NEWS
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Irish Family History Research Day 
Come out to meet Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt of the Ulster Historical Foundation and have an opportunity to chat with them about your Irish research and purchase their books—books that are, in some cases, hard to find in Canada.
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Program details and tickets are available on our Irish Research Day website. This is an in-person learning event on 25 March 2023 8.30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (doors open at 8:15 a.m.) at Ben Franklin Place, Nepean.
$30 for BIFHSGO members (log in to your account) $40 for non-members
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As spring approaches and the BIFHSGO Annual General Meeting draws near, we note that some of our board members’ terms will be expiring in June.
The board is looking for members to join for a two-year term to help us with setting the future direction for our society and delivering our excellent programs. We are looking for at least three directors, plus a Secretary (recording board minutes, managing the organization’s records, and managing minor administrative tasks).
If you are willing to join the board but aren’t sure what role you would like to take on, please consider sitting as a director-at-large. In addition to participating in general discussions about the organization’s direction, a director-at-large could take specific tasks, such as:
- assist the program director, learning the ropes to assume the role when our current program director’s term ends next year;
- coordinate our outreach activities, liaising with sister genealogical associations, coordinating BIFHSGO’s presence at events such as Heritage Day;
- liaise with members who are working on research projects, such as the Middlemore home children or LAC record transcriptions;
- draft each month’s newsletter, which we know from surveys is your number one source of BIFHSGO news;
- regularly post Facebook and Twitter messages about our activities and share news of opportunities relevant to our members; and
- assist with our annual conference and/or other workshops throughout the year.
Some of these activities can be done virtually, and our board meetings are also held online, so residence outside Ottawa is not an impediment.
We know from your feedback that you find our program informative and inspiring. For the society to continue providing meaningful activities and resources and communicating those opportunities effectively to our members, your help is essential. Please let us know where and how you can contribute by contacting Duncan Monkhouse at pastpresident@bifhsgo.ca
We look forward to having you join us!
Dianne Brydon, President
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Documents available on the website
The rolling screen for the March 2023 meeting is available here.
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Handouts and videos from the March 2023 monthly meeting are available in the Members' Area.
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The Spring issue of Anglo-Celtic Roots is on its way to you and in the Members' Area.
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Hall of Fame
It's time to nominate somebody who has made an outstanding contribution to the objectives of the Society. He or she may join others in BIFHSGO's Hall of Fame. Details and the nomination form are in Members’ Announcements. Deadline is midnight, 30 April 2023.
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Every website requires some searching; it’s hard to feature everything on the home page. We hope this regular column will help by introducing you to things you may not have noticed on the website.
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Is it time to kick-start your research?
Then, it’s time to discover—or rediscover—what is in the Ottawa Branch OGS Library and on the BIFHSGO Resources webpage.
The library houses over 11,500 items, with 2,000 items added since September 2021—mostly from donations. The three areas of focus are Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec, the British Isles and British Colonial America.
Did you know the library has
- a single-user subscription to the British Newspaper Archives in the Reference Room (thanks to BIFHSGO)?
- over 75 publications from the Ulster Historical Foundation?
- an almost complete run of The Scottish Genealogist from 1954 to 2022?
- a wealth of new resources for British Colonial America, both books and journals? See the Winter 2022 issue of Anglo-Celtic Roots for more information on this terrific new collection.
See also “Library and Book Lists” for more information, book lists covering a range of research topics, and a new handout with tips for searching the catalogue.
Questions or suggestions? Contact the library .
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Legacy Family Tree Webinars …
... is providing BIFHSGO members with a great membership benefit—a first-year 50% off discount for a webinar membership at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com. Valid for new memberships only. To see details and sign up, go to Members’ Announcements.
Other genealogy events

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia is presenting the Nova Scotia Genealogy Virtual Conference on 22-23 April 2023 with 10 virtual presentations. Learn about your NS ancestors, including an introduction to NS genealogy, military history, obituaries, inheritance practices and NS archives, Recorded sessions will be available to registrants for 60 days. ($29 for GANS members / $49 for non-members) Register before March 18 to be eligible to submit a brick wall question for an ancestor from Nova Scotia