Monday, April 26, 2010

Discovering Family History Closed

Ed Zapletal, the publisher of Moorshead Magazines, has announced today that his newest magazine, Discovering Family History, is closing with the March/April 2010 release.

It had been in production over two years, but as he has put it in his news release, "Although DFH was selling very well on the newsstands, with the stores taking an increasing number of copies each issue, we weren't simply able to get the new subscribers numbers to increase at a fast enough rate".

It is always sad to see a publication end its run, but as Ed says, the numbers to keep it in existence were just not there.

However, Family Chronicle and Internet Genealogy are going along just fine, and expect them to be around for a long time.

This year, Family Chronicle is 15 years old, and Internet Genealogy is five years old.

Over the years, I have written a number of articles for Ed in all three publications, and appreciate the chance to have written for DFH, as well as the other magazines.

I wish Ed and Rick and the staff at Moorshead Magazines continued success.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

"News and Views" - Leeds and Grenville Newsletter

News and Views—the newsletter of the Leeds and Grenville Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society—arrived recently, and, as usual, is full of interesting articles and information.

The first article is on the Graham Burying Ground (sometimes known as the Luckey Farm Burial Ground) in Kitley Township.

Originally published in 1996, the article has been brought up to date by Larry Driver when the question arose as to who owns the land now. You will have to read the article to find the answer.

"Lost and Found in Elizabethtown" is an article by Terrance Edwards on how he explored the life of George Boulton of Lyn. In "A Short Story about Schools in Maitland, Ontario", the reason is given as to why all the schools were built, inlcuding pictures of some of the schools.

On the other pages, they have reports for 2009, upcoming meetings and special events, and queries.

Their website is www.leedsandgrenvillegenealogy.com and their email is leedsgrenvillegenealogical@bellnet.ca.

News and Views Editor, Myrtle Johnston, is always on the lookout for articles and queries. She can be reached at myrtlejohnston@hotmail.com.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

FamilySearch Offers Workshop on Toronto

This year's OGS Conference is sponsored in part by FamilySearch, "Where Generations Meet".

Stephen Young, a project manager with FamilySearch, will lead a workshop in "New Toronto Research Tools" on Saturday afternoon, and will also deliver a newly-scheduled Saturday lunchtime learning lecture on new developments at FamilySearch.

What you may not know is that Young was born in London, Ontario, although he now works for the Utah-based LDS Church.

Currently, he is working on a book about his father's experience in the Canadian Navy Volunteers Reserve during World War Two.

He can be reached at YoungSC@familysearch.org.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

OGS Conference 2010 is Nigh

Hello again,

It's been over a month since I have posted on the blog.

I feel bad about this, but the work demands on my time have been great since December, which didn't leave much time for the blog.

My time was taken up with doing the May issue of the Ontario Genealogical Society's print newsletter, NewsLeaf (this is the big issue, complete with reports), three issues of the electronic e-NewsLeaf, ten magazine articles, two conferences, and so on and so forth ... phew!

But I am back now, just in time for Conference 2010 in Toronto next month.

This week, I received this press release from the organizers of the conference, and I thought I would pass it along to you in case you are still deciding...

Elizabeth
_________________________________________________________________



Let's spread the word outside our usual circles ...

We need your help to make sure news of these special Conference 2010 programs gets to the people who need to know.

Do you know anyone who is?
· of Dutch descent
· of Italian heritage
· wanting the scoop on how "libraries" can help people trace their roots

Our information-packed Conference has it!

Dutch Ancestry Stream (Saturday, May 15) - three expert speakers on finding your Dutch Ancestors, researching European records & strategies, and a case study on how it's done - perfect for anyone you know with Dutch ancestry

Italian Ancestry Stream (Saturday, May 15) - four lectures on Italian family history research, finding Italian records & how to get started and a fascinating case history of Italian immigrants finding their way to Canada - help spread the news to your Italian friends and neighbours

Libraries & Genealogy (Thursday, May 13) - Ontario Library Association is presenting a full-day workshop designed for people looking for local family information and for novice and experienced providers of family history and genealogy services - make sure your local librarians are aware of this opportunity.

Just a few weeks away ...

OGS Conference 2010 will be held May 14-16 at the Doubletree by Hilton-Toronto Airport.

There's still time for new registrants. Complete details of program, speakers and registration can be found on the conference website.

Pass this on to anyone you think might be interested! In fact, please "tell two people, and so on, and so on". We appreciate your help!
_________________________________________________________________

Ontario Genealogical Society | 40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 102 | Toronto | ON | M4R 1B9 | Canada

Friday, March 5, 2010

Quinte Branch - Online Finding Aid

The following is an announcement regarding an update made by the Quinte Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) to its online finding aid.

It was sent in by Bob Dawes, the IT Coordinator of Quinte Branch.

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

The Quinte Branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society has expanded its online Names Index Database finding aid by adding a self-help document.

Even though the finding aid's primary purpose is to find a reference in the group's research library, there is a lot of information that can be extracted from the search tool by itself. For example, there are newspaper birth, marriage and death notices where the page reference identifies the publication date which would be close to the event date.

In other cases, just being able to decode the library reference code of a family genealogy to its actual title by cross-referencing the search results with the online Library Catalogue means you can look for it in other libraries or online. Using this new self-help tool will enable researchers, at a distance, to do their own initial investigative work without having to contact a branch volunteer to do it for them. The document is supplied in PDF format so it can be downloaded and printed for local use.

With over one million surname references, this database is a significant resource for genealogists researching ancestors in the Bay of Quinte region of Ontario, Canada. The new self-help guide can be found under "Using the Names Index Database Finding Aid" on the Quinte Branch homepage at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canqbogs.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Ontario Family History Research Course

The following item was sent to me by Gwyneth Pearce of the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society -

For those with Ontario roots, the next 4-week Ontario Family History Research course offered by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society starts on March 9th.

To register, visit the Branch website at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

Here is the course description:

ONTARIO FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

Searching for ancestors in Ontario? This course will provide a brief historical
background and introduce records essential to Ontario research including land and property records, vital statistics (pre- and post- 1869), estate records, census, directories and maps – with emphasis on 19th century sources.

Course: 4 sessions, Tuesdays 7–9 PM, March 9–March 30

Location: North York Central Library, Meeting Room 2

Instructor: Jane MacNamara

Fee: $66 ($60 for OGS members)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Connections

I always enjoy receiving Connections from the Quebec Family History Society.

This time, it's the Winter 2010 issue, and I wasn't disappointed.

For articles, they have "The Haunted House of Sir George A. Drummon", "Patriots' Prison", and the "Edifice Gilles Hocquart", all written by Robert N. Nixon.

"Treasure in France", by Ransom Vrooman, and "Surviving the Russian Quagmire 1942-1945", by E. Peter McLoughlin, round out the article in this edition.

Although I haven't had the chance to go to any of their meetings yet, I like to read about them, and I hear that they will have the conference in June next year - that will be a treat that I am looking forward to with great anticipation!

Besides reading the articles, I also like to read the newest library acquisitions since the last issue, the Queries section, and a chance to see what is new on the computer page, and in genealogical software.

So, if you have English ancestors in Quebec, or have some who lived in Quebec, and you don't belong to the society, maybe it's time you checked out the Quebec Family History Society www.qfhs.ca because they offer a lot for the money.