Mike More, Chairman of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society, told us about the society, the area it covers, and its projects. He then gave a talk on what he perceives are the Eight Golden Rules of Genealogy.
1. Work Backwards
I think we all know this by now, but there are still some who try to circumvent the process and try to work from the past to the present.
People have been researching genealogy since the 1800s, and over 200 years of research has told us something - that if we want success - we have to start with ourselves.
2. Never Assume
Always check for facts. If it is down on a piece of paper that your great-grandmother was born on a certain date, you can never assume it is the right date - you must check the birth or baptismal certificates to see if it is correct.
3. Spelling of Names
Never completely trust the spelling of first and last names.
There have all been variants in the spelling, and if your ancestor spelled the surname SMITH one way and the Canadian census taker spelling it SMYTH - then you have a problem, unless you know that the names can be spelled differently.
Fortunately these days, there are programs with SOUNDEX capabilities to help you with surnames.
4. Search for Information to Confirm a Fact
Always try to find three pieces of information that confirm the fact that you have in front of you.
Everything is only speculation until it is confirmed.
5. Write Everything Down
Cite your sources!
Information closer to the date the event happened is usually more correct than information that is later recorded.
For example, birth information would be more correct close to the birth than information recorded 20 years after the birth.
6. Join a Genealogical Organization
When you join a group, it gives you a sense of belonging. You will be with people who have the same interest as yourself, and you can ask them questions about their experiences with genealogical problems.
7. Do Your Homework for a Trip
Remember to put down the five questions to be answered - why, where, when, who, and what. Once done, go to the local library, archives, or churches, for instance, to look for the answers.
8. Share Your Information
Publish your family history either on the Internet, e-books, GEDCOM, scrapbooks, or photo albums, for example. Just publish it.
And if I can add my own piece of advice - do not forget to put a copy in the local archives so that when it comes time for someone else to add to your genealogy, a copy of your work will be waiting for them.
A daily blog about Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Irish Genealogy Night
I went with my husband and a friend to the first-ever "Genealogy Night" sponsored together by the city's genealogical societies and the Irish Society of the National Capital Region. Unfortunately, our camera was not working last night, so there aren't any pictures.
We were a bit late but arrived in time to join several dozen interested people hear the last of the talk given by Kyle Browness of the Library and Archives Canada. He talked about how the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has taken the initiative by putting on the Irish Studies Symposia of 2006 and 2008 at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/irish-history and also by visiting The Shamrock and the Maple Leaf, which contains photos, letters, books, and music on the website at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ireland.
He talked about how they have put the full symposia onsite. You can go to the website and choose over 40 or so presentations to read, to listen to, or watch them on video.
Kyle said that the music content in The Shamrock and the Maple Leaf will triple over the summer, and that the photos on Flickr.com have doubled since they were first put on in November, 2008.
He also noted that the response to all of these resources that the LAC has put on the Internet has been good, and they are very hopeful that this reaction will continue in the future.
He said they did this because the presenters want everyone to share in the knowledge that was extended during the two days of each of the symposiums about Irish-Canada, which covered a wide range of topics. They are important to family history researchers because they give a historical context to Ireland and to the Irish-Canadian immigration.
Tomorrow, I will cover the first of the talks given by Mike More, the Chairman of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. And the day after, I will cover the presentations given by Brian Glenn of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa and Lesley Anderson of Ancestry.ca.
We were a bit late but arrived in time to join several dozen interested people hear the last of the talk given by Kyle Browness of the Library and Archives Canada. He talked about how the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has taken the initiative by putting on the Irish Studies Symposia of 2006 and 2008 at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/irish-history and also by visiting The Shamrock and the Maple Leaf, which contains photos, letters, books, and music on the website at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ireland.
He talked about how they have put the full symposia onsite. You can go to the website and choose over 40 or so presentations to read, to listen to, or watch them on video.
Kyle said that the music content in The Shamrock and the Maple Leaf will triple over the summer, and that the photos on Flickr.com have doubled since they were first put on in November, 2008.
He also noted that the response to all of these resources that the LAC has put on the Internet has been good, and they are very hopeful that this reaction will continue in the future.
He said they did this because the presenters want everyone to share in the knowledge that was extended during the two days of each of the symposiums about Irish-Canada, which covered a wide range of topics. They are important to family history researchers because they give a historical context to Ireland and to the Irish-Canadian immigration.
Tomorrow, I will cover the first of the talks given by Mike More, the Chairman of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. And the day after, I will cover the presentations given by Brian Glenn of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa and Lesley Anderson of Ancestry.ca.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Genealogy Night
Genealogy Night, the first of its kind, will be held at the Library and Archives Canada this coming Thursday night, 12 March, starting at 7 p.m..
It will feature talks on Irish genealogy by Mike More, who is the chairman of the Ottawa Genealogical Society www.ogsottawa.on.ca; Brian Glenn, who is a member of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa www.bifhsgo.ca; and Lesley Anderson of Ancestry.ca.
It is being organized by Bill Tobin, Past-President of the Irish Society of the National Capital Region as part of the activities of the Ottawa Irish Festival, to be held from March 10th to the 17th www.irishsocietyncr.com.
He said last week that there were a few dozen people already pre-registerd for the event. so it should be a good group for the evening.
Starting at 5:30, there will be two presentations given by Kyle Browness and Jean-Sebastin Potvin of the Library and Archives Canada.
The first presentation will be In Quarantine: Life and Death on Grosse Île, 1832-1937 (in French), and the second one will be the Irish-Canadian Project on social networking websites, Flickr.com and YouTube.com.
These two presentations were given at the Irish Studies Symposium in November last year which I attended, and found very useful in my work. They are worth seeing if you are interested in the Irish Diaspora.
It will feature talks on Irish genealogy by Mike More, who is the chairman of the Ottawa Genealogical Society www.ogsottawa.on.ca; Brian Glenn, who is a member of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa www.bifhsgo.ca; and Lesley Anderson of Ancestry.ca.
It is being organized by Bill Tobin, Past-President of the Irish Society of the National Capital Region as part of the activities of the Ottawa Irish Festival, to be held from March 10th to the 17th www.irishsocietyncr.com.
He said last week that there were a few dozen people already pre-registerd for the event. so it should be a good group for the evening.
Starting at 5:30, there will be two presentations given by Kyle Browness and Jean-Sebastin Potvin of the Library and Archives Canada.
The first presentation will be In Quarantine: Life and Death on Grosse Île, 1832-1937 (in French), and the second one will be the Irish-Canadian Project on social networking websites, Flickr.com and YouTube.com.
These two presentations were given at the Irish Studies Symposium in November last year which I attended, and found very useful in my work. They are worth seeing if you are interested in the Irish Diaspora.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Canadian Air and Space Museum / Canada Aviation Museum
In February, the Canadian Air and Space Museum www.casmuseum.org unveiled a new $2-million capital campaign which will see the first full-size model of theAvro Arrow onsite , as well as the addition of new galleries and classrooms to the museum. In addition, a home will be made for the Lancaster X Bomber.
The expansion was announced as we celebrate the Canadian Centennial of Powered Flight on the Bras D'Or Lakes in Nova Scotia, when Alexander Graham Bell oversaw the flying of the Silver Dart.
Many supporters were there to launch the "new" museum, and the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, said, "This launch celebrates the many achievements of the Canadian aerospace industry. I am pleased to be present for this new chapter in the museum's development and to see it supported so enthusiastically be the aerospace, airline and space industries, as well as the military and other proud Canadian supporters."
After visiting the Canadian Air and Space Museum, go and visit the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa www.aviation.technomuses.ca, which is home to over 130 aircraft. It re-opened in November after extensive renovations.
The Canada Aviation Museum has its own library and archives onsite, which you can visit and look at the over 12,000 books they have, as well as over 200 periodicals and the many technical manuals which are there.
They also have photographs and archives from Air Canada, Canadair, and Avro Canada.
The private collections include log books from the aviators of the First and Second world Wars; correspondence from the bush pilot,Stuart Graham; and the collection of Kenneth M. Molson, the first curator of the Canada Aviation Museum.
The expansion was announced as we celebrate the Canadian Centennial of Powered Flight on the Bras D'Or Lakes in Nova Scotia, when Alexander Graham Bell oversaw the flying of the Silver Dart.
Many supporters were there to launch the "new" museum, and the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, said, "This launch celebrates the many achievements of the Canadian aerospace industry. I am pleased to be present for this new chapter in the museum's development and to see it supported so enthusiastically be the aerospace, airline and space industries, as well as the military and other proud Canadian supporters."
After visiting the Canadian Air and Space Museum, go and visit the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa www.aviation.technomuses.ca, which is home to over 130 aircraft. It re-opened in November after extensive renovations.
The Canada Aviation Museum has its own library and archives onsite, which you can visit and look at the over 12,000 books they have, as well as over 200 periodicals and the many technical manuals which are there.
They also have photographs and archives from Air Canada, Canadair, and Avro Canada.
The private collections include log books from the aviators of the First and Second world Wars; correspondence from the bush pilot,Stuart Graham; and the collection of Kenneth M. Molson, the first curator of the Canada Aviation Museum.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Ottawa Branch News
A hefty version of the Spring edition of the Ottawa Branch News reached me today.
I say hefty because the last 19 pages of the News is taken up by the listing of surnames in the Index to Names Volume 41 (2008). The list contains the surname, the given name(s), and the page number.
The articles are very included in this edition are "Research at Salt lake City - Preparation", which talks about Elizabeth Kipp's trip to Salt Lake City researching Palatines; "Early Residents of Ottawa's Sandy Hill Neighbourhood"; "Online Genealogy Dictionaries and Lists"; and "The City of Ottawa Archives - a Wonderful Resource".
An intriguing article is one of changes in format coming to the News.
The format is going to change to a 8.5" x 11" journal style and the name is going to change.
Do you have a name for the new newsletter? They have received some suggestions already. For example: Ottawa/Bytown/Carleton - Roots, Genealogy, Ancestors, Families, Relations, Happenings. Suggestions are welcome!
And the editor is looking for someone to design the cover of the new journal. He is looking for someone with layout experience, and he says that it would only take a few hours to do this in consultation with the editor.
If you can help, please contact Edward Kipp at editor@ogsottawa.on.ca.
I say hefty because the last 19 pages of the News is taken up by the listing of surnames in the Index to Names Volume 41 (2008). The list contains the surname, the given name(s), and the page number.
The articles are very included in this edition are "Research at Salt lake City - Preparation", which talks about Elizabeth Kipp's trip to Salt Lake City researching Palatines; "Early Residents of Ottawa's Sandy Hill Neighbourhood"; "Online Genealogy Dictionaries and Lists"; and "The City of Ottawa Archives - a Wonderful Resource".
An intriguing article is one of changes in format coming to the News.
The format is going to change to a 8.5" x 11" journal style and the name is going to change.
Do you have a name for the new newsletter? They have received some suggestions already. For example: Ottawa/Bytown/Carleton - Roots, Genealogy, Ancestors, Families, Relations, Happenings. Suggestions are welcome!
And the editor is looking for someone to design the cover of the new journal. He is looking for someone with layout experience, and he says that it would only take a few hours to do this in consultation with the editor.
If you can help, please contact Edward Kipp at editor@ogsottawa.on.ca.
Monday, March 2, 2009
My "Genealogical" Schedule - Part II
Saturday, I finished writing my "genealogical" schedule for March, and I posted the frist part for you to read. Now is the second part, and maybe you will be able to join me in some of the events I will attend or read some of the happenings that I will write about.
March 21st - The Beginners Course in Genealogy — held at the Library and Archives Canada and sponsored by BIFHSGO and the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) — will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon. There are four great speakers -
- John D. Reid (of Anglo-Celtic Connections fame) will talk about the Seven Great Rules
- Glen Wright will talk about Census Records
- Allison Hare will talk about Civil Registrations
- Terry Findley will talk about Local Resources
Afterwards, I plan to go to Lansdowne Park to the Green Conference and do a couple of interviews for magazine articles.
March 27th - The opening night of this year's Gene-O-Rama!
Registration will open at 7:00 p.m., and the official opening will take place at 7:30. Like last year, it will be held at Ben Franklin Place in Nepean.
The speaker at the Pat Horan Memorial Lecture will be Dr. Bruce Curtis, and he will talk about "Locating, Identifying, Knowing: Census Making in Canada to 1871".
March 28th - The second day of Gene-O-Rama, with nine lectures, a banquet, a marketplace, and genealogy computing. Phew!
It sounds like a lot of thing to go to, but Mike More, the Chairperson, has everything under control, and it should go off without a hitch.
I plan to attend a lecture on "The Canadian Genealogy Centre in 2009"; "Getting the Most from City Directories and Their Next of Kin"; and "Cold Cases: Hot Tips".
March 31st - I will send in another article to GenealogyToday.com for my column, "Canadian Connections". I hope you will drop by for a visit, and read some of my past articles.
March 21st - The Beginners Course in Genealogy — held at the Library and Archives Canada and sponsored by BIFHSGO and the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) — will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon. There are four great speakers -
- John D. Reid (of Anglo-Celtic Connections fame) will talk about the Seven Great Rules
- Glen Wright will talk about Census Records
- Allison Hare will talk about Civil Registrations
- Terry Findley will talk about Local Resources
Afterwards, I plan to go to Lansdowne Park to the Green Conference and do a couple of interviews for magazine articles.
March 27th - The opening night of this year's Gene-O-Rama!
Registration will open at 7:00 p.m., and the official opening will take place at 7:30. Like last year, it will be held at Ben Franklin Place in Nepean.
The speaker at the Pat Horan Memorial Lecture will be Dr. Bruce Curtis, and he will talk about "Locating, Identifying, Knowing: Census Making in Canada to 1871".
March 28th - The second day of Gene-O-Rama, with nine lectures, a banquet, a marketplace, and genealogy computing. Phew!
It sounds like a lot of thing to go to, but Mike More, the Chairperson, has everything under control, and it should go off without a hitch.
I plan to attend a lecture on "The Canadian Genealogy Centre in 2009"; "Getting the Most from City Directories and Their Next of Kin"; and "Cold Cases: Hot Tips".
March 31st - I will send in another article to GenealogyToday.com for my column, "Canadian Connections". I hope you will drop by for a visit, and read some of my past articles.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I'm-a "Twitter"
For those of you on Twitter - I'm on Twitter, too!
I went on last night between periods in the hockey game and came away with a few followers ... but no genealogists.
So I'm asking all those genealogists with Canadian family connections to follow my "comings and goings" on at http://twitter.com/GenealogyCanada, as I intend to use Twitter as a place to post the events I attend and the blogs I write.
So hop on over to Twitter, or to the blog, and get your genealogical fix for the day!
I went on last night between periods in the hockey game and came away with a few followers ... but no genealogists.
So I'm asking all those genealogists with Canadian family connections to follow my "comings and goings" on at http://twitter.com/GenealogyCanada, as I intend to use Twitter as a place to post the events I attend and the blogs I write.
So hop on over to Twitter, or to the blog, and get your genealogical fix for the day!
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