The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will host two free presentations during their hybrid meeting on Saturday, March 8. You can attend in person or watch online.
9:00 a.m. Eastern time — Education Talk
Exploring the Official Government Newspapers: the Gazettes of the UK by Ken McKinlay
The official newspaper of the government, the Gazette, might not seem to be something we would use in our genealogy and family history research. However, possibly you have military service files that state an ancestor was gazetted or was an officer who received a promotion. Maybe you found that your ancestor was presented with an honour from the Crown? Did your ancestor become a naturalized citizen or even change his or her name? You will often find those sorts of announcements in the Gazette. In this presentation we will explore the various government gazettes in England, Scotland, and Ireland to learn how to search them online and discover what they hold for our research.
10:00 a.m. Eastern time — Feature Talk
Ripped from the Headlines: Death on the Forest by Marianne Rasmus
“Manslaughter at the Races” – This newspaper headline from July 1857 about a death at the Nottingham races proved to be the catalyst for breaking down a brick wall on Marianne Rasmus’ maternal grandfather’s line that had plagued her for more than 10 years.
Newspapers can hold a wealth of information and can be an incredible resource when putting flesh on the bones of our family stories. In this presentation, Marianne will share the research journey that led to the discovery of the news story; recount how it, along with several other articles, shed light on a fascinating family and an event that had been lost through time; and explore life, and death, in 19th century industrial Nottingham.
Attend in person at Knox Presbyterian Church at 120 Lisgar St. at the corner of Elgin Street in Ottawa or register to watch online.
