Genealogy Canada

Saturday, February 7, 2015

UPDATE: OGS Conference - Interviews

During this week's meeting of the Ontario Chapter of the Associated Professional Genealogists (OCAPG), Shirley Sturdevant—the immediate past-president of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS)—brought us up-to-date with happenings at the 2015 OGS conference to be held this year in Barrie, Ontario.

One thing that she said was new this year are the interviews with the presenters at the conference, and so far, they have interviewed Thomas MacEntee and Dr. Janet Few.

Thomas MacEntee will be the moderator on the Panel Discussion: Tracks through Time on Saturday morning, and on Sunday will present Tracing Your New York Ancestors.

The interview with him is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uax98ie2LxQ

I also listened to the interview with Dr. Janet Few from England, who will give a lecture on Saturday entitled Uproar and Disorder: the Bible Christians of North Devon and their impact upon nineteenth century Canada, and another lecture on Sunday entitled Putting Your Ancestors in their Place: an introduction to one-place studies.

The interview is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN16jlIqxqs&feature=youtu.be, and her lectures will be live streamed to the Conference from England.

The Conference website is online at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference

The Conference Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioGenealogicalSocietyConference

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.

Friday, February 6, 2015

FREE Valentine's Day Genealogy Workshop

The Alberta Genealogical Day is presenting the Grand Prairie Family Day on Saturday, 14 February 2015 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Montrose Cultural Centre (the library) at 9839 - 103 Avene, Grand Prairie. It will be a fun-packed Family Day featuring workshops, research help, a trade show, and displays.

It will be hosted by Grande Prairie and District Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society, the Grande Prairie Public Library, and the South Peace Regional Archives.

There will be talks on the archives, researching in Western Canada, scrapbooking, and storytelling.

For more information, go to http://www.abgenealogy.ca/grande-prairie-family-day?id=778.

For more information, please contact the Grand Prairie and District Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society at gp@abgenealogy.ca.

Manitoba Adoption Records

There is great news coming from Manitoba. They will be opening birth records related to adoption.

The changes to The Adoption Act and The Vital Statistics Act will allow for more openness with respect to birth records related to adoption. Adult adoptees and birth parents can access birth record information and protect their information.

The new legislation is expected to come into effect in June 2015. Manitoba’s new legislation will allow adoptees and birth parents to access available identifying information. It will also allow them to keep their information confidential if they wish.

You can read the press release at http://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=30552

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Victoria (VGS) offers half-year memberships

Steele Family Picnic, 1942 - submitted by VGS member Lauren Pinkerton of Peterborough, Ontario

The Victoria Genealogical Society of British Columbia has now joined the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Quebec Family History Society in offering half-year membership fees for 2015.

For a limited time (Feb 1 to Apr 30), regular and family memberships are being offered at half-price for a six-month membership. Regular (adult and senior) members will only pay $25 instead of the usual $50. Family memberships will only cost $37.50 instead of the usual $75.

Check out their membership page to learn all about the benefits of joining, and how easy it is to sign up. Benefits include free access to their Resource Centre and their monthly Speaker Series events. And the networking opportunities with other talented researchers are phenomenal! They also offer online options for joining and paying your membership fees from the comfort of your home.

Spread the word about this wonderful opportunity. They hope you, your friends, and family will give them a try.

The website is at http://www.victoriags.org, and their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/vicgs.