After a winter hiatus, our BYOB (Bring your own Brick Wall) Genealogy Club officially returns on March 28, ready to pick up where we left off and dive even deeper into the stories waiting to be uncovered! In this blog, Marilyn looks back on a year of breakthroughs while looking ahead to new tools, topics, and discoveries.
BYOB Genealogy Club: Looking Back and Ahead
by Marilyn Stewart
Having concluded our second year, our BYOB Genealogy Club is excited to prepare for yet another year of growth and discovery.
The idea for this club began three years ago as a way to bring together genealogy enthusiasts to learn, collaborate, and expand their research skills. Our first year focused on exploring interest levels and identifying which topics would engage members. Year Two built on that foundation, ensuring we could sustain interest and deepen participation.
We now have a dedicated core group who attend regularly, some traveling several hours each month to attend along with members from nearby Frontenac and Hastings counties. New faces continue to join us, and all are warmly welcomed.
This past year, our focus was on Land Petitions and Land Records, including a hands-on workshop that guided members through finding these valuable documents and uncovering the historical insights they contain. We also delved further into DNA research, exploring how matching technology can open new paths of discovery.
The genealogy world continues to evolve quickly. Platforms like FamilySearch, with its new Full Text Search, and Ancestry, with its new Protools feature including the new DNA Clustering tool, are adding exciting features that enhance our research abilities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also emerging as a powerful new aid for genealogists, providing fresh insights and making searches more efficient.
During our winter break, members have stayed connected through our Facebook page, where we share research tips, webinar announcements, and new resource leads.
Personally, it’s been incredibly rewarding to watch our group sharpen its skills and experience those “breakthrough moments” — whether it’s solving a long-standing mystery, uncovering a new ancestor, or validating a hypothesis with that elusive record.
As we move into 2026, our leadership team has expanded, and we are planning an engaging lineup of topics. We’re also exploring new interactive elements to make meetings even more dynamic. Together, we’ll continue uncovering underutilized resources both online and in our local archives and other local resources and work toward our shared goal: Breaking Down Brick Walls and Celebrating Breakthroughs.
Learn more about Genealogy Club and become a Member today!