VGS Genealogy News & Events
Victoria Genealogical Society
No. 157 - March 3, 2024 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members.
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| Testimonial:
VGS Research Services Are So Much More
I have been building a connection to living cousins on my Warwick line and discovered a 3rd cousin in Dumfries, Scotland where my family lived until all but one emigrated to Canada at the turn of the century.
We were excited to visit our new found cousin on a trip to the UK. My cousin gave me a photo album and shoebox of letters from her Grandmother who had corresponded with her relatives in Canada over about 30 years. Our Warwick Clan group of cousins transcribed the letters and collaborated on trying to identify who the subjects of the letters were when many used nick names. I was tasked with organizing the photos but with a busy career and little time I did not know what to do.
Fortunately I remembered the VGS Research Services offer and engaged them to help scan the photo album. They did a fantastic job and it allowed us to remotely collaborate on identifying many of the subjects. Thanks again for helping with my research.
- Bill Jackson, VGS Member
For more information visit VGS Research Services
| Inside This Edition
Scroll down for more information on each of these topics:
Feature Upcoming VGS Event
List of Upcoming VGS Events with New Additions
VGS Social Media Accounts Update
VGS Matters
Three Steps for Beginners
| Featured Upcoming VGS Events
| |
Note: time limited video recording will be made available to registrants ONLY
| Upcoming Events
Updated List with Exciting New Additions
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar
NEW ADDITION - Speaker Event: Loyalists Come West! - United Empire Loyalists In Early Victoria
Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024
Presenter: Mike Woodcock, UE
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE
Workshop: Researching Historic Letters
Date: Saturday, March 16, 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 - DNA Seminar: Harness the Power of Genetic Genealogy (open for registration)
Date: Saturday April 20, 2024
Presenters: Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, Bonnie Bossert and Katy Rowe-Schurwanz
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE
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.
| 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: vicgs
VGS Instagram: click Follow (currently 170 followers) for event notices with a twist at: victoriagenealogicalsociety
VGS X (formerly Twitter): click Follow (currently 775 followers) for genealogy news from VGS and our friends: vicgenealogy
Free accounts with these social media sites may be required.
| VGS Matters
Other VGS news and highlights from recent VGS Members Update newsletter.
BOOK A FREE 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
| 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 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. 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. 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 | 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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