Explore Hudson's Bay Company at our March Meeting!

Ruth Burkholder is our speaker for this meeting. Her topic is "The Hudson's Bay Company" just a chain of stores? Hudson Bay Company records are some of the earliest documents recording native peoples and overseas immigrants, particularly those from Scotland. There is much history in this company which has been in continuous operation for over 344 years. Started by two Frenchmen in 1670 under an English Royal Charter, it is now owned by an American Equity firm....truly a multinational history of a multifacted entity. 

Some further information is at http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_furtrade/fp_furtrade3.html

New to our meetings - TONI Tidbits from this huge database of over 3 million genealogical entries

& Brick Wall Bomb - a 15 minute brainstorming session on a problem from the audience

Free UK Records at Ancestry.co.uk This Weekend

This item was found in the Lost Cousins newsletter from the UK:

FREE access to all UK records at Ancestry ENDS SUNDAY

No subscription? Don't worry, because this weekend Ancestry.co.uk are offering free access to all their UK records! It's a great opportunity to extend your tree by researching your collateral lines - the descendants of your ancestors' brothers and sisters.

You've got three days to plunder Ancestry's UK records - the offer ends at midnight (London time) on Sunday 8th February. You may need to log-in or register in order to view the records, but you shouldn't be asked to provide credit card details or make any commitment.

Download the images you find to your computer. If you attach the images to your Ancestry On-line Tree, you won't have access after the free weekend ends!

Lost Cousins Website Free for the Weekend

LostCousins is completely FREE this weekend ENDS TUESDAY

LostCousins is free this weekend, and the good news is that you've got an extra 48 hours, because my offer doesn't end until midnight on Tuesday 10th February. 

As you find relatives on the 1841, 1881, and 1911 censuses it makes sense to enter them on your My Ancestors page straightaway, so that I can link you with the other members - your 'lost cousins' - who have already entered them. Simply click the Search button and the LostCousins computer will automatically check every entry you've made against the millions of entries made by other members.

Tip: it doesn't matter if your new-found cousins don't reply before midnight on Tuesday - as long as you have initiated contact during the offer period (by clicking 'Make contact' on your My Cousins page), you'll be OK.

Of course, you won't always get an instant match - somebody has to be the first person to enter a particular relative - but once you've entered your relatives your cousins will be able to find you (and you only have to click the Search button to look for matches all over again). 

Tip: the 1881 census is the one that's most likely to link you to your 'lost cousins', and you'll get most matches when you enter the members of your ancestors' extended families - their brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Peter Calver

Founder, LostCousins

Read about this unique website here.

Branch Meeting Tonight - WW1 Nurses

The February meeting of the Durham Region Branch will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Oshawa Public Library (Main Branch) on Bagot Street (just south of the City Hall)

Topic: WW1 Nurses of Durham County and Oshawa  

Presenter: Sher Leetooze

Sher Leetooze names 36 WWI Nursing  Sisters who hailed from Old Durham County. Through her research Sher has discovered fascinating accounts of the difficult working conditions nurses found themselves having to deal with near battlefields, and the resultant hair-raising experiences foisted upon some nurses while performing their duties. Sher will likely bring copies of her book to the meeting. An alternate source is - Global Genealogy

Mini-talk: Brick Wall Follow-Up - The Graham Family

Created by: Stephen Wood & Presented by: Nancy Trimble 

NEW! to our meetings:

TONI Tidbit - showcasing findings in The Ontario Name Index, which now has over 3 million entries!

    &

Brickwall Bomb - a 15-minute brainstorming session on a problem from the audience.

Celebrate Irish Family History Day with a Special Offer from FindMyPast

FindMyPast has invited us to celebrate Irish Family History Day with a Special Offer!

FindMyPast has an excellent collection of Irish records just waiting for you to discover, including the following:

Birth, Marriage & Death Records 1845 - 1958

Irish Court & Prison Records

Millions of historic Newspaper Articles

Census & Land Records

And, they have a Special Offer for you: a 1 month World Subscription for ONLY $5.00 USD. Click here.

Hurry, this offer expires at midnight Jan. 27th!

Genealogy Education on the Internet

Here are the links from last night's Mini-presentation on "Genealogy Education - Videos"

Family Search Learning Center

https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com

Key Words: Ancestry, WDYTYA, Genealogy Gems, Maurice Gleeson, Genetic Genealogy, DearMyrtle, Legacy Family Tree, Roots Magic, any other interests you have.

Webinars

Southern California Genealogical Society

http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/webinar/jes-index.html

Legacy Family Tree Webinars

http://www.familytreewebinars.com

Recorded Webinars for OGS Members only (best if signed in first)

http://www.ogs.on.ca/membersonly/mem_webinar_recorded3.php

Gifts from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies

NIGS has been a valued associate of the Ontario Genealogical Studies since 2011. Below is an announcement from NIGS:

Celebrate 15 Years of Online Genealogy Education with 

The National Institute for Genealogical Studies

Seventeen years ago, The National Institute for Genealogical Studies < www.genealogicalstudies.com/> was founded. On October 4, 1999 'Methodology-Part 1: Getting Started' was the first online course offered to students. Three weeks ago, on December 1st, 15 years later, it started for the 185th time.

We are celebrating! In honor of our birthday we are giving away presents! Now's the time to sign-up for those courses you always wanted to take. What present will you receive? You choose:

GIFT #1: GET A DISCOUNT OF UP TO $500
From now until December 31st, 2014 take 15% off ANY course package. Use code 15party15 at the registration checkout.
Are you already taking courses and want to convert to a package of courses to save more money? Give us a call toll free at 1-800-580-0165 ext 1 to learn more or for help with any registration.
NOTE: we have a payment plan (no interest, no service fees). Payments can be spread over several months and can start on February 1st, 2015.

GIFT #2: GET A DISCOUNT OF UP TO $80
Add a comment on our website <www.genealogicalstudies.com> (click on menu item INFORMATION, then click on COMMENTS BY STUDENTS, and scroll down to the bottom of the page) or on our blog <http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/>. Afterwards, claim 50% off the registration fee for any one course using code 15comment50 at the registration checkout.

GIFT #3: WIN A PACKAGE WORTH APPROXIMATELY $1,000!
Get social with us on Twitter, Facebook, or our blog <http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/> and be entered to win a nine course package (a $1,000 value). Enter on Twitter by following us at @GeneaStudies, retweeting our tweets, or mentioning us in a tweet. On Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Institute-for-Genealogical-Studies/110290648619?ref=br_tf> leave a comment, like, or share our posts. Or subscribe to our blog by email. Winners will be announced Monday January 5th, 2015 on our blog.

GIFT #4: BLOGGERS OR 'WANT-TO-BE' BLOGGERS
We also have promotions for bloggers or for those who want to write blog articles for The Institute's blog. Contact us for more information: admin@genealogicalstudies.com

NOT SURE HOW TO TWEET, FACEBOOK, OR FOLLOW A BLOG?
After reading the information below, if you would like more help, send an email to: admin@genealogicalstudies.com.

To follow us on our Blog: Go to http://blog.genealogicalstudies.com/ and scroll down. On the right hand side of the page you will see Subscribe to Blog via Email. In the text box, enter your email address and click on the Subscribe button. Once subscribed, you will receive an email each time we post an article.
Each blog article includes a link to write a comment or share via a social media. Look for these options at the end of each blog post.

To follow us on Twitter: Once signed into your Twitter account, search for us on Twitter by our Twitter name @GeneaStudies. On our Twitter page, click on the Follow button to subscribe to our tweets. Not a member of Twitter? No problem, just go to Twitter <www.twitter.com> and join. Membership is free.

To like us on Facebook: To follow us on Facebook you must be a member. To join Facebook go to www.facebook.com and sign up. Find us on Facebook at < https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Institute-for-Genealogical-Studies/110290648619?ref=br_tf> and click on the Like button on the top right of our page.

Hope to read your comments online!

In closing, from the team at The Institute, MERRY CHRISTMAS or HAPPY HANUKKAH, to you and your family...

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR GENEALOGICAL STUDIES
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, leaders in online genealogy education, has been offering genealogy and history courses for over 17 years (15 years 100% online). We now offer over 200 courses in genealogical studies to help enhance researcher's skills.
For those looking to acquire more formal educational training, The National Institute offers Certificate Programs in the records of Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and the United States, as well as a General Methodology, Professional Development and a Librarianship Certificate Program.  For more information please call us toll-free in North America at 1-800-580-0165 ext 1 or email us at admin@genealogicalstudies.com.