Yearly Archives: 2025

11 posts

A Celebration for the Ontario Land Records Index

Events

Toronto Branch is hosting A Celebration for the Ontario Land Records Index, on Zoom on Saturday, January 17th at 1:00 pm ET.  Our very own Branch Cemeteries Coordinator, Chuck Buckley, is one of the presenters for this celebration session, along with Linda Corupe, Ken McKinlay, and Glenn Wright.  For all of the details and to register, click this link:  https://torontofamilyhistory.org/event/olri-celebration/.

Since Leeds & Grenville Branch doesn’t have an educational session scheduled for January, this provides a great learning opportunity.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – December 2025 Presentation: Show and Share

Meetings

Join us on Monday, December 1st  at 7:00 pm on Zoom for a Show and Share experience!  Do you have a genealogy success story you want to share?  Is there a family history heirloom that you want to show off?  How about a challenge that you’re looking for help to solve?  Want to learn what’s new in our Archives?  Our December genealogy event on Zoom will have all of these elements!  If you want to send us a photo or document in advance to share with the audience, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll make it happen.  If you simply want to tell a story or ask a question, all you need is a microphone on your computer or tablet. If you prefer, you can type questions into the chat section of the Zoom platform.  We’ll usher in the Christmas season with some family history stories! To register for this year-end presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – November 2025 Presentation: The Untold Stories on Cenotaphs

Meetings
Photo Credit: Lest We Forget – Canada.ca

Join us on Monday, November 3rd at 7:00 pm via Zoom for a presentation by Blake Seward. His topic is The Unknown Stories on Cenotaphs.

Starting with a name on your town’s cenotaph and working through evidence files to produce a detailed summary of a soldier or nursing sister, Blake Seward will take you on an interesting historical journey through the Great War and Second World War.  Join Blake as he shares some of the hidden stories collected from over 25 years of working with First and Second World War service personnel files, war diaries, and circumstances of death cards held at Library and Archives Canada as a part of the Lest We Forget project.  The recipient of numerous awards for education programming, Blake will discuss the importance of getting students to develop the skills to work as a historian when conducting similar research, the challenges of working with documents that are one hundred years old, and the connections that exist with contemporary issues. To register for this presentation, click here

Leeds & Grenville Branch – October 2025 Presentation: Lost Cemeteries – Charleston Lake; and A Road Trip Through Grenville County – Exploring the Records

Events

Join us on Monday, October 6th at 7:00 pm on Zoom for a “Double Header” Presentation Mary Anne McAllister, Co-Chair, Program Committee

Lost Cemeteries – Charleston Village, Lot 22, Con. 9, Rear of Escott Township, Leeds & Grenville

Another puzzle to solve! Take a peek into what the Cemeteries Committee at Leeds & Grenville Branch of Ontario Ancestors does for fun. Using a historic note, land information and satellite images we will refine the location of a lost but not forgotten cemetery. This will be presented by Chuck Buckley, Cemeteries Coordinator.

A Road Trip Through Grenville County – Exploring the Records

Come with us on another road trip.  This month explore what Grenville County has to offer and what records we can find. The presentation was prepared by Branch volunteers and will be presented by Patti Mordasewicz, Chair of the Leeds & Grenville Branch of The Ontario Genealogical Society.

This “double header” presentation is free and open to everyone, but registration is required.  For information and registration link, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – September 2025 Presentation: A Road Trip Through Leeds County – Exploring the Records

Meetings

Join us on Monday, September 1st (Labour Day) at 7:00 pm on Zoom for A Road Trip Through Leeds County – Exploring the Records.

Come with us on a road trip through the Townships of Leeds County. Visit the County Office, Township Offices, Towns, Libraries, Archives, Museums, Historical & Heritage Societies. There might be some road-side stops and a few detours along the way!

Over the last couple of years volunteer branch members have been visiting local libraries and archives in the county with the hope to eventually visit them all. This tour was prepared using the information gleaned from those visits, as well as studying websites and social media outlets to tell you what you might find at these locations.

The presentation was prepared by Branch volunteers and will be presented by Patti Mordasewicz, Chair of the Leeds & Grenville Branch of The Ontario Genealogical Society.

The presentation is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. For information and registration link, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – June 2025 Presentation: Invaded! The Fenian Raids and the Canadian Response – With Kathryn Lake Hogan

Meetings

Join us on Monday, June 2nd at 7:00 pm via Zoom for a presentation by Kathryn Lake Hogan. Her topic is: “Invaded! The Fenian Raids and the Canadian Response”

Between 1866 and 1871, Irish-American veterans invaded Canada, attempting to pressure Britain to withdraw from Ireland. Gain an understanding of the historical context, significant battles, and the lasting impact on Canadian military and national identity. Determine your ancestor’s role in these events and where to find the records.

Kathryn Lake Hogan, UE, PLCGS, is a professional genealogist, educator, and speaker specializing in Canadian family history research. As the founder of Looking4Ancestors, Kathryn has helped countless family historians discover their Canadian roots, with expertise in areas such as Loyalist ancestry, British Home Children, migration patterns, and tracing lesser-known stories. She regularly presents webinars, courses, and workshops for audiences across North America and is known for making complex research topics clear, approachable, and inspiring.  To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – May 2025 Presentation: Old Hay Bay Church: Loyalist Yesterday & Today – With Peter and Angela Johnson, UE

Meetings

Join us on Monday, May 5th at 7:00 pm via Zoom for a presentation by Peter and Angela Johnson, UE. Their topic is “Old Hay Bay Church: Loyalist Yesterday & Today”.

Peter and Angela Johnson UE have been members of UELAC since 1982, having served in several positions including National Secretary (Angela) National President (Peter), Bay of Quinte & Toronto Branch President (both), and are currently serving their second term as Co-National Genealogists since 2016. Angela & Peter are part of the Board of Trustees since 2012 and 2014 for the Old Hay Bay Church, as well serving on the Restoration Committee, and are Custodians each summer at the church. Angela & Peter are long time members of Quinte Branch OGS and both have served as Branch Chair. Angela & Peter have been part of the re-enactment regiment the Kings Royal Regiment of New York which just celebrated its 50th Anniversary of the formation of the re-enactment group. Both Peter and Angela have been interested in Genealogy since they were teenagers. When they are not busy doing genealogy they help their 4 children raise their 9 grandchildren.  To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – April 2025 Presentation: “Border—What Border? Our Ancestors Who Called Both Canada and the USA Home” with Annette Burke Lyttle

Meetings
Annette Burke Lyttle

Join us on Monday, April 7th at 7:00 pm via Zoom for a presentation by Annette Burke Lyttle. Her topic is “Border—What Border? Our Ancestors Who Called Both Canada and the USA Home”.  

Movement from the United States to Canada was unrestricted and unrecorded until April 1908. The U.S. began recording the entry of Canadians along its northern border in 1894. Before that, many thousands of people lived cross-border lives, without visas, work permits, passports, or immigration records. Learn how to find these elusive ancestors.

Annette Burke Lyttle, CG® owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the international, national, state, and local levels, and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the British Institute. She is a published writer whose research interests include Quaker ancestors and ancestral migrations in the US. She is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.  To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – March 2025 Presentation: A History of Brockville Photography Studios

Meetings

Join us on Monday, March 3rd at 7:00 pm via Zoom for a presentation on A History of Brockville Photography Studios by Alice McMurtry from the Brockville Museum.

This presentation will shed a light on some of the leading names in photography’s early days in Brockville. We will explore how photographic technology has changed over time, and look at photography’s impact on the development of tourism in Brockville. This talk will be highlighted by photographs from the Brockville Museum collection. Do you have family photos taken by a Brockville photographer?  Learn more about the photographers who took them, and the studios they operated.  It may even help you to identify “mystery photo” sitters!

Alice McMurtry is the Community Program Coordinator at the Brockville Museum, where she develops public and educational programming for a range of audiences. She has extensive museum experience, having worked at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Heritage Trust, the City of Toronto History Museums, the Bata Shoe Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village, and other cultural institutions across the province. She holds a Master’s in Museum Studies and an Honours BA in History and English Literature from the University of Toronto. To register for this presentation, click here