Connecting with our Roots: How Family Stories Shape our Lives – NEW
Generations of stories shape our lives. We learn these stories from our living relatives, both young and old. We can also learn ancestors’ stories through research. This session will explore the importance of discovering family stories and how these stories shape us.  Learn tips for listening to family stories, talking to relatives, and researching stories of deceased ancestors.

Finding Clues and Facts in Historical Documents – NEW
Analyzing records can be fun. Genealogists examine historical documents that reveal facts, and clues that lead to more documents. Sharpen your detective skills in this session as we determine the facts and evaluate the clues to decide where to search next. We’ll decide what information in each documents is likely true and which should be proven with another document. As we move through the records, we’ll discuss how to uncover which records exist and where to find them. We’ll also look at what information is most likely true in each document and what should be proven with another one.

8 Tips for Beginner Genealogists
Are you interested in becoming skilled at genealogy fundamentals? Do you want to know how to decide if that record is your ancestor? Following these 8 tips will help you  trace your family tree proficiently and accurately.

Genealogy Resources for the Canadian Prairies – NEW
A look at the usual websites and unexpected resources for finding your family on the Canadian Prairies. Discover where to find data and social history.

Analyzing Census Records Using Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets make analysing census records easier. Learn to create a spreadsheet and manipulate data to reveal actual and implied information from census records.

How to Find North American Passenger Lists 
Our ancestors came to North America by ship but finding them on passenger lists can be difficult. I’ll give you some tips on how to discover when they came to North America and look at different record collections that may contain your ancestor on the ship they took to come to Canada and United States.

From Census to Civil and Church Records 
Learn how to gather the information found on census records, analyze it, and then find other records that that prove or disprove those facts.  Extracting information on census records is vital to finding more records. Learn how to calculate birth, marriage, and death dates, how to infer information and how to create a database to organize facts. Discover where to look to find government and church records that will have more accurate facts on your family. Follow the Franklin family from the 1921 Canada census in Saskatchewan to Ontario to England as you learn to use census, civil and church records to complete your family tree.

The Art of Slow Genealogy 
Are you a genealogy tortoise or a hare? The hare rushes to find new documents, but genealogy tortoises create more accurate and thorough family trees by using a detailed research log. This step-by-step method suggests ways to slow down, cite your sources, and read and analyze records. This process results in a more accurate family history.

Genealogy Basics
Learn to do genealogy like a seasoned researcher. Follow these basic tips and you’ll research your family confidently and efficiently. Are you interested in becoming skilled at genealogy fundamentals such as: organizing the facts and sources, finding records, and evaluating the documents you found? This presentation will teach you the how to be proficient at tracking your family.

Genealogy from Home
We get in the rut of searching only our favorite websites. But there are many digitized records on the internet on various websites. This lecture will examine sites in Canada, Britain, and United States that contain online records. As well, we’ll look at websites that teach genealogists where to find even more records on the internet.

Breaking that Brick Wall
You found your ancestors but can’t determine where they came from. This information packed presentation offers a methodical approach that results in thoroughly reviewing and analyzing your documents, and looking at records that may help break through that brick wall. We’ll explore various techniques and strategies organize and carry out research. Following this system results in a more accurate family history, will help you break down your genealogical barriers and may take you back another generation

Using Canadian Land Records for Genealogy Research
Genealogists don’t always realize the value of land records. They were kept from the beginning of settlement in Canada and many still exist. This lecture will examine why you want to look at land records, what genealogy information can be gleaned from them and where they are found. We will look at actual land records to discover information of value to family historians. We’ll also look at different sites and databases that contain these records. I will explain the intricacies in finding some of the records and go over the new online database for Ontario land record.

Finding Records on FamilySearch
Have you ever tried browsing through records on the FamilySearch website?  How do you know what’s available and how to find them?  Searching the indexed records is the easiest way to look for ancestors. But there are thousands of digitized records that haven’t been indexed. Taking the time to browse or scroll through them is worth the effort. You’ll learn where to find them and tips on making the browsing a bit easier.  This lecture will look at how to find both indexed and non-indexed records to make the best use of the FamilySearch website

Using Social Media for Genealogy
Social media can be intimidating for some of us, but the lure of connecting online with living relatives is tempting. Learn the value of social media; what it is, what platforms are available and how they work; and what a great tool it is for family historians.

Researching in Canada
This information packed presentation guides researchers through internet sources available for research in Canada. We’ll look at the Collections Canada website, different provincial archives, and Ancestry and FamilySearch websites. Attendees will learn what is available on each of these websites and how to easily and quickly find the information they want.