Last weekend, I finally got into the back-to-school learning mode and watched several virtual presentations. My brain is still exploding with all I learned.
This weekend, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) and Ontario Ancestors have presentations that caught my attention and may also pique your interest.
BIFHSGO, which had planned to hold its annual conference at about this time, will host a half-day Genealogy Webinar with Dr. Penny Walters on Saturday, September 26. The $20 fee includes detailed handouts.
Registrants will have access to videos of the presentations for several days afterward.
Psychology of searching (begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time)
Compiling pedigrees was needed for landed gentry, but genealogy is now a popular hobby. This session will look at kinship, homelands, heritages, race memory, becoming obsessed with searching, and putting all the pieces in our jigsaw. Why do we research ancestors with whom we share so little DNA? Are we searching for who they were, or who we are?
Ethical dilemmas in genealogy (begins at 10:30 a.m.)
“I’m just compiling our family tree, what can go wrong?” What do ethics and morality mean, and what do they have to do with genealogy? Ethical dilemmas in genealogy have come to the forefront since law enforcement utilized information from GEDMatch to apprehend a suspected serial killer. These issues include exposing secrets and lies, and unexpected DNA results. Many people have to struggle through ethical dilemmas on their own; attendees at this session will learn how to consider ethical issues with empathy and sensitivity.
Dr. Penny Walters has been a university lecturer for 30 years in psychology and business studies. She has authored books on both topics offered in this webinar: The Psychology of Searching and Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy (both available for purchase online). Having researched her two family trees for 30 years, she lectures internationally and writes articles about a variety of genealogy topics, including ethical dilemmas, adoption, ethnicity and identity and Irish heritage. www.searchmypast.co.uk
The Halton-Peel Branch of Ontario Ancestors will host the free webinar, Tracing Your Ancestors Through Social History, presented by Barbara J. Starmans, PLGCS, on Sunday, September 27, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Researching your family using social history resources will help trace your ancestors back to the times in which they lived. Ms. Starmans is a genealogist and freelance writer. She is the author of Tracing Your Ancestors’ Lives and an instructor in social history at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies.
Register to watch the free webinar.
