British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa

British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa BIFHSGO supports genealogy research by people interested in ancestry in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

BIFHSGO supports genealogy research by people with ancestry in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. BIFHSGO is a federally registered not-for-profit society affiliated with the Federation of Family History Societies in the UK and the National Genealogical Society and the Federation of Genealogy Societies in the USA. There are several special interest groups a

ffiliated with the Society: the Writing Group, for members who want feedback on their family history stories; the Irish Group, who hold monthly meetings to assist those tracing their roots in Ireland; The Scottish Group, whose meetings are similarly engaged; the DNA Interest Group; and the TMG Users Group, a self-help group for those using The Master Genealogist database program. BIFHSGO is a member of The Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa / le Conseil des organismes du patrimoine d'Ottawa (CHOO/COPO), an umbrella organization providing networking for the entire local heritage community in the City of Ottawa. The Society is also an associate member of the Council of Irish Genealogical Organizations (CIGO). We work in close cooperation with Library and Archives Canada on researching Canada's Home Children, particularly the indexing of Home Children names found in ships' passenger lists and in the records of the Middlemore Homes. BIFHSGO's role in Canada's Home Children story is to establish databases of information about Home Children who came to Canada and to ensure that the information compiled is freely available to all who are interested.

06/30/2026

IGRS Top Research Tip #212: Historic aerial photographs can add context to family history. Use this website to see images of places your Irish ancestors knew in the first half of the twentieth century: https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/
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06/30/2026

The Kirk Session records recently added to Scotland’s People are different to the ones already available: they’re records of churches which broke away from the Church of Scotland in the 1700s and 1800s.

They include records of the United Presbyterian, Free, United Free and other Protestant churches - 262 congregations which broke away and later rejoined the Church of Scotland.

They contain fascinating details of religious and social life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Learn how churches were built, examine the accounts and even find out the cost of a seat on a front row pew!

Search and browse Kirk Session records in the Virtual Volumes area of our website... 👉bit.ly/VirtualVolumesSP
..And read our guide to find out how to research using Kirk Session records 👉bit.ly/KirkSessionSP

06/29/2026

IGRS Top Research Tip #213: Are you seeking pre-1800 sources for Irish genealogy? This free video talk by former PRONI archivist, Valerie Adams, shines a light on a myriad such underused resources: https://www.irishancestors.ie/lesser-known-sources
See first message below for how to resize video to full screen
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06/29/2026

The National Archives is delighted to be taking part once again in the fourth annual research showcase presented by the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, marking the 104th anniversary of the Four Courts Fire and the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland.

This public event features fascinating sessions sharing our latest research, new record releases, and innovative approaches to exploring Ireland’s archival heritage.

Find out more about the event here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/research-showcase-building-collections-deepening-connections-tickets-1989913812781

06/25/2026

Search and browse the newly added Kirk Session records in the “Virtual Volumes” area of our website.

Kirk Session records are some of the best sources available to find out about the daily lives of people around Scotland in the 17th to 19th centuries.

They mostly recorded everyday matters: money given to the poor, details of education programmes and people who incurred the church court’s displeasure.

For research purposes, you’re best to pick a record that covers a time and place you’d like to investigate, and then click through them page by page looking for interesting material. Who knows what you might find!

Search now 👉bit.ly/VirtualVolumesSearchSP

At our annual conference in October we'll be looking at how the schism in the Scottish churches affected people's choice...
06/25/2026

At our annual conference in October we'll be looking at how the schism in the Scottish churches affected people's choices to move. More details coming soon!

🚨New church records, now available on Scotland’s People!

We’ve added records covering 1739 to 1900 from 262 congregations which broke away from the Church of Scotland.

Find kirk session minutes, accounts and cash books, communion rolls, deacons’ court minutes, seat rents and more 👉bit.ly/DisruptionSP

The new records include many congregations which split in the Great Disruption of 1843, with 470 ministers ultimately leaving to found the Free Church of Scotland.

Image: The Disruption Assembly, by David Octavius Hill. Reproduced with the kind permission of the Free Church of Scotland.

You can find the full list of congregations included in this release here 👉bit.ly/ChurchListSP

Address

P. O. Box 38026
Ottawa, ON
K2C3Y7

Telephone

+16132342520

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