Presentations and Workshops

Have Andrea Speak at your Event

Andrea Lister is not only a successful editor, she is also an accomplished speaker and instructor. She delivers information rich presentation and workshops in an accessible and humorous manner. She specializes in historical research, copyright, and publishing. She is a historian whose European ancestors settled in North America as early as 1620 and as recently as 1923. She was born and raised in British Columbia's lower mainland on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Stó:lō Coast Salish peoples.

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  • Historic Grasslands conference. Photo courtesy Derek Hayes.

  • Golden Ears Writers panel discussion. Photos courtesy Andrea Walker Photography.

  • Family history Show and Share. Photo courtesy Erica Williams.

UNLOCK YOUR FAMILY STORY: Writing and Publishing Your Family History

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Is your family story locked in your accumulated documents and trees?  Does your family ask for the stories?  Then it’s time to pull it all together and publish that story! This five-session course is offered in a joint presentation. Join Brenda L. Smith and Andrea Lister for this  program to guide you through putting your research on the page and packaging it to share with your family. Topics include: preparing to write, editing, legal necessities, choosing the right format, and an assignment to get you started.

PERMISSIONS MADE SIMPLE: Copyright for Family Historians

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Do you want to share your family history in a book or on a website or in YouTube video or social media? Do you want to use photos, maps, text, music, in your book but are not sure what you can use or how to get permission? Join Andrea Lister for this program as she guides you through the various forms of permissions and when they are required

FACT OR FICTION?: How to Deal with the Family Stories

factfiction

We all have family stories. Where do you look for the facts to prove or disprove the myth? Then, once you have found the facts, what are the best practices for sharing the stories? Join Andrea as she guides the participants to work together through case studies to evaluate the stories, discuss resources to find the facts, and come to a conclusion.

COMMON THREADS: Family and Local Research Skills Merge

common threads

Family historians bring specialized skills to community history projects. The Maple Ridge Family History Group has developed a protocol that discovers and shares the stories of the people who have contributed to the modern local context. This presentation describes the process, lessons learned, and benefits of our community history program.

Learn more about the Maple Ridge Family History Group's Community History Projects.

CANADIAN CENSUS: Techniques for Finding People

Have you ever looked at a census record and wondered what “S. 2/6” in column 4 means? Have you just had no luck in finding that elusive family? Some people and areas are under-represented in the census records and can be challenging to find. Join Andrea, a census expert, to explore techniques to help you find your ancestors while learning more about the community in which your ancestors lived. Presentation can be adapted for specific areas of Canada.

CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of assimilation, colonialism, racist language. When reading the census it is important to keep in mind that the terminology used by the enumerators to describe ethnic origins, mental capacity, and health do not reflect current usage.

Taking a Fresh Look at Community Lore

Taking a Fresh Look title slide

As historians, how do we look at established community memory with fresh eyes and new information? Where do we find the facts to challenge the myths? Then, what are the best practices to share the updated stories? Join Andrea Lister and Brenda Smith as they guide participants through case studies to evaluate the stories, discuss resources for finding the facts, and come to revised conclusions.

Seafaring Ancestors

Seafaring Ancestors Title Slide

When a Merchant is Ship-Owner, Maker or Supplier Do you have captains, crew, ship-owners, insurers, bread-makers or pirates in your family tree? You might have an ancestor involved in the shipping industry and not realize it. Learn where to look to discover your seafaring ancestors. This talk provides a basic overview of where to look for seafaring ancestors tailored for English and Canadian research.

The Lady in the Search

Lady in the Search Title Slide

Women can be tricky to research. Mrs. Husband’s Name does not give you much to work with. Together we look at resources, some obvious, some less so to find the documents that will help you learn more about the women in your families and the roles they played in their communities.

Ireland in your PJs

Ireland in Your PJs Title Slide

Everyone has heard the story that all the Irish records were burnt or that you can only research your family if you travel there. However, times have changed and it is possible to do a considerable amount of research online, at home, in your pyjamas. Join me, not in my pjs, as I do an overview of what is available from the comfort of your sofa.

Prison and Court Records

Canadian Census title slide

Prison and court records can tell you a lot about your ancestors and their lives. Whether documenting legal battles or criminal activity these records will provide a wide variety of color and detail. We will look at records on everything from petty theft to illegal poaching to declaring someone’s husband dead. The scope includes Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. 

MICROSOFT WORD LEVEL ONE: For Family Historians / Writers

Make Microsoft Word work for you. Learn basic skills in using styles, creating a table of contents, using footnotes, and more. This session can be offered as a lecture or workshop. It is best delivered as a workshop in a computer lab where students can have a hands-on experience but in a non-lab setting participants are encouraged to bring their laptops to follow along.

MICROSOFT WORD LEVEL TWO: For Family Historians / Writers

Become a Microsoft Word power user. Learn advanced skills in track changes, citations, and more. This session can be offered as a lecture or workshop. It is best delivered as a workshop in a computer lab where students can have a hands-on experience but in a non-lab setting participants are encouraged to bring their laptops to follow along. Prerequisites: basic understanding of Word — menus, styles, footers.

Finding Family in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia title slide

Are you one of the 25 million people living in North America who can trace their family tree back to Nova Scotia? Lucky for you, it is possible to find information about our Nova Scotian ancestors through a variety of sources. Join me for an overview of available sources.

Finding the Right Container

Finding the Right Container Title Slide

What is the best container for your family story: a book, a blog, a movie, a game, even trading cards? These items are just containers for the content. As researchers we are the creators and keepers of content. There are a myriad of ways to share your family’s story. Learn how to define your audience and package your story for that audience.

The Elusive Daniel Doyle: A Case Study

Daniel Doyle Title Slide

Daniel Doyle died in the battle of Jutland, going down with the H.M.S. Indefatigable in 1916 or was he in the British army in India in the 1880s? Why isn’t he in the census? Searching through a variety of Irish and English records to try to track him down brings more questions and maybe some answers. Join Andrea on the detective case of the elusive Daniel Doyle and see if you agree with her deductions. Advanced class.

Coming Soon

New presentations are always in the works or ask me if I can present on a specific topic.

Feedback

"Very nice overview of types of records available. All your case studies bring these to life! Funny how my parents & grandparents would cringe at the thought of criminal activity in the family but we genealogists leap at finding the details we so often lack – tattoos and height & weight, for instance. Even, if we are lucky, photos!" Diane, Prison and Court Records

Feedback

"Andrea is a great presenter. The workshop was easy to follow and very useful. I would definitely attend workshops by Andrea in the future!" Workshop participant, Copyright in the Digital Age