Chinook Arch

Volume 3 (2021)

• Garry Milne shares a story on the Ancestor Anecdote page of a family heirloom, a Naval General Service Medal with Copenhagen 1801 Bar, that has been in his family for over 160 years!
• Two of our Special Interest Groups update us on changes to their groups on the SIG Page.
• This month on the DNA Discoveries page, Marion (Rath) Peterson shares her perplexing journey to discover her father’s Rath connections using Y-DNA.
• An interesting book in the AFHS Library tells the story of house “kits” that you could order through the Eaton’s catalogue. Dennis and Lorna Laughton review this peek into Canada housing history by Les Henry.

Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2021

• On our Ancestor Anecdotes page, Tara Shymanski reflects on the life of her great-grandfather, Herb Jerry, who plowed the land with an ox and an axe.
• The English/Welsh SIG had an informative presentation on Dating 19th Century Photographs. See the review on the SIG page.
• This month on the DNA Discoveries page, Katie Crossman shares her search for Baby Sarah, a mystery solved using DNA.
• AFHS President, Jim Benedict, describes some of the hidden findings in the Society’s collection of cemetery records.
• Workshops and conferences continue to go virtual. Check the Upcoming Events section for some learning opportunities. 
• Our Society is seeking Board candidates for the upcoming elections. Learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities on the back page.
• As usual, the issue includes upcoming meeting information, Society updates and how to submit your stories as articles.  

Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2021

• Don Alexander shares an amusing story about his childhood adventure riding his wagon down the town’s “coal tipple.”
• The Library Highlights page has a review by Glynn Davis of the book A Swarm of Bees by Ron Shaw (available at the AFHS Library).
• On the DNA page, Greg Cave explains why you should not ignore lower cM values.
• Iris Morgan of the English/Welsh SIG describes how to access free digital resources available through the Calgary Public Library’s website for those researching ancestors in Britain. 
• As usual, the issue includes upcoming meeting information, Society updates and how to submit your stories as articles.

Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2021

• Heather Williams shares the story of her grandmother’s “Trunk of Tears” that traveled with her from Scotland to Garden Plains, Alberta.
• On the DNA page, Bev Smith shows how DNA testing helped her go further in her research on her husband’s Smith relatives.
• The Ontario SIG’s Tara Shymanski shares tips on searching for Ontario records (or other locations) on Ancestry.
• In Calgary Connections, Rosemary Kry tells the story of the boarding house in Calgary that her Grandmother Amelia started in 1922.
• Workshops and conferences continue to go virtual. Check the Upcoming Events section for some learning opportunities. 
• As usual, the issue includes upcoming meeting information and Society updates.  

Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2021

• The Member Updates page lists the Board of Directors, extends our thanks to those who have stepped down from positions, and includes important information about possible changes to the way AGLC allocates casino fundraising.
• Amber Godfrey outlines some tips for entering locations, as presented at a recent Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group meeting.
• Linda Murray shares her surprising story of using DNA to find out the truth about her great-grandfather.
• The Library Highlights page contains a tribute to long-time AFHS volunteer, Helen Backhouse, who is moving away from Calgary.
• Workshops and conferences continue to go virtual. Check the Upcoming Events section for some learning opportunities. 
• As usual, the issue includes upcoming meeting information and Society updates.  

Volume 3, Issue 6, June 2021

• Judith Meyers shares how she had to learn about naming conventions in different cultures to help her record her granddaughter’s diverse family tree.
• In his article “How DNA Helped Identify Jane Doe,” Ron Gilmore explains how DNA advances offer many benefits, including helping law enforcement identify cold cases.
• The Calgary Connections page has a story by Marian Jones describing how her German from Russia ancestors travelled to Calgary from the Crimean Peninsula.
• There are some interesting conferences happening over the summer, most of them virtually, so check out the Upcoming Events page!
• As usual, the issue includes upcoming meeting information and Society updates.  

Volume 3, Issue 7, September 2021

• Jim Benedict, AFHS President, provides an update to our members.
• June Read shares her British mother-in-law’s story of serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II where she met and married her Canadian husband and then moved to Canada after the war as one of thousands of War Brides.
• Are you looking for simple way to make a book about your family history? Jim Benedict reviews the software called Ancestral Author that claims to have an easy way to do this.
• DNA research can help find answers to complex family connections. Terri Scruggs shares a story involving her own family where DNA evidence helped answer the question of “Who’s Your Daddy?”
• Check out new books in the AFHS library, volunteer positions available with AFHS and upcoming workshops and conferences in this month’s newsletter!

Volume 3, Issue 8, October 2021

• On our Ancestor Anecdotes page, Steve Henley describes the travelling adventures of his great-grandmother, Nettie Ann (Phillips) Henley. Our ancestors may have ventured farther than we think!
• At a recent Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group meeting, Pat Jette shared the story of her Japanese Canadian family and the sources she used for this research.
• How to capture screenshots or “snips” from your computer screen is the topic of this issue’s Tech Tip.
• For this month’s Calgary Connection column, our webmaster, Jim Benedict, describes how he used six websites to figure out who Hubert John Benedict was. One of these was Alberta Ancestors, a website being developed by AFHS (still under construction).

Volume 3, Issue 9, November 2021

• Heather Williams retired as AFHS Projects Committee Coordinator and received a lovely send-off from the City of Calgary Cemetery office staff.
• With Remembrance Day fast approaching, Dawn McMillan shares memories of her beloved father and how his war service affected him.
• Diane Duncan of Legacy SIG reflects on three ways to organize and store all that research we collect.
• Check out new cemetery records generously donated to the AFHS library, the volunteer positions available with AFHS, and upcoming workshops and conferences in this month’s newsletter!

Volume 3, Issue 10, December 2021

• Ron Gilmore shares what he has learned about his grandfather’s membership in the Protestant organization called the Orange Order, including the symbols on his sash.
• The Ontario SIG summarizes two excellent presentations about migration from Ontario to the Prairie provinces and researching military medals.
• Warren Peterson provides some Tech Tips on which updates are necessary for your computer, tablet and smartphone.
• On our new Research Round Up page, Marion Peterson outlines how to obtain divorce records in Alberta.
• Check out upcoming workshops and conferences, a “save the date” notice for our 2022 Conference and the volunteer positions available with AFHS in this month’s newsletter!