Newsletter

Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library present:

GENEALOGY IN LONDON
A workshop about searching for Londoners and other British ancestors

Saturday, November 8, 2008
North York Central Library Auditorium
5120 Yonge Street, Toronto
(North York Centre subway station)

Whether your British ancestors lived in London or many miles away, London’s libraries and archives are rich sources for family history. You'll enjoy this relaxed, information-packed day about London’s records and record keepers—and the twists and turns of finding ancestors there.

Program

9:15–10:00 am  Registration

10:00–11:15 am (Plenary)

Session A: London’s World of Genealogy
This talk looks at the major national repositories and genealogical organizations based in London (The National Archives, London Metropolitan Archives, Guildhall Library, Society of Genealogists, British Library, College of Arms, etc.) and gives an overview of the records they have for the genealogist. These national institutions are based in London, and have records not only for the capital, but for the whole of the country, as families, businesses, charities and government institutions based in London deposited their archives here.

Speaker: Else Churchill, London, England, has been the Genealogy Officer of the Society of Genealogists since 1998. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professional genealogical librarian and researcher. Formerly the Librarian of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, a researcher with Achievements Ltd., and Ancestors Ltd., Else has worked for the SoG since 1994. She now leads the Society's education and publishing programs as well as being the Society's subject specialist. She has contributed articles to Family Tree Magazine, Ancestors Magazine, Your Family Tree and of course the SoG’s Genealogists Magazine. She has written articles on advanced genealogy techniques and sources for the BBC History Family History website and has acted as a genealogical consultant for the BBC’s web-based genealogical enquiries and newsgroup. She has recently edited the Society of Genealogists First Steps in Family History. She lectures regularly for the Society of Genealogists, the National Archives and for local groups around the United Kingdom. She has spoken for the British Isles Family History Society (USA) in Los Angeles in 2002, for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa in 2005 and the FGS conference in Boston in 2006.

11:30–12:30 pm

Session B: Tracing Elusive Pre-1837 Marriages in England
Centrally indexed civil registration of marriages in England began in 1837. Finding marriages before that can be a challenge—particularly in big cities. This presentation will highlight the best and most powerful 'finding' tools, available online and via other means, for locating pre-civil registration marriages—as well as related records like marriage licenses, marriage bonds and allegations, and registers of banns. It will also discuss numerous compiled sources, and methods to help you quickly find elusive marriages, and obtain marriage data at little or no cost. Several invaluable web site links used on the Family History Library's British Floor, and some helpful new hints for finding and obtaining marriage index data will be included.

Speaker: Phillip Dunn, Salt Lake City, Utah, is a Senior Consultant at the Family History Library, an heir-tracer and an Accredited Genealogist® in England and Scotland genealogical research. He graduated in British Local History (Brigham Young University). He has laboured for the Family History Department for 30 years—mostly as a British Reference Consultant. He has developed an understanding of the challenges facing those far removed from critical record sources while serving as the department’s British correspondent for nearly 10 years. He was Senior Extraction Specialist on the 1851 England Census, Canadian 1881 Census, the finalizing of the pre-1970 Temple Ordinance extraction and other projects. He has lectured in the USA, Canada and the UK, and is the author of Guide to Ancestral Research in London.

Session C: The Time of Cholera
London’s cholera epidemic of 1854 is best known as the story of Dr. John Snow, the Broad Street water pump and a map. Snow made medical history by tracing the deadly outbreak to the pump. He then mapped the deaths so effectively that common misunderstandings about the disease were debunked. The usual telling of events, however, overlooks an important element. Who were the people who died? Names were omitted from accounts written at the time, Snow’s map renders each fatality as a nameless black line while recent books have largely made do with scanty details. This session describes the discoveries made when a genealogist whose ancestor died in the epidemic set out to identify the forgotten victims. Genealogical and not-so-genealogical sources used in the search include census returns, death certificates, a parish register, Snow’s map, a lesser-known map, Snow’s publications and reports from various official inquiries in the epidemic’s aftermath. Be prepared for a heartbreaking picture of nineteenth-century London and a memorable illustration of how historical context can enrich family history.

Speaker: Alison Hare, CG, Ottawa, is an award-winning genealogical lecturer and editor with more than 25 years of experience in family history research. She is certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C. As newsletter editor for the Ottawa Branch of OGS from 1999 to 2002, she won numerous newsletter awards. She has twice been recognized for the quality of her lectures presented to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and was recently inducted into that society’s Hall of Fame. She is 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. Her article “Searching for the Greens at the Time of Peter Robinson” was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in March 2007.

12:30-1:30 pm
Lunch (There are several restaurants close to the Library and a food court in the building.)

1:30–2:00 pm
Session D: Question and Answer Panel

2:15–3:15 pm
Session E: Tour of the North York’s Central Library Canadiana Department (limited to 20 people)

Session F: I'm stuck in London.
The size and rapid growth of the City of London has always proved a stumbling block for anyone researching in London. Perhaps an ancestor turns up in a parish with little indication of his or her place of birth. This talk will give some explanation as to what is meant by London—both of the City and what is now recognized as Greater London. It looks at some useful sources, indexes and finding aids as well a tips and techniques for trying to solve the London problems.

Speaker: Else Churchill, London, England, has been the Genealogy Officer of the Society of Genealogists since 1998. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professional genealogical librarian and researcher. Formerly the Librarian of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, a researcher with Achievements Ltd., and Ancestors Ltd., Else has worked for the SoG since 1994. She now leads the Society's education and publishing programs as well as being the Society's subject specialist. She has contributed articles to Family Tree Magazine, Ancestors Magazine, Your Family Tree and of course the SoG’s Genealogists Magazine. She has written articles on advanced genealogy techniques and sources for the BBC History Family History website and has acted as a genealogical consultant for the BBC’s web-based genealogical enquiries and newsgroup. She has recently edited the Society of Genealogists First Steps in Family History. She lectures regularly for the Society of Genealogists, the National Archives and for local groups around the United Kingdom. She has spoken for the British Isles Family History Society (USA) in Los Angeles in 2002, for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa in 2005 and the FGS conference in Boston in 2006.

Session G: The Search for Alban Leaf
This session will demonstrate the use of many record types—in a period well before census and civil registration. The search for the subject of this case history, Alban Leaf (1681-1756), takes us from manorial records and parish registers in Yorkshire, to Faculty Office marriage license allegations at Lambeth Palace and an ancient church in Smithfield, to manors in rural Essex, and to intriguing records of inheritance in all locations. Special attention will be paid to search techniques—understanding what records might exist, how their location may be influenced by geography and changes in custody, and considering alternate sources for missing records. The session will feature several of the wonderful online finding aids and digitizing projects available to UK searchers, as well as on-the-cobbles research.

Speaker: Jane E. MacNamara, Toronto, is a long time member of the Ontario Genealogical Society, a founding director of the Friends of the Archives of Ontario, and a member of the Society of Genealogists (London). Jane lectures about research methodology, Ontario, Scottish, 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. She leads regular trips to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (the March 2009 trip will be her 17th) and is the organizer of Genealogy Summer Camp, an innovative program that brings out-of-town researchers to Toronto for a week of tutorials and hands-on research, now in its 14th year.

3:30–4:30 pm

Session H: Tracing London and Other Big City Ancestors from North America
Research in the big cities of England can put fact finding into slow motion. This session will show you how to more quickly discover your ancestors through the Family History Library's extensive record collections for big cities. It will also demonstrate lesser-used but powerful online links, how to more easily overcome the Library's gaps in London's records, numerous indexed sources for 'quick-finding' ancestry in big cities, and strategies used to bridge the Atlantic and turn impossible London and big-city pedigree problems into successes. The presentation will also provide a master list of useful online and FHL "finding" resources, and suggest strategies to narrow down your search in big cities to help you build your family pedigrees!

Speaker: Phillip Dunn, Salt Lake City, Utah, is a Senior Consultant at the Family History Library, an heir-tracer and an Accredited Genealogist® in England and Scotland genealogical research. He graduated in British Local History (Brigham Young University). He has laboured for the Family History Department for 30 years—mostly as a British Reference Consultant. He has developed an understanding of the challenges facing those far removed from critical record sources while serving as the department’s British correspondent for nearly 10 years. He was Senior Extraction Specialist on the 1851 England Census, Canadian 1881 Census, the finalizing of the pre-1970 Temple Ordinance extraction and other projects. He has lectured in the USA, Canada and the UK, and is the author of Guide to Ancestral Research in London.

Session I: Bereft of Life, They Rest in Peace. But Where?
Finding a burial can mean extending your family tree by discovering a relative or relatives buried in the same or a nearby plot. But in his book Ancestral Trails Mark Herber succinctly states: "It can be very difficult to locate an ancestor's place of burial in London..." Unlike English BMDs, there is no single national registration of burials. The difficulty is compounded for those of us an ocean away who can't just hop on a London Transport bus to search in cemetery or local record offices. Now the Internet genealogy database revolution is starting to help the search. In overview, 18th century and earlier burial records for London and suburbs are scarce. More than 350,000 burials from the 19th century, before the closure of central London churchyards under the Metropolitan Burials Act of 1852, have been indexed and are available online. Of the commercial cemeteries established in the 1840s only Abney Park has an online database. Indexes of burials from municipal cemeteries established as a result of the 1852 Act are starting to become available online, but mostly still require searching in original chronological records. A process to help narrow the search for candidate cemeteries will be described.

Speaker: John D. Reid, Ottawa, is a native of Norfolk, England, formerly a PhD researcher and manager in Atmospheric Science with Environment Canada, John stepped up his interest in family and local history on retirement. He served on the Board of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) from 2000 to 2008 including a two-year term as President. He is a member of OGS, and the Society of Genealogists (London) and compiles an active genealogy blog at www.anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/. He is author of Researching Canada's Home Children and numerous magazine articles, edited the BIFHSGO publication The Ottawa Sharpshooter, and is a frequent lecturer. He serves as chair of the City of Ottawa Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee, and is a member of Library and Archives Canada's Services Advisory Board.

How to get to the workshop:

By public transit: North York Central Library is connected directly to the North York Centre subway station, on the Yonge line. Inter-city trains and buses link with the subway at Union, Dundas, or York Mills stations. Allow at least 35 minutes from Union or Dundas, or 15 minutes from York Mills, to get to North York Centre.

By car: North York Central Library is at 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto  M2N 5N9, on the west side at Park Home Avenue (about halfway between Sheppard and Finch). From Highway 401, exit northbound at Yonge Street; proceed north to Park Home Avenue (6th or 7th traffic light) and turn left. The most convenient parking ($5 per day on Saturdays) is under the building—enter from Novotel on Park Home, or from Beecroft Road (parallel and west of Yonge Street).

Accommodation:

The Novotel North York is part of the North York Centre complex. The hotel has offered a special rate for workshop registrants for Friday and/or Saturday nights (Nov. 7 and 8). The rate is $120 plus taxes per night, and must be booked directly with the hotel, rather than through the central booking system. You must book by October 6, although you can cancel before 4:00 pm on the day of arrival.
A CAUTION, although this is a good rate, there may be cheaper promotional deals available depending on the length of your stay. To check, visit: www.novotel.com.

HOW TO REGISTER

FEES: Members of the Ontario Genealogical Society
$32 (postmarked before October 3, 2008)
$37 (after October 3, IF SPACE ALLOWS)

FEES: Non-Members
$37 (postmarked before October 3, 2008)
$42 (after October 3, IF SPACE ALLOWS)

© Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society. Last Updated August 2011