CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Download our summarized schedule here

We will have 20-minute interviews with each of the following prominent Nova Scotian genealogists:

• Bob Hegerich

• James Moody

• Richard Reid

Peggy Chapman will outline that the majority of Irish who settled in Nova Scotia came well before waves of emigration caused by the potato famine. The mid-1700s to 1800 is the timeframe for most Irish settlers in Nova Scotia. When researching Irish ancestors back to their Irish origins, often there is lack of evidence for migrating direct from Ireland to Nova Scotia. Newfoundland's population in the 1700s was small but full of Irish.  Your ancestor may be one who emigrated to Newfoundland before a move to Nova Scotia.  The Channel Islands has a similar history - as early as the 1600s the fishing trade drew Channel Islanders initially to Newfoundland. Emigration patterns suggest that while some came directly to Nova Scotia due to shipbuilding and fisheries, many others were first resident in Newfoundland. Many Channel Islanders had "French" surnames, causing additional confusion in looking at Acadian resources with no results. This session will provide history and context for both groups and resources in Newfoundland that can help.

Crown Land Grants, Warrants to Survey, Petitions - what do they all mean? And what is an Escheat, or a Quit Rent? John MacLeod, Manager of the Nova Scotia Archives, will provide an overview of the origin and subsequent re-distribution of land in Nova Scotia, including reference to deeds and other methods of property transfer - they're often a goldmine of genealogical information. Come learn about this rich Nova Scotian record source. 

During lunch hour pre-recorded presentations will run highlighting the work of local Nova Scotia genealogical and historical societies and organizations - the list is yet to be finalized but will be updated here as time goes on.

Dr. Darryl Leroux has studied a social phenomenon that has taken off in the twenty-first century: otherwise white, French descendant settlers in Canada shifting into a self-defined “Indigenous” identity. White, French-descendant people discovering an Indigenous ancestor born 300 to 375 years ago through genealogy and using that ancestor as the sole basis for an eventual shift into an “Indigenous” identity today.

After setting out the most common genealogical practices that facilitate race shifting, Leroux examines self-identified “Indigenous” organizations that have their origins in committed opposition to Indigenous land and territorial negotiations, and that encourage the use of suspect genealogical practices. His study brings to light how these claims to an “Indigenous” identity are then used politically to oppose actual, living Indigenous peoples, exposing along the way the shifting politics of whiteness, white settler colonialism, and white supremacy.

Denis Savard will discuss how can we use mtDNA to identify the origin of the "Mothers of Acadia", i.e. the women pioneers that gave birth to the Acadian colony in the New World. The speaker will also explain how DNA is used to verify, or even discover the ancestry of women stuck behind brick walls, by comparing their signatures to the "Mothers".

Get up and stretch your legs.

One of Scotland’s largest exports has been their people. Scots began leaving their homeland for North America as early as the 1650s. Christine Woodcock's presentation will cover the merchants and professionals that emigrated to Newfoundland, those who came with the Timber Merchants, the groups of Highlanders and Islanders who were ousted from their homes for religious reasons or who were cleared from estates and came to Canada to make a better life for themselves and their families. (PEI, NS and Cape Breton)

We are pleased to re-offer one of our most popular features: a Nova Scotia Brick Wall Busters session! Three luck registrants will be selected at random to have the Nova Scotian Ancestor Mystery Investigated further by our team of Nova Scotia Certified Genealogists. However you must have registered by March 18 to be selected. Find out more details here!

Brief farewell remarks and "thank you"s to all of our attendees and presenters!