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.

 ===============================================================
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

=====================================================================

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! 

Registration is still open at QFHS

Johanne Gervais from Montreal is the Publicity Coordinator of the ROOTS 2015 Conference of the Quebec Family History Society, and she reminds me that there is still time to register for this conference. It will be held June 19-21 at McGill University, Montreal.

She also tells me that if you are a vendor and would like to reserve a table at the Genealogical Resources Fair, the cost is only $50.00 for the weekend, which includes a free standard 6-foot long conference table, two chairs, and a tablecloth.

If you would like to advertise in the Conference Syllabus, the cost is $50.00 for a half-page or $100.00 for a full-page advertisement. You’ll need to send me your image for the Ad this week to ensure it gets in the Syllabus. Send all cheques to me (address is below) made payable to the Quebec Family History Society or Q.F.H.S.

For further information and to register you can go to www.qfhs.ca or call 514.695.1502

The address is Johanne Gervais, Quebec Family Search, 1670 rue Gauthier, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC J3V 3H7
=========================================================================
SPECIAL OFFER!!!!!!!!!

 Need help in 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 take this opportunity to 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 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 would like to see what the QFHS have in their library concerning your ancestor, you can search their holding at http://www.qfhs.ca/libraryRecords.php

========================================================================

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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/05/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-25-may-2015.html

 

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

Tracks through Time Panel Discussion

If you can’t attend the annual Ontario Genealogical Society 2015 Conference in Barrie, Ontario, there is an opportunity to see what you’re missing. They will be web-streaming live their Saturday morning Panel Discussion - Tracks through Time.

Their moderator, Thomas MacEntee and panelists Richard M. Doherty, Dr. Maurice Gleeson, Kirsty Gray and Dave Obee will discuss challenges, concerns and opportunities related to tracking our ancestors and leaving behind our own tracks to follow.

To see and hear the discussion live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4PUUdj5axA&feature=youtu.be

The session starts at 8:30 am on Saturday, May 30th and can only be viewed live – there won’t be a recording!

The website for the 2015 Ontario Genealogical Society Conference is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference/

==============================================================

SPECIAL OFFER!!!!!!!!!

Need help in finding your 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 take this opportunity to 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 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 have ancestors that lived or passed through the province of Ontario, make your first stop The Ontario Name Index (TONI) at https://www.ogs.on.ca/toni.php, or its predecessor Ontario Genealogical Society Provincial Index (OGSPI) at http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogspi.php

===============================================================

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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/05/canadian-week-in-review-18-may-2014.html

 

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

 

Extra news items

Here are some news items which have come across the desk this week - 

Curious about your roots? Genealogy convention focuses on fastest growing hobby

Gary Schroder, the President of the Quebec Family History Society, the largest English speaking genealogical society in the province of Quebec, gives an interview to a writer from the Montreal Gazette in which he outlines the conference coming up in four week’s time.

You can read the full interview at http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/west-island-gazette/curious-about-your-roots-genealogy-convention-focuses-on-fastest-growing-hobby

You can go to their website at  http://www.qfhs.ca/

Meanwhile, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa has all of it’s information online for the 2015 Conference. It will be the 21st Annual BIFHSGO Family History Conference 18 - 20 September 2015 at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa

To go to their website on the Conference, go to http://www.bifhsgo.ca/aem.php?eid=1

Meanwhile, the video of the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has been uploaded to the Internet at http://ogs.on.ca/kent/

Learn how our Victorian ancestors buried their death and the rituals and traditions they followed with Catherine MacKendrick from the University of Windsor, Ontario.



Finally, there will be an all-day Digital Odyssey 2015: Open Data, Open Heritage Conference on Friday June 12, 2015 at the George Brown College, Waterfront Campus, Toronto.

The Conference, as the publicity says ‘will examine the intersection of governmental, academic, and community open data and open heritage materials, and investigate the roles that cultural heritage institutions can and should play in concert with other participants in the emerging open data, open heritage environment’.

The website is at https://www.accessola.org/WEB/OLAWEB/OLITA/Digital_Odyssey/Welcome_to_Digital_Odyssey.aspx?WebsiteKey=397368c8-7910-4dfe-807f-9eeb1068be31&hkey=4ef8a67c-6cc6-41e2-9674-a303101e0418

========================================================================

SPECIAL OFFER!!!!!!!!!

Need help in finding your 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 take this opportunity to 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 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! Civil registration for births, marriages and deaths did not start until 01 July 1869 in Ontario. Before then, religious records are one place to look for the information that you require.  

 

========================================================================

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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/05/canadian-week-in-review-11-may-2015.html

 

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

UPDATE: OGS Conference – Interview No 6

Shirley Sturdevant, former president of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) interviews Kathryn Lake Hogan, an Ontario professional genealogist, author, educator and speaker specializing in helping family history researchers find their ancestors in Canada.

She annually attends genealogy research institutes and conferences, and this year she will be speaking at the Conference on Saturday with the topic Loyalist or Patriot: Whose Side was He On? , and on Sunday she will speak on two topics - Canadian Copyright for Family History and Free at Last! Researching African Americans in Canada During Slavery.

To view the YouTube interview, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hOd9DcLL0&feature=youtu.be

And to review the other interviews on this blog, you can go to the following websites -

Interview No 1 with Thomas MacEntee and Dr.Janet Few at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/update-ogs-conference-interviews.html

Interview No 2 with Dr. Maurice Gleeson at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/another-ogs-interview.html

Interview No 3 with Kirsty Gray http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/update-ogs-conference-interview-no-3.html

Interview No 4 with Dave Obee http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/03/update-ogs-conference-interview-no-4.html

Interview No 5 with Richard M. Doherty http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/03/update-ogs-conference-interview-no-5.html

The OGS website is at http://www.ogs.on.ca/

The Conference Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioGenealogicalSocietyConference?ref=hl



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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/03/canadian-week-in-review-30-march-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. 

Quebec Family History Society – Video

Three members of the executive - Gary Schroder, Deborah Robertson and Kelley O'Rourke – of the the Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) has made a YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgOYA6QtXec about the Conference which they will be holding on June 19, 29, and 21, 2015 at McGill University, Montreal.

Already, there have been over 100 viewers of the video, so that shows that there is interest in the Conference.

If you are interested in Conference 2015, you can go to http://www.qfhs.ca/cpage.php?pt=174 to see the programme, the accommodation, the Genealogical Resource Fair, and the registration package.

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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/03/canadian-week-in-review.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.

FREE Conference to be held in Toronto

Mike Wilcox, of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, has sent this news along about the one-day conference to be held in Toronto on 07 February 2015.

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography and the Department of History, University of Toronto, are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Biography and Fiction Conference.

This one-day conference will be taking place at Alumni Hall, Victoria College, at the University of Toronto on Saturday, February 7th, from 9:30-4:00.

There are four esteemed and engaging speakers, including:

Margaret Atwood - “Whose Life Is It Anyway?”

Natalie Zemon Davis - “Marguerite de Roberval: Biographies of a Legend”

Renée Hulan - “Biography, Fiction, and the Historian’s Craft”

Mark McGowan - “When Biography Meets Clio’s Imagination: Michael Power and a Cast of Characters”

Please visit the website http://biographi.ca/en/article/biography_and_fiction.html for conference details. This is a FREE event, and there is no need to register.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Michael Wilcox at michael.wilcox@mail.utoronto.ca

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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/02/canadian-week-in-review-02-february-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.

Roots 2015 - An International Conference On Family History in Quebec

The Quebec Family History Society is proud to announce it will be hosting Roots2015, an International Conference on Family History from June 19 – 21 at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec in 2015.

It is the LARGEST English language genealogical conference held in Quebec.

 

I have just taken a peek at it this morning, and it appeard to be a very good conference, with lots of lecture of interest to conference attenders.

Some of the speakers will be -

 

Gary Schroder, President of the Quebec Family History Society

 

Lesley Anderson, Teacher and Consultant with Ancestry.ca

 

Edward Zapletal, Publisher, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, and History Magazine

 

Ed McGuire, President of the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogy Society

 

Glen Wright, Author and Lecturer Johanne Gervais, Computer Specialist and Genealogist

 

Deborah Robertson, Librarian and Genealogist

 

Lorraine Gosselin, Lecturer and Genealogist

 

Marilyn Gillespie, Professional Photographer

 

Luc Lepine, Author and Military Historian

 

Denyse Beaugrand-Champagne, Historian and Archivist with Bibliothéque et Archives Nationales du Quebec

 

The details are at http://www.qfhs.ca/cpage.php?pt=173

=====

If you haven’t done so already, remember to 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 http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-26-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.

Gene-O-Rama 2015

Ontario's first genealogical conference of the year — the ever-popular "Gene-O-Rama" — is once again being hosted by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) at the Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario (at the corner of Hunt Club Road) in Ottawa's west end.

This 31st edition of Gene-O-Rama will be held March 27th and 28th, and will feature Janice Nickerson as both the keynote speaker and lecturer.

She will give the address Friday evening, plus two lectures on Saturday, including Putting the Flesh on the Bones of Your Upper Canada Ancestors.

This would be an excellent opportunity to come to Ottawa to conduct research on your ancestors with a variety of societies and vendors, all for a very reasonable price.

This event is being held near the Ottawa City Archives on Tallwoods Drive, which is open on Saturday.

If staying another day in Ottawa, be aware that the Reading Room of the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is open on the weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) as is the Canadian Museum of History (located across the river, in Gatineau, Quebec) and the Canadian War Museum, both a short walk from the LAC.

The brochure and registration form is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GOR2015.pdf

The website of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

Janice Nickerson’s website is http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com

The website of the Ottawa City Archives is http://ottawa.ca/en/liveculture/archives

The website for Library and Archives Canada is http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca

The website for the Canadian Museum of History is http://www.historymuseum.ca

The website for the Canadian War Museum is http://www.warmuseum.ca

=======

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 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.

National Genealogy Conference in Canada

A travel agency from Guelph, Ontario is where you will register if you want to go to the National Genealogy Conference in Canada at Historic Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 17 - 19, 2015.

The registration fee of $895.00 (Canadian Funds) per person includes the following -

• All taxes
• Full conference program with exceptional genealogy keynote and workshop speakers
• All food and beverage within the conference schedule
• The opportunity to submit personal information to have The Scotiabank Family History Centre research immigration information for your family prior to arriving at the conference.
• Guided tour plus additional on-own time at the Canadian Museum of  Immigration at Pier 21, immigration portal of Canada from 1928 - 1971
• A professionally guided tour of Halifax, including a visit to the Titanic Graveyard. Experts will be on hand to enhance your experience. Following the tour will be dinner at the Five Fishermen Restaurant, housed in a historic building with ties to the Titanic story.
• Networking opportunities and information sharing with genealogy enthusiasts from near and far.

Of course, your registration fee does not include the airfare to Halifax, or accommodation.

I am interested to know if any of my readers are going. What is your opinion on the cost of the conference? Is this a reasonable price to pay for a genealogical conference in Canada?

To register, go to http://www.visiontravel.ca/heidiwilker

If you haven’t done so already, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review 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/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-05-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.

The OGS picks their theme for the 2017 conference!

Our Canada-Your Family: Building A Nation is the theme which has been chosen for the 2017 Ontario Genealogical Society's conference, and what a fantastic title!

And the reason that the title of the conference was chosen is that 2017 will be the 150th birthday of the founding of Canada. It will be a super busy time in Ottawa, so why not plan at attend the conference and do some sightseeing along with your stay? 

This will be the sixth time (plus they co-hosted the 2012 conference in Kingston) that Ottawa (the nation’s capital) will have hosted the conference.

They already have a small group of volunteers, but they can always have more people join them in this effort. 

You can contact them at conference2017@ogsottawa.on.ca 

Watch for news in this blog and at the Ottawa blog at http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/ and their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/237267743111732/?fref=ts 

The webpage is http://ogsottawa.on.ca/

Old Stones - from Exploration to Preservation

The Nova Scotia Genealogical Society is having a two-day cemetery conference in Truro where there will be great speakers, all meals and breaks will be included, a networking social, and poster displays. 

The conference will be held May 24 and 25, 2014 at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College Campus, Truro, NS, and there will be six lectures given by Dr. Allan Marble, Gary Wright, Bill Curry, Kevin Bartlett & Sean McKeane, Heather Lawson, and Deborah Trask.

And there will be a field trip to the historic Onslow Cemetery. 

For more information about the conference and a registration packet, contact Dawn Josey at info@novascotiaancestors.ca 

The registration form is at http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca/upload/files/GANS_CemeteryConference2014_Registration.pdf 

The GANS website is at http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca 

The Onslow Cemetery is at www.onslowislandcemetery.ca 

The Onslow Island Cemetery holds the remains of Planters (settlers from New England who came to Nova Scotia in the 1700s), and as such, it is one of the oldest cemeteries in Nova Scotia. 

Last year, the 250th founding of the cemetery was highlighted, and celebrated. Some of the burials at the cemetery are on Find a Grave at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GScid=2297634 

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

RootsTech 2014 Wrap-up

FamilySearch has put on a wrap-up of the Roots Tech Conference 2014 on their blog at https://familysearch.org/blog/en/rootstech-2014-wrapup.

They say that nearly 13,000 people attended this year’s conference, and there will be another 130,000 people are expected to attend local history fairs as they are held throughout the world in the months ahead.

I was interested to read that Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch, talked about “the dash,” - the line between the date of birth and the date of death on a person’s tombstone or genealogical record. 

The blog says that “He described how traditionally genealogy tends to focus on names, dates, and places in a family tree. However, the expanding interest in family history today, where the vast majority of people are drawn into their ancestors’ lives, focuses on the countless stories represented by the dash”. 

I have been working on a column for an online magazine in which I discuss the question Is Family History morphing into Life Stories? I layout the process which I think has spurred the subject forward from genealogy, to family history (social history) and finally to life stories (personal history). It is now a combination of all three disciplines – ending with the life story of an ancestor. 

I will let you know when the column is published.

OGS Conference - Hank Jones Jr interview

Steve Fulton, the Chair of the 2014 Ontario Genealogical Society Conference that will be held. May 1 to May 4, 2014 at Brock University in the Niagara region of Ontario, has posted an interview he had had with the keynote speaker – Hank Jones Jr.

His speech which is entitled How "Psychic Roots" became an "Unsolved Mystery" will be presented on Saturday evening at conference banquet.

The interview is about 8 minutes long, and is interesting to listen to at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2014/hank_jones_interview.mp3

Two things which struck me was that he said “Genealogists are story tellers”, and “Document everything”. Family history is a series of family stories and we must document everything we write - that should be our mantra as genealogists.

You can go to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NiagaraPeninsulaBranchOgsConference2014, and their website http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2014/index.php.

Postscript: Conferences are held every year in Ontario, and as a member of the OGS you are entitled to special discounts for the conference. December is membership month at the OGS. For the yearly rate of $61.20, you can join the provincial society.

Take a survey!

The OGS Conference committee wants to hear from you!

They have put a survey on their conference page at OGS, so that you can help them to decide.  

There are five tours for you to choose from, and they all look good.

The five tours are -

Half Day visit to Niagara Falls

Afternoon Historic Wine Tour

A visit to Fort George - Optional Visit to McFarland House & Tea Room

Old Fort Erie Battlefield Tour

A Historic Journey though Niagara on the Lake

To take the survey, go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2014/tours_survey/tours.php

Call for Speakers – OGS Conference 2014

The Conference 2014 at Niagara Branch are looking ahead to line up speakers for Conference 2014 in St. Catharines at Brock Universit. The conference will be held May 1st to 4th, 2014.

The conference theme will be GENEALOGY WITHOUT BORDERS.

They say, in part, that “Although borders are an important aspect in defining a country, they also often delineate an area of genealogical study. In the past, genealogists often had to travel across borders to complete family histories in their genealogical area. Today's genealogist can often cross these borders while sitting at a desk. We can trace the movement of settlers from European countries and from the American states and other provinces to Ontario. We invite seminar proposals with this theme in mind.

Our Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th seminar sessions are generally fifty minutes length with ten minutes for discussion. We also have workshops on Friday, May 2nd, which are of three hours duration. We invite lecture and workshop submissions on a broad range of genealogical topics which will help to solve family history problems by any of the following methods

Use of technology in genealogy (DNA, internet, software etc.)

Records at a distance (especially Eastern USA and European)

War records, 1812, W.W. 1

Land Records, census, directories

Early Ontario records, prior to 1869 and their repositories

Proposals are also solicited for the broader genealogical categories including the histories associated with the War of 1812, methodology, analysis and problem solving used in genealogy

If your proposal is accepted, you will be notified early summer and we will request that you provide a 4 page summary of your talk or workshop for our syllabus by Dec. 31st, 2013. This should include references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen images etc. It will be submitted electronically (in Word, RTF or PDF format).

Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class to St. Catharines, Ont. Canada. Besides remuneration, food and lodging will be based upon the number of lectures given and transportation expenses will depend upon the speaker's home address. Workshop fees may be negotiated.

We are looking for speakers who would be open to being streamed out from the conference to those members who cannot travel but still wish to join us. As well we are looking for speakers who may be interested in speaking but cannot travel as we can stream you in to the conference”.

Questions can be directed to conference2014@ogs.on.ca

The website is at www.ogs.on.ca/niagara

2013 AGS Conference

The Alberta Genealogical Society invites you to join them in celebrating their 40th Anniversary Conference “Same Roots, Different Branches” at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta on 20 & 21 April 2013.

The conference committee have the pleasure of bringing the most electrifying and diverse international, regional and local speakers to maximize your conference experience.

The lineup of presenters include:

Stephen Young

Lisa Louise Cooke

Dave Obee

Pat Ryan

Deanna Bullock

Lyn Meehan

John Althouse

Alison Freake

Vernon R. Wishart

The conference opens with Stephen C. Young, a project manager with FamilySearch. His topic will be FamilySearch: Genealogy at Your Fingertips. Stephen will explore features and services on FamilySearch, WIKI that provides valuable research guidance, and information about indexing—an opportunity to “pay-it-forward”.

Fot those who are new to genealogy, there will be A Beginner’s Track is recommended for those just starting, however all participants at any level are more than welcome to attend.

Numerous door prizes, vendor merchandise and publications from AGS Branches will be for sale. And attendees have the privilege of pre-conference tours to Edmonton’s diverse specialized libraries and archives on Friday, 19 April 2013.

Registrations are now being accepted at www.abgensoc.ca/events.html#agsconf

John D. Reid and Glenn Wright are at WDYTYA Conference

I learned last week that John D. Reid, and Glenn Wright, will give a special 45- minute talk at the Who Do You Think You Are Live genealogy conference in London, UK on Saturday afternoon.

The talk will be entitled Finding English Emigrants to Canada and Their Descendants.

John said that because of the time constraint “it will be a once over lightly” talk, but if you are going to the conference, both John and Glenn hope that you can stop by, and say ‘Hello’.

You can check John's blog at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.ca, and Glenn is president of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and their web site is at www.bifhsgo.ca

All information about the event is at www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com

Workshop Friday at the OGS Conference 2013

Years ago when the annual Conference of the OGS was held, it was a two-day affair – Saturday and Sunday.

Over the past couple of years, it has expanded to include Friday, and now since 20011, a Thursday evening “Meet the Board” Reception. It is a "get togther" with the OGS Board who have arrived early to have their pre-conference board meeting on Thursday.

So come out on Thursday evening 7:00 to 9:00, and meet the people who keep our organization running. There will be refreshments and snacks. Its a sort of a warm-up top the Conference.

And on Workshop Friday, there will be 4 workshops to choose from, and then in the evening, there is the Houston Memorial Lecture. Each year, the Ontario Genealogical Society sponsors a prominent genealogist to speak at the Conference Opening Ceremonies and Reception.

This year’s speaker will be Dave Obee, who will address the attendees on the topic of Seven Habits of Highly Successful Genealogists.

I have heard him on a number of occasions, and he has even written a paper for Families a few years ago, and he is worth listening to so that you can hear his latest thoughts on genealogy.

The two workshops I will be attending on Friday will be

An Introduction to Ontario Wills and Administrations & Beyond the Estate File by Jane MacNamara.

She is such a good lecturer, and the estate files are a rich source for finding family connections and social and financial circumstances. I hope to find out how to access these important court records.

In the afternoon, I will be going to The Scots-Irish: Origins, Emigration, Religion, and Research Sources by Dick Doherty, in which he will explore the Scots-Irish  from Scottish origins to Ulster Plantation, Presbyterian religion, emigration from Ireland to North America, and 17th and 18th century settlement patterns in Canada.

To find out more details, go to www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OGSConference2013Registration-Dec27.pdf