​Location:  Kelowna Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library, 1380 Ellis Street, 2nd floor

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10am—5pm: Research your family history using the excellent resources in the KDGS Family & Local History Resource Centre, the Okanagan Regional Library’s Kelowna Branch and the  UBC Okanagan Innovation Library. Our Genealogists in Residence will be on-hand to assist you. 

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10:15am – 3:45pm: Schedule a personal consultation with Angie Bush (Genetic Genealogy/DNA), Cyndi Ingle (Tech, Organization, Methodology, USA), Janice Nickerson (Ontario, Research Methodology) or Chris Paton (Ireland, Scotland).  Fee of $25 will apply for a 20 minute consultation – see Conference Registration Form.

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MEET THE SPEAKERS RECEPTION

 

7:00pm—9:30pm:  Must be registered for the Saturday Conference

Keynote Address by  Angie Bush. Family History Displays. Light Refreshments.  

Cost $15, pre-registration only – space is limited.

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Location: Kelowna Canadian Italian Club, 770 Lawrence Avenue 

(free parking available across the street at the Boys & Girls Club)

 

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Saturday Conference, September 26…

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Schedule

 

Location:  Building E, Centre for Learning, Atrium, Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Road; free parking in adjacent lots

 

Must pre-register: $85 KDGS Members (Join Us!); $100 non-members

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You will receive a Customized Conference Schedule when you arrive –

check this for Classroom numbers for each of your sessions

 

8:00—8:45am:          Registration; Marketplace opens; Buy Your Raffle Tickets

 

8:45—9:00am:          Conference 2020 Opening & Announcements

 

9:00—10:15am:        Early Morning Sessions; 4 Concurrent Workshops to Choose From

 

10:15-10:45am:        Morning Break; Marketplace Open

 

10:45-12:00pm:        Late Morning Sessions; 4 Concurrent Workshops to Choose From

 

12:00-1:15pm:          Lunch Break; Marketplace Open; Bring your Lunch or enjoy one of the many nearby Restaurants

 

1:15-2:30pm:            Early Afternoon Sessions; 4 Concurrent Workshops to Choose From

 

2:30-3:00pm:            Afternoon Break; Marketplace Open

 

3:00-4:15pm:            Late Afternoon Sessions; 4 Concurrent Workshops to Choose From

 

4:15-4:30pm:            Last Chance for Raffle Tickets; Be sure to get your Conference Evaluation Questionnaire in the

                                  Draw-box to be eligible for a Great Prize! Marketplace closes at 4:30pm 

 

4:30pm:                    Raffle Draws!  Make sure you are there to win one of our Fabulous Prizes – All Proceeds go towards

                                  KDGS Projects and Programs

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Workshops:  Times and Descriptions

Suggested Topic Levels: Beginner (B), Intermediate (I), Advanced (A)

See Speakers’ Bios and Photos

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9:00—10:15am: Concurrent Sessions (Choose One):

1. Angie Bush, First Steps for Evaluating Your DNA Test Results: The results of a DNA test often provide so much information that it is difficult to know how or if this information will help you in your research. Learn how to evaluate, analyze and organize your test results in a way that will lead to success in your research. Level B

 

2. Cyndi Ingle, Off the Shelf: The Unexplored Potential for eBooks in Genealogy: There is a treasure trove of untapped research sources online: the electronic book or ebook. Repositories are digitizing publications and putting them online for us to use without having to leave the comfort of our homes. We will explore all the options that are out there to move your research forward. Level B-I

 

3. Janice Nickerson, Early Ontario Research, Part One: So you have traced your family's history back to an ancestor who lived in Ontario (or its predecessors, Canada West and Upper Canada) before civil registration. Now what? This lecture provides an overview of three key record groups for pre-civil registration research: censuses, crown land records (government grants, sales and leases) and land registry office records (private transactions). You'll learn what's available, the dates and locations covered, what information you can expect to find, where the records are located, and what has been published, transcribed or indexed. Level All

 

4. Chris Paton, Irish Family History Resources Online: There is a popular belief that Irish family history research is virtually impossible because ‘all the records were burned in the civil war.’ Many records still exist which can help with your ancestral pursuits. For those unable to make their way to Ireland to carry out research, much is now available online. In this presentation, Chris looks at the key repositories and records that can be accessed and will prove to you that if you have been put off with Irish research in the past, now is absolutely the time to take another look. Level B-I

 

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10:45—12:00pm: Concurrent Sessions (Choose One):

5. Angie Bush, Using DNA to Solve 18th and 19th Century Genealogical Mysteries: We know that DNA testing has helped many adoptees find answers to their genetic and biological heritage. Can DNA also help to solve more traditional genealogical problems? The answer is "it depends." Learn what "it depends" on in this lecture. Level I-A

 

6. Cyndi Ingle, Diligence Online: Keep Looking Everywhere: The Internet is piecemeal. It isn't clean and neat and tidy with everything in its place. With the exception of the U.S., U.K., and Canadian censuses (and perhaps a couple of other datasets) there is no one complete database or collection of everything you need for one place or one record type. The answer to this is thorough, detailed, relentless searching across multiple repositories and collections. Finding aids and researching the origins of the records offline can help you pinpoint if and where they exist online, even in multiple places. Level I

 

7.  Janice Nickerson, Early Ontario Research, Part Two: So you have traced your family's history back to an ancestor who lived in Ontario (or its predecessors, Canada West and Upper Canada) before civil registration. Now what? Following on from Ontario Part One, this lecture provides an overview of four key record groups for pre-civil registration research: church records, tax records, estate files (including wills) and burial records. You'll learn what's available, the dates and locations covered, what information you can expect to find, where the records are located, and what has been published, transcribed or indexed. Level All

 

8. Chris Paton, British and Irish Newspapers: Over the last two centuries in particular newspapers have recorded the events that have shaped our forebears’ lives, and in many cases noted anecdotes, notices and advertisements directly concerning them and their local communities. In this presentation, Chris reviews the availability of newspapers from across the British Isles, describing how to find those that have been digitized and made available online, and explaining how to locate considerably more that have not within the various libraries and archives across Britain and Ireland. Level All

 

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1:15—2:30pm: Concurrent Sessions (Choose One):

9. Angie Bush, Tools to Make the Most of Your DNA Test: There are numerous company provided and third-party tools available to genealogists who are using DNA in their research. However, are all of these tools necessary or useful? Learn which tools will help you cut through the maze of information in the world of genetic genealogy. Level I-A

 

10. Cyndi Ingle, Newspaper Tools Online: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Explore both free and commercial newspaper sites to learn what is available for your own research. We'll talk about the how to search, browse, view, print, and save copies for use in personal records. Level All

 

11. Janice Nickerson, Stuck in a Rut? Professional strategies to get your research back on track: What can you do when you’ve tried everything and your research is at a standstill? Drawing from over 15 years professional experience, this lecture will discuss a range of strategies that have been proven to help even the most experienced researcher move past the impasse and make real progress. These methods work for any location or time period. Level I-A

 

12. Chris Paton, Scottish Research Resources before 1800: Whilst most people with Scottish ancestry can trace their lines back with relative ease to the 1800's, prior to this the situation becomes more difficult. In this session, Chris looks at some of the many records to be found both online and within Scotland's archives which can help the genealogist to push back further, including estate papers, land records, inheritance records, burgh records and more. Level All

 

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3:00—4:15pm: Concurrent Sessions (Choose One):

13. Angie Bush, Your Cousins are Your Secret Weapon: Success with using DNA testing in your genealogical research begins by understanding that your cousins (known and unknown) are the key to helping you work through your research problems. Strategically testing those cousins you already know, and then identifying cousins you don't know is the foundation of using DNA to solve genealogical mysteries. Level I

 

14. Cyndi Ingle, Cyndi’s List in Practice: Sometimes overwhelming to beginners and sometimes underused by veterans, Cyndi's List is a research tool that is robust with resources helpful in everyone's research. Using specific examples for beginners, as well as more advanced researchers, we will explore the site and point out how to make the most of the categories and the links found within. Level All  

 

15. Janice Nickerson, Beyond the Book: Fun ideas for showcasing your research: Most genealogists spend years, even decades, researching their family’s history and then despair of ever writing “the book” that will showcase all their discoveries for their family. This lecture demonstrates, with show-and-tell examples, a variety of creative ways to give your family the gift of genealogy without the slog of writing a 500-page tome. Level All

 

16. Chris Paton, Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis: When disaster befell our Scottish ancestors, there was usually someone close to hand with a quill, parchment and ink. In this talk, Chris looks at some of the perilous situations faced by our ancestors in their lifetimes and the many useful records generated for family history research as a consequence. Level I-A

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Your Basic Conference Fee Includes…

 

Choice of FOUR Saturday Workshops – one in each Concurrent Time-slot (sorry, we do not pro-rate our Conference Fee if you are only able to attend for part of the day).

 

All Saturday Delegates will receive a Digital Syllabus through an online link provided one week before the conference which will include the Handouts from all 16 Lectures; the link will be emailed to you so you can download the Syllabus in order to have the Handouts for your Workshops available for your classes, NOTE: no printed handouts will be available at the Conference.

 

Free access to our Marketplace featuring Genealogical Vendors!

 

A chance to win a valuable prize just by turning in your Completed Conference Evaluation Questionnaire at the end of the Day!

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Morning and Afternoon Refreshments: Coffee/Tea, Morning Muffins (including Gluten-free choices).  Coffee/Tea will also be available during Lunch Hour!

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Delegates Package with your Customized Schedule and Name Tag

 

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Enhance Your Conference With…

 

Attend our Friday Evening "Meet the Speakers" Reception, option available for a cost of $15 on your Registration Form; space is limited; you must also be registered for the Saturday Conference

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Purchase Your Raffle Tickets from the KDGS Table or from our Roving Ambassadors!! 

You could win one of several coveted prizes -- your chances are excellent for this one-day raffle! All proceeds go towards KDGS programs and projects.

 

Purchase a Printed Syllabus for $15 OR a Digital Syllabus for $8; this option is available on your Registration Form.  A limited number of Printed and Digital Syllabuses will be available FOR PURCHASE at the KDGS Table, as well. There is a limit of only one printed Syllabus per registrant at $15; if purchasing more than one (or one for a friend), the cost is $30 per Syllabus.