VGS Genealogy News & Events
Victoria Genealogical Society
No. 182 - April 28, 2025 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members. | WORKSHOP -
Marking Your Ancestors' Foot Steps in Google Maps | Workshop Presented by Lianne Kruger
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Time: 10 am - 12 noon PT
Location: This event is by ZOOM ONLY
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
Buy a VGS membership first to enjoy discounted workshop and seminar prices till June 2026. For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Discover the power of Google Maps to bring your family history to life! In this engaging workshop, learn how to create personalized maps that visualize where your ancestors lived, moved, and left their legacy. | | | Using your Google account, you'll craft meaningful geographic stories of your family's past that can: Organize your research by mapping earliest known ancestors; Visualize family migrations across generations; Show important locations like cemeteries or homesteads; Share your family's journey with relatives and fellow researchers.
Join us to transform your family history from names and dates into a vivid geographic journey you can explore and share.
About Lianne: Lianne Kruger loves to share her knowledge of technology and genealogy to help others find their family history easier. Her instruction helps genealogists to use technology with #NoTears. She does this through published articles and speaking at conferences and Webinars in Canada, England, and United States including RootsTech, Legacy FamilyTree Webinars and provincial and branch organizations. She has a Certificate and Associate Degree in Family History Research from BYU-Idaho along with her Bachelor Degree. She is a board member and CFO of mitoYDNA.org, member of Ancestry.ca Advisory Board, and President of Alberta Genealogical Society.
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OTHER UPCOMING VGS EVENTS:
| SPEAKER EVENT -
VGS Members' Presentations
| This popular event is an annual opportunity for some of our VGS members to give short presentations on their genealogy research journeys, interesting ancestors, or their tips and tricks. This is an opportunity for non members to meet our members (online) and ask questions that may help to break down their own research brick walls.
Here are a couple of the planned presentations:
Joanne Barnard's presentation is titled: Sharing Family Stories - From Oblivion to Posterity. Using a tool like Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is one way to get those family stories out of your database or attic into a place where they can be shared with family. Joanne will share a few of the stories she's unearthed and shared, including an unsolved murder mystery from 1912.
Merv Scott's presentation is titled: My Y DNA Conundrum - With much of my planned genealogy research completed I realized that I still had some fundamental questions about my family that were unresolved. It was time to open my wallet, shake the moths out, and give DNA testing a try.
Register for these and other presentations.
Date: Thursday, May 8th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM PST
Location: This is a Zoom Only Event
| INFORMATION BOOTH -
162nd Victoria Highland Games and Celtic Festival | The Victoria Highland Games is a family-focused weekend of Scottish and Celtic arts and culture including pipe band competitions, Scottish Highland dancing competitions, Heavy Events (e.g. caber toss, hammer throw), Scottish country dancing, fiddling performances, Scottish/Celtic and folk music bands, Scottish Clan and genealogy booths and displays, historic military demonstrations and displays, Scottish/Celtic food and merchandise vendors.
In the Victoria Genealogical Society tradition, we will once again have a booth at the Games where we display our materials and encourage and guide Games attendees in their family history pursuits.
VGS volunteer Lois Thompson will also be giving a daily presentation in the Heritage Tent. Always entertaining here is a short summary of her presentation: Have you ever wondered what your ancestors believed about monsters and other Scottish legends? Did you hear stories sitting on your grandparent’s knee? Did anyone in their family ever see a monster, a fairy, a kelpie? How do legends and myths relate to Genealogy?
We hope to see you there.
Date: May 17 and 18, 2025
Location: Topaz Park
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The Joys of Joining a Special Interest Group
I facilitate two Special Interest Groups. One is Family History 101 and the other is Eastern Europe.
Family History 101 started as a group to help people get started on their genealogy. All were welcome, the newbies, people who had “lost their way”, and the curious. This started out as a weekly meeting, but soon morphed into a monthly SIG. We have a steady group and have drop-ins. We always welcome members with new problems, or as I like to call them, new adventures.
Eastern Europe started up again last September. With the war in Ukraine, people have begun to re-think their ancestry. DNA has given us all a wider scope for our searches. This group tries to dig deeper into their heritage. There are lots of problems with languages, shifting borders, wars, finding documents.
Both groups are very interactive, helping each other. We all bring something different to share with others. We always look forward to meeting new people. Any VGS members who would like to join us are welcome to attend.
Learn more about all special interest discussion groups at SIG
- Sarah Hamster, SIG Leader |
VGS is now on Bluesky Social - Find us at https://bsky.app/profile/victoriags.org
Genealogists are flocking to Bluesky which is a new social media platform which operates similarly to X (formerly Twitter) but gives users more control over their data and privacy. If you are a Bluesky user we hope that you check us out and give us a 'follow' at @Victoriags.org (full URL https://bsky.app/profile/victoriags.org). Don't forget to 'like' our event posts and 'share' them with friends. If you aren't a Bluesky user you can still follow us on these other social media platforms.
VGS FaceBook private group with over 470 members to help you with your genealogy related questions; join the discussion at VGS Facebook Group
VGS FaceBook public page: click Follow (currently 548 followers) for event notices and other VGS news at: vicgs
VGS Instagram: click Follow (currently 190 followers) for event notices with a twist at: victoriagenealogicalsociety
VGS X (formerly Twitter): we're moving to Bluesky
Free accounts with these social media sites may be required.
| New to Genealogy Research?
3 Steps for Beginners
The VGS offers several benefits of membership for those new to genealogy research and for those who would like to brush up on their skills. Check these 3 easy steps below:
Step 1 - The Centre. If you haven't already visited our Genealogy Learning & Research Centre, we recommend you do. It's a great place to start and our friendly and experienced volunteers are available to help you with your questions and show you the basic research tools, techniques and resources. For a modest fee volunteers can provide various personal research services which can be viewed at RESEARCH SERVICES. The Centre is located in Royal Oak Shopping Centre and is free for members. Non-members are welcome and their first visit is free with a nominal fee of $5 for subsequent visits. Free parking, free wifi, free computers, a large library collection, and access to Ancestry library edition. Check our LOCATION page for open hours. *** New: we have updated our online library catalogue which can be searched HERE.
Step 2 - Family History 101 and CSI SIGs are a great place to start. After becoming oriented to genealogy research at the Centre, members often find it a smooth transition to join a discussion group that focuses on their area of research. We call these Special Interest Groups or SIGs for short. Currently there are 9 SIGs that meet regularly either by zoom, in person or in combination. One SIG is designed for those who are new to genealogy. It's called Family History 101, which was introduced last season and proved to be very popular. Our CSI SIG (Crowd Sourced Information) is a chance to do research with others, hands on. Once you get basics in the Family History 101 and CSI SIGs you may want to start signing up for one or more of the other SIGs. They are all free to members. Click on SIGs to learn more about them.
Step 3 - Workshops, Seminars and Speaker Events. Another benefit of membership is the price breaks for our regular workshops and seminars, and access to our monthly Speaker presentations. These events not only offer the opportunity to learn about a topic, but they also provide members the opportunity to meet other members who may be researching in the same geographic area or the same surname. These are important networking opportunities and often prove useful in breaking down research brick walls. To learn more, go to our Events Calendar
We believe that by following these 3 steps you will have the opportunity to learn about the genealogy research tools and techniques more quickly than by reading or surfing the web. For membership details, please go to Membership Options | |
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Home Page: Victoria Genealogical Society | | | Visit our VGS Website often to get updated information about us and our upcoming events.
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Distributed by free subscription to non-members and VGS past members | |