29 October 2014

Special Genealogy Presentation - Sunday Nov. 2nd - Ottawa


Speaker: Kirsty Gray

Sunday, November 2, from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Woodroffe United Church, Banquet Hall (207 Woodroffe Ave.)

Ottawa, Ontario

UK Rockstar Genealogist Kirsty Gray will give two lectures in Ottawa on Sunday November 2nd. The lectures, sponsored by the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO), will be:

1. Searching for Names: Challenges, Pitfalls and the Downright Ridiculous
2. Solving Problems Through Family Reconstruction

This event will be held at the Woodroffe United Church Banquet Hall (207 Woodroffe Ave) from 2-5 p.m. Admission is $10 per person at the door. A break with light refreshments will be held between the two lectures. Signed copies of Kirsty's book will be available.

Kirsty's first involvement in family history came at the tender age of seven years with her maternal grandfather’s tree in hand. Obsessed with her great-grandmother’s maiden name of Sillifant, Kirsty began a one-name study on the name in 1999, publishing tri-annual journals on the surname for more than ten years. Kirsty took up genealogy professionally while training to be a teacher in 2002. Running Family Wise Limited, Kirsty ‘finds people’ and has conducted research for private individuals, solicitors, academics and companies worldwide. As an author, Kirsty has written for many international publications on various topics for beginners to more advanced levels and her first book, Tracing Your West Country Ancestors, was published in March 2013 by Pen and Sword with her second, Tracing Your Industrial Ancestors, due out in early 2015. A sought-after lecturer, her knowledge and her energetic and infectious personality wows audiences around the world. Appointed as Director of English Studies with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (University of Toronto, Canada) in 2011, Kirsty has more recently been awarded Superstar Genealogist (Gold Medalist in the Rockstar Genealogist Awards 2013) for the UK/Ireland by fellow family history professionals: Rockstar genealogists are those who give “must attend” presentations.

24 October 2014

The Ryan Taylor/J. Brian Gilchrist Memorial Lecture - Saturday October 25th



Saturday, October 25, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.  Room 115

City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive.
 

The Ryan Taylor/J. Brian Gilchrist Memorial Lecture
Speaker: Dr. Jean-Luc Pilon

Topic: A Research Journey into WWI and WWII Medals, & eBay
Dr. Pilon will describe how twists and turns in his family history research, beginning with ancestors enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, led to the acquisition of long-lost military medals found on eBay, the story of the local ancestor to whom they were awarded in World War Two, and a moving graveside visit.  A short video about this story will also be screened.  Dr. Pilon is the Curator of Ontario Archaeology at the Canadian Museum of History and an Adjunct Professor at Carleton University.  He studied Anthropology and Archaeology and obtained his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Toronto.

20 October 2014

Ontario Genealogical Society Governance Review - Phase 2



Have you been waiting for others to step forward? Good people have indicated a willingness to be part of the Phase 2 Governance Task Force but they need some other creative, out of the box, thinkers to join them. This is a vital process in the rebuilding of The Ontario Genealogical Society for the future. Your Society wants you. Consider yourself asked.

The application period is now extended to Friday October 31, 2014.

Alan


Call for OGS Members for an "OGS Governance Task Force"

OGS has embarked on a change in governance, and we are ready to move to Phase 2. We are looking for a small group of volunteers who can help us improve the governance structures for Branches and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) as we move forward. Can you help us?

From fall 2012 to spring 2013, an OGS Governance Review Committee performed a comprehensive review of The Society. A newly elected Board of Directors is currently implementing the recommendations from that review (available in the Members Only section of the OGS website ).

Phase 2 of this Governance Review will involve analysis of Branch and Special Interest Group needs.

Goal: To review the current governance status and needs of all OGS Branches and Special Interest Groups (SIGs); recommend strategies to provide further assistance and support, where required; and/or, propose a new governance model (or models) for OGS as it pertains to these groups within The Society structure.

[NOTE:  It is not the intent to force all groups to conform to one model but rather to provide a number of possible models which might meet the needs of groups of various sizes and composition.]

Process:
  • Make personal contact with individual Branch/SIG Chairs or designates to:
    • assess their Branch/SIG status and needs pertaining to their structure and governance; and,
    • discuss other possible governance models
  • Conduct one or more online discussion groups of all Branch/SIG Chairs or designates to:
    • share ideas and concepts of what models are working or might be investigated to ease the load executives and councils currently carry; and,
    • Re-evaluate the purpose and roles of a Branch/SIG
  • Study models used by heritage or other volunteer-sector organizations with a two-tier governance structure
  • Take other steps to accomplish the stated goal as deemed appropriate by this newly created Governance Task Force
  • Validate recommendations with OGS stakeholder groups
  • Recommend to the Board of Directors new models and/or propose pilot projects related to Branch/SIG governance and roles for consideration
  • Recommend steps a struggling Branch/SIG might take as an alternate to dissolution
Timeline: Four (4) months

Reporting: This Governance Task Force will report to the OGS President

Qualifications:
  • OGS member in good standing
  • Previous experience in managing volunteer-driven organizations in either a volunteer or employment capacity
  • A desire to improve the functioning of The Society through development of appropriate operational structures

Interested Applicants:  Send a resume or bio demonstrating related experience or skills to:
OGS President, Alan Campbell at president@ogs.on.ca by Friday October 31, 2014.

PLEASE NOTE: Following review and consideration of the Task Force recommendations to the Board of Directors, the Board may propose Bylaw revisions to be presented to the membership.