This 8-week evening course is on Tuesdays from October 3 to November 21.
The course is designed for those just beginning to research or looking to upgrade basic research skills. The course will cover terminology, types of sources, the use of on-line resources, libraries and archives, including LDS Family History Centres, and record-keeping – to help you “think like a genealogist”. Techniques discussed will apply to a wide variety of geographic areas, providing you with a good base for further courses.
Course Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara
ANNUAL MEETING AND LUNCHEON OF THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS
Early settlers could obtain their land free of cost, but it wasn’t free of paperwork and waiting patiently for the official wheels to turn. Luckily, most of the records of that process survive today. Understanding the hurdles that faced a petitioner can put those fascinating records into context, shed light on just how important land ownership was to our ancestors, and maybe give us a glimpse of their personalities.
OAKVILLE’S FIRST ANNUAL FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
10:00am to 4:00pm
At 2:30pm, I will speak on: City and Rural Directories for Family History Research.
Directories are a major source for family historians, particularly in North America. To glean all the information they offer, and to understand their limitations, it is useful to know a bit about the origins and history of directories, how and why they were compiled, types of directories available, and where you can find them today.
A THREE-WEEK COURSE ON THURSDAYS: FEBRUARY 1, 8 AND 15.
An enormous amount of information about the people and families who lived in early Ontario survives in land records. The records of the Crown Lands Department are extensive, complicated and sometimes a little mysterious, but extremely rich in unique and intriguing historical detail.
This three-session course, designed for both family and local historians, will provide an introduction to the land granting process and the main types of Crown Lands records. You’ll work in small groups on carefully chosen case histories to learn how to use the various finding aids and collections at the Archives of Ontario to document a person’s acquisition of land in Upper Canada.
Space is limited. Register early.
A Toronto Branch OGS course. Instructor: Jane E MacNamara
LIFE ON THE FARM: YOUR ANCESTOR’S PLACE IN ONTARIO AGRICULTURE
Meeting of Durham Region Branch OGS
We often think of farming as a traditional occupation—something that hasn’t really changed much. But that is not and was never the case. Farmers had to react and adapt to changing conditions like climate, technology, economics, new markets and new competitors. Some farmers did more than adapt. They set out to be the most productive by innovating with new techniques and processes, products, and marketing. Farm journals and business records survive in many archives. Farmers may have had help and encouragement along the way from agricultural associations, community groups, government agencies, or private patrons. Digitization of many of the records of these pro-agriculture organizations has made them a viable source to help us understand the changes that were happening around our farming ancestors—and whether they were leading the way or following the pack.
Think like a genealogist: Creative research techniques to help you follow the right ancestral trail
MONTHLY MEETING OF HALTON-PEEL BRANCH, OGS
Family history research is all about following clues and creativity—imagining what records might exist around a life event, figuring out how to find the records, gleaning every bit of information from them—and letting those records lead you logically to the next source. Whether you are new to genealogy, or you have been at it for a while, this session will reinvigorate your research with new tactics and techniques for analysis.