Genealogy à la carte

If you missed the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia’s virtual conference this past weekend, you can still purchase access to the 14 presentation recordings until July 4. Topics include Loyalists, Acadians, New England Planters, enslaved Black people, Irish roots, and a Muslim cemetery.

The fee to watch the recordings is $39 for association members and $69 (about US$50) for non-members.

As usual, there is plenty to learn this week from Ontario Ancestors’ branches and one of its special interest groups. Presentation topics range from Italy and Scotland to Loyalists and FamilySearch. Six of the seven online presentations are free and open to all who register. One has a fee and two of them are hybrid.

The following times are in Eastern time.

Monday, May 5, 7:00 p.m. — Leeds & Grenville Branch
Old Hay Bay Church: Loyalist Yesterday & Today by Peter and Angela Johnson, UE

Register to watch online.

Tuesday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. — Durham Region Branch
ScotlandsPeople + FamilySearch = Savings by Ken McKinlay

Researching our kin in Scotland can get a little pricey if we want to view the images of the birth, marriage, and death statutory registrations and the census records. With a bit of time and knowledge we can make use of key collections on FamilySearch to save us a little bit of money. Register to watch online.

Tuesday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. — Toronto Branch
Researching Your Italian Heritage in North America: An Introduction by Pamela Vittorio

What do you want to discover about your Italian heritage? Join Pamela Vittorio for an introduction to building your Italian or Sicilian family tree. This presentation covers the basics of researching on Ancestry, Portale Antenati, Italian parish records and FamilySearch. We’ll also look at immigration, naming patterns and the naturalization process.

The cost of this session is $12 for non-members and $10 for Ontario Genealogical Society members. The webinar will be recorded in case you’re not able to join for the live session. Learn more and register here.

This webinar will be followed in June by a two-part series delving into Italian immigration and migration records.

Wednesday, May 7, 7:30 p.m. — Huron County Branch
Exploring the Huron Branch OGS Website – What’s new and how to get the most from it! by Deb McAuslan

After many hours of scanning files, uploading and re-arranging our Huron Branch website, Deb will walk us through the new additions. Discover how this new information can help with your Huron County research.

Register to watch online.

Thursday, May 8, 1:00 p.m. — Scottish SIG
Educational Records & Apprenticeship Indentures by Lorna Kinnaird

Register to watch online.

Friday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. — Kent Branch
FORGOTTEN : The Journals of Isaac Gardiner and Early Rondeau by Mark Van Raay

Mark Van Raay will recount the story of the discovery of a surviving journal from the first years of Rondeau Park which describes the interesting events taking place there between 1896 and 1904 — and how connecting with the Kent Branch helped to save this key piece of Chatham Kent history. This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at the McKinlay Reception Hall, 459 St. Clair Street in Chatham, or register to watch online. (Note: Park in the St. Clair parking lot, not the McKinlay Funeral Home parking lot.)

Saturday, May 10, 11:00 a.m. — Simcoe County Branch
A Deeper Dive into Using FamilySearch by Nancy Leveque

Join us as we explore unconventional ways to use the FamilySearch website and their tools to expand our family history research. We will learn how to use the FamilySearch catalogue and the Full Text experiment on the Labs website. This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library (Zima Room), 425 Holland Street West, Bradford, or register to watch online.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars will this week host two free webinars in their O Canada series.

Today, April 30, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, Kathryn Lake Hogan will deliver her presentation, Invaded! The Fenian Raids and the Canadian Response.

Between 1866 and 1871, Irish-American veterans invaded Canada, attempting to pressure Britain to withdraw from Ireland. Gain an understanding of the historical context, significant battles, and the lasting impact on Canadian military and national identity. Determine your ancestor’s role in these events and where to find the records. A syllabus that lists a lot of useful resources is available to Legacy Family Tree Webinars members. Register to watch live.

On Friday, May 2, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, Dave Obee will deliver his presentation, Nach Kanada! Immigration of Germans to Canada.

Germans have been migrating to Canada since the 18th century, and have played major roles in the development of the nation. Early arrivals came from German territory, while more recent arrivals came from countries such as Poland, the Soviet Union or Brazil. Germans appear in a variety of Canadian records, including some that do not have Canadians of British descent. This session includes basic history of Germans in Canada, as well as a guide to useful sources. Register to watch live.

Recordings of both webinars will be available to watch for free for up to seven days afterward in the webinar library. After that, only members will be able to watch them.

If you’re not a member, you may want to take note that there are almost 500 free webinars in the webinar library. Just click on the Free box at the top of library page, toward the right, to see the entire list.

Reminder: Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ half-price sale on a membership ends today.