25 May 2018

OGS Conference, one week to go and counting

A shout out for the annual Ontario Genealogical Society conference being held this year in Guelph and starting on 1 June. Rain or shine the conference site at the University will be buzzing. Find out more at https://conference2018.ogs.on.ca/.

Those not attending will be able to catch two live presentations by University of Western Ontario history professor Jonathan Vance on YouTube.

Nation Builders You’ve Never Heard Of is the presentation in the opening session which starts at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday 1 June.
The lecture discusses the life and influence of two individuals whose contributions to the construction of the Canada that we know today were profound, but who are almost entirely unknown today. They deserve better, so we’ll meet these two nation-builders and survey their achievements.
Who was the Canadian Soldier of the First World War? is the topic for the plenary session at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, 2 June.
Jonathan Vance will describe conventional wisdom about the Canadian soldier and discuss how a return to the records of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, now available on-line, is giving us a dramatically different picture of the nation at war. In doing so, Vance will outline some of the hazards facing the researcher who uses these records - whether you’re trying to answer an obscure historical question or fill in some gaps in your family tree.
Did you know you can visit the conference marketplace AND take in the FastTrax presentations without registering. Here's the FastTrax schedule:

Saturday
10:30 AM
Sher LEETOOZE: Calculating Relationships
Many charts abound about how to find out what relation you are to others in your tree. Each one was designed for a specific purpose. I will demystify these charts and will have some for handouts.
11:00 AM
LivingDNA - Katie WELKA
Katie Welka, Senior Product Manager, will stream-in live from the UK. Be sure to attend this session to learn more about this LivingDNA, their DNA tests and their plans for the futures.
11:30 AM
Ancestry - Lesley ANDERSON: AncestryDNA - 5 Things to do After You Get Your Results
You’ve taken an Ancestry DNA test. Now what? Learn what to do after you get your results.
12:00 PM
Pass It Down - Chris CUMMINGS: Stories of Our Communities
What makes your community special? Did you know that local history and stories are being rapidly lost every single day around the world? At Pass It Down, we are working to save the world's history with our award-winning community storytelling platform. Come and learn how we are working with cities around the world to crowd source and preserve local history.
12:30 PM
MyHeritage - Uri GONEN: Visualizing Your Family Tree on MyHeritage
Uri Gonen, Senior VP Product Management, MyHeritage
Discover the different ways you can display your family tree on MyHeritage through charts, directly from the person who developed them.
1:00 PM
Johanne GERVAIS: Quebec Genealogical eSociety
The Quebec Genealogical eSociety replicates the brick and mortar society experience for the Can’ts and the Won’ts. The Can’ts are those people who, because of time, distance, or other constraints can’t get to a genealogical society. The Won’ts are the device-driven people who won’t go to a society because their digital devices bring their virtual world to them. The Quebec Genealogical eSociety provides for both the Can’ts and the Won’ts in their genealogical research. Let me show you how!
1:30 PM
Lynn PALERMO: 8 Steps to Creating a Family History Book
Overwhelmed by the idea of creating a family history book. Learn 8 steps that will make the process more manageable and allow you to create a project plan that will keep you on task and ahead of your deadlines.
2:00 PM
Family Tree Maker - Mark OLSEN: What's new in Family Tree Maker 2017
Family Tree Maker Ambassador, Mark Olsen, will walk you through the newest features, tips, and upgrades in FTM 2017 as well as answer the questions - Do I need to upgrade? How do I upgrade? What's new in version 2017? Mark will also discuss ...?
2:30 PM
Kathryn HOGAN: Secrets in the Canadian Census Records
Discover the secrets within the Canadian census records that can help you learn more about your ancestor, add detail to your family history, and possibly break down brick walls.
3:00 PM
Pass It Down - Chris CUMMINGS: How to Bring Your Family Stories to life
Have you ever wanted to sit down with a loved one to record their life stories but didn't know where to begin? Come and learn from the award-winning storytelling team at Pass It Down as they share tips, lessons and technology to help collect and preserve your loved ones' legacy.
3:30 PM
MyHeritage - Kerry FARNSWORTH:Managing Your MyHeritage DNA Matches
Kerry Farnsworth, Content Project Manager, MyHeritage
Find out how to sort through your DNA matches, understand their significance and what to do next.
4:00 PM
Fraser DUNFORD: TONI - The Ontario Name Index
The Ontario Genealogical Society has compiled a massive surname database with more than 5.6 million records available. TONI directs researchers to where information about a particular name can be found. Leam how TONI can help your research your genealogy.
4:30 PM
Andria Barnstaple ANDREWS: Save Your Photos
Interested in preserving your precious family photos and memories? This presentation will demonstrate how to do so using For
ever

Sunday
9:30 AM
Pass It Down - Chris CUMMINGS: Reminiscence Therapy: Why storytelling Can Help Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients
Did you know that asking loved ones with Alzheimer's or Dementia about their past can be a form of therapy? Reminiscence Therapy (RT) involves the discussion of past activities, events and experiences with another person or group of people, usually with the aid of tangible prompts such as photographs, household and other familiar items from the past, music and archive sound recordings. Come and learn valuable tips and advice from the Pass It Down Team.
10:00 AM
Ancestry - Lesley ANDERSON: Ancestry Online Trees
Learn tips and techniques to make the most out of the Ancestry’s online family trees.
10:30 AM
Chuck WALLACE: Following our Loyalist Irish Palatine Ancestors
Mr. Chuck Wallace will share the itinerary of the "In the Footsteps of our Irish Palatine Ancestors Tour" planned for September 13-23, 2018. The tour trace the footsteps of the Irish Palatines (IP), who left Ireland in the mid 1700’s, (and previously emigrating from Germany through England to Ireland in 1709), to settle in New York City and then the Camden Valley, upper New York State, only to have their lives turned upside down once more when the American Revolution broke out in 1776. The tour will follow the men who fought for the British and who then had to tlee to Quebec when Burgoyne was defeated, followed later by their families. The tour will visit relevant battlefields, cemeteries, churches and homes of these Irish Palatine ancestors.

11:00 AM
Family Tree Maker - Mark OLSEN: What's new in Family Tree Maker 2017
Family Tree Maker Ambassador, Mark Olsen, will walk you through the newest features, tips, and upgrades in FTM 2017 as well as answer the questions - Do I need to upgrade? How do I upgrade? What's new in version 2017? Mark will also discuss the option to synchronize your FTM trees with your trees at Ancestry.com. This will be an interactive live session and you are encouraged to come with any questions you may have.
11:30 AM
MyHeritage - Esther SHUMAN: Finding Family Members Through DNA Testing
Esther Shuman, US and Canada Community Manager, MyHeritage
Witness the life-transforming stories of MyHeritage users who were reunited with their family members and find out the tools they used that you to can use to further your own family history research.
12:00 PM
Meg MACINTYRE: Megabyte Memories Photo Organizing
You know you need to organize your photos. What is holding you back? Digitize and add metadata to the digital files. Embedding names, dates and more into scans of historical photos gives meaning to photos. It’s the digital equivalent of a note written on the back of a photo. Preserve, protect and share your treasured memories.
12:30 PM
Pass It Down - Chris CUMMINGS: Want to Record Your Family Memories? Throw Those Memory Books Away
In 2017, we realized that all the baby books and memory books people buy have good intentions but no one ever finishes them. Come and learn how we reinvented the memory book to help families collect, preserve and share their memories.
1:00 PM
LivingDNA - Sarah MCFARLANE: Connecting with European Ancestors
Marketing Manager, Sarah McFarlane is with us from the UK to share various tips, techniques and tools to connect with your European Ancestors.
1:30 PM
Joe WILSON: OGS Cemetery Information Session
Do you have questions about cemeteries? Want to how OGS is preserving, promoting and making accessible cemetery information? Then this Fast Trax session is for you.
2:00 PM
MyHeritage - Maycie NIELSEN: MyHeritage's Unique Technologies
Maycie Nielsen, Project Manager, MyHeritage
An overview of the cutting edge tools and features on MyHeritage that make our platform accessible and user friendly.
2:30 PM
Fraser DUNFORD: TONI - The Ontario Name Index
The Ontario Genealogical Society has compiled a massive surname database with more than 5.6 million records available. TONI directs researchers to where information about a particular name can be found. Learn how TONI can help your research your genealogy.











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