Special Interest Groups
BIFHSGO has four Special Interest Groups which are open to members and non-members. Information about, and contacts for, the SIGs are below. Also, check the Events page and the online calendar for upcoming meetings.
Join us for enthusiastic discussions on researching ancestors in British Colonial America's 13 colonies: Virginia, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
The group is open to both BIFHSGO members and non-members. Meetings will be held online until further notice. Meetings are held on Wednesday evenings, from 7 to 9 p.m. once a month. Check the "Events page" for upcoming meetings.
For those interested in being added to the BCA mailing list and receiving invitations to the online meetings, please contact the Coordinator.
The DNA SIG meets six times a year at the City of Ottawa Central Archives (in normal times) or on Zoom to share experiences, information and ideas about the use of DNA evidence in exploring family history. We invite BIFHSGO members and non-members to join us.
Contact Susan Courage to receive notifications.
This Special Interest Group focuses on researching ancestors in London, England. For this group, London is defined as Greater London—essentially the area within the Orbital London motorway (M25).
Members discuss research interests for their London ancestors, share information and links to useful sites. For some meetings, a member will prepare a short online presentation on a detailed topic from their research. More general discussions take place during breakout groups, based on a suggested theme for that month.
In addition to BIFHSGO's SIGs, there are two SIGs run by Ontario Ancestors or the Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society that might be of interest to researchers.
This is a group run by the Ottawa Branch of Ontario Ancestors and meetings are open to the public free of charge. For more information, visit the page.
The Irish Research Group meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month (except December and June to August) to discuss all aspects of Irish genealogy and Irish family history: archives, books, databases, websites, courses, conferences, DNA, etc. Meetings are held in Conference Room C, McNabb Community Centre, 180 Percy Street, Ottawa from 7 p.m - 9 p.m. Attendees discuss the progress they are making in their own research or ask the group for strategies in overcoming brick walls. From time to time, guest speakers are invited to present on the life of Irish immigrants to Canada or on specific aspects of Irish genealogy.
View the BIFHSGO event page for upcoming meeting dates.
There is no BIFHSGO Scottish SIG, but there is one run by the Ontario Ancestors. Members include those who are descended from Scottish ancestors and those who are researchers of Scottish family history and genealogy. You need to be an Ontario Ancestors member to join the Scottish SIG. However, if you are not a member, you can join the Facebook group and participate in the conversations there.