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.