Conference 2012

Book Launch at Conference 2012

Chair — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:56:29 +0000

It’s always exciting to have new books of genealogical interest.

At Conference 2012, OGS and Dundurn will be launching two of their co-published books. You’ll have the opportunity to meet the authors and have your copy signed during the reception after the Houston Lecture, on Friday, June 1st.

Janice Nickerson’s new book is titled “York’s Sacrifice: Militia Casualties of the War of 1812″. David Elliott’s book is titled “Researching Your Irish Ancestors at Home and Abroad”.

John Reid recently spoke with David Elliott, and you can hear the interview with David Elliott here.

Interview with Conference Chair

Chair — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:10:51 +0000

Chair Nancy Cutway was recently on-air with Jack Thompson on Kingston’s 102.7 The Lake radio. She pointed out that Conference 2012 could be a great starting point for beginners as well as an opportunity for more experienced family historians to network. You can listen Nancy’s interview with Jack Thompson

SIGS at Conference 2012

Chair — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:54:30 +0000

The three SIGs (Special Interest Groups) that are part of OGS — the Irish SIG, British Home Child SIG, and Irish Palatine SIG — will each be holding their own Annual General Meeting during Conference 2012. If you are a member of one of these SIGs, or are interested in attending their meeting to learn more about them, you can join their meeting over the lunch hour on Saturday, June 2. Check your printed program for the location for each.

You don’t need to skip lunch to attend the meeting: you may carefully take food and drink into any of the classrooms. The only room where any food or drink (even water) is strictly forbidden is the Research Room.

SIGs … another reason to come to Conference and network with genealogists.

Conference Speaker: Stephen C. Young

Chair — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Born and raised in London, Ontario, speaker Stephen C. Young earned a BA at Brigham Young University in Family and Local History (1985) and an MA in American History (emphasis in Public History) at Bowling Green State University in Ohio (1990).

Stephen has been an employee of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1988. During this time he has worked in the Family History Library administration, held a special four-year appointment (1992-1996) in England supervising the British 1881 Census Project, and is currently assigned as a FamilySearch project manager involving publication of data for Canada, the British Isles, and the Pacific.

Stephen will be busy at Conference 2012:
• Friday afternoon, workshop 6: “PowerPoint 2007 – Technology for Presenting Your Family History”
• Session 7 (Saturday morning): FamilySearch: Records Access
• Session 16 (Saturday afternoon): Ontario Vital Records: What Registrations Will and Won’t Reveal
• Session 29 (Sunday morning): World War II Service in the Royal Canadian Navy

Another great reason to come to Conference 2012!

Conference Meals Deadline

Chair — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:58:42 +0000

The deadline for ordering meals at Conference 2012 is fast approaching: Thursday, May 10th.

Some people have apparently assumed they can just go to the college cafeteria instead of pre-purchasing meals by ticket. The cafeteria will be CLOSED as of 2:30 pm on Friday, June 1st and the ONLY meals available for the duration of the conference will be by ticket from OGS. If you’d like to add meal tickets to an existing Conference registration, please call the OGS office at 416-489-0734 or email to before May 10th.

Clarification About Tours

Chair — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:50:18 +0000

Some people have indicated that they would like to take both an afternoon workshop and a tour … and in one specific instance, you can!

If you are taking an afternoon workshop, they end at 4:00 p.m. There are still some spaces available for the 4:15 departure of the Trolley Tour, the one-hour narrated tour that passes through the historic parts of Kingston and relates the history of people and buildings from Kingston’s past. So if you leave your workshop and walk briskly to the front of St. Lawrence College to board the Trolley, you CAN do both.

It is not possible to combine Tour 2 (to Fort Henry) or Tour 3 (research trip to Royal Military College library) with any other activity, since both are full afternoon trips.

Spaces are also still available on earlier departures of the Trolley Tour (3:15 or 2:15). Those who have ordered a Trolley Tour will be notified in mid-May which departure time they have been assigned.

People who have already registered for Conference and wish to add a Tour may do so by emailing provoffice@ogs.on.ca or calling the OGS Office at 416-489-0734.

Early Bird Contest Winner

Chair — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:11:50 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Tourism Kingston, we were able to offer an Early Bird contest for those who registered for Conference by March 31st. A ticket was created for each registrant, and at the Annual General Meeting of Region VIII on Saturday, April 21st, retiring Region VIII Director Mike More drew the winning ticket.

Congratulations to Lynne Willoughby of Ottawa. Lynne won two nights at the Holiday Inn on Kingston’s waterfront, two passes to Fort Henry, two tickets on the Kingston Tour Trolley, and some other personal items. She plans to return to Kingston after Conference, when she and a companion will have the time to really enjoy playing tourist in the historic downtown.

Workshop Presenter: Rick Roberts

Chair — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:00:08 +0000

At the recent Region VIII OGS Genealogy Day, John Reid caught up with Rick Roberts and asked about the workshop Rick is presenting at Conference 2012. You can listen to their conversation here.

Rick’s workshop (Workshop 7, on Friday, June 1st, 1:30-4:00 pm) is entitled “Using Family Tree Maker Software to Record and Share Your Family History”.

Conference Speaker: Lois Sparling

Chair — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:16:15 +0000

Speaker Lois Sparling and her family members are typical of the settlement pattern in Canada: some of her ancestors were United Empire Loyalists who settled along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River after the American Revolution – and she’ll be using them as one of her examples. Gradually their descendants progressed westward, and Lois herself lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Lois’s interest in “family” is expressed in several distinct ways. She is well-known in the West as a speaker and writer on genealogical topics, and was actively involved in the campaign to have the 1906 and 1911 census records released to the public. She is also, by day, an attorney who specializes in family law.

At Conference 2012, Lois will be presenting
• Workshop W3, Friday 9:30 am-noon – An Overview of Land Records in North America
• Session S19, Saturday 4:15-5:15 pm – The Last Best West
• Session 28, Sunday 9:00-10:00 am – Some Loyalist and Late Loyalist Families From Prescott County, Ontario
• Session 36, Sunday 1:00-2:00 pm – Salt Lake City, Here We Come

Chat about Marketplace

Chair — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:14:15 +0000

Early in March, John Reid interviewed Mike More, Region VIII OGS Director and coordinator of Marketplace for Conference 2012.

Listen to the interview here. Mike More but keep in mind as you listen that it was recorded about a month ago — and the 65 confirmed tables Mike mentions have now grown to just over 100.

You’ll be sure to find lots of interest in the Marketplace. As Mike describes, it’s all within a compact area — and close enough to residence that you can take your bag of new books back to your room before the next session!

Assemble your “wish list” over the next two months, and come browse the Marketplace. It’s always great to take new books home with you, without paying shipping!