Hello gentle readers. It has been about six months since I last posted anything here. Since I generally only write about the genealogy challenges I've faced or have helped out others and I haven't really be doing deep dives into the records, I haven't had much to write about. However, I'm trying hard to get back into my family history and genealogy research so look for some articles over the next few weeks.
I haven't ignored genealogy though. Instead I've been working on writing new presentations and they do take time and energy to write.
I do have a number of speaking engagements coming up in 2024 that are accessible from home via Zoom. All times listed are Eastern Time unless otherwise indicated.
British Isles Back to Basics Series - This is a new series where I look at the various online resources and collections that can help us when looking for our kin in the British Isles. I've already covered the following subjects and, if you are a member of BIFHSGO, you can watch the video recordings and download the handouts from the Members' Area of their site. For the upcoming presentations with BIFHSGO you can get the Zoom registration links from their
Events page.
- 9 Sep 2023: England and Wales
- 14 Oct 2023: Ireland
- 18 Nov 2023: Military Service
- 13 Jan 2024: Scotland
- 10 Feb 2024: Census Records
- 9 Mar 2024: Civil Birth, Marriage, and Death Registrations
- 13 Apr 2024: Church Records
- 11 May 2024: Immigration and Emigration
7 Feb 2024 7:30 p.m.: Huron Branch, Ontario Ancestors
OnLand From a Genealogist's Perspective - Once we know where our ancestors lived the next step in our research journey is to see if we can find the land records such as deeds and even wills. In this presentation we will be taking a look at the Ontario Land Property Records Portal, AKA OnLand, to help us locate the documents concerning the properties where our ancestors lived. We look at the various historical books, try to find a property in an urban area, and even walk through placing an order for an instrument.
16 Mar 2024 10 a.m.: Kingston Branch, Ontario Ancestors
Beginner's Irish Genealogy Research - As anyone who has had the opportunity to research their ancestors who came from Ireland can well attest to, it can be a challenge. It isn’t just the missing records that can make it difficult, but also the partition of the island into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In this presentation we go back to the basics. We look at a bit of the history that has created some of these challenges, some of the key sites that hold the records, and a few tips to possibly help us over our Irish genealogy brick walls.
16 Mar 2024 1 p.m.: Quinte Branch, Ontario Ancestors
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.
OnLand From a Genealogist's Perspective - Once we know where our ancestors lived the next step in our research journey is to see if we can find the land records such as deeds and even wills. In this presentation we will be taking a look at the Ontario Land Property Records Portal, AKA OnLand, to help us locate the documents concerning the properties where our ancestors lived. We look at the various historical books, try to find a property in an urban area, and even walk through placing an order for an instrument.
15 Apr 2024 7 p.m.: Sudbury Branch, Ontario Ancestors
Doing Family Tree Research in Your Pajamas - The focus of this presentation is to look at various online resources that can be used to find information on your family's history. We start the talk by touching upon how one might organize the material (paper or electronic) and mention the various software we might want to use. Then we dive into online resources and key types of records we may want to look at when we starting our research.
14 Jun 2024: A Deep Dive into the 1931 Census of Canada workshop - By the time of this conference, it will be just over a year since the Seventh Census of Canada, 1931 was released to the public. In this hands-on workshop we will be taking a deep dive into this census to understand what was asked and how to find those enumerated on the different sites. We will learn and apply various tips, tricks, and techniques to hopefully locate some of our hard-to-find kin and possibly make some interesting discoveries as we go.
15 Jun 2024: 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.
18 Jun 2024 7 p.m.: Nipissing Branch, Ontario Ancestors
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.
A Genealogy Toolbox for Researching Ancestors in Ontario - We are fortunate that there are many online resources available to those researching their ancestors who settled in Ontario. But for those starting off their Ontario family history research it can sometimes be overwhelming and we might miss some key records by not knowing what is available. In this talk we take a look at some of Ken’s favourite sites and resources that he uses when researching the various branches of his tree that came to Ontario. We will look at some well-known genealogy focused sites and also some lesser known resources that can help you in your research journey.
19 Oct 2024 1 p.m.: Ottawa Branch, Ontario Ancestors
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.
Researching a Canadian Soldier of the Great War - Taking you through the process of researching an ancestor that served in the First World War on behalf of Canada. Real life case studies are used to highlight the various resources available to you when researching a Canadian who served in the First World War.
18 Nov 2024 7 p.m.: Sudbury Branch, Ontario Ancestors
Second World War: Researching the Canadians Who Served - This talk covers not only the records to help us learn more about those who died in the service to Canada during the Second World War but also looks at other records that can help us in researching those who survived that terrible conflict.
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.
The list of all my talks that I can present to an organization are available on my "About Me" page.
I hope to see some of you online over the next year.
[Updated 1 May 2024]
