About 20 years ago, Patty McGregor’s mother bought a box of approximately 275 letters at an auction sale. The letters were to and from Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) George Gallie Nasmith of Toronto, who went overseas in 1914 with the First Canadian Contingent as the "Water Specialist." The collection includes letters to George from his siblings, his fiancée and his friends — and from him to them. This talk discusses the adventure of reading and transcribing all the letters and identifying and researching the letter writers and the events and people mentioned. Genealogical research involved BMD and census records as well as military files, maps, historical newspapers and estate files. The final challenge was in deciding how best to share the contents of the letters. Therein lies the rub.
Patty McGregor who has been researching her family for over 25 years. She is the author of Don’t Forget to Write — a look at the Canadian YMCA through historical postcards, and Researching Canadian Immigration Records. She and her husband have been involved in the antiques and collectibles business for 35 years and many will recognize her as a vendor at various genealogy conferences where she sells used and out of print books.
The Before BIFHSGO Education Talk is Ancestors with Unknown Military Service by Terry Findley who will give tips, tricks and sources to find military ancestors and discover what they did. Featured case studies are: an ancestor who fought in the Rebellion of 1837-1838; and some relatives who fought in the First World War.
There will also be a selection of discovery tables.
The venue is The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario. Lots of free parking. Further information at www.bifhsgo.ca
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