Genealogy à la carte

Week after week, Canada’s largest genealogical society, Ontario Ancestors, offers us plenty of opportunities to learn, and this week is no exception. All of their virtual presentations are free and open to all who register.

The following times are in Eastern time.

Monday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. — Leeds & Grenville Branch
Border—What Border? Our Ancestors Who Called Both Canada and the USA Home by Annette Burke Lyttle

Movement from the United States to Canada was unrestricted and unrecorded until April 1908. The US began recording the entry of Canadians along its northern border in 1894. Before that, many thousands of people lived cross-border lives, without visas, work permits, passports, or immigration records. Learn how to find these elusive ancestors. Register to watch online.

Tuesday, April 8, 1:00 p.m. — Irish SIG
Irish Church Records by Gillian Hunt

Gillian Hunt is a Research Officer with the Ulster Historical Foundation in Ireland. She will discuss these important resources, records, collections, etc., that every family historian researching Irish ancestors should know. Register to watch online.

Tuesday, April 8, 6:30 p.m. — Lambton County Branch
Let’s get excited about UK research by Kirsty Gray

Register to watch online.

Tuesday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. — Essex County Branch
Seven Loyal Loyalists by Heather Crew

Heather Crewe discovered the stories of several Loyalist settlers who arrived in Essex County in the 1790s, and whose descendants are buried in a small pioneer cemetery in Kingsville. Heather will expand on those stories and share further background information on “Seven Local Loyalists.” Register to watch online.

Wednesday, April 9, 7:00 p.m. — York Region Branch
AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead? by Thomas MacEntee

Thomas is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and as a means of interacting with others in the family history community. Learn how AI is currently being used to to improve the genealogy experience, and whether or not you should seek out other uses of artificial intelligence for your own genealogy research. Register to watch online.

Saturday, April 12, 10:30 p.m. — Simcoe County Branch
Barrie’s Early Days by Mary Fletcher Harris

Do you have ancestors who settled in Simcoe County in the early years? If so, more than likely they would have visited the town of Barrie on occasion to attend to any number of everyday life events. The Barrie Historical Archive is a free online museum that captures and archives Barrie’s rich history. Join us when Mary Fletcher Harris of the Barrie Historical Archive weaves the story of Barrie’s early years for us. This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at Barrie and District Realtors Association office, 676 Veteran’s Drive, Barrie or register to watch online.

If you missed Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ 24-hour marathon of webinars, you can watch them at your leisure for free for a week.

As of late yesterday afternoon, only six replays were left to be uploaded.

The Kelowna & District Genealogical Society will host the free virtual presentation, Lost in London: Finding your family in London, delivered by Helen Smith of Brisbane, Australia, on Monday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.

London can be a daunting place to research. Part of this is due to the massive population growth: 600,000 in 1700 to nearly 6.9 million in 1900 which resulted in more than 100 parishes in the City let alone everything in Greater London when 1889 the County of London was formed from parts of the ancient counties of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent. London was a constant attractant for the young, the desperate and the hopeful, as well as immigrants from across the world resulting in an intensity of population. There is no central index but there are many resources to aid in your London research including directories, newspapers, court records, insurance records and local history books.

There will also be a bite-size presentation, Finding Genealogical Treasures in Business Archives, by KDGS member Brenda Gloster.

Registration for both presentations is free for society members and $10 for non-members.

Until April 14 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain time, you can take advantage of free access to more than 96 million US Civil War records. Free registration is required.

Between 33,000 and 55,000 men from Canada, which was known as British North America at the time, enlisted, including my great-great-grandfather James Young from Montreal. Almost all of the Canadians fought for the Union side of the battle.

Legacy Family Tree Webinar’s six annual — and free — 24-Hour genealogy webinar marathon begins on Thursday, April 3, at 5:00 p.m. EDT and runs until Friday, April 4, 5:0o p.m. EDT.

There will be 24 free webinars to watch with a wide range of topics.

You can register for one, two or even all of the webinars. Members will be able to download the syllabus material.

As a special shout-out to fellow Canadian genealogists, I highlight Janice Nickerson’s webinar, Seven Sources for Seeking Scoundrels and Lianne Kruger’s presentation, FamilySearch Catalog: The Sears Christmas Catalog for Genealogists. But they’re just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of well-known speakers from around the world taking part in this marathon.