Chatham Ontario FamilySearch Centre

Welcome
OUR GOAL: The goal of the Chatham 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.

OUR LOCATION : We are located at 23 Detroit Drive, Chatham, Ontario.

OUR STAFF : The center is staffed by volunteer members of the local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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).There is no answering machine so call during centre " open hours " below.

Centre Contacts and Hours
Location and Map:


 * 23 Detroit Drive, Chartham ON N7M 2L9 Canada

Phone: 1 519-352-6226

E-mail: [mailto:ON_Chatham@ldsmail.net ON_Chatham@ldsmail.net]

Open Hours:


 * Tuesdays-- 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Holiday Schedule: The center is closed if a holiday falls on a Tuesday. We are also closed during the Christmas holidays.

Upcoming Events
===  "ONE WORLD - ONE FAMILY" Family History Conference:Discover Your Family Roots ===

Featuring James Ison: Manager at Family Search, Accredited Genealogist and Certified Genealogist, Past President and Board member of the Utah Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

When Saturday, August 23, 2014 9 AM to 4:30 PM

Where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10062 Bramalea Rd., Brampton, OntarioGo to www.oneworldonefamily-theevent.com for more information.Cost is $25 and includes a bag lunch. Click on Learn More in the upper right corner to see the workshops that are being offered.

Family History Classes: One of our consultants whi is very proficient in Family History is offering a Family History Course to all those who are interested.(There is no charge except for photocopied material ) It is running from July 8 ,2014 to August 12, 2014.

Indexing: On July 8, 2014, there will be index training for those interested. This is in preparation for the Family Search indexing event. The goal is to break the 2012 record set by 49,025 indexers and arbitrators and have at least 50,000 indexers and arbitrators submit at least one batch in a 24 hour period. Our start time for this event is 8 p.m. on July 20,2014. The end time is 7:59 p.m. July 21st.

=
 Procedures  (for Family History Centre Volunteers)  for Closing the Centre Due to Weather Conditions    =====

Occasionally the question arises should we close the center due to weather conditions or other emergencies. . So, what constitutes inclement weather and who initiates the closing of the center? 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 are on the afternoon shift, you are not in the center , and you see worsening weather conditions… a) Phone the director and let her know that the center should be closed for the afternoon, due to poor weather conditions. . b) Those consultants scheduled for the centre should be called to let them know the Center 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 Director and let her know about your concern. The Director 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. If among you you feel the need to close the centre, call the Director 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 the Chatham-Kent 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.

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


 * the ability to order any of the microfilms and fiche available through the Family Catalogue of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day SaintsFree online search capabilities for names, indexes, and guides through FamilySearch Family Tree online software
 * records and publications from many countries with an emphasis on Kent 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 Kent County
 * Ontario births,marriages and deaths on microfilm
 * Ontario Land records
 * FHC Portal

Hardware and Equipment

 * Brand new computers, microfilm readers, fiche reader, reader-printer, computer printer, photocopier.

Links
Family Search Software https://familysearch.org/


 * 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.

Go to http://www.genealogylinks.net/canada/ontario/kent-county.htm for these links Cemeteries of Kent County full and partial transcriptions at Interment.net| Kent County Gen Web a collection of online resources for genealogy researchers Kent County Message Board read and post messages with other researchers of this county Ontario Genealogical Society - Kent County Branch 1901 Census of Kent County 1911 Census records for Ontario - Kent East and Kent West

 Volunteer at the Centre
If you would like to volunteer at the Chatham Ontario Family History Centre please contact us during open hours mentioned above "Centre Hours and Closing Procedures" (519-352-6266). (Please note that we do not have an answering machine .) Category: Ontario Family History Centres '''Need additional research help? '''Contact our research help specialists.

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 * This page was last modified on 8 July 2014, at 19:25.
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