National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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Durham's October 3rd Meeting: "Proudly She Served: Canadian Women in Uniform, 1885-1945"

 

"Proudly She Served: Canadian Women in Uniform, 1885-1945" – Glenn Wright

Durham Branch invites you to join us on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd at 7:30 pm as we celebrate “Canadian Women’s History Month”. Our speaker, Glenn Wright, will be joining us via Zoom.

During the 1885 Northwest Rebellion, a small group of nurses and nuns provided medical care for the wounded and sick. It was the beginning of a tradition that would see women serve in the South African War, 1898-1902, and the First and Second World Wars. In this presentation, we will look at the history of this contribution and explore the records that we can use to document Canadian women in uniform.

Glenn Wright is one of our favourite speakers. He was born and educated in Toronto, Ontario. Following graduation from the University of Toronto, he worked as a researcher for Pierre Berton before joining the Public Archives of Canada in 1975. During his public service career that spanned more than 30 years, Glenn worked as an archivist, historical research officer and, for many years, assistant historian with the RCMP. 

Retired since 2006, he is a frequent speaker at family history and genealogical events, especially the OGS, with a special interest in Canada’s military history and the men and women who have served in uniform. Glenn has also been associated with television programs such as “Who Do You Think You Are?”, “Ancestors in the Attic” and “Engraved on a Nation”.

He has published widely in family history, genealogical and historical magazines and journals. Glenn is also the author of Canadians at War, 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War I Service Records (Global Genealogy, 2010) and Controversy, Compromise and Celebration: The History of Canada’s National Flag (Historical Society of Ottawa, 2017).

Glenn has been actively involved with the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa and served as the Society’s President from 2010 to 2014. 

This will be a Zoom only meeting. 

Kindly register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEudO2gpzgjGd30k5UU3bviLskgV339lXFY

 

Lianne Kruger - Durham's Sept. 5th Meeting - Telling Family Stories in 15 Minutes a Day

Telling Family Stories in 15 Minutes a Day – Lianne Kruger of “iFamily History”

Are you really going to write that 600-page family history? Stop kidding yourself! Join Durham Branch in September as Lianne Kruger shares how to record your family history as stories in only 15 minutes a day.

Trying to record your family stories can feel overwhelming. You might not be sure where to start, or what to record, how to record the history so that family and future generations will be interested in the stories. This session shares a variety of ways to record the history of family heirlooms as well as stories with items and short videos. 

Lianne Kruger is a professional genealogist and speaker specializing in Canadian records, U.S. and Canadian homesteading, video recording family history, and using technology such as Google Maps and Drive and Evernote. She has spoken for Ontario Ancestors, RootsTech, National Genealogical Society, Legacy FamilyTree Webinars and Ancestry and has published articles in many key journals.  

Lianne teaches computer software courses. She also has a Bachelor degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, which includea a Certificate & Associate Degree in Family History Research. Lianne is also a member of the Board for mitoYDNA.org, is on the Ancestry.ca advisory board and is heavily involved in many roles with the Alberta Genealogical Society. 

She has a genealogy/technology related blog at iFamily History ( http://ifamilyhistory.blogspot.com/ ) where she shares the methodologies & technologies that she uses.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 5th via Zoom & In-Person.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdeChrjosGdEHrRINgkcdkoT6JsH9ubRk 

In-person will be in our library on the 3rd floor at Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West). Parking can be limited. 

Durham Branch June 6th Meeting - Four Proven Strategies for Overcoming Research Obstacles - Janice Nickerson

Four Proven Strategies for Overcoming Research Obstacles – Janice Nickerson, M.A., U.E.

Are you stuck? Have you tried everything to solve your genealogical puzzle? Professional genealogist Janice Nickerson will share 4 proven strategies she uses every day to overcome her clients’ research obstacles. These strategies apply to any family history problem, whether you’re seeking living relatives or long-dead ancestors, in Whitby or Wuhan.

Professional genealogist Janice Nickerson loves a good challenge – whether it's identifying elusive ancestors, tracking disappearing descendants or telling richer family stories. Her specialties include early Ontario research, criminal justice records and fur trade history. 

Janice’s website is http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com/

This will be a hybrid meeting – both in-person and via Zoom - Tuesday, June 6th @ 7:30 pm. 

In-person will be in our library on the upper floor at Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West). Parking can be limited. 

Those requiring use of the lift need to arrange 1 day ahead of time to durhamchair@ogs.on.ca

On-line will be via Zoom – please pre-register for the event at the following link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsceGtqj0oEtD5mhYQl0BiaKxYZAd-0lM8

Everyone is welcome!

Durham Branch May 2nd Meeting - Old Brock Township: Origin and Key Events with Larry Doble

Topic: Old Brock Township: Origin and Key Events

Speaker: Larry Doble

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 @ 7:30 pm : Hybrid Meeting (details below)

Were your ancestors from Brock Township? 

The presentation will describe the history behind the creation of the original Brock Township in historic Ontario County and the wars, battles, and events which determined who settled there.  

Larry Doble has been the chairman of the Sunderland and District Historical Society for almost 20 years. His ancestors came to Brock Township from Mayo County, Ireland in 1822 and the Doble family has been here for 7 generations.  His family tree computer data base has 62,000 names and it links many of the early families who settled in Brock Township which opened up in 1818. 

The Handout will provide links to several sites and resources about the history of Old Brock Township.

This will be a hybrid meeting – both in-person and via Zoom. Everyone is welcome.

In-person will be at Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West). Parking can be limited.

On-line will be via Zoom – please pre-register for the event at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvdOqsrD0jHdR3uzUDXVsIIWQUPjm8vWT2

Durham Branch April 4th Meeting - Breaking Down Brick Walls – Case Studies

 

Breaking Down Brick Walls – Case Studies

April 4, 2023 @ 7:30 pm via Zoom

No idea on how to get past your brick wall? Need help cracking the case? Come to the Durham Region Branch’s April meeting and watch Stephen Wood, our Research coordinator, show how he has helped many people work on their brick walls.

Stephen Wood is a founding member of the Durham Region Branch. He has held many roles in our branch since 1982. He is the past-Chair and the current librarian, researcher and office manager for the branch. Stephen and his wife Lori have built our library catalogue which will be rolled out soon. 

Kindly pre-register at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkfu-pqzIpH9IagH9YXzwkTdo7xLA1u3Wx

Durham Branch March 7th - Away to Canada (Pioneering in Ontario pre-1850)

 

Durham Branch’s March 7th Meeting

Away to Canada - Barbara Dickson

Have you ever wondered what it was like to pioneer in Ontario pre-1850?

Come discover life in Canada during the first half of the 19th century as seen through the eyes of an English gentleman, David Cragg. A true-life account, David, born in 1769, lived through the Napoleonic wars, the death of his beloved Molly from a grand consumption, the Industrial Revolution, his immigration to Canada as a widower with eight children and the founding of Greenbank village in Reach Township (now in Durham Region). This fascinating presentation – a walk down memory lane as told through David’s own writing – will intrigue and inspire Canadians, historians, and anyone who’s interested in learning more about how people lived almost 200 years ago in Britain and Canada.

 

Barbara Dickson is a sought-after award-winning best-selling author, historian, public speaker, documentary film producer and writer who has entertained, educated, and enlightened audiences for twenty-five years. Dickson’s speaking platform mirrors her passions: commemorating Canada’s bomb girls, honouring the legacy of the Irish people in building Canada, challenges and triumphs of 19th century immigration life, living with multiple sclerosis, and heart transplantation in Canada.

Barbara’s website can be found at https://www.barbaradickson.ca/

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 7th via Zoom only.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oc-urqDosGNGDP64oNGEXhgHOfiuRF0E4