A summary of each meeting is posted here after the meeting.
If available, the handout from a meeting is provided next to the summary.
21 January 2017 — Several Kingston Branch members spoke on the topic “Who Knew?” in which they described surprising discoveries in their family trees, and how they learned about them.
- Paul Woodrow shared his experiences with publishing his father’s war memories in a small book.
- Jo Stanbridge told of a royal connection through her ancestor Anthony Woodville.
- Barbara Monk described her successful efforts to find and re-inter her father’s ashes in Mount Royal Cemetery.
- Alex Ross shared a story about his surprising discovery that his wife and her lifelong friend were both descended from the same Scottish ancestor: David Fairbairn (1798-1871) of Scotland.
- Helen Coffey described her discovery that the Anglican Church Archives holds wills and other records of parishoners who donated items or money to the church. These parish papers may be a useful resource for others whose ancestors did the same. Even those who gave quite small sums were recorded in these documents.
18 February 2017 — The branch Annual General Meeting was followed by a talk by Jo Stanbridge, Local History and Genealogy Librarian from Kingston Frontenac Public Library. She presented “Back to Basics: My Five Favourite Tips and Strategies” including instructions for accessing Ancestry Library Edition at any of the 16 KFPL branches, plus tips and tricks for using Digital Kingston, FamilySearch, Google and books and documents in the Kingston and OGS library collections currently housed at the Isabel Turner Branch.
18 March 2017 — Lesley Anderson and Glenn Wright gave a talk about “Creating Ontario: Immigration to Upper Canada and Canada West, 1791-1867.” They suggested reasons WHY people would leave hearth and home to come here, and asked WHO came into Ontario? They then discussed HOW they got here, examining immigration routes and available records. Their great handout is available to branch members on our website.
- “Creating Ontario” Handout
22 April 2017 — Gary Foster, Belleville spoke on “The Story Behind the Stones.” He illustrates how various factors are reflected in changes in the stones found in cemeteries, as far as materials available for use; artistic styles; symbols used on stones, etc. “Cemeteries capture the history of their communities,” concluded Gary.
20 May 2017 — Gord Sly gave us an introduction on screen to the “Frontenac County Schools Museum and Archives”. Then, after lunch, he kindly opened the doors to the Museum so we could tour the facilities. Some members took advantage of the opportunity to examine school records and found information on relatives who were teachers in the past.
16 September 2017 — Gail Dever gave an informative talk about “The Creme de la Creme of Online Resources for Quebec.” She demonstrated how to access the excellent resources that are available online, and gave tips for anglophone researchers about how to navigate French-language websites and databases.
21 October 2017 — Ron Mann offered “Some Hints and Guidelines for Beginning and Veteran Genealogists” learned during his 49 years researching his family history and publishing his discoveries.
18 November 2017 — Joyce Fingland presented “What is a GEDcom and How do I Make One?” She demonstrated the use of GEDcoms in both Legacy and Family Tree Maker, and in uploading to GEDmatch.
Other Links
Brief biographies of some speakers at Kingston Branch meetings are available at:
A more extensive write-up of each presentation may be found in the newsletter which follows that meeting date. The newsletters are available as follows:
- Kingston Branch Newsletters (More Than Three Years Old) – Available to members and non-members.
Further information is available in the Members Only area of this website, by clicking the following links:
- Kingston Branch Newsletters (Less Than Three Years Old)
- Recordings of Past Kingston Branch Meetings
- Handouts from Branch Presentations
- Official minutes of Past Meetings
Kingston Branch members of the Ontario Genealogical Society receive our newsletter, Kingston Relations as one of their membership benefits. To find out how you can join Kingston Branch, please visit our Membership page.