VGS Genealogy News & Events
No. 155 - February 4, 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
Valentine's Day Open House at the VGS Centre
VGS Social Media Accounts Update
Black History Month 2024
Upcoming Events From Other Organizations
VGS Matters: Book a VGS Speaker; Half Price VGS Memberships Still Avaiable
Three Steps for Beginners
| Feature Events This Week:
| Speaker Series Presentation: Eleanor's Letters - 7,000 pages of Family and Cultural History, presented by Mark Thompson, Feb. 8th
Note: video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
| | | In the middle of a family Zoom call, someone asked if anyone had seen the “trunk of letters” that Eleanor Thompson had saved throughout her long life. The people on the call had no idea how far down the rabbit hole this innocent question was about to take them.
This session chronicles how a dedicated team of family researchers is collaborating to preserve, understand, and share 7000 pages of family and cultural history found in an attic in southern Ontario in 2020.
The case study also describes how the family is passing along the life and times of their ancestors to a new generation, revealing the texture of life in rural Ontario from the 1920s through World War II.
ABOUT MARK: Mark Thompson is a professional genealogist and the Vice President of the Victoria Genealogical Society (VGS). He is also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Mark comes from a long line of family historians. He loves working on his own collection as well as helping his clients preserve, catalog and research their personal collections of family memorabilia.
Mark consults and speaks regularly on a wide range of genealogy-related topics, although specializes in DNA research and personal family archives.
To see what Mark is working on these days, check out his blog at MakingFamilyHistory.com.
Date and Time: Thursday, February 8th 2024, 7PM until 9PM Pacific Time
Speaker: Mark Thompson
Location: via zoom and in-person at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 2A7
Price: VGS members FREE; non-members $10 REGISTRATION REQUIRED
| Feature Workshop: Searching Records in Ontario presented by Gerry Poulton, Feb. 10th
Note: video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
| | | What records are out there? How can we access them? These are the topics which most interest genealogical researchers. I will attempt to give you some information on searching in Ontario, and will:
- show you what is available on Ancestry sites (pay) and FamilySearch (free)
- show you what other sources there are for information specific to Ontario
- show you which general Canadian sources might be useful for Ontario research,
and will cover areas such as:
- census records
- birth, marriage, and death records
- obituaries, cemetery compilations,
- wills, probate, land and tax records
- newspapers, archives, etc.
We will spend some time also trying to improve our searching skills.
Questions are most welcome, before, during, or after the workshop.
About Gerry (Gerald Poulton)
I began genealogical searching in the days of microfilms, microfiche and paper records when little was on line or indexed. As information became more and more readily available, I have become more familiar with searching and have been actively involved in research for more than thirty years.
I am a member of several genealogical societies and volunteer at the Victoria Genealogical Society’s Learning and Research Centre every week. I have also been making presentations and workshops on a variety of topics for more than fifteen years. My heritage is England (Devon, London), Ireland, Germany and Ontario, so those are the areas with which I am most familiar. And, no, my tree is not complete!
I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and in a previous life taught Chemistry at the University of Victoria for nearly 40 years.
Date and Time: Saturday, February 10th, 2024, 10:00AM until 12:00PM Pacific Time
Speaker: Gerry Poulton
Location: via zoom and in-person at VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre
Price: VGS members $14; non-members $21 REGISTRATION REQUIRED
| Updated List of 2024 Events with Exciting New Additions
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar
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.
NEW ADDITION - Speaker Event: Compiling Historical Records for Publication - A Case Study
Date: Thursday, 14 Mar. 2024
Presenter: Jeanette Taylor
Check VGS EVENTS CALENDAR often for registration opening
Workshop: Researching Historic Letters
Date: Saturday, 16 Mar. 2024
Presenter: Mark Thompson
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE.
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.
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: The Road Ahead For Genealogy (details coming soon)
Date: Saturday April 13, 2024
Presenter: Dave Obee
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
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
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.
| Valentine's Day Open House at the VGS Centre
Date: February 10th, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Location: VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre
Join us for our Valentine's Open House! Meet the friendly folks at VGS and enjoy light refreshments as we celebrate love and romance, past and present.
Please submit your digitized historical family photos taken in honour of family engagements and marriages, or that embody love in general, that we can share at the open house. We'll put them up on the big screen at the Centre for all to enjoy.
Your photos should be submitted to events@victoriags.net by Feb 8, 2024.
Please drop in - no registration is required. Members and non-members are welcome!
| VGS Social Media Accounts Update
See what's happening in the VGS neighbourhood. Join the discussion with just a click. Register for events with just a click. And so much more....with just a click.
VGS FaceBook private group with over 400 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: vicgenealogy
VGS X (formerly Twitter): click Follow (currently 773 followers) for genealogy news from VGS and our friends: vicgenealogy | Black History Month 2024
For 30 years BC Black History Awareness Society has hosted a Black History Month program to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of historical and contemporary people of African descent. This year they are hosting 5 public events!
1) BHM LAUNCH & RECEPTION Thursday, Feb 1st 6:30-9PM, KWENCH EXPERIENCE ROOM, 2031 Store St., Victoria
2) BLACK HISTORY MONTH CHURCH SERVICE Sunday Feb 4th. Service starts at 10:15 am. Central Saanich United Church, 7180 East Saanich Road
3)BLACK HISTORY AND HERITAGE DAY Saturday, Feb 10th 1:00-4:00 PM at Royal BC Museum, Conference Hall.
4)VICTORIA WINTER ARTS FESTIVAL will debut in Victoria, bringing families together during the FAMILY DAY LONG WEEKEND – Friday, Feb 16th to Monday, Feb 19th
5)CELEBRATE THE POWER AND JOY OF WORDS & MUSIC AT THE BELFRY Monday, February 19th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. TWO EXCITING PERFORMERS ADDENA SUMTER-FREITAG and MAUREEN WASHINGTON with her band.
| Upcoming Events From Other Organizations
The Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children and its Legacy
Date and Time: February 22, 2024 7:30PM PT
Presenter: Dr. Norgrove Penny
Host: Victoria Historical Society
Location: James Bay New Horizons Centre, 234 Menzies Street, Victoria.
Cost: $5 admission for VHS non-members
| VGS Matters
Other VGS news and highlights from recent VGS Members Update newsletter distributed approximately biweekly to VGS members only.
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
HALF PRICE VGS MEMBERSHIPS STILL 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 limited time offer!
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 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.
| 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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