A summary of each meeting is posted here after the meeting.
If available, the handout from a meeting is provided next to the summary.
January 21, 2023 – Sherrilyn Bell titled her talk “Unusual Family History – What Lies Beneath” She presented a fascinating tale about finding death registrations for all six children of one family and exploring further. She left us to decide whether these events were “unfortunate” or suspicious.
February 18, 2023 – Jennifer DeBruin spoke on “Slavery Along the St. Lawrence River.” We learned that New France had over 4,000 enslaved people, Loyalists brought their “domestics,” and the last slave sale in Ontario was held in 1824 near Belleville.
March 18, 2023 – Melanie McLennan spoke about “The Great Hunger – a Genealogist’s Perspective.” She dispelled some myths about the Irish Potato Famine and then discussed their migration to Canada, including Kingston, where they changed from river boats to lake boats.
April 15, 2023 – Joanne Gervais discussed “Self-Publishing on Amazon.” She said it’s easy to use Amazon ‘s online software to upload a manuscript prepared on your own computer. She outlined the steps and encouraged us all to publish family history and share it with others.
May 20, 2023 – Show and Tell – Several members shared family stories. Patty McGregor from Ottawa displayed a watch chain inherited from a 2-gts-grandmother. Nancy Conn of Toronto showed a sampler worked by her 2-gts-grandmother. Amy Nikkel from Carleton Place had an invitation and photo from the 1923 Hoffman Family Centennial. Mary Burns showed items from her father’s WW2 service in The Netherlands. Bill Cookman displayed a collection of handkerchiefs from his aunts. Nancy Cutway showed her grandmother’s tiny button shoes.
September 16, 2023 – Diane Duncan spoke about “The Other 50% — The Women in Your Family Tree.” She outlined the sources that enabled her to expand her knowledge about one woman on her family tree from just a name and birthdate to a 436-page book about Janet and her descendants.
- “The Other 50%” Handout
October 15, 2023 – Kingston Branch celebrated our 50th Anniversary with a special event held at Kingston Frontenac Public Library Central Branch.
November 18, 2023 – Glenn Wright spoke on “Proudly She Served: Canadian Women in Uniform 1885—1945.” Women have been involved with the Canadian military from the 1885 North-West Rebellion onward, and Glenn outlined the sources for their records.
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.