Summer may have begun, but Ontario Ancestors and its branches continue to offer free virtual presentations — and family historians are glad they do.
This week’s presentations are free and, as usual, open to the public. The presentation in Toronto is hybrid for those who want to attend in person.
The following times are in Eastern time.
Monday, June 24, 7:30 p.m. — Toronto Branch
Ontario’s Records of Inheritance on Family Search by Jane MacNamara
Why Did They Go to Australia? by Helen Billing
Are you ready to go beyond census and births, marriages, and deaths? Estate files are rich source for finding family connections and revealing our ancestor’s social and financial circumstances, maybe even personality. As court records, they tend to be very reliable—and even come with indexes.
Now that FamilySearch.org has digitized an extensive collection of Ontario surrogate court and Court of Probate records — we can discover these treasures from home.
This session will give a brief overview of how the court system worked in Ontario and a step-by-step explanation of how to access the records. It will concentrate on York County records available through FamilySearch.
The opening act will be by Toronto Branch member Helen Billing who will present Why did they go to Australia? What did they do there? A box of documents and memorabilia given to Helen Billing and her husband spurred them to research why Frederick and Edward Billing went to Western Australia in 1896. Letters, photos, mining certificates and some artifacts provided them with a basis for searching newspapers and other contemporary records. A trip to Kalgourlie/Boulder Archives added more information.
This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at Lansing United Church, Beecroft Rd. and Poyntz Ave, in Toronto or register to watch online.
Tuesday, June 25, 7:00 p.m. — Wellington County Branch
Researching Female Ancestors by Diane M. Rogers
Researching female ancestors can be a little frustrating. Join us as Diane Rogers discusses women’s history resources and research strategies that will increase your chances of finding the elusive women in your tree. Register to watch online.
Thursday, June 27, 11:00 a.m. — Durham Region Branch
Virtual Social Drop-In
Are you missing the coffee time chat from our pre-COVID meetings? Need someone to bounce some research problem off of? Anything goes — need a lookup done in our library, question about DNA matches, information on sources for an area you haven’t researched before? We can even talk about the weather, but genealogy is much more interesting. Register to attend online.
Thursday, June 27, 7:00 p.m. — Ontario Ancestors
Website Walkthrough by Coral Harkies
Coral Harkies will help you learn how to navigate the Ontario Ancestors’ website and answer your questions. The new society website was launched in the fall of 2023 and offers a wealth of family history content. Work is ongoing to provide easier access to updated and new resources and to keep you informed about exciting genealogy learning opportunities and events. Join Coral, who will help you to find our upcoming events, exclusive members’ only and public resources, the eStore, research materials, and more. This webinar is open to everyone. Register to watch online.
