Lansing United Church Beecroft Rd & Poyntz Ave Toronto ON M2N 1K4
Are you ready to go beyond census and births, marriages, and deaths? Estate files are rich source for finding family connections and revealing our ancestor’s social and financial circumstances, maybe even personality. As court records, they tend to be very reliable—and even come with indexes.
Now that FamilySearch.org has digitized an extensive collection of Ontario surrogate court and Court of Probate records—we can discover these treasures from home.
This session will give a brief overview of how the court system worked in Ontario and a step-by-step explanation of how to access the records. It will concentrate on York County records available through FamilySearch.
Jane E. MacNamara, Toronto, is the author of Inheritance in Ontario: Wills and other Records for Family Historians (OGS/Dundurn) 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 Toronto Branch, most notably hands-on courses at the Archives of Ontario.
OPENING ACT:
Toronto Branch member Helen Billing will present Why did they go to Australia? What did they do there?
A box of documents and memorabilia given to Helen Billing and her husband spurred them to research why Frederick and Edward Billing went to Western Australia in 1896. Letters, photos, mining certificates and some artifacts provided them with a basis for searching newspapers and other contemporary records. A trip to Kalgourlie/Boulder Archives added more information.
This will be a hybrid presentation. No need to register if you are attending in person. To attend online, click here to register and get your unique Zoom link.