BIFHSGO Conference News

It's the 25th of July; have you registered for the BIFHSGO conference, 28-30 September, yet?

I woke early, rain pounding on the roof, and decided to delay no longer. The good news is that registration went oh so smoothly.

The speakers at this year’s conference, in order of distance travelling to Ottawa, are:
Dr. Bruce Durie, Edinburgh, SCT, is one of Scotland’s top genealogists. He founded the graduate program in genealogical, heraldic and paleographic studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and is a prolific author.
Diahan Southard, Coral Springs, FL, graduated with a degree in microbiology, and worked for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. She lectures worldwide about genetic genealogy and has produced video tutorials on the topic.
Mark Olsen, Salt Lake City, UT, is an expert on Family Tree Maker genealogical software. He is a graduate of BrighamYoung University.
Lynn Palermo, Simcoe, ON, is a genealogy research and writing coach, and founder of The Armchair Genealogist, an award-winning family history blog.
Linda Reid, Toronto, ON, has 35 years of genealogy experience. She teaches courses, facilitates an advanced genetic genealogy special interest group, and administers dozens of family DNA kits.
Sam Allison, Montreal, QC, is a long-time educator. His latest book is “Driv’n by Fortune: The Scots’ March to Modernity in America, 1745–1812.” He will deliver the Friday evening Whiteside Memorial Lecture.
Shirley-Ann Pyefinch, Ottawa, oversees the operations of the Ottawa Stake Family History Centre, a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She also lectures on research resources and methods.
Leanne Cooper, Ottawa, is a federal public servant, BIFHSGO member, and blogger (leannecoopergenealogy.ca). She has spoken about her family history research and methodology at BIFHSGO meetings and conferences.
Sadie De Finney, Ottawa, has a long-standing passion for the Celtic nations, their history and folklore. She has studied cross-cultural communication at the graduate level, and applies that knowledge to genealogy and family history.

I was pleased to accept an invitation to chair one of Diahan Southard's sessions. A hard working popular speaker, she has a passion for genetic genealogy and a gift for making the technical understandable. A member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild Diahan gave one of the most memorable presentations I have ever attended, in Dublin in 2016.
You can also catch Diahan speaking at the FGS conference in Fort Wayne, 22-25 August. Following the BIFHSGO event she will be at the Genealogy Roots: The Un-Conference Experience!, Oct. 4-5, 2018 in Sandy, Utah; Alberta Genealogical Society Medicine Hat & District Branch event, 12-14 October 2018 and, My Heritage Live in Oslo, Norway, 2–4 November 2018.