In loving Remembrance of Mary-Ann Onley, died May 31, 1888. Are you a descendant? Click to view full image.
Branch Information
The mission of the Wellington County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is to provide assistance to those interested in family history, and to promote family history research as a worthwhile activity.
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
- Where:
Wellington County Museum and Archive, 0536 Wellington County Road 18, in Fergus, Ontario - When:
6:45 - 9:00 PM (6:45 social time, 7:15 program begins) - Topic:
Life on the Farm: Your Ancestor's Place in Ontario Agriculture
Speaker: Jane MacNamara
Up-coming Events
Below are our next six upcoming events
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Thu20Sep2018Bus departs 9:00 amArchives of Ontario
Branch Excursion
Bus Excursion to Archives of Ontario in Toronto
Date: Thursday, September 20, 2018
Time: Bus departs Guelph at 9:00 am and will leave the Archives of Ontario to return to Guelph at 3:30 pm
Pick-up/Drop-off Place: Stone Road Mall parking lot (use the entrance to the mall off Edinburgh Road South, the bus will be to the right near the apartment buildings)
Excursion: Field trip to the Archives in Toronto, Ontario
Cost: $30 for Wellington County Branch OGS members; $35.00 for all others
Things You Should Know:
Registration Forms are available by emailing wellington@ogs.on.ca
To get the most out of your visit to the Archives of Ontario (AO) it is important
to read the article Prepare For Your Visit found on the AO main page. It details some key things to note when planning for research. It is important to know whether the material you want is available onsite or whether you need to put in a request to have it brought in from offsite for the day of our trip.When we arrive, we will be required to show our AO Researchers card to the Receptionist. If you do not have an AO Researcher card, you will need to pre-register online. This will allow AO to have your card ready and waiting for you at the Reception desk. Please note that the AO requires a government issued photo ID card (Driver’s License, or Passport, not Health card) to been shown. If you don’t have access to a computer, please let us know and we will arrange to have a branch member assist you.
Lockers for personal belongings (coats, purses, bags, food and drink) are available as these items are not permitted in the Reading Room. We may have to share lockers or AO may allow us a room in which items can be locked securely.
Be sure to indicate on the Registration form if you wish to take part in either or both of these orientations.
Option #1: 45 minute classroom orientation with an Archivist regarding Conducting Research at the Archives.
Option #2: 20 to 25 minute tour of the AO Reading Room highlighting the various research areas and resources related to genealogical research and helping to acquaint you with accessing these records onsite and how to access microfilm (the majority of the geological records are on microfilm).
Once the tour is over, you are free to embark on research in the Reading Room for the remainder of the visit.
As for lunch, they have a client lounge where participants can eat their lunch. In addition, there are plenty of fast food type restaurants available on the campus for those who wish to purchase their lunch on campus.
As well as reviewing the Tracing Your Family History section Tracing Your Family History section of the AO website, you can also start your research from home by consulting the Accessing our Collection section of the website. Here you can access the main databases (these will be reviewed in the orientation session):
- Archives Descriptive Database: includes descriptions of archival records in our holdings and how you can order them for viewing.
Note: The majority of AO original records are stored offsite, so if you are looking to access archival materials you should consult the database to determine what records you would like to view and order them at least 3 business days before you come. You can order them by emailing the order information (from the database) to the Retrieval Unit at reference@ontario.ca. Microfilmed records do not need to be ordered in advance.
- BiBlion Library Catalogue: our library is closed stacks (i.e. all items have to be retrieved fortheir viewing). This can be done on the day of the visit or in advance.
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Tue25Sep20186:45 pmWellington County Museum and Archives
September Meeting
Life on the Farm: Your Ancestor's Place in Ontario Agriculture
Date: September 25, 2018
Time: 6:45 - 9:00 PM (6:45 social time, 7:15 program begins)
Place: Wellington County Museum and Archives, 0536 Wellington County Road 18, Fergus, Ontario
Speaker: Jane MacNamara
We often think of farming as a traditional occupation—something that hasn’t really changed much. But that is not and was never the case. Jane will introduce us to some of the records that reveal just how innovative some of our farming ancestors were.
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Sun30Sep20182:00 - 4:00 PMGuelph Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Norfolk Street
Wellington County Branch DNA-SIG Workshop
This workshop will be a review and update session for those who are beginning to explore their DNAresults or those that need a review and update/refresher on the previous workshops. DNA basics and an introduction to more advanced topics will be covered. How to use your Ancestry and FTDNA results to further your work on your family trees will also be explored along with an introduction to GedMatch and some of the newly updated utilities, including Genesis.
To register or for further information, please contact wellingtonDNA@ogs.on.ca.
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Sun14Oct20182:00 - 4:00 PMGuelph Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Norfolk Street
Wellington County Branch DNA-SIG Workshop
This session will be a repeat of the last session before the summer break. Triangulation and DNA Clustering techniques using RootsFinder and DNA Painter will be introduced. Both of these topics are advanced, but the session is open to whomever would like to attend.
Triangulation helps to sort your many DNA matches into family groups who are all interrelated and the DNA Clustering technique provides a very powerful way to cluster these triangulated DNA matches into groups that can be easily seen through a great graphical interface. RootsFinder provides software to make this analysis much easier to do. Before this software became available it was necessary to download your triangulated matches into large spreadsheets and work to organize them into groups. RootsFinder automates the process and allows you to spend your time seeing the interrelationships of groups of your triangulated matches. To use this facility, you must have access to Gedmatch Tier 1 Utilities and RootsFinder. Both are available at a nominal cost.
To register or for further information, please contact wellingtonDNA@ogs.on.ca.
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Tue23Oct20186:45 pmChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
October Meeting
Update on What's New at OGS
Date: October 23, 2018
Time: 6:45 - 9:00 PM (6:45 social time, 7:15 program begins)
Place: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 190 Marksam Road, Guelph
Speaker: Steve Fulton UE
Join us at our October meeting as Steve Fulton UE, newly-elected President of the Ontario Genealogical Society, shares his vision for the Society and discusses the many projects currently underway. Steve will also provide an update on the many advantages of OGS membership and briefly outline how technology is changing the way we are researching our ancestors.
This is a great opportunity to learn how the Society and our branch can continue to work together in promoting, encouraging and assisting family history research. Steve is also interested in hearing your questions and recommendations for strengthening the organization.
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Sat03Nov20181:30 - 3:30 PMGuelph Public Library, 100 Norfolk Street
Finding Your Ancestor: Canadian Military Records and Sources
Most of us have ancestors who served in the military either during a time of conflict or a time of peace. You may have photographs or medals or heard stories about your ancestor’s experiences. You may have wondered if there is a way to learn more about your ancestor's time in military service. But where do you start? What records and resources are available? What information could be contained in the records? How can they be accessed? Were detailed records really created during a time of crisis?
Join us in this workshop to examine the records and sources available for finding your Canadian ancestor in military records. These records often hold valuable information for the family history researcher and can lead to new discoveries as well as providing insight into military service in a specific time period. During this session, records and resources pertaining to the War of 1812, the South African War (1899-1902), the First World War (1914-1918), World War Two (1939-1945), and the Korean conflict will be reviewed. Discussion will also focus on militia records and sources and Permanent Force records 1871-1914.
There is no fee for this event. Registration is required through the Guelph Public Library's Events page or by contacting the library by phone at 519-824-6220.
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Tue27Nov20186:45 pmChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
November Meeting
Breaking Down Genealogical Brick Walls and Annual General Meeting
Date: November 27, 2018
Time: 6:45 - 9:00 PM (6:45 social time, 7:15 program begins)
Place: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 190 Marksam Road, Guelph