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.
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/.
Join us on Monday, December 13th at 7:00 pm for a presentation on Ontario Records at FamilySearch by Stephen Young.
Stephen’s presentation will start with a short introduction about the history of FamilySearch and its products and services. He will then demonstrate how to access Historical Records on FamilySearch with specific attention to some of the basic indexed Ontario collections and how to use them:
· Vital records (births, marriage, and deaths), and cemetery records
· Census enumerations
· Tax assessment records (a new collection currently underway)
Stephen C. Young was born and raised in London, Ontario and now lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, Michelle. They are the parents of three sons and two daughters, and grandparents of six (so far). Much of Stephen’s earliest and ongoing research focuses on his Young family from Yorkshire, England who immigrated to the Toronto area in the 1830s and were amongst the earliest pioneers in Hibbert Twp., Perth County and West Wawanosh Twp., Huron County. An employee of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1988, he is currently a Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch International, with responsibilities involving Canadian and British records. Stephen has contributed seven articles to OGS Families, continues to write and lecture on family history topics, and will be retiring from a 33-year career with FamilySearch this coming March. Future plans include much more research and writing and travel back home in Ontario.
Everyone is welcome but registration is required. Use this link to register. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the live presentation.
Want to learn the ins and outs of using Ancestry for your family history research? Join us on Monday, November 8th at 7:00 pm for a Zoom presentation of Getting the Most Out of Researching on Ancestry.
Ancestry is the world’s largest genealogy services company, with record collections from across the globe, DNA testing products, and many more services. This presentation is an overview of how to use and search effectively on Ancestry’s Canadian website, Ancestry.ca, but there are many useful tips and hints for anyone starting out on Ancestry no matter which country you are researching in. A handout will be provided.
Our presenter will be Lesley Anderson, a face and voice well-known to Canadian family history researchers. Lesley has worked for Ancestry for over 14 years as their Canadian Spokesperson, and has done numerous presentations for genealogy societies.
The presentation is free and open to everyone, but you will need to register to attend. Use this registration link. You will be sent a confirmation email with information on how to join the session.
The village of Athens (formerly known as Farmersville) is in the centre of Leeds & Grenville Counties. Henry and Sally Smid’s presentation will include the story of Athens and Area Heritage Society Museum from its beginnings to its continued development. The Museum has provided a variety of exhibits, events, and presentations over the years and has experienced the challenges of being a small rural museum. Innovation and technology have been a part of the COVID years. The Museum has recently begun to upload its extensive archives and looks forward to future activities as pandemic regulations are lifted. To register for this free online presentation, click on this link:
Leeds & Grenville Branch Explores DNA Testing for Genealogy
Have you been wondering what a DNA test could do for your genealogy research? Have you tested but don’t know what to do next? The Leeds & Grenville Branch of Ontario Ancestors is hosting the presentation Genetic Genealogy: DNA Testing Tools & Tips on Monday, September 6th at 7:00 pm using the Zoom platform.
Genealogist Ben Dawson will give us a presentation geared to those new to consumer DNA testing or those who may have received their DNA test results and are looking for ways to analyze the wealth of information that they have been given. This talk will cover some DNA basics, beginner methodology and strategies for getting the most out of your results, using tools provided by both the testing company as well as other third party tools.
Ben Dawson is a life-time resident of London and has deep ancestral roots in the London & Westminster Township area as well as Huron and Bruce County dating back to the early 1800s. Ben took up genealogy in his 20s and has been a member of Ontario Ancestors for the last 4 years. He is currently the Co-Chair for the London & Middlesex branch and has spoken at Ontario Ancestors branch meetings on topics such as cemetery transcription, genealogical software and genetic genealogy. Ben has been very involved in the social media side of Ontario Ancestors and helps run the Facebook page as well as administrating two additional genetic genealogy Facebook groups. Ben serves as a director-at-large on the Board and several committees for the Ontario Genealogical Society.
Ben also has a professional genealogy website called “Family Tree Project”. It includes a blog which offers tips, tricks, and news for the avid genealogist which can be found at www.familytreeproject.ca.
Join the Leeds & Grenville Branch of Ontario Ancestors on Monday, June 7th at 7:00 pm as we hear from Dr. David Shanahan about the Indigenous peoples of what are now Leeds & Grenville Counties. He will help us understand the original peoples who cherished and protected our lands before the arrival of the settlers, and the ongoing relationships between the peoples, the lands, and the settlers. There is a long history, often unhappy, between indigenous peoples and the settler community; but the history of the first peoples goes back much further into the past than we might realize. The clash of cultures that began in the Sixteenth Century goes on today.
David Shanahan has spent more than 30 years working as an historian for indigenous communities across Canada, with particular focus on Ontario. As a native-born Irish person, he also sees the extensive parallels between North American and Celtic indigenous cultures, with a shared history of colonization and struggle.
Join us on Monday, May 3rd at 7:00 pm on Zoom for a Branch presentation on Canadian Copyright and Images.
Many family historians struggle to understand the “do’s and don’ts of copyright” as it applies to their genealogy – photos, digital images, hand-drawn charts! In this session, Elise Cole will discuss what images are, and how Canadian Copyright applies to them. She’ll take us through how to determine if copyright exists, how to apply fair dealing when appropriate, and provide ideas of how to properly use others’ images in our own works.
Elise C. Cole, BAH, MLIS, is the Local Collections Librarian at Oakville Public Library and volunteers as Ontario Ancestors’ Copyright Consultant. She holds multiple certifications in Canadian Copyright law and is a passionate advocate for local and family history.
Everyone is welcome to attend, but registration is required. To register, click this link.
You can also locate the meeting registration link on our website: leedsandgrenville.ogs.on.ca. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting.
Please join us on Monday, April 5th at 7:00 pm as we enjoy a presentation by Sue Warren on The Sweeney Diary.
The diary of Peter Sweeney is the only personal record of a lockmaster on the Rideau Canal. From 1839 until 1850 he faithfully recorded his daily life in South Crosby Township. It remains a great record of life in Leeds County, as well as life in the early days of the canal.
Sue Warren, a graduate of University of Toronto and Queens University, is the retired head librarian of the Rideau Lakes Public Library, as well as the author of two books on Leeds County History. In the early 1980s she worked as a historical interpreter on the Rideau, where she had the opportunity to transcribe the Sweeney journal from the original source.
Please join us online on Monday, March 1st at 7:00 pm for a presentation from military historian Glenn Wright entitled Advance! Suggestions for Researching Our Military Ancestors in 19th Century Ontario.
Advance! is the motto of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and in this presentation, Glenn hopes that his suggestions for researching your military ancestor in the 19th century will lead you to new discoveries. We will look at the most important resources for military events such as the War of 1812-1815, the 1837 Rebellion, the Fenian Raids, 1866-1870, the Northwest Resistance, 1885 and finally, the South African War, 1899-1902. The role and the relevant records of the Militia, the British Army in Canada and Canada’s Permanent Force will also be described.
To register for this presentation, please click here!
Glenn Wright has given numerous presentations at OGS conferences, Gene-o-Rama, local genealogical and historical associations in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Subjects have varied from Mounted Police records, pre-1865 immigration sources, Ontario vital records and all aspects of our military history.
