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

Durham Branch’s November Meeting - DNA Clustering: Using the Leeds Method to Sort Your Matches – Ben Dawson

 The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 7th via Zoom & In-Person. Our AGM will be held at the beginning of the meeting and will be brief.

DNA Clustering: Using the Leeds Method to Sort Your Matches 

– Ben Dawson of “Family Tree Project” (Ben will join us via Zoom)

After getting your DNA results, you were likely overwhelmed with the number of DNA matches and information presented. What should be your first steps? How do you get organized? What ancestral lines are each of the matches related to you? One of the most valuable tools that you can utilize to organize your DNA matches is called the Leeds Method. It is a systematic approach to sort your DNA matches into groups that usually result in clusters of matches that belong to each of your 4 grandparent lines. This talk explains the methodology behind the Leeds Method and how you can use it to narrow down your DNA match relationships so that when you reach out to them, you are more confident about the relationship. This will allow you to narrow your focus and limit the possible surnames involved. It also explains when the Leeds method is best applied and situations where it may not be suitable.

Ben Dawson is a life-time resident of London and has deep ancestral roots in the London & Westminster Township area as well as Huron and Bruce Counties dating back to the early 1800s.

Ben took up genealogy in his 20s and has been a member of Ontario Ancestors for the last 8 years. He is currently the Co-Chair for the London & Middlesex Branch and has spoken at Ontario Ancestors branch meetings on topics such as cemetery transcription, genealogical software and genetic genealogy. Ben has been very involved in the social media side of Ontario Ancestors and helps run the Facebook page as well administrating two additional genetic genealogy Facebook groups. Ben serves as a director-at-large on the Board and several committees for the Ontario Genealogical Society.

Ben also has a professional genealogy business called “Family Tree Project”. It includes a blog which offers tips, tricks, and news for the avid genealogist which can be found at www.familytreeproject.ca.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 7th via Zoom & In-Person. Our AGM will be held at the beginning of the meeting and will be brief.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sf-isqjIpEt2kggzsncsf0hKVun6YixVC

In-person will be in our Branch 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.

40th Anniversary Hybrid Meeting : "Bomb Girls: Life at the D.I.L. Plant in Ajax"

 

Durham’s 40th Anniversary Speaker and Celebration

Please join us November 1st at 7:30 pm. This will be a hybrid meeting, but those who attend in person will get cake!

Our speaker is Elaine Lievaart of the Ajax Public Library and the topic, in celebration of November, is “Bomb Girls: Life at the D.I.L. (Defence Industries Ltd.) Plant in Ajax”, one examination of life on the Home Front.

Prior to the Spring of 1940, Ajax did not exist. This all changed when two government surveyors arrived in Pickering Township, looking for land upon which to build the largest munitions plant in the British Commonwealth. We’ll take a tour of this plant, learn about what life was like on and off the production lines and how it eventually morphed into the Town of Ajax.

Elaine Lievaart has worked for the Ajax Public Library in various roles for the past 18 years. She is currently a Community Engagement Associate who works primarily with older adults where she organizes programs which are designed to educate, enlighten, enrich and, mostly, entertain. The other hat she wears is looking after the Local History and Genealogy collections at the Library. Elaine has a love of history and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto with a double major in Anthropology and History. She is never happier than chatting with people about the unusual story of the founding of Ajax or being let loose in the Town’s Archives to see what treasures she can find. 

Elaine will be bringing some artifacts from the munitions plant for us to see!

Whitby-Oshawa Branch was formed in 1982 as the 22nd branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. We were assigned the area of the old Counties of Ontario and (part of) Durham. In 2005, our name was changed to better reflect that area of coverage: Durham Region Branch. First, we will be holding a very short AGM in order to present an update for the branch and welcome any new volunteers. Following our special speaker, we will be presenting certificates of appreciation, showing a slideshow of our activities through the years and, of course, celebrating our Ruby Anniversary with cake.

Please join us in person in the basement meeting room of the Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario (NW corner of Simcoe St. N. and Rossland Rd. W.)  OR via Zoom. Kindly pre-register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rc-mqrjkrG9bu7PjhZUWhSrTMrn00dPto

Everyone is welcome!

Glenn Wright presents “Proudly They Served: Researching Canadian Men and Women in the Second World War, 1939-1945”

 

Glenn Wright

Durham Branch invites you to join on Zoom on Tuesday Nov. 2nd at 7:30 p.m. 

“Proudly They Served: Researching Canadian Men and Women in the Second World War, 1939-1945” - Glenn Wright 

 Our Annual General Meeting will begin the evening, quickly followed by the main presentation.

Researching the men and women who served in uniform during the Second World War can be a challenging, yet rewarding, experience for those interested in family history. It was an extraordinary six years in many ways, both overseas and at home, and by researching our own personal connections to the war, we can more fully appreciate the significance that the war had in the lives of our ancestors.

Following a brief overview of the war, the presentation will focus on the major sources of information and what we can learn from them, including a) service records and how to retrieve them; b) interpreting these records; c) researching unit war diaries (for the Canadian Army) and operations record books (for the RCAF); d) war dead; and e) essential websites and more. 

About Glenn Wright:

Glenn Wright 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. 

Pre-register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrcuCupj8vEtJvBbszizOeqiUjSDlL5wK_

A confirmation e-mail with the join link will be emailed to you.

Durham Region Branch Website: durham.ogs.on.ca

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/durhamogs/

 

Land Registry Website and AGM/ Elections

 Tuesday, Nov. 3rd at 7:30 p.m.

Join Durham Region Branch as we explore the Ontario Land Registry Website with Marian Bellamy. Marian is a local genealogist and will explain how to search on this website that is replacing the Ontario Land Registry Offices.

In addition, the Branch will be holding their AGM and Elections.

Register for the Zoom meeting at this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtfuuoqT4qH92rfVumClK-xO2M6ihIuRxq

A World War I Journal Featured at our November Meeting

Tues., November 6th, at 7:30 p.m. at Northminster United Church Basement Auditorium (enter off Rossland)

Featuring Bryan Davies telling the tale of the World War 1 Soldier, Pte. Manuel, who kept a journal of all his experiences.

For more details, see our website.

This meeting will also include our Annual General Elections, also, details of the OGS 50% off membership and Early Bird renewal prizes.

Everyone is welcome.

Tip-Palooza! - An Extravagant Celebration of Ideas & Tips

Calling all genealogists! Send your tip(s) to Nancy Trimble at  nancy.trimble@gmail.com or 416-562-5879. You can present your tip or I can do it for you, but you must contact me ahead of time, so that I can prepare. Your tip can be a website or a particular portion of a website. Or, it can be a programme or an app for a phone or a tablet. Consider a productivity item or maybe you want to show your DNA Dashboard. In other words, we want an extravagant palooza of useful ideas, tips or tricks that we can share with our members and guests at our November 8th meeting!

Region 7 Annual Meeting - Sept. 29, 2007

We will be hosting the Region 7 Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 - at the Oshawa Public Library.
* Registration: 9:30 a.m.
*Annual General Meeting: 10:00 a.m.
*Pot Luck Lunch: Plates, cutlery, cups, coffee and tea provided
*Guest Speaker: Brian Winter (Whitby Archivist and author) - "Post Cards and Genealogy"