Absolutely Literate

Seafaring Ancestors
May 25, 2026 @ 7:30 pm EST
Online webinar
Free. Visitors welcome. Register Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society
Do you have captains, crew, ship-owners, insurers, bread-makers or pirates in your family tree? You might have an ancestor involved in the shipping industry and not realize it. Learn where to look to discover your seafaring ancestors. This talk provides a basic overview of where to look for seafaring ancestors (not those who were in the navy) tailored for British and Canadian research. https://torontofamilyhistory.org/event/seafaring-ancestors/?instance_id=1652

Where were your family on VE Day?

Is your family history society or organization looking for virtual or in-person presentations for 2026?

The census questions reflect the concerns of the times through the demographics, whether it is to determine housing needs, infrastructure needs, and social change.

The early census only asked names, ages, occupations, and location. some years they asked detailed questions about crops and livestock. Some years they asked about education and health. Every census is a little different and provide an interesting window into the past.

1666 - New France census - the first census in what would become known as Canada
1842 - Questions regarding religion
1901 - Questions regarding year of immigration
1901 - People could record they were divorced
1921 - Amount of insurance held
1931 - Questions around employment (in response to the Depression)

I offer three presentations on the Canadian census to help family historians find their ancestors in these records. Contact me to learn more. https://www.absolutelyliterate.com/presentations.html

14 virtual presentations on Nova Scotia Genealogy via Zoom

45 minute presentations + 10 minute Q&As. Some presentations this year will be 90 minutes.

Sessions recorded and available to registrants for 60 days

Saturday and Sunday, 9:00AM-5:30PM (Atlantic Time)

Presentations from the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) and the Genealogical Institute of the Maritimes (GIM)

Brick Wall Buster Session with worked-through examples