| You are Invited!
Our monthly meeting for March 2026 will be hybrid.
- 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 HERE. This registration covers both talks.
Please review the Events section of BIFHSGO’s website HERE for details of upcoming meetings and any updates.
Saturday 14 March 2026
9:00 – 10:00 am ET: Tips for Using FamilySearch’s Full Text Search
Presenter: Ken McKinlay
Ken McKinlay will provide us with some tips and tricks to help us find those previously overlooked or hard to find records on FamilySearch. The application of AI-driven handwriting recognition technology in FamilySearch’s search has opened up the records to genealogy and family history researchers in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, we would consider ourselves fortunate if we came across a collection where the principal names had been indexed. Now, practically all the names and words in many digitized collections have been indexed for us.
As a sought-after speaker by branches of Ontario Ancestors, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and other genealogy societies across Canada, Ken McKinlay shares his expertise through engaging talks and workshops. His topics have included researching those who have fought for Canada in the world wars, exploring the Canadian censuses, delving into the mysteries of Ontario Land Records, and an eight-part series covering “Back to Basics” research for the British Isles. In 2025 he made his debut with Legacy Family Tree Webinars with his talk “Exploring Library and Archives Canada Online.” His presentations also focus on genealogical methodologies and overcoming genealogy brick walls. Beyond public speaking, Ken shares his insights on his blog, Family Tree Knots (https://familytreeknots.blogspot.com/), providing a valuable resource for fellow enthusiasts.
10:00 – 11:30 am ET: Thistles and Cedar, Hearts Entwined in War
Presenter: Wendy Jocko
Wendy Jocko will tell the story of the marriage between her Scottish-born mother and her Algonquin First Nation father. Williamina Barr McKay, an orphan, had survived childhood trauma when she met the Algonquin soldier Leo Alexander Jocko during WW II, married him and moved to Canada. Their intercultural marriage weathered initial hardships in rural Canada, a decade-long separation, and eventual reconciliation, creating a family that embodied both their rich heritages, a microcosm of Canada’s multicultural tapestry.
Wendy Jocko is an Indigenous leader, military veteran, and public servant with over four decades of service to community and country. She served in the Canadian Forces from 1979 to 2002, including tours in Bosnia and Croatia. She later returned to Canada and Pikwakanagan as Councillor and Chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. Her career also included work as a Funeral Director Embalmer and Scottish Regional Governor of the British Institute of Funeral Directing, as well as a transport truck operator in Saskatchewan’s oil patch.
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