My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 7

As a result of attending the NEHGS Newfoundland 2009 Seminar I have some suggestions for those who plan to attend one of these events as well as for those who put them together.

Thoughts on Attending a Seminar for the Researcher & the Sponsoring Organization

Everyone has a different experience at these seminars (and I do realize that it is hard to give equal time to all participants) so keep in mind the following if you are planning to attend a research seminar:

• Correspond in advance with tour leaders to make sure you understand what is meant by any descriptions in the brochure, whether there are any changes to the schedule or tour personnel and how any paperwork you provide will be used during the seminar.
• Research in advance the facilities that are included on the tour so you know the hours, locations, rules, costs and resources available to you.
• Research any facilities not included in the tour but that you may want to visit so you can easily schedule a visit on your own.
• Get maps, restaurant reviews, suggestions for walking tours, and transportation information in advance of your trip from websites and/or tourist information offices. Put together a file folder so that you are not relying on the tour leaders - sometimes it is easier to do things on your own or in a small group than to go out en masse.
• Speak up during the tour if you feel there are shortcomings or if you do not feel you are getting what you paid for - hopefully it will be easier to fix a potential misunderstanding or corrections can be made during the trip.
• Make use of your own library, inter-library loans of easily obtained materials, loans of FHL materials, and on-line research resources so that you make the best use of your time at Archives or research facilities you are visiting on your trip.

For any organization providing genealogy research seminars, keep in mind that most participants have finite resources and differing research skills. They are depending on your expertise to assist them with their research, so keep the following in mind if you are the sponsoring organization:

• Provide what is listed in the seminar brochure or advise the participants why it is not being provided in advance of the trip. If changes are made last minute (as is often the case) you still need to convey this to participants and not wait for someone to point it out.
• If there are changes to personnel or facilities, explain them in advance of the trip. It is pretty easy to email or leave a phone message for participants. Alternatively, direct participants to check a Facebook page or blog site.
• Ask for feedback early on during the seminar - this can resolve a lot of misunderstanding among participants and oftentimes tour leaders can adjust schedules or make necessary changes to assist participants.
• Ask for feedback after the seminar and then acknowledge the participant's feedback.
• Determine in advance the skill level, research level and interest level of your participants. You will be better able to group participants and provide necessary assistance and/or organize the participants accordingly.
• Make sure participants are aware of and have been given the opportunity to exhaust local and/or online resources so that research time can be better spent with Archives and Library materials at the seminar sites.

Next time ~ Connecting up with Family in Newfoundland.

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 6

Both of the research facilities closed by 5:00 pm each day, which actually worked out quite well as I was able to return to my room, organize whatever materials I had either transcribed or acquired during the day and make plans for my next day’s research. I was also able to go out in the evenings either with other participants or with extended Newfoundland family (who rather graciously met with me and showed me around during my visit – more on that in another post!).

One important thing to keep in mind during any research trip is to gauge your time so that you do not burn out. Also, part of any trip should be about getting out and being a tourist/traveler. I made a point of taking a locally organized walking tour on my first day in St. John’s (anytime you can do this – go for it – many cities list these tours on their visitor welcome websites and they are oftentimes fun and informative). The City has done an amazing job of organizing self-guided walking tours, there are written brochures that serve as an overview and signposts along the way. I made a point of using these walking tours for my early morning walks – I was always able to find a Tim Horton’s or an independent coffee shop on my rambles. My morning walks also provided me with an opportunity to take photographs and get my exercise in while doing the tourist thing.

The week went by rather quickly. I was glad that I had made arrangements to stay on an additional two weeks so that I did not feel as time-constrained as many of the other participants. I spent the first week getting my bearings, making use of the two research facilities included with the seminar (our seminar leaders were “stationed” at both facilities to assist with questions and logistics) and figuring out the best way to find and record the various materials I was acquiring on this trip. The great thing about attending a seminar is that the other participants have similar interests and oftentimes they have research skills and/or tips that they are willing to share. A few of us used the same genealogy software program (Legacy Family Tree) and we got together to share tips and tricks. Those who had more advanced computer skills were willing to help those new to using the computer or the internet. As is often the case, participants break out into small groups based on interests and/or personalities. All in all, the NEHGS seminar was the impetus I needed to make the trip to Newfoundland and I am very glad I did!

Next time ~ Suggestions for making the seminar/conference experience a happy one for all involved!

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 5

I spent the remainder of my time during the seminar week at the Maritime History Archives. There is a registration process but there is no fee involved. Photocopies and photography are allowed here and the Archives is in the process of digitizing and making available many of its holdings. There is a wealth of material at the Archives but I found the most interesting material (and I do not think you can access this material elsewhere) to be the student papers, the Keith Matthews Name files, and microfilms of County Wexford baptism and marriage registers.

Apparently a professor at MUN made a point of assigning his students a paper in their various courses that combined family history, community and Newfoundland traditions’ research. Many of the students wrote about their families (and interviewed various family members) and/or their communities (again interviewing the community elders and finding out occupational, religious, educational and holiday traditions and/or stories). Some of the student papers included photographs, drawings, and handwritten family trees. I was quite jealous of one NEHGS participant who not only was able to read a lengthy student paper about her family’s early days in Newfoundland but also was able to acquire a family tree to assist in her research – I think my relatives must have been out fishing!

I did get to read (and photocopy) a number of papers written about Plate Cove, Open Hall, King’s Cove, and Bonavista, as well as read about affiliated families who settled in those communities. One student wrote a great deal about holiday traditions in Plate Cove and another wrote about the fishing industry and made an excellent drawing mapping his families’ homes, the various fishing flakes and laid out the church, post office, general store and neighbors homes through a 30 year period. The student papers made for fascinating reading and gave me a window into my ancestors’ world.

The Name files consist of a tremendous amount of information collected by Dr. Keith Matthews (a founding member and former chair of the Maritime History Group) relating to people and places having to do with the fishing industry both in Newfoundland and abroad. The files contain information on approximately 7,300 surnames collected from a variety of sources (a fuller description of this collection may be found at the Maritime History Archives). I checked out the information contained in these files for all of my Newfoundland surnames.

I had an opportunity to review one of the microfilms relating to St. Mullins, County Wexford parishes and it was fascinating to see the various surnames that belong to my “Irish-side” grandparents. While I do not know at this time if any of the families referenced in the church register are related, it was interesting to see the various families – Keough, Murphy, Aylward, Cavanaugh, Dooley, Driscoll, Shaughnessy and Tracey - in the mid-1700s. Apparently the British Library was getting rid of some microfilm they either had copies of or decided they no longer wanted and they offered them to the Maritime Archives who snapped them up! Trying to read Latin versions of given names and and variants of the surnames I know so well was quite an exercise. The penmanship was beautiful and quite easy to read (once you got the hang of it – thank goodness I had a bit of Latin at university!).

Next time ~ How I spent my time when the research facilities were closed.

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure – Part 4

After our orientation at the Maritime History Archives and The Rooms, most participants spent the remainder of the first day conducting independent research at The Rooms.  Those who had prepared in advance and/or had a list of research goals, were able to hit the ground running and get a great deal accomplished.  In this regard if you are planning on making a trip to Newfoundland to conduct family history research, the following four tips should help you understand and make the best use of the research process:

1. Watch the online seminar entitled Researching Your Newfoundland Ancestors Part One, prepared by Judy Lucy of NEHGS   This presentation serves as a basic introduction and gives a bit of history and discusses research resources. I understand that a Part Two is in process, so be sure to check back at that site.
2. Review the research outline prepared by the Family History Library entitled Newfoundland Research Outline.  While this outline has not been updated recently, it does provide a good overview and you can check their Research Wiki or google any of the facilities mentioned for updated information.  You should be aware that Newfoundland was an independent British North American colony until 1949 and as a result research tips and suggestions referencing Canadian records are not applicable before 1949.
3. Download a copy of the Guide to Genealogical Material  in the Newfoundland & Labrador Collection prepared by the A.C. Hunter Public Library.
4. Find the region of Newfoundland where your ancestors settled and find out as much as you can from on-line resources (Wikipedia, Grand Bank’s, mapping the areas, and Google searches) as well as local library resources (use Worldcat to find brick and mortar facilities in your area that may have books of interest and check out Archives.org or Google Books for books that that are out of copyright and can be viewed online as well as snippets of books that are in copyright and can be viewed online and/or purchased for download). 

At the outset, researchers at The Rooms are required to apply for a registration number (a $10 fee and your registration is good for life).  The Rooms is an archive, which means that materials are maintained and retrieved by the staff.  Each day I filled out a form requesting the material I wanted to review and it was provided to me, one item/file at a time.  This is done so that materials are maintained properly and also to make more of the materials available to everyone.  Due to the nature of some of the materials, only pencils are allowed for manual transcription.  I was especially happy that I had brought my notebook computer as I found transcribing by hand very slow going indeed.  The Rooms has lockers (great for stashing your computer when you leave for lunch) and The Rooms Cafe is open during The Rooms hours of operation (great for a coffee break or a meal – the views are amazing).

The first and third day of the seminar, I reviewed the King’s Cove Roman Catholic Church records which consist of baptism and marriage records.  These records have been reviewed and partially transcribed and can be found at Grand Bank’s.  The first thing I noticed was that these records were photocopies of the church register, some pages had been copied out of order and others were duplicates.  The register was filled in by a number of parish priests over a long period of time and handwriting styles, spelling of surnames, and the amount of information added to each entry varied from priest to priest.  I did find that as time went by I became better able to decipher the handwriting, but if I had been limited to a few hours to review the information or if I had been unfamiliar with the surnames in the various communities, I would have easily mistaken the names of the various parties.  My research process consisted of determining if the entry was either for a surname or community I was interested in and, if so, entering the information into an Excel spreadsheet. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, the King’s Cove Register cannot be photocopied, however, finding your ancestor’s entry and transcribing the information is a thrill.  When I found my grandfather’s baptism entry (at the bottom of a page and rather hard to read) I noticed that a later entry had been added referencing his marriage to my grandmother in Cordova, Alaska.  It appeared that the priest performing a marriage (in another community, province, or country) oftentimes provided the information to King’s Cove parish.  I made a point to return to these records the following week during my post-seminar research.

Next time ~ The Maritime History Archives at MUN.

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 3

On Monday all the participants met up and went to The Rooms at PANL and the Maritime History Archives at MUN for orientations given by the Archivist at each facility. 

A view of The Rooms - PANL - A Great Place to Research!

A view from the inside of The Rooms 

PANL is an amazing purpose-built museum and archives overlooking St. John's.  The building was designed to resemble a fishing room and the views are spectacular.  The Rooms provides a comfortable, spacious and lovely area to conduct genealogy research.  The entire staff is friendly, helpful and willing to provide suggestions to assist with your research both at PANL and at other facilities located in St. John's.  Their website is very informative (be sure to check out their family history page) and a summary of their holdings is listed on-line.  You can get a head start on locating documents and microfilm by planning ahead and they can also assist with distance research.  If you are planning a research trip to St. John's, check out their website at The Rooms.

The Maritime History Archives - right on the MUN Campus

The Maritime History Archives is located in the basement of the Mathematics Building at MUN.  Although it does not have the grandeur of The Rooms, their Archivists and their holdings are outstanding.  Both the Ryan and the Matthews collections are maintained here (be sure to check out their digitized collections online) as well as student papers relating to numerous Newfoundland communities and families.  There are several indices to help you locate information.  Be sure to check out The Maritime History Archives.

During the remainder of the week, participants choose whether to research at PANL or MUN and were provided with transportation from the hotel to either site.  Some participants branched out on their own and went to the Crown Records Office, the Land Records Office, local churches, or the Centre for Newfoundland Studies (also on the MUN Campus).  During the week I focused on researching at PANL and the Maritimes History Archives.  I had a very good experience researching at both locations but I honestly think I would have had the same experience had I gone to St. John's on my own.  The City tour and the Whale Watch Puffin Boat tour were both very informative and enjoyable.  I do think that the City tour would have been better scheduled on the first day of our trip rather than the last day and it would have served as an ice-breaker of sorts among the participants.  I would definitely suggest that anyone going to St. John's take in a bus or walking tour to get a feel for the layout of City early on in their stay.

Next time ~

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 2

Note to anyone going to St. John's - bring your walking shoes! St. John's has steep hills and you will make good use of your shoes and get your cardio exercise in every day.

Signal Hill - Quite a hike up the hill but the views of St. John's Harbour are amazing!

Today, I wanted to share a bit about the NEHGS Newfoundland 2009 Seminar. The seminar was billed as a research tour with expert genealogists from NEHGS at several premier research facilities in St. John's. The seminar ran from Sunday afternoon (July 12) through Saturday afternoon (with a hotel departure the following Sunday morning (July 19). Most of the seminar participants stayed at the seminar hotel (the Sheraton located in downtown St. John's). The seminar leaders were listed as Marie Daly, David Allen Lambert and Judy Lucey, all employees of NEHGS. You could attend the seminar with the option of including the hotel accommodations (your room and breakfast included) or as a commuter (making your own accommodation and meal arrangements). For either scenario the cost included two dinners, one lunch, the Saturday City tour and Boat tour, all transportation between the Sheraton and the research facilities each day and research consultations.


The program's brochure provided a schedule listing two lectures early in the week (Monday evening and Tuesday morning) and each weekday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm there would be personal research and consultations at the various research facilities.  A Sunday night welcome dinner and a Friday night wrap-up dinner both at the Sheraton were included in the cost of the seminar. Additionally on Saturday a day tour of St. John's City and Whale Watch and Puffin Island boat tour were scheduled. Prior to the seminar all attendees were encouraged to fill out a research interest sheet so that the experts could review our research goals and/or brick walls in order to provide us assistance during the week. We were also encouraged to bring printed pedigree charts and/or family group sheets to our consultations. During the welcome dinner both David Lambert and Judy Lucey told us of the amount of time and effort NEHGS put in to launching this first Newfoundland research seminar. Both David and Judy were enthusiastic and they were genuinely interested in the tour participants having a good experience in St. John's. The Archivists at the facilities where we conducted our research were incredibly helpful and gave us excellent orientations and handouts to assist us with our research. Last but not least, the drivers (from McCarthy's Tour Company) were friendly, helpful and provided interesting commentary and background regarding Newfoundland's history and people as well as great transportation service.


At the outset, I know that I would not have scheduled to trip to Newfoundland if I had not seen the NEHGS Research Seminar brochure and decided to just make the trip. I read the backgrounds of the three experts and thought that they would be able to assist me with both the process and my specific research goals. Filling out the research interest sheet helped me focus my research needs for my trip. That said, I must say I was disappointed with the seminar - simply put, I do not think there was a corresponding value for the cost incurred. Changes were made to the schedule by NEHGS and conveyed to us on Sunday evening - there were two rather than three experts assigned to the seminar (and no mention was made regarding this change), neither lecture was on the final schedule, we used two facilities (apparently they had not heard back from and therefore were unable to schedule time at the Family History Society offices) and no effort was made by either expert to actually schedule consultations with individuals and go over the research interest sheets. When I asked about scheduling my consultations the first day, I was given about ten minutes and it seemed that no review of the sheet had taken place in advance of the seminar. At first I thought it was because I had signed up rather late for the seminar, but as I talked with a few of the other participants I determined that they did not have consultations either. Perhaps I expected too much from the idea of consultations but I found that the librarians and archivists at each of the facilities were as much, if not more, assistance as our NEHGS experts.

Next time  ~ The Newfoundland Seminar Week.

My Excellent Newfoundland Adventure - Part 1

Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to Newfoundland as part of the NEHGS Research in Newfoundland Seminar.  I have always wanted to travel to Newfoundland to visit the place where my grandfather was born and raised and to research my Keough family history.  Somehow the trip never got past the planning stage as other activities or events intervened.  However, after reading a post about the NEHGS seminar, I contacted them, signed up for the program and rather spur-of-the moment put my trip together.  My first piece of advice to anyone thinking about traveling to Newfoundland to research their family history is DO IT!  My second piece of advice is to make sure you plan ahead in order to get the most out of your time and to keep the costs down. 

 I live in the United States and the first thing for any Americans to know is that airfare and car rentals are pricey.  The reason seems to be that Newfoundland is served by a limited number of airlines and car rental agencies and there are a finite number of rentals on the island.  July and August are the top tourist months in Newfoundland and there were a number of tourists/travelers from all over Canada as well as the United States.  Late summer through early fall provide long sunny days - in fact the weather was gorgeous while I was there in July/August 2009.  I was in Newfoundland (specifically the  St. John's and the Bonavista South regions) for approximately a month and only had two days of rain! 

 The people in both regions could not have been more friendly or helpful.  There are a wealth of research facilities in St. John's, the City is quite walker-friendly and public transportation (bus or taxi) can get you most anywhere you want to go safely, efficiently and inexpensively.  There are a tremendous number and variety of housing options (hotels, bed and breakfasts and, during the summer months, Memorial University's campus housing), and there are several excellent restaurants, pubs, and coffee shops.  Since I planned to stay in St. John's for three weeks (the weeklong seminar as well as additional research time) I decided to stay at MUN's campus housing. 

 If you want to save money and be close to several of the research facilities during the summer months, you really cannot do better than to stay in student housing.  I had a single room on the third floor of the dorm with a shared washroom and shower room down the hall.  Each room has a twin bed, desk, chair, drawers and area to hang clothes.  Laundry facilities are on each floor, access to the floor and the individual rooms is keyed for privacy and safety.  If you have a notebook computer, you will be able to access the internet with a MUN account (this worked throughout the entire campus).  The campus is well laid out and the University libraries were great places to spread out and work after the other research facilities closed for the day.

Queen Elizabeth II Library at MUN

houses the Centre for Newfoundland Studies

Student Housing at MUN Campus - A Real Bargain!

The Student Centre - a food court, bookstore, bus terminal and several student services

The best thing about staying on the MUN campus was the variety of travelers staying at the University - my first week choral groups from all over the World stayed there for a conference, my second week it was firefighters for advanced training, my third week it was police officers for various seminars, and one long weekend a wedding party booked one half of the floor for their wedding party guests.  Throughout my stay there were visiting summer students, teachers, researchers, families from Europe, and other independent travelers.  Whether I struck up a conversation with others on my floor, nodded to others in passing, or kept to myself, it was a safe and central location for my housing needs.


The room rate during Summer 2009 was $33 per night for a single room at Paton College!  (There are also double rooms available as well as an apartment style arrangement at Burton's Pond.)  The program is student run and the front desk is manned every day from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (a student is assigned to be on-call from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am for late or early arrivals) to answer questions and provide assistance to guests.  Taxi service to and from St. John's Airport was $15-20 per trip.   If you want to save your money for meals, day trips, car rentals, photocopies, walking tours or pub-crawling, check out the MUN website to learn about their Summer housing program at MUN Summer Accomodations.  Staying at MUN really saved me money on my housing while I was in St. John's, money I put to good use at Tim Horton's and all along George Street.

Next time ~ a bit about the NEHGS Newfoundland 2009 Seminar.