The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will host a hybrid meeting on Saturday, September 14, starting at 9:00 a.m.
You can attend in person at Knox Presbyterian Church at 120 Lisgar St. or join online. The meeting is free and open to all.
9:00 a.m.
Middlemore Children: In Their Own Words by Patricia Roberts-Pichette and Glenn Wright
Home children in Canada have been the focus of extensive research and writing for many years, but rarely have we heard the children themselves. Drawing on the work of BIFHSGO volunteers over the years to unearth information from the records of Middlemore Children’s Emigration Homes, Patricia and Glenn will let the children speak of their hopes, fears and experiences in coming to Canada as young immigrants. This talk is part of BIFHSGO’s From the Vault series reprising favourite talks from their 30-year history.
Patricia and Glenn are both long time members of BIFSHGO and both have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
10:15 a.m.
Exciting Cause: an investigation into women confined in the 1890s to the Kingston Asylum for the Insane (Rockwood) in Kingston, Ontario by Laurie Fyffe
Laurie Fyffe’s journey into the fascinating history of the Kingston Asylum for the Insane began with the discovery that her great-great grandmother, Sarah Ann Gerrard, died in that institution in 1901. Tracing Sarah’s surprising personal history led Laurie to the medical case history files of Rockwood’s female patients, where she found compelling stories and tragic outcomes for women who fell short of the ideal for female behaviour in late 19th century Victorian Canada.
An Ottawa based playwright and dramaturge, Laurie has written and produced multiple theatrical presentations at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
