Finding Family, Friends & Fun at the 7th Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair

Tree – Image by Bessi from Pixabay

Time flies, they say, when you are having fun. I must have been having a ball as the 7th  Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair is almost upon us!

The full program for the fair  is now available on our webpage. It is being held at Central Library on Saturday 2 November 2019, from 9am to 3:30pm. The Central Library is located at 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener. Doors open at 9am and our keynote speaker, Melanie McLennan, takes the stage at 9:30am in the Theatre. She’ll be sharing how DNA enabled her to solve an emigration mystery of  her Irish ancestors.

It’s a fun program with lots of interesting sessions and presenters. There’s something for everyone!

We’ll also have terrific door prizes from our exhibitors, including DNA test kits and subscriptions from Ancestry.ca, FindMyPast.com and MyHeritage.com, to give away.

So join us on Saturday!

Cheers, Karen

Save the Date for the 7th KPL Genealogy Fair!

Do you need some inspiration for your family history research? Have you hit a brick wall? Are you not sure where to start? Looking for some expert advice?

Well, then save the date of Saturday 2 November 2019 for the 7th Annual Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair!

Join us for a day of genealogy exploration, collaboration, discovery and fun at the Central Library from 9am to 4pm. We’ll have our vendor market place, exhibits, workshops, research centre in the Grace Schmidt Room and much more!

Our keynote speaker will be Melanie McLennan of Ancestral Tapestry. She’ll be kicking off the day with her insight into genetic and Irish genealogy. Learn how she used DNA to break down an Irish brick wall and how you can apply the same principles to your research.

There is no registration required for this free event.

Full program details and schedule will be posted on the Genealogy Fair webpage in early October.

If you are interested in being a workshop presenter at the fair, please email us at genealogyfair@kpl.org for an application.

See you on Saturday November 2nd!

Cheers, Karen

Save the Date for the KPL Genealogy Fair!

Diary page

It’s official! I am pleased to announce that the 7th Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair will be held on Saturday 2 November 2019. Join us for a great day of speakers, vendors and exhibits at the Central Library, 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Ontario.

Mark your calendars for this event!  I’ll be posting more details in the coming weeks – so stay tuned to the blog for fair updates. Please note that the fair program will be posted in early September so you can plan your day.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Cheers, K.

 

Are You Ready for the 6th KPL Genealogy Fair?

Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair 2018

I am extremely happy to announce that the slate of speakers, workshops and participants for the 6th Kitchener Public Library Genealogy Fair is now available on our fair webpage. The Fair will be held on Saturday 21 April 2018 at Central from 9am to 3pm. It’s a free event and no registration is required.

If you are thinking of taking the dip into the DNA pool to help breakthrough your genealogy brickwalls, this event is for you! This year, we are exploring genetic genealogy and the new opportunities that DNA testing offers.

And, if you are not into DNA testing, no worries! We have other workshops to help you in your genealogy journey – like British Home Children, writing your family history, land records research, finding 20th century Canadian ancestors and much more!

This year, we are also offering a family album scrapbooking workshop for your kids and grand-kids in the Grace Schmidt Room at noon  (Children in Grades 4 and up). Bring in some favourite family photos and we’ll supply the mixed media materials. Why not pass along your love of genealogy to the next generation?

Are you ready to learn, share, grow and take your genealogy further? Then join us for the 6th KPL Genealogy Fair on 21 April 2018! Be sure to check the fair webpage often for updates. The schedule for the day will be posted in mid-April.

Accommodations for Mags generously provided by the Walper Hotel

Thanks to the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation for their financial support of this event.

Looking forward to seeing you at the fair!

Cheers, Karen

Save the Date for the KPL Genealogy Fair!

Can I have a drum roll, please?…

Calling all genealogy enthusiasts!

Please save Saturday 21 April 2018 for the KPL Genealogy Fair!

We are happy to announce that the KPL Genealogy Fair will be held at the Central Library on Saturday 21 April 2018. Join us for a day of genealogy learning, sharing and networking! We have a great keynote speaker coming (stay tuned for more news!) and are organizing amazing workshops and recruiting interesting exhibitors for your genealogy research and interests.

If you or your genealogy group would like to be a part of this fantastic day, drop me a line at genealogyfair@kpl.org and we’ll get you on our mailing list.

Cheers, Karen

Digitized Historical Directories for Waterloo County Now Going Online!

Grace Schmidt Room Historical Directories

I’m pleased to announce the launch of the Grace Schmidt Room Directories Digitization Project webpage! We’ve started the upload of digitized historical directories for Waterloo County with many more to come.

Thanks go to the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation and the Waterloo Region Branch – The Ontario Genealogical Society for their financial support of this project. Volunteer support from Waterloo Region Branch OGS members, Darryl Bonk, Marion Roes and Jon Fear, in memory of local genealogist, Norma Huber, made this project possible. Their countless hours scanning, proof-reading and preparing the digital files was truly amazing. Thanks also to my colleague, Gary Bauman, for his work in making the project accessible to all.

Check back often as this collection grows!

Cheers, Karen

Full steam ahead for Kitchener Public Library’s 5th Genealogy Fair!

KPL 5th Genealogy Fair – Saturday 5 November 2016, Central Library

The countdown to Kitchener Public Library’s 5th Genealogy Fair begins!  Please join us on Saturday 5 November 2016, from 9am to 3:30pm, at the Central Library for  learning, fun, and hopefully, a few found ancestors! It’s a free event and no registration is required!

Our list of speakers and participating exhibitors and vendors is now up! The schedule of workshops will be posted in October.

Jen Baldwin of FindMyPast will be our keynote speaker. She’ll be speaking on genealogy’s next generation and how genealogists of all ages can connect through a common passion for family history, preservation of the past and learning from one another.

We will update the Genealogy Fair webpage with new information and changes, so check back often!

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday 5 November 2016!

Cheers, Karen

 

Well, that was a blast!

P8000 WHS Falls-Brown Wedding party, 1916, on the front porch of Nith Grove (Brown family farm), south of Haysville, Wilmot Township.

I can hardly believe that the KPL Genealogy Fair has come and gone. After months of planning, meetings, emails, floor plans, run-throughs and last minute printing, the Genealogy Fair happened this past Saturday at Central Library. And what a day it was…

Lynn Palermo inspired and motivated us all to tell our family histories now before it’s too late. As I remarked after her keynote, I had the feeling that she had been watching my family history blog languish, untouched, for the past year. (Honestly, I’ve been busy!). But I have new resolve to get back to sharing my research, making each ancestor come alive.   Thank you, Lynne, for your wonderful words and inspiration.

To our speakers, a big thank you for sharing your knowledge, expertise and skills with our fair attendees. I know that each of you helped someone along in their genealogical journey that day. The smiles and laughter coming room each of the meeting rooms was a tell-tale sign!

The fair could not have come off without the support and generosity of our exhibitors and vendors. They were enthusiastic, friendly and energizing. To everyone who came out to support the Library, thank you!

And, thank you to everyone who took the time to come down to explore, learn, share and discover at the Genealogy Fair! Your kind words, friendliness and enthusiasm made my day.

And to my colleagues, Sheila, Dale, Charlotte, Stephanie, Bryan, Karen, Karen (yes, we come in multiples!), Ingrid, Valerie, Berkeley, Shawn – and the staff of Information Services, you all have my heart-felt gratitude. It could not have been done without you.

As this was our first year in a new space at the Central Library, we’d love to hear from you about ideas to improve and make the fair better. We are hoping that a new cafe will be opened in the coming year at Central, which will be a very welcome addition. Do you have suggestions for speakers or workshop topics? Please let us know! We’d love to hear from you via the Contact form!

Cheers, K.

Save the Date for the KPL Genealogy Fair!

Friday, Looking so grey outside DSCF2879 photo by Flickr user tomylees https://www.flickr.com/people/71256895@N00/ . Used under Creative Commons – Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license

Drum roll please!

Mark your calendars for the next KPL Genealogy Fair – it’s going to be held on Saturday April 25, 2015 at the Central Library!

Stay tuned for an announcement about the keynote speaker! I know that you’ll be pleased. It’s been so difficult keeping this secret!

Cheers, Karen

Canadian Naturalization Records

Armenian Boys’ Farm, Georgetown, ON 1925 – Immigration Branch, Library & Archives Canada, PA-147572

Researching an ancestor who came to Canada from 1915-1951 from a non-British Commonwealth country? You might find the Library and Archives Canada’s naturalization records database 1915-1951  of some help. While it is not a fully digitized database, references on the digitized lists can be used to request copies of naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Happy Searching!