There are several learning opportunities from Ontario Ancestors’ branches this week. All are free, with the exception of Toronto Branch’s four-part series on DNA that begins this week and a two-part series on German ancestors in Ontario that takes place in June. Both series are available for a modest fee. All of these presentations are open to the public.
The times are in Eastern time.
Monday, May 16 — 7:00 p.m. — Sudbury Branch
Discovering the Power of WiKiTree by Mags Gaulden
What would happen if there was only one single-family tree – in the world? We would all be able to find our ancestors and only have to look once. WikiTree is a single global family tree with over 30,206,063 profiles (9,714,991 with DNA test connections) edited by 898,994 members from around the world. It’s a collaborative effort where those nearly 900 thousand volunteers work to merge duplicate ancestor profiles and improve them for accuracy with sources. Come along and we will walk through this site together and learn a bit about collaborative genealogy and WikiTree. Registration is required.
Tuesday, May 17 — 7:00 p.m. — Oxford County Branch
J. T. Crellin by Karen Armstrong
The Late Nineteenth Century Stone Houses Built by J. T. Crellin in Oxford County is the topic for the May meeting of Oxford Branch. Karen Armstrong will take a look this creative stonemason and the beautiful houses he built in rural southwestern Ontario. Registration is required.
Friday, May 20 — 7:00 p.m. – Niagara Peninsula Branch
Reimagining The Brown Homestead by Andrew Humeniuk
Andrew Humeniuk shares the journey of discovering his Loyalist ancestors, purchasing his family’s ancestral home, and reimagining it as an educational historic site and community space. Registration is required.
Saturday, May 21 — 10:00 a.m. — Kingston Branch
Genealogical Implications of Cemetery Disruptions: A Study of St. Thomas’ Church Burial Ground by Jane Simpson
In 1989, St. Thomas’ Anglican Church, Belleville. undertook a project to dismantle part of their old burial ground next to the church. St. Thomas, was the premiere burial ground in Belleville’s early settler time before 1850. English influence was at its foremost and the Anglican religion at its zenith, as Upper Canada became a province.
The burial ground operated from 1818 to 1874. While noble in purpose, the disruption of the consecrated cemetery had several unforeseen consequences due to the underestimation of the number of burials and problems with the legal, ethical, and professional regulations around such a project.
Jane will relate what it meant to her as a family historian as she discovered that her three-times great-grandfather had been buried at St. Thomas but was now missing. She uncovered the story of the burial remains and the university-based study that was conducted. She would like to assure participants – this really is a presentation about buttons. Five hundred and fifty-five buttons were discovered with the St. Thomas burials! If anyone would have buttons, surely it would be her ancestor, a British Army Captain who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. She was sure, he’d have buttons.
Please join us as Jane discusses:
• What happens when cemeteries are disturbed?
• What do cemeteries provide genealogists/family historians?
• Examples of best practices when removing and reburying skeletal
remains.
• What’s gained and what’s lost in such a project?
• Her unusual experience in tracking down those buttons.
Registration is required.
Saturday, May 21 — 1:00 p.m. — Quinte Branch
Second World War: Researching the Canadian Fallen by Ken McKinlay
In this presentation, Ken will guide us through an exploration of the various records that will help us learn more about those who died in the service of Canada during the Second World War. Yet many survived that terrible conflict, so we will also be looking at the various other records and collections which can help us learn more about those veterans. Registration is required.
DNA series
There is still time to register for Toronto Branch’s four-part virtual DNA series.
May 18 – DNA – What is it and why to use it
May 19 – Which company to test with and what they give you to work with
May 25 – What to do with all those matches
May 26 – Third party tools and final thoughts
This is not a “how to” series, but will instead offer an introduction to the many aspects of genetic genealogy and where our experienced members recommend going to find out more. The presenters are all members of Toronto Branch and will be sharing their knowledge of how DNA can help with genealogical research. They will introduce the basic concepts, approaches, best third-party tools and useful strategies open to DNA testers.
The cost for the series is $20 for Ontario Ancestors members and $25 for non-members. All sessions will be on Zoom beginning at 7:30 p.m., and each evening will include several presentations of between 10 and 20 minutes. The sessions will be recorded and available to paid registrants until about June 26. Learn more and register here.
German Ancestors in Ontario
Last week, the Toronto Branch announced a new two-part series, called German Ancestors in Ontario, that will take place June 9 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Germans were one of the largest ethnic groups to settle in Ontario. If you have German ancestors this series will help you add context to their lives. Historian Benjamin Bryce is an expert on migration to the Americas and he’ll provide a broad overview of the historical context of German immigration to Ontario from 1790 to 1960.
The first night will focus on German migration to Ontario, discussing timing, origin and destinations. The second night will highlight growing up German in Ontario with a focus on school and language.
Each session will consist of an hour-long presentation and an opportunity to ask questions. The lectures will be recorded so registrants can watch at their convenience.
The cost for the series is $15 for Ontario Ancestors members and $20 for non-members. Learn more and register here.
