London Ontario Family History Centre

Welcome
OUR GOAL : The goal of the London Ontario Family History Centre is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy and family history. We provide personal one-on-one assistance to patrons, access to genealogical records through the Internet and a microfilm loan program, and free "how-to" classes (See "Class Schedule" below).

OUR LOCATION : We are located at 1139 Riverside Drive, London, Ontario. See contact information for more details (See "Location on Map" link below).

OUR STAFF : The center is staffed by volunteer members of local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as non-LDS genealogy enthusiasts from the community. More experienced volunteers may be able to assist you with specific research challenges. (See "Staff Research Specialties") below.

YOUR FIRST VISIT : To make your first visit most effective...


 * collect and organize the information you already have.
 * bring with you to you first visit as much information as you have about the ancestor you wish to research, including available birth, marriage and death information and we will help you move forward from there.
 * call the Centre before you plan to make your first visit especially if you have a specific question or geographical area of interest (519- 473-2421).The answering machine does not take messages so call during centre " open hours " below.

With this information we can tell you in advance if we have a volunteer who has is a specialist in your area of interest.

Centre Contacts and Hours
Address : 1139 Riverside Drive in London, Ontario N6H 2T7 Canada

If you go to the back of the building, west door, there is a buzzer to ring so that a staff member can let you in.

Location on Map

Phone : (519) 473-2421

E-mail:    londonfamilyhistorycentre@gmail.com     [mailto:ON_London@ldsmail.net ON_London@ldsmail.net]

PLEASE NOTE: Effective September 1st the London Family History Centre will be closed on Tuesday until further notice. See the schedule below...

Open Hours:

Wed. 10 AM to 4 PM and 7 PM to 10 PM

Thurs. 10 AM to 4 PM

Sat. 10 AM to 1 PM

Summer Schedule(effective June 1st, 2015)

AUGUST:  Closed Saturday August 1 for Civic Holiday

Closed every Thursday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Saturday September 5 Closed for Labour Day 

Back to Regular Hours in September

Holiday Schedule:


 * Closed the Saturday of Holiday Weekends such as Thanksgiving, Easter, Canada Day and for two weeks during Christmas Holidays.
 * In the event of inclement weather, we may also be closed.(Consultants) See below for more information for the process for closing the Centre due to weather. 
 * Please phone to see if we are open before you come.
 * During June, July and August, we are open fewer hours but our answering machine will give you current hours . (Please note that the machine does not take messages).

Announcements and Closing Procedures
 17 Family History Things You Can Do If You Only Have a Few Minutes 

Sometimes life gets in the way, and you can't find a decent stretch of time to sit at your computer or go to the library and do some genealogy. 5 or 15 minutes might not be enough to delve into the life and times of your most stubborn brick wall ancestor, but it is enough time to do one of these quick genealogy tasks:

• Check your tree and make sure you have a 1940 census entry for everyone alive at the time. For the missing ones, you can search the 1940 census for free. • Search the Social Security Death Index for US folks who died after 1962. • Run a Google Books search for an ancestor you don't have much on. • Open mystery genealogy files on your computer, see what they are, and rename them according to a system. Now you know what the file is without opening it. • File the loose genealogy files on your computer desktop, or the papers on your actual desktop. • Write two paragraphs about an ancestor's life. • Any relative you don't have burial information for, search for him or her on Find A Grave, BillionGraves and/or Interment.net. • Transcribe a record into your family tree software (or wherever you keep record transcriptions). • Add to Great-grandma's or another relative's life timeline, using your family tree software. • Read a few pages of a county or family history. • Check your favourite genealogy blogs for the latest news. • Call an older relative and make an appointment to visit and talk about family history. • Scan several photos. • Write a journal entry or blog post. • Share a genealogy find with your family on Facebook. • Think of all the crazy ways last names in your family could be spelled, and write them all down so you can try them when you search genealogy websites. • Tag photos in your photo-organizing software.

The centre is OPEN according to the schedule above
 Procedures  (for Family Hisory Centre Volunteers)  for Closing the Centre Due to Weather Conditions 

Occasionally the question arises should we close the centre due to weather conditions or other emergencies. We have a sign posted on the back door stating that we will close in inclement weather. So, what constitutes inclement weather and who initiates the closing of the centre? This is a matter that requires clear communication.

The obvious question is one of safety. If you are due to go in for a shift and are uncomfortable coming out in certain weather conditions, we would ask that you use good judgment and not take any risks that you don't wish to. Below are some scenarios that we need to consider.

1. If you work the morning shift  and you are aware of worsening weather conditions  and are in the centre … a) Phone the Directors and let him/her know your decision to close immediately or that the centre should be closed for the afternoon shift. The Directors will go from there with the information and try to let the afternoon shift know the centre is closed. b) If you can’t get in touch with the Directors contact those who are on the afternoon shift and inform them of the closure. Their phone numbers are in the staff folder in the metal hanging file to the left.

2.  If you are on the afternoon shift, you are not in the centre , and you see worsening weather conditions… a) Don’t assume that those running the first shift will know how bad conditions have become. Phone the centre, inform the consultants already working there, and let them know that the centre should be closed for the afternoon, due to poor weather conditions. The consultants already in the Centre may not know that road conditions have deteriorated and they will appreciate the update. This decision can be made without the Directors' input. b) Those consultants in the centre should call the Centre Directors to let them know the Centre has been closed so that the website can reflect this decision. c) If the consultants in the centre know certain regulars who might venture out to the centre and have their phone numbers, they might call them to let them know it will be closed.

3.  If anyone becomes concerned about poor or dangerous weather conditions  forecasted  the day before anyone needs to do a shift ... a) Phone the Directors and let them know about your concern. The Directors will go from there with the information and let the next day’s staff know of the decision to close. The Directors may also come to this decision themselves and let the appropriate staff know in advance. b) If you can’t get in touch with the Directors contact those who are on the shift with you (and the shift after you if that is the case). If among you you feel the need to close the centre, call the Directors back and leave a message and try to inform others if possible.

A good indicator as to whether the centre should be closed is whether the school buses in London and area are running or not. Another indicator is if schools are closed due to the frigid temperatures or stormy weather. If they are closed then the centre should be closed too. If it's not safe for children to be out of doors, we don't want to put our consultants or patrons at risk.

In the final analysis some patrons who might want to venture out in bad weather to get to the centre may choose to call first to see if the centre is open. I would hope that if there is no answer they would decide to stay home. Others may take their own chances as to whether the centre is open or not. Not every base can be covered but we should try.

Upcoming Events:
Upcoming Staff Meetings (Stake Centre):

COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO FAMILY HISTORY USING FAMILY SEARCH
Details :

Duration : 4 lessons

Dates : all on Thursday evenings every other week: January 15, 29, February 12, 26. The course will be run again later in the Spring for those who miss it this time around.

Place : London Family History Centre

Time : 7:00 to 9:00 PM (The length of each lesson is adjustable depending on the needs of the participants.)

What to bring : Computer (There are 5 new computers available in the centre for you to use but you may bring your own laptop if you wish.) Please do not bring tablets as they are too small to work with. You will probably need a pen or pencil and note paper.

Preparation : Before the course begins;

1. It would be a good idea to get a copy of the booklet, “My Family: Stories that Bring us Together” and begin filling in the information in the booklet. This will be a great help for those who are just starting. It will assist you to gather information you can enter into the computer during our lessons.

2. Find out what your confirmation (membership) number is and bring it with you to the 1st lesson. This is necessary to get an LDS Account which will allow you to prepare your ancestors’ names for the temple using "FamilySearch". If you have a temple recommend it is on the recommend. If you don’t have a recommend, see your unit membership clerk who can find it for you.

Who is the Course Intended For ?

This course is particularly inteded for  people new to Family Search, people new to the church , and youth  

Our objectives in this course will be :

A. to show you the resources available on the FamilySearch.org website

B. to help you learn how to use these tools to submit the names of your ancestors to the temple and

C. for each person to take the name of at least one ancestor to the temple to do their work by the end of the course.

The Course Outline :

Lesson I

• Giving you full access to Familysearch.org by using your login information—username &amp; password • Showing the layout of the webpage • Entering your own personal information • Evaluating what information is already recorded on the church website • Showing you the various ways of viewing the information in the traditional view, portrait view, fan chart and descendents view. • Evaluating what temple work has been done, has yet to be done and what opportunities exist at present without any research required. • Giving you time to become familiar with your own information and possibilities of submitting names to the temple • Taking you through the process of submitting a name to the temple • Preparing an ordinance form to take to the temple so that ordinance cards can be prepared • Giving you time over the two weeks following this lesson to 1. discover your ancestors’ information on Familysearch.org, 2. to submit names to the temple where appropriate and 3. to decide who you would like to find more information about

Lesson II • Reviewing the information from stage I • Concentrating on finding additional information and ancestors whose name can be submitted to the temple • Concentrating on the search aspect of Familysearch.org where you can find additional information on a worldwide basis on our ancestors • Using the records option under the search category to see what type of records are available so you can identify additional information • Understanding the basic resources that we use in family history research 1.birth marriage and death records from government sources 2.census records from government sources 3.church records of baptisms marriages and burials • Understanding the layout of the records page 1.indexed records 2.digital images • Understanding the limitations of searching on this page • Demonstrating indexed records and digital images • Giving you time over the next two weeks to review how to find indexed records and digital images

Lesson III • Reviewing stage I and stage II • Learning more about using the search option • Understanding the vast amount of records that are neither indexed nor available digitally online • Microfilm Information: 1. Searching the library catalogue with over 2.5 million roles of microfilm (15 billion people) 2. Finding records available on microfilm on a worldwide basis 3. Understanding the ordering process so that you may borrow these films and have them sent to the Sarnia family history center for viewing 4. Demonstrating information found on microfilm records • Understanding the jurisdiction of records at the town, county, province and national level • Allowing time for individuals to view their specific areas of interest • Giving you time over the next two weeks to use the website to find records that might be available in helping you in find out more about your ancestors

Lesson IV • Reviewing stage I, II and III • Discovering other sections in the search area • Discovering the options in the memories section • Responding to questions • Where do you go from here?

We look forward to hearing from you as soon as you can as these classes fill up quickly. Please remember that this course is particularly for those new to doing family history. If you know of anyone perhaps who is new to the church or family history please let them know as quickly as possible.

Centre Resources
Centre Resources :

As one of 4600 LDS family history centres worldwide,The London Ontario Family History Centre has...


 * the ability to order any of the microfilms and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * free online search capabilities for names, indexes, and guides through Family Search/Family Tree online software
 * records and publications from many countries with an emphasis on Middlesex and surrounding counties.
 * free access to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * one-on-one help by consultant volunteers
 * complete set of Cemetery Records for Middlesex County, Elgin &amp; Huron Counties plus other cemetery records for various counties in Ontario

Databases and Software
This centre allows the general public access to the Family History Center Portal page. There they will find premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.The special access that family history centers have been granted to these databases only works when the online services are accessed through a computer in a Family History Center. Please note that entering the web sites of these providers through their regular, public URLs will not provide access to the full versions that have been authorized for family history center use. Below is a list of those databases on our computers:

19 Century British Library Newspapers Database

Access Newspaper Archive

Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War

Ancestry.com

ArkiveDigital Online

Find My Past

Fold3.com

Godfrey Memorial Library

Heritage Quest Online

LegacyStories

Paper Trail

World Vital Records

Hardware and Equipment
Brand new computers, microfilm readers, fiche reader, reader-printer, computer printer, photocopier.

Staff Research Specialties
England

Scotland

Ontario

If you have an interest in these areas and would like to visit, call ahead (519) 473-2421 to find out when these individuals will be in the centre.

Resources in the Local Area
The London Ontario Family History Centre has (as well as what is noted above) an emphasis on Middlesex and surrounding counties with a comprehensive set of Cemetery Records for Middlesex County, Elgin, and Huron Counties plus other cemetery records for various counties in Ontario.

Links
Family Search Software FamilySearch


 * FamilySearch is a genealogy organization operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch maintains a collection of records, resources, and services designed to help people learn more about their family history. FamilySearch gathers, preserves, and shares genealogical records worldwide. It offers free access to its resources and service online at FamilySearch.org, one of the most heavily used genealogy sites on the Internet.[2] In addition, FamilySearch offers personal assistance at more than 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Volunteer at the Centre
If you would like to volunteer at the London Ontario Family History Centre please contact us during open hours mentioned above "Centre Hours and Closing Procedures" (519-473-2421). (Please note that our answering machine does not take messages.)