BIFHSGO March Meeting

The main event this Saturday, 11 March at 10 am is a presentation
From Famine to Prosperity to the Longue Pointe Asylum: the Varied Life of John Patrick Cuddy, given by Gillian Leitch.

John Patrick Cuddy immigrated to Canada from Swinford, Ireland, during the Famine migration of 1847-1851. Once in Montreal, he was able to create for himself a very successful business and a large family. The presentation covers his life in Swinford, his migration, the network of family and friends in Montreal, his business, his wife and children, and the last months of his life which were marked with an arrest, committal, court case, and the ensuing unusual judgement. 

Gillian Leitch’s PhD thesis about Montreal’s British population, “The Importance of Being English?: Identity and Social Organisation in British Montreal, 1800-1850,” was completed in 2007 at the Université de Montréal. After a year as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh, she joined CDCI Research in Ottawa as a historical researcher. In addition to her work and publishing on Canadian history, she has also published three academic books on popular culture (science fiction: time travel and Doctor Who).At 9 am

At 9:00 a.m. Ken McKinlay will present the Before BIFHSGO Education Talk — Searching Findmypast's Newspaper Archives.

Open to members and visitors. Free admission and parking. The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa.