Genealogy à la carte

The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon, hosted by Legacy Family Tree Webinars and MyHeritage, begins Thursday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time and ends on Friday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

You can register for one, two or all of the marathon webinars on Legacy Family Tree Webinar’s website.

There will be 24 free webinars to watch with a wide range of topics.

As a special shout-out to fellow Canadian genealogists, I highlight Janice Nickerson’s webinar, Seven Sources for Seeking Scoundrels and Lianne Kruger’s presentation, FamilySearch Catalog: The Sears Christmas Catalog for Genealogists. But they’re just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of well-known speakers from around the world taking part in this marathon.

Five virtual presentations will take place this week at Ontario Ancestors. All are open to the public and, with the exception of one, all are free.

The following times are in EDT.

Monday, March 17, 1:00 p.m. — Sudbury District Branch
Irish Immigration to Canada: Stories of Migration, Loss and New Beginnings by Jillian van Turnhout 

We will explore the compelling history of Irish migration to Canada, from the early settlers of the 1600s through the tragic years of the Great Famine and beyond. Drawing on personal stories, historical records, and genealogical expertise, this presentation will guide you through available resources for tracing your Irish ancestors and understanding their journey to Canada. Whether you’re beginning your family history research or facing genealogical brick walls, discover how to navigate both Irish and Canadian records to uncover your family’s story. Register to watch online.

Thursday, March 20, 1:00 p.m. – Kawartha Branch
Archives of Ontario

Hosted by the Peterborough Public Library, this will be a 30 to 40-minute orientation presentation on conducting genealogical research at the Archives of Ontario, followed by a 20 to 30-minute Q&A session. Register on the library’s website to watch online.

Thursday, March 20, 7:00 p.m. — Ontario Ancestors
Researching Women Series: Sifting Through the Cookbooks for Our Female Ancestors by Eleanor Brinsko

There’s something special about cooking that can bring us back to a particular place, time, conversation, experience, family. Eleanor Brinsko will look at the history of the evolution of home cooking and how we can use these recipes, cookbooks, and experiences to help us further our genealogical research and family history.

Get a head start on this presentation by digging out the family recipes, church cookbooks, and newspaper clippings of recipe entries.

Ontario Ancestors members may attend for free. The fee for non-members is $25 for the series or $10 for an individual session. Learn more about this session, the series, and registration here.

Friday, March 21, 7:00 p.m. — Niagara Peninsula Branch
Using AI for Genealogy by Rhonda Hoffman

Join us to learn about some cool genealogy tools that will help make your research, productivity, and planning easier — and some that will let you have a little fun. The following tools will be demonstrated: using artificial intelligence for transcribing records, making tables, and creating images; helpful apps such as Google Lens and Genius Scan; diagram sites; Family Search full-text search; Goldie May; citation builders; and Google Earth Pro. Register to watch online.

Sunday, March 23, 2:00 p.m. — Halton-Peel Branch
Nach Kanada! Immigration of Germans to Canada by Dave Obee

Germans have been migrating to Canada since the 18^th century and have played major roles in the development of the nation. Early arrivals came from German territory, while more recent arrivals came from countries such as Poland, the Soviet Union or Brazil. Germans appear in a variety of Canadian records, including some that do not have Canadians of British descent. This session will include a basic history of Germans in Canada as well as a guide to useful sources. Register to watch online.

The Drouin Institute is once again holding a giveaway in which five participants can win a one-year subscription to its website, Genealogy Quebec.

The contest runs until Monday, March 24, at 3 p.m. EST.

The collections family historians research on Genealogy Quebec include:

• LAFRANCE collection: transcriptions and many links to actual records of baptisms and burials, 1621-1849; Catholic marriages, 1621 to 1916; and Protestant marriages, 1760 to 1849.
• Loiselle Marriage Index lists Catholic marriages, 1750 to 1930s, organized by grooms’ and brides’ surnames. Kardex Marriage Index lists Catholic marriages, 1621 to 1950, organized by grooms’ names. Kardex also includes confirmation cards.
• Hundreds of cemeteries and more than 525,000 headstone photos in the Obituaries section.
• Marriages and deaths, 1926-1996.

To register for the giveaway, participants simply need to enter their email address in the form at this address: https://mailchi.mp/institutdrouin/genealogygiveaway.

Scottish Indexes’ 28th free virtual conference takes place this Saturday, March 15.

Each presentation will be shown twice to accommodate different time zones. The presentations run from 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT, and then again from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EDT. The schedule is available on the conference web page in several time zones.

You can come and go throughout the day or watch all of the presentations.

Register via Zoom or join the Scottish Indexes Facebook group to watch.

These are the presentations:

‘What is Ireland? Understanding the Lay of the Land’ by genealogist Chris Paton

‘Blackmail, Burnings, Banishment and Shipwreck: Aberdeen Crimes and Convicts 1830s-1840s’ by Dr. Dee Hoole

‘The Society Resources — Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society’ by Scott Fairie

‘Homes fit for Heroes: 1919 Act houses in the 1921 census’ by Kay Williams

‘Tracing your Scottish Family History: Solving one puzzle at a time’ by genealogist Emma Maxwell

‘The Orkney Archive Service’ by Lucy Gibbon, Archivist at Orkney Library and Archive

‘Your Scottish Archives’ by John Pelan

‘Tracing a Building Through Time’ by Graham Maxwell

Scottish Genealogy Q&A Session

The folks at Ontario Ancestors are hosting seven virtual presentations and one virtual drop-in this week, with topics ranging from Irish research and British Home Children to FamilySearch’s Full Text Search and must-have genealogy research skills. All are open and free to the public, with the exception of one presentation that requires a modest fee for non-members.

The following times are in EDT.

Monday, March 10, 7:00 p.m. — Oxford County Branch
The Devon Elliotts: The Stories of Those Who Came, Those Who Stayed and Those Who Left by Glenn Elliott

Glenn Elliott will talk about writing the Elliott family history, an eye-opening road to discovery of the exciting, tragic, humbling, humorous stories of his extended family and those who preceded them. Register to watch online.

Tuesday, March 11, 7:00 p.m. — Essex County Branch
A Peek into the Resources at Museum Windsor by Heather Colautti

Heather Colautti will explain the Museum Windsor organization as it exists right now and will discuss what the museum houses in their collections and what resources would be of interest to researchers. Register to watch online.  

Tuesday, March 11, 7:00 p.m. — Lambton County Branch
Using the Full Text Search feature on FamilySearch Labs by Jane Teskey

The Full Text Search in FamilySearch Labs is an experimental feature for the public to try. Jane will take you through, step by step, on how to use this feature to find records and save those records to your tree. Register to watch online.

Wednesday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. — Irish Special Interest Group
Beginner’s Irish Genealogy Research by Ken McKinlay

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. Register to watch online.

Thursday, March 13, 1:00 p.m. — Irish Special interest Group
Virtual Drop-in to the Cobourg Public Library

Join us as we virtually visit the Cobourg Public Library to learn about their Irish collections and to chat with the librarian about Irish settlers in the Cobourg area. Register to join the drop-in.

Thursday, March 13, 7:00 p.m. — Ontario Ancestors
Researching Women Series — Three Sisters From Kensington & Chelsea Union by Gloria Tubman

It all started with the three Bond sisters of unknown parentage being sent to Canada from the Kensington & Chelsea Union, England. In 1909, two of the sisters had their first placement as Home Children in households in Renfrew county. For those who have struggled with the complex of world of researching Home Children, the process can feel frustrating and overwhelming.

In this talk, Gloria will lead us through resources found at Library & Archives Canada which ultimately led to Kensington & Chelsea, England and family connections. In addition to the usual records used to research ancestors in England, she will take a special look at the Poor Law records. Attendees will see how these research efforts resulted in a case study on Home Children and culminated in the creation of an ancestral family tree while offering a poignant glimpse into the lives of Home Children, their descendants, and their ancestors.

This three-session series is free for Ontario Ancestors members. The fee for non-members is $25 for the series or $10 for an individual session. To see the full series and to register, visit: https://ogs.on.ca/researching-women-series/

Friday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. — Kent County Branch
The Dresden Cave-In by Eric Philpott

In 1957, tragedy consumed the town of Dresden when a construction project went terribly wrong. Join us to learn about the cave-in, the families whose lives were changed forever, and the efforts being taken to document the event. Register to watch online.

Saturday, March 15, 10:00 a.m. — Kingston Branch
10 Must-Haves for Genealogy & Family History Success by Thomas MacEntee

Is there a right way to do genealogy? Whether you are a beginner or an “obsessed” family researcher, there are basic skills that family historians at all levels have in common. Ten must-haves: sense of purpose, communication skills, writing skills, genealogy research toolbox, organization skills, evidence evaluation skills, source citation skills, tech skills, sense of fun, and a sense of legacy. Our speaker will review those skills that can help you find success whether researching online or in person. Register to watch online.

There are several good deals that pop up during RootsTech, and one of them is from Legacy Family Tree Webinars.

Until Saturday, March 8, at 11:59 p.m., a one-year membership is half price — US$24.98 (about CDN$36), down from US$49.95 (CDN$71).

You can take advantage of the offer here. Use the promotion code, rootstech25. Apparently, this is for new members only. A new member is anyone who currently doesn’t have a membership.