Give your family history research a boost! Join celebrated genealogist and award winning historian and journalist,
Dave Obee, on
13 April 2024 for a half day event filled with genealogy research gems, tips and anecdotes as only Dave can deliver. The venue, specifically chosen for this
in-person only event, is the historic Garden Chapel, located at the Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, B.C. Canada.
This seminar includes three main sessions, with short breaks between sessions.
SESSION 1: A Fresh Light on Old Newspapers
Researching in old newspapers no longer means sitting at a microfilm reader for hours on end, winding through a seemingly endless string of news stories and advertisements. Today, the results we seek could be a matter of minutes away, thanks to the many digitization projects that have placed millions of newspaper pages on the Internet. But what are the pitfalls?
This presentation takes you through the digitization process, from hard copy to your computer screen. It is designed to help you achieve the best results from your work. (NOTE: I have worked in newspapers for 50 years, I have researched with them for 50 years, and I have been behind a major digitization project. This talk draws from real experience.)
SESSION 2: Canadiana's Genealogical Treasures
The Canadiana website has a vast amount of material for family historians, but not many use it or even know about it. Canadiana's rich genealogy and local history collection includes local and family histories, telling of pioneering, settlement, and local government in early Canada. The focus on individuals and communities make the collection an ideal genealogical resource, helping people explore the experiences of previous generations and leaving clues about their wider social and cultural background. Related documents include voters lists, eulogies, directories and gazettes, biographies, civil service lists, published diaries, church magazines and pamphlets, militia lists, publications from professional and trade societies, school publications, and more. This talk is your guide to mining the 40 million pages of primary-source documents.
SESSION 3: The Road Ahead – A Genealogical Potpourri
The past few years have given family historians more change than ever before – and the rate of transformation is bound to increase in the years to come. Genealogists need to be ready. How do we do that? Easy! Remember the basics of genealogical research, and live them every time you work on your ancestral challenges. Do not – repeat, do not – be fooled or distracted by the latest bright shiny things, which could be online trees, new websites or documents manipulated by artificial intelligence. This presentation takes you through these insights and much more.
DAVE OBEE is a journalist and genealogical researcher who has written a dozen books and given more than 700 presentations at conferences and seminars in Canada, the United States and Australia since 1997.
He is Editor and Publisher of the Times Colonist in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He has worked as a journalist in British Columbia and Alberta since 1972.
In 2021, the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International named Dave a Paul Harris Fellow, in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.
In 2017, Dave was awarded the annual Bill Good award, which recognizes a B.C. journalist, leader or educator who has made a significant impact in journalism and in the community at large.