Wednesday, September 21, 2011

BIFHSGO 2011 Conference – Day 2

Another sunny morning met us as we awoke for Day 2 of the BIFHSGO Conference.

The first talk I heard was "You Might Have a 19th Century British Mormon on Your Family Tree" given by Linda Blair.

Did you know that in the mid-19th Century there were more Mormon in Britain than in North America?

So when Linda discovered that a direct ancestor had emigrated to the US, she was on an ancestry hunt, and it finally led her to a membership in the International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

The second one I attended was by Gary Schroder and was called “How to Find Your Ancestors in Quebec” and as usual – he was in fine form.

He talked about marriage and death records (1926 to 1997), and notary records.

His talk was interrupted by a power outage which sort of put a damper on things, but Gary kept on going, and didn't miss a beat.

Then after a most enjoyable lunch with John D. Reid of Anglo-Celtic Connections blog http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com.

We then headed downstairs to hear Gary Schroder once again talk about “How to Find Your Ancestors in the British Army 1760-1945.

He explained what WO97 included, and gave an outlined what is held on findmypast, and at the National Archives.

The last talk of the day was given by Audrey Collins called “The Fleet Registers: Clandestine Marriages in London 1667-1754”

These marriages were performed by people who lived near the Fleet prison, London, and the many records can be searched to see if any of your ancestors did get married there.

We then went to supper at the Bay Street Bistro, where my husband and myself sat with Brian Watson, the co-chair of the BIFHSGO Conference, and attendees Judy, Linda, Mary, Barbara, Barbara, Ross, and June.