The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa will host a virtual meeting on Saturday, February 11, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time that includes two presentations.
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. — Education Talk
Census Records in the Virtual Treasury of Ireland by Dr. Brian Gurrin
The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland was launched in June 2022. It brings together tens of thousands of copy records and transcripts to replace, as far as possible, the vast collection destroyed in the opening engagement of the Irish Civil War a century ago. This is a free, public online resource that will continue to grow. With millions of words of searchable text, it is an exciting new resource available to anyone interested in Irish history. Dr. Gurrin will begin by telling the story of the lost Public Record Office and explaining how the team of historians, archivists and computer scientists collaborated to virtually recreate many of its missing collections. He will then talk about the census resources available in the Virtual Treasury. Dr Gurrin is the census specialist on the on the Beyond 2022 project.
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. — Feature Talk
Lust, Lucre and Lybell: An 18th Century Soap Opera by Dianne Brydon
Adultery, divorce, yelling and cursing in the street, challenges over inheritance.
In plotlines that could be taken from the modern series Dallas, this 18th century soap opera features the Guild family of Tranent, Scotland. For over a decade, between 1788 and 1798, Tranent citizens not only witnessed the family drama, they at times actively participated and told their story for the record. Dianne will recount the saga, gleaned by interweaving details from church, estate, property and court records.
You only need to register once to attend one or both presentations. I assume a recording of these presentations will be available afterward for members as is the case for previous meetings.
Information about the speakers and upcoming meetings can be found in the Events section on BIFHSGO’s website.
