Category Archives: Meetings

February 2020 Meeting

February 10, 2020 at 7:00 PM at the Brockville Museum

Join us on Monday, February 10th at 7:00 pm to find out what’s new at the north end of the Counties.  Our speaker will be David Shanahan, Society Historian for the North Grenville Historical Society, and he will talk about the resources held in their Society’s Archives, as well as its current and future activities.  Our meetings are held in the Brockville Museum, 5 Henry Street in Brockville. Everyone is welcome to attend.

December 2019 Meeting

Branch Presentation:

Monday, December 9th at 7:30 pm

Brockville Museum, 5 Henry Street

Speaker Paul Cote on his recently released book “Sheatown:  A Vanished Irish Catholic Community” and about the families that lived there.

The book “Sheatown: A Vanished Irish Catholic Community” is a metaphor about many things:

  • It is about the families that settled in that part of Yonge Township, both Catholic and Protestant
  • It is about the development of the Front and Rear Townships
  • It is about the changing nature of society in general and how it affected life in the rural areas of the county and all of Ontario for that matter
  • It is about the death of the small mixed farms that were once the backbone of rural economies.

The focus of the presentation will be on the families that settled in the Sheatown area, and how they developed a vibrant community in what today is considered inhospitable wilderness.

The Presenter:

Born and raised in Gananoque, Paul Cote has always had a passion for history and genealogy.  In retirement he has found the time to follow these passions, resulting not only in the book he will speak about, but in other books and articles on local history and families. Refreshments to follow presentation.  Everyone welcome!

November 2019 Meeting

Joint Meeting with the Colonel Edward Jessup Branch of the United Empire Loyalists.

Speaker Brian Tackaberry will be presenting The Last 100 Days Campaign of the first 1918. It will be a PowerPoint presentation with Brian in WWI attire.

Brian Tackaberry is a retired secondary school teacher from Almonte, Ontario. He is very involved in community activities in and around Almonte. He has been president of the Perth Citizens’ Band, serving as bandmaster of the group since 1986. He has also served as a director with the North Lanark Highland Games in Almonte since 1984 and is a member of the North Lanark Historical Society. Brian began his own genealogical research in 1980. As a descendant of United Empire Loyalists he served as President of the Bay of Quinte Branch, UELAC from 2003 to 2013 and as Newsletter Editor since 1991. He is currently Volunteer Manager and Financial Officer for the UEL Heritage Centre and Park in Adolphustown, which are operated by the Branch. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada, and the Ontario Genealogical Society. He has published several books, and has conducted workshops on genealogy, with particular focus on the Loyalists. He has documented evidence and obtained certificates for 16 of his UEL ancestors.

October 2019 Meeting

Annual Pot Luck

Our October meeting is coming a little earlier than usual because we have moved the date of our October meeting forward.  Due to the federal election on October 21st, we are holding our annual Pot Luck Dinner on Monday, October 7th, beginning at 6:30 pm.  For those attending, please bring a dish to share, along with your plate and cutlery. Drinks will be provided. We will be meeting in the lower room of the museum. There is an elevator.

Rather than having a speaker, we are using this opportunity to share our research successes and challenges with the group.  If you are able to attend the meeting, please think about sharing a five-minute story about your family history research.  We would love to hear about artifacts that have a genealogical meaning in your family, or discoveries which have helped you tell the stories of your ancestors.  If you can’t attend the meeting, please think about sending us a story that we can share with those in attendance..

September 2019 Meeting

Hello to all after our summer break.

Maggie WheelerLeeds Grenville Branch OGS welcomes Maggie Wheeler as our guest speaker at our meeting on September 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm. at Brockville Museum. Maggie will be speaking about British Home Children, the topic of her newest novel: “All My Worldly Goods”.

We are still at the same at the same place & time.

Brockville Museum
7:30pm

Come out & enjoy.

June 2019 Meeting

Finding Your Ancestors with FamilySearch.org

June 10, 2019 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm at the Brockville Museum

Shirley-Ann Pyefinch

Wondering how to find your ancestors in FamilySearch and manage your Family Tree?  Learn what free resources about your ancestors are available for you at FamilySearch.  Learn how to use other free tools like Family Tree, and Memories to preserve your family history for generations.

Our presenter, Shirley-Ann Pyefinch, has been researching her family history for over 40 years, and has taught workshops on family history and preservation throughout Ontario.  She volunteers at the Ottawa Family History Centre and works as a professional Records Manager for the Canadian federal government.

April 2019 Meeting

Bob Dawes

On Monday, April 8th at 7:30 pm, the Leeds & Grenville Branch of Ontario Ancestors (The Ontario Genealogical Society) will learn about The Family History Reno Project (the easy do-over) from speaker Bob Dawes.

If you’ve ever wanted to clean up your family history file, this is the easy way to approach it. Normally, a Do Over involves re-entering all of your family information from scratch while this approach allows you to continue using your file for research while cleaning it up. It also allows you to take advantage of everything you’ve learned over the years as well as new resources and tools.

Bob Dawes is a past chair of Quinte Branch and currently responsible for their database and computer maintenance. Bob and his wife, Barbara, have traveled extensively throughout North America and the United Kingdom in search of their ancestors and enjoy using technology to enhance their research.

Location: Brockville Museum

March 2019 Meeting – Evaluating Evidence

Mike MoreOn Monday, March 11th at 7:30 pm the Leeds & Grenville Branch of The Ontario Genealogical Society will learn about Evaluating Evidence with a presentation by Mike More. Guidelines and some examples will help in “Determining the significance of the information we’ve found.” There is plenty of information available to genealogists but we need to examine it and determine if it is useful and correct.

Mike More retired from the Canadian Forces in 2004 after 32 years service. He volunteers with the Ottawa Branch of The Ontario Genealogical Society where he currently co-chairs their Program Committee, and is the Provincial Coordinator for The Society’s Indexing project, The Ontario Name Index (TONI). Mike has been tracing his roots for thirty years, using computers and the Internet to help with his research for much of that time.

Meeting Location: Brockville Museum

December 2018 Meeting

Days Gone ByAt the Brockville Museum on Monday, December 10th at 7:30 pm, the Branch welcomes Dave and Sandra Wells, introducing their new book Days Gone By, containing stories and pictures of Mallorytown and Front of Yonge Township. This third book on the history of the area is sure to be a welcome Christmas gift for anyone with ties to Front of Yonge.

The Leeds & Grenville Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society meets at the Brockville Museum, 5 Henry Street, and meetings are open to everyone. Come out and learn some fascinating history – you may even discover ancestors you didn’t know you had!