Located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada I am a genealogy researcher with over 20 years of trial and error experience in researching my own family's history in Canada, United States of America, England, Scotland and Ireland.
I belong to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (AKA BIFHSGO) and the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Ancestors (AKA Ontario Genealogical Society). In addition to their monthly meetings and several of their special interest groups I also provide guidance to patrons who attend the Ottawa Public Library-Ottawa Branch Ontario Ancestors Genealogy Drop-In sessions.
With BIFHSGO I was the Program Co-Chair for the successful 2012 Family History conference focused on Scottish research. I was, for several years, the Research Room host for the BIFHSGO annual conference and Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Ancestors Gene-O-Rama conference.
The talks I give quite often deal with the methodologies for researching family history and also how to use technology to assist with doing the research. My presentations include:
General Methodology
- Doing Family Tree Research in Your Pajamas - This is a basic overview of the various online resources on the Internet that can be used to find information on your family's history. This talk is about 60 minutes long and covers what is needed, along with the commonly used sites and resources on the Internet. This presentation can easily be expanded to be a half day session.
- Chipping Away at the Brick Wall - We all have them ... those ancestors that we just can't find. This is a 60 minute presentation on methodologies to help you find those answers including working around our own assumptions and resources to look at for help.
- Exploring Ontario Civil BMD Records - Sooner or later those researching their relatives in Ontario will be looking for the birth, marriage, and death registrations of their kin. In this presentation we will be looking at what can be found, the changes over the years to the various forms, “gotchas” we may encounter, and research tips to find the records for those elusive ancestors. This presentation is approximately 55 minutes in length.
- Genealogical Miracles - In this 50 minute presentation we take a look at some of the very interesting gaffs and errors found in family trees such as "Resurrection", "The well preserved", and "Time travellers". At the same time we will cover how to hopefully prevent those pesky mistakes in our own trees.
- 🆕Exploring Library and Archives Canada Online - Over the past few years the website for Library and Archives Canada has undergone a number of changes. For some long-time users of the old site, this has caused moments of frustration. In this talk we take a look at the new site, touch upon using the new census search system, and explore other resources they have made available to us.
- Making Use of All Your Census (Ontario edition) - Most people are familiar with the population schedules found on the various census enumeration of Canada. This 50 minute overview of the various censuses taken in Ontario, from the 1851 census of Canada West, which actually took place in 1852, through to the 1931 census of Canada will also delve into the other surviving schedules. We will look at the various Canadian census schedules available to us with an eye to highlighting some of the treasures they hold that may help us in our genealogy and family history research.
- Safeguarding Your Valuable Data - A 30 minute overview of the need for doing data backups of your valuable genealogy data and the various ways of doing those backups.
- 🆕ScotlandsPeople + FamilySearch = Savings - Researching our kin in Scotland can get a little pricey if we want to view the images of the birth, marriage, and death statutory registrations and the census records. With a bit of time and knowledge we can make use of key collections on FamilySearch to save us a little bit of money.
- 🆕Seventh Census of Canada 1931 - This session is a look at the recently released Census of Canada. We learn a bit about the history of the census, what we will find on the pages, and tips for finding folks through research and browsing the images.
- Top 10 Tips For Being a Better Researcher - This 50 minute presentation highlights what I consider the top ten meta-tips for being a better genealogy and family history researcher.
🆕British Isles Back to Basics
This is a series of presentations originally created for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. In each talk I highlight what key records are available, where to find the records, and an overview of issues encountered in our research of the countries that make up the British Isles. These sessions are not designed to be deep dives into the subjects. And there will also be some overlap for some of the subjects. Each talk is approximately 45 minutes in length.
- England and Wales
- Ireland
- Military Service
- Scotland
- Census Records
- Civil Birth, Marriage, and Death Registrations
- Church Records
- Immigration and Emigration
Ontario Land Records
"Finding on the Ground" series: Each of these talks are standalone in nature and do not depend on each other for their material.
- Finding Them on the Ground: We look at the various online resources in order to
figure out the lot, concession, and township where our rural Ontario kin may have resided. With
that information we have a much better chance of finding the various Ontario land records related to their property. This is a 50 minute presentation.
- OnLand From a Genealogist's Perspective: We take at look at using the Ontario Land Property Records Portal,
OnLand, to help us research where our ancestors lived. We look at the
various historical books, find a property in an urban area, and
even walk through placing an order for an instrument. This talk runs about 55 minutes long.
- FamilySearch's Ontario Land Records: FamilySearch has a number of collections concerning Ontario land records. However, these collections are not name indexed for easy use by genealogists. In this session we learn how to use and navigate through the various FamilySearch collections such as Abstract Indexes, Land Record copy books, and Township Papers. This session is about 50 minutes in length.
- Ontario Land Records: Where Are They Online? Workshop: This is a half day (three and a half hour) workshop comprised of "Finding Them on the Ground", "OnLand From a Genealogist's Perspective" and "FamilySearch's Ontario Land Records". There is time allotted between each section for participants to go off on their own to do a bit of research using the skills just learned and to ask questions about problems they may have encountered.
- A Beginner's Guide to Searching Online Ontario Land Records: Until relatively recently, looking for the land records in Ontario was a challenge since they weren't readily available online. That has changed over the past few years. In this talk we will be learning about the various online resources available to help us to find where our ancestors lived in Ontario and where we might be able to find the government records concerning the land upon which they lived. We don't do a deep dive into the records but is more of a highlights reel from the three part Finding on the Ground series. This is a 50-60 minute presentation.
Military Family History Research
- Researching a Canadian Soldier of the Great War - Join Ken for an insightful exploration into the process of uncovering the military service of our Canadian ancestors who served in the First World War. Through real-life case studies, this presentation will guide you through the rich array of resources available for tracing the military history of your relatives. Learn about the contents of the service files, additional archival records, and other invaluable tools to bring the past to life and gain a deeper understanding of your family's wartime legacy.
- Second World War: Researching the Canadians Who Served - This 50-minute presentation delves into the wealth of records available for researching Canadians who served during the Second World War. We’ll explore both the poignant records of those who gave their lives in service to Canada and the rich archival resources that reveal the stories of those who survived. Whether your interest lies in uncovering military service details, personal narratives, or broader historical insights, this session hopefully provides the tools and guidance to deepen your understanding of those who served Canada.
Depending on where the meeting is held, the talks can be presented in person or by being streamed over the Internet to your meeting location. Please contact me at the e-mail address below if you are interested in having me speak at a meeting.
I hope you find this blog useful in your ongoing journey to discover your ancestors.
Ken McKinlay
