Durham Branch's January 2nd Meeting - Linda Corupe - "Really & Truly The Father"

 

Join us on Tuesday, January 2nd at 7:30 pm as Linda Corupe presents “Really and Truly the Father”. 

This meeting will via Zoom only (link below).

The "Really and Truly the Father" series is another rich source of genealogical information. Linda Corupe really has the knack for finding unique record series at the Archives of Ontario. "Bastardy oaths", also known as oaths of affiliation, are usually dated between 1837 and 1921, reflecting the legislation in force at those times. Most of the oaths of affiliation for the province have not survived, but documentation does remain for eight districts and/or counties, Including the old Newcastle District. Linda has transcribed Newcastle district for 1837 – 1849 and the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham for 1850-1861.

Linda Corupe is a well-known speaker at Ontario Ancestors’ Conferences and it's Branches. An excellent researcher, transcriber, indexer and publisher, Linda has mined many little-known collections at the Archives of Ontario and brought them to the attention of the genealogical community.

Kindly pre-register at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEldeihpz8jG9O6GqVf7tscaQOK5tAWNiiR

LostCousins - a great place to find your British cousins!

LostCousins is FREE for the rest of this year!

From now until midnight on New Year’s Eve the LostCousins site will be completely free, allowing you the opportunity to connect with as many new cousins as you can – and unlike some other sites you won’t be asked to provide bank or credit card details. Because this offer coincides with the start of my Annual Competition (see below) the ancestors and cousins you add to your My Ancestors page will also count as entries - it's a really great opportunity for anyone with British ancestry!

"Show & Tell" (and Treats) - Durham Branch's Dec. 5th Meeting

 

There’s Still Time! “Show&Tell” at Durham Branch’s December Meeting

via Zoom/Hybrid on Tues., Dec. 5th at 7:30 pm.

Come and join Durham Region Branch as we celebrate, with a hybrid meeting, 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. Anything can be shown: photos, medals, heirlooms, a tricky piece of research or even a plea for help! 

The last 2 years’ virtual events were great successes followed by wonderful sharing sessions. 

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/tZwrdu2srD8jE9KDFk7mBmGvOK5BsE7UdZGP 

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. 

If attending in person, bring a few treats. Drinks will be provided.

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

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.

New Sign-Up for Durham Branch Virtual Social Drop-In Series!

 

Are you missing the coffee time chat from our pre-COVID meetings? Need someone to bounce some research problem off of?

Join Durham Region Branch on the 4th Thursday at 11 am each month between Oct. 26th and the end of June 2024 [except Dec. 2023].

Anything goes - need a lookup done in our library, question about DNA matches, information on sources for an area you haven't researched before. We can even talk about the weather, but genealogy is much more interesting! Bring a coffee or tea and let's chat about "everything genealogy". Everyone is welcome!

Kindly pre-register at the following Zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-qvpjksGNeGMfFx0uOgq4WRFViW4zVB

You only need to register once - you can use the link you receive in your e-mail over and over, so keep it in a safe place! 

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

 #EveryChildMatters

Durham's October 3rd Meeting: "Proudly She Served: Canadian Women in Uniform, 1885-1945"

 

"Proudly She Served: Canadian Women in Uniform, 1885-1945" – Glenn Wright

Durham Branch invites you to join us on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd at 7:30 pm as we celebrate “Canadian Women’s History Month”. Our speaker, Glenn Wright, will be joining us via Zoom.

During the 1885 Northwest Rebellion, a small group of nurses and nuns provided medical care for the wounded and sick. It was the beginning of a tradition that would see women serve in the South African War, 1898-1902, and the First and Second World Wars. In this presentation, we will look at the history of this contribution and explore the records that we can use to document Canadian women in uniform.

Glenn Wright is one of our favourite speakers. He 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. 

This will be a Zoom only meeting. 

Kindly register at the following Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEudO2gpzgjGd30k5UU3bviLskgV339lXFY

 

Lianne Kruger - Durham's Sept. 5th Meeting - Telling Family Stories in 15 Minutes a Day

Telling Family Stories in 15 Minutes a Day – Lianne Kruger of “iFamily History”

Are you really going to write that 600-page family history? Stop kidding yourself! Join Durham Branch in September as Lianne Kruger shares how to record your family history as stories in only 15 minutes a day.

Trying to record your family stories can feel overwhelming. You might not be sure where to start, or what to record, how to record the history so that family and future generations will be interested in the stories. This session shares a variety of ways to record the history of family heirlooms as well as stories with items and short videos. 

Lianne Kruger is a professional genealogist and speaker specializing in Canadian records, U.S. and Canadian homesteading, video recording family history, and using technology such as Google Maps and Drive and Evernote. She has spoken for Ontario Ancestors, RootsTech, National Genealogical Society, Legacy FamilyTree Webinars and Ancestry and has published articles in many key journals.  

Lianne teaches computer software courses. She also has a Bachelor degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, which includea a Certificate & Associate Degree in Family History Research. Lianne is also a member of the Board for mitoYDNA.org, is on the Ancestry.ca advisory board and is heavily involved in many roles with the Alberta Genealogical Society. 

She has a genealogy/technology related blog at iFamily History ( http://ifamilyhistory.blogspot.com/ ) where she shares the methodologies & technologies that she uses.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 5th via Zoom & In-Person.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdeChrjosGdEHrRINgkcdkoT6JsH9ubRk 

In-person will be in our 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. 

Durham Branch June 6th Meeting - Four Proven Strategies for Overcoming Research Obstacles - Janice Nickerson

Four Proven Strategies for Overcoming Research Obstacles – Janice Nickerson, M.A., U.E.

Are you stuck? Have you tried everything to solve your genealogical puzzle? Professional genealogist Janice Nickerson will share 4 proven strategies she uses every day to overcome her clients’ research obstacles. These strategies apply to any family history problem, whether you’re seeking living relatives or long-dead ancestors, in Whitby or Wuhan.

Professional genealogist Janice Nickerson loves a good challenge – whether it's identifying elusive ancestors, tracking disappearing descendants or telling richer family stories. Her specialties include early Ontario research, criminal justice records and fur trade history. 

Janice’s website is http://www.uppercanadagenealogy.com/

This will be a hybrid meeting – both in-person and via Zoom - Tuesday, June 6th @ 7:30 pm. 

In-person will be in our library on the upper 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. 

Those requiring use of the lift need to arrange 1 day ahead of time to durhamchair@ogs.on.ca

On-line will be via Zoom – please pre-register for the event at the following link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsceGtqj0oEtD5mhYQl0BiaKxYZAd-0lM8

Everyone is welcome!

Durham Branch May 2nd Meeting - Old Brock Township: Origin and Key Events with Larry Doble

Topic: Old Brock Township: Origin and Key Events

Speaker: Larry Doble

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 @ 7:30 pm : Hybrid Meeting (details below)

Were your ancestors from Brock Township? 

The presentation will describe the history behind the creation of the original Brock Township in historic Ontario County and the wars, battles, and events which determined who settled there.  

Larry Doble has been the chairman of the Sunderland and District Historical Society for almost 20 years. His ancestors came to Brock Township from Mayo County, Ireland in 1822 and the Doble family has been here for 7 generations.  His family tree computer data base has 62,000 names and it links many of the early families who settled in Brock Township which opened up in 1818. 

The Handout will provide links to several sites and resources about the history of Old Brock Township.

This will be a hybrid meeting – both in-person and via Zoom. Everyone is welcome.

In-person will be at Northminster United Church, 676 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON (NW corner of Simcoe Street North and Rossland Road West). Parking can be limited.

On-line will be via Zoom – please pre-register for the event at the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvdOqsrD0jHdR3uzUDXVsIIWQUPjm8vWT2

Durham Branch April 4th Meeting - Breaking Down Brick Walls – Case Studies

 

Breaking Down Brick Walls – Case Studies

April 4, 2023 @ 7:30 pm via Zoom

No idea on how to get past your brick wall? Need help cracking the case? Come to the Durham Region Branch’s April meeting and watch Stephen Wood, our Research coordinator, show how he has helped many people work on their brick walls.

Stephen Wood is a founding member of the Durham Region Branch. He has held many roles in our branch since 1982. He is the past-Chair and the current librarian, researcher and office manager for the branch. Stephen and his wife Lori have built our library catalogue which will be rolled out soon. 

Kindly pre-register at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkfu-pqzIpH9IagH9YXzwkTdo7xLA1u3Wx

Durham Branch March 7th - Away to Canada (Pioneering in Ontario pre-1850)

 

Durham Branch’s March 7th Meeting

Away to Canada - Barbara Dickson

Have you ever wondered what it was like to pioneer in Ontario pre-1850?

Come discover life in Canada during the first half of the 19th century as seen through the eyes of an English gentleman, David Cragg. A true-life account, David, born in 1769, lived through the Napoleonic wars, the death of his beloved Molly from a grand consumption, the Industrial Revolution, his immigration to Canada as a widower with eight children and the founding of Greenbank village in Reach Township (now in Durham Region). This fascinating presentation – a walk down memory lane as told through David’s own writing – will intrigue and inspire Canadians, historians, and anyone who’s interested in learning more about how people lived almost 200 years ago in Britain and Canada.

 

Barbara Dickson is a sought-after award-winning best-selling author, historian, public speaker, documentary film producer and writer who has entertained, educated, and enlightened audiences for twenty-five years. Dickson’s speaking platform mirrors her passions: commemorating Canada’s bomb girls, honouring the legacy of the Irish people in building Canada, challenges and triumphs of 19th century immigration life, living with multiple sclerosis, and heart transplantation in Canada.

Barbara’s website can be found at https://www.barbaradickson.ca/

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 7th via Zoom only.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oc-urqDosGNGDP64oNGEXhgHOfiuRF0E4

Durham Branch’s February Meeting - Doing Family Tree Research in Your Pajamas

 

Doing Family Tree Research in Your Pajamas – Ken McKinlay of “Family Tree Knots”

With the challenges resulting from the pandemic, we still have to contend with many restrictions when it comes to visiting our favourite archives and museums. Fortunately, we still have a vast array of resources available to us online with more coming out every week. In this presentation, Ken will touch upon the various online resources and tools that permit us to continue researching the various branches of our family trees, all without leaving the comfort and safety of our homes.

Ken McKinlay's foray into his family tree research started with three simple family stories that he wanted to confirm or refute. He has now been researching his family tree for over 20 years and discoveries are still being made. He has given talks for branches of Ontario Ancestors, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and the Ottawa Public Library. Ken's talks generally focus on methodologies and providing the skills needed to help solve those brick wall problems. He has a genealogy related blog at Family Tree Knots ( https://familytreeknots.blogspot.com/ ) where he shares the methodologies that he uses in his own research.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 7th via Zoom only.

Kindly register for the Zoom programme via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkdOGoqjMvHtx9wLxnGFitfvECl6oZbjtE