Yearly Archives: 2023

17 posts

Leeds & Grenville Branch – February 2024 – Presentation: History of Slavery along the St. Lawrence River

Meetings

Join us on Monday, February 5th at 7:00 pm via Zoom for our first presentation of 2024!  February is Black History Month, and we have scheduled a timely presentation.  Author and speaker Jennifer de Bruin will provide a History of Slavery along the St. Lawrence River.

This presentation explores the connection of this region to the history of slavery in North America. While information on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and a brief history of slavery in Canada and the US will provide an understanding of the magnitude of this tragic institution, it most importantly gives a voice to those who were enslaved. Together we’ll journey through time to discover the harrowing experiences of the thousands of enslaved men, women and children who fought for freedom in the courts, fled from enslavement on the Underground Railroad (routes that crossed through Quebec/Eastern Ontario), and eventually settled in Ontario.  An environment of learning and openness, this presentation provides an excellent opportunity to ask questions and get answers or more resources for learning. To register for this presentation, click here or visit our Branch website [email protected] for more details.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – December 2023 – Presentation: Managing Photos

Meetings

Are you dealing with the proverbial shoebox of photos?  Would you like to bring some organization to your photo collections?  Join us on Monday, December 4th at 7:00 pm via Zoom when Rob Donald, President of the Lanark County Camera Club, will share his knowledge of scanning and managing photos and importing images into a genealogy program.  Rob has found a way to bring his passion for photography to his latest pastime, family history.  The presentation will last about 40-45 minutes.

So join us on Monday, December 4th at 7:00 pm on Zoom and learn some tricks for managing the shoebox!  To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – November 2023 Presentation – Informal Discussion

Meetings

The Leeds & Grenville Branch will host an informal discussion on Monday, November 6th at 7:00 pm online using Zoom.  This is a chance to ask questions about genealogy, to brag about recent family history discoveries or to tell the story of a veteran in your ancestry.  If you are new to genealogy, or are interested in getting started, join us to talk about the hobby.  If you’re a veteran genealogist, give us some tips on research strategies for success. To register for our discussion, click here or visit our Branch website [email protected] for more details.

Updated Archives Hours – March 2026

Information
Museum sign

Until March 15, 2026: Wednesday – Friday 12 noon – 4 pm
March 16 – 20, 2026: Monday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
Starting March 21, 2026: Monday – Friday 12 noon – 4 pm

Due to the shortage of volunteers, the Archives will only be available BY APPOINTMENT for researchers, subject to volunteer availability. To book an appointment, please email us at [email protected] or call 1-855-697-6687, ext. 317 and leave a message. Please let us know your preferred dates. Updated 28 February 2026

Leeds & Grenville Branch – October 2023 Presentation: Brockville Schools

Meetings

Join us on Monday, October 2nd at 7:00 pm via Zoom when Alice McMurtry, Community Program Coordinator at the Brockville Museum will educate us on Brockville Schools.  This presentation will focus on the history of some of Brockville’s schools, the historic and the more recent. These stories are all gathered from the Brockville Museum’s research files and archival collection, providing insight into the educational landscape of historic Brockville. The presentation will last about 35-40 minutes. So join us on Monday, October 2nd at 7:00 pm on Zoom and learn about some of the schools your ancestors may have attended in Brockville!   To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – September 2023 Presentation: Back to School – For Genealogists!

Meetings

After a summer of research, visiting cemeteries and villages where our ancestors lived, or just relaxing, it’s time to get back to “family history”.    Learn how to use Google Maps to track your family as they moved across town or around the world! 

Well-known Canadian genealogist Lianne Krüger will take us through finding locations from letters and documents, using addresses and clicking on a map!  We’ll explore Google Maps using its many tools to help us navigate latitudes and longitudes, use views from satellites to discover the properties owned by our ancestors, and create our own maps!

So join us on Labour Day (September 4th) at 7:00 pm on Zoom and kick ‘back to school’ into high gear!  To register for this presentation, click here.

We are Going on a Road Trip! – June 16, 2023

Events

The Lost Villages Archive and Museum, Friday June 16th

“loss of communities which formerly existed along the St. Lawrence River prior to the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway & Power Project in the late 1950s.”

The Lost Villages, Alt Park, Long Sault, ON (approx.. 1 hr east of Brockville)

www.lostvillages.ca

This is a self-drive trip, however carpooling from Brockville or Prescott can be arranged.

Would you like to join us?  Contact Mary Anne McAllister  [email protected]

before June 9th.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – June 2023 Presentation – Cornwall Community Museum with Brent Whitford

Meetings

Join us on Monday, June 5th at 7 PM as we welcome Brent Whitford, Senior Curator from the Cornwall Community Museum. He will give us a presentation about the resources of the Museum, and their recent involvement with the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada in housing the UELAC Archives.

To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – May 2023 Presentation – Finding Them on the Ground – by Ken McKinlay

Meetings

Join us on Monday, May 1st at 7:00 PM on Zoom as we host a presentation called Finding Them on the Ground. 

Records such as censuses and maps can often give us the lot, concession, and township information for where our rural Ontario kin resided. However, finding those details can sometimes be a challenge. In this presentation, genealogist Ken McKinlay will be diving into those various online resources and showing us how to find those nuggets with the records. With that information we have a much better chance of finding the various Ontario land records related to their property.

Ken McKinlay is a genealogy researcher with over 20 years of trial and error experience in researching his own family’s history in Canada, United States, England, Scotland and Ireland. Ken has a genealogy related blog at Family Tree Knots, where he shares the methodologies that he uses in his own research. To register for this presentation, click here.