Call For Speakers

ENGLISH FAMILY HISTORY WORKSHOP

Jusr received this press release from the Toronto Branch of the OGS -

"Saturday, November 5, 2011
North York Central Library Auditorium
5120 Yonge Street, Toronto

The Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and the Canadiana Department of the North York Central Library will be co-hosting a one-day workshop for family historians with English ancestors.

This workshop was originally planned to feature popular speakers, John D. Reid and Lesley Anderson from Ottawa. John and Lesley developed a very interesting plenary-style program for us and we were all set to announce it when it became necessary to reschedule the event. In so doing we have acquired a larger venue, making it possible to expand upon John and Lesley’s program.

You are invited to submit proposals for lectures on any aspect of English genealogical or social history research. Workshop attendees will be most interested in lectures emphasizing sources and research techniques that might prove useful in their own research.

Each session will be one hour long, including five or ten minutes for questions. Presentations should be illustrated—we can provide a computer projector or an overhead projector. Speakers will also be expected to provide a handout of supporting material (up to four pages) which we will photocopy for all registrants.

Speakers will be paid an honorarium of $100 per lecture, plus $25 to cover incidental expenses.

Please submit your lecture proposals by e-mail. Before you start developing your proposals we recommend that you request a copy of the outline of John and Lesley’s program so that you can avoid duplicating their presentations. Please keep your proposals brief and informal, at this point. (We may ask for more details later.) Be sure to include your mailing address, phone number, and a brief bio.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011

For more information about the Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch, please see: CALL FOR SPEAKERS.

To submit proposals or ask a question about the event, please contact the Education Committee, c/o Chair, Diana Thomson at courses@torontofamilyhistory.org".

Destination Canada

One of the best books published in 2010—and which I use as my "go to" book on immigration, citizenship, and naturalization—is Dave Obee's book, Destination Canada: A Genealogical Guide to Immigration Records.

It's made up of 15 chapters -

Chapter 1 - The immigration experience
Chapter 2 - Four centuries of immigration
Chapter 3 - A timetable of migration to Canada
Chapter 4 - The key resources
Chapter 5 - The early years
Chapter 6 - Atlantic ports 1865-1935
Chapter 7 - Pacific ports 1858-1935
Chapter 8 - Through the United States
Chapter 9 - Arrivals since 1935
Chapter 10 - Outbound records
Chapter 11 - Immigration Branch (RG76)
Chapter 12 - Naturalization and citizenship
Chapter 13 - Just passing through?
Chapter 14 - Migration museums
Chapter 15 - Additional sources

I have found the book to be inclusive of all of the records, and where they can be found. There are very helpful maps which explain where the people have come from, and where they were going. And there is a very good chapter on migration museums around the world.

For any questions that I am asked about immigration, I always include Obee's book in my searching for the answer because I want to make sure that I am aware of all of the facts surrounding immigration to Canada.

For example, a question recently arose concerning immigration to Canada from Britain in 1927 - Is a passenger list the same as Immigration Records? Where did this person land? What port did he leave from in England? How did he get from the port to Central Canada?

By reading this book, and looking at the records at the Library and Archives Canada (LAC), as well as the records at Ancestry.ca, I was able to answer these questions.

To order a book, visit Dave's website at www.daveobee.com/index.html.