Durham's Virtual April 1st Meeting - "How DNA Can Reveal Truth - A Case Study" with Mags Gaulden

 

"How DNA Can Reveal Truth - A Case Study" with Mags Gaulden

Join us on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:30 pm EDT via Zoom as we welcome back noted genetic genealogist Mags Gaulden.

In this talk, we will discover what YDNA is and how to use it to scrape away the dust and grime of long-held family lore to reveal the truth of descent—all the way down to a pin on the map, in a surprise no one expected.

Mag's Bio:

Mags Gaulden is a Professional Genealogist specializing in Genetic Genealogy as founder of Grandma’s Genes in Ottawa. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia College, she began to work her own genealogy as a “hobby”. This 30-year “hobby” eventually led her to a Leader role with WikiTree. 

Mags is an international Genetic Genealogy lecturer, blogger and a social media maven. She serves as Admin for Facebook groups including the ISOGG Facebook Group. She is a former member of the Canadian Casualty Identification Team.

Through her non-profit work with mitoYDNA.org, Mags and other genetic genealogists are providing a free and accessible YDNA and mtyDNA database for the genealogy Community. “Doing DNA Right”. mitoYDNA.org

Kindly pre-register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0uf-qqrj4tG9AT1go3zHTdDrucbbSDHts6

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.

Feb. 2nd Meeting "WikiTree: The Ins and Outs of a Global Family Tree" with Mags Gaulden

 

"WikiTree: The Ins and Outs of a Global Family" 

- with Mags Gaulden

Date: Feb. 2, 2021 @ 7:30 p.m. via Zoom

WikiTree is a single global family tree. This means there is only one profile per person who ever lived. You and your cousins would bring together your research and work your shared profiles together. How can this be? Collaboration. Got DNA? Got family Photos? What about colourful Family stories? WikiTree has incredible tools for working our limbs and for collaborating with cousins. We will look at how to add your limbs to our big ole shared tree as well as how to use WikiTree's plethora of tools to move your family research forward.

Mags is a Professional Genealogist specialising in Genetic Genealogy as the founder of Grandma's Genes in Ottawa. After earning her Bachelors Degree from Columbia College, she began her own Genealogy as a "hobby". This 30-year "hobby"eventually led her to a Leader role with WikiTree.

Mags is an international Genetic Genealogy Lecturer, Blogger and a Social Media Maven. She serves as Admin for Facebook groups including the ISOGG Facebook Group. She is a former member of the Canadian Casualty Identification Team.

Through her non-Profit work with mitoYDNA,org, Mags and other genetic genealogists are providing a free and accessible YDNA and mtDNA database for the Genealogy Community.

"Doing DNA Right" at https://www.mitoydna.org/

Please join us!

Register now at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlc--spjsrGNceRy_Rj7tpPDVnCtrfEMRo

DNA Talk was Very Successful!

Nancy's talk on DNA: Tools for the Next Steps was very well received. All our Zoom seats were filled and many people were too late to get in to the Zoom meeting. Demand far exceeded our expectations!

The handout and the link to the recording are now available on the Durham Region Branch's website durham.ogs.on.ca . Just go to the June meeting write-up and the links are at the bottom of the description.

No-one has asked me about the illustration that I used for the DNA talk! 3 years ago at the Rootstech conference, I took a workshop about DNA tools. We actually extracted DNA from strawberries and hanging from the toothpick are my results! Did you know that strawberries have 8 strands of DNA! Humans only have 2 strands. It's humbling to know that we are less complicated than strawberries.

June's Virtual Meeting is Coming Soon with DNA: Tools for Next Steps

“DNA: Tools for the Next Steps” with Nancy Trimble, PLCGS on June 2^nd at 7:30 pm

You’ve had your autosomal DNA test done, but what are your next steps? This talk will focus on the tools available to you on Ancestry, Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage and DNA Painter. We will discuss Match Lists, centiMorgans (cM), chromosome browsers, and other useful tools. You will leave with enough information that you can easily implement some next steps in utilizing your DNA matches.

Come join the Durham Region Branch on Tues. Jun 2, 2020 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) in a virtual meeting. This is open to the public. We have 100 seats, but the recorded meeting will be available afterwards on our YouTube channel.

Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkdOmhqjooHNKcCdKU3oSuLVc5nvcxdoiu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please note that we only have 100 seats for this particular meeting. You must register, but I advise you to join about 15 minutes early & wait in the "Waiting Room" in order to assure your seat.

If you can't get in, the recording of this session will be uploaded to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiHiKL0pfzXzG-G9YARS8Sg several days afterwards. The handout will be available on our website after June 2nd.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 6^th. Please send your submissions to:  durhamevents@ogs.on.ca

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!

Love Those DNA Sales

ALL these sales end November 22nd

Just 2 more days in Ancestry.ca’s early Christmas sale! Only $89 CAD + shipping costs
See the post on DNA Bargains at https://dnabargains.com/ancestrydna-canada-holiday-pricing-89cad/

Family Finder (autosomal) from FamilyTreeDNA is only $49 USD. Other tests are also on sale. https://dnabargains.com/family-tree-dna-thanksgiving-sales-stuffed-with-savings

MyHeritage is only $79 CAD + free shipping if you order 2 kits.
https://dnabargains.com/myheritage-dna-just-49-usd-plus-free-shipping-during-thanksgiving-sale/

DNA Special Interest Group to Meet Tuesday, Sep 18 at 7 pm.

Durham Region Branch's  DNA Special Interest Group will be meeting on Tuesday Sep 18 at 7 pm at the:

Oshawa Family History Centre,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

632 Rossland Rd North, Oshawa

Remember to park behind the church [off Rossland Rd] and go in the south-west door of the building. The Family History Centre will be on the right when you go in. 

Parking is free and all are welcome!

DNA Special Interest Group July 17th Meeting

Durham Region Branch's  DNA Special Interest Group will be meeting on Tuesday July 17 at 7 pm at the:

Oshawa Family History Centre,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

632 Rossland Rd North, Oshawa

We will start with basic questions for any newcomers and then move on to Intermediate questions for our seasoned members.

Remember to park behind the church [off Rossland Rd] and go in the south-west door of the building. The Family History Centre will be on the right when you go in. 

Parking is free and all are welcome!

New Project for Missing Allied Soldiers from World War I

Press Release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 25th 2018)

Do you have a missing soldier from World War I?
A new project aims to commemorate the 338,000 allied soldiers who are still missing from World War I. Of the 1.1 million allied soldiers who were killed in The Great War, only about half were ever identified and received a decent burial. The remaining soldiers lie where they fell, on the field of battle, whether it be Gallipoli, the Western front, or elsewhere. These soldiers in particular deserve to be commemorated.

Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree
The new project encourages people to pick a soldier from a list of the known missing soldiers and build a family tree for that soldier going back several generations (using their own family knowledge or available genealogical records). The tree can then be “planted" on the EveryOneRemembered website (https://www.everyoneremembered.org) by simply attaching a commemorative “story" to the soldier in question and posting it on the website.

The new project will be of particular interest to family historians and genealogists, but everyone is encouraged to participate, even school children. It is hoped that family trees will be planted for all 338,000 missing soldiers.

DNA Testing
The project is in two parts. The first part (described above) is simply called “Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree”. The second part of the project encourages relatives of the soldier to do a DNA test in commemoration (using any of the commercially available tests), and leave the DNA kit number or contact details on the EveryOneRemembered website.

Why do DNA testing? Every year about 30 to 60 sets of remains are discovered during routine farm work or building activity in Northern France and Belgium. Previously, these unidentified soldiers would be buried in a grave with a headstone that simply stated “a soldier known unto God“. But in recent times, DNA has helped identify some of these soldiers. And more may be identified in time as DNA testing technology advances.

This second part of the project is called “One in a Million“ to emphasize that the chances that someone's DNA will help identify one of the missing soldiers is “One in a Million“. This helps manage the public's expectations of what DNA can and cannot do. However it also emphasizes that each one of those soldiers was “One in a Million“ to somebody, somewhere, sometime.

For further information on the project, visit the Commemorating the Missing website at https://commemoratingthemissing.blogspot.com/p/home.html

DNA Special Interest Group Meeting on Tuesday June 19th

The DNA Special Interest Group will be meeting on Tuesday June 19 at 7 pm at the:

Oshawa Family History Centre,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

632 Rossland Rd North, Oshawa

We will start with basic questions for any newcomers and then move on to Intermediate questions for our seasoned members.

Remember to park behind the church [off Rossland Rd] and go in the south-west door of the building. The Family History Centre will be on the right when you go in. 

Parking is free and all are welcome!

Also, don't forget that there is still time to sign up for our "Day of Learning" this coming Saturday, June 23rd. We are having 2 lectures on DNA given by 2 experts: Sherilyn Bell and Ellen Maki.

9 Days Left Until Durham Region Branch's "Day of Learning"on June 23rd

We would like to reveal that our Door Prize Sponsor is Family Tree Maker and that they have donated a copy of the latest Family Tree Maker Softwareas our Door Prize! We are certainly indebted to them for their generosity.

Due to the vigorous registration last weekend, we have ordered a few extra lunches. These will be available on a first come basis. If you didn’t quite get registered by the food deadline, you still have a chance. Don’t wait!

Durham Region Branch’s Day of Learning will be held on Saturday, June 23, 2018 from 9 am – 3:45 pm at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Road, Courtice. This year’s theme is: “From DNA Connections to Database Giants”

Registration and coffee is from 9:00 am to 9:30 am and parking is free and plentiful

Speakers and topics include:

Sherilyn Bell about “Ancestry in a Tube: Using DNA to Pick Up the Genealogical Trail” 

Nick Post presenting “The Ins and Outs of FamilySearch, and What’s New”

Ellen Maki talking about “Autosomal DNA: Next Steps”

Nancy Trimble + Panel on “The Genealogy Giants’ Databases” + Panel Discussion

Registration links and more information are at http://durham.ogs.on.ca/workshops/

Cost is only $35.00.

NEW Meeting Location & Day for our DNA Special Interest Group

We have a new HOME  & a new DAY for the DNA Special Interest Group!

As announced at the May 1st general branch meeting, we will be meeting at 7 p.m.:

The Oshawa Family History Centre,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

632 Thornton Road North, Oshawa

(corner of Thornton and Rossland Roads)

We are booked there for the 3rd TUESDAY night of each month for our future meetings, thanks to our ViceChair Nick Post.

We will start with basic questions for any newcomers and then move on to Intermediate questions for our seasoned members.

Remember to park behind the church [off Rossland Rd] and go in the south-west door of the building. The Family History Centre will be on the right when you go in. 

Parking is free and all are welcome!

DNA is the Theme of our February Meeting on Tuesday, February 6th

The Durham Region Branch is meeting this Tuesday, 6 February at 7:30 p.m. This is at our new location in the Bobby Orr Room, Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex, 99 Thornton Rd. S., Oshawa.

DNA is the evening's theme:

Nancy Trimble is presenting "DNA Basics for Genealogists".
She will discuss why you might want to test DNA, what tests are available and the factors that dictate which testing company to use. She will also give you pointers on how to maximize your results and get your cousins to contact you or answer your questions.

The Short Presentation by Karen Church is "How DNA Increased My Family". See how Karen made an surprising connection about a "stray" in her family.