ONTARIO FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

Searching for ancestors in Ontario ? This course will provide a brief historical background and introduce records essential to Ontario research including land and property records, vital statistics (pre- and post- 1869), estate records, census, directories and maps – with emphasis on 19th century sources.

Course: 4 sessions, Tuesdays  7–9 PM, March 9–March 30

Location:  North York Central Library, Meeting Room 2

Instructor:  Jane MacNamara

Fee: $60 ($66 for non-OGS members).

            Program and registration details can be found on the
            Toronto Branch website at
            www.torontofamilyhistory.org/courses.html.

Family Day Open House a Success!!

 On Monday, 15 February O.G.S. Durham Region Branch held it's first ever Family Day Open House.  The turnout was wonderful.  More than thirty people visited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  Some visitors stayed for an hour and some for a few hours.  Twelve Durham member volunteers welcomed our guests and worked very hard throughout the day assisting them with their genealogy questions.  The office was filled with energy all day.  Frequently there were as many as twenty people discussing, working on the Web, reading reference materials or for some filling out an ancestor chart for the first time.  During the day people crowded around nine computers locating their genealogical information on the Internet.  It was an enjoyable day for all participants.
Congratulations to Bill and Loraine Hall of Ajax who won a 2010 Ontario Genealogical Society and Durham Region Branch memberships.

Thank you volunteers* for helping create the exciting day!!
*(Andy, Anne, Dan, Guy, Joyce, Kim, Lillian, Robbie, Ruth, Stephe, Tony, Wayne)

FAMILY DAY - 15 Feb. 2010

We invite you (individuals and families) to visit us at our office to begin tracing your Family History.

Durham Region Branch Ontario Genealogical Society member volunteers will be available to discuss with and demonstrate to visitors why and how to begin the exciting journey discovering their ancestors - the stories and the genealogy.

Sample Activities:

• Creating ANCESTOR CHARTS and / or family summary sheets sheets
• Demonstration of POPULAR GENEALOGICAL WEBSITES: Library Archives Canada, Archives of Ontario, Our Ontario, Cyndi’s List, Ancestry and much more
• ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC reruns from History Television’s web site
• Overview of the our resources at our Office and Whitby Public Library
• Answer YOUR questions

Materials: - Literature to assist one to begin researching their family history. - Recent Society Newsletters (free) - OGS pamphlets and membership literature - 2010 OGS Provincial Conference information

Free Draw for one 2010 OGS membership (including 2010 Durham Region Branch membership) - must be a current NON-member.

All activities will be at our branch office - 1000 Stevenson Rd. N. in Oshawa. The office is located in the building at the base of the control tower of the Oshawa Airport. Enter the airport grounds from the south via Rossland Road - lots of free parking on site.

A Certain Groundhog Couldn't Have Predicted This...

Registrations for the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Conference 2010 have been “heating” up. Early registrations have been coming in from far and wide. We already have intrepid family historians travelling from four states: Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, and Colorado; three provinces: BC, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and, remarkably, Scotland and Italy. And of course, from many parts of Ontario.
Most of these folks have registered online at: http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2010 (or printed a pdf from the website), but the February issue of Families will contain a paper brochure and will arrive very soon in the hands of some 4,000 members of the Ontario Genealogical Society.
Now’s the time to register for the most action-packed, star-studded OGS Conference ever!
To avoid disappointment and get the best selection, quick, go to the conference website and check out the program pages! You’ll find more details then ever before about lectures, tours, and our special Dutch and Italian streams. Check out the brand new “Lecture Streams at a Glance” page with printable schedules for each day.
Once you’ve made your choices, click on “How do I register?” and select the registration package that suits you best. Then let the secure online registration form guide you through the process.
There may be only 6 weeks until Spring, but take the opportunity to jump in ahead of the pack. Register today.

OGS Conference 2010
Essentials, Innovations & Delights
May 14-16, 2010
Doubletree by
Hilton–Toronto Airport www.ogs.on.ca/conference2010 or
e-mail

All New Secrets from Camp X

by Lynn Phillip Hodgson
at
Ontario Genealogical Society Durham Region Branch Meeting
Tuesday, February 2, (7:30 - 9:30 p.m.)
McLaughlin Library Auditorium
65 Bagot Street, one block south of City Hall.
Oshawa, ON

Public Welcome

Lynn Phillip Hodgson is the author of many books about Camp X, including:
Dispatches From Camp X, Inside-Camp-X,
Ajax Arsenal of Democracy, Camp-X the Final Battle,
Camp-X Silver Dagger, Camp-X Vengeance Weapon &
Camp-X Mills of the Gods.

http://www.camp-x.com/

Archives of Ontario - What's There for You

DRB - OGS January 5th Branch Meeting in Oshawa

Stewart Boden, Outreach Officer drove for nearly three hours through the snow and heavy traffic on Tuesday evening and then delivered an excellent, informative, and entertaining presentation to our audience. Archives of Ontario's Outreach initiative definitely 'grabbed' Durham genealogists. There was renewed excitement about the resources, services and opportunities available to genealogists wanting to use the Archives of Ontario for research. Eyes widened as new features such as digital enhancement of microfilms, the client lounge, the exhibition space, the spacious reading room, and the new classroom were shown. The Archives of Ontario's new web site's features are impressive. Because of his presentation many are already planning their visit to the new Archives of Ontario.
Well done Stewart. GJL

Valuable Links from presentation:

The newly designed Archives of Ontario website - www.ontario.ca/archives
A few of the website features:

• “What’s New” section

• Left hand side of each page are links to all the major areas of the website

• “Discover Your Family History” pages updated

• research guides and handouts to help you through the research process

• website includes a detailed list of records available through Interloan.

Contact Archives about anything . . . questions , of any department, . . . @ . . .
reference@ontario.ca

ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC Returns Jan. 7

Premieres January 7, 2010 on History Television

In the ten episode fourth season of the Gemini-nominated documentary series ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC, host Jeff Douglas, and a crack team of genealogical sleuths, return to History Television Thursday nights at 6pm and 9pm to help Canadians find lost relatives and discover the truth behind their unsolved family mysteries.

Over ten extraordinary stories ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC will travel to Belarus to help a Canadian woman search for her sister lost during the Russian Revolution, to Ukraine to discover how Stalin’s Reign of Terror split one family and to China to try and uncover the secret a father would never tell his daughter. We will also journey to Switzerland, Denmark, German, France and Italy in search of a black market baby, the life and death story of a Canadian soldier and the secret that nearly destroyed a Manitoba family.

Using remarkable resources available to anyone ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC will again provide unexpected, emotional and often life-changing answers to the genealogical questions that haunt many Canadians.

Currently, ANCESTORS IN THE ATTIC has not been commissioned for a fifth season. If you enjoy this series and would like to see more, this is the season to watch and to tell your friends and family about.

Thank you to K. Baker Halton-Peel Branch OGS Newsletter Editor for this great news.

If you would like to see episodes from Seasons 1,2 or 3 go to
http://www.history.ca/video/default.aspx and then click on Ancestors in the Attic on the lower left side.