Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2008 Wired Genealogy 30

Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2008 Wired Genealogy 30 May – 1 June 2008 Don Ferrett OLLI at Mason - Genealogy Club 17 September 2008

Purposes of Presentation To convey the feeling of attending a large genealogy conference, describe the range of topics that is currently being covered at such meetings, and inspire others to attend one in the near future.

Plan of Coverage n n n Canada and Ontario OGS History Conference 2008 n n n Conference Setting Conference Organization Conference Topics Details of Selected Lectures Some Important Websites

Canada and Ontario

Brief History of Canada n n n n n ~1000 Lief Ericcson wintered at L’Anse aux Meadows on northern Newfoundland 1497 John Cabot explored Newfoundland looking for a passage to China 1504 French vessels fished near Newfoundland 1534 -44 Cartier explored St Lawrence region 1560 s-70 s >1000 Basques, French, Portuguese, and English fishing/whaling in Grand Banks and St Lawrence each year 1608 Champlain founded Quebec City 1670 Hudson’s Bay Company chartered 1763 French ceded Canada to Britain 1867 Year of Confederation – Colonies became Dominion of Canada

Development of Ontario: (2006) Area 412, 581 sq mi Population 12, 160, 282 Texas: (2006 est. ) Area 261, 797 Population 23, 507, 783

OGS History

History of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) n n n n Founded in 1961 First bulletin, annual meetings began in 1962 First Seminar held in 1964, 125 attended First constitution adopted in 1966 250 members by 1967, Toronto branch formed 5000 members by 1986, 25 branches Library housed in North York Public Library

OGS Branches (30) n n n n Brant County Bruce & Grey Region Durham Region Elgin County Essex County Haldimand County Halton-Peel Hamilton Huron County Kawartha Kent Kingston Lambton County Leeds & Grenville London & Middlesex County n n n n Niagara Peninsula Nipissing District Norfolk County Ottawa Oxford County Perth County Quinte Sault Ste Marie District Simcoe County Sudbury District Thunder Bay District Toronto Waterloo Region Wellington County York Region

OGS Seminars n 2008 London Wired Genealogy n 2007 Ottawa The Peopling of Canada n 2006 Oshawa From Buggy Whips to Microchips n 2005 Windsor Cross Border Heritage n 2004 Toronto Three Rs of Family History: Resources, Research, Results

OGS Conference 2008 Wired Genealogy Fanshawe College London, Ontario 30 May – 1 June 2008

Conference Setting

Fanshawe College London, Ontario

Conference Organization

Conference Overview n n n 10 Workshops in 2 time slots (Friday) 36 Lectures in 7 time slots (Saturday & Sunday) English double-decker bus tour of the city available (Friday PM) All meals available on site Free parking for conference Kitchenette, Living Room, or Combination Suites available

Conference Overview n Friday n n Saturday n n Optional workshops (9: 30 -12: 00, 1: 30 -4: 00) Optional bus tour of London, Ontario (PM) Opening ceremonies and memorial lecture (7: 30 -10: 30) Keynote address and OGS annual general meeting (8: 0011: 15) Sessions (11: 15 -12: 15, 1: 30 -2: 30, 3: 00 -4: 00, 4: 30 -5: 30) Reception and banquet (6: 30 -9: 30) Sunday n n Sessions (9: 00 -10: 00, 10: 30 -11: 30, 1: 00 -2: 00) Closing ceremonies (2: 15 -)

Conference Costs n n n n Friday Workshops: $45 each Friday Tour of London: $20 Saturday and Sunday: $110 ($130 non-member) Breakfast: $8 Lunch: $12 Dinner: $21 Banquet: $30 Rooms: $80 + 10% tax per night

Research Aids n Internet Access n n n Ethernet/LAN in all bedrooms (byo cable) Wi. Fi in most areas of the campus Research Room in Computer Lab n n n Free access to several pay-per-view/member only sites Ask a Professional – sign up for advice Wall of Ancestors – 3 x 5 cards posted Surname Tags Marketplace

Conference Topics

Workshops – Friday Morning n n n One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools (Stephen Morse) Family Tree Maker 2008 (Rick Roberts) Using the Internet for Family History Research (Fawne Stratford-Devai) Using Online Sources for Emigration from the British Isles and Europe and Immigration to Canada (David Elliot) Using and Understanding Creative Suite 3 Adobe Photoshop Extended (John Sing)

Workshops – Friday Afternoon n n Using the LDS Family. Search Website (Fawne Stratford-Devai) Getting the Most Out of PRONI’s Online Resources (Valerie Adams) Organize, Plan, and Share Your Family Tree Using Legacy Family Tree Software (Geoff Rasmussen) Writing an Interesting Family History (Louise St Denis) DNA and Genealogy (Colleen Fitzpatrick)

Special Lectures n Houston Memorial Lecture n n n Dick Eastman Friday 7: 30 PM Keynote Address n n Colleen Fitzpatrick – Forensic Photo Analysis: You Will Never Look at Your Old Photos the Same Way Again! Saturday 8: 00 AM

Sessions - Saturday 11: 15 -12: 15 n n n Deep Linking and Deeper Linking: How I Get the Most out of Existing Search Applications (Stephen Morse) Family. Search. org: Digital Records Coming to a PC Near You (Stephen Young) Strategic Internet and Technology Solutions for Scottish Genealogy (Richard Doherty) Getting the Most Out of Genealogical Databases (Paul Mc. Grath) Internet 2008 (Halvor Moorshead)

Sessions - Saturday 1: 30 – 2: 30 n n n Library and Archives Canada (LAC) & Canadian Genealogy Centre on the WEB (Ruth Burkholder) Newspapers - A Goldmine of Information (Alan Campbell) Legacy Family Tree - an Overview (Geoff Rasmussen) The Database Detective (Colleen Fitzpatrick) Understanding PRONI’s Online Resources (Valerie Adams)

Sessions - Saturday 3: 00 – 4: 00 n n n So You’ve Got Some Web Space - Why Not Plant a Tree? (Grace Jewell) Conservation: Keeping Up With Technology (Dick Eastman) E-Books and Genealogical Research (Karen Marshall) For King and Country: Military Records (Alastair Neely) Genealogical Education From a Distance - Learning Genealogy Online (Louise J. St. Denis)

Sessions - Saturday 4: 30 – 5: 30 n n n Genealogist’s Guide to Working with Digital Images (Geoff Rasmussen) Web 2. 0 (Halvor Moorshead) Leaving Ontario: Online Resources for Tracking Ontario Migrants (Fawne Stratford-Devai) Family. Search. Org: Research Helps Online (Stephen Young) Strategic Internet and Technology Solutions for Irish Genealogy (Richard Doherty)

Sessions - Sunday 9: 00 – 10: 00 n n n Genealogy Searches on Google (Dick Eastman) Innovative Family Tools to Connect Families (David Lifferth) Strategic Internet and Technology Solutions for British Genealogy (Richard Doherty) DNA and Genealogy (Colleen Fitzpatrick) French-Canadian Research: Online Help and Other Resources (Louis J. St. Denis)

Sessions - Sunday 10: 30 – 11: 30 n n n Finding Rare Genealogical Materials Online: A Look at Some of the Resources Used by “Ancestors in the Attic” (Paul Mc. Grath) Developments on the OGS Website (Fraser Dunford) What Color Ellis Island Search Form Should I Use? (Stephen Morse) The Online Resources of the Archives of Ontario and How Do I Use Them? (Kathie Orr) Mapping Your Ancestors Electronically: Using Software and the Internet (Geoff Rasmussen)

Sessions - Sunday 1: 00 – 2: 00 n n n The Internet: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Dick Eastman) Overview of Forensic Genealogy: CSI Meets Roots (Colleen Fitzpatrick) Getting Your Money’s Worth (Bob Dawes) Researching With Ancestry. ca (Lesley Anderson) Researching Old Newspapers Online (Halvor Moorshead)

Details of Selected Lectures

Dating Old Photographs Colleen Fitzpatrick n n n Clothing worn is not usually helpful Type of photo determines earliest time period Type of paper assists in dating Format can help in determining model of camera Cultural artifacts in photo can help with date Other factors n n n Name/location of photographer Lot/serial number of photo Latent images on back www. forensicgenealogy. info

“Colleen Fitzpatrick suggests that scholarly methodology alone is not enough. She suggests that we should also use the methods of detectives, crime scene investigators, geneticists, criminologists, and FBI laboratory technicians. Dr. Fitzpatrick shows how to further your genealogy investigations by using a mix of the methods used by Sherlock Holmes and by CSI: Miami…” Dick Eastman

British Isles Research Richard Doherty n Presented extensive lists of websites for n n Scottish Genealogy Irish Genealogy – http: //ifhf. brsgenealogy. com n n Largest collection of Irish Parish records searchable online Free search, 5 euros to view complete record British Genealogy Doherty leads research trips to Dublin and Belfast n www. Celtic. Quest. net (Note: Celtic. Quest website does not include websites presented in his talks)

Genealogical Database Research Paul Mc. Grath n n n Wildcards (where possible) Shortened version of name First name only Date only or date and place Parent(s) vs. person (births, marriages) City directories to find neighbors n n Search back and forth around neighbor www. Gen. Smarts. com ($) (excellent gateway)

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Online Valerie Adams n 180, 000 pages of catalogues online n n First time accessible outside Ireland Public and private archives All pre-1840 registers at PRONI now indexed, digitized, and fully searchable online n Index to 1858 -1920 wills now online n Many more databases due in next three years www. proni. gov. uk/ n

Working with Digital Images Geoffrey Rasmussen n Because you don’t know how you may use the image: n n n Image editing software n n n Save in either. bmp or, preferably. tif format Scan at 300 -600 dpi Organize photos so that others will understand content Save copies to CD, DVD, and external hard drives, and share with family/friends Can fix dust and scratches, lighting, color, red eye, etc. Can add citations to image Pro. Media Manager Suite is designed for genealogists Many others available (e. g. , Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, Picasa, etc. ) Publishing a Photo Book n Book design software available from www. Shutterfly. com , www. Picaboo. com , www. Photoworks. com , and www. Creative. Memories. com

Mapping Your Ancestors Electronically Geoffrey Rasmussen n Ani. Map n n n Centennia n n n Displays all county maps for U. S. and part of Canada www. goldbug. com Map-based history of Europe and Middle East from 11 th century to the present www. clockwk. com Legacy Family Tree 7. 0 n n Automatic county verifier and location plotter www. legacyfamilytree. com

David Lifferth World. Vital. Records. com n Over 20, 000 online databases, 2 billion names n n n n 20 new databases added per day 25, 000 subscribers Godfrey Memorial Library partnership Searchable Everton’s Genealogical Helper Searches: Exact/Soundex/Double-Metaphone Small. Town. Papers collection www. Family. History. Link. com n Connect with others researching surnames/locations

Using Online Databases Bob Dawes n Use these software protections n n Take the following precautions n n n n Anti-virus, firewall, spyware, cleanup utility Don’t give your user ID’s or passwords Don’t respond to offered prizes You don’t have rich relatives in Nigeria Don’t open unexpected attachments Free stuff isn’t free – screen savers, system scanners, etc. Always use secure (https) sites for transactions Suggestions n n n Open a Pay. Pal account Have a low-limit credit card you use only for online purchases Create a password you use only for financial transactions n At least 8 characters: upper/lower case letters, number(s), and symbol(s)

Online Pay-Per-View Services Bob Dawes n Transaction based n n Subscription based n n n Charge for each search, image view, or deliverable May use credit system, minimum may apply, term www. findmypast. com ($) Charge for period of time www. ancestry. com ($) Membership based n n Charge is for membership dues www. newenglandancestors. org (NEGHS) ($)

Researching with Ancestry Lesley Anderson Recently added databases n n n n Border Crossings from Canada to U. S. , 1895 -1956 Historic Land Ownership and Reference Atlases Historical Newspaper Collection – updated Library of Congress Photo Collection U. S. General Land Office Records, 1796 -1907 U. S. Passport Applications, 1787 -1925 U. S. War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789 -1858 U. S. WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Note: Subscriptions available for U. S. , Australia, British Isles, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, or Sweden at lower rates than www. ancestry. com

Researching with Ancestry Lesley Anderson Coming in 2008 n n n n Drouin Collection Index (Quebec), 1641 -1949 California Voter Registration Lists, 1905 -1955 North Carolina Vital Records, 1958 -2004 Missouri Vital Records, 1805 -2000 Register of Enlistments in the U. S. Army, 17981914 Canadian Passenger Lists with Index, 1865 -1935 Stars and Stripes, Pacific Theater, 1945 -1963

Searching Newspapers Online Alan Campbell n Free site examples n n www. loc. gov/chroniclingamerica/ www. paperofrecord. com www. smalltownpapers. com Pay site examples n n n www. ancestry. com U. S. - $155, World - $299 www. genealogybank. com/gbnk/keyword. html $70 www. worldvitalrecords. com U. S. - $50, World - $100 n n U. S. includes Everton’s Genealogical Helper World includes Everton’s and Godfrey Memorial Library

Researching Old Newspapers Online Halvor Moorshead What’s available? n n 140, 000 titles believed to be microfilmed starting in the 1600 s Estimated 250 million pages now online n n n 2 -5 million new pages added each month Paper of Record (www. paperofrecord. com) has 21 million pages Proquest (www. proquest. com ($)) available at some libraries or n n n n New York Times, 1851 -2001 Avail. at Fairfax, Prince William Wall Street Journal, 1889 -1987 Washington Post, 1877 -1988 Avail. at Fairfax, Prince William Christian Science Monitor, 1908 -1991 Los Angeles Times, 1881 -1984 Chicago Tribune, 1849 -1984 Boston Globe, 1872 -1922

Researching Old Newspapers Online Halvor Moorshead n Selected pay sites n www. Obits. Archive. com ($) n n www. newslibrary. com ($) n n 125 million articles, 2500 historical newspapers: $70 www. newspaperarchive. com ($) n n Modern newspapers: $2 -3 per article www. newsbank. com ($) – now Genealogy. Bank n n 23 million names: $3 per article 85 million pages, 2. 9 billion names, 761 cities: $96 www. godfrey. org ($) n Several databases, including The London Times and the 19 th Century Newspaper Collection from Accessible Archives: $35

Some Websites of Interest

Websites of Interest n http: //stevemorse. org n n www. familyhistoryarchive. byu. edu n n Over 11, 000 digitized and indexed family histories www. genealogicalstudies. com n n One-step webpages including Ellis Island searches Earn a Certificate in Genealogical Studies online from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies www. old-maps. co. uk n Many very-detailed old maps of the UK for sale

Websites of Interest n www. internet-genealogy. com/lectures. htm n Notes and articles from Halvor Moorshead’s talks n n http: //labs. familysearch. org n n Next generation site for Family. Search www. rootsweb. ancestry. com n n Information on Web 2. 0, Researching Old Newspapers Online, Dating Old Photographs Now part of Ancestry www. Cyndislist. com

Websites of Interest for Canadian Research n www. collectionscanada. gc. ca/genealogy n n www. archivescanada. ca n n Canadian local histories www. archives. gov. on. ca n n Search many Canadian archives at once www. ourroots. ca n n Canadian Genealogy Centre Archives of Ontario http: //genealogie. planete. qc. ca n French Canadian genealogy (in French!)

From the Printed Page to the Digital Age Ontario Genealogical Society – 2009 Conference Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario 29 -31 May 2009 www. ogs. on. ca/conference

Scottish Genealogy n www. alcona. org/scotland. htm n n Robert Ferrett’s pamphlet on Scottish genealogy research Handed out at the Annual Highland Games of the St. Andrews Society of Detroit n 159 th annual highland games n n n Oldest continuous highland games in North America Held at Historic Greenmead Park in Livonia, MI 1, 2 August 2008