Tag Archives: Military History

Leeds & Grenville Branch – May 2024 Presentation – Poppies in a Field of Stones – With Jan Briggs-McGowan

Join us on Monday, May 6th at 7:00 pm via Zoom for our presentation Poppies in a Field of Stones with Jan Briggs-McGowan.  Jan is an OGS member and an active member of the Bruce County Genealogical Society and the Royal Canadian Legion.  Over the past decade she has been inspired to create a lasting recognition of Canada’s veterans with the Poppy Rocks project.  In recent years she has arranged for the creation and placement of more than 700 stones painted with poppies and placed on the graves of veterans in the Bruce County region.

Last November a group of grade 6 students in Kemptville painted their own poppy rocks for placement at the local cenotaph.  Jan is hoping to inspire us in Leeds & Grenville to build on this initiative and ensure that we pass on the act of remembrance to younger generations. To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch – March 2024 Presentation: Loyal They Remained – With Jean Rae Baxter

Join us on Monday, March 4th at 7:00 pm via Zoom for our presentation entitled Loyal They Remained delivered by author Jean Rae Baxter.

This presentation tells the story of the American War of Independence from a “Canadian” point of view. Covering the period from 1777 to the settlement of the Loyalist refugees in what is now Canada, it will examine the effect of the conflict on those who opposed the Revolution.  It wasn’t just white colonists who became Loyalists!  The native people, especially Iroquois (Haudenosaunee), and thousands of enslaved black people, earned their freedom through their service to the British military. All these became Loyalists, too.  Join us as Jean ties it all together!

Jean Rae Baxter UE holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Toronto and a B.Ed. from Queen’s. Before becoming a fulltime writer, she taught Secondary School English in Lennox & Addington County.  Although she was born in Toronto and grew up in Hamilton, “down home” was Essex and Kent Counties, where her ancestors had settled, some as Loyalists in the 1780s following the American Revolution, and some a century earlier, in the days of New France.

To register for this presentation, click here.

Leeds & Grenville Branch Presentation – November 2022 – British North America Preserved: The 1813 Battle of Crysler’s Farm

Join the Leeds & Grenville Branch, Ontario Ancestors and the Colonel Edward Jessup Branch, United Empire Loyalists of Canada, on Monday, November 14th at 7:00 pm for an online presentation by Stuart Lyall Manson.  In the presentation, titled “British North America Preserved: The 1813 Battle of Crysler’s Farm,” Stuart will focus on the context, impact, and aftermath of that important battle on the history of Canada.  His PowerPoint slides associated with this presentation will be peppered with interesting images such as maps, documents, paintings, photographs and artifacts. Stuart will delve into aspects of the subject matter that are not well known to the general public.

The presentation is open to everyone, but you will need to register. Click this link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-utrzwsH9RuQNdpsas5SA15qMDfBSXD

Stuart is a professional historian and co-owner of an Ottawa research company called Public History, which specializes in Indigenous issues.  He is also the author of the book series Sacred Ground: Loyalist Cemeteries of Eastern Ontario, the first volume of which was published in 2021, and the second volume is expected in 2023. Stuart also produces the historical newsletter The King’s Colour: A Broadside of Early Upper Canada, available on his website stuartmanson.wordpress.com.

Note:  There is a memorial service held to commemorate this battle at Crysler’s Farm National Historic Site on November 11th.  Stuart Lyall Manson will be the guest speaker in 2022.

March 2021 Branch Meeting

Leeds & Grenville Branch March 2021 Presentation

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! 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqduuqpzIpHdEVEJ-I8FKY4fc4P1vV5mwi

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.

June 2016 Meeting

Meeting, Monday,  June 13th, 2016, 7:30 PM

Terry Findley – Ancestors with Unknown Military Service

Many people have ancestors who served in the military and their service is unknown to their descendants. Learn some tips, tricks and sources to find those ancestors and discover what they did. Featured case studies are: an ancestor who fought in the Rebellion of 1837-1838; and some relatives who fought in the First World War.

Terry Findley, BSc, MBA, a native of Ottawa, served in the Canadian military for over 36 years. A past BIFHSGO Director Programs & Conference, he has written and lectured extensively on basic and advanced genealogy research, photo restoration and tracing Irish roots. Currently he and his wife Tad publish a new magazine called Many Families.

Brockville Rifles 150th Anniversary in 2016

The Brockville Rifles 150th Anniversary - 1866-2016The Brockville Rifles will be celebrating their 150th Anniversary in 2016. They are inviting the public to join them in their celebration of 150 years with the community, comrades and country. For more detailed information about their planned events for the year review the website www.thebrockvillerifles.com or write to The Brockville Rifles, 144 King Street East, Brockville ON K6V 1C2.

The City of Brockville has proclaimed 2016 the ‘Year of the Rifles’.