A THREE-WEEK COURSE ON TUESDAYS January 15, 22 and 29
Co-sponsored with the Humanities and Social Sciences Department at the Toronto Reference Library.
Advanced registration is required.
Newspapers have always been a major, although under-used, source for family history, but it is only recently that so many historical newspapers have become available online. This three-week hands-on course will examine the uses of newspapers for genealogy research as well as where to find them. Online sources – available by subscription, for free, and through public and academic libraries – will be fully covered. The emphasis will be on newspapers from North America, United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, with only peripheral examination of what is available for continental Europe (other languages). Please note: not all jurisdictions have digitized their newspapers.
Course Instructor: Marian Press
Marian Press, MLS, MA, is a retired academic librarian, her work life being directly involved with the use of digital resources and the instruction of graduate students on research methodology. She is a frequent speaker at genealogical workshops and conferences and teaches courses for the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. She has been doing her own family history for 30+ years and has 99% Scottish ancestry with one Irish and one Scottish line. She shares her research on two family blogs, through writing for genealogy journals and is about to publish her first family history book.
Transportation
The Toronto Reference Library is on Yonge Street one block north of Bloor Street. The best transportation method is by subway to the Bloor/Yonge subway station. Parking in the area is extremely limited.
The Toronto Reference Library is wheelchair accessible. For more information about our policies on accessibility, visit our policies page.
For assistance with a specific accommodation request, please send an email message to courses@torontofamilyhistory.org.
For our policies regarding registration and refunds, please see our policies page. Please note: A registrant who withdraws from a course or workshop 72 hours before the start date will receive a full refund minus a $5 administration fee. All fee refunds will be paid by cheque issued by the Branch Treasurer.
THE SPANISH FLU, TORONTO’S – CANADA’S FORGOTTEN PANDEMIC
Speaker: Mike Clare
The story of the Spanish Flu epidemic in Canada and Toronto is a forgotten one. Why? It has been called the most documented epidemic and the least known; The Spanish Flu, a global epidemic that killed 50,000 Canadians in just over eighteen months and well over 50 million people globally. As we approach the 100th Anniversary of the Spanish Flu, the flu is like a peculiar, shunned old uncle, “we don’t talk about him”. This lecture will talk about him (The Spanish Flu) by looking at the impact of the Spanish Flu on Canada and Toronto. The lecture will look at where the Spanish Flu originated, how it spread across Canada, and how both Canada and Toronto responded. One in six Canadian households were impacted by the flu yet we have heard very little about their stories; why?
In the last 10 minutes of the lecture, attendees will be familiarized with The Defining Moments Canada national digital memorial website. The Spanish Flu memorial, sponsored by Heritage Canada, is a unique opportunity to crowd source history and to influence and share the narrative.
Mike Clare M. ED. is a well respected, innovative educator who has taught with the York Region District School Board, was seconded to Historica for five years, and trained teachers at The University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Mike has presented to teachers from coast to coast across Canada and in the United States. As the author of numerous conventional textbooks, Mike has also created a series of interactive textbooks on both American and Canadian History. The most recent interactive textbook The Spanish Flu Epidemic 1918 – 1919: “Stepping Out With the Spanish Lady” is an aggregator of information about the Flu and asks readers to determine why the Spanish Flu is virtually forgotten.
Mini-presentation: Michael Nettleton: What I Learned By Following The Monk From Buffalo.
This course is jointly sponsored by the Archives of Ontario and Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society.
The course will be on three Tuesdays: February 5, 12, & 19, 2019
Finding your Ontario ancestor’s will or administration can provide vital information to link him or her to other family members. In this 3-session course participants will follow assigned case histories to learn how to navigate the finding aids and numbering systems to find estate files in Ontario courts, and land registry records—and to understand what is found.
Registrants will work in small groups and will be expected to do some background reading for each class. (Assignments will be distributed by email.) It is important that participants commit to attending and participating in all three sessions.
Course Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara
Jane E. MacNamara is the author of Inheritance in Ontario: Wills and other Records for Family Historians (OGS/ Dundurn, 2013) and writes about genealogy at wherethestorytakesme.ca. A long time member of OGS, Jane lectures about research methodology, Ontario, and English family history to genealogical and historical groups throughout southern Ontario. She teaches courses for the OGS Toronto Branch, most notably hands-on courses about Ontario records.
HOW TO GET TO THE COURSE LOCATION
The Archives of Ontario building is on the Keele campus of York University.
By public transit: The Archives of Ontario is just steps from the new York University subway station. A number of regional bus services also stop at the campus. For information on transit options and directions, see the University’s webpage.
By car: The York University campus has some visitor parking. To see travel directions for drivers, go to this webpage.
Accessibility:
The Archives of Ontario building is wheelchair accessible. For more information about our policies on accessibility, visit our policies page. For assistance with a specific accommodation request, please send an email message to courses@torontofamilyhistory.org.
Speaker: Ellen Maki
Visiting the haunts of felons and searching pawn shops for stolen goods were some of the duties of Toronto’s Victorian police detectives. Who were the policemen who became detectives, and was their work as thrilling and glamorous as that of Maureen Jenning’s fictional Ontario detective, William Murdoch? The talk will include a discussion of how Ellen first compiled a roster of detectives (since personnel records do not survive), and then used a range of easily accessible resources, such as census records, vital records, directories, and tax assessments, to flesh out the details of each man’s background, family, and career. She will also discuss where to find relevant records for Toronto police.
Ellen Maki holds a doctorate in statistics and works as a consultant in the health care industry. She has been researching her family history in England, Ireland, the U.S., and Canada for 30 years. Her passion for genealogy has led her to study in the University of Strathclyde’s genealogy, palaeography, and heraldry program, where she is currently completing a master’s degree. She has presented at Toronto Branch meetings and blogs about her genealogical discoveries at FindingFolk.org.
Mini-presentation: Melanie Parker: Kilgour House
Course runs on three Thursdays: March 7, 14 and 21, 2019.
Land records are a rich source of information about settlers in Ontario. This course deals with the earliest period, when land in Upper Canada was being granted by the Crown. This 3-session course provides an introduction to the land granting process and the main types of Crown Lands records. Learn how to use the finding aids and collections at the Archives of Ontario (including those digitized and on microfilm from Library and Archives Canada) to document a person’s acquisition of (or attempt to acquire) land in Upper Canada.
Participants will work in small groups following case histories through the records. Registrants will be expected to do some assigned background reading before each class. (Assignments will be distributed by email.) It is important that participants commit to attending and participating in all three sessions.
This course is offered in partnership with the Archives of Ontario.
Course Instructor: Jane E. MacNamara
Jane E. MacNamara is the author of Inheritance in Ontario: Wills and other Records for Family Historians (OGS/Dundurn, 2013) and writes about genealogy at wherethestorytakesme.ca. A long time member of OGS, Jane lectures about research methodology, Ontario, and English family history to genealogical and historical groups throughout southern Ontario. She teaches courses for the OGS Toronto Branch, most notably hands-on courses about Ontario records.
HOW TO GET TO THE COURSE LOCATION
The Archives of Ontario is on the Keele campus of York University.
By public transit: The Archives of Ontario is just steps from the new York University subway station. A number of regional bus services also stop at the campus. For information on transit options and directions, see the University’s webpage.
By car: The York University campus has some visitor parking. To see travel directions for drivers, go to this webpage.
Accessibility:
The Archives of Ontario building is wheelchair accessible. For more information about our policies on accessibility, visit our policies page. For assistance with a specific accommodation request, please send an email message to courses@torontofamilyhistory.org.
