VGS Genealogy News & Events
No. 144 - September 10, 2023 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members.
| Inside This Edition
Scroll down for more information on each of these topics:
Upcoming Events
Join Today and Start Saving
VGS News
Three Steps for Beginners
VGS Has New Venue for Speaker Evenings and more
VGS Website
Q&A Mailbox | Upcoming Events
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar:
Speaker Event: Printer's Devils - Pioneer Newspaper in Trail BC
Printing lore suggests that he, and it was almost always a he, was sometimes said to create mischief for the chief printer. Famous ones included a former prime minister of Canada.
Date and Time: Thursday, 14 Sep. 2023, 7:30PM until 9:00 PM
Speaker: Ron Verzuh
Location: via ZOOM
Price: free; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Artificial Intelligence for Genealogists
Professional genealogist Steve Little explores how Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing genealogy in his insightful presentation. His workshop will include an introduction to the power of AI, its limits and how it can be harnessed for genealogy research.
Date and Time: Saturday, 23 Sep. 2023, 10:00AM until 12 noon
Presenter: Steve Little
Location: via Zoom
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Legacy - On Becoming an Ancestor
The majority of genealogists/family historians have collected considerable data, information and stories related to their families or historical communities of interest. What happens to this data/information when the collector becomes an ancestor?
Date and Time: Thursday, 12 Oct. 2023, 7PM until 9PM
Speaker: John Azar
Location: both via Zoom and in person at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 2A7
Price: members free; non-members $10; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View
Seminar: Family History 101
Join four experienced family historians on an engaging half-day journey through the most important topics and tools in family history.
Date and Time: Saturday, 14 Oct. 2023, 9AM until 2:30PM
Speakers: Pat Acton, Sarah Hamster, Gerry Poulton, Mark Thompson
Location: VGS Learning & Research Centre [limited enrolment - in person only]
Price: members $30; non-members $50; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Beginning Scotland Genealogy
Using both the census from 1841 to 1921 and Civil Registration means most families can be traced back to the early 1800’s.
Date and Time: Saturday, 21 Oct. 2023, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Heather Shave
Location: both via Zoom and in person at the VGS Learning & Research Centre are offered
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Mastering Genealogy Hints - A Guide To Navigating Shaky Leaves, Thrulines and More
Genealogy platforms like Ancestry and MyHeritage offer billions of records and a bewildering variety of hint tools to enhance your research. But, not all hints are created equal.
Date and Time: Saturday, 4 Nov. 2023, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Mark Thompson
Location: via Zoom
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Wartime Women
In honour of Remembrance Day - Hear the stories of individual women during the First World War who contributed to the war effort in myriad ways while their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons fought in the trenches. Supported by historic photographs drawn largely from the Saanich Archives.
Date and Time: Thursday, 9 Nov. 2023, 7PM until 9PM
Speaker: Kate Humble
Location: offered via Zoom and in person at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 2A7
Price: members free; non-members $10; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Northern Irish Research
Sharon Oddie Brown will be sharing her extensive expertise and experiences gained when researching her Northern Ireland family history, and telling the world about it in her blog. Her website, The Silver Bowl, has been frequently accessed by university students, historians, and genealogists from dozens of countries.
Date and Time: Saturday, 18 Nov. 2023, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Sharon Oddie Brown
Location: both via Zoom and in person at the VGS Learning & Research Centre are offered
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Visualizing Complex Family Relationships
Rev. Steve Little will focus on how to visualize and understand complex relationships in mildly endogamous communities. Rev. Little will discuss the challenges of conducting DNA analysis in such communities and how to overcome them. He will explain the concepts of pedigree collapse, multiple relationships, and endogamy and provide examples from his personal experience to demonstrate their complexity.
Date and Time: Saturday, 2 Dec. 2023, 10AM until 11:30 AM
Speaker: Steve Little
Location: via ZOOM
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Analyzing Historic Family Photographs
Learn how to create research-quality digital copies of old family photograph and identify the parts of the photograph that provide clues about who is in it, as well as where and when it was taken. You’ll also learn some great approaches for organizing and analyzing your photo collection that will uncover clues your eyes may have missed!
Date and Time: Saturday, 6 Jan. 2024, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Mark Thompson
Location: both via Zoom and VGS Learning & Research Centre are offered
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Reading the Past in Old Cemeteries
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld will reveal aspects of old cemeteries that can enrich your family research.
Date and Time: Thursday, 11 Jan. 2024, 7PM until 9PM
Speaker: Yvonne Van Ruskenveld
Location: offered via Zoom and in person at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC V8T 2A7
Price: members free; non-members $10; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Excel for Genealogists: Unleash the Power of Spreadsheets In Your Family Research
In this session you'll receive straightforward, actionable guidance on harnessing Excel to elevate your genealogy research. Illustrated with real-world examples, learn how to use this powerful tool to organize, track, and analyze your family history findings with ease.
Date and Time: Saturday, 27 Jan. 2024, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Mark Thompson
Location: both via Zoom and in person at VGS Learning & Research Centre are offered
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: How to Use Notion to Plan and Organize Your Research
In this webinar, you'll learn how to leverage the power of Notion to streamline your research process and stay organized. We'll cover everything from the basics of Notion to customizing a research log template to fit your specific needs.
Date and Time: Saturday, 3 Feb. 2024, 10AM until 12 noon
Speaker: Denys Allen
Location: via Zoom only
Price: members $14; non-members $21; REGISTRATION REQUIRED
For more information or registration visit Event View.
To review these events and more view our Events Calendar.
| Join Today and Start Saving
VGS - Learning Together
A new season of VGS workshops, seminars, speaker events and more is here and our amazing volunteers have been working to ensure there are learning opportunities for everyone.
VGS members are eligible for price breaks and exclusive benefits so join, or re-join, today and take full advantage.
PRICE BREAKS - VGS members get price breaks for Workshops, Seminars and Speaker Events. Don't delay. Join today and save.
FREE - Exclusively for members only is the opportunity to attend any or all of our 9 topical discussion groups called SIGs (Special Interest Groups). SIGs are a great way to meet other members researching similar geographic areas or topics and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK.
FREE - VGS members can use the resources at our VGS Learning & Research Center for FREE and get advice from our experienced volunteers for FREE.
To join today and start saving visit our Membership Options page.
| VGS News
Excerpts and highlights from recent VGS Members Update newsletter distributed approximately biweekly to VGS members only.
Tips For Your Genealogy Trip: written by VGS member Kathie Ross
"Our recent trip to Scandinavia included searching for ancestral places and meeting extended cousins. The trip was very successful and I wanted to provide a couple of tips for the newsletter..."
To Blog or Not to Blog: written by VGS member Bill Irvine
"One popular use of a Blog is to keep your family and friends aware of your Genealogical Research Trip in real time..."
Graveyards in the Caribbean: written by VGS member Lois Thompson
"My husband and his older brother thought we were crazy. Go to the Bahamas and spend our time in graveyards?..."
Upcoming Events from other Societies
Join the VGS and start receiving your free copy of the Members Update newsletter.
| 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. The Centre is located in Royal Oak Shopping Centre and is free for members. Free parking, free wifi, free computers, a large library collection, access to Ancestry and Findmypast library editions. 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.
| VGS Has New Venue For Speaker Events and More
Beginning in October the VGS will be hosting in person Speaker Event presentations at Norway House, 1110 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8T 2A7.
Norway House is centrally located with access to good bus route service. Wheel chair accessible the hall has a capacity of 148 people, with a large dance floor, kitchen facilities, stage and piano. The new audio visual equipment and wifi system are state of the art. The system includes a new sound system, multi-CD player, VCR & DVD projection and a very large projection screen. The property offers parking for approximately 30 vehicles and additional on-street parking is also available nearby.
"We are excited about hosting our events at this wonderful venue and look forward to begin seeing everyone again", Pat Acton, President, VGS.
Norway House
1110 Hillside Ave.
Victoria, BC
V8T 2A7
| VGS Website - Visit Often
Be sure to check our VGS website regularly for new and updated information. Our secure website has a fresh and clean look that we hope you'll enjoy. You will also find it easy to find information. On our website you can:
Your feedback is welcome and appreciated. You can contact us by selecting the Web Site Support option in the contact form on our website.
| Got a Question for Our Genie Buddies?
Questions & Answers Mailbox
This is a new service we are offering on a trial basis. If you have a question about our services or about genealogy in general, please email the VGS Correspondent using the Contact Us Input Form. We will try our best to answer your question. The more generic questions and answers may be posted in a future Genealogy News & Events newsletter, but personal identifiers will not be included. In this manner, your Q&A may prove helpful to others.
Note: the Q&A Mailbox is not to be confused with our Research or Records Lookup Services. For more information about those services go to Research Services.
| Copyright © 2023 Victoria Genealogical Society, All rights reserved.
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