—Dutch Ancestry Stream

Grain mill replica, Leiden, 2009 (photo © Nancy Conn)

Please note: OGS Conference 2010 is now over.

The Saturday program of Conference 2010 will include a specialized stream for researchers with ancestry in the Netherlands.

The day will begin with an exclusive lecture (limited to registrants in the Dutch or Italian streams) by one of North America’s most popular genealogical speakers, John Philip Colletta. The Dutch stream will continue with an in-depth two-part lecture on specific record groups and research strategies. These foundational sessions will be followed by a case-history presentation that will highlight some of the unusual collections and sources, in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world.

Registrants who opt for the Dutch stream are expected to attend all four Dutch sessions (D1-D4) on Saturday, and then, if they wish, choose from the concurrent lectures from the regular Conference program for each of the remaining two sessions of the day.

NOTE: To attend the Dutch Ancestry stream, register for the Saturday Package or the Full Weekend Package, then select the appropriate Dutch sessions. Be sure to read over the complete Conference program before deciding. There’s lots that might interest you on other days.

OGS Conference 2010 is grateful for the support of:

Saturday, May 15: Schedule

8:30 am – 9:30 am
Session D1: How to Prepare for Successful Research in European Records – John Philip Colletta
This lecture will discuss how to prepare on this side of the Atlantic for successful genealogical research overseas—whether that research is conducted through correspondence or in person. Using numerous examples, it will address the facts that are needed to get started on European research, how to break through language barriers, become familiar with the records of the target country and learn to read old script. It will explain the importance of writing letters of introduction, knowing the historical and cultural context in which the old records were created, and planning transportation and lodging in advance.

10:00 am – 11:00 am
Session D2: Traversing Dutch Genealogical Records: Sources to Trace Our Ancestors – Susanna de Groot
Civil registration in the Netherlands began in 1811 and these records hold many details of interest to the genealogist. Prior to 1811, church records are the source to trace Dutch ancestors. This lecture will address both of these key record groups, as well as population records. These sources contain more than just names and dates; they can reveal other information and clues as to our ancestors’ lives.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Session D3: Going Dutch! Effective Searching for North Americans – Susanna de Groot
Searching for Dutch ancestors from a distance can be daunting. This lecture will provide information about archives/repositories, websites and online tools that can help, as well as resources available from the Family History Library and public libraries, and how to obtain documents in a cost-effective manner. These sources of information can assist even those researchers with little or no knowledge of the Dutch language.

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch break

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Session D4: Unusual Sources for Dutch Research – Mary M. Nash
Most genealogists are aware of the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie in den Haag. But there are many other collections and specialized sources in the Netherlands and around the world that may hold relevant information for researchers with Dutch ancestry. Non-Dutch sources may assist in tracing the movements and activities of migrants from the Netherlands. This presentation will draw on examples from nearly two decades of research into the Frohn and Heeres families, which turned up not only “traditional” genealogical material, but also some intriguing stories and slices of life.

DUTCH STREAM ENDS. CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING CONCURRENT SESSIONS FROM THE REGULAR CONFERENCE PROGRAM, IF YOU WISH.

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Session 16: Online Family Trees – Rick Crume
Someone has probably researched your family history already, so why repeat work that’s already been done? Check online family trees, such as Ancestry Member Trees, the GenCircles Global Tree and Genes Reunited, and you might even tie into a family whose history has already been traced back many generations. This presentation will point you to the largest online family trees, as well as several ethnic and foreign family trees. The speaker will share tips for searching family trees, verifying what you find and dealing with copyright issues, and will show you how to contribute your own family information, while addressing concerns you might have about retaining ownership of your research.

Session 17: Citations for Canadians – Alison Hare
Why is there such a buzz about citations? Not that long ago many genealogists paid no attention to them; now their importance is stressed to even the newest beginner. Why all the fuss? Many genealogists understand that a citation will allow them to find a record again if they need it, but good citations involve more than that. This talk will explain why citations are so important and discuss the ins and outs of writing them. What elements are essential? How should elements be ordered? How important is style and punctuation? What are the pros and cons of footnotes versus endnotes? Is a bibliography sufficient? How should online sources be cited? Examples for commonly used Canadian genealogy sources will be presented and explained.

Session 18: Destination Canada: Immigration and Related Records – Dave Obee
The decision to move from one country to another is one of the most important decisions in a person’s life—and in family history research, immigration is as important as births, deaths and marriages. Since the vast majority of Canadians descend from immigrants, it is critical to find out as much as we can about the migrations of our ancestors. This lecture will provide an overview of what is available—ship passenger lists, border crossing records, naturalization and citizenship documents, and much more—and how to use migration information effectively. The speaker is the author of the finding aid Destination Canada, a new edition of which will be published in April 2010.

Session 19: Social Networking for Genealogists: Should We Be Doing It Just Because It Is New? – Marian Press
Many genealogists have already embraced social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, Flickr and Second Life, and made them uniquely their own for family history. Other social networking sites, such as Geni.com, FamilyHistoryLink and GeneTree, have been developed by genealogists for genealogists as a means of bringing related individuals together. In addition, some traditional genealogy sites, such as Ancestry, FootNote and Genes Reunited, are adding social networking features to their existing services. Is social networking more useful than other tools—GEDCOM sites, mailing lists, etc. —in uniting family historians? Which sites are most likely to be around in the long term? At the very least, genealogists should explore what social networking has to offer, since it pays to advertise one’s ancestors in as many ways as possible.

Session 20: How Do You Solve a Mystery like Marie? A Complex Case Study – Elayne Lockhart
This case study will show how public and private records from Switzerland, England and Ireland were used to uncover the unique story of the life of Marie Richenet (1797-1862). This is a story that evolved through unpredictable twists and turns from the 1600s until the mid-1800s and included town and canton records that provided insight into the lives of single mothers. The social history of Switzerland provided the backdrop for the start of a new life for Marie in Ireland and England, where her 40-year relationship with a leading aristocratic family opened up other avenues of research. The presentation will illustrate the value of searching parallel lines and locating present-day descendants.

4:45 pm – 5:45 pm
Session 21: Newspapers in Family History Research – Dave Obee
Newspapers can be a wonderful source for people trying to learn more about the lives of their ancestors. They can help to provide context to a family history and can be used to fill in gaps or correct errors in official records. Newspapers can also provide the basics—obituaries and announcements of births and marriages. This presentation will offer research tips from someone who has been a journalist for more than three decades, starting with an example of a case where newspapers helped push through a brick wall, and continuing with a variety of ways that newspapers might help a family history project. It will include ways to find and search newspapers on the Internet, on microfilm and in print.

Session 22: Tap into Your Inner Private Eye: Tracking Down Living Relatives – Lisa Louise Cooke
It is easy to get caught up with finding dead relatives, but it is the living ones who can share their personal stories, their boxes of photos in their attic, and their address books. It is imperative that you find and talk to these relatives while you still can. But finding a living person can prove quite a challenge in today’s identity security-conscious society. This presentation will offer tips and techniques from private investigators who are in the business of locating people. Participants will learn how to track down those elusive living relatives who just may hold that treasured photograph, or the key to a brick wall.

Session 23: Reading Immigrant Clues in Photographs – Maureen A. Taylor
Family historians often overlook the ethnic evidence that is hidden in their photograph albums. Using case studies and examples, this presentation will demonstrate how researchers can spot and interpret immigration clues in family photographs.

Session 24: New Toronto Research Tools – Various Speakers
Research in a big city presents its own set of benefits and problems. On the plus side, there were likely more records created with which to document your ancestors—and a better chance of archives and libraries to preserve the records. But on the other hand, it is really easy to lose track of your ancestors in all those records. This session will showcase several new projects—diverse in both content and method—to gather, organize, annotate, and make accessible important Toronto records and historical information. Several presenters from OGS Toronto Branch and partner organizations will provide the latest news on these projects.

Session 25: From Oysters to Riches: A Study of the Auger Family from Burnham on Crouch in England – Gary Schroder
This lecture will examine how you can use church registers, wills, picture postcards, and local English historical societies to gather a sea of information on a family living in a small village in Essex from the 1750s till the 1950s.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
SOCIAL HOUR: EVERYONE WELCOME (Cash bar)

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
CONFERENCE 2010 BANQUET (Optional ticketed event)
Banquet address – Author, historian and archaeologist Karolyn Smardz Frost will tell us about the 20 years of historical detective work in researching the stories of fugitive slaves Thornton and Lucie Blackburn for her Governor General’s Award winning book, I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad.