Saturday, March 30, 2013

Jill Ball and Dennis Brimhall of FamilySearch at RootsTech 2013


 
Whew! I think that I have read every blog, and viewed every video, available on RootsTech 2013!

Now I would like to say something about Australian Jill Ball's interviews for her blog, Geniaus.

She did over a dozen interviews with everyone from Alan Phillips and Alona Tester of Unlock the Past from Australia, to genealogist Else Churchill from The Society of Genealogists and Alec Tritton, Chairman of The Halsted Trust from London,  England, and so on. I especially liked the interview she did with Dennis Brimhall, CEO of FamilySearch.

During the interview, he said that they are always looking for indexers at FamilySearch. Right nw, they have 170,000 people, but they are always looking for more.

And on the emphasis of stories at this year's conference, Brimhall said that we, as genealogists, need to be "more than just dates": we need to be seen by the public as the tellers of stories about our families. This is the way to bring young people into the family search fields - tell the stories about their families.

So listen to the interviews, and see if you agree with me in saying that the people were interesting, and had lots of interesting things to say.

If you wish to see the Brimhall interview, go to her post entitled, "What an Opportunity", at http://geniaus.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-opportunity.html

Friday, March 29, 2013

AGM meeting of the PEIGS

The public is invited to the Annual General Meeting of the Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society on Saturday April 13 at 2:00 p.m. at Beaconsfield's Carriage House, located at the corner of Kent and West Streets in Charlottetown.

The guest speaker will be David Hooper, co-chair of the 2009 PEI Coles Reunion and descendant of George Coles who emigrated to PEI about 1809. His topic is Coles: Brash, Outspoken and Progressive, 200 years of a PEI family.

Questions and discussion will follow the presentation.

Information on the activities of the PEI Genealogical Society will be available to all, as will memberships for anyone wishing to renew or support the society by joining for a first time. Admission is Free.

For more information email fredchorne@gmail.com, ot go to www.peigs.ca

No Easter Databases

I have checked with Ancestry.ca, and there isn't any free access to their historical databases this weekend for the Easter holiday.

However, on their Facebook page, they do tell us that they still have available their Family Tree Sweepstakes.

If you haven't entered yet, you can start here at www.facebook.com/Ancestry.ca

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Spring Seminar Series - New Brunswick Genealogical Society

In April, the New Brunswick Genealogical Society is holding three Spring Seminars on the calendar, and they are –

Exploring the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Website

On Saturday, April 13th, there will be a meeting at 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB. The talk will be presented by Mary-Ellen Badeau. 

The Loyalist Collection (Harriet Irving Library UNB)

On Saturday, April 20th, there will be a meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB, and it will be presented by Kathryn Hilder.

New Brunswick Court Records

On Saturday, April 27th, there will be a meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 am at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, 23 Dineen Drive (UNB Campus) Fredericton, NB, and the talk will be given by Joanna Aiton-Kerr.

There is no registration fee for this seminar. There will be a donation basket in the room for donations to the Associates of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.

Bring your own lunch. Research time in the afternoon.

To read about other programs available in April, go to www.nbgs.ca/events.php

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bytown/Ottawa Settlers in the 1800s

Jim Stanzell, from the Ottawa Branch of the OGS, says today that he will post the settlers of three distinct settlements in the Ottawa area during the 1800s on the Ottawa Branch blogsite .

The settlements are –

1. Hull, Quebec settled by Philemon Wright in 1800

2. Richmond Military Settlement, mainly Goulbourn Twp, Richmond, Stittsville and Ashton area, which started in the fall of 1818 and consisted mainly of soldiers of the 99th/100th Reg't

3. Rideau Canal settlement started when Lt/Col John By came to the area [eventually Bytown ] in 1826/1827 to build the Rideau Canal

He says that he will post on alternate Wednesdays between visits to Ottawa City Archives where he will gather info/data to post and rotate thru the three settlements above.

In 2 weeks time, on the 10 Apr 2013, there will be data/info on Hull and Philemon Wright settlers.

To read the post, go to  http://ogsottawa.blogspot.com/2013/03/bytownottawa-settlers.html

Manitoba Genealogical Society is going to have online databases

The MGS recently made an announcement that they are planning to put online indexes of cemeteries, vital records information etc and it will be available to members and non-members alike.  The records will be on a pay-for-view basis.

They say that they will have indexes of historical records that even Ancestry.ca does not have!

Also, some time ago, I read that the Manitoba Genealogical Society was offering a discount on membership fees if you were also a member of the Ontario Genealogical Society and/or the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society.

I had an inquiry into the society about the amount of the discount before I reported it to my readers, and now I have the answer - the discount is $5.00 CDN.

Thank to the MGS for letting us know of their plans for 2013, and beyond. This sounds exciting, and I look forward to it as I have the family of Rev. Joseph Hogg from Nova Scotia in Manitoba at the turn of the 20th century.

To go to their website, go to www.mbgenealogy.com

2013 AGS Conference

The Alberta Genealogical Society invites you to join them in celebrating their 40th Anniversary Conference “Same Roots, Different Branches” at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre, Edmonton, Alberta on 20 & 21 April 2013.

The conference committee have the pleasure of bringing the most electrifying and diverse international, regional and local speakers to maximize your conference experience.

The lineup of presenters include:

Stephen Young

Lisa Louise Cooke

Dave Obee

Pat Ryan

Deanna Bullock

Lyn Meehan

John Althouse

Alison Freake

Vernon R. Wishart

The conference opens with Stephen C. Young, a project manager with FamilySearch. His topic will be FamilySearch: Genealogy at Your Fingertips. Stephen will explore features and services on FamilySearch, WIKI that provides valuable research guidance, and information about indexing—an opportunity to “pay-it-forward”.

Fot those who are new to genealogy, there will be A Beginner’s Track is recommended for those just starting, however all participants at any level are more than welcome to attend.

Numerous door prizes, vendor merchandise and publications from AGS Branches will be for sale. And attendees have the privilege of pre-conference tours to Edmonton’s diverse specialized libraries and archives on Friday, 19 April 2013.

Registrations are now being accepted at www.abgensoc.ca/events.html#agsconf