2026

The table below indicates the months for which handouts and/or videos are available. 

To see any of the videos or handouts, you need to be logged in to your membership account.

10 January 2026

Who Pays the Piper? Wills and Testaments of Scottish Musicians 1513-1800 
Presenter: Robert Urquhart

Family historians sometimes think wills and testaments were only made by the wealthy, but many were registered in Scottish courts for people of “small estate,” including pipers and other musicians. This presentation used such examples to explain the terminology of wills and testaments and show how these records reveal details of the lives and families of pipers, drummers, trumpeters, minstrels, and others.

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“It All Started with Some Buttons… Looking for a Stewart Piper” 
Presenter: Susan Reany Iskra

While visiting family in England some years ago, Susan Reany Iskra was shown a set of buttons and told of a connection to a Stewart piper at Drummond Castle. These buttons were the starting point for a research journey that Susan shared in her presentation as she spoke about her search, the processes and some of the resources she used, and what she was able to learn about this piper in 19th century Scotland. 

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14 February 2026

Exploring Pictures with AI: the Good and the Bad 
Presenter: Paul Cripwell

You’ve acquired a picture of an object, scene, or ancestor but have no idea of its location or timeframe. How do you find out? Ask AI! That seems to be the answer to everything these days. But how do you know if the information you get back is accurate? Paul Cripwell walked us through the explorations he conducted on some of his own pictures—what AI got right, what it got wrong, and how he figured it out.

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Rain-Soaked Roots: Weather Shaped the Lives of Our British Isles Ancestors 
Presenter: John Reid

Weather touched every part of our ancestors’ lives—from daily chores under rainy skies to celebrations on sunny summer days, from mild seasons that brought good harvests to the storms that forced people to adapt or move on. This talk explored how both ordinary and extreme weather shaped life across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Drawing on official records, newspapers, and personal diaries, John traced how weather influenced work, health, migration, and memory, revealing a layer of family history often overlooked.

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14 March 2026

Tips for Using FamilySearch's Full Text Search
Presenter: Ken McKinlay

The application of AI-driven handwriting recognition technology in FamilySearch's search has opened up the records to genealogy and family history researchers in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, we would consider ourselves fortunate if we came across a collection where the principal names had been indexed. Now, practically all the names and words in many digitized collections have been indexed for us. Ken provided us with some tips and tricks to help us find those previously overlooked or hard to find records on FamilySearch.

[Members can view the Chat for the link to a handout recommended by Ken.]

Thistles and Cedar, Hearts Entwined in War 
Presenter: Wendy Jocko

Wendy Jocko told the story of the marriage between her Scottish-born mother and her Algonquin First Nation father. Williamina Barr McKay, an orphan, had survived childhood trauma when she met the Algonquin soldier Leo Alexander Jocko during WW II, married him and moved to Canada. Their intercultural marriage weathered initial hardships in rural Canada, a decade-long separation, and eventual reconciliation, creating a family that embodied both their rich heritages, a microcosm of Canada's multicultural tapestry.

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28 March 2026—IGRS Special Lecture

Focusing on the Migrants: How Genealogy has Transformed our Understanding of the Irish in Canada
Presenter: David A. Wilson, Professor of History and Celtic Studies at the University of Toronto and General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Part of the International Lecture Series with the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS)

BIFHSGO was honoured to present the inaugural event in an international lecture series to celebrate the IGRS' 90th anniversary. Professor Wilson presented an engaging and informative lecture on the importance of genealogical research to the understanding of the history of the Irish in Canada.  He offered several examples which have debunked common themes and contributed to new insights.  He referenced several authors who have produced valuable sources on a variety of themes. A lengthy Q and A followed, which highlighted more sources.

11 April 2026

The Travelling Genealogist: BIFHSGO members' top tips for travelling to research your family history
Moderator: Dianne Brydon

This moderated session focused on recommendations for a successful family history research tour, drawn from our members’ experience. There’s a wealth of experience in our community!

The Rise and Fall of John Lowther Kemp Sr. 1793–1869
Presenter: Doug Loucks

This “riches to rags” story began with newspaper clippings found early in 2023 that reported: “Mr. John Lowther Kemp, formerly hop merchant at Canterbury has been nominated by the Right Hon. the Earl of Romney as a poor brother of the Charter House.” This exciting find prompted hours of research, and a trip overseas to tour the Charterhouse and to walk the streets of Canterbury where Doug Loucks’ 4x great -grandfather John rose to great wealth before the changing times swept him into poverty.