Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Durham Branch January Meeting - Breaking Down Brick Walls

Christmas images
Overcoming Brick Walls  - strategies and anecdotes for overcoming research dead-ends.

DON'T GIVE UP!!

If, during your research, you have come across a particularly frustrating dead-end,our local panel of experts can help.

At this meeting our panel of experts will solve, or attempt to solve, some of the most difficult research problems faced by members. However, it is best to send problems, in advance, to durham@ogs.on.ca.

Our meetings are often streamed on YouTube starting at 7:30. Our channel for streaming is http://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCiHiKL0pfzXzG- G9YARS8Sg/live 

Monday, December 2, 2019

Show & Tell and Christmas Celebration at Durham Region Branch's December meeting

Christmas images

Tuesday, Dec. 3rd @ 7:30 p.m., Northminster United Church

Show and Tell / Bring & Brag 

At this meeting we celebrate the season together, along with any genealogical breakthroughs, special stories, favourite websites, interesting documents or other artifacts brought to this gathering.

Members are invited to share genealogy "ah-ha's", serendipity moments and edible holiday treats.

Our meetings are often streamed on YouTube starting at 7:30. Our channel for streaming is http://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCiHiKL0pfzXzG- G9YARS8Sg/live . Should the stream fail during the broadcast, try refreshing the browser or closing the connection and reconnecting. In any case, an edited version of the meeting will be posted here, on the same channel, about one week after the meeting.

Parking is limited in the Church parking lot, but you can park on the side street, across Simcoe St. at the school, or 1½ blocks west on Rossland St.

All are welcome, as we celebrate with treats and hot cider!

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

DNA group meets Wednesday, Nov. 20th


The DNA Special Interest Group of the Durham Region Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 20th at 7 pm in the Northminster United Church (NW corner of Simcoe St. N. and Rossland Road W)

We meet to discuss our experiences with our DNA matches and ask questions to help us better understand what DNA is all about.

All are welcome.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Durham Branch Hosting Ted Barris Tues. Nov. 5th


THE DURHAM REGION GENEALOGY SOCIETY  presents

Rush To Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire – by Ted Barris
Tuesday Nov. 5, 7:30 pm, Northminster United Church, Oshawa



Historian Ted Barris once asked his father Alex Barris, “What did you do in the War?” What the WWII Army medic told his son is the thrust of Barris’s latest literary journey.
Not only has Ted retraced his father’s wartime experience, in his new book, but he has also drawn from his library of interviews and research of military medical personnel – stretcher bearers, medics, nurses, surgeons, orderlies, dentists, and ambulance drivers – to show stories of those who chose go to where wounded soldiers lay – to rush to danger!

Not a comprehensive history of military medicine, Rush to Danger offers a powerful anecdotal account of how the science of saving lives in battle evolved, where breakthroughs occurred, who proved to be the heroes in these roles, and how such acts of courage played out in individual lives and in military history as a whole. And Barris’s canvas encompasses not just WWII (in which his father served as medic), but goes as far back as the U.S. Civil War, the 1885 North West Resistance, through the Boer War, the Great War, both World Wars, Korea and the 21st century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Not a soldier, but the soldier’s storyteller, not a veteran, but recognized by vets as keeper of the flame, Ted Barris has published 18 non-fiction books, half of them wartime histories. For 40 years he has worked as a broadcaster on electronic media in Canada and the U.S. He taught journalism at Toronto’s Centennial College for 18 years. His book The Great Escape: A Canadian Story won the 2014 Libris Award, as Best Non-Fiction Book in Canada. And his last book Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen in the Secret Raid Against Nazi Germany won the 2018 RCAF Association NORAD Trophy

This meeting will include our annual elections. All are welcome.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

October DNA Special Interest Group Meeting


The October meeting of the DNA Special Interest Group will be at Northminster United Church in Oshawa (corner of Simcoe St. N and Rossland Rd. W) tomorrow night (Wednesday, Oct. 16th) at 7 pm.
All are welcome.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Finding Great-Grandma’s Grandchildren - Durham's October 1st Meeting

Finding Great-Grandma’s Grandchildren: How do you find people of your parent’s generation? 

featuring one of our favourite speakers, Ruth Burkholder


Whether they were of the immigrant generation, thus born elsewhere, or the family had been here forever, finding people in the 1900s is hard work. This discussion will present some ideas to use to find them. Ruth Burkholder has successfully educated family historians for many years. She is well known for her ability to explain both simple and complex research activities in an easy to understand way. Most of all, Ruth has a knack of keeping the fun in it while providing proper methods and advice that comply with accepted genealogical research and recording practices.

Next Meeting - Tuesday - October 1, at 7:30 p.m.

at Northminster United Church (676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1G 4V7 (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West).



Tuesday, August 20, 2019

DNA Special Interest Group Meets Wednesday



This Wednesday, Aug. 21st is our next meeting for the DNA group. It will start at 7 pm in our Office at Northminster United Church (3rd floor Boardroom).

There have been many summer sales by the big DNA companies, many set to expire at the end of August. I hope that you have taken advantage of the great prices.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

DNA Special Interest Group Meeting Wednesday June 19th

The DNA Special Interest Group will be meeting this coming Wednesday, June 19th at 7 pm.
We  meet in the 3rd floor Boardroom at the Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa (corner of Simcoe and Rossland).
 Blaine Bettinger’s latest video on mini-clustering using Ancestry’s latest tools will be shown.
All levels are welcome and your questions will be answered.



Monday, June 3, 2019

Durham Branch Hosts Bob Dawes at June Meeting

Tuesday - June 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Northminster United Church 

 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1G 4V7

 (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West)

Easy-Do-Over

Bob Dawes - The Family History Reno Project (the easy do-over)

Why should a genealogist perform research again, on subjects already covered? Genealogy has changed considerably in the recent decade. Bob Dawes will show how doing so helped to improve his results, just as surely as it will do the same for you. Bob's handout: - Bobs Bytes The Easy Do-Over

Our meetings are often streamed on YouTube starting at 7:30. Our channel for streaming is http://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCiHiKL0pfzXzG- G9YARS8Sg/live .

Everyone is welcome.

 

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

DNA group meets Wednesday, May 15th

Our DNA Special Interest Group meeting will be this Wednesday night at 7 p.m.



It will be held at Northminster United Church (corner of Rossland and Simcoe) and will be held in the 3rd floor Boardroom.

Bring your questions and if there is time, we will watch a DNA video.

Everyone is welcome.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Learn How to Use FaceBook to Further Your Research - May Meeting


Tuesday, May 7th at 7:30 p.m. in basement meeting room,
Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa (NW corner of Simcoe and Rossland)

Sandra will be discussing Researching Through FaceBook and will also integrate the Trick and Trades of a Genealogy Sleuth.

Sandra McNamara graduated from York University in 1983 as a Geophysicist. She oversaw digitization of African Airborne Magnetic Maps and worked on the compilation of Ontario Aeromagnetic Maps. For the past twenty-five years she has been a stay at home mom, focusing her research on the genealogy of her father's side of the family, keeping in mind her Grandmother saying, "I come from a strong Loyalist stock". Her latest endeavour is researching into the Declaration of Dependence, for which she has started closed FaceBook group for descendants of those signers. She is an administrator for "Revolutionary War Research" and the initiator of "Loyalist In Depth Study".

Our meetings are often streamed on YouTube starting at 7:30 pm. See our website for full details.

All are welcome!

Monday, April 15, 2019

DNA SIG meets Wednesday April 17th

Our DNA Special Interest Group meeting will be this Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

It will be held at Northminster United Church (corner of Rossland and Simcoe) and will be held in the 3rd floor Boardroom.

We'll answer any DNA questions you may have and then Nancy will be demonstrating the results from the auto clustering tool at MyHeritage.



Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Research Experiences - On The Road Again


Durham Region Branch welcomes Sher Leetooze, a favourite speaker at our meetings, to our April 2nd meeting.

Join us at Northminster United Church (corner of Rossland and Simcoe St., Oshawa) at 7:30 pm.

Research experiences - On The Road Again.


Sher Leetooze has been researching her family for just over 40 years, but still has a long way to go.  In the process of doing research, Sher has gone right to the source in Great Britain and found some GREAT stuff!  Some of these things she will share with you on April 2nd.

Mini-Presentation: Stephen Wood will update us on one of our Brick Wall discoveries from our January meeting.

All are welcome (and bring a friend!)

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

March DNA group Meeting -Showing New Tools




Our DNA Special Interest Group meeting will be this Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

It will be held at Northminster United Church (corner of Rossland and Simcoe). Due to anticipated construction, it will be held in either the 3rd floor Boardroom, or the 2nd floor Chapel. Just look for the Durham Region Branch display stand.

We'll answer any DNA questions you may have and then Nancy will be demonstrating the DNA tools announced at RootsTech by both Ancestry and MyHeritage. 



Tuesday, February 26, 2019

The Family History Reno Project at Our Next Meeting

NEED TO CLEAN UP YOUR FAMILY HISTORY?

DATE and PLACE: Tuesday, March 5th @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday School Room, Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St., N., Oshawa
(NW corner of Rossland and Simcoe)

TOPIC: The Family History Reno Project (The Easy Do-Over)
If you've ever wanted to clean up your family history file, this is the easy way to approach it.  Normally, a Do Over involves re-entering all of your family information from scratch while this approach allows you to continue using your file for research while cleaning it up. It also allows you to take advantage of everything you've learned over the years as well as new resources and tools.

BIO: Bob Dawes is a past chair of Quinte Branch and currently responsible for database and computer maintenance.  Bob and his wife, Barbara, have traveled extensively throughout North America and the United Kingdom in search of their ancestors and enjoy using technology to enhance their research.

See our website for parking information.

Every one is welcome (and bring a friend)!

UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO THE POOR WEATHER IN TRENTON, BOB HAD TO CANCEL! HE IS COMING TO OUR JUNE MEETING INSTEAD.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

DNA Special Interest Group cancelled tonight

Due to freezing rain warnings, the DNA meeting tonight has been cancelled. See you next month.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

DNA Special Interest Group Now Meets on 3rd Wednesday of the Month



The DNA Special Interest Group of the Durham Region Branch, OGS has returned to their 3rd Wednesday meeting slot.

Meeting Date: Wednesday, February 20th @ 7:00 p.m.

Place: DRB's new Office and Library,
           3rd Floor Boardroom,
           Northminster United Church,
           676 Simcoe St., N.,
           Oshawa

All are welcome! Bring your questions for our group to answer.

Friday, February 8, 2019

Call For Speakers - Durham Region Branch's "Day of Learning"

Durham Region Branch will be holding their annual Day of Learning from 9 – 4 on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Faith United Church, Courtice.

The theme is “Fresh Approaches to Thorny Problems”

The Call for Proposals is now open, under the following sub-themes:
·      Oral Histories: interviewing, cold calls, that crucial first email
·      Going Forward with Your DNA Test Results: Next Steps – analyzing & contacting your matches, new tools, websites
·      Advanced Irish Research – what’s new, using DNA, possibly with a case study
·      Planning a Research Trip – what works, what doesn’t, case study?

Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals may submit up to three proposals electronically at the e-mail address below. The speaker compensation is at the usual OGS conference rate, but travel compensation is minimal. Please include the following information for each submitted proposal: speaker's full name, address, telephone, and e-mail address; presentation title; and a brief, but comprehensive outline. 

The deadline is March 6th. Please send your submissions to:  durhamevents@ogs.on.ca



Saturday, February 2, 2019

Durham Branch is in the Chapel Tuesday Night





Our February speaker is Jennifer Weymark, the archivist from the Oshawa Museums and Archives. Jennifer is an archivist by training and also does preservation projects on items like family Bibles.

She will be taking us on "A Virtual Tour of the Oshawa Museum and Archives"

Stephen Wood will be doing a mini-presentation on "Using Signatures".

We are in the Chapel at Northminster United Church on this coming Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Chapel is located on the 2nd floor, past the Parlour and handicapped bathrooms, and is signed. Look for our display stand!

Check out further details of parking and video streaming at our website.

Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, January 12, 2019

Durham Region Branch's DNA-SIG meeting Tuesday Jan. 16th



Our meeting on Tues. Jan 15th will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the 
3rd floor "Boardroom", 
Northminster United Church, 
676 Simcoe St.N., Oshawa. 

This is now the Branch's Library library and office, and we will be meeting there from now on. 

The room is accessible with a lift - the door is right off the parking lot - just use the intercom beside the door. 

Also, please park on the street, unless you have an accessibility permit. Parking is very limited and we share with the cubs and scouts that night. Parking is also available in the school parking lot at the south-east corner of Simcoe and Rossland.

Agenda:  Q&A period
                A new 3rd party clustering tool called "Genetic Affairs" will be shown

Everyone is welcome!

Friday, January 4, 2019

Durham Region Branch’s January Meeting this Tues. Jan 8th

Durham Region Branch will be starting 2019 off in our newly renovated office and library! 


We’re not totally unpacked yet, but on Tuesday January 8th at 7:30 pm, we will be holding our meeting in our new location on the 3rd floor of Northminster United Church, Oshawa, for the very first time! 

Our topic will be “Busting Down Brick Walls” through the brainstorming and crowd sourcing of our members.

Northminster United Church,
3rd Floor Boardroom,
676 Simcoe St.N.,
Oshawa, ON

Come early at 7 pm and browse the library section. The meeting will be held in the same room, starting at 7:30. Everyone is welcome.

Check our website https://www.durham.ogs.on.ca/ for parking information. Please save the spots in the church parking lot for those who have permits.