P is for Periodicals - Blogging from A to Z April 2020 Challenge!

Today P is for Periodicals in British Columbia 

Blogging about British Columbia Genealogy Resources

British Columbia Historical News, Summer 1982 cover. Picnic in Stanley Park. Vancouver; photographer Philip Timms. (Original photo, Vancouver Public Library Special Collections: VPL Accession #: 5397).

If you've been following my A-Zed series on British Columbia Genealogy Resources, you will have noticed many of the sources I look at are not, strictly speaking, 'genealogical', but rather historical.

Setting your ancestral history within a historical framework is vital to doing genealogy and family history research and writing, I believe. And using local/regional historical background in your writing or snippets as 'fun facts' or in timelines or even old recipes could spark more interest from others reading your family history. (Don't miss the Bonus at the end here.)

In British Columbia, we have a great historical periodical that's easily available and digitally archived 1923-2015 - British Columbia History (formerly BC Historical News/The British Columbia Historical News/The British Columbia Historical Quarterly). 

If you are doing British Columbia genealogy or family history, I highly recommend that you subscribe and that you search old issues and new for information on topics and BC places you are interested in. You might like to submit an article yourself. (The Editor is a very family history friendly person.) Subscriptions and current issues are available through the BC Historical Federation or ask if your local historical/genealogical society is a member or check your public or other libraries:
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bch 

You may find other articles of interest in BC Studies, an academic journal. Many issues and articles are online free and indexed. https://bcstudies.com/

Once you've done that, doing your own historical research in contemporary popular or specialized magazines and journals can be rewarding and fun, especially if they are now digitized and reasonably searchable. Here are a few provincial and national ones I've found generally useful to get you started. Let me know which others you find useful. 

British Columbia Monthly [1918-1927]; British Columbia magazine

[1911-191-], Canadiana: http://www.canadiana.ca/

The Beaver, the Hudson Bay Company (think fur trade and Canada's north) 1920-2013, free digital archive:
https://canadashistory.partica.online/canadas-history/the-beaver-october-1920/flipbook/1/

Maclean’s Magazine, news and general interest, from 1905, Ebsco Publishing database - available through some larger libraries. 

Chatelaine, news and views from women's point of view, from 1925. ProQuest database 1928-2005, available through some larger libraries.

La Revue moderne, a magazine for women and families, published in Québec 1919 to 1960. Available at the National Library and Archives of Quebec: http://numerique.banq.qc.ca/ressources/details/RJQ

"...a way to say 'We are friends' to the Chinese.' ", WWII Coca-Cola™ ad, Maclean's Magazine, 15 January 1944. Personal collection.

The Grain Growers' Guide 1908-1928, later The Country Guide (various titles). Peel's Prairie Provinces (Peel's Bibliography) 1909-1918: http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/GGG/

ElectricCanadian has a growing list of Canadian digital magazines and journals, including The Busy Man's Magazine (later Maclean's) and the Canadian Home Journal:
https://electriccanadian.com/magazines/index.htm

 

                Country Guide: The Farm Magazine (Canada), July 1977.                             Personal collection.

            Bonus - a recipe from this Country Guide, July 1977. Could be useful right now!

Carrot Marmalade

3 ½ c. coarsely shredded carrots (about 6 medium size)

3 oranges

1 lemon

Sugar

                Cook carrots in as little boiling water as possible; drain. Grate orange and lemon rinds finely. Section the fruit and remove white membrane; cut sections into small pieces. Measure cooked carrots, rinds and fruit; add 2/3 as much sugar. Boil gently until jelly stage is reached. Pour into sterilized jars and seal with 1/8” melted paraffin. Yields 3 jelly glasses.