Grande Prairie & District Branch
Alberta Genealogical Society

Extracts from

Heritage Seekers
March 1999, Vol. 22, No. 1

Greetings. This will be my final report as your President. I think I wrote my first report using the analogy of a ship, so this is not to say that I've jumped ship, just that I'm now a different member of the crew. This past year has been very enlightening. I think everyone should give it a try! Many thanks to the Executive and Committee members who helped me soooooo much.

By the way, we are still in need of a Cemetery Coordinator. Please contact Tracey Kirouac or a member of the executive if you can help fill this position.

Our next major project is still the Silent Auction (currently underway), and the Auction Evening (or live auction) on March 26th. Please contact Barb Moreau if can help at all with these events. Don't forget the goal is to purchase a new microfilm reader/printer. Many thanks to all who were able to make it to the workbee in January.

Our February meeting made us 21 years old (just young pups :-) and those present enjoyed wedding memories, pictures, dolls, dresses, cakes, and much more.

Next month we look forward to Fran Moore's presentation about "Museums in the Peace". This meeting will be held in the Grande Prairie Museum since the Library is undergoing renovations.

And finally, I would like to welcome our new President, Margaret Kay; Vice President Debby Was; Secretary Marian Ledger; and Treasurer Dorothy McDonald. I know we're in good hands that will take us into the millennium.

Recently, while I was surfing the ënetí, I was in the <http://ancestry.com/> website and checking some of my surnames against their databases. When I typed in the SPALLIN surname, I got 2 hits on the PERSI* database. You will never guess what those two hits were! In the September 1997 issue of Heritage Seekers, I had submitted an article called "Spallin & Related Families Reunion" (pg. 4). Both of these hits on the PERSI database referred me back to that issue of Heritage Seekers. What is my point?

Think about it.

By submitting my article to Heritage Seekers, it was first read by the Grande Prairie and District Branch, Alberta Genealogical Societyís 60 members. It also reached 45-50 Canadian societies that we exchange newsletters with and their members.

Plus it is sent to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana that is one of the largest genealogy libraries in North America. When it reaches this library, the newsletter is indexed! That index is called PERSI* and it is available on the internet.

Next, our newsletter committee extracts four pages of Heritage Seekers to include in the next issue of Relatively Speaking. Relatively Speaking has a circulation of approximately 900 members and societies. It is also entered onto the Grande Prairie and District Branch, AGS website, after the next issue of Heritage Seekers is published. It is kept on that website for one year.

Therefore, your article is sitting on 1010 bookshelves plus all the computers in the world with an internet hookup. When I submitted an article about the SCHMAUS family, I was contacted by people who saw it in Relatively Speaking and by the many that saw it on the internet.

My point therefore is: "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!" Write an article about your family and submit it to Heritage Seekers. You wonít regret it.

* PERSI is the abbreviation for "Periodical Source Index" and it is the largest subject index to genealogical and historical periodical articles in the world. It covers genealogy and local history periodicals written in English and French since 1800. The index is created by the foundation and department staff of the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana (description from Allen County Public Library web-site).

Editorís Note: Articles on your research successes or roadblocks are very welcome. Contact your editor, Judy Bradley, at 539-4697 to let her know for which issue you can do an article. Deadline date for the next issue is June 1^st.

As well, all members are encouraged to send in their ënamesí to the interests section of the Branch webpage on the internet. To date, only six members have done so (see article later in this issue). You donít need an email or internet account to get your interests out there. Contact Laura Turnbull at 532-7138 and she will set it up for you.

The Grande Prairie & District Branch is putting together a cookbook and needs family and ethnic recipes from members. Short anecdotes relating to the recipes will also be accepted. Please forward ideas to Catherine (or by mail to Box 1257, Grande Prairie AB T8V 4Z1). Deadline April 20, 1999.

Please try to submit a variety of recipes (i.e. we don't want a million desserts!). Some categories to use are appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes, desserts, breads, etc.

Recipes can be handed in to Catherine Ledger at the general meetings or dropped off at the library (Isabel Campbell room, 2^nd filing cabinet to the left as you enter, 3^rd drawer down, Catherine's file) or sent in by mail to the Branch address. Consider naming the recipes, jotting down the country of origin, mentioning a memory or two, and listing your name as well.

Please think about how you would like to help put this together. Examples of where help will be needed: obtaining sponsors, typing, editing, proofreading, layout, cover, and distribution. All members who take part in this project may also contribute a 'thumb-nail' sketch to be included in the book (no longer than one page in length please).

The fundraiser evening "Swing Into Spring", organized by the Friends of the Grande Prairie Public Library, is almost here. Our group was called upon to help and our job was to contact local businesses to ask for donations of auction items or financial support. This activity took place in the form of a work bee at the January general meeting where members helped send letters to these businesses. Three helpful volunteers also completed some follow-up phoning: Bertha Melnyk, Judy Bradley and Nancy Timanson. Tickets for this event on March 26 are now available at $10.00 each from Barb Moreau at the GP Public Library. Hope to see you there! Funds raised will be used to purchase a NEW MICROFILM READER/PRINTER for the library.

Two volunteers have completed their year of recording obituaries from the Grande Prairie Daily Herald Tribune on microfilm. Thanks to Leita Askew and Gail Shau for their many hours of work. The rest of us who have adopted a year will soon follow suit.

Recipes and anecdotes for the cookbook have been trickling in and more are anticipated! The general meeting in April has become the new deadline for submissions and hopefully at that time we will get started on the next phase of this project. If you hand in any recipes or help with this project in any way, don't forget that you can hand in a thumb-nail sketch to tell about yourself, your research interests, how you got started in genealogy, etc. and this will be included in the book. Thank you for any recipes and information that has already come in. For those of you who haven't yet, feel free to join the group!

We have a few new faces on the executive! Al Meyer has stepped down from his post as President and I must thank him for a job very well done. In his place we have Margaret Kay who has jumped in without ever holding any other positions on this executive. Thanks for coming forth when we needed you Margaret! Debby Was has accepted the role of Vice President and Marian Ledger is now formally our Secretary after filling in for a few months. Thanks to Dorothy McDonald for remaining in her position as Treasurer. As well, Joan Bowman has decided to give her publication job away after many years of hard work and Judy Bradley is taking over for her. Thanks to everyone who accepted positions this February. I'm sure we will have a wonderful 1999-2000!

Thank you volunteers!

Births marriages and deaths as contained in the Grande Prairie "Herald" newspaper. Continued from the December, 1998 issue of "Heritage Seekers".

Nov 8, 1921 Issue:

 - "At the Manse on Monday, Oct. 31, by Rev. Dr. Forbes, Thomas TYLEY of Clairmont married Emmeline SMITH of Clairmont Ö "

Nov 15, 1921 Issue:

- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. Howard MILLAR, on Thursday, Nov. 10, a daughter."
- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. D.F. McINTOSH of Beaverlodge, AB. On Sept. 16^th, a son."
- "Notice to Creditors: In the Estate of Charles J. STEWART, late of Grande Prairie, AB. And formerly of Calgary, AB. Ö Physician, deceased Ö who died 23 day of June 1921 Ö "

Nov 21, 1921 Issue:
 

- "Born to Mr. and Mrs. George CASSON, Nov. 16^th, a daughter."
- William SILVESTER, aged 57 years, died at the local hospital on Nov. 12^th. Mr. Silvester came to Grande Prairie from Hugue, Saskatchewan, in 1915 Ö homesteaded in Kleskun Hill (near Grande Prairie) Ö nephew Mr. GODFREW Ö Buried in Flying Shot Cemetery."
- "Death of Margaret Mary HUDEN, wife of Daniel Huden on Nov. 8 at her home in Kleskun Hill Ö nee: Margaret JOHNSON Ö came to this country in 1915 Ö taught school at Spring Creek, Pine Creek, Kleskun Hill, and High Prairie, AB Ö At High Prairie, she married Daniel Huden on 22 July 1919. Mr. Huden came to this country in 1905 Ö Mrs. Huden leaves her husband and two small children Ö Buried Nov. 10 in the cemetery four miles east of Sexsmith."
- "At Grande Prairie on Nov. 12, 1921, Raymond NADEAU of Grande Prairie married Vera SHUTTUCK of Beaverlodge. Rev. Forbes officiated."
- "Accidental death of C.B. WILSON (his own gun discharged while hunting) Ö Grande Prairieís largest funeral Ö held in the Grand Theater Ö Burial at Flying Shot Cemetery Ö Leaves a widow and two sons: Glen and Delbert."

Nov 29, 1921 Issue:

 No births, marriages or deaths found.

Dec 6, 1921 Issue:

 - "Born to Mr. and Mrs. E.T. HACKING on Nov. 28^th, a daughter."
- "In the Estate of George F. CAREL, late of Rio Grand, AB., Farmer, Deceased Ö 6 Aug 1921 Ö "

Dec 13, 1921 Issue:

 No births, marriages or deaths found.

Dec 20, 1921 Issue:

 - "Born to Mr. and Mrs. FLOOD, Dec. 7^th, a son."
- "In the Estate of Charles Bradford WILSON, late of Grande Prairie, AB., Mechanic, Deceased Ö 13 Nov 1921."

Dec 27, 1921 Issue:

 - "In the Estate of Harry Morton BARR, of Sexsmith, AB., Contractor and Farmer, died 31^st day of Oct. 1921 Ö "

Have you ever wondered what is on our website but did not have the means to access it? The information on our main page is shown below. It is interesting to review occasionally all the different activities in which your branch is involved.

Website located at:  http://www.rootsweb.com/~abgpags/

Grande Prairie & District Branch
Alberta Genealogical Society
Box 1257 Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V 2Z1

The Grande Prairie Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society was formed in February 1978.

We have a number of activities and services that are of benefit to our members and also to the community as a whole. Some of the Grande Prairie & District Branch activities include:

• Monthly Meetings in the Spencer Room of the Grande Prairie Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month (Sep - Nov, Jan - Jun). A program of genealogical interest follows a brief business meeting. Everyone is welcome.
• Memberships - $25.00 individual for Provincial, and $7.00 for Branch. Membership runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31 each year. In 1996, our members put together their pedigrees and they are included in a binder in the branch library. Currently we have 38 pedigrees on file from 22 members, representing a total of 346 surnames. These surnames were published in the June 1996 issue of "Heritage Seekers". Updates will be published as warranted. If you have not yet submitted your pedigree charts, there is still time.
• "Genies in the Library" is a program offered jointly by the Branch and the Grande Prairie Public Library. The "Genies" are available in the Isabel Campbell Room at the Grande Prairie Public Library on Wednesday evenings 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. and Fridays 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. The "Genies" provide assistance to people interested in genealogical research. The "Genies" will not do research for the person, but will do their best to demonstrate the proper procedures and suggest resources.
• An "Obituary" file with all the obituaries from the Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune since 1978. The years from 1978 to 1984 are on microfilm at the Grande Prairie Public Library. Over the last few years, the Branch has started to collect obituaries from other Peace Country newspapers as well.
• Cemetery Recordings - This is an on-going project by all the branches of the Alberta Genealogical Society to collect and publish Cemetery Records in Alberta. The branch has an index for the cemeteries that have already been recorded.
• A quarterly newsletter called "Heritage Seekers" is published. It features extracts and information from historical sources in the Peace Country, genealogical information and brief biographies on members and their research. This is available to all members. Institutions may obtain copies of "Heritage Seekers' for an annual subscription fee of $10.00. Back Issues of the newsletter are currently online for: March, June, September, and December, 1998.
• Library Collection - Our collection is housed in the Isabel Campbell room of the Grande Prairie Public Library. It is open to members and the public the same hours as the Grande Prairie Public Library. The Library Collection consists of books, microforms, and periodicals. We have a collection of periodicals from over 40 genealogical societies as well as continuing subscriptions to Genealogical Helper, Family Tree Magazine and Family History News.
• Census Films - The Branch has purchased and made available in the Grande Prairie Public Library the 1891 and the 1901 Canadian census on microfilm. These are for use in the library only. Several Indexes to the Census are available in our library collection.
• Our "Researchers Group" will do a limited search through local resources. At present this service is offered for the cost of any materials required.
• Link to Members Surname Interests and Home Pages (see next article).
• The Branch gives workshops and also organizes research trips to Donnelly and to Edmonton. As well, many members participate in the Alberta Genealogical Society conference held annually which offers a variety of topics and workshops of interest to new and old members alike.
• Executive for the 1999/2000 term:

  President - Margaret Kay
  Vice President - Debby Was
  Secretary - Marian Ledger
  Treasurer - Dorothy McDonald
  Past President - Allen Meyer

Surname Interests:

If you wish to include your interests, please contact me.

Al Meyer making the presentation to Pam Chislett of the Grande Prairie Public Library of the "Ancestors" set of five videos which were purchased by the Branch from funds raised through the Beginning Genealogy workshops.

 

Presented at the February 16, 1999 meeting

The obituary index consists of index cards, on which the actual obituary from "The Daily Herald-Tribune" in Grande Prairie has been pasted. As well, funeral cards, thank you notices, memorials and notices to creditors & claimants have been included where applicable. If there were other news articles containing information of the deceased, these have also been collected.

This obituary file covers the period from 1978 to the present. Issues of "Heritage Seekers" which contain surname lists of these obituaries are:

Vol. 11, Nos. 1,2,3,4 Mar-Dec 1988 1978-1987
Vol 13, No. 2, Jun 1990 1988
Vol 13, No. 3, Sep 1990 1989
Vol 14, No. 1, Mar 1991 1990
Vol 15, No. 1, Mar 1992 1991
Vol 16, No. 1, Mar 1993 1992
Vol 17, No. 1, Mar 1994 1993
Vol 18, No. 1, Mar 1995 1994
Vol 19, No. 1, Mar 1996 1995
Vol 20, No. 2, Jun 1997 1996
Vol 21, No. 2, Jun 1998 1997
Vol 22, No. 1, Mar 1999 1998

Our Research Committee will search any surname for a SASE. If copies are requested, you will be notified of the number of entries available and copying costs (approximately $1.00/copy).

The Grande Prairie Public Library in cooperation with "Friends of the Library" and the "Grande Prairie & District Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society" are currently trying to raise funds to purchase a new microform reader/printer.

The purchase price is approximately $10,000.00.

If you or your group is interested in making a tax-deductible contribution towards this purchase, please contact Rick Leech or Barb Moreau at the Grande Prairie Public Library 403-532-3580

Thank you.

The old Grande Prairie newspapers are located on microfilm in the Grande Prairie Public Library. The newspapers and films begin in 1913.

Since June 1983, Joan Bowmanís ongoing contribution to "Heritage Seekers" has been to provide extracts of the births, marriages and deaths as found in these old newspapers

These extracts are now available in a published and indexed book that contains the extracts from:
 

a) Grande Prairie "Frontier Signal", published September 1914 to August 1916, and
b) Grande Prairie "Herald" published March 1913 to December 1920.

Write to the Branch for an order form. Cost is $12.00 plus $1.75 for postage & handling. We look forward to sending this excellent work to as many as possible.

Due to the Grande Prairie Public Library closure, "Genies In the Library" and our "Beginning Genealogy" course were cancelled for March 1999. However, the course in Beaverlodge is going ahead on Saturday, March 20 at the Beaverlodge Public Library. Call the library for more information at 354-2201.

Our collection also had to be removed from the library while it was closed. At the moment that I am writing this article, our collection is sitting in my living room, office and hallway. Hopefully we can return it to the library sometime between March 16-20. Thank you to Paulette Hrychiw, Catherine Ledger, Marian Ledger and Geoff Was for their help in moving the books.

(Note: Part of the collection is now back on the shelves as of March 13^th and the newsletters will return on March 21^st.)
 

Moving committee hard at work.

While I have the collection at home, I have been working on a catalogue. I am also weeding the newsletters printed prior to 1990. This is being done to make more room on our shelves. The older newsletters will be moved into the top two drawers of the letter size filing cabinet.

The "Genies" will be back in the library starting Wed. March 16, but will be on holidays for Easter week (April 2-11) and the AGS conference (April 16).

We are still waiting (impatiently) for the Ontario reels of the 1881 census to arrive. Hopefully, they should be here soon.

The AGS library has agreed to loan us the following sets of books for awhile. The exact details have not been worked out, but watch for them in the library.

Please remember to support the fund-raiser being put on by the Friends of the Library and our branch. Items for the silent auction are on display at the CIBC and will be moved to the library when it reopens. A fun-filled evening, called "Swing into Spring Gala" is being held March 26, 7:30 p.m. at the Golden Inn. Plans include the silent auction, hors díoeuvres, martini bar, jazz band and a swing dance demonstration. Tickets can be purchased for $10.00 each from the Grande Prairie Public Library, Friends of the Library or our branch members. All proceeds are going towards the purchase of a new microfilm reader/printer for Grande Prairie Public Library. We really need this reader/printer for our research. From what I hear, there are a lot of really nice things being donated, including a painting by Peter von Tiesenhausen. Call Barb Moreau at GPPL for more information (532-3580). See you there!

Grande Prairie Public Library

9910-99 Ave, Grande Prairie
Telephone: 532-3580

Family History Centre, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 11212-102 St., Grande Prairie
Telephone: 532-3609

Grande Prairie Regional College

10726-106 Ave, Grande Prairie
Telephone: 539-2939

March 16:
 

Program: "Museums of the Peace"
Presenter: Fran Moore
Meeting held at the Grande Prairie Museum

March 20:
 

Beginning Genealogy workshop at
Beaverlodge Public Library

April 16 & 17:
 

Alberta Genealogical Society
Annual Conference
Edmonton, Alberta

April 20:
 

Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Program: "Research in England"
Presenter: Laura Turnbull

May 18: tba

June 15: tba

All programs are preceded by a
short business meeting.

Genies in the Library:
 

Wednesday: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
At other times, please ask the staff at the Grande Prairie Public Library for contact information.

Heritage Seekers is published by:

• Grande Prairie & District Branch
• Alberta Genealogical Society
• Box 1257
• Grande Prairie, Alberta
• T8V 4Z1

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  September 13, 1999