Speakers
Lesley Anderson, of Ottawa, has worked with Ancestry since May 2007 supporting the local Ancestry.ca team to develop strategic relationships with archives across Canada and acquire new Canadian historical records. A passionate family history researcher for more than 35 years, Lesley is a member of the board for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa and also volunteers at the local Family History Centre. She consults privately, teaches family history classes and speaks at seminars and conferences. As a first generation Canadian, Lesley’s roots can be traced very quickly back to England. Her ancestors were agricultural labourers, gentlemen farmers and shareholders in collieries and the railroad from Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire. Lesley continues to research her Thorogood and Platts lines going back to the early 1700s and also her husband’s line from Antrim, Ireland.
Website: www.ancestry.ca
Presentations:
Searching and Exploring Ancestry
New Projects at Ancestry (Friday ticketed luncheon)
William H. (Bill) Bienia, PLCGS, based in Hillsburgh, Ontario, is a full-time professional genealogist, who has been involved in Ontario research for over 15 years. He specializes in 18th and 19th century records in early Ontario, and in Loyalist ancestry. He also researches records in the New England and northeastern U.S. states for pre-Loyalist families. A member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Ontario Genealogical Society, Bill is on the faculty of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies in Toronto, specializing in writing course material for genealogy software programs. He has extensive experience with many of the popular genealogy programs. Bill has completed Certificate programs in Canadian Records and United States Records through the National Institute, and regularly presents workshops on a variety of genealogy-related topics.
Website: www.cobblestonelegacies.com
Presentation: Working Effectively with RootsMagic
Ruth Blair, PLCGS, is a professional genealogist based in Oakville, Ontario. She has been doing family history research for more than 25 years. Her research has taken her from Canada to Ireland, England, Scotland, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Ruth has written two books. The first, Planning a Genealogical Trip to Ireland: the Research Trail in Dublin, helps the novice research traveller to prepare for a trip and provides advice on using the various repositories in Dublin. She has also written Remembering Trafalgar Township, a book commemorating the 200th anniversary of Ontario’s Trafalgar Township.
Website: www.familyhistorysearches.com
Presentation: Searching Modern Records in an Era of Privacy Legislation: A Case Study
As a genealogist, historian and educator, Ruth Burkholder of Stouffville, Ontario, has been working in the local history and genealogy fields for the past 25 years. She talks and teaches, writes books and compiles indexes, works for others and volunteers her time with historical and genealogical societies. Helping someone find that detail that leads to further knowledge of their family, however, is still one of the most thrilling things that Ruth experiences.
Presentation: Building an Online Family Tree at Ancestry.ca
John Philip Colletta, Ph.D., is one of America’s most popular genealogical lecturers. He is based in Washington, DC, where he conducted workshops for the National Archives and taught courses for the Smithsonian Institution and local universities for many years. He is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University (Birmingham, AL) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He has also been an instructor and course coordinator for the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the Genealogical Institute of Texas, and the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America. John’s publications include two manuals—They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record and Finding Italian Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans—and numerous how-to articles. His latest book—Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its Aftermath—is a history of the German-speaking merchants of the Mississippi Delta during Reconstruction.
Website: http://www.genealogyjohn.com
Presentations:
Stories that Instruct: Using Case Studies to Teach Genealogy Methodology
Principles of Good Writing and Good Storytelling
How to Prepare for Successful Research in European Records—Dutch Stream or Italian Stream
Italian Records, Part 1: The Foundation for Successful Research
Italian Records, Part 2: A Detailed Examination, One by One
Writing a Narrative Family History, Part 1: A Reliable Document
Writing a Narrative Family History, Part 2: A Readable Story
Hacks and Hookers and Putting Up Pickles: Snares of Yesteryear’s English
Lisa Louise Cooke, from California, is the producer and host of the Genealogy Gems podcast and the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast, online genealogy “radio” shows available through her website. Her podcasts and website strive to help listeners make the most of their research time by providing innovative ideas and interviews with genealogy experts, and to share their findings through creative projects and motivational stories. In her book Genealogy Gems: Ultimate Research Strategies, Lisa offers how-to instructions for all of the gems featured in the first season of the show. And Lisa provides daily doses of genealogy news and fun to readers with her Genealogy Gems News blog. Lisa is also the host of the Family Tree Magazine podcast, a monthly show featuring behind the scenes information and interviews, and has written for the magazine as well. Motivated by her lifelong passion for history, in 2006 Lisa starred in the PBS history miniseries Texas Ranch House. She had the opportunity to live in West Texas with her family for three months on a 400,000-acre cattle ranch with no electricity or running water, as in 1867.
Website: www.genealogygems.tv
Presentations:
Genealogy Podcasts 101: Free Online “Radio Shows” for Researchers
What You Must Know To Save Your Research from Destruction
Tap into Your Inner Private Eye: Tracking Down Living Relatives
Rick Crume, from Minnesota, is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine and has written for Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy and Discovering Family History magazines. The author of Plugging Into Your Past: How to Find Real Family History Records Online, he specializes in online research, genealogy software and British genealogy. He also created the Genealogical Library Master Catalog listing the genealogy holdings of many American libraries. Since he became interested in genealogy at age 14, he has done extensive research on his ancestry in the New England and Mid-Atlantic States, New Brunswick and the British Isles. He has also written articles for genealogical society journals in the U.S., New Brunswick and Wales.
Website: www.onelibrary.com
Presentations:
The Paper Chase: Using Online Tools to Find Manuscripts
Online Family Trees
British Intelligence: Smart Strategies for Tracking Down English, Scottish and Welsh Ancestors
Genealogy Hacks: Mining the Internet’s Most Visited Genealogy Sites
Susanna de Groot, PLCGS, owner of Windmill Genealogy Services in Toronto, is a professional genealogist and lecturer—specializing in Ontario and Netherlands research. Susanna is a graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and has received her Professional Learning Certificate in Canadian Records. She is the instructor of the course “Research: Dutch Ancestors in the Netherlands”, as well as the administrative coordinator at the National Institute. Susanna has written a number of genealogical articles and is the co-author of the book Finding Your Dutch Ancestors, published by Heritage Productions. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists–Ontario Chapter, the Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and the National Genealogical Society.
Website: www.windmillgenealogy.com
Presentations:
Traversing Dutch Genealogical Records: Sources to Trace Our Ancestors
Going Dutch! Effective Searching for North Americans
Ships Ahoy! Navigating the Great Lakes for Genealogical Research
Melissa J. Ellis, of Toronto, has been a family history researcher for over 30 years. She tackles genealogical problem solving with unique “outside of the box” approaches. Melissa was recently awarded a Certificate in Postgraduate Genealogical Studies from Scotland’s University of Strathclyde and is now currently pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma from the same university. For over ten years she volunteered at the Etobicoke Family History Centre helping researchers trace their family histories. In recent years she served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Archives of Ontario and served a term as President. An annual series of tours of little-known archives, a successful architectural lecture series partnered with the City of Toronto Archives, and a grant program for small archives, were just some of this organization’s outreach programs. Melissa is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Ontario Genealogical Society.
Presentation: Post Empire Loyalists Era: A Case History
AMY WACHS FELLNER
NOTE: Unfortunately, speaker Amy Wachs Fellner has had to withdraw from Conference 2010. Watch for replacement sessions coming soon.
Karolyn Smardz Frost, Ph.D., is an historian and archaeologist, as well as an award-winning author. She won the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction in 2007 for I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land: a Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad. Critically acclaimed and honoured with several prestigious awards in both the U.S. and Canada, I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land tells the gripping tale of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, fugitive slaves from Kentucky whose 1831 flight to freedom made history. Karolyn has been the Research Associate for the York Centre for Education and Community at York University in Toronto, and teaches African Canadian History, Toronto history and primary research. In 1985, Karolyn founded the Toronto Board of Education’s Archaeological Resource Centre (ARC). More than 3,000 schoolchildren took part in the dig at the home of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn through ARC programs. The author of numerous articles and books on history and archaeology, Karolyn’s biography of a runaway slave and her former mistress, Steal Away Home: Letters to a Runaway Slave, will be published in 2011 by HarperCollins Canada. Karolyn and her environmentalist husband, Norm Frost, divide their time between Toronto, their home in Collingwood, and a cottage in Nova Scotia.
Website: www.homeingloryland.com
Presentation: Conference 2010 Banquet Address (ticketed event)
John A. Geck is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS) at the University of Toronto, and the Jackman Genealogical Research Associate for the Records for Early English Drama (REED). At REED, John researches the family histories of identified medieval and early modern patrons of theatre, music, and other entertainment in England and Wales. His own research interests include Middle English literature, manuscript studies, as well as late medieval drama and its connections to the political and social history of the period. In addition to a number of courses taught at the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto, John has also spoken at the annual CMS conference in Toronto, the International Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Romance in Medieval Britain conference at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and the London Old and Middle English Research Seminar’s conference at the University of London, UK.
Website: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/reed
Presentation: Patrons and Performances: Finding Connections to the Arts in Early Modern England and Wales
Alison Hare, CG, of Ottawa, is a researcher, lecturer and editor with 29 years of experience in genealogy. She is certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C. and has extensive research experience, working mainly at Library and Archives Canada. She has lectured in Ontario and the United States. She has three times been recognized for the quality of her lectures presented to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa and in 2008 was inducted into that society’s Hall of Fame. She is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and an active member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. In 1999, she served as genealogist-in-residence at the Ottawa Public Library. A former journalist, her special interests include genealogical writing and editing. Her article “Searching for Greens at the Time of Peter Robinson” was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in March 2007. The Ottawa Branch News, newsletter of the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Ottawa Branch, won numerous Marion Keffer awards under her editorship between 1997 and 2002.
Presentations:
Citations for Canadians
The Time of Cholera
Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, has edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. He is a former trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, former board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and recipient of its 2004 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit. Recently retired from a 30-year career in higher education, Tom works full time as a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. His research has encompassed records of every state east of the Mississippi, as well as Iowa, Missouri, Texas, England, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Wales. He specializes, however, in Georgia and Virginia and is most interested in solving “brick-wall” genealogical problems. Tom writes and speaks frequently on genealogical methods with broad application across geographic areas, time periods, and levels of expertise. He teaches courses in Boston University’s Certificate in Genealogical Research program, Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He is known for meaty lectures benefiting genealogists of all levels of experience.
Presentations:
Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestors’ Identities Indirectly
Organizing Evidence to Overcome Record Shortages
The Jones Jinx: Tracing Common Surnames
How to Avoid Being Duped by the Internet
Five Proven Techniques for Finding Your Ancestors’ European Origins
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Genealogists (Houston Memorial Lecture)
Elayne Lockhart, M.Ed., was a counsellor for international students at three educational institutions for 35 years. She began to focus on genealogical research and family history over 25 years ago. In 2001 she took early retirement and set up her own genealogical research business, Family Stories. At the moment she is taking time off to write a book about her own family research and a most unusual story that she has uncovered. Elayne has always placed great value on on-site research, and this approach has taken her on a number of research trips overseas, including Switzerland, England, Scotland and six extended trips to Ireland. She is a member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the North of Ireland Family History Society.
Website: www.familystoriesresearch.com
Presentation: How Do You Solve a Mystery Like Marie?—A Complex Case Study
Mary M. Nash is a Dutch-born but Canadian-educated librarian and researcher based in Ottawa. She has been involved in genealogy research for over 20 years, with experience in both continental European, particularly Dutch and German, and U.K. genealogy. She was a member of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) and has given many presentations to this group, including “Successful Hunting for your Family in Newspapers”, which was awarded the Best Presentation of the Year in 2001. In 2002 she was elected to the BIFHSGO Hall of Fame for her work as an author, speaker, volunteer and Board member.
Website: www.nashinfo.com
Presentation: Unusual Sources for Dutch Research
Janice Nickerson, M.A., is a professional genealogist with over 25 years of genealogical research experience. She got an early start in the field when she became an avid family historian at the tender age of 12. In addition to helping her private clients learn about their family history, she also does heir searching for the Public Guardian and Trustee of Ontario, consults with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples on Central and Eastern Canadian Métis research issues and writes how-to articles for Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, Discovering Family History and Your Family Tree magazines. For almost two years she produced a monthly newsletter featuring first-hand accounts of life in Upper Canada and her website includes a variety of resources for people researching in this early period, including indexes to the Upper Canada Sundries, Gore and Home District jail records and Prince Edward County women’s wills. Janice also did much of the genealogical research for the CBC television series, Who Do You Think You Are?, which aired from October 2007 to February 2008. Janice is a proud eighth-generation Canadian, with English, German, Irish, Welsh and Aboriginal ancestry.
Website: www.uppercanadagenealogy.com
Presentations:
Researching Aboriginal Ancestors in Ontario
Criminal Trials: Case Studies in Upper Canadian Justice
Dave Obee, of Victoria, British Columbia, is one of the most sought-after speakers at genealogical events in western Canada and the northwestern United States. His presentations combine approachability and humour with decades of experience researching family histories. That compelling mixture is one of the reasons he has been invited to give more than 250 presentations at seminars and society meetings since 1997. Dave is also a respected regional historian and author of Making the News, a book published by the Times Colonist in Victoria, British Columbia, to commemorate 150 years of history in British Columbia. He is the author of seven books for Canadian genealogists, and is the co-author (with Sherry Irvine) of Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide, published by Ancestry in 2007. Dave was president of the Federation of East European Family History Societies from 2004 through 2007. He has visited 17 countries in Europe, and has done genealogical research in most of them. He has led tours to World War battle areas in France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Websites: www.daveobee.com; www.cangenealogy.com
Presentations:
The Errors of Our Ways: Learning from 16 Classic Family History Mistakes
Destination Canada: Immigration and Related Records
Newspapers in Family History Research
Introduction to Eastern European Family History
If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Lidzbark-Warminski: On the Road in Eastern Europe
James Onyschuk, of Aurora, Ontario, has a degree in economics and worked as Education/Research Officer for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union for 27 years. A few years prior to retiring in 2000, Jim developed an interest in writing a family history about his father and his six brothers. They had been orphaned in 1918 and had lived rich, full lives, overcoming many obstacles to raise successful families. With retirement Jim had no excuse and set out to learn some new genealogy research, writing, and web skills. He joined the Toronto Ukrainian Genealogy Group and soon became its president and web master, and enjoys helping others with their searches. Jim has even taken up learning the Ukrainian language at the University of Toronto
Websites: www.onyschuk.com; www.torugg.org
Presentation: One-Note: A Tool for Organizing Your Research Electronically
Marian Press, M.A., M.L.S., is a librarian at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. She teaches online courses on using the Internet as a genealogical information source and creating family web sites for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies through the University of Toronto. Marian also teaches a variety of courses on similar topics for the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and is a frequent speaker at genealogical workshops and conferences. She is the author of Creating a Family Web Site Can Be Fun & Easy… published by Heritage Productions in 2002 and writes regularly for Internet Genealogy, Family Chronicle and Discovering Family History.
Presentation: Social Networking for Genealogists: Should We Be Doing It Just Because It is New?
Olga Zorzi Pugliese, M.A., Ph.D., was born in Toronto to parents who immigrated to Canada from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the North East region of Italy, in the 1920s. She received her doctorate in Romance Languages in 1969 and is Professor of Italian and Renaissance Studies at the University of Toronto. A former departmental Chair of the Department of Italian Studies (1997-2002), she was Director of the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria University, University of Toronto (2005-09), and President of the Canadian Society for Italian Studies (2005-08). In 2008 she received a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Society for Renaissance Studies. Her research on the Renaissance, which has often involved archival and philological work, has resulted in the publication of 45 articles. Olga is also the author, translator, editor or co-editor of six books on Renaissance subjects, including the monograph Castiglione’s ‘Book of the Courtier’ (’Il libro del cortegiano’): A Classic in the Making (2008). As a contributor to the field of Italian Canadian studies, she has co-authored a book on a Friulian Canadian association: Rekindling Faded Memories: The Founding of the Famèe Furlane of Toronto and Its First Years (1996), and written seven articles, three of which were co-authored, on an Italian-Canadian female writer and her artist son, and especially on mosaic artworks by Italians in Canada. Olga began studying her family history more than 40 years ago and continues to work on this project.
Presentation: Tracing the Origins of the Zorzi Family of Toronto: From Lonca to Passariano (Udine, Italy) and Beyond
Linda L. Reid, M.L.S., is a retired librarian who has researched her British roots since 1986. She worked in special libraries in the Toronto area, including the Ontario Legislative Library, and did online indexing for Thomson/Gale electronic databases. Linda is a former chair of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and is now the program coordinator for the Branch and the editor of the Toronto Branch Electronic Bulletin. She teaches genealogy classes for Toronto Branch on Basic Genealogy, Introduction to English Family History Research and Introduction to Irish Family History Research. Linda speaks at genealogy conferences and to other groups. She has done genealogical research in England, Ireland, Scotland and the United States (including Salt Lake City). Since 1997 Linda has been a volunteer in the Toronto Family History Centre of the LDS Church and enjoys helping people with their genealogical research in many parts of the world.
Presentations:
Introduction to Genealogy/Family History, Part 1
Introduction to Genealogy/Family History, Part 2
Rick Roberts has enjoyed a life-long interest in family history. Rick’s hobby became his vocation when he co-founded Global Genealogy, based in Milton, Ontario, in 1992 with his wife Sandra, marketing books and other supplies at genealogical conventions and by mail order. Global’s online store opened in 1995. The following year Rick launched The Global Gazette, a popular online family history magazine. One year later, he began publishing Canadian history books, genealogy how-to books, and historical maps under the imprint Global Heritage Press, which now has more than 350 books in print. Global Print Services was added in 2009, providing professional printing and binding services for self-published authors. Rick is a frequent speaker at genealogical conferences and workshops across Canada and the U.S.A. His memberships include the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the National Genealogical Society, the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Ontario Historical Society.
Website: globalgenealogy.com
Presentation: Working Effectively with Legacy Family Tree
Gary Schroder has been president of the Quebec Family History Society since 1995. He was chair of Roots 1997, Roots 2002, Roots 2007, the international conferences on family history held at McGill University in Montreal. He is also chair of Roots 2011 to be held in Montreal in June 2011. He has taught family history courses at McGill University and Champlain College. During the past two decades he has given numerous lectures for historical and genealogical societies across North America, and was a speaker at the 2001 International Conference on Irish Family History held at Trinity College, Dublin. Currently a member of the Services Advisory Board of Library and Archives Canada, Gary is the editor of various published works including Christ Church, Montreal Marriages 1760-1899. He has been a frequent guest on radio and television answering a wide variety of genealogical questions and promoting the educational value of family history research. His primary research interests are Canada, England, Ireland, and British military resources for genealogists. Gary’s first known ancestor to set foot in Canada was his great-great-great-grandfather Cornelius Flynn, who arrived in the port of Quebec in 1805. Cornelius Flynn (1787-1861) served in the Royal Navy for over 20 years and was wounded aboard the HMS Agamemnon during the Battle of Trafalgar.
Presentations:
Quebec Church Records
Quebec Census, Probate and Land Records
Fawne Stratford-Devai is a familiar face from the popular History Television series Ancestors in the Attic. Fawne’s passion for archival research began in 1987, when as a university student she became caught up in trying to understand the internment of German Canadian citizens during World War II. Her love of history easily transferred to a curiosity about her own family history and before long she was hooked on discovering her English and Irish roots. Fawne’s knowledge of land records and other early Ontario records is well known, and she played a major role in the preservation of Ontario’s land registry office records. A co-author of such books as the Men of Upper Canada and the District Marriage Records of Upper Canada/Canada West, she has also published a number of helpful research guides through Global Heritage Press and contributed articles to the online family history newsletter The Global Gazette. A graduate of sociology from McMaster University, Fawne spent many years in health policy and epidemiological research at McMaster before joining the Ontario government. Fawne’s lectures on genealogical and historical topics, particularly Ontario records, are always entertaining and educational.
Presentations:
Ontario Crown Land Records
Ontario Land Registry Records
Maureen A. Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on the intersection of history, genealogy and photography. She has been featured in top media outlets, including The View, Martha Stewart Living, and The Today Show. Maureen is the author of a number of books and magazine articles, as well as a contributing editor at Family Tree Magazine. Her latest project is The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation (Kent State University Press, June 2010). In 2007, The Wall Street Journal called her “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective.”
Websites: www.photodetective.com; www.maureentaylor.com
Presentations:
Reading Immigrant Clues in Photographs
Identifying and Dating Family Photographs
Preserving Family Photographs—1839 to the Present
Building your Family Photograph Collection
James F. S. Thomson, LL.B., has designed and taught 10 (generally sold-out) advanced or expert-level British Isles family history courses co-sponsored by the Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and the Toronto Public Library. He also teaches the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies course “Your City, Your House, Your Family” (respecting Toronto local and family history research techniques). In addition, James is the director of Scottish Studies for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, which offers online courses leading to certificates in genealogical studies.
Presentations:
Sea Change: New Approaches to Passenger Lists
Progress and Promise: Digitizing Scottish Church Records
Glenn Wright, who is based in Ottawa, has been a fixture in the genealogical and family history community in Ontario for many years. In 2006, he retired from the federal public service after a 30-year career as an archivist and historian at Library and Archives Canada, the Department of National Defence and the RCMP. He is a member of the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) and, in recent years, he has spoken at past OGS Seminars and Conferences, the BIFHSGO conferences and monthly meetings, LDS Family History Day and other venues, on military records, fraternal societies and census research. He was employed by the History Television series Ancestors in the Attic in 2009 as genealogist and historical researcher.
Presentations:
Behind Bars: Kingston Penitentiary, Inmate Records and Family History Research
The Voyage of the Caroline: Identifying Passengers without Passenger Lists