Please join us as we Celebrate 50 Years as a Branch in the Ontario Genealogical Society! 

For what’s happening, please click on “50th Year”  in the menu above. We will post updates throughout the year. 

 

Based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, we are a branch of  Ontario Ancestors, the provincial Ontario Genealogical Society. Our branch was established in 1973. We are an active and friendly group, with a membership that includes both new and experienced researchers. We meet eight or nine times a year for educational talks, information sessions, and other activities.

We encourage and assist those who are interested in family history in the City of Kingston, in Frontenac County and Lennox and Addington County. We also maintain an extensive Library of books and other research materials and an on-going publications program, with more than 200 books available for sale.  You’re welcome to join us. For more information, please visit our Membership page. We’ll look forward to seeing you!

There is a wealth of information in the Members Only section of the website! Many recordings of presentations and many handouts. Worth a look! Go to the Member only section by clicking “Member Only” in the menu bar above.

Not a member but you would like to listen to the presentations? Why not become a member of the branch? There are many other benefits of being a member of the branch. For other benefits, please click on becoming a member of the Kingston Branch.

Kingston Branch is now only selling Digital Download publications on the OGS Marketplace.  Paper copies can still be ordered directly from the Branch by sending an e-mail to  <kingstonpublications@ogs.on.ca>

Drop-ins offered by our branch and KFPL

Kingston Branch and Kingston Frontenac Public Library are once again collaborating to host genealogy drop-ins. The sessions run from 1-3 pm on the following dates:

Tue. April 18 at Central Branch

Thur. April 27 at Isabel Turner Branch

Tue. May 2 at Central Branch

Thur. May 11 at Isabel Turner Branch

Tue. May 16 at Isabel Turner Branch

Thur. May 25 at Central Branch

Registration is not required. Come with your questions and we will try to answer them.

Pittsburgh Township Publications

A few months ago, our Branch was given copies of eight publications originally produced by the Pittsburgh Historical Society, as this group has unfortunately dissolved. We now have the copyright to reproduce and sell these publications, and all have been digitized. The list is as follows:
 Milton Cemetery, 36 p., produced in 1975. Although it is earlier than our version (2012), there is a more detailed introduction and additional photos. $5.00.
 St. Barnaby’s Roman Catholic Cemetery (at Brewer’s Mills), 41 p., produced in 1977. $6.50.
 1844 Assessment Roll, 39 p., $6.00.
 1846 Assessment Roll, 43 p., $7.00.
 1891 Assessment Roll, 28 p., $5.00.
 Pittsburgh Township, 1783-1948, An annotated Bibliography of Historical Sources, 109 p., $15.00.
 1871 Census, Pittsburgh Township, 103 p., $10.00.
 1881 Census, Pittsburgh Township, 198 p. (single-sided), $10.00.
These have been added to the Publication Price List.

Riverview Cemetery, Napanee

The Cemetery Committee has recently completed the transcription of all gravestones and the columbaria of Riverview Cemetery in the Town of Greater Napanee. GPS co-ordinates are included for each Row, to assist you in the Cemetery. The Introduction includes a description of the Cemetery, which began in 1841, as well as several photographs. The publication also includes 317 names from the burial register from 1951 to 1992. Unfortunately, there is no register prior to 1951, and 1992 is the last year that can be included due to privacy restrictions. There are over 7,000 names in the fullname Index.
It is available for sale as a Digital Download on the OGS Marketplace for $15.00, or directly from the Branch at: kingstonpublications@ogs.on.ca as a digital file ($15.00) or printed publication ($39.00 plus postage.)
As part of the celebration of our Branch’s 50th anniversary, the Branch Council has approved the addition of Riverview Cemetery into the Members’ Only section of the website.

Morven Cemetery

The transcription, indexing and final editing of Morven Cemetery, Ernestown Township, Lennox & Addington County, is now complete (133 p., ISBN: 978-0-7779-4739-5).  The earliest burials were in the 1850’s.  Information for unreadable stones was extracted from transcriptions completed in 1938 and 1975.  This publication is now available for sale in printed form ($30.00 plus postage) or PDF file ($15.00) from the branch by sending an email to kingstonpublications@ogs.on.ca or as a digital download ($15.00) through the OGS marketplace.”

Early Ontario Marriage Records 

Kingston Relations reported in the January/February 2022 issue that our Branch has been working in collaboration with Queen’s University Archives (QUA) to digitize and add early Ontario marriage records to the QUA website. This is the first of our 50th Anniversary projects and it will be completed in our anniversary year, 2023.

To see a copy of this article, please click on the link: Kingston Relations January/February 2022.

A transcription project was created by QUA, and a total of 480 pages for 250 documents have been transcribed, proofread and edited by volunteers. It is presently being processed before being added to the QUA website. Kingston Branch is proud of its contribution to make these records accessible.

Publication Committee News

by Paul Woodrow, Publications Chairman

Used Books for Sale. Please click on the link for a list 29 used books for sale.

Several years ago, Kingston Branch received copies of the books described below. All were published by Mika Publishing Company, Belleville.

Frontenac at Cataraqui, 1673-1973, 84 p. Count Frontenac, the Governor of New France, established a fort on the site where Fort Frontenac is located today. In 1973, a re-enactment of the original landing took place as part of Kingston’s Tercentenary. This book describes the planning of this event, the script which accompanied the arrival of the canoes and bateaux which had travelled from Lachine, Quebec, list of participants and numerous photos taken during the 1973 event. Price: $3.00, soft cover.

Kingston Splendid Heritage, 96 p. This book contains a history of the development of Kingston and many high quality photographs of significant Kingston buildings. Price: $7.00, hardback.

Kingston Historic City, 192 p. Kingston’s history is depicted in more detail than the previous book and the numerous photographs and maps are reproduced in high quality. Price: $10.00, hardback.

Splendid Heritage, Historical Buildings of Ontario, 142 p. This book celebrates Ontario’s heritage. Its numerous photographs, combined with descriptive text, tell stories of many of Ontario’s significant historic buildings. Price: $10.00, hardback.

Copies of these books are still available. Contact kingstonpublications@ogs.on.ca.

On the Members’ Only section of our website, the following publications have been added:
 Abstracts of Surrogate Court Wills, Kingston and Vicinity,1790-1858;
 Index to Wills Probated, Frontenac County, 1857-1973;
 Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms, 1834-1898, Including Strays, Errors and Omissions;
 The Napanee Letters of James McKitterick, 1877-1885 (Index only);
 Book of Ancestors, a Branch 20th anniversary publication.

Presentations at Branch Meetings in the Year 2023

18 March 2023 – Melanie McLellan presented– “The Great Hunger – A Genealogist’s Perspective” 

A handout is available  in the Members Only section of this website.

 A recording of the presentation is in the Members Only section of this site.

15 April, 2023 Johanne Gervais presented “Self-publishing on Amazon”

A recording of the presentation can be found in the Members Only section of this website.

20 May, 2023, Show and Tell  

A recording of this meeting is posted in the Members Only section of our website

16 September 2023 Diane Duncan will present “The 50%- The women in your family tree.”

To register, please click on this link.

15 October 2023 An in person, Kingston Branch-KPFL Open House, a 50th Anniversary event

To register, please click on this link.

15 November 2023 Glenn Wright will present “Proudly she served: Canadian women at war 1885-1945

Check back closer to the date for a registration link.

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Kingston Frontenac Public Library

The Kingston Branch OGS collection and microfilm collection are available to the public whenever the library’s Central Branch is open. For library hours, locations and announcements, please visit www.kfpl.ca.

Home access to Ancestry Library Edition ended on December 31st, 2021 but you can still access it free of charge from within any of KFPL’s sixteen branches.

Some KFPL Short video tutorials (Click here for what’s available) about Ancestry Library Edition and historical Kingston newspapers are available free on the KFPL YouTube channel.

For updates about the library’s status with regard to COVID restrictions, please visit the COVID Updates page of the KFPL website.

KFPL’s Local History and Heritage Librarian is Anne Hall. Anne can be reached through the Contact page of the KFPL website or by email at ahall@kfpl.ca