The organizers of the Great Canadian Genealogy Summit in Halifax this fall announced yesterday the names of the twelve speakers who will deliver presentations. While the specific topics have not yet been provided, the announcement indicated they will be “relevant to the Maritime provinces of Canada.”
Here are the speakers as presented in the news release.
An 8th generation Prince Edward Islander, Georges Arsenault has published extensively on the folklore and history of the Acadians of Prince Edward Island and is a well-known lecturer. He is the president of the Sister Antoinette DesRoches Historical Committee and a member of the Commission de l’Odyssée acadienne. In 2016, he was invested as a member of the Order of Canada for his contribution in researching, conserving and promoting Acadian culture.
Thanks to his grandfather who came out from Ontario in 1903, Jim Benedict is a native of Calgary. Jim’s interest in genealogy began over fifteen years ago when he inherited a trunk-full of family photos and the dog-eared family history book. He is a director of the Alberta Family Histories Society, and a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies.
Betty Dobson has been a genealogist since 1990, beginning as an amateur and becoming a professional in 2014. Since beginning her own research, she has compiled a personal database containing more than 100,000 individuals. She established Heritage Writer in 2014 and the affiliated Family Tree and Me in 2016.
Mags Gaulden is a professional genealogist specializing in genetic genealogy as founder of Grandma’s Genes in Ottawa. She is also a leader with WikiTree where she currently leads the DNA Project as well as others. Mags lectures on genealogy and produces and hosts weekly LiveCasts for WikiTree.
Louis Kessler is a programmer and a genealogist. He developed the genealogy software Behold and built the GenSoftReviews site where genealogists go to rate and review their software. In 2016, Louis got into DNA in a big way and developed his Double Match Triangulator program for autosomal DNA analysis which won third prize in this year’s RootsTech Innovator Showdown.
It all started when Kathryn Lake Hogan, UE, PLCGS, was a Girl Guide leader wanting the girls in her group to learn about their heritage. That was over 18 years ago, and today, Kathryn is a professional genealogist, author, educator and speaker specializing in finding your ancestors in Canada.
During her childhood, Christine Landry-Matamoros and her family cared for the local cemetery in the town where she grew up. Memories of reunion picnics with her extended family on the farm fueled Christine’s desire to understand her roots. She is a member of the Société historique des Filles du Roy, and is currently working on her portfolio to obtain genealogical certification by the Fédération québecoise des sociétés de généalogie.
Researching genealogy since May 2011, Brian Laurie-Beaumont has logged about 6,000 research hours. His strong suit is an analytical thought process as well as being a stickler for evidence. A background in historical research and four decades working in heritage strategic planning has provided a deep and varied understanding of the historical context in which our ancestors lived.
Cheryl Levy, PLCGS, of Footprints to Heritage, is a graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, having earned Professional Learning Certificates for Methodology and Canadian Records. Cheryl is currently the Social Media Coordinator for Quinte Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society. Her roots are in Nova Scotia and Colonial New England.
In 2001, Dr. Patricia Roberts-Pichette volunteered to help the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa/Library and Archives Canada indexing projects of home children documents. She could hardly foresee that participating in what became known as the Middlemore project, would virtually take over her life. Sixteen years later, her book, Great Canadian Expectations: The Middlemore Experience, on John T. Middlemore and his agency, was published in November 2016.
Dr. Isaac Saney is director of the Transition Year Program at Dalhousie University, the groundbreaking program established in 1970 to redress the barriers and injustices that Mi’kmaq, other First Nations/Aboriginal and African Nova Scotian learners face when undertaking post-secondary education. His teaching and scholarship encompasses Africa, the Caribbean, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Cuba, and Black Nova Scotian history.
Christine Woodcock’s is a genealogy educator with an expertise in the Scottish records. She organizes research tours for people researching their Scottish ancestry, allowing them the chance to find their ancestors on the shelves of the repositories in Scotland. When not traveling or planning, Christine lectures, writes and is a self-proclaimed ambassador for both genealogy tourism and for Scotland.
The conference will take place at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax, October 13 to 15, 2017. Registration opens in April.
