BIFHSGO Conference 2015 Was a BLAST!

Just back from the 21st annual conference of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. This year's conference themes were: Scottish Research, Technology in Genealogy and Photography. 

The three different streams allowed for attendees who were across a broad spectrum of topics, making it about more than just the country their ancestors emigrated from. It also allowed a nice variety of speakers. 

I had two in-depth pre-conference seminars on the Friday. The were just too much fun. We spent the morning really digging in to the basics of Scottish genealogy research. In the afternoon, we walked through the website for Scottish research, www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk This included some live searches for the last half hour or so. 

On Friday evening I was treated to dinner by Ed Zapletal of Moorhead Magazines (Internet Genealogy http://www.internet-genealogy.com/ and Your Genealogy Today http://yourgenealogytoday.com/) and his wife, Lynne. It was a great night with lots and lots of laughter as well as great food. 

I had the chance to hang out with Thomas McEntee between sessions on Saturday. We had a blast. 

Saturday night was a pay-as-you-go dinner which took Thomas and I by surprise. We patiently waited at the venue after the conference ended, being told that the dinner was an hour later. We arrived, what we thought was 15 minutes early to find there were only two seats left (at different tables and on opposite sides of the room). This meant we didn't get a chance to visit with people we had hoped to catch up with during the conference. Not only were we seated with a table of unknowns, many people in the room were already eating!

After dinner, I headed over to the airport to await the arrival of Chris Paton who was coming up from his gig in Toronto. I knew I was early, but was looking forward to some down time and the chance to read. No sooner in the door of the airport than I received a message from Chris that his flight was delayed by half an hour. No...wait...hold that thought....now delayed 45 minutes. Every time I looked at the arrival board, the time got later and later. In the end, it was 75 minutes delayed. Not to mention the 25 minutes waiting for the luggage to be unloaded. While I often feel very connected to Chris through social media, I rarely get a chance to see him, so it was nice to have the chance to get caught up with him even if it was around a luggage carousel. 

Sunday was another full day and once Thomas and I were finally able to drag Rock Star Chris Paton away from his adoring public, he made the very astute observation that it was "Beer O'Clock" The three of us found a lovely, homey wee pub a block or so away from the hotel and enjoyed a cold one, a wee nosh and some brilliant, brilliant craic. 

Thank you Ottawa. Thank you BIFHSGO. Thank you to my colleagues for making the weekend such a fun time and for making the conference such a terrific one. 

BIFHSGO Conference 2015

Later this week I will be heading to Ottawa to take part in the annual conference of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa. Each year, the conference features a different country from the British Isles, and this year the focus is on Scotland. In addition to Scottish research, the conference will feature topics on Technology and on Photographs - both as they relate to genealogy. Something for everyone.

The BIFHSGO conference is well run, has a variety of topics on offer and has a large marketplace. Online registration is closed, but you can arrive in person and register onsite.

I will be leading two pre-conference seminars on Friday. These are three hour sessions where we will delve into specific topics in Scottish research.

Friday morning focuses on getting started with your Scottish genealogy research.

In Search of Your Scottish Ancestors: 

Search Your Roots-Discover Your Heritage

While many people want to know more about their Scottish heritage, they often don’t know where to begin. Knowing where to look is usually where we falter. Fortunately, researching our Scottish ancestors is a fairly easy task. This seminar will get you started with researching your Scottish ancestry and will help you make the most of your research. Topics include: starting your search, the ScotlandsPeople website, the Scottish naming pattern, Scottish marriages, Catholic parish records on ScotlandsPeople, Scottish family history societies, Using Scottish Libraries and Archives, Scottish newspaper research, Scottish clans, and Connecting with others researching their Scottish ancestry.

The afternoon workshop is a walk-through of using the ScotlandsPeople website.

Dinnae Waste Yer Credits, Then:

Navigating the ScotlandsPeople Website

ScotlandsPeople is the website that provides you with actual images of the statutory records for Scottish research. This is a pay-per-view site using credits. If you don't know how to use the website effectively, you can waste a lot of credits, spend a lot of money and endure a lot of frustration. In this seminar, you will learn how to get the most success out of your ScotlandsPeople searches. Topics include: how the credit system works, how to narrow down your search, which records are the most relevant, where to find past search results, how to trace female ancestors, where to get help, and what to do when you can't read the documents.

On Saturday, I will be sharing ideas for Tracking Your Scots Emigrant Ancestor:

Learn the importance of Understanding Emigration in the Historical Context of Scotland, the  Passenger Vessels Acts of 1803 & 1842, the role of Colonial Societies, and both Online and Offline resources for tracking Your Scots Emigrant Ancestor.

And on Sunday, I will be highlighting some of the Lesser Known Databases for Scottish Genealogy Research:

Scotland is a world leader when it comes to preserving their national history and national memory. Archivists all over the country are working to conserve, preserve, digitize and make available records that can be used for genealogical research. This lecture will assist you in learning where you might find information on your Scots ancestor that will help you to fill in their story and add to your understanding of their social history.

Genealogy Tours of Scotland will have a table in the Marketplace throughout the conference. Please drop by to say hello, share your stories and ask for some ideas on where to turn next in your quest to trace your Scottish ancestor.