Ontario Genealogical Society Annual Conference to be Held in …

I have attended a couple of past Ontario Genealogical Society conferences and have found them to be great events. One special feature of OGS conferences is that some, although not all, of these conferences are held at universities. This year’s event is being held at the joint campus of Durham College and the University of Ontario’s Institute of Technology. Attendees may stay in the college dormitory suites at rather modest prices. Each suite has two bedrooms, each with a double bed, a shared bathroom and a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave oven. The price includes a continental breakfast for up to two people, with a small surcharge for a third and fourth person. Because the suites have two bedrooms, the OGS Conference committee is running a Share-a-Suite program for attendees who would like arrange a “suitemate” before booking their accommodation. Several hotels are also available within a few miles.

If you would like to do local research, the Durham Region Branch, O.G.S. Main Office and Reference Resources will be open by appointment during the Conference. In addition, The Whitby Public Library holds many additional print resources for the Durham Branch. Several other research possibilities are listed at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/area-research/.

Three online organizations have agreed to allow OGS Conference registrants to access their databases free of charge in the Research Room during the conference: Ancestry.ca, Find My Past, and the British Newspaper Archives.

Several tours of the local area are also available, including the Canadian Automobile Museum (with over 70 vehicles), the Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum (a.k.a. The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum), and the Parkwood Estate (featured in major films).

All in all, I suspect you will enjoy the time you spend at and near the Ontario Genealogical Society’s Annual Conference in Oshawa. For more information, look at the conference web site at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013.