British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa
Schedule of Monthly Meetings,
Seminars and Workshops


BIFHSGO Meeting
25 September 2010 10:00 a.m., at Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
"Shearman Godfrey Bird and Amoui Chun Bird: from Colonial Canton to Pioneer Ontario" by Naomi Ridout

Shearman Bird, a young Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, journeyed to China as part of the British action in the Second Opium War. There, he married a well-born Chinese woman, Amoui. Some years later, they returned to England, were not well-received, so emigrated to Barrie, Ontario. Shearman died five years later leaving Amoui to raise eight children (one of them the speaker's great-grandfather). Shearman and Amoui's story gives a fascinating glimpse into colonial Chinese history and the social mores of China, England and Canada in the mid-nineteenth century. Discovering the "Chinese identity" of Amoui, one of the very first Chinese women to settle in Canada, has become somewhat of an obsession. The talk will draw on letters, diaries, Amoui's Chinese clothing and jewellery, census records of the UK and Canada, and BMD records, as well as sources from the Hong Kong PRO.
About the Speaker
Naomi Ridout has been interested in family history since she was a child in Toronto. She studied social history at the University of Toronto and Newnham College Cambridge, and finds that some of this background has been very helpful in compiling the histories of her more interesting ancestors. Naomi has lived in Ottawa since the late 1970s, where she has a full-time job as an investment advisor, and part-time avocations as executor of her father's musical estate, and genealogist.

Monthly Meetings are held at 10:00 a.m. usually the Second Saturday of Each Month (except July & August)
at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa.
Free Parking is available in the lots east of the building only on Saturday & Sunday.
Please DO NOT use the lot west of the building.

Speakers present informative talks on family history and resources. The talks are free, and begin at 10:00 a.m. From time to time an earlier "Before BIFHSGO" talk is given between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. that covers a subject related to, or complimentary to, the main speaker's topic. For more details see the Education page.

At each meeting, experts in English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh resources host Discovery Tables, discuss new and improved research resources, impart information on activities and events, and guide and counsel members on individual efforts, particularly with research problems.

Society publications, including annals from previous conferences, and back issues of Anglo-Celtic Roots, are available for sale at our monthly meetings.
Come early at 9:30 a.m.
Browse our Discovery Tables on England, Ireland & Scotland.
Meet with family history experts.
Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a cookie.

9 October 2010, BIFHSGO Meeting
"The Fairbrother Story - Fact or Fiction?" by Penny Samek PLCGS
When family historians first start out, they are advised to "Start with what they know". When researching her father's side of the family, Penny was continually shocked that "what she knew" was not true! Family-provided information was sparse, but church records and personal letters from an unusual source revealed surprising truths.
About the Speaker
Penny Samek is a professional genealogist and operates the genealogical and historical research company, Heritage Investigations. She performs research for various clients, especially in aboriginal research and for the Lanark County area. Penny began researching her family tree in 1997. She enrolled with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (1999) and earned Professional Learning Certificates in Genealogical Studies in: Methodology, Canadian Records and English Records. Penny is also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has served on many Lanark County area Boards including the Lanark County Genealogical Society, Archives Lanark, and the Lanark & District Museum.

13 November 2010, BIFHSGO Meeting
"In Flanders Fields: Researching and Remembering the Dead of the Great War" by Glenn Wright
A look at some of the common, and not so common, resources for documenting those who died in the First World War, as well as information on the creation of cemeteries and the major Canadian and British memorials to the missing in France and Belgium.
About the Speaker
Glenn Wright is President of BIFHSGO and in the past, has given presentations at our annual Conference and monthly meetings, contributed to “Great Moments” several times and published occasionally in Anglo-Celtic Roots on the history of Beechwood Cemetery.

11 December 2010, BIFHSGO Meeting
"Great Moments in Genealogy" presented by the following five (5) BIFHSGO members

Till Debt Us Do Part: A Fleeting Moment by Tara Grant
Debt is not a modern problem. Our ancestors often spent more than they made - with dire consequences. This talk will take a brief look at one of the speaker's ancestor's incarceration for debt in the infamous Fleet Prison.
About the Speaker
Tara Grant is an archaeological conservator at the Canadian Conservation Institute. She has been working on her family history for fifteen years. Tara is currently the Membership Director for BIFHSGO.

The Serendipitous Fall of My Brick Wall by Don Mutch
In 2002, Don knew the name of his maternal great great grandfather, John Miller, and that he had lived in Richibucto sometime before 1871. With this scanty information, Don set out to find out all he could about him. Through census records, two family letters dated 1858, online searching, visits to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick and the towns of Richibucto and Rexton in New Brunswick (June 2005), Don learned more about John Miller, but his great moment came in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, September 2009.
About the Speaker
Don Mutch is a retired librarian who spent a 37 year career at the Ottawa Public Library. Using skills and experience gained while helping budding genealogists at the library, Don has spent the last 10 years researching his own family history. In particular, he has been searching for more information about his maternal ancestors. This led him to his great moment in Scotland.

He Wore His Buttons Well: Discovering the Details of an Epic Rescue at Sea Barbara Tose
In January 1926, a storm hit the North Atlantic that wreaked havoc on the ships in its path. Many ships were lost with all hands. However, the crew of the merchant ship, the Antinoe, were luckier than most. In a rescue that held the western world enthralled for 4 days, the Captain and crew of the passenger ship, the President Roosevelt, worked tirelessly to save all the men aboard the Antinoe. Barbara's great-uncle, Harry Tose, was the grateful Captain of the Antinoe. Her father's knowledge of the event was limited to Canadian poet, E.J. Pratt's mention of Captain Tose in a poem he wrote about the rescue. Barbara's talk will outline the resources she discovered that revealed the details of this epic tale.
About the Speaker
Barbara Tose descends from a long line of Scottish farmers and teachers, and English Merchant Seamen. She began her family research in 1982 when she first traveled to Britain and has continued, as time permits, ever since. She has been an OGS member since 1983 and a BIFHSGO member for the last three years. She currently works as an archaeological conservator for Parks Canada in Ottawa and has most recently become involved in an oral history project with the Ottawa Worker's Heritage Centre.

Homeward Bound From Bannockburn by Bill Arthurs
This talk will describe a major breakthrough in Bill Arthur's genealogy, when a 36 of 37 marker DNA correlation was posted by an Arthurs in Ireland which has ended years of research frustration and which places his family place of origin in the town of Donaghmore, County Tyrone, Ireland.
About the Speaker
Bill Arthurs, CD, BA is a retired major and pilot in the RCAF, where he flew many types of aircraft, including the Avro Lancaster, F-86 Sabre, CF-100, CF-104 and F-84F. He has spent many years researching his mother's family, the Tituses, and until now has been stymied in his Arthurs research. Bill is a past president of the Ottawa Orchid Society where he worked in plant biology and orchid hybridization. He is currently chairman of the BIFHSGO DNA interest group.

A Visit to an 18th Century Family Farm in Sanquhar, Dumfries-shire By Hugh Reekie
After many attempts, Hugh finally managed to visit and explore Nether Glengenny Farm, north of Thornhill Dumfries-shire in 2009. He was able to trace the changes in the farm buildings from the early 1600s to the early 1900s, when the present farmhouse was built. Evidence remains of how his forebears lived in the late 1700s.
About the Speaker
Some twenty years ago, Hugh took over his granpa's family history researches, done in the 1920s and 1930s. Over the years he has acquired a wealth of knowledge about his Scots forebears in both Dumfries-shire and Fife. In recent years, he has produced some colour booklets about his findings, which are also available in pdf format. He has given many presentations, both at BIFHSGO and at other family history venues, including one he gave at Aberystwyth, Wales about his Welsh mariner forebears.


Future BIFHSGO Meetings
at Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
  • Conference: 10-12 September 2010
  • 8 January 2011
  • 12 February 2011
  • 12 March 2011
  • 9 April 2011
  • 14 May 2011
  • 11 June 2011
  • 10 September 2011
  • Conference: 16-18 September 2011
  • 8 October 2011
  • 12 November 2011
  • 10 December 2011
Several specialized Workshops and Seminars are planned throughout the year. These generally require all individuals to register in advance and pay the required fees.
List of speakers from previous monthly meetings