All the help you need
Centre getting more reference materials
For this article I would like to mention two recent additions to the research material that is available at the Cape Breton Genealogy Help Centre.
The Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Association now has copies of all the A. F. Church historical maps available. The name of the maps can be somewhat confusing since they have nothing to do with churches but rather the man who prepared the maps, who was named Ambrose F. Church.
A number of the church maps are available already on our website in the map section and now the A.F. Church historic maps for all Nova Scotia counties are available at the help centre.
The maps were made from 1864 to 1888 and are a great genealogical tool since they show roads and locations as on regular maps and the location of homes and businesses. The head of the household is also indicated on the maps as well as a list of businesses, tradesmen and prominent citizens. Perhaps you will be able to locate your ancestor’s home.
The CBGHA has recently added Cape Breton’s daily newspaper, the Cape Breton Post and its predecessors, including the Sydney Post-Record, which ran from 1933-1956, on microfilm at our help centre. The records cover 1900 to 1973 with only a few gaps. Obituaries from the newspaper can be a great tool in your family tree research. Basic information from the obituaries in the newspaper can be found by referring to the different indexes at the help centre or on the website but with the microfilm, you will now be able to view the actual obituary.
If you are looking for an obituary, please drop into the help centre and give it a try. We encourage visitors to bring a digital camera and get a copy of the obituary for your own files or you may prefer to transcribe the obituary.
The Cape Breton Genealogy Help Centre is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The help centre is located at 225 George St, Sydney in the historic Lyceum building. We invite you to drop in for some help with your family tree research. We have knowledgeable volunteers that are willing to help. New members are always welcome.
Please send any questions or comments by using the CBGHA contact link on the website at www.cbgen.org. We are thankful for the support of our members as we continually to improve the Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Association. We are pleased to report that the renovations to our future location at the former Bank of Montreal building on Charlotte Street, Sydney, are proceeding nicely and we hope to be able to announce an opening date at the new location in the near future.