*The Museum is working to arrange new meeting times for all the guest speakers that did not get to present in the Spring of 2020. Keep an eye to this page for the 2020/2021 Genealogy Schedule. Cancelled presenters include Genevieve Carter with the Huronia Museum & Huron Ouendat Village and Lori Oschefski, British Home Children in Canada.

2020/2021 Genealogy Club Schedule

September 9th, 2020 - Passed Down: Stories from Wasauksing

Join us in welcoming Waubgeshig Rice, author, journalist and past CBC broadcaster from Wasauksing! Rice will discuss how stories are passed down in Anishinaabe culture and how those stories are preserved for generations. For more information on Waubgeshig you can visit www.waub.ca. 

October 14th, 2020 - Tracking Family Movement 

The Museum has been working on a new project! With help from some of our Genealogy Club members, we have created a genealogy map tracking family lineage into Parry Sound. We are excited to showcase our map, while also teaching you how to use Google's My Maps to document your family history. Join us as we discuss the map and future plans to use it for all club members.

November 11th, 2020 - All We Cherish: The LittleFamily During WWI & WWII

To commemorate Remembrance Day, Parry Sound resident, Roger Little, will be sharing his family's history and their involvement in the First and Second World War. Through written correspondence sent home by his relatives during the wars, Roger has been able to capture their journey and preserve their story.

December 9th, 2020 - Uncovering Family

Local Parry Sounder, Alexis Freeman, will be sharing her personal experience in investigating a family member's birth parents. Alexis will discuss the various resources she has been using, and share her success & struggles with uncovering this family mystery.

February 10th, 2021- Simon Lambert

Join us in virtually welcoming Simon Lambert with the Canadian Conservation Institute. Simon has extensive knowledge in the care, preservation and conservation of museum collections. He has assisted in the implementation of conservation training activities and coordinated Re-Org, an initiative to help small to mid-sized museums with their collections storage. In this month's meeting, Simon will discuss the Re-Org Canada project, and the impact it has had on Canadian Museums. Q & A to follow!

March 10th, 2021- From Tapes to Treasure Trove: Digitizing John Macfie's Legacy

This March, the Museum will be hosting Linguistics professor, Dr. Sali A. Tagliamonte and Data & Technology Manager, Dr. Bridget Jankowski with the University of Toronto. The two will discuss their efforts in digitizing over 55 audio interviews that John Macfie conducted with past local residents of the area. Learn about the processes involved in transforming Macfie's reel-to-reel & audio cassette tapes into accessible digital files, giving the Museum a treasure trove of historical information pertaining to our district's history.

*Please note that this month's meeting will be held over Zoom. If you would like to receive the link to the meeting, RSVP to  info@museumontowerhill.com before Tuesday, March 9th, 2021.

April 14th, 2021- Research and Records in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

April's Genealogy Club meeting will host the Commonwealth War Graves Commission based out of the United Kingdom. Learn about the research they have conducted, how to navigate the archives and the various records they hold within their database.

*Please note that this month's meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14th, 2021 @ 2 pm due to the time difference. The meeting will be held on Zoom.

May 12th, 2021- Future Proof Your Genealogy

Join us in welcoming Nancy Leveque, Chair of the Simcoe County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. In this presentation Nancy will discuss giving forethought to what will happen to your family heirlooms, treasures and research material when the time comes for you to downsize or pass it along to the next generation.

*Please note that this month's meeting will be held over Zoom.