12 March 2021

BIFHSGO March Presentations: Lucille Campey Double Header

Saturday, March 13

Numbers not Names: Using British Government Publications to Locate Ancestors  (Education Talk)

9:00 am to 10:00 am

Although census returns, customs records and the British Parliamentary Papers may seem like unlikely sources to use in tracking down a British ancestor who immigrated to Canada, they do hold nuggets of data that can provide vital clues. Lucille Campey will demonstrate how such sources can sometimes reveal the geographical origins of immigrants and/or their places of settlement in Canada. This can be achieved by analyzing numeric data rather than hunting down a particular surname. 

Saturday, March 13

Canada's Irish Pioneers: Their Story  (Feature Talk)

10:30 am to 11:45 am

As pioneers, the Irish bestrode Canada. They were the largest immigrant group during Canada's formative years. They dug its canals, built its roads, chopped down its trees and established many of its early farming communities. They were ambitious, self-funded people with big dreams who were desperate to escape from the poverty in their homeland. And yet, despite their great pioneering successes, some politically-motivated people continue to depict them as sad and helpless exiles. Lucille Campey will debunk this negative imagery by revealing the facts underlying their immigration saga. She will demonstrate how the Irish were able to fund their own sea crossings, find out about the availability of prime locations and make tremendous strides as pioneers. She will conclude that Canada's Irish pioneers deserve our admiration and gratitude - not our pity.

Lucille Helen Campey
Born in Ottawa she moved to England following her marriage to Geoff. Having trained as a scientist, she later entered the world of politics, when she became an adviser to a cabinet minister during the John Major years. An ongoing love of history led her into another world around twenty years ago. Having obtained a PhD on Scottish immigration to Canada from the University of Aberdeen, she went on to write fourteen books on British Isle immigration to Canada. Her latest book, "Canada's Irish Pioneers," was published in September 2020.

Register

Participants who register for the earlier Education Talk need not register again for the Feature Talk.


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