Ontario Ancestors’ virtual presentations feature the military, United Church archives, Rural Diary Archive, and disappearing communities in Glasgow

The first week of the month is usually a busy one for virtual and hybrid presentations at Ontario Ancestors, and that’s the case this week. There are six presentations and, not surprisingly as Remembrance Day nears, three of them have a military theme.

All of the presentations are open to everyone who registers. Five are free and the society one is free to Ontario Ancestors members, but there’s a small fee for non-members.

The following times are in Eastern time.

Monday, November 4, 7:00 p.m. — Leeds & Grenville Branch
Mike More’s Grandfather’s Experience in the British Army in the First World War by Mike More

Branch member Mike More will give a presentation about his grandfather’s experience in the British Army in the First World War. Mike says, “To many Canadians, the Great War was fought in the trenches of France. But my grandfather spent almost five years in India and the Middle East. This was truly a global war and, although few Canadians served on other fronts, there was a great deal of fighting outside of France, and ‘Soldiers of the King’ were involved in all of them, along with many other nations. I’ll give a brief summary of what happened in the other areas of the conflict.” Register to watch online.

Tuesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m. — Durham Region Branch
Exploring The United Church of Canada Archives by Kyle Pugh

Celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, the United Church of Canada is the country’s largest mainline Protestant denomination. Formed in 1925 with the union of the Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian Unions, the United Church Archives houses thousands of vital statistic registers and historic rolls. Kyle Pugh, the Ontario Regional Councils Archivist at the United Church of Canada Archives, will be exploring these resources, as well as providing valuable tips on navigating the United Church’s collections. Register to watch online.

Wednesday, November 6, 7:30 p.m. — Huron County Branch
Diaries Uncover the Daily Lives of Rural Families by Catharine A. Wilson

Join Catharine, recently retired history professor at the University of Guelph and founder and director of the Rural Diary Archive as she tours the Rural Diary Archive exploring old diaries (including some from Huron County), the nature of diary writing, and the value of diaries for historical research. Rather than indulge in self-reflection, rural men and women looked outward, recording the activities of their family including work, marketing, purchasing goods, visiting friends and helping neighbours. Register to watch online.  

Thursday, November 7, 1:00 p.m. — Scottish Special Interest Group
Lost Streets and Disappearing Communities of Glasgow presented by Catriona Haine

Register to watch online.

Thursday, November 7, 7:00 p.m. — Ontario Ancestors
Exploring Military Records by Richard Ruggle

I got into this by trying to identify the people named on the cenotaph in my town (Georgetown). An introduction to the frustration of variant spellings, and of who’s included or not. I liked the challenge of finding out about the fleeting lives of some of these men-often boys-like the one who had to use the head of the family with whom he boarded as his next-of-kin, who went off to war and is buried across the ocean, who would otherwise be forgotten, but for that name on the cenotaph. Sometimes I failed: there was a John MacDonald there who died during the first world war, one of 49 Canadian John MacDonalds who perished – none with any obvious connection to the town. As you who are searching your family history know, we aren’t always successful. But there’s a lot of fascinating things to discover along the way. Can be challenging to know what’s there, what’s not there, what it means. Free to society members. $10 for non-members. Register to watch online

Saturday, November 9, 2:00 p.m. – Simcoe County Branch
Simcoe Remembers by Ellen Millar

Join us as Ellen Millar, Archivist, Corporate and Municipal Records, Simcoe County Archives, tells us about her pet project, a database containing the names of 1,009 men and women who had connections to Simcoe County and who died while in service or as a result of wounds or injuries sustained during the First World War. This database is a virtual supplement to the public memorials located in communities around Simcoe County.

This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at Northwest Barrie United Church, 464 Ferndale Drive North in Barrie or register to watch online.

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