There are six opportunities this week to learn online — for free — at the Ontario Genealogical Society.
The following take place in Eastern time.
Tuesday, February 17, 2:00 p.m. — Sudbury District Branch
Celebrating Our Rich Sudbury Heritage by Paul Haynes
This is a hybrid presentation. Attend in person at the Greater Sudbury Public Library, 74 Mackenzie St., or register to watch online.
Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. — Nipissing Branch
Tracing 20th Century Ontarians by Janice Nickerson
When tracing Ontario families we usually start with census records and civil registration. But these records are closed for most of the 20th century. So where do you start if your earliest known ancestor was born after 1921? Or maybe you’ve traced your ancestors, but now you want to find out what happened to their brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews? Don’t despair, not all 20th Century records are closed. In fact, if you know where to look, you can learn a great deal about your recent ancestors and relatives. This lecture will walk you step-by-step through my research process, introducing you to the records and strategies you need to peek behind the “closed” curtains of 20th Century Ontario. Using these tips, you’ll probably even learn something new about family members you thought you were done researching! Register to watch online.
Wednesday, February 18, 1:00 p.m. — Ontario Genealogical Society
Lunch & Learn – Exploring Our Society Research Resources
Come and explore the Research Resource section of the society website. Learn what resources we have available to help you learn more about your ancestors. This session will be recorded and posted on the website for future reference. Register to watch online.
Friday, February 20, 7:00 p.m. — Niagara Peninsula Branch
Retracing Freedom in Canada: Following Harriet Tubman’s Path North by Douglas Mitchell
Born the second son of a career military officer and a 3x great-grandson of Harriet Tubman’s father, Benjamin Ross, Douglas Mitchell grew up in various countries around the world and spent much of his professional life exploring all six inhabited continents as an ultra-long-haul international airline pilot. For the past three years, Mr. Mitchell has been engaged in intensive, independent research and scholarship investigating the history of slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, with particular focus on the remarkable life and the enduring legacy of his great, great-aunt, Harriet Tubman, who was born and enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland.
Retracing his Aunt Harriet’s footsteps from slavery in Maryland to freedom in Canada West, Mr. Mitchell arrived in St. Catharines last summer, 174-years after Tubman first arrived. Mr. Mitchell’s research odyssey includes retracing his Aunt Harriet Tubman’s movements and activities as a key conductor on the Underground Railroad, not only through Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, but indeed, throughout southern Ontario, from Fort Erie and Niagara Falls; to St. Catharines; and along the entire northern rim of Lake Erie, westbound to Chatham; North Buxton; Dresden; and Windsor-Amherstburg, before finally concluding 250-kilometers east of St. Catharines, in Auburn, New York, where Tubman lived-out the final five-decades of her long life, and ultimately died in 1913. Register to watch online.
Saturday, February 21, 10:00 a.m. — Irish Palatine SIG
Princes, Prelates and Palatines by Dr. Claire McCormick
Gain new perspectives on the Great Migration of 1709. Dr. McCormick’s book, European Migrants in Eighteenth Century Ireland: The Great Palatine Migration of 1709 and its Aftermath, was recently published by Boydell and Brewer (Suffolk, 2025). She suggests overlapping networks of religious groups across Europe, alongside British colonists, keen to settle the New World, enabled the movement of Palatines. She will also share some new insights into the early experiences of Palatines in Ireland. Register to watch online.
Saturday, February 21, 10:00 a.m. — Kingston Branch
Exploring the ScotlandsPeople Website by Christine Woodcock
As an official website for the National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople has the digital records for the Archives. In addition to the BMD and census records we are all familiar with, the NRS has added other records such as Kirk session records, tax rolls, valuation rolls, ordnance survey name books, some prison registers, and lately the Napier Commission Records.
In this presentation, we will look at the various records that have been added and how to access them as well as take a look at the wealth of information that they contain. Register to watch online.
