Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum establishes Genealogy Research Centre
Federal Investment of $3,000 to Increase Visitors and Create One Part-Time Job
August 3, 2017 Bancroft
LOCAL INITIATIVES PROGRAM FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT.
The Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum will benefit from an investment announced today by the Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin and Mike Bossio, Member of Parliament for Hastings−Lennox and Addington.
The CFDC of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin is pleased to provide support to the Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum with an investment of $3,000 through the Community Futures Program. The funding will support the establishment of a Genealogy Research Centre. The new Centre is an important part of the Museum’s expanding programs and offerings, which will result in an increase in the number of visitors and one part-time job.
People of all ages are participating in retrieving historical data associated with their families. If you have ever wondered about your ancestors, you will now be able to research your family tree at the new Genealogy Research Centre with the assistance of staff and volunteers at the Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum.
The Bancroft Museum offers many documents, photos and artifacts which can be used in these searches. This generous contribution from the CFDC will allow the Museum to combine the historical information now housed locally with the opportunities offered online. With the addition of computer equipment, genealogy resources will be available to the public, including searches by surname, historical persons, obituaries and historical collections such as vital records, census and military records and family searches.
The Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum was established as a Centennial project 50 years ago in 1967, and it seems fitting in this sesquicentennial year that it step firmly into the 21st century in its ability to expand and share its resources. Stop by the Bancroft North Hastings Museum this summer to trace your family tree.
The Community Futures Program promotes economic stability, growth and job creation leading to more diversified and competitive rural economies, and economically sustainable communities.
QUOTES
“As is clearly evident from social media and museum visitors, searching family ancestry has become a hobby for a lot of people in this area and beyond. The Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum, with the help of the CFDC contribution, is proud to be able to offer this valuable service – the new Genealogy Research Centre, in the Bancroft area.”
– Mary Kavanagh, Councillor Town of Bancroft and Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum Board Representative
“We are excited about the expansion of programs and services offered through the Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum. We are pleased to support this unique project: the establishment of the Genealogy Research Centre.”
– Jim Etmanski, Chair CFDC of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin
“Our region has a rich history, and we can look with pride on the ties that connect us with our ancestors. I’m very pleased to see this investment in the Genealogy Research Centre at the Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum, and I hope that citizens of all ages will make good use of it.”
– Mike Bossio, Member of Parliament, Hastings−Lennox and Addington
QUICK FACTS
• The Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Museum is a beautifully restored log house once the headquarters of the Bronson-Weston Lumber Company before it was turned into a home and now a museum. The building was moved to the current site adjacent to Riverside Park and the Post Office and established as a Museum in 1967.
• The Museum tells the stories of Bancroft and North Hastings County through the preservation and presentation of artifacts, culture and local history including the important contributions of Indigenous peoples and the first European settlers as well as the lumber and mining industries.
• The CFDC of North & Central Hastings and South Algonquin is one of the 15 CFDCs in eastern Ontario funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). CFDCs deliver a wide variety of programs and services to support community economic development and small business growth. They employ local staff and are each governed by a volunteer board of directors, made up of local residents representing the community.
Associated Links
• http://community-futures.ca/
• http://bancroftheritagemuseum.ca/
Contacts
MP Office Contact Name:
Valerie Watts
613 354-0909 or 1-866-471-3800
CFDC Media Relations Contact
Mary Lynn Rutledge
613 332-5564 or 1-800-465-4119
