Solving a 100-year-old mystery using DNA
The identity of Jennifer Hill’s paternal grandfather was a family mystery so she decided to use her DNA results to try and find out who he was. Jennifer will talk about the steps she took to solve the mystery in the 100th anniversary year of her father’s birth.
Jennifer Hill was born in Montreal and has English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. In the early-to-mid 2000s she picked up the family tree that her brother built and began to develop it further using genetic genealogy. Jennifer has served on BIFSHGO’s Conference Planning Committee and is currently serving on the board as Treasurer.
Voices from a Silent Past
Three postcards―dated 1909 and 1936―are now the only evidence that contact was maintained between Christine’s extended Jewish family in Amsterdam and their cousins who migrated to London in the 1860s. After 1936 contact ceased and the English family assumed their Dutch cousins had been lost in the Holocaust of WW II. While seeking the fate of those who wrote the postcards, Christine found more than she could have possibly imagined.
Christine Jackson has been conducting research on her own family and those of her cousins and friends for over 40 years, most frequently in the English county of Sussex, where she was born and raised. A retired federal public servant (Elections Canada), she is a long-time BIFHSGO member, conference planning committee and Board member, as well as being an experienced writer, editor and presenter.
Lost Connections Found
Using American Revolutionary War Pension Records to solve a family brickwall, Sue Lambeth discovered a surprising connection between two separate branches of her family tree – her Canadian maternal grandparents and their ancestors. Some of Sue’s Revolutionary War ancestors fought as Patriots, while others supported the Loyalist cause or remained neutral in the conflict. This ‘Great Moment’ explores their surprising connections.
Sue Lambeth worked for the BC Provincial and Federal governments for 40 years before retiring in 2018 to spend time enjoying her favourite hobby – family history research. Sue volunteers with the OGS-Ottawa Branch and BIFHSGO, and is currently working on a project for the Hamilton/Niagara branches of Ontario Ancestors to index and scan genealogical records related to the Gage family.