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 Branch's Research Room Will be Open December 9th and 16th

 Our Research Room and Library, at Northminster United Church, will be open for researchers on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Northminster United Church is at 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario and our library is located in the "Boardroom" on the upper floor.

The number of people will be limited to 2 (not including staff) and advance registration is required. Masks will be by choice. 

Appointments by email to Stephen Wood at durhamresearch@ogs.on.ca

Watch our (under 3 minute) tour of the library, research room and office: -https://youtu.be/sHdO2sMYW0A

Christmas Show & Tell/ Bring & Brag for Durham Region Branch on Tuesday Dec. 6th at 7:30 pm

There’s Still Time! “Show & Tell/ Bring & Brag”

Via Zoom on Tues., Dec. 6th at 7:30 pm.

OR In-Person at Northminster United Church (corner of Rossland Rd. W. & Simcoe St. N.)

Parking is off Rossland Rd. W.

Come and join Durham Region Branch as we celebrate with a hybrid meeting for our end-of-year Christmas social.  For decades, our end-of-year highlight event has brought us together – in a real room – to enjoy personal family history stories, along with tasty seasonal treats, hot apple cider, and a very unstructured sharing evening.

Last year’s virtual event was a great success followed by a wonderful sharing session.  

This year’s event will be hybrid, so this is an opportunity to gather together in person or keep our distance using Zoom. If you attend in person, please bring a few treats (drinks will be provided).

Anything can be shown: photos, medals, heirlooms, a tricky piece of research or even a plea for help!

The hybrid meeting drawback is that holding items up to a web camera is often not clear enough for all participants.  So, please send your images to Chair Nancy Trimble ahead of time. Her email is durhamchair@ogs.on.ca     Please include your name. 

Nancy will put your images or links into her PowerPoint presentation, so that she can call on you, either in person or on Zoom, to tell us all about your wonderful treasures or finds.

Kindly pre-register at the following Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtcu2sqz4pGN2Qo7N9XsGXNNtT3ZWD3xQK

Everyone is welcome!

Get your hot cider and treats ready! We will have a great open session afterwards.

Join OGS Before Nov. 30th & be Entered into the Early Bird Draw

 

https://ogs.on.ca/society-membership-system/

Durham's Research Room and Library will be Open Friday, November 18th

Our Research Room and Library, at Northminster United Church, will be open for researchers on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Northminster United Church is at 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario and our library is located in the "Boardroom" on the upper floor.

The number of people will be limited to 2 (not including staff) and advance registration is required. Masks will be by choice. 

Appointments by email to Stephen Wood at durhamresearch@ogs.on.ca

Watch our (under 3 minute) tour of the library, research room and office: -https://youtu.be/sHdO2sMYW0A

Research Room and Library Open for Appointments This Friday, Oct. 21st

 Our Research Room and Library, at Northminster United Church, will be open for researchers on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Northminster United Church is at 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario and our library is located in the "Boardroom" on the upper floor.

The number of people will be limited to 2 (not including staff) and advance registration is required. We will be reassessing the situation over the fall. Masks will be by choice. 

Appointments by email to Stephen Wood at durhamresearch@ogs.on.ca

Watch our (under 3 minute) tour of the library, research room and office: -https://youtu.be/sHdO2sMYW0A

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!

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation/ Orange Shirt Day

 

#EveryChildMatters, #IndigenousPeoplesDay

The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, explore the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and stories of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

The Durham Region Branch of Ontario Ancestors acknowledges the lands and Peoples of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. We recognize the lands on which we meet are covered under the Williams Treaties and are within the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the Anishinaabeg Nation, which also includes Algonquin, Chippewa, Odawa, Ojibway and Pottawatomi.

Stop the Presses: Historic Newspaper Collections in and Around Durham Region - Durham's October 4th Meeting

(Jennifer Weymark)

Newspapers are a treasure trove of information for all sorts of researchers. There are vital statistics such as births and deaths, there are articles highlighting the current events of the days and there are stories and advertisements that showcase social issues and community focus. Archives and libraries have worked to preserve their local newspapers so that they are available for researchers. This talk will focus on where to access newspapers from collections in and around Durham Region, the challenges faced by those preserving these collections and by researchers accessing them and some of the interesting ways local newspapers have been used to help tell local history.

Jennifer Weymark has been with the Oshawa Historical Society for 23 years, 22 of those years spent as the Archivist. This role has given Jennifer the opportunity to put to good use her undergraduate work in history and cultural anthropology, while also putting into practice the theories and skills learned while earning her Masters Degree in Museum Studies. In this position, Jennifer has not only devoted time to digitizing and reorganizing the archival collection, while maintaining the day-to-day collections management work, but she has also been focused on filling in gaps in the archival collection through focused collecting practices and original research. She has had the pleasure of sharing her work through presenting at conferences, developing and leading workshops for local students and speaking to various community groups.

Join Durham Region Branch on Tuesday, October 4th at 7:30 pm. This will be a hybrid meeting, that is, both in-person and via Zoom. It will be held 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.)

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

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrduGprT4vGNExhuS1nstq0vT4mSpjkZGa

      

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!

Book Your Appointment Now!

 Durham's Research Room is open Fri. July 8th and Fri. July 15th from 10 am - 1 pm by appointment only.

Contact Stephen Wood at durhamresearch@ogs.on.ca to set up your timeslot.

Durham Region Branch's Research Room Re-opens

Our Research Room and Library, at Northminster United Church, will be open for researchers on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Northminster United Church is at 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, Ontario and our library is located in the "Boardroom" on the upper floor.

The number of people will be limited to 2 (not including staff) and advance registration is required. We will be reassessing the situation over the summer. Masks will be by choice. 

Appointments by email to Stephen Wood at durhamresearch@ogs.on.ca

Watch our (under 3 minute) tour of the library, research room and office: -https://youtu.be/sHdO2sMYW0A

Durham Branch’s Virtual Library Monthly Drop-In this Thursday June 23rd

Welcome! You are invited to join “Durham Branch's Library Drop-In”. We have a permanent day and time now: 4th Thursday at 11 am via Zoom. Drop-in and let’s talk genealogy!

We have booked Zoom meetings from June to October, it is one link and you can book all dates at the same time or pick and choose which meetings to attend.

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

Kindly register at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocuioqz4oHdLUmfh9rWpNJRU-fAAj8_A_

Exploring AncestryDNA™ with Nancy Trimble at our June 15th DNA Special Interest Group Meeting

 

Have you tested your DNA with Ancestry.ca®? Are you confused with the results and don’t know where to look on the site?

Join the DNA Special Interest Group of the Durham Branch on Wednesday, June 15th at 7 pm as Nancy Trimble, PLCGS, guides us through an exploration of Ancestry.ca’s DNA portion of the website. We will explore the DNA Story, DNA Matches and the Thru-Lines areas of the website in detail, showing how you can glean hints from each as you explore what your DNA is telling you.

Currently the Chair of Durham Region Branch, Ontario Ancestors, as well as Co-Chair of the branch’s DNA SIG, Nancy Trimble is a graduate of the National Institute of Genealogical Studies. She is very interested in the uses of DNA as a tool in our genealogical toolbox.

Kindly pre-register at:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqduCorT0uGdWQTMFOyWmFgyahGmWtD4tf

An Introduction to GEDmatch, with Mags Gaulden at Durham Branch's June Meeting

 

Join Durham Region Branch, Ontario Ancestors as Mags Gaulden presents “An Introduction to GEDmatch”.

Tuesday, June 7th @ 7:30 pm EDT via Zoom

We will talk about all the things you need to know before your sign-up, terms of service and privacy updates (changes in the last month!) and the things you can do once you are registered. It's all about uploading your DNA data and using the tools and analysis available to discover new DNA cousins and hopefully make exciting discoveries in your family tree.

Mags Gaulden is a Professional Genealogist and the founder of Grandma’s Genes in Ottawa. She is an international Genetic Genealogy lecturer, blogger and social media maven. She serves as admin of various Facebook groups including the ISOGG Facebook group. Mags' non-profit work includes Wiki-Tree and mito-YDNA.org

Kindly register for the meeting at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcemurT4vHdKsTi4E11MMocf6BXLR0YPH

Durham Branch Library First Drop In!!

 Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Durham Branch Library Drop In. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

General questions, specific questions, library book lookups - we have it all! Join Stephen Wood and Nancy Trimble for our first Durham Region Branch Library Drop-In!!

Here is the link for Thursday, May 19th at 11:30 am.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEudeigrz8sGtQHT8g336zi60BJPktWAqIB

May 3rd Meeting - Scotland From Abroad: The Next Level with Bob Dawes

 

Please register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZUtfumqqDoiE9YopDJtqA...

Synopsis

This is a presentation for moving beyond the basics of Scottish research. It covers some of the harder to find records and some new resources for locating those records. Specifically, this presentation drills down into the newly released kirk session records and land tax records. It also explains how to use maps to find the croft mentioned on your ancestors’ documents. Finally, it takes a new look at some basic Scottish research resources.

Bob Dawes Bio

Bob is a retired technology industry executive who got turned onto genealogy in the early nineties. He enjoys combining technology and travel to research his family. Bob and his wife, Barbara also an avid genealogist, have traveled throughout North America and the United Kingdom in pursuit of their ancestors. Their most recent trip was to Scotland for thirty-five days in 2019 where they filled in for the staff at the Buchan Family History Centre, in Peterhead, for a week. Bob is a past chair of Quinte Branch - OGS and has given presentations to many branches and conferences.

Canadian Resources Review - April 5th Durham Branch Meeting

Come and join Durham Region Branch on Tues., Apr. 5th @7:30 pm when we host Sher Leetooze as she takes us on a tour of online Canadian Resources.

Sometimes, when we are researching our families, one of them goes missing. Before you jump to conclusions and check death records, why not check out other provincial archives. Here in Ontario land was taken up at a rapid rate by the first wave of incomers, so when the sons and daughters were ready to take up land, there was precious little left. In order to make a life for themselves they went farther afield. Sher has found many Ontario people out west in the later 1800's. Manitoba has a wonderful online BMD site for researching the whereabouts of relatives. And if you are researching in Quebec, Quebec Genealogy/Drouin is one of the best genealogy sites Sher has ever used.

From coast to coast, we have great archives - provincial archives, university archives, county / regional / district archives, libraries who specialize in genealogical material, historical societies, genealogical societies - the list goes on and on and she will try to present a good cross-section to you - giving you url's &/or e-mail addresses.

Sher Leetooze started her genealogy when her children were small, so you can imagine that she didn’t find much time to put into it in those days. But nearly 50 years on she is still digging into the family’s past and finding great material that just wasn’t available 50 years ago. 

In 1994, Sher decided to write about the township in which she lives for the bicentennial celebrations. She went on to write the history of all the townships in the old Durham County. While doing her genealogy she discovered her ancestors were staunch Bible Christians, and so wrote a trilogy about the Bible Christians - the people, the chapels and the preachers.  From WW1 Nurses and Clarington Home Children, to gardening and the study of wild plants, and now a foray into fiction, Sher has continued to produce books about the things that interest her,

Today’s presentation is a culmination of her research experiences, both genealogical and historical.

Everyone is welcome!  Kindly pre-register at:

 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtcOihrz0oEtXZVcRaa3-5x_e6RImJ1czp

Forged in the Flames of War: Captive Ancestors of North America - Tuesday, March 1st Meeting

Do you have a captive ancestor in your family tree?

In fact, many North Americans can count at least one captive ancestor!

Durham Region Branch invites you to join us as Jennifer DeBruin takes us back to the time of the French and Indian Wars on Tuesday, March 1st at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Riveting, complex and heartbreaking, the captive story is one of tragedy and triumph. As the battle for continental supremacy over the colonies in North America raged over generations, people were swept up in its wake – many of them children. The audience will be taken on a treacherous journey, exploring the many complexities of life in ancient lands, and the result of French and English claims to its riches.

Time Period: Early-1600s – Mid-Late 1700s

About our Speaker:  Jennifer DeBruin Researcher | Author | Speaker

With deep ancestral roots in Quebec, Eastern Ontario, and Colonial America, Jennifer has a passion for researching and sharing the stories of ordinary people who experienced extraordinary history.

With a focus on North America from the 16th - 20th centuries, she seeks to expand the understanding of our complex history from a variety of perspectives.  

Author of three fact-based historical fiction novels based on North American history, Jennifer is currently writing her first non-fiction book, based on her popular presentation, Loyalist Espionage, and will follow this with her fourth creative non-fiction. She also writes historical pieces, which have appeared in several publications.

In addition to her research and writing, Jennifer has been a professional speaker for over 20 years, is an active volunteer in the historical community, and her most recent venture is an historical podcast, the aWOKEning, which presents information that expands the historical narrative and our understanding of the past, present and future.

www.jenniferdebruin.com

Kindly pre-register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdu-pqzwjE9F7owzInflZ4ChSPelb4FLJ

Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

Calling all Researchers with Ancestors in South-Central Ontario

 

 photo credit: Michael Hudson. 

At our February meeting, Durham Region Branch will host Claire Wilton, Archivist and Privacy Officer of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, who will present “Finding Your Ancestors in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto”. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 1st at 7:30 p.m.

The Anglican Diocese of Toronto is quite large and holds records covering the areas of Durham, Toronto, Northumberland, York, Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, Halton-Peel, Simcoe, and Haliburton. This talk should be of interest to a wide number of family historians.

https://www.toronto.anglican.ca/about-us/profile-of-the-diocese/?lang=en

Claire will be covering the oldest records held, as well as the types of, access to and information found in the records. She will also highlight examples of searches they have done, as well as challenges with the records. The Archives is currently working on increasing their accessible information (fonds descriptions and finding aids).

Claire’s first experience with Archives was as a summer student at the Bermuda National Archives in 1995. She went on to study accounting, but in 2004 decided to change career paths, graduating from Western University with an MLIS in 2006. She has worked at the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Archives for 11 years, first as Archives Assistant for 8 years and currently as Archivist and Privacy Officer since March 2019. A keen amateur genealogist herself, she has conducted research into her own ancestors (primarily in Bermuda and Scotland). She loves the challenge of the search for her own ancestors and brings that same enthusiasm to helping countless patrons in their genealogical searches of the Archives. Claire is always happy to provide guidance and suggestions on search strategies for ancestors that lived within the Diocese of Toronto.

Please, pre-register with the Zoom link below & mention us to your friends. Our meetings are open to the public.

Claire Wilton – Finding your Ancestors in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcu2ppzgiGNFmUPD67OLTpFr45KxTsS2e