Researching at the Archives of Ontario

Alberta is unique among the 10 Canadian provinces. It was the last of the three Prairie provinces to be opened to homesteading, which meant land in that province was available just as quality homesteading land dried up in the United States. That brought a rush from south of the border, and the American influence is still felt today. There has been another mass influx of people eager to work in the energy industry. Many of the key sources used in researching your ancestors or cousins in Alberta are also unique, so local knowledge is essential. This session identifies those sources for you, and will help you get results in your searches.

The Canadian west was not won by cowboys and guns. The west was won by homesteaders, NWMP (RCMP), and railways. For a $10 registration fee and a lot of hard work a male farmer could have 160 acres of land. Farmers or want-to-be-farmers came from all over. We will use a couple of case studies, search for homestead records, review all the components to understand what the records indicate, convert the data to enter and locate it on Google Maps, and view what the area looks like today. Other records such as Hudson’s Bay Company and RCMP records will be shown.

If you have already worked out that ‘Mc’ and ‘Mac’ surnames are the most complicated British surnames, you must listen to this webinar. And if you haven’t already worked this out, you must absolutely listen to this webinar. ‘Mc’ surnames are double the trouble because they can suffer distortions at the beginning, middle and end of the ‘Mc’ prefix as well as at the beginning, middle and end of the rest of the surname, the root word. Sound glides are a particular problem, in which the ‘k’ sound at the end of the ‘Mc’ prefix distorts the first letter of the root word (e.g. McCue/McKew/McHugh, McLachlan/McGloughlan). Transcription errors can also produce a non-‘Mc’ surname (e.g. Mackever/Markever) which can prove a trap for the unwary. This seminar will help you keep you sane when you encounter the complexities of these mad Scottish-origin surnames.

DNA Painter is a popular website for genealogists who want to explore their autosomal DNA test results. Join site creator Jonny Perl for this update on new features for tree visualizations and chromosome mapping, as well as other recent releases and tools.

The MyHeritage DNA test offers the most detailed ethnicity report on the market, pinpointing your origins across thousands of genetic and geographic regions. Learn how to explore, analyze, and interpret your results to gain insights about where you come from.

Montana has 56 counties, and there’s a plethora of sources available across this 4th largest state. You’ll get a quick tour of Montana genealogy treasures online. Also, a tour of Montana sites and their specific genealogy databases available from archives and local history societies, along with a site-specific guide telling of the latest archives, museums, libraries and historical/genealogical societies open to aid in your search for ancestors, and ghost towns and mining camps, too! We’ll experience historical Montana maps available online, learn how to plan a specific trip to maximize the archives and local historical sites where other records (taxes, poll taxes, road taxes, poor taxes, boulevard districts, real estate additions, types of directories available per area, etc.), and note the specific genealogy and history societies/museums available to provide local helps. You’ll have access to a 30+ page (online) of the resources and references noted in the presentation.

Learn about the different types of census records and substitutes that can place your ancestors in New Spain or Mexico. This class will discuss why the records were created, where to find them, and what type of information they contain.

Que vous soyez en Belgique ou ailleurs, le 21 juillet, jour de la fête nationale belge, est l'occasion idéale pour partir à la recherche de vos ancêtres du plat pays. Que ce soit en Flandre, en Wallonie ou à Bruxelles, des ressources existent pour vous aider à les retrouver, spécialement dans les millions de nouvelles données disponibles dans les collections historiques de MyHeritage qui concernent la Belgique. Avec pédagogie, humour et didactique, Marie Cappart, Country Manager pour MyHeritage en Belgique, historienne de formation, généalogiste et autrice de ‘Le Guide de la Généalogie en Belgique’ vous oriente pas à pas dans les archives belges et vous montre comment retrouver vos ancêtres du plat pays à l'aide des collections belges de MyHeritage, l'État-Civil, les registres paroissiaux, et d’autres collections. Et si vous n'avez pas d'ancêtres belges, c'est que vous avez mal cherché !

Religious records are essential in genealogy research. Do you know all ancestors’ religions? Review the Protestant Reformation and religions in the U.S. Find your ancestor.