By Jim Sova
“It is so nice to find someone who wants to talk about genealogy.”
It hit me after about the third time it happened. I volunteer at the archives reading room and I am also an avid genealogist. Every few weeks when I was assisting someone with a genealogy inquiry, we would start talking about our research and then the same comment: “It is so nice to find someone who wants to talk about genealogy”.
Researching your family tree and family story can be a solitary pursuit, but when you find an interesting tidbit, you want to share it. Often, family members do not share our passion. Adults find excuses and children prefer time on their screens. Ironically, they will be the ones that years later will utter the second most common comment: “I wish I had listened more closely to my grandparent’s story” or “I wish I had asked more questions when they were still around”.
I don’t think I can address all the comments, but maybe making a place for genealogists to meet at the Museum can address the first one. I raised the possibility with the Museum staff and a few fellow genealogists and the “Genealogy Club BYOB” idea was born. The “BYOB” stands for “Bring Your Own Brick Wall”.
The next step was to find a location, timeslot, format and if possible, a bit of funding. The Museum is a very busy place, especially in the summer with Macpherson House open, but staff managed to find a time, a place and some funding from the Government of Ontario under a program targeted at seniors. The format part is still a work in progress with a mix of presentations and workshops. We have also tested something we are calling “Stump the Genealogist” where we invite the members to put forward one of their “brick walls” of research and see if a volunteer group can look with “new eyes” to see if they can help break that brick wall. We also include some social time just to meet and “talk genealogy”. We are still welcoming input on any different formats or topics people would like.
So far, as of September 2024, we have held 4 meetings with about 20 people at each. We aim to cover a variety of topics around genealogy, both at a beginner and more intermediate level. There has been a mixture of attendees so far with people just starting out through to grizzled veterans.
The October meeting will be a new offering with a full day workshop on working with 19th century criminal justice records. Renowned Professional Genealogist, Janice Nickerson (check out her company website UpperCanadaGenealogy.com) will be here to lead this special edition workshop. You can find the stories not just about the criminals, but also about the victims, witnesses, jury members and magistrates. This meeting will also be our first attempt at including remote access via Zoom. We hope to do a workshop early next year on using Land Registry Office records in your search.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of your experience, just no eyerolls permitted!
