Thursday, April 30, 2020

Local History and Genealogy

Did you know that the public library is a great resource for researching local history and genealogy? Whether you are using this down time to work on family genealogy, your child is getting a head start on their next heritage fair project, or you are just interested in learning more about the history of your community, PARL has a few resources that can help guide you. 

Ancestry.ca


Ancestry.ca is an online genealogy database that includes immigration records, census records, vital records, family histories, church records, military records, and much more. Although ancestry.ca is usually only available at your local library branch, it is, for the time being, free to use from home. You can access ancestry.ca by visiting the PARL website and following the directions that are listed. In addition to the information you need to access the database, our website also has  some useful research tips. The amount of records a simple search can return is a bit daunting so follow the tips to help you narrow down your search. 



NovaStory.ca


NovaStory.ca, a collection of digitized documents, photographs, historical maps, and cemetery guides. An initiative spearheaded by Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, there are a variety of resources specific to Pictou and Antigonish counties, such as the Pictou Historical Photograph Society collection. 

http://www.novastory.ca/novastories/petroglyphs/ships.html

A resource that deserves special recognition is the Creed Mi'kmaq Tracings Collection. In 1887-1888 George Creed, the postmaster in South Rawdon made a series of tracings of Mi'kmaq petroglyphs found at Kejimkujik and McGowan Lake. Petroglyphs are artwork and symbols carved into rocks and give us a glimpse into Mi'kmaw culture, tradtions, and history. In some cases, these tracings are the only record of specific carvings as they have been destroyed by vandalism or they are no longer accessible. 




Information for Family Historians

The PARL homepage features a tab called "Subject Resources". Under this tab you can find a link to our resource page for family historians. A noteworthy feature on this page is a photographic collection called Pictou County Characters, which includes photographs of citizens in our local communities.  Although there are links to other unique collections of local interest, many of the resources listed on this page will require an in-person visit to the Heritage Room in the New Glasgow Library. Once all of COVID-19 precautionary measures have been lifted, our library branches will be open again. But until then, we hope you find some of these digital collections compelling and thought provoking. 








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