Someone stole my toast! And 10 things I learned at the OGS 2016 conference

After three fun and education-filled days at the Ontario Genealogical Society’s conference in Toronto this past weekend, I am recovering. One of the best parts of the conference was meeting so many people — old friends and new. There was no shortage of genealogists willing to learn and talk about family history research. More than 700 people attended.

Before sharing some of the things I learned, let me tell you about my first foray into the hotel restaurant.

Protect your toast
Saturday morning, in anticipation of the two presentations I was delivering at the conference, I treated myself to breakfast in the restaurant located near the hotel lobby. I arrived at 7:00 a.m. to beat the crowd.

I wanted a simple breakfast, two slices of toast, yogurt, fresh fruit, and a coffee. The hostess suggested I go to the buffet.

To make my toast, I placed two slices of whole wheat bread in the large conveyor belt-like toaster. I saw that someone had already put in one slice of bread. While waiting, I left for about 20 seconds to pick up my yogurt on the next counter.

When I returned to check the status of my toast, I saw that all three slices of toast were gone.

Someone had stolen my toast.

And I knew who the culprit was.

Standing nearby, filling his plate with scrambled eggs, was a good-looking man in his 20s. Although he had pretended not to notice me looking deep inside the toaster for my toast, I could clearly see three slices of toast on his plate.

In the end, since it looked like he had no intention of returning my toast, I plunked another two slices of bread in the toaster and stood watch the entire time it took to deliver my toast. I then sat with fellow genealogists, and told them who stole my toast.

Here are 10 things I learned at the conference.

1. Search for an address in newspapers
Look for ancestors’ addresses in newspapers that are available online. Until Lisa Louise Cooke mentioned this tip in her presentation, Future Technology and Genealogy, I had limited my searches to ancestors’ names.

2. Googe Earth Pro now free
Lisa Louise Cooke also told us that Google Earth Pro has been free since January 2016. Learn more here.  New!

3. Search Internet Archive with Google
In his presentation, What’s New in Western Canadian Records?, Dave Obee said using Google to search Internet Archive produces better results than using Internet Archive’s search engine. In the Google search box, enter your keyword(s) and site:archive.org.

Example:      New Machar site:archive.org

4. Look for second sources
Never trust the information in one source. Always looks for a second source. Dave Obee, editor-in-chief of the Times Colonist in Victoria, BC, recommends looking for a second source in both journalism and genealogy. Don’t assume a record is accurate without checking a second or third source.

5. Scottich church court records
James F.S. Thomson, in his workshop, Recent Developments in Scottish Family History, told us the National Records of Scotland will launch digitized Scottish church court records in 2017. Learn more here.   New!

6. FamilySearch Wiki
James F.S. Thomson twice highly recommended the FamilySearch Wiki about Scotland Genealogy.

7. Three new analytical elements
In the workshop, No Vitals? No Problem! Building a Family through Circumstantial Evidence, Judy G. Russell said a third element has been added to each of the three stages of evidence analysis.

Sources
Original record
Derivative record
Authored narrative. The interpretation and analysis of a narrative depends on who wrote it. For example, the War of 1812 can be interpreted differently by Canadian and American historians.  New! 

Information
Primary
Secondary
Undertermined or unknown involvement. You have no idea who provided the information. New!

Evidence
Direct
Indirect
Negative. Conclusions or implications that can be drawn from the absence of a situation that should exist given the circumstances.  New!

8. War of 1812
One of the best moments of the conference was when Judy Russell admitted we “whupped” their a–– during the War of 1812. She also mentioned they beat us during the American Revolution, or what we like to call the War of Treason. Both zingers were received with gales of laughter.

9. OGS 2017 conference speakers announced
The Ontario Genealogical Society’s 2017 conference committee announced that the following Canadian, British, and American speakers will be featured at next year’s conference in Ottawa, June 16 – 18: Lesley Anderson, Dr Blaine Bettinger, Ruth Blair, Sharon Callaghan, Linda Corupe, Gail Dever, Johanne Gervais, Kirsty Gray, Kathryn Lake Hogan, Christine F. Jackson, Jane E. MacNamara, Paul McIlroy, Dr Leighann C. Neilson, Dave Obee, Lynn Palermo, Marian Press, Serge Paquet, Linda L. Reid, Irene Robillard, Gary Schroder, Bruce Thomson, D. Joshua Taylor, Kyla Ubbink, Dr Jay Young, Stephen C. Young.

10. Chardonnay
Nine bottles of chilled Chardonnay is probably enough for one genealogy weekend.

George Gooderham’s burial place, Brampton Cemetery, Brampton, Ontario, June 2016. Photo: Gail Dever.

Brampton Cemetery
On a final note, after the conference ended, I visited the burial sites of my great-great-grandparents George Gooderham and Emily Burrows and three of their children, Kate, George, and Frederick Gooderham, in Brampton Cemetery.

The cemetery is located in the city of Brampton, 20 minutes west of the conference hotel.

It was my first visit, and a nice one, thanks to the friends who went with me.