Blogiversary!

Source: http://www.birthday-clip-art.com/birthday_clipart_images/clip_art_illustration_of_a_birthday_cake_with_a_number_1_candle_0515-1101-1604-1156.html

Today marks one year since I started this blog. It's a little hard to believe I've been doing this for an entire year! It's been a learning experience in more ways than one.

It had been years since I did any kind of writing other than filling out weekly reports for work. To say I was a bit rusty was an understatement. But, as the weeks went by, my writing has improved, and I've been more comfortable with it. I don't think I'm up to submitting anything to the NEHGS Register yet, but practice makes perfect.

A year ago, I was well versed in Maritime record sources. My knowledge of Ontario and Quebec records were good. My knowledge of anything west of Ontario though was rather lacking. But over the course of the past year, I've learned quite a bit about Western Canada resources. It's amazing what a little focused research can teach you. If any one is looking for a research goal, let FOCUS be your catchword. I'm all for a little "down the rabbit hole" research. You can stumble upon some great information that way. But sometimes you just have to sit down and not let the bright and shiny things distract you.


By the Numbers

Now for some numbers. Thanks to the Blogger platform, I've been able to look at some stats for my blog:

• Top 10 Page Views by Country

1. United States 11,815
2. Canada 7,401
3. Germany 464
4. United Kingdom 312
5. Poland 192
6. Ireland 179
7. France 148
8. Ukraine 126
9. Armenia 78
10. Australia 60

I didn't find it strange that Americans and Canadians would be at the top of the list. The flow back and forth of our ancestors across the border would guarantee that many American researchers would be looking for Canadian resources. Since the provinces govern their own rules about privacy and access to most of the records a genealogist would look at, they tend to vary widely. Both an American and a Canadian researcher would find my posts helpful in trying to navigate the waters. What I did find surprising was the huge difference in the numbers between #1 and #2. I expected the numbers to be much closer.

• Top 10 Blog Posts

1. Vital Statistics Part 3- Ontario and Quebec
2. Getting Lost in City Directories
3. What's in a Name: A Look at Naming Patterns
4. D-I-V-O-R-C-E Part 1 - Before 1968
5. Research Your Ancestors in the Canada Gazette
6. New Brunswick Ancestors: A Look at the PANB County Guides
7. Focus on an Archive: Lindsay Public Library Reference Section
8. Alberta Ancestors: The Alberta Heritage Digitization Project
9. Vital Statistics Part 5 - Alberta and British Columbia
10. Religious Records Part 4- Quebec and Ontario

It's nice to see a cross section of Canada as far as the top posts go. I have lots of ideas in the works for future posts. But if any of you have suggestions for future posts, then by all means drop me a line through the contact information on my contact page.


I'd Like to Thank the Academy....

Now here's where I get mushy. One of the reasons that I've had a great first year in my blog has been due to the support of other bloggers. The genealogy blogging community is very supportive of each other in general. I've been able to reach out to other bloggers with questions and they've been very kind in offering support. A few of my fellow bloggers have been kind enough to direct people to some of my blog posts, and I thank you all for mention. There's two bloggers who have been my biggest mentors and cheerleaders though. They have highlighted my blog regularly in their own blogs, and given me wonderful encouragement. I can't thank them enough. So a special thank you goes to Gail Dever of Genealogy a la carte and Penny Allen of UK to Canada Genealogy.

There's also another thank you I'd like to give to the Ontario Genealogical Society. They have also featured a few of my blog posts in their OGS eWeekly Update. One in particular they highlighted was my post on finding city directories. Thanks to the mention from them, the descendants of one of my grandmother's brothers contacted me. I've been able to take that branch of my tree 2 more generations back, and gain new cousins I never knew I had. So thank you OGS!

Last but certainly not least, I'd like to thank you the reader. As much as I enjoy blogging, it's because of the people reading this that I've had such a successful first year. So it's not only my blogiversary, but yours as well. Cheers and here's to a great first year of helping you find your Canadian story!