BIFHSGO Conference - Day 2

I got to hear only one full presentation, plus my own, at the BIFHSGO conference on Saturday. William Roulston, Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation, gave an Introduction to Irish Genealogy. He tried to dispel the idea that researching Irish ancestors is pointless owing to the destruction of records in 1922, used County Down to illustrate the land divisions used in various records, and pointed to some of the records that survive and the sources, including Griffith's Valuation at www.askaboutireland.ie

Bruce Elliott spoke on The Religious Press as a Data Source on Immigrants and Immigration. He spoke largely of the Methodist press which carried a large number of death notices, obituaries and memorials which evolved in traditional format, length and religiousity through the 19th century. As Methodism gradually became a dominant denomination in Ontario statistics derived from these notices become increasingly representative of the community at large.


My afternoon presentation Your Family History in Newspapers Online filled the room and exhaused the supply of handouts. It's the same presentation, with slight modifications, I'll be giving for BCGS next Saturday and CVFHRG the following Saturday.

After my presentation I heard Nuala Farrell-Griffin speak on Irish Research and the Internet. She covered many sites but spoke with particular enthusiasm about the Leitrim-Roscomon Genealogy web site at www.leitrim-roscommon.com/index.shtml

The organizers ran out of conference program booklets, a mark of the large number of people who have registered for the event.