Genealogy à la carte

The future of genealogical societies in North America is diversity in its research and programs, and the Toronto Branch of Ontario Ancestors has made a move in this direction with its upcoming four-part series of virtual presentations, called Many Stories of Toronto.

The series is about the struggles and victories of people from around the world who came to call Toronto their home.

Four expert speakers will each talk about their research.

April 21: Proudly Indo-Caribbean: A Transnational Journey Through Indentured Servitude by Bhonita Singh.
April 22: Bonded for Life: Tracing the Genealogies of the Enslaved families in Early Ontario by Natasha Henry.
April 28: Discovering My Roots: A Chinese Canadian Perspective by Arlene Chan.
April 29: Reconstructing a Homeland: Armenian Immigration and Settlement in Toronto by Cassandra Tavukciyan.

Each session will begin at 7:00 p.m Eastern time and will consist of an hour-long presentation and opportunity to ask questions.

The lectures are free and anyone may register. Attend the whole series or pick the sessions that suit you.

Read more about each presentation and register on the branch’s calendar page. (Select Many Stories of Toronto.)

From today until Saturday, April 24, MyHeritage has made full access to its birth records collection for free.

MyHeritage’s birth records are normally free to search — but to view the full record or add it to your tree, you need a subscription. This week, however, access to all these records absolutely free.

MyHeritage’s collection of birth records includes 115 collections containing a total of 1,144,541,613 individual records from all over the world. Some of the collections contain indexes which help you find out where the birth record is located, while others contain the actual image of the record.

The fourth free webinar in Legacy Family Tree’s 12-month O Canada series takes place today, April 16, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.

This time, it’s Mags Gaulden from Ottawa, who will deliver her presentation, An African Canadian Family History Mystery.

A question about a family lore leads a scientist to question his surname. “Is my surname really my surname or is the lore correct, that my 2nd great grandfather was adopted?” Solving a 220-year-old mystery using DNA, turns this family upside down and introduces them to each other and to a rich family history with connections to slavery. 

Registration is required to watch the live webinar. The recording will be available to watch for free for up to seven days afterward in the webinar library. Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers can download the syllabus.

The Uxbridge Genealogy Group and Durham Region Branch of Ontario Ancestors will host a special joint meeting on Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. Eastern time that includes the lecture, Introduction to Researching Your East European Ancestors, delivered by Eva Kujawa.

This lecture is for beginners or people who have a brick wall in this area. In her presentation, Eva will cover a historical overview of Eastern Europe, and how it morphed through divisions and border changes, from wars and battles into the countries that we have in today’s world. She covers the majority of countries and will share the impacts of the various cultures that share the borders of this magnificent area.

Eva will guide people through various research resources, how to plan research and address potential challenges and solutions for this type of genealogical research. She will look at topics like, what is in a name, naming traditions, languages, the various handwriting styles as well as the various types of records that can be located.

A list of websites and databases that hold a huge amount of information for this region will be included in the handout.

There are only 100 seats for this meeting and lecture, so click on the Zoom link that can be found on the Durham Region Branch home page a good 10 to 15 minutes before it starts. Links to three handouts for the lecture are also on the home page. There is no registration.

As part of its monthly Poolside Chat series, the Florida State Genealogical Society will host a free webinar, Using PERSI Like a Pro, presented by Cari Taplin, on Thursday, April 15, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

This lecture will give the audience a look into Allen County Public Library’s PERSI, its history and partnership with Findmypast, tips and techniques for getting the most out of this valuable genealogical resource, and how societies can get involved. We will learn about this valuable and overlooked resource through several mini-case studies.

“The Periodical Source Index, or PERSI, is the largest subject index to genealogy and local history periodical articles in the world. Created by the staff of the Allen County Public Library Foundation and the ACPL’s Genealogy Center, PERSI is widely recognized as a vital tool for genealogical researchers.” — FamilySearch Wiki.

Registration is required. A recording will be available afterward for society members.

The Halton Peel Branch of Ontario Ancestors will host a free webinar, In Search of Home: Migration into, out of, and within Canada, presented by Dave Obee, on Sunday, April 18, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Understanding the flow of people will help you understand how your family fits in the history of the country. In some cases, records are available in Canada and in other countries, but in other cases researcher will need to consider social history and traditional migration routes to understand the lives of their ancestors. Includes a look at the social history of the arrival of the railway, which helped bring massive development to the four western provinces. The railways brought settlers, and helped them get their goods to markets. The railway companies had a keen interest in bringing settlers, and ran colonization schemes designed to entice people to the West.

Register here to watch the presentation on Zoom.

PBS is scheduled to air the final four episodes of the seventh season of Finding Your Roots tonight and the next three Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time/7:00 p.m. Central time.

In tonight’s episode, The New World, host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestors of actor John Lithgow and journalist Maria Hinojosa who thrived in North America long before the birth of the United States.