reverse it. Thank you."

Answer 3

R. B. Bennett IS connected to the tree through his mother Henrietta Stiles, daughter of Captain David Stiles.

Comments

W00t!