This Week’s Online Genealogy Events
Choose from selected free online events today. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about a few more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.
Tuesday 4 March
2 pm: Ottawa Genealogy Drop-in
2:30 pm: My Great-Grandfather’s Secrets: Using DNA, Oral History, and Historical Context to Discover Untold Stories, by Elizabeth Hodges for Allen Country Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12834957
7:30 pm: Beyond the Online Basics: A Genealogical Guide to Digital Collections, by Dave Obee for OGS Durham Region Branch.
Wednesday, 5 March
7:30 pm: Cemetery Enthusiasts of Huron County Ontario – Guardians of the Grave, by Lori Carter for OGS Huron Branch.
https://huron.ogs.on.ca/
Thursday 6 March
RootsTech
6:30 pm: Tracing Your Irish Roots: An Introduction to Irish Genealogy, by Elizabeth Hodges for Allen Country Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/12920325
7 pm: Getting Into The Habit: Researching Female Religious In Your Family Tree , by David Ryan for OGS
https://ogs.on.ca/events/march-webinar-getting-into-the-habit-researching-female-religious-in-your-family-tree-david-ryan-2
Friday 7 March
RootsTech
Saturday 8 March
BIFHSGO March Meeting
9 am: Exploring the Official Government Newspapers: the Gazettes of the UK, by Ken McKinlay
The official newspaper of the government, the Gazette, might not seem to be something we would use in our genealogy and family history research. However, possibly you have military service files that states an ancestor was gazetted or was an officer who received a promotion. Maybe you found that your ancestor was presented with an honour from the Crown? Did your ancestor become a naturalized citizen or even change his or her name? You will often find those sorts of announcements in the Gazette. In this presentation we will explore the various government gazettes in England, Scotland, and Ireland to learn how to search them online and discover what they hold for our research.
10 am: Ripped from the Headlines: Death on the Forest , by Marianne Rasmus
“Manslaughter at the Races” —This newspaper headline from July 1857 about a death at the Nottingham races proved to be the catalyst for breaking down a brick wall on Marianne Rasmus’ maternal grandfather’s line that had plagued her for more than 10 years.
Newspapers can hold a wealth of information and can be an incredible resource when putting flesh on the bones of our family stories. In this presentation, Marianne will share the research journey that led to the discovery of the news story; recount how it, along with several other articles, shed light on a fascinating family and an event that had been lost through time; and explore life, and death, in 19th century industrial Nottingham.
10:30 am: Silent Roots – The Black Settlers Who Shaped Dufferin County, by Laura Camilleri for OGS Simcoe County Branch.
https://simcoe.ogs.on.ca/
Newspapers.com Updates
While no new British titles were added, over 150 newspapers were updated on newspapers.com in the past month. Those with content before 1950 are:
Isle of Wight County Press (1884–2023)
Southern Daily Echo (1888–2023)
South Wales Argus (1892–2023)
The Bolton News (1867–2023)
Bucks Free Press (1856–2023)
The Guardian (1821–2025)
Northern Echo (1870–1985)
Glasgow Herald (1820–1900)
Evening Standard (1897–2024)
The Old Farmer’s Almanac for February
This February, the mean temperature in Ottawa was -9.9C; the OFA prediction of -10.0C could hardly be closer.
SUCCESS
The OFA predicted a dry month with 30 mm of total precipitation at Ottawa; the actual was 73.1 mm, well above the long-term average of 54.3 and more than twice the OFA prediction
TOTAL FAIL
FreeBMD February Update
The FreeBMD database was updated on 24 February to contain 292,557,239 entries, up from 292,327,249 the previous month.
Years with major updates, more than 10,000 entries, are: 1993, 1995-96 for births, 1994-96 for marriages, and 1995 for deaths
Ancestry Update
Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1950, now has 4,678,790 records.
New and Updated from MyHeritage since 1 March
| Collection Name |
Format |
Status |
Record Count |
| United Kingdom Newspapers from OldNews.com |
Images |
Updated |
8,105,394 |
| Germany, World War I Casualty Lists, 1914-1919 |
Images |
New |
8,325,620 |
| Canada, Passenger Lists and Border Entries, 1925-1935 |
– |
New |
829,852 |
| United Kingdom & Commonwealth, British Jewry Book of Honour, 1914-1919 |
Images |
New |
58,707 |
| Spain Newspapers from OldNews.com |
Images |
Updated |
13,721,512 |
| Germany Newspapers from OldNews.com |
Images |
Updated |
12,891,405 |
These records have been digitally transcribed, but I found many anomalies. Always check the linked images to verify the accuracy of the transcription.
The February OGS Toronto Branch meeting will be held virtually on Monday, 24 February, at 7:30 pm.