Meeting Some Well-Known Genea-Peeps

My Genea-Peeps and Yours Truly

Yesterday I hosted a dinner and get together for a few of my genea-peeps who were attending or presentig at the OGS (Ontario Genealogical Society) Conference in Ontario. I had only met two in person - (Mark Olsen and Thomas MacEntee). It was wonderful to reconnect and to meet those who I only knew through Social Media! 

Thomas MacEntee, Dave Obee, Christine Woodcock, Janet Iles, Kathryn Lake Hogan and Mark Olsen joined my husband and I (and two of my grandchildren) for dinner and a lovely fun evening of laughter and genealogy talk. 

 It's always great to talk to like-minded people - namely other genealogists!!

Introducing Ken McKinlay, Professional Genealogist

Ken McKinlay is an Ottawa Ontario based genealogist. Olive Tree Genealogy recently interviewed Ken so that I could introduce him to my readers. 

I've seen Ken's meticulous research on various Facebook groups and am very impressed with his research skills and citing of his sources. Read on for my questions and Ken's responses:

How and when did you become involved in the field of genealogy?

I first became involved in genealogy and family history due to my curiosity. I had always heard stories that a branch of the family was descended from Loyalists, another branch came to North America on the Mayflower, and yet another branch came to Scotland from Ireland. I wanted to find the truth behind each of these family tales. Amazingly enough those stories have all turned out to be true. I have been able to document that I am a descendant of Lt. Caleb Howe of the Queen’s Rangers (I have three or four other Loyalist lines I’m working on too), I can trace one of my lines to Elizabeth Tilley of the Mayflower (I’m also looking at a possible Brewster connection), and the McKinlay family that settled in Thornliebank, Scotland did come from Londonderry, Ireland around the late 1830s.

What is your main genealogical focus?

Over time my genealogical focus has gone from researching my own roots to doing research for clients and also helping out those that post to certain genealogy related groups on Facebook. What I enjoy most is sharing my knowledge. What I’ve found is that I enjoy teaching people how to do research, whether it be speaking at a society meeting (a little stressful for me but I do enjoy it), blogging, or telling someone where I found the information I had posted in response to their Facebook query. If I can educate someone as to how the information can be found that then means they can better learn how to do their own research.
 
What are your website(s) and blogs?

I do have a blog called Family Tree Knots found at http://familytreeknots.blogspot.ca/. There the focus is on the methodologies of genealogy research and where to find those oftentimes elusive records. When I’m dealing with my own research my blog becomes a “lessons learned” post plus a way to share the findings with family members.
 
Do you have a Social Media presence? 
I can be found on various social media sites including:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmwebott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmckinlay

Google+: https://www.google.com/+KenMcKinlay
 
Do you believe a Social Media presence is important?
I find that a Social Media presence is important since it allows me to interact with a much larger audience than just that found in the Ottawa region. It may be that I have information that someone is looking for or, more often, someone else has the information I’m trying to find. A simple post or query using the applicable site can lead to the key answer or document to resolve an outstanding problem.

Are you a member of any genealogical societies or organizations?

I’m a member and director at large of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO), a member of the Ottawa branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), a member of the United Empire Loyalists’ of Canada (UELAC), and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).
 
What does genealogy mean to you? Why do you believe it is important?

Genealogy is not only a way of learning about where the family came from but also the impact that history and society has had on each of us. We all have heroes and villains in our tree and they make the research interesting. Yet it is the common person that has helped bring us to where we are today. Finding out the causes of why the family moved from Ireland to Scotland or from a village in Yorkshire to the industrial city of Glasgow can make the history that they teach in school much more interesting.

What do you believe is the most exciting development in genealogy today?

I think there have been two important and exciting developments in the past several years. The first is the increased amount of documents that are now available to researchers without the need to either visit an archive or library or to send away and way weeks or even months for a response. That isn’t to say that archives and libraries aren’t important. Those brick and mortar buildings are a vital component to our research. However, with more records available at relatively low costs or even free anyone can start research their family tree. The second is genetic genealogy. As an adjunct to tracing the various lines using the well-known paper records, DNA testing has helped make connections to possible distant cousins.
 
Do you have a prediction or hope for the field of genealogy in the future?

In the near future I think that with the continued digitization projects more “lost” clues on our families will be uncovered. However, I don’t think it will be a rosy future 50 to 100 years from now when it comes to future genealogists trying to figure out our lives. So much of what used to be recorded in newspapers or even in letters is now being done electronically. Yet we don’t know if that information will survive us.

Discovery of Old Unknown Cemetery

This is an exciting find of a previously unknown and unrecorded cemetery. I am not sure who found this old burial spot in Ontario Canada but the YouTube channel is owned by NPBOGS which stands for Niagara Peninsula Branch Ontario Genealogical Society.

The explanation with the online video says

"We came across this cemetery from a tip that we received from an OGS [Ontario Genealogical Society]Member. Besides taking photos and other information we preformed [sic] Dowsing and from what can gather there are approx 8 plots. Please see video for more details."

Farewell to a Fellow Genealogist

J. Brian Gilchrist passed away in Ontario on May 1 2014. He was a good man and a very learned genealogist. In fact he was scheduled to speak at the OGS seminar this weekend. I met Brian virtually several years ago when I was trying to find the exact location of my father's grave.

I knew what Cemetery my father was in (St. James Crematorium in Toronto) and at the age of 19 I tried to find him so I could visit. Cemetery office staff  told me that he was in an unmarked grave in what is known as Potter's Field and they did not know the exact location.  Many years later I mentioned on a mailing list that I desperately wanted to find his grave and visit. Lo and behold, Brian stepped in and offered to help.

Within 2 days I had the exact location of my father's grave and a name of the person I should contact about having a memorial marker placed or my father's ashes moved. Within a month my father's ashes were sent to my home and I arranged for re-interment in a Cemetery in Guelph where his mother, father and brothers are all buried.

And so 49 years after my father died suddenly at the age of 47, we held a Memorial Service for him in Woodlawn Cemetery in Guelph Ontario.

I cannot explain how much finding my father's ashes meant to me. I am  deeply indebted and grateful to Brian for his generous spirit and for helping a complete stranger find peace.

Farewell Brian and may you Rest in Peace. 

Brian's funeral will be held at The Cathedral Church of St. James
Diocese of Toronto - Anglican Church of Canada at 11 am, May 5th, 2014
65 Church Street, 
Toronto, ON 
M5S 2E9
and will be conducted by Sub-Dean & Vicar The Reverent Canon David Brinton OGS

Library and Archives Canada Answers Questions About the 1921 Canadian Census

As most genealogists know, the 1921 Canadian Census is now online on  Ancestry.com and Ancestry.ca   It has not been indexed (yet) so researchers can only browse the images for now but Ancestry will be providing an index within a few months. The images are free to view but when the index is ready it will behind a pay-to-view wall.

Those who are not already Ancestry subscribers do need to sign up for free access but no credit card details are required. This is not the same as their 14 day free trial where credit card information is required. 

There is some controversy over Library and Archives (LAC) partnership with Ancestry.com and many people are questioning why an American based company has Canadian records, will we see the census on LAC's website at any point, etc.

After looking around, I found the answers to many  of those questions here on Collections Canada website at Learn more about the Library and Archives Canada Agreement with Ancestry.ca. It’s a very detailed explanation of the partnership deal between LAC and Ancestry.

Basically Ancestry gets to use the images while they do the indexing. The images and index are on Ancestry for 3 years then the indexes are turned over to LAC and they put the index and images online for free.

Seems like a win-win situation to me! If we waited for LAC to index we’d be waiting a very long time!

Interested genealogists can also read "LAC Answers Questions about Release of 1921 Census" on the OGS (Ontario Genealogical Society) Blog.

OGS Genealogy Conference 2013 May 31-June 2

OGS Conference 2013 is being held at Oshawa this year on the campus of Durham College. The theme is "Pulling up Stakes, Putting Down Roots" and it runs from May 31st to June 2nd

Fifty lectures and eight workshops offer tips and know-how for research in many countries including England, Ireland Scotland, Germany, Holland, Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, and many more. This year’s conference will include a number of presentations about migration routes and transportation methods.

May 17th is the cut-off for ordering meals with your conference registration.

Please see the conference website for a registration form and further details

Ontario Genealogical Society's 2013 Conference

The Ontario Genealogical Society's 2013 Conference will be held at Oshawa,
on the campus of Durham College/UOIT.  The dates will be May 30-June2, 2013.

The website and the blog for the event are being prepared and should be up
soon with all the information you will need to register.  Please go
to:  Ontario Genealogical Society website  and follow the links to the Conference.

OGS Quinte Branch Updated Searchable Database

The Quinte Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) covers Hastings, Prince Edward and southeastern Northumberland counties was one of the first areas settled by United Empire Loyalists in 1784.

Their Searchable Names Index has been updated and now has over 1,014,600 Names

More than 514,000 names have been added from cemetery transcriptions, baptism records, newspaper indexes and genealogies

If you are searching for Canadian ancestors in other parts of Ontario see Ontario Genealogy for online databases and links.

Ontario Genealogical Society 2009 Conference

The Ontario Genealogical Society's 2009 Conference web site is now on-line

This year the conference is hosted by the Halton-Peel Branch and is being held at Sheridan College in Oakville from May 29th to 31st. It will also celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Palatines who left their homes in 1709.

The web site contains full details of the schedule and registration, including a trip to the new Ontario Archives.

2008 Conference of the Ontario (Canada) Genealogical Society

May 30 - June 1, 2008

2008 Conference of the Ontario (Canada) Genealogical Society

Come to he largest genealogy and technology Conference in London, Ontario, Canada, sponsored by the Ontario Genealogical Society. Join Dick Eastman, Steve Morse, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Geoff Rasmussen, David Lifferth, Fawne Stratford-Devai, Louise St. Denis, Valerie Adams, Paul McGrath, Dick Doherty, Halvor Moorshead, Rick Roberts, Stephen Young, and 11 other speakers as they explore how technology & the internet can enhance genealogical research. 48 presentations.

The Marketplace will have the most complete selection available of material relating to family research in Ontario as well as material for other provinces and countries. Membership in the Ontario Genealogical Society is not required to register.