National Letter Writing Week

This is National Letter Writing Week. Letter writing seems to be a bit of a dying art, doesn't it? I used to love writing letters - really newsy ones so that family in Scotland could get a real flavour of our lives here in Canada. And I loved getting letters back.

My mum had a pen pal in Johannesburg through a scheme at her school in Scotland. Although they lost touch over the years, mum still remembered the address that the letters were mailed to.

I was pen pal with my same aged cousin for years. That went by the wayside when technology advanced. But I continued to send letters 'home' to aunts, uncles and my granny.

Are you interested in writing down the stories of your ancestors? Join us in the Kilted Ancestors Facebook group for free monthly themes, weekly prompts and monthly drop in guests via video.

Registration for #KILTEDKULTURE Quarterly Conferences is now OPEN!

 

As part of our support of Year of Stories #YS2022, we have four conference events happening throughout the year. Each conference has a theme, and the speakers will give presentations based on that theme. Here's the line-up:


19 March - Emigration/Immigration
Speakers & Topics:


Dr Marjory Harper - Voices of the Diaspora

Dr Keir Strickland - Excavating the Highland Clearances

Jessica Evershed - The Highland & Island Emigration Scheme Database

Christine Woodcock - Scots in Atlantic Canada


18 June - Crime and Punishment
Speakers & Topics


Donna Moore - The Lock Trilogy: historical crime fiction novellas

Chris Paton - The Mount Stewart Murder

Robert Howie - The Story of Jekyll & Hide (Deacon Brodie)

Roddy Greig - Fife FHS Kalendar of Convicts


10 Sept - Industry/Occupations
Speakers & Topics

Stephen Clancy - Paisley Weavers

Justin Parkes - Scottish Steelworks and the Coal-fired Ironworks Industry

Irene O'Brien - My Ancestors Was... Researching Ancestor Occupations

Neil Fraser - Historic Scotland's Industry Collections


10 December - Uniquely Scottish
Speaker and Topics

Paula Duncan - Kilt Making as a Heritage Craft

Nick Fiddes of DC Dalgleish - All About Tartan

Carol Jackson - Ellis Gin

Chef Gary MacLean - Scotland's Larder


You can register for one, all four or mix and match to suit your interests. Each conference is £10 ($17cad)

Just an FYI that if you book for all four events, you will be invited to a FREE event on October 15th to help you put your stories together so that they can be shared with others and across the generations.

Registration is OPEN

Kilted Ancestors Supports Year of Stories #YS2022

 

#Year of Stories kicks off tomorrow, January 2 at 9 am eastern. Join us in the Kilted AncestorsFacebook group where we will in the new year with an overview of some of the drop in sessions we have on tap throughout the year to get you fired up and ready to share the stories of your Scottish ancestors. 

Each month throughout the year will have a dedicated theme and each week, Clare and I will give you a prompt to help you along in getting your stories written down. And in addition, we will have a guest (or two) dropping by to help you even further. These drop in sessions will happen monthly. Lots to learn, so plan to join us. 

These events are 100% FREE. Just come along and join the Facebook group and you will get access to everything on offer. 

To give you an idea of what we will be sharing, here are the monthly topics: 

Jan – Folklore

Feb – They moved to Scotland

March – They Left Scotland

April – Crime Stories

 May – Police Stories

June – Skeletons & Scandals

July – Weaving & Textiles

Aug – Mining

Sept- Steel Works & Ships

Oct – Retail & Shopping

Nov – Food & Recipes

Dec – Scottish Drinks

You can interpret these any way you wish to fit the story of your ancestors. Join us for ideas, prompts and to hear from others in the group as well. 

 

#KiltedAnecestors for Year of Stories #YS2022

 

Join Clare Wilson and I on January 2 at 9 am in her Kilted Ancestors Facebook group. 

We ring in the new year with an overview of some of the #YS2022 drop in sessions we have on tap throughout the year to get you fired up and ready to share the stories of your Scottish ancestors. All of these events are free. Spread the word. The more the merrier. 

 

Four Part Webinar Series on Scottish Research

Join me Thursday evenings in January for a four part webinar series:

January 6 - Getting Started with Scottish Research

January 13 - Navigating the ScotlandsPeople Website

January 20 - Brick Wall Busters for Scottish Research

January 27 - Preparing for a Genealogy Trip to Scotland

All webinars begin at 7 pm eastern. 

30 Days Until the Final Scottish ViC

 

We are just a month away from the final Scottish ViC, a virtual conference for those researching their Scottish ancestors. This final conference has an historic perspective to it, and quite nicely also fits in with VisitScotland's themed year, Year of Scottish Stories. 

 

Jimmy Fisher runs Scottish Reformation Tours where he takes people to visit the places associated with the Martyrs who fought to keep their religion out of the hands of the King and in doing so lost their lives. Jimmy will share these stories with us during his presentation on the Covenanters.

 

Hugh Alison is the former manager of the Culloden Visitor Centre. He will be talking about the events leading up to the battle as well as the aftermath following the battle. This battle ended the highland way of life and ultimately led to the outflow of highlanders to north America.

 

Ciaran Jones will share with us some of the incredibly unimaginable stories that are contained within the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database. These were extraordinary times and yet many of the accused were quite ordinary folk. Come and hear about the database and the information contained within it.

 

Matthew J Smith will share with us the stories contained within the Legacy of British Slave Owners Database. Following abolition, merchants who had owned slaves were able to apply for compensation from the government for loss of property. The LBS project is now also working to understand and develop the stories of those who were enslaved.

The ViC will run from 9:15 eastern and wraps up at 3:30 eastern. Access to the recordings remains open for 30 days for those with time zone challenges. 

To register: https://www.genealogyvic.com/ViC-2022

Six eGuides in the Genealogy Tours Store

 

There are now 6 eGuides in the Genealogy Tours store. These guides are all in PDF format and immediately downloadable. All prices are in Canadian dollars. 

Start Searching Your Scottish Ancestors:

Everything you need to know to start researching your Scottish ancestors. Learn how not to waste credits on ScotlandsPeople. See the depth of information on Scottish documents. Understand the Scottish Naming Pattern and a bonus appendix of words commonly found on Scottish documents

Preparing for a Genealogy Trip to Scotland:

Preparation is the key to a successful genealogy research trip. In this comprehensive eGuide, you will learn what is needed in order to be prepared for success for researching your Scottish ancestors in Scotland.

Early Scots in Atlantic Canada:

Following the highland clearances, Scots began pouring into Atlantic Canada by the boatload. These Scots may have been escaping religious persecution, extreme poverty or simply looking for a better way of life for themselves and their families.

Scottish Settlers in Ontario:

After the American Revolution, the Crown declared that Ontario was open for settlement. A number of settlements were developed. Some were military settlements others were purchased by entrepreneurs who then sold the land to immigrants. Many of these immigrants or military men were Scottish. In this publication, we look at Glengarry, Lanark County, Baldoon, the Talbot Settlement, and the Huron Tract. We also look at the politics and power surrounding the Huron Tract.

Early Scottish Settlers in Canada: 

Following the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, there was a strong effort by the Crown to promote emigration to Canada. Many of these early settlers in Canada, were from Scotland.

Researching HBC & Metis Ancestors:

The HBC began recruiting in Scotland in 1702. Orkneymen were recruited to work at York Factory and were indentured for a period of 5 years. Since women were not allowed, these men coupled with the indigenous women in the area, creating the Métis nation in Canada. This eGuide provides historical context as well as resources for researching your Scottish ancestors working for the HBC as well as resources for researching your Métis ancestors