A one-day workshop on Genetic Genealogy

The Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is planning a one-day workshop on 6 June 2015 on Genetic Genealogy and its uses in family history research.

The press release says that "We are looking for speakers who would like to be take part. The workshop will deal with the main types of DNA testing that are used by genealogists as well as how the results from genetic testing are used in conducting or supporting genealogical research. We hope to offer lectures for audiences at the beginner level as well as for people with a more advanced level of knowledge who have used DNA testing”.

The details are at http://torontofamilyhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Call-for-Speakers-Genetic-Genealogy-Workshop-June-2015.pd

The deadline is this Saturday 17 January 2015.

Meanwhile, details of the first annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Colloquium, the final draft of the Genetic Genealogy Standard has officially been announced and released! They are finishing the guidelines for Y-DNA and mtDNA testing and interpretation, and they are putting together some guidance for citing DNA test results in reports, scholarship, and in general.

You can read more at http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/2015/01/10/announcing-genetic-genealogy-standards/

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 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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, please let me offer a "Happy Thanksgiving!" to our American Cousins! (I have first cousins in Maine, first cousins once removed in Texas, and first cousins three times removed in California).

Canada, in 2005, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants, and is still going strong <www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canms/canada.html>.

There are four "colonies" in the country (in Toronto, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta), with the Canadian society being the first formed outside of the United States.

They published a book for their 25th anniversary detailing their history, and it has many pictures which cover the events and meeting of their four colonies.

The site, which has had over 20,000 visitors since the website first started eight years ago, has an index on Mayflower Research Articles, Mayflower Families Corrections and Additions, and Upcoming Events & Society Meetings.

There is a List of Mayflower Passengers Who Left Descendants, Society Dues & Fees, and Application Procedure & Documentation Requirements.

They have also put online Reports of our Past Guest Speakers, Mayflower Research Articles (Index), and Mayflower DNA Projects.

For a change of pace, please read this interesting article entitled, "Were Cats and Dogs on the Mayflower?", at <http://www.petplace.com/cats/were-cats-and-dogs-on-the-mayflower/page1.aspx?utm_source=catcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter>.

And finally, for a bit of fun, knowing that watching football is paramount in any household this weekend (we watch it, too!), visit our Canadian Thanksgiving page at <http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-thanksgiving.html> and check the graphic at the bottom.