Events

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall. Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering .

This registration covers all events.

A Life Lost, A Face Found / 9 a.m. EST

Presenter: Sara MacKenzie

There are moments in archival research when records stop being just names and start becoming real people. It is even more meaningful when you learn an ancestor’s story, look into their eyes and see your own family reflected back.

Sara MacKenzie will trace her search for her great-granduncle, Donald McKenzie of Horton Township, whose name and story had disappeared from family history. The search began with a will found at the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives near Ottawa and led through WWI military records, Western Canada newspapers, and archival photographs to uncover the story of a young man whose life was cut tragically short, just as he was building a future of his own. The final breakthrough brought Sara full circle—back to the Archives where she volunteers. 

Born and raised in Renfrew, with deep Scottish and Irish settler roots in the Ottawa Valley, Sara MacKenzie is President of the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives and a long-time volunteer with a passion for local history, genealogy, and preserving community stories. More about Sara: https://www.adarchives.org/volunteers/sara-board-president/

Lilian: the challenges of researching and writing the true story of a Secret Radio Operator in WW2 France / 10 a.m. EST

Presenter: Paul McCue

Author Paul McCue will relate the tragic true story of Lilian Rolfe, a secret radio operator in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War.  He’ll include information about the Canadian agent, previously trained at Camp X, who trained with her in England. Along the way, he will emphasize the many challenges he encountered in researching and writing the biography.

Paul McCue, born in Yorkshire and educated there, in Surrey, and at the University of Birmingham, graduated in International Studies and worked across the public and private sectors, including eleven years as an Armed Forces Advisor, before retiring as Managing Director of a London-based leisure and culture company. A military historian and writer for more than 30 years, he has authored six books and specializes in Second World War special operations, particularly the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Since retiring in 2018, Paul has devoted himself full-time to SECRET WW2, an educational charity focused on clandestine warfare, intelligence, resistance, and special forces history, where he serves as Executive Trustee, lecturer, consultant, and guide. He regularly presents internationally, has launched projects across several countries, and remains active in military and historical organizations.

Drop-in Chat Thursday, 19 November 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EDT

November social time - drop in and join us at the White Pine Café in the lobby of Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church at 225 McClellan Road, off Greenbank Road.

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall. Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering .

This registration covers all events.

Holiday Social / 9 a.m. EST

Do you have a volume that changed how you advanced your family history? We are looking for recommendations of books that have influenced your work in specific ways, such as:

• Breaking through a long-standing research brick wall
• Introducing you to a novel methodology or underutilized record type.
• Providing essential historical or social context for your ancestors' lives.
• Offering a compelling narrative structure that inspired your own family history writing.
• Serving as an indispensable, frequently consulted reference guide.

For our upcoming December social, we invite all members to share their most influential "genie" books. This is an opportunity to discover practical new resources and discuss the literature that advances our research.

Send the title, a screenshot of the cover, and 3 sentences about why you selected this book and how it helped your research. to programs@bifhsgo.ca   We'll compile the submissions and invite discussion among attendees during the social.

Great Moments in Genealogical Research / 10 a.m. EST

Who's His Daddy? DNA: Proof - or Probability

Presenter: Bruce Beanlands

Bruce Beanlands explores a long-standing family mystery; identifying the father of his 2x-great-grandfather in 19th-century Yorkshire. He describes how traditional genealogical research and DNA evidence were combined to identify a likely family, while illustrating both the power and the limitations of genetic genealogy in resolving historical questions.

Bruce Beanlands, a newer BIFHSGO member, has over 25 years of genealogy experience, tracing his West Yorkshire roots to the 1400s and Devon to the 1600s. A retired federal public servant with a background in IT and research analysis, he blends technical and traditional methods, with interests in genetic genealogy, heraldry, medieval wills, and military history—focusing on both facts and the stories behind them. He is currently serving as a BIFHSGO Director-at-Large and leads the DNA SIG. 

My research trip to far-away Ottawa and Kingston 

Presenter: Wesley Johnston

The ups and downs of following Loyalist ancestor footsteps in Ernestown (now named Loyalist) Township and then researching at the Archives in Ottawa. Meeting the mosquitos whose ancestors bit my ancestors. 

Wesley Johnston inherited the Pickering Township Thomas Johnston Family Bible in 1954 and has been searching out his ancestors and cousins ever since. He holds Master’s degrees in Mathematics and History. He has written numerous articles and given numerous presentations. He is the administrator of the Loyalist Lake research group and several DNA projects. His book, Family Thickets: Deep Family and Local History, shares his experience from more than a dozen family thicket projects in six countries. It is one of his 31 books on family history, World War II history and art history. 
His website is at http://www.wwjohnston.net/famhist.

James Carlisle's (RN) Tragic Death at Sea

Presenter: Sally Doherty

Sally Doherty will be honouring her Great-Uncle, an engineer. Lieutenant James Carlisle (RN), age 43, was an officer on board the armed merchant cruiser SS Laurentic. This ship was built in Belfast in 1908 and after serving as a luxury ocean liner, was commandeered into military service at the outbreak of the First World War. After hitting two German mines on the night of 25 January 1917, she sank in one hour. Of the 475 troops on board, 121 survived; sadly, 354 died of exposure, including her great-uncle James. In September 2026, Sally and her husband were in Northern Ireland; assisted by some wonderful guides they were able to visit several memorials which honour the memory of this tragic wartime event.

Sally Doherty is retired from 40 years in the airline industry; she was a cat-sitter in her spare time and well into retirement, both at home and abroad; she has now earned her wings as a budgie-sitter, keeping to the theme of “all things that fly”. Sally and her husband have recently had several successful research trips to Europe and Ireland and have made discoveries and made great memories.

Her family history, through membership of BIFHSGO, keeps her grounded though and she has some fascinating stories to share!

Drop-in Chat Thursday, 17 December 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EDT

December social time - drop in and join us at the White Pine Café in the lobby of Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church at 225 McClellan Road, off Greenbank Road.