Posted by conference on August 28, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Dutch Research Stream, Italian Research Stream, Speakers and Program | 
We are pleased to include two more firsts at the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2010. On Saturday, May 15, we’re adding add two specialized streams to the program on the essentials of researching Dutch and Italian ancestry respectively*.
The two streams will begin with an exclusive joint lecture on preparations for a European research trip to the Netherlands or Italy. Then the groups separate for in-depth two-part lectures on researching Dutch and Italian records. After lunch, each group will hear a case-history presentation from North American researchers who have successfully used both Canadian and Dutch or Italian records to construct a family history.
For each of the last two sessions of the day, attendees can choose from five different lectures from the full Conference program such as Canadian immigration and passenger list records, using newspapers in genealogical research and deriving ancestral clues from old photographs.
These streams will appeal to experienced family history researchers who’ve never gotten around to their one Dutch or Italian ancestor, as well as to those in the Dutch and Italian communities who’ve always been curious about their family histories but have not had access to the quality information necessary to get them started.
Speakers and full program will be announced in this blog in upcoming months. To register to receive an e-mail alert when the program and registration form go online, please contact us at conference2010@ogs.on.ca.
*The Dutch and Italian streams will be offered in addition to the usual compliment of five concurrent lectures during every session.
Posted by conference on August 23, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Delights Stream, Speakers and Program |
The “Delights” of our theme—Essentials, Innovations & Delights—will be very evident in the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Conference 2010 program. The more than 70 plenary and concurrent lectures will include a generous sprinkling of genealogical case histories.
Case histories—lectures that tell the story of how a researcher discovered a particular individual or family—might just demonstrate a new source or technique that can be directly applied your own research. They will certainly show you how one piece of information provides clues to the next, and how the pieces can be drawn together to paint a more complete picture of an ancestor’s life.
The case histories selected for the Conference 2010 program cover a wide variety of subjects, locations, and time periods. There’s sure to be something for everyone.
The proposals intrigued our program committee, and we hope they will inspire and “delight” you.
Posted by conference on August 15, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, The Making of Conference 2010 |
Ontario Genealogical Society conferences are organized by volunteers—from one of our Society’s 30 branches, or sometimes from a group of branches. The conference is held in a different part of Ontario each year, rotating on an informal basis.
With the wrap-up of the 2009 event in Oakville, the reins of OGS Conference 2010 are firmly in the hands of Toronto Branch.
It is not the first time for Toronto Branch. The 1969 conference was presented by a one-year-old Toronto Branch and included volunteer hostesses “nattily attired in Centennial dress”. In 1975 we took on the task with the theme “York and the Home District”, and again in 1985 with “Toronto: Meeting Place” which featured a banquet in the blockhouse of Historic Fort York. In 1993 we celebrated the founding of the Town of York with “Toronto: The First Hundred”—and the largest attendance to date. In 2004 we emphasized methodology with the “3RRRs of Family History”, expanded the program to include a full day of concurrent sessions and workshops on Friday, and co-hosted the first pre-conference activities on Thursday.
For OGS Conference 2010, we are incredibly lucky to have an enthusiastic organizing committee of 36 people, that has been coming out to meetings since the fall of 2008. (A steering committee of eight implements the decisions of the organizing committee, coordinates the sub-committees, and makes sure no detail falls between the cracks.)
Each volunteer filled out an information form that asked about his or her skills and experience—but more importantly about how they’d like to be involved. Sometimes volunteering is about a new challenge.
One of the most active committees to date has been program. In several marathon sessions, the six-member program committee has read and considered more than 300 wide-ranging proposals, and is well on the way to an excellent final program with a good balance of familiar and new faces, and topics that will appeal to novice and seasoned researchers.
Other committees are working out the details of all other aspects of Conference 2010—from contacting potential exhibitors for Marketplace, to handling the crowds at the registration desk, and providing opportunities to sample genealogical software and subscription databases. We’re figuring out how to use changing media (like this blog) to attract registrants, and how to keep them informed once they’ve made the decision to attend. And so much more…
So why would we take on the big task of organizing OGS Conference 2010?
We have each experienced the benefits of learning and sharing with other family historians at Toronto Branch meetings, courses, workshops, and annual OGS conferences. We’re excited to invite you to join us for a conference that will be as stimulating, content-rich—and smooth running—as we can possibly make it!
Posted by conference on August 7, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Pro/Advanced Stream, Speakers and Program |
On Friday, May 14, OGS Conference 2010 will offer a special full-day program for the professional genealogist or advanced researcher with comparable expertise. This special five-lecture module will be one of several options for those looking to profitably extend their weekend. (Other Friday lectures, workshops and a tour will be announced in due course.)
Designed with input from the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (OCAPG), the professional/advanced module will deal with thorny issues of genealogical evidence, proof and problem-solving. Delivering the three morning lectures will be Dr. Thomas W. Jones, who was introduced in this blog on July 24 (below) in regard to his presentation of the Houston Memorial Lecture.
Here is a tentative list of methodological topics on which Dr. Jones will speak in the professional/advanced module:
- Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestors’ Identities Indirectly
- Organizing Evidence to Overcome Record Shortages
- The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames
Discussions are underway with speakers of comparable stature to deliver two afternoon lectures in the professional/advanced module. Stay tuned…
Posted by conference on August 2, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Marketplace |
The Marketplace has always been a major feature of OGS conferences.
It is a once-a-year opportunity for all 30 Ontario Genealogical Society branches to display books about their local areas and in particular the publications they have produced. Sales of these very modestly priced books and CDs are an important source of income to fund future projects.
Most of the OGS branch publications are transcriptions of records—like gravestone inscriptions, registers of births, marriages and deaths, cenotaphs, wills, and almost anything else you can think of. Branches are also great at producing guides to research in their areas. But the most important features of an OGS branch table are the local experts standing behind it, only too pleased to answer your questions and suggest new routes for your research.
The Ontario Genealogical Society as a whole also produces many publications that will be available at Conference 2010. It has become tradition for the Society to launch new books at the annual conference. We can’t wait to see what’s coming up for 2010!
The 2010 Marketplace will also include displays from other genealogical and historical organizations whose publications, databases, or expertise could be the key to your research.
The final component of Marketplace is the commercial vendors. These vary from small publishers or authors with one or two print or software titles, to antiquarian booksellers, to the largest Canadian retailers specializing in family history. Companies offering online subscription genealogical databases, periodicals, and genealogical educators will also be well represented.
And Marketplace is always a great place to pick up a one-of-a-kind treasure, a bargain book or CD, a subscription discount, or even a free trial offer!
