Yearly Archives: 2022

15 posts

Leeds & Grenville Branch – April 2022 Presentation – For a Better Life:  Post-War Dutch Immigration to Canada

Meetings

Join us on Monday, April 11th at 7:00 pm for a presentation from author John Immerseel:  For a Better Life:  Post-War Dutch Immigration to Canada.  Those of us living in Leeds & Grenville Counties are very familiar with the many Dutch names that populate our farms, villages and towns.  John will give us a first-hand glimpse into how some of the half-million Dutch emigrants who left the Netherlands for a better life in the post-war era helped our Counties grow and thrive in the last half of the 20th Century.

For A Better Life by J.M. Van Immerseel
For A Better Life by J.M. Van Immerseel

Beginning in 1947, almost 500,000 Dutch emigrants left the Netherlands following the end of World War II. Of this number, almost 200,000 left for Canada. This presentation examines the situation in the Netherlands before and during the war years, the reasons for emigrating, and the challenges facing families as they set out to rebuild their lives in their new homeland.

John Immerseel was a biologist by training before becoming an author.  “I had a long career with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, during which I held several positions with the Ontario Provincial Parks and Protected Areas Branch. I retired as zone manager for southeastern Ontario in 2005. Since retiring, I have devoted myself to writing.”

Everyone is welcome but registration is required at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuc-2orDkvHNJ0l5nQgfioTf_e73xt31fy

Leeds & Grenville Branch – March 2022 Presentation – Need Help With Family History?

Meetings
Leeds & Grenville Branch Archives

We asked members of the Leeds & Grenville Branch to send us some requests for information on their family research in the Counties.  Branch researchers have researched in our Archives and online to see if we can answer their questions!  Join us on Monday, March 14th to hear what we’ve found!   Learn more about what we have in our files, and where the gaps are.  If you have questions about how to research in our Archives, we’ll be happy to answer them.  Everyone is welcome to join us on Monday, March 14th at 7:00 pm on Zoom.   To register visit this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocu2grzwiH9KnwMLzCvaBHTfodqS6cHeR . You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the live presentation.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – February 2022 Presentation – The Rural Diary Archive: Transcribing Daily Life in Eastern Ontario

Meetings
Rural Diary Archive Website

Join us on Monday, February 14th at 7:00 pm for a presentation on The Rural Diary Archive: Transcribing Daily Life in Eastern Ontario, presented by Catharine Wilson.

The Rural Diary Archive website brings together the work of over 200 diarists from across Ontario (1820-1960) and continues to grow. Visitors can learn about the authors, easily read and search fully transcribed diaries in the collection, and transcribe handwritten ones – all for free. This presentation explores several Eastern Ontario diaries in the collection, the nature of diary writing, and the ways one can use diaries for one’s research.

Catharine Wilson’s interest in rural and family history began while growing up in Grenville County where her Loyalist and Irish ancestors settled. Catharine holds the Redelmeier Professorship in Rural History at the University of Guelph. Her most recent book, “Beeing Neighbours,” the study of quilting and barn-raising bees, will soon be published by McGill Queen’s University Press. She is also the Founder and Director of the Rural Diary Archive, https://ruraldiaries.lib.uoguelph.ca/.

Everyone is welcome but registration is required. Please register here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtf-6prz8pEtwKK9ZvSdX923D-bXdD6dKI You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the live presentation.