Durham’s May 6th Virtual Meeting – ScotlandsPeople + FamilySearch = Savings

Please join us on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 @7:30 pm as Ken McKinlay presents: 

ScotlandsPeople + FamilySearch = Savings (via Zoom)

Researching our kin in Scotland can get a little pricey if we want to view the images of the birth, marriage, and death statutory registrations and the census records. With a bit of time and knowledge we can make use of key collections on FamilySearch to save us a little bit of money.

Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Ken McKinlay is a genealogy researcher with over 20 years of trial and error experience in researching his own family's history in Canada, United States, England, Scotland and Ireland. 

Ken belongs to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (AKA BIFHSGO) and the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Ancestors (AKA Ontario Genealogical Society). Ken has held many roles in both organizations and their respective conferences.

The talks he gives quite often deal with the methodologies for researching family history and also how to use technology to assist with doing the research. 

Ken’s blog is available at: https://familytreeknots.blogspot.com/

Everyone is welcome!

Please pre-register at the following Zoom link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bb7w_b3JT-iTVAV4R3UQKQ

Durham Branch's January Meeting - Exploring FamilySearch.org

 

Exploring FamilySearch – Michele Jeannotte

Date & Time: January 3rd @ 7:30 pm EST via Zoom only

Join Michele as she demonstrates some of the key features of the free FamilySearch.org website. Find out how to search the records, navigate the online catalogue and browse digitized films. She’ll also talk about some of the ‘hidden extras’ offered. This wonderful free genealogy site is a must for all genealogists.

Michele Jeannotte became interested in family history as a teenager, growing up in North Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Discovering that her grandmother was born in Constantinople, Turkey ignited a life-long passion to find out more about her ancestors. Michele’s 24 years in various Information Technology roles (including Technical Writer) and an additional 20 years as a private tutor have given her a broad range of skills. In addition to her personal research, Michele runs a one-name study focusing on the RENTON surname. She also vlogs at “Genealogy: Ties to the Past” on YouTube.

Everyone is welcome!

Kindly register at the following zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAufu2urTwuHtQmByKvxFkXH8ZQeN2NH8gE

Durham's First Hybrid Meeting is on Tuesday, September 6th @ 7:30 pm

 

Ontario’s Records of Inheritance on Family Search

Please join Durham Region Branch on Tuesday, September 6th at 7:30 p.m. for our first hybrid meeting!

Are you ready to go beyond census and births, marriages, and deaths? Estate files are rich source for finding family connections and revealing our ancestor’s social and financial circumstances, maybe even personality. As court records, they tend to be very reliable—and even come with indexes. 

Now that FamilySearch.org has digitized an extensive collection of Ontario surrogate court records—we can discover these treasures from home. 

This session will give a brief overview of how the court system worked in Ontario and a step-by-step explanation of how to access the records. It will concentrate on records for Durham Region available through FamilySearch.

Speaker Jane E. MacNamara is the author of Inheritance in Ontario: Wills and other Records for Family Historians (OGS/Dundurn) and writes about genealogy at wherethestorytakesme.ca. A long time member of OGS, Jane lectures about research methodology, Ontario, and English family history to genealogical and historical groups throughout Ontario. She teaches courses for the OGS Toronto Branch, most notably hands-on courses about Ontario records—both onsite and online.

This will be the branch’s first hybrid meeting, that is, both in-person and via Zoom. It will be held in the basement meeting room of the Northminster United Church, Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario (NW corner of Simcoe St. N. and Rossland Rd. W.) for in-person.

For those joining via Zoom, kindly pre-register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpf--pqj0uH9Z0C4Smfgs7zfITp24W0Ogi

Everyone is welcome!

FamilySearch Completes Digitization of Massive Microfilm Collection

 

On Tuesday, FamilySearch announces the completion of the their ambitious project to completely digitized their microfilm collection. This project started in 1998 with a projected timeline of 50 years. They finished 30 years early! This is absolutely amazing and due to technological advances that they themselves pioneered.

See their news release here.

Next step -  to digitize their massive microfiche collection.

Ongoing: to index these digital images. Take part here and sign up to be one of their massive team of volunteers!

Handouts for Nick Post's session on "Getting the Most From FamilySearch.org"

FamilySearch.org: Handouts for Nick Post's Session on "Getting the Most From FamilySearch.org"

Hi, everyone,

We had a great turnout for our session on Family Search.org! Nick gave us a whirlwind tour of the FamilySearch.org website and some of it's allied partners.

There wasn't an official handout for the session, but Nick referenced a couple of the handouts in the "Family History Library Classes & Webinars" page on the FamilySearch Wiki.

Here's the direct link on the FamilySearch Wiki:

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library_Classes_and_Webinars

Scroll down to the Upcoming March Webinars. Nick mentioned that the first couple of handouts in the chart for March webinars were the ones you will need.

If you are a member of the Durham Region Branch, the recorded presentation is in the Members' Only site. The link is near the top of the home page at durham.ogs.on.ca. Click on the button for Presenters once you are signed in.

Join Us at Our March Branch Meeting: Getting the Most Out of FamilySearch.org

 

Next Meeting - Tuesday - March 2nd, at 7:30 p.m.

Getting the Most Out of FamilySearch.org - with Nick Post

Date: Jan. 2, 2021 @ 7:30 p.m. via Zoom (hosted by Durham Region Branch)

Nick Post will be explaining the benefits of using FamilySearch and using the Family History Guide. He will guide us through the next steps of what to do once signed on. He will highlight the areas in which you need to focus for your family history, and the time to search.

Nick is 70 years old and retired from the City of Oshawa. He has been doing Family History for forty-five years and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is the co-ordinator of the FIVE Family History Centers in this part of Ontario. His interest lies in Ontario, United States, Ireland and of course Europe. Some of the names he is researching are Post, Kelly, Munro, Wease, Hubble, Lalonde, Jones and Gray. He is a member of Ontario Genealogical Society and associated with the Durham and Quinte Branches. [NOTE: In case viewers may not recognize Nick with his Covid beard, we have included two photos.] :)

Register here for this Zoom session:-

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsdu2vqzoiHdf8Aa1UX9DJJ5ZuAdK4jqgy

FamilySearch Announces RootsTech Connect 2021: A Free Global Virtual Event

FamilySearch has announced that their 2021 RootsTech Conference will be a FREE virtual event.

It will be held on Feb. 25 - 27, 2021 and you can register for it now! The recorded sessions will be available for viewing after the event as well.

See the full details in their press release at 

https://media.familysearch.org/familysearch-announces-rootstech-connect-2021-a-free-global-virtual-event/

FamilySearch Comes to the Rescue for [Grand]Parents

FamilySearch is offering some suggestions to keep families busy during the pandemic:

Dear Friends, 

Many people around the world are staying home and at a safe distance from each other to slow the spread of COVID-19. This is a crucial time to combine our efforts to build and strengthen meaningful connections. We have an opportunity to provide comfort and healing to those who may feel vulnerable or alone. 

Sharing common experiences with others can bring us closer. FamilySearch provides a number of simple activities for all ages that are designed to bridge the distance between loved ones. These activities can be done with those closest to us at home or through social media.

We will continue to add new activities to help inspire you and those you love. I invite you to check FamilySearch.org regularly to see what’s new. 

We wish you peace and joy as you connect with those closest to you. 

Warmest Regards, 

Steve Rockwood 
FamilySearch CEO

Check it out here

Call for Speakers for the June 23rd, 2018 "Day of Learning"

Call for Papers – Durham Region Branch Day of Learning
Nancy Trimble, Chair, Durham Region Branch

Durham Region Branch will be holding their annual Day of Learning from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at Faith United Church, Courtice.

The theme will be “Microcosm to Macrocosm”.

The call for proposals is now open, under the following sub-themes:

• Beginner’s DNA
• Intermediate DNA
• Using the FamilySearch Website: What You Didn’t Know
• Maximizing the Use of FindMyPast and MyHeritage Websites

Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals may submit up to three proposals electronically at the e-mail address below.  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 speaker compensation is at the usual OGS conference rate, but travel compensation is minimal.

The deadline is February 15^th. Please send your submissions to:  durhamevents@ogs.on.ca.

That Camera Icon at FamilySearch

John Reid on his blog Anglo-Celtic Connections has posted the following article about the 2 different camera icons found on FamilySearch.org when you look at record collections:

Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections: That Camera Icon at FamilySearch

Who knew? I certainly found this to be a great tip!

An Example of Ontario Records at FamilySearch.org

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