Registration is now open for the winter semester of Toronto Branch courses, beginning in the new year.
In January and February 2020, we’re offering back-to-back courses on land records—a rich source of information about ancestors who settled in Ontario. Both courses will be led by instructor Jane MacNamara and held at the Archives of Ontario on Thursday afternoons. Participants will work in small groups following case histories through the records.
The first course, Hands-On Early Ontario Land Records, runs for three weeks beginning January 23, and deals with the earliest period, when land in Upper Canada was being granted by the Crown. Learn about that land granting process and the main types of Crown Lands records, and practice using the finding aids and collections at the Archives to locate specific documents.
The second course, Hands-On Land Registry Records, runs for two weeks beginning February 13. This course is brand new, and covers land transactions after the granting of initial patents by the Crown. Learn how to tackle research in rural and urban Land Registry records, both at the Archives and online through FamilySearch and the ONLand website.
These two courses are complementary but neither is a prerequisite for the other—you can take one or both in any order.
On the evening of Wednesday March 25, join us at the Toronto Reference Library to discover the vast range of Genealogy Resources in TPL’s Catalogue. Learn how to use the Toronto Public Library’s online catalog to find items on the open shelves such as how-to guides, directories, and maps as well as “hidden” collections in the closed stacks. This is a free course but registration is required.
Follow the links on the course names above for full details and to sign up online. Enrolment in our courses is limited and they can fill up quickly. We encourage you to register before the end-of-year rush to avoid disappointment.
Members of the Ontario Genealogical Society enjoy reduced course fees—just one of the benefits of membership in the Society and Toronto Branch. Join or renew for 2020 now. Sign up with a partner before December 15 and you can also take advantage of the Society’s special Grow Our Family discount.