The Campbell River Genealogy Society is hosting its spring seminar, featuring Dave Obee.
Obee is a journalist and genealogical researcher who has written a dozen books and given more than 500 presentations at conferences and seminars in Canada and the United States since 1997.
He will be in Campbell River on Saturday, April 25 as the presenter for the Campbell River Genealogy Society’s spring seminar, “Branching Out.”
Obee is in demand as a public speaker and his presentations are always engaging. Obee is a columnist for Internet Genealogy magazine and Family Chronicle magazine. He has also written about family history for Canada’s History as well as Your Family Tree in the United Kingdom.
He wrote Making the News in 2008 which is a comprehensive history of Vancouver Island, drawn from old newspapers. Obee is the author of Destination Canada: A Genealogical Guide to Immigration Records, published in 2010.
In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by the University of Victoria for his work as a historian, genealogist and journalist.
The British Columbia Historical Federation named Obee’s 2011 book, The Library Book: A History of Service to British Columbia, one of the top three examples of historical writing in the province. It is a comprehensive look at library service and development over the past two centuries. In 2012, Obee published Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census. He was presented with the Governor General’s Caring Canadian award for his work as a community volunteer in 2014.
Both Genealogy members and non-members are invited to register for the seminar. It will be held at the Maritime Heritage Centre from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The doors will open at 9 a.m. and registrants are welcome to browse the Genealogy Society’s library before the seminar commences and during the lunch break. The grand door prize will be a one year subscription to Ancestry.ca – World Deluxe Edition.
Obee’s presentation topics are as follows:
n Travel Smart with Technology: Visiting an ancestral community is one of the greatest thrills. The presentation is designed to help travellers, both real and virtual, to maximize their research into family connections outside Canada.
n Beyond the Online Basics: A genealogical guide to digital collections. This session provides ideas on how to find the documents that will help you learn more about your families, or the local histories of the areas where they lived.
n A Fresh Light on old Newspapers: Thanks to the many digitization projects, there are millions of newspaper pages on the Internet. 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.
n Trinkets & Treasures: Things Your Ancestors left Behind - Items that your ancestors used or created will help you to gain a better understanding of the lives they lived and serve as a reminder of times past. Think of the stories they can tell.
The cost of the seminar is $50.
A Save-On bag lunch can be pre-ordered for an added fee. Refreshments will be available and there will be a draw for door prizes.
To register, contact Janice Wilkin before April 17 at wilkin1@telus.net or phone (250) 203-0585. A registration form can be downloaded from www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bccrgc/
Registration forms can also be picked up in the Genealogy Society’s Library at the Maritime Heritage Centre during opening hours: Monday 7-9 p.m. (Enter at Lighthouse Door) Tuesday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday 1:30-4 p.m.