Vol. 1, No. 7
Whole #7
October 22, 1999
- Canadian VRs Slammed Shut?
- Website Q & A...the Sequel!
-Deaths in the Town of Boston, 1700-1799 Debuts at NEHGS
***
A recent item crossing our desks at Newbury Street raised some concern on
the part of those who frequently utilize French-Canadian Vital and Census
Records. NEHGS staff Reference Librarian Michael Leclerc, who specializes in
French-Canadian genealogy, said that "The loss of access to these records
would be a critical blow to genealogical research of New Englanders." We
have re-printed contents of the e-mail letter verbatim:
"Dear Fellow Genealogists in the United States:
Millions of Americans from all over the United States find their search for
roots leads back into Canada and thus they turn to surviving Canadian vital
and census records in order to extend or complete their family trees. The
loss of public access to all post-1901 Canadian census records is therefore
a blow to genealogists on both sides of the American-Canadian border.
Withdrawal of public access stems from a clause inserted in a 1905 law
which in the view of the Canadian government guarantees perpetual
confidentiality of census records. Unless this law is changed there will
never be another Canadian census made available to genealogists.
Canadian genealogists are fighting this recent government decision and
are inviting American genealogists with Canadian roots to have their say
as well. Canadian Senator Lorna Milne feels strongly that all those
affected by this decision whether citizens of this country or not have a
right to be heard. She is asking Americans and all other non-Canadians to
write her if they are concerned about the loss of these irreplaceable old
records and she will be their voice in Canada's Parliament. She intends to
read some of the letters in the Senate Chamber when this issue is debated
later this year. Letters may be sent to her by email (please include postal
address) or via regular mail at:
Senator Lorna Milne,
The Senate of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A4
Canada
Email: Farquhar@netcom.ca
Americans can also contribute by signing a special "Petition of Support"
which will be presented to Parliament by Senator Milne. Copies of this
petition are available on the web where they can be downloaded and
printed out:
<http://www.globalgenealogy.com/census/petition.htm> "
***
NewEnglandAncestors.org….More Frequently-Asked Questions….
Q: I still can't find it!
A: It is at its IP address and will be changing to its final URL
NewEnglandAncestors.org this week. For now, it is at <http://146.115.23.71>
Q: Is there a place where I may look over all these questions at once?
A: Go to <http://www.nehgs.org/newsiteFAQ.htm> for contents of this and the
previous issue's FAQs.
Q: May I log in using my Membership Number and password (last name) yet?
A: Yes, but please bear in mind that Members-Only content, including
Discussion Forums, is still under development.
Q: May I purchase from the new site's online store or borrow a book from the
Circulating Library?
A: Not yet. Until the official launch, we will be continually testing these
important areas. You will still be able to access the Sydney database at our
current site www.nehgs.org<http://www.nehgs.org> for Circulating Library
needs, and will still be able to make purchases there as well.
Q: Will the new QuickSearch service be a part of the new site?
A: Absolutely, though, as is the case with the above question, you should
refer to the existing website www.nehgs.org<http://www.nehgs.org> for
QuickSearch details.
Q: Are the Manuscript Inventories in a Members-Only area?
A: The Inventories are available to all, but accessing Manuscripts
themselves remains a Member privilege.
Q: Are there plans to put Manuscripts online?
A: The Society is investigating this possiblity, exploring the costs
involved and the web-enabling of these often extremely fragile items, many
of which are several hundred years old.
Q: I would like to have an event posted in your Calendar. How does one do
that?
A: Press releases and notices for events of genealogical interest should be
emailed to nehgs@nehgs.org<mailto:nehgs@nehgs.org>, with the word "Calendar
Event" placed in the subject line. Via Postal Service, please address your
letter to NewEnglandAncestors.org Calendar, 101 Newbury Street, Boston MA
02116. All the usual contact and event detail information applies.
Q: Will there be a Queries Section?
A: Queries will be an entire separate Discussion Forum for Members only.
Like all Forums, it will feature detailed instructions for formatting your
query and posting.
Q: What about old NEXUS Queries?
A: At this time we plan to add Queries which have appeared in NEXUS since
1995.
Q: After I log in, the name that appears is not mine. Is there a problem?
A: Probably not, unless the name that appears is not a member of your
family. When joining NEHGS, there is a Main Name entered into our Membership
database, and on the new website that name is programmed to appear. So if
you have a family membership you may see the name of another family member
after logging in. If you very much need to change the main name, please
e-mail the Membership Department at membership@nehgs.org
<mailto:membership@nehgs.org>.
Q: Will the email addresses of staff at NEHGS change?
A: No. Thus all emails will still end with "@nehgs.org".
Q: I saw something that would be perfect for your "Genealogy in the News"
section. How do I go about alerting you to it?
A: All such notices are welcome, the appropriate contact address being
nehgs@nehgs.org<mailto:nehgs@nehgs.org>.
***
The Sales Department is pleased to announce the availability of a new NEHGS
publication, Deaths in the Town of Boston, 1700-1799, by Robert J. Dunkle
and Ann Smith Lainhart. This two-volume set is an exhaustive accounting of
deaths recorded in Boston from 1700 to 1799, keyed to a list of more than 50
sources including town histories, vital records, newspapers, articles in the
Register, manuscripts, and diaries. Foreword by Dr. Ralph J. Crandall.
NEHGS. 1999. 1,137pp. Hardcover.
Deaths in the Town of Boston (Item # S2-76720) may be purchased for $75.00
(NEHGS members, $67.50), plus $4.75 shipping and handling. Please call the
Sales Department, toll-free, at 1-888-296-3447. Please refer to this
newsletter when placing your order.
***
NOTE: This is a special edition of HisGen Highlights, published to answer
more questions about the new web site. There will be another
(regularly-scheduled) issue next week, and after that we will resume
every-other-week publication.
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Copyright 1845-1999NEHGS. All rights reserved.