VGS Genealogy News & Events
No. 153 - January 7, 2024 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members.
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| Inside This Edition
Scroll down for more information on each of these topics:
Feature Events This Week
Updated List of Events for 2024 with Exciting New Additions
Half Price VGS Memberships Now Available
Upcoming Events of Other Organizations
Want a Genealogy Presentation For Your Group or Club?
VGS Matters: Family History 101 SIG; Event Recording Service;
Three Steps for Beginners
Donations Appreciated
| Feature Events This Week:
| Jan. 11th Speaker Presentation Features Yvonne Van Ruskenveld - Reading the Past in Old Cemeteries
Note: video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
Visiting an old cemetery when looking for an ancestor’s grave can be a fascinating exploration of the past. Besides finding the grave, you might wonder why your family member is in this particular cemetery. Why are they in that part of this cemetery? And why does the cemetery look the way it does — layout, plantings, groupings of markers? Using Victoria’s Ross Bay Cemetery as an example, Yvonne Van Ruskenveld will reveal aspects of old cemeteries that can enrich your family research.
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld is a Victoria historian who has been fascinated by local history since she arrived here in 1990. She is a long-time member of the Old Cemeteries Society, presenting tours on a wide range of topics, including women’s history, gold rushes, symbolism, and epitaphs, among others. She is also a member of the Victoria Historical Society, the Victoria Genealogical Society and the Western Front Association—Pacific Coast Branch.
Date and Time: Thursday, January 11, 2024, 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM Pacific Time
Speaker: Yvonne Van Ruskenveld
Location: both via zoom and in-person at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave. Victoria, BC, V8T 2A7
Price: VGS members FREE; non-members $10 REGISTRATION REQUIRED
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Jan. 13th Workshop Features Steve Schwinghamer, live from the Canadian Museum of Immigration
Tracing Your Roots: A Journey through Pier 21 and Canadian Immigration History
Note: video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
Embark on an historical journey with Steve Schwinghamer, an historian from the Canadian Museum of Immigration, as he uncovers the rich stories of Pier 21, the iconic ocean immigration gateway located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Along with the compelling history of the site itself, Steve will discuss the preparation and paperwork entailed in the immigration process. This will help you uncover traces of your own family's immigration history in your research.
Reserve your spot today to learn more about this unique piece of Canada's immigration history.
Steve Schwinghamer has been an Historian with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 since 2000. He provides research support for exhibitions and projects related to the history of Canadian immigration. With Jan Raska, he co-authored Pier 21: A History.
Steve is also an expert in oral history and has co-created more than 100 oral histories. He is an affiliate of Concordia’s Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling and has chaired and served on the executive of the Canadian Historical Association’s public history working group.
Date and Time: Saturday, January 13, 2024, 10AM until 12 noon PST
Location: offered both via Zoom and in-person at the VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre (limited seating so register early).
Price: VGS members $14, non members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Video Recording of the event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only.
|  | | | Updated List of 2024 Events with Exciting New Additions
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar
Workshop: Excel for Genealogists: Unleash the Power of Spreadsheets In Your Family Research
Date: Saturday, 27 Jan. 2024
Presenter: Mark Thompson
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Workshop: How to Use Notion to Plan and Organize Your Research
Date: Saturday, 3 Feb. 2024
Presenter: Denys Allen
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Speaker Event: Eleanor's Letters - 7,000 pages of Family and Cultural History
Date: Thursday, 8 Feb. 2024
Speaker: Mark Thompson
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Workshop: Searching Records in Ontario
Date: Saturday, 10 Feb. 2024
Presenter: Gerry Poulton
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Workshop: Beyond the Basics of Scottish Research
Date: Saturday, 24 Feb. 2024
Presenter: Heather Shave
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Workshop: 10 Steps To Success - An Introduction to Genealogy
Date: Saturday 9 Mar. 2024
Presenter: Merv Scott
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Workshop: Researching Historic Letters
Date: Saturday, 16 Mar. 2024
Presenter: Mark Thompson
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
NEW ADDITION - Archives Field Trip: Guided Tour of Archives at Military Museums, Bay St. Armoury
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2024
Presenters: John Azar and Archival Staff
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
Please note there are limited spaces so register early to avoid disappointment.
NEW ADDITION - Speaker Event: Rumrunners in Victoria in the 1920's
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2024
Speaker: Kate Humble
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
NEW ADDITION - Seminar: A Morning with Dave Obee (details coming soon)
Date: Saturday April 13, 2024
Limited seating so check the VGS Website often for registration opening
NEW ADDITION - Seminar: DNA (details coming soon)
Date: Saturday April 20, 2024
Presenters: TBA
Check VGS Website often for registration opening
NEW ADDITION - Workshop: Researching Swedish Ancestry - Even if You Don’t Speak the Language
Date: Saturday April 27, 2024
Presenter: Joanne Barnard
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE
NEW ADDITION - Workshop: Tracing Descendants of British Home Children
Date: Saturday, June 8, 2024
Presenter: Lois Chamberlain Thompson
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
To review more details of these events and more, go to our Events Calendar.
| Half Price VGS Memberships Now Available
The VGS is excited to offer all the benefits of membership at half the price! Do you know someone who is hard to buy for? A VGS membership may be a life changing gift for them. Don't miss out on this amazing deal!
Single memberships can now be purchased for $30, Family memberships for $42.50, and Youth memberships for only $15!
Here are just a few of the amazing benefits of joining the VGS:
>Discounted cost for all VGS workshops and seminars
>Free access to speaker series events
>Free access to Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
>Free access to our VGS Learning & Research Centre and lending privileges for our large collection of books and other research materials
>Free access to the Ancestry library edition at the VGS Learning Centre
These deeply discounted memberships are valid through May 31, 2024, the end of the VGS membership year. Please visit the VGS Membership Options page to take advantage of this limited time holiday offer.
If you have any questions, please contact Monica Sheridan by selecting the Membership Director option in the contact form on our VGS website at Contact Us. | Upcoming Events from Other Organizations
January 23rd, 6:30-8:00pm
Hosted by the Okanagan Regional Library and the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society!
Location: via Zoom
Presentation: Finding Family at the BC Archives
Presented by Trevor Dyck, BC Archives
Registration opens Dec. 26, 2023, at https://orl.evanced.info/signup/Calendar
January 25, 2024, 7:30PM
Victoria Historical Society
Location: James Bay New Horizons, 234 Menzies Street
Presentation: The Heritage Detective - The Hidden Stories of Ordinary Victorians Who Did Extraordinary Things
Presented by: Helen Edwards
Website: www.victoriahistoricalsociety.bc.ca
| BOOK A GENEALOGY PRESENTATION FOR YOUR GROUP OR CLUB
The VGS Ambassador program provides community outreach to further the VGS mission of promoting family history research.
If your group or club is in need of a speaker for an upcoming meeting, please consider arranging for a genealogy presentation by a VGS Ambassador. Our most popular talks introduce people to the world of genealogy with basic tips to get the audience started on their own family trees. We can provide a variety of presentations, formal or casual, short or long, and in person or via Zoom.
For more information, please email our VGS Ambassador Coordinator at ambassador@victoriags.net
| VGS Matters
Excerpts and highlights from recent VGS Members Update newsletter distributed approximately biweekly to VGS members only.
VGS Family History SIG (Special Interest Group)
Family History 101 was started in May of this year to help newcomers find their way as
well as those who have started up again. It is a fluid group with no agenda. We bring
our issues to the table and hopefully we can help sort them out by setting them on the
right path. It gives everyone a chance to be both pupil and teacher. We have people
searching Canadian, Eastern Europe, UK, so a very versatile group.
I agreed to help start this group because I felt there was a gap when people signed up
to the VGS. I enjoy teaching and helping people find ways to dig deep into their family
history. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Because of Christmas, we will not be
meeting until the 16th January 2024.
- Sarah Hamster, Leader VGS Family History SIG
Information or how to join the VGS Family History SIG (or other VGS SIGs), can be found on the VGS website's, Special Interest Groups.
Event Video Recording Service Proving Popular
Thanks to our dedicated volunteers the VGS has been able to offer video recordings of our recent workshops and Speaker presentation events this season.
Following each recorded event, links to the video recording are emailed exclusively to those who registered for the event. This is particular useful for those who knew they weren't available for the live event but didn't want to miss the content. The recording service is also useful for those who did attend, in person or by video, but wanted to watch (and rewatch) the video to make sure they didn't miss any valuable insights. The recordings are made available for 30 days only.
The VGS is dedicated to making our events as accessible and beneficial as possible. We are proud to offer this service wherever and whenever we can. Now is a good time to register for an upcoming event even if you are unsure if you will be available.
| Donations
The Victoria Genealogical Society is a volunteer-run, nonprofit organization, donations are key to helping us provide services to our members and the community.
Your donation to the Society will help support and promote family history research in Victoria, across Canada and around the world.
The VGS is a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Your donation is eligible for an official tax receipt that can be used to offset your federal income tax.
Please see our page at the CRA Charities and Giving website to confirm our charitable status.
Donations may be made on the VGS Website's Donations page.
If you have any questions about donating, please fill in the input form at Contact Us and send to General Information.
| 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.
Step 2 - Family History 101 and other SIGs. 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. Our most recently added SIG was 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. Once you get basics in the Family History 101 SIG, 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 | Visit our VGS Website often to get updated information about us and our upcoming events.
Get help with your research by accessing the Research menu. | Copyright © 2023 Victoria Genealogical Society, All rights reserved.
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