Durham's January 7th Zoom Meeting: Where Have All the Obits Gone?

 

Please join Durham Region Branch on Tuesday, January 7th at 7:30 pm as Gordon McBean tackles the topic “Where have all the obits gone?

Some argued that there was no need for genealogical societies to record obits anymore, once online obituaries became available. After all, it’s all online now! Due to the high cost of publishing obits many people are only publishing brief notices and then using the Funeral Homes website to publish a complete obit. Funeral Home sites are not permanent and newspapers are closing and their websites disappearing.

A detailed obituary will focus on the important moments that made up the life of a loved one. Including short anecdotes which show readers the true character of the person who has passed away. An obituary is the final record of a person’s life: their achievements, interests, passions and milestones. Because published obituaries become part of the public record, obituaries keep the memory of those we loved alive. Who is ensuring the information will be preserved when newspapers shut down and websites disappear.

Gordon McBean, a member of the Manitoba Genealogical Society (MGS) since 1996, has been actively involved in the organization, including serving as past president and VP of Information Technology from 2011 to 2017. He played a crucial role in developing the MGS MANI online database, which now includes over 1,500,000 index records. A retired Educational Technologist from Red River College, Gordon supported staff with technology training and is also an avid photographer and outdoor enthusiast. In 2023, he was honored with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his significant contributions to genealogy and community service.

This will be a Zoom only meeting Everyone is welcome to attend.

Kindly pre-register at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0scemtqzMvGNYLfDTYeSdlprT68-KXS9l_

Durham's Dec. 3rd Christmas Meeting (In-person only): Library Research - Bring & Brag - Christmas Potluck Treats

 

Please join Durham Region Branch on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 @ 7:30 pm as we celebrate the holiday season (in-person only).

The meeting will be held in the “Steven and Lori Wood Library” in the 3rd floor Boardroom of Northminster United Church. The library will be open at 7 pm, so bring your research questions and see what resources we have. The library holds a very eclectic collection, covering far more than Durham Region.

The meeting will start at approximately 7:30 and will feature items that attendees have brought for the “Show & Tell”. Look around your collection and bring something that you wish to brag about and astound the audience.

During this very informal meeting, we will be providing hot cider and other drinks. Please bring a few Christmas treat to share with others and enjoy the comradery.

Northminster United Church is located at the north-west corner of Simcoe St. N. and Rossland Rd. W. at 676 Simcoe St. N, Oshawa. The parking lot of the church is located off Carnegie Ave. (1 block west of Simcoe St on Rossland Rd).  Parking is also allowed on the side streets nearby, and in the school parking lot on the south-east corner of Simcoe and Rossland. The door to the meeting is located facing Rossland Rd. W. Please note that the lift for the church is extremely unreliable, so please use the stairs. We will have chairs on the landings for you to rest if needed.

Durham Branch's Nov. 5th Meeting - The United Church of Canada Archives

 

The United Church of Canada Archives – Kyle Pugh, Archivist

Please join Durham Region Branch on Tuesday, Nov 5, 2024 @ 7:30 pm as we welcome Kyle Pugh, the Archivist for the United Church of Canada Archives.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, the United Church of Canada (UCC) is the country's largest mainline Protestant denomination.  Formed in 1925 with the union of the Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian Unions, the United Church Archives houses thousands of vital statistic registers and historic rolls.  Kyle Pugh, the Ontario Regional Councils Archivist, will be exploring these resources, as well as providing valuable tips on navigating the United Church's collections.

 Kyle Pugh is the Ontario Regional Councils Archivist at the United Church of Canada Archives.  In this capacity, he leads the team responsible for the acquisition and preservation of records from Ontario's regional councils and communities of faith.  

November is also our Annual General Meeting - please consider volunteering to help keep our branch strong.

This will be a completely virtual meeting.  Please register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsdOyhrDMtE9L9G1RyvwHrmihXp-vIZmYS

Update on Website

 Our website is still under construction!

We are still at:  https://timetraces.com/durhambranch/

NEW!! Durham Region Branch's Temporary Website

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Durham Region Branch's website has not been updated for 10 months. The links still work, but we are unable to update and add our upcoming meetings!

With many thanks to Dan Delong, we have a new temporary website using our backup pages.

You will find it at:  https://timetraces.com/durhambranch/

We are currently working on streamlining our site and hope to have our new refreshed website up soon.

Thank you for your patience.

Durham's Sept. 3rd Virtual Meeting - All Kinds of Loyalists

 

All Kinds of Loyalists – presented by Kathryn Lake Hogan, U.E.

During the American Revolutionary War, approximately 35% of the population of the Thirteen Colonies was loyal to King George III of Great Britain. Was your ancestor one of them? How do you know if your ancestor was a Loyalist? In this presentation, learn what to look for in documents and records to determine if your ancestor meets the qualifications of being a Loyalist.

It all started when Kathryn Lake Hogan, UE, PLCGS, was a Girl Guide leader wanting the girls in her group to learn about their heritage. Why not teach them about researching their family history? To do so, Kathryn had to first learn how to research her own ancestry. That was over 18 years ago, and today, Kathryn is an author, educator, speaker and professional genealogist specialising in finding your ancestors in Canada. She is the owner of the Canadian-based genealogy business, Looking4Ancestors. 

Kathryn is the past Dominion Genealogist of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, and a past Director-at-Large with the Association of Professional Genealogists. 

This will be a Zoom only meeting and everyone is welcome.  

Please pre-register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqf-qvrD4rGdHeT-yEvJhRyx8hVtJ3nkrV

Durham's June 4th Hybrid Meeting - Untangling Township Papers with Jane MacNamara

Please join Durham Branch on Tuesday, June 4th @ 7:30 pm as we welcome one of our favourite speakers, Jane MacNamara. She will be joining us virtually.

Jane will be talking about “Untangling Township Records”.

Township Papers are a highly-organized series of records—resulting from the very hectic and disorganized activities of the Crown Lands Department. Consider some 72 metres of “orphaned” land-related records, often submitted or pulled from their original files because of a dispute or enquiry. Before being sent to the Archives of Ontario, these records were sorted by township and lot to make them accessible. Not quite comprehensive, but covering a large percentage of Ontario properties, these files may contain everything from warrants, location tickets, and settlement duty certificates, to assignments and transfers, explanatory notes and diagrams, letters from neighbours and other witnesses—anything that might prove ownership or occupancy and settle disputes. This session will show you how to check your ancestor’s property and neighbouring properties, understand the documentation you find and to follow the clues to untangle the full story.

BIO:

Jane E. MacNamara, Toronto, genealogy lecturer, instructor, and author of Inheritance in Ontario: Wills and other Records for Family Historians. She writes about genealogy at wherethestorytakesme.ca. A long-time member of OGS, Jane lectures about research methodology, Ontario, and English family history to genealogical and historical groups throughout southern Ontario. She teaches courses for the OGS Toronto Branch, most notably hands-on courses about Ontario records.

This will be a hybrid meeting. Everyone is welcome.  

In-person will be in our Branch library on the 3rd floor at Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON. Parking can be limited.

For virtual attendees, please pre-register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrfu-vqjsuE9QM46HVlxRwSrKKiedXg_54