I was lucky to have the opportunity to attend the Archives Association of Ontario’s (AAO) recent workshop on Research Methods for Genealogy and Local History, held at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto.

The full-day workshop was intended to guide information professionals on how to support their users’ genealogical and local history research needs. Working with a history-focused not-for-profit, I’m regularly asked to provide reference services to our members and the general public, via phone, email, and in person. So I was very pleased by the chance to spend some time focusing on genealogy and local history research sources, to better answer such inquiries.

The instructor was Lutzen Riedstra, the former archivist for the Stratford-Perth (Ontario) Archives, who’s currently teaching a course in archival description for Western University (formerly the University of Western Ontario). I regret not having been able to fit his archives courses into my Master of Library and Information Science studies at Western, so it was an added bonus to finally get to meet him and learn from him all day.

Of the many topics covered and resources provided, here are ten tips I learned at the workshop.

1) Remind researchers to be suspicious of indexes, as they’re not perfect.

2) Genealogy research tip: to find your ancestor’s parents’ names, look at records for your ancestor’s siblings. Don’t just look at your primary relative. Think laterally.

3) For Irish ancestors (of, say, the McCabe family, for instance), see Irish Genealogy, an Irish Government supported official web site.

4) Advise researchers to note the exact source where they are finding information, so they can find it again later.

5) Investigate a great free online genealogy resource, Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) “What to Do First”, and the LAC website’s entire Genealogy and Family History section.

6) For genealogy software, look at Family Tree Maker and check out advice from LAC, under Computer Methods.

7) When writing about local history, pay attention to geography (land, drainage, rivers, weather patterns like snow belts), as geography is of fundamental importance to the nature of a settlement.

8) The province of Quebec’s records are exceptionally well indexed and available for viewing. Look at the PRDH – Programme de recherche en démographie historique at the University of Montreal, which offers all the Catholic certificates of baptism, marriage, and burial in Quebec, and Protestant marriages, 1621-1849.

9) Visit the Archives Association of Ontario’s Archeion database to find information about archives held by organizations across Ontario.

10) Have a look at the following recommended publications:

• Archives for Genealogists: A Beginner’s Guide, by Carolynn Bart-Riedstra (2009), available from the Ontario Genealogical Society’s online bookstore and Toronto Public Library
• Providing Reference Services for Archives & Manuscripts, by Mary Jo Pugh (2005), online
• The Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy, by Fraser Dunford (2006), at Toronto Public Library

Thanks to the AAO and Lutzen Riedstra for a very interesting day, and I look forward to upcoming AAO workshops and events.

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