Canadian Genealogy News 22 August 2015

Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning - 

The Ontario East British Home Child Family 

The Ontario East British Home Child Family (OEBHCF) have set-up and are ready to open their museum at the Aultsville Train Station near Upper Canada Village in Ontario. 

The station will be open and manned by members of the OEBHCF group for the next four weekends. The hours of operation will be 11:00 am - 4:00 pm each Saturday and Sunday. They will also be open for these hours on Labour Day Monday. 

Everyone is welcome! Free Admission!

The website of the museum is at http://lostvillages.ca/history/the-lost-villages/aultsville/ 

The website of the organization is at http://www.onteastbritishhomechildfamily.com/

William Quarrier Children: Orphan Homes of Scotland to Fairknowe, Brockville, Ontario 

There will be a talk about the Home Children on Saturday at 3:15 on the 19th of September at the annual conference of the British British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). Gloria Tubman will give the talk. 

The title will be William Quarrier Children: Orphan Homes of Scotland to Fairknowe, Brockville, Ontario and she will talk about William Quarrier and his Orphan Homes of Scotland at Bridge of Weir, provided a home and refuge for thousands of orphans and/or underprivileged children from all parts of the country. 

The Orphan Homes of Scotland was a complete community for these children, with cottages, a school, a hospital and training facilities. More than 5,000 thousand of these children came to Canada under the British Home Child immigration initiative. 

The majority were placed through Fairknowe, the Quarrier-owned facility in Brockville, Ontario. The discussion will include: the life of a child at the Orphan Homes of Scotland; the Canadian receiving homes used by Quarrier — Marchmont in Belleville and Fairknowe in Brockville; and the available records for the British Home Children who came to Canada through the Quarrier organization. 

The website is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Quarrier

A new Home Children resource at BIFHSGO

Further to this, the volunteers of the BIFHSGO has a new resource - the British Home Children Deaths Database. 

Each of the more than 2,000 records in this database provides the name of the deceased Home Child. The records may also contain age at death, cause of death, location of death, burial location, and the year the child arrived in Canada. 

You can learn about this and other databases at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cstm_homeChildrenDeaths.php

Meanwhile, happy researching!

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-17-august.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

Canadian Genealogy News (CGN) 13 August 2015

Here are some news items which have come across my desk this morning -

New festival celebrated city's Irish roots 

Peterborough celebrated it's first Peter Robinson Festival, which was held July 31 and August the 1st at Morrow Park in the city. It was a great success, and now the organizers have their eyes on 2025 when Peterborough will celebrate it's 200th birthday.

Peter Robinson, the founder of the city, brought 2, 000 Irish settlers to the   area around Peterborough and to the Ottawa Valley in 1824-1825.  

The local newspaper has published a series of six articles on the Peter Robinson Settlers and they are in the Peterborough Examiner at http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ Just put Peter Robinson Settlers in the search box to access the articles. 

The best place that I found which tells the complete story of the Peter Robinson Settlers is at http://www.geni.com/projects/Irish-Peter-Robinson-Settlers-Canada/2553

Early Bird prices at conference closes August 14th 

The early bird registration deadline for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa's (BIFHSGO) annual Family History Conference is tomorrow – Friday August the 14th. 

This year's conference will take place from September 18-20 in Ottawa. The conference themes are: 

· Scottish Family History

· Photographs in Genealogy

· Technology for Genealogists.

Speakers include: Maureen Taylor, Chris Paton and Thomas MacEntee. Pre-conference workshops are also offered. 

Program and registration information are available on the BIFHSGO website at http://www.bifhsgo.ca. 

Please note the new conference venue: Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario 

Meanwhile, happy researching!

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-10-august.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

Family History Conference in Ottawa

Marianne Rasmus, in charge of publicity at the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa's (BIFHSGO) Conference Planning Committee, has just informed me that registration is now open.

Marianne tells us that this year's conference will take place from September 18 to 20, 2015 in Ottawa.

The conference themes will be -

Scottish Family History

Photographs in Genealogy

Technology for Genealogists

They will also have a fantastic slate of speakers, including Maureen Taylor, Chris Paton and Thomas MacEntee.

Pre-conference workshops are also offered.

The program and registration information are available on the BIFHSGO website at http://www.bifhsgo.ca.

Early Bird Registration Deadline is August 14, 2015.

Please note the new conference venue: Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario.

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Canada Day Contest

This year, for the annual Canada Day Contest sponsored by the Canadian Week in Review, the skill-testing question is -

This year, Canadians celebrate the birthday of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. The question is - When was his birthday, and where was he born? Hint: Like a true immigrant, he wasn't born in Canada!

One winner will be drawn from the correct entries.

The lucky contestant will get a free consultation with me in which they will be told of some of the places they can look to hopefully discover the year in which their Canadian ancestor immigrated to Canada, or some other detail.

The contest will close at the end of Canada History Week at midnight on Wednesday, 07 July 2015.

Place 'Canada Day Contest" in the subject of the email to genealogyreserch@aol.com

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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/06/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-29-june-2015.html
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada! 

British Home Children and Descendants Association Family Picnic

There will be a picnic on July 11^th starting at 1:00 pm at Victoria Park, Truro, NS in honor of the British Home Children.

 

This will be an opportunity to meet other Home Child descendants in an informal setting. Maybe you will meet others who came over on the same ship or even long lost relatives. Bring your children and grandchildren, your parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins for a fun afternoon.

 

Take a walk along some of the trails, admire Joseph Howe Falls and the Gorge, climb the 175-step Jacob's Ladder, see the Bur Oak that was planted in memory of our BHC and have your picture taken sitting on the BHC memorial bench.

 

If you have questions, you can reach Catherine West at catherinebhcd@gmail.com or catherine.west@ns.sympatico.ca or 1-902-384-2097

 

The association will also be holding its 13th Annual Reunion on Saturday October 17th, 2015 at the Bible Hill Junior High School located at 741 Collage Road, Truru, Nova Scotia.

 

It will be an all-day affair from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and to pre-register or for information, please contact Catherine West at catherinebhcd@gmail.com or catherinewest@ns.sympatico.ca or 1-902-384-2097.

 

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Need help finding your ELUSIVE Canadian ancestors???

 

As a nod of the hat to the Ontario Genealogical Conference being held in Barrie, Ontario from May 29 to May 31, may we offer a month-long discount on our research and consultation services of 15% (ends 11 June at midnight).

 

Just go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services website at www.elrs.biz, or send an email with the subject "special" to genealogyresearch@aol.com to see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor!

 

Research Tip! If you researching Home Children, you can check the database at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=4
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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

BIFHSGO has a New Monthly Meeting Location

Over the past year, many Canadian societies have found new locations in which to hold their meetings.

The latest society to find a new venue is the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). They moved from their former home at the Library and Archives Canada in downtown Ottawa to The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa (formerly Nepean). 

On Saturday, March 14, 2015, there will be their regular meeting, and then in the afternoon, they will have a special speaker from the Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF).

The morning session is free, as usual, but the afternoon is offered for a fee of $10 per head.

Tickets will be sold at the January and February BIFHSGO Monthly Meetings and will also be for sale at the door on the day for as long as they last. Seating is limited, so purchase your tickets early (and from personal experience, please do) to avoid disappointment.

The two speakers from UHF presenting the series of lectures are Gillian Hunt and Fintan Mullan.

Full details are on the website at http://bifhsgo.ca/eventListings.php?nm=127

Check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

LAC Podcast - Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918

The Library and Archives Canada has issued a another podcast, and this one concerns the First World War Service Papers in Sign Me Up: CEF Files, 1914-1918. These papers are being digitized and are being put online.

I listened to the podcasts, and although nothing new was mentioned in the podcasts, I feel that there will be questions that will still be asked about the papers. The researcher will have to study the various papers in detail in order to reconstruct the life of the soldier. For example, if the soldier was in the Canadian militia before signing the Attestation Paper, what militia unit was it, where were they located, what was his service, or if he served in different regiments while overseas (which many did), why was this so? Who did he serve with, his time of service, in what battles was he involved, and so forth.

I had the occasion to download a complete service record a couple of weeks ago, and depending on the length of the records, it can be a rather long process from start to finish. Some of the records were difficult to read because of the use of abbreviations, and the faded ink, but some of the papers were very clear.

I think the best thing to do before one starts to read the service papers is to read the book, Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records, by retired Library and Archives Canada archivist, Glenn Wright.

This book, although it was written in 2010, is still THE book to read when researching CEF papers. If you read and study this book, you will have a good understanding of the records that you are viewing.

The book is for sale through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/101160.htm

Don't forget to scroll down this page and see the book review I wrote for Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) http://www.ogs.on.ca, of which I am its editor.

Although the review was published four years ago, my opinion of his book has not wavered, and, in fact, the more I use it for research, the more invaluable I find it as a resource.

A table of contents of the book is available as a PDF file here - http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/military/resources/images/101160-contents.pdf

For more on this blog, go to http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-list-of-books-for-holidays.html

To listen to the podcast, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/podcasts/Pages/cef-files-1914-1918.aspx

British Home Children deaths database

Barnardo boy ploughing C 1900 Credit: Unknown 

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is always adding to their databases, and this time, I see where BIFHSGO has put on another database - the names of 2,284 British Home Children who died after they had immigrated to Canada. 

They give the name, date of death, the name of the society (eg Barnardo's) and (this is important) they also give the reference source with each record. 

By going through the list, I see where some of the young men died of injuries during the First World War. 

The database is accessible at http://bifhsgo.ca/cstm_homeChildrenDeaths.php 

They also have the Fegan Index, and the Middlemore Homes Index on the Home Children Site at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=4 

Postscript: There will be a panel discussion on the Home Children at the conference of BIFHSGO held Friday September 19 to Sunday September 21st. 

As part of the panel, there will be three experts on the subject – Patricia Roberts-Pichette, Marjorie Kohli, and Gloria Tubman.

Go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=126

It’s all about the DNA

The British Isles Family History of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will present an all DNA meeting this Saturday morning starting at 9 am. Saturday, May 10 Six Thoughts About Autosomal DNA Tests (Before BIFHSGO Education Talks) 9:00 am to 9:30 am Autosomal DNA tests for genetic genealogy have been available for a few years, and the experiences of those tested range from very disappointing to very satisfying. James F. S. Thomson and Elizabeth A. R. Kaegi, who are two founding members of the Toronto Branch OGS Genetic Genealogy Special Interest Group, have been exploring and thinking about autosomal tests for some time, and in this presentation offer for consideration six thoughts about these tests. The session will also set the stage for the following main Monthly Meeting presentation — a genetic genealogy success story. Also DNA Items (Discovery Tables) 9:30 am to 10:00 am Bill Arthurs will host the Discovery Table. Brian Glenn will host the Discovery Computer to explain the online registration process for the conference. And What Really Happened? A Genetic Genealogy Success Story (Monthly Meeting) 10:00 am to 11:30 am Using several traditional genealogical techniques in conjunction with new genetic genealogy tests, Elizabeth A.R. Kaegi and James F.S. Thomson have been able to solve a six-decade old mystery, and have the findings conclusively confirmed. The drama and its resolution ranged across seven countries and finding the answers consumed many hours, especially in the last five years. The end result was very satisfying and Elizabeth acquired seven close family members, including two very new ones. Will you be there? Visitors are invited to join us, as there is Free admission. The meeting will be held at the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. The website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca

British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa September 2014 Conference

 

Here are the speakers who will appear at the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa Conference this fall in Ottawa -

OTTAWA, 8 March 2014 — The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) has announced the speakers for the annual conference, to be held 19-21 September, at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

For its 20th anniversary year, the society will celebrate with an ambitious program which will help family historians delve into their British Isles roots.

The society expects to welcome more than 250 attendees at the event, which has three special themes:

•  English family history; 

•  Immigration from the British Isles, including Home Children; and 

•  Genetic genealogy. 

“Our nation’s capital is also its family history capital. Every year we have welcomed folks from far and near, researching their ancestors in collections at Library and Archives Canada and learning about resources for discovering their British and Irish roots at our conference ” said BIFHSGO President Glenn Wright.

This year’s conference speakers will include:

Dr. Lucille Campey — emigration historian, author of numerous books on British Isles emigration to Canada who will launch her latest book Ignored but not forgotten - Canada's English Immigrants at the conference.

Gail Dever — BIFHSGO webmaster, social media expert and blogger at Genealogy à la carte

John Dickenson — a former professor at Liverpool University who now researches Canada’s Home Children, especially their involvement in the First World War.

Dr. Janet Few — freelance researcher and prize-winning author specializing in the south-west of England who will give a streamed-in presentation on North Devon immigrants to Canada.

Paul Jones — retired publisher, “Roots” columnist for Canada’s History magazine who speaks frequently on offbeat topics at family history events.

Debbie Kennett — an avid genetic genealogist, author of DNA and Social Networking (2011) and The Surnames Handbook (2012). Debbie is Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London.

Paul Milner — an internationally recognized speaker specializing in British Isles research, author of Discover English Parish Records and Genealogy at a Glance: English Research.

Gary Schroder — long-time President of the Quebec Family History Society and a frequent guest on Quebec radio and television promoting family history research.

In addition, speakers at pre-conference seminars on September 19 will include, from Library and Archives Canada, Paul Marsden and Sylvie Tremblay.

BIFHSGO looks forward to welcoming you at its 20th anniversary conference. Reserve 19-21 September in your agenda now and look for more details coming soon on the society website at www.bifhsgo.ca.

BIFHSGO Contacts: John D. Reid, Conference Program Chair, conference@bifhsgo.ca or Mary-Lou Simac, Publicity Director, MLMSIMAC@gmail.com

BIFHSGO meeting on January 11th

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will meet on Saturday January 11th 2014 at the Library and Archives Canada.

9:00 a.m. — During the Before BIFHSGO Education Talk, learn from Ken McKinley about how to protect and save information stored on your computer.

10:00 a.m. — In Bibles and Bugs: My Welsh Ancestors In and Out of Africa, Gail Roger will talk about how an uncle's posthumously published autobiography about his missionary days in Africa helped and hindered her search for her Welsh ancestors. Gail will talk about her great-great-uncle and her maternal grandfather and some of the circumstances about their life in two very different parts of Africa

Come early to browse our Discovery Tables and meet with family history experts. Open to members and visitors. Free admission. Free parking is available in the lots east of the building only on Saturday and Sunday. Do not use the lot west of the building

Also, BIFHSGO has called for speakers for their 20th Annual Conference to be held in Ottawa, September 19 - 21, 2014.

The deadline is January 31, 2014, and the Conference will focus on three main topics -

• English family history;

• Immigration from the British Isles, including Home Children; and

• Genetic genealogy.

The interview with Gail Roger is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106

The website is at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/

Military Great Moments in Genealogy

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is having a special monthly meeting in honour of Remembrance Day on Saturday November 9th, when they will feature seven 15-minute talks.

The meeting will take place at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa.

Come early and browse the Discovery Tables, and meet with family history experts.

9:00 to 9:15 am
Over the Top: Researching our First War Ancestors in Fifteen Minutes Glenn Wright

9:15 to 9:30 am
Finding a Family Member on the Western Front Jane Down

9:30 to 10:00 am
Discovery Tables — Military Memorabilia Helen Garson

10:00 to 10:15 am
BIFHSGO Monthly Business Meeting Glenn Wright

10:15 to 10:30 am
Sam Cromie: Canadian Private to British Officer Wendy Croome

10:30 to 10:45 am
A Family in Service Mark Lloyd

10:45 to 11:00 am
Slipping Backward: A Canadian Prisoner of War, 1915-18 Brian Watson

11:00 to 11:15 am
William Sterling Lamb (1894-1918): A Promising Life Cut Short Anne Sterling

11:15 to 11:30 am
What Did He Do for Armistice? By Brian Glenn

If you want to hear speakers Glenn Wright, and Anne Sterling as they are interviewed by Dave Cross about the subjects of their talks, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106


The BIFHSGO website is http://www.bifhsgo.ca

BIFHSGO Conference next month

Conference time (Sept 20 - 22) is nearly here, and are you ready to attend a full-day of workshops, and two days of lectures by people from Ireland, and local genealogical experts on Irish roots?

One thing which BIFHSGO does, and has done for the past two years, is to present interviews with the conference speakers.

This year, some of the interviews are -  

Lesley Anderson Previews her Pre-conference Seminar  Lesley talks about her lecture on Ancestry.ca and how it can help you with your Irish family history research.

Interview with Linda Reid Toronto genealogist Linda Reid will be presenting "Around the Brick Wall: Tracing Back an Irish Family through Collateral Lines" and "Are They Really My Ancestors? Using Autosomal DNA Tests to Confirm (or Deny) Relationships and Ancestors."

and

Success through One Name Studies Sandra Adams, Bill Arthurs and Elizabeth Kipp along with John D Reid talk about the successes they have had by pursuing their one-name studies and what you can expect to learn if you attend the Saturday afternoon session "Success through One Name Studies"

If you want to listen to these interviews, go to www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=62

If you still haven’t registered, you can register online at http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=109

The website for BIFHSGO is www.bifhsgo.ca

BIFHSGO Monthly Meeting

On Saturday, May 11, The Bitish Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa  (BIFGSGO) will hold a pre-meeting which will feature Comparing FTM, Legacy and Rootsmagic - An Overview which is a part of Before BIFHSGO Education Talks at 9:00 am, and it will be presented by Ken McKinlay.

The main presentation called Building a One-Name Study: The Influence of Computers, The Internet, and DNA will be held from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, and it will be presented by Bill Arthurs.

This presentation will feature the Titus One-Name Study from its inception before the era of computers, through its progression with the advent of the internet, construction of a website, and the use of DNA research.

You can go to and listen to Bill at http://bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106 as he talks with Brooke Broadbent about his start in genealogy and One Name Studies.

If you are interested in certain surnames, you can check the surnames on http://bifhsgo.ca/surname.php. There are 1, 293 Internet pages onsite.

The website of BIFHSGO is http://bifhsgo.ca

Cosy Homesteads: The Life and Lore of Traditional Irish Dwellings

The next monthly meeting will be held on Saturday March 9, 2013 at the Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

There will be a pre-meeting that will start at 9:00 to 9:30, and it will be a Before BIFHSGO Educational Talk on Tracing Your House History by Dr Bruce Elliott.

The Discovery Tables – Ireland will be open from 9:15 to 10:00 am, and Keith Hanton and the Irish Society of the National Capital Region will be there to answer your questions about Ireland, and the monthly meeting will take place at 10:00, and will end at 11:30.

The speaker will be Dr. Rhona Richman Kenneally, and she will talk about Cosy Homesteads: The Life and Lore of Traditional Irish Dwellings.

The aim of this presentation is to overlay the experience of the Irish “cottage” as a physical space, with the symbolic associations it has been granted over time.

Dr. Richman Kenneally talks about cozy cottages, architecture and food in an interview with Brian Glenn at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=106

If you wish to go the website at BIFHSGO, you  may go to www.bifhsgo.ca

Reflection on Archivists and Genealogists

A paper in the winter 2013 issue of Families I thought warranted a special post of its own since it was the Houston Memorial Lecture called Reflection on Archivists and Genealogists at last year conference of the OGS in Kingston, Ontario given by Dr. Ian E. Wilson, former chief archivist of the Library and Archives of Canada.

Besides giving a brief history of the LAC, in the last paragraphs of his paper, he talks about the “New challenges to archival services and genealogical research are becoming painfully apparent, as federal budget decisions work their way through to the local level”.

It is clear to genealogists and genealogy societies as they try to do genealogy research at the building at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa, that they are becoming less and less welcome by Public Works – the department who ones and operates the building.

One only has to read that the Ottawa Branch of the OGS has cancelled their conference because the costs were too high, BISFHGO has had to look for a new place to hold their Saturday meeting and conference next year because the costs are too high (and they worked closely with the LAC) and there are a number of other groups in Ottawa that I am aware of that have had to ceased to meet at the LA because the costs are out of this world. So what are we to do?

So if you get a chance, read his paper because it does shed a light on the LAC as it was in his tenure as Chief Archivists and what it is today – a shell of its former shelf.

The site for the OGS is www.ogs.on.ca

Two Meetings in Ottawa

BIFHSGO Meeting

On Saturday, January 12, BIFHSGO presents their monthly meeting -

"What’s New in Genetic Genealogy" (Before BIFHSGO Education Talks) which starts at 9:00 am. It will be presented by John Reid.

"A Sense of Place: Following the A272 to My Sussex Ancestors"! (Monthly Meeting) 10:00 am to 11:30 am

The talk will be presented by Christine Jackson, and she will talk about a ‘sense of place’. It can relate to the outstanding geographic characteristics of a place. But it can also describe the feelings or perceptions we have about a landscape, arising from childhood experiences which in turn help form our personal identity.

Her favourite British road is a particular stretch of the A272 traversing the lush countryside of Sussex and climbing up and over the bare chalk downs of Eastern Hampshire to Winchester. That countryside exudes very positive vibes to Christine, as though she have always known that is where her deepest roots lie.

I listened to her interview with Brian Glenn, where she spoke about her presentation.

The interview is at the BIFGSGO podcast page at www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=59

Go to www.bifhsgo.ca/events.php to see the details.

Ukrainian Genealogy Group

Their monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday January 22 at 7:30 pm, and it will be held at Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall, Green Valley Crescent, Ottawa.

The topic of the talk will feature “FamilySearch.org Website” by Shirly-Ann Pyefinch, Director for the Ottawa Ont. Stake Family History Centre of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For information, you can call 613.731.1870 in the evenings

BIFHSGO Meeting Saturday October 13th

On October 13th, 2012, starting at 9:000, at the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, there will be a meeting of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ontario (BIFHSGO).

Starting at 9:00, there will be a “Before BIFHSGO Educational Talk” and it will be “Using A2A Archives (UK)” by Glenn Wright, from 9:15-10:00 am, there will be the “ Discovery Your Library and the Research Computer” out in the foyer, and from 10:00-11:30, there will be the monthly meeting speaker who will be Gillian Leitch, and she will talk about “Itchy Feet: Understanding the Emigrations of the Paulin Family from Henley-on-Thames” in the audiotorium.

She will discuss their various moves in England, their lives in their home-towns in England, and the reasons why chose the places to live that they did.

There is a 10 minute interview with Gillian by Brooke Broadbent on www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=59 in which she explains how she discovered the reasons why her family emigrated from England to Canada in the late/early 19th and 20th centuries, and then back to England again.

She says that being a professional historian, she always “spreads a wide net” so that she catches all of the reasons (both economic and political), as to why a family may emigrate.

There meetings are FREE, and open to everyone to come and enjoy family history.

The website for BIFHSGO is www.bifhsgo.ca

Lucille Campey at BIFHSGO Conference

On Saturday and Sunday, September 15th and 16th, I attended the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa's Conference, and heard Ottawa native, Dr. Lucille Campey, give three talks about emigration from the British Isles to Canada.

Since I am deeply interested in emigration, I had waited impatiently since first hearing that she was coming to speak at the conference, so I had to make sure that I did not miss any of her talks.

The first talk was “Lord Selkirk and the Settlement of Scottish Highlanders in Canada”, and Lucille says that he is a favorite of hers to write about because he had such a strong personality, and such a commitment to bring Scottish Highlanders to Canada to settle in Red River, Manitoba; Baldoon (Wallaceburg), Ontario; and Belfast in Prince Edward Island.

Her next talk on Sunday was “Seeking a Better Future: The English Pioneers of Ontario and Quebec” in which she challenged the commonly-held idea that people were running from poverty in the homeland. She found out in her research that the English came to Canada seeking greater freedoms and a more attractive style of life than they could find at home.

Her third talk, “The Scots in Ontario – a New Look at the Data”, looked at Ontario census data to explain why Scottish people settled in the area where they settled. She showed genealogists why people such as weavers and kelp farmers settled in particular areas in Ontario. It was an interesting talk for me because it showed the patterns of settlement, and the reasons why people settled in one area, and not in another.

You should check out her books on emigration at Dundurn Press http://www.dundurn.com/authors/lucille_h_campey, and the interviews that were done with her by BIFHSGO at www.bifhsgo.ca/upload/files/Conference%202012/Campey.mp3 In addition, there is an interview with Lucille Campey, Chris Paton, and Patricia Whatley by Ottawa's Austin Comerton on his radio show, The Gaelic Hour (CJLL 97.9 FM) www.thegaelichour.ca. To listen to the interview, click here - www.thegaelichour.ca/20120916.m3u

You can visit her Scottish website at www.scotstocanada.com, and her English website at www.englishtocanada.com

RootsTech 2013 Registration is Live with $149 Early-bird Pricing

I won’t be able to go to the confernce this year, but if you are going to RootsTech , it promises to be a great conference.

Registration is now live for the 3rd annual RootsTech conference on March 21-23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, UT. With several thousand attendees each of the first two years, the 2013 conference is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet!

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, offers an opportunity unlike any other to discover the lastest family history tools and techniques, connect with experts to help you in your research, and be inspired in the pursuit of your ancestors. You will learn to use the latest technology to get started or accelerate your efforts to find, organize, preserve, and share your family's connections and history.

New in 2013! A full track of Getting Started classes and labs will help those new to family history learn where to start, how to build their family tree, and how to use technology to explore their connections. Learn more.

Register NOW and Save $70 with Early-bird Pricing!

Registration Options

Full 3-Day Pass

Access to everything RootsTech has to offer (250+ classes).

$219 $149 (Early-bird Pricing)

One-day Pass

Full admission for just one day. $89

Student 3-Day Pass

Student ID required. $39

NEW! Getting Started 3-Day Pass

Beginner track with access to over 30 classes. $49 $39 (Early-bird Pricing)

Getting Started One-Day Pass

A selection of fundamental classes to help get you started. $19

Developer Day Pass (March 22)

A full-day technology program just for developers. $89

They has something for everyone, whether you are an avid genealogist, just getting started, or simply want to discover the latest technologies and solutions to better connect with your family.

To get further information, youcan go to www.rootstech.org

The British Isles Family History of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) had its own technology expert at the conference earlier this month, and it was Tony Bandy who gave a workshop on “Tables, Netbooks, e-Readers and Apps for Genealogies”, and talks on “Dropbox, Evernote and Online Digital Notes”, and “Online Books: Are These Really Good Resources? “ which were well attended.

You may listen to an interview with John D. Reid of BIFHSGO and Tony at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2012/06/bifhsgo-conference-interview-with-tony.html

Chris Paton at BIFHSGO Conference 2012

Ttwo beautiful mornings (Saturday and Sunday, September 15th and 16th) greeted us as we made our way to the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa to hear Chris Paton give four lectures (two lectures each day) on Scotland. He had also given workshops the day before which, unfortunately, I was unable to attend.

The first lecture was an introduction to “Researching Scottish Family History”, and Chris took us though Civil Registration, Decennial Censuses, Parish Records pre-1855, Wills and Testaments, Where People Lived, Newspapers, Books, and Courses.

Since my ancestor was Scottish (BARCLAY), and was born in 1738, I took particular interest in the records of Scotland pre-1855.

The second lecture was on the “Scottish House and Land Records” and, through his lecture, we learned that Scotland was under the feudal system up until 2004.

He went through all of the available land records and explained the terms so that land records could be more easily researched.

On Sunday, the morning started with Chris giving a talk on “The Godly Commonwealth” in which he talked about The Church of Scotland – the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

Besides giving a timeline of the development of the Church, he told us how to search the records, and the biographical details of the ministers.

The fourth and final lecture given by Chris was called “The Mount Stewart Murder”, in which he talked about the murder of his 3x great-grandmother, Janet (nee Henderson) Roger, who was killed in 1866.

The murder has never been solved, and Chris took us through a list of “possible suspects” of who could have the murderer.

His talks were easy to follow because his hand-outs were very well-organized, and we were given them before the lecture. He stayed behind and answered many, many questions, and was very approachable during the times when he wasn’t giving a lecture.

It was a very successful conference for Chris – he completely sold out of his books!

Go to his blog, British GENES (British Genealogy News and Events) http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/bifhsgos-2012-conference-report.html, to read his report on the conference in Ottawa, and the nice words he said about my booklet on the War of 1812 - "an absolute gem"!

There are interviews with Chris, Lucille Campey, and Patricia Whatley by Austin Comerton on Ottawa's radio show, The Gaelic Hour (CJLL 97.9 FM) www.thegaelichour.ca. To listen to the interview, click here www.thegaelichour.ca/20120916.m3u.