VGS Genealogy News & Events
No. 145 - September 20, 2023 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members.
| Inside This Edition
Scroll down for more information on each of these topics:
Special Announcement: Registration Open for Family History 101 Seminar
Upcoming Events
Looking Ahead
VGS News
Three Steps for Beginners
| SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FAMILY HISTORY 101 SEMINAR
The Victoria Genealogical Society (VGS) has designed a unique learning opportunity for people new to family history research or for people returning to family history after a break from their research. No prior experience is required.
This in-person only event will be held at the VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre, Royal Oak Plaza, Victoria. The seminar is limited to a maximum of 15 registered attendees so register early.
Join four experienced family historians on an engaging half-day journey through the most important topics and tools in family history. They will help you build good habits early that will set you up for success for years to come.
This seminar includes four 1-hour sessions:
Session 1: Start Your Family History Research Off Right – presented by Pat Acton
Session 2: Find and Use the Most Important Genealogy Records – presented by Gerry Poulton
Session 3: Organize Your Genealogy Information for Success – presented by Sarah Hamster
Session 4: Use DNA To Help Build Your Family Tree - presented by Mark Thompson
Session-specific handouts, prepared by each speaker, will be provided at the beginning of the seminar.
Date and Time: Saturday 14th, October, 2023 9AM till 2:30 PM
Price: VGS members $30; non-members $50; [non-members, who also register as VGS members on the day of the seminar, will be given a one-time $20 discount off their annual membership]
For more information or to register, visit REGISTER NOW.
| Upcoming Events
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar:
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
Details provided above.
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.
| Looking Ahead
The following VGS events are now open for registration via our Events Calendar:
Workshop: Mastering Genealogy Hints - A Guide To Navigating Shaky Leaves, Thrulines and More
Date: Saturday, 4 Nov. 2023
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Wartime Women
Date: Thursday, 9 Nov. 2023
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Northern Irish Research
Date: Saturday, 18 Nov. 2023
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Visualizing Complex Family Relationships
Date: Saturday, 2 Dec. 2023
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Analyzing Historic Family Photographs
Date: Saturday, 6 Jan. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Reading the Past in Old Cemeteries
Date: Thursday, 11 Jan. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Excel for Genealogists: Unleash the Power of Spreadsheets In Your Family Research
Date: Saturday, 27 Jan. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: How to Use Notion to Plan and Organize Your Research
Date: Saturday, 3 Feb. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Speaker Event: Eleanor's Letters - 7,000 pages of Family and Cultural History
Date: Thursday, 8 Feb. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Beyond the Basics of Scottish Research
Date: Saturday, 24 Feb. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View.
Workshop: Researching Historic Letters
Date: Saturday, 16 Mar. 2024
For more information or registration visit Event View
To review more details of these events and more, go to our Events Calendar.
| VGS News
Excerpts and highlights from recent VGS Members Update newsletter distributed approximately biweekly to VGS members only.
VGS has New Venue for in person Speaker Events
Beginning on October 12th the 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 and a full service kitchen. The new audio visual equipment and wifi system are state of the art. The property offers parking for approximately 30 vehicles and additional on-street parking is also available nearby.
VGS in Your Community - Royal Oak Burial Park "Open House"
The Royal Oak Burial Park will be hosting an Open House on October 7th from 12 noon to 4 pm., as part of their 100th Anniversary celebrations. The Victoria Genealogical Society is supporting the event by providing volunteers to answer your genealogy questions. We'd like to meet you so please drop into the Garden Chapel where we'll have an information desk. While you are there you can also pick up some of our printed materials and enter a draw for a free membership. Hope to see you there!
Historical Kinsol Trestle Presentation and Walk
A great turnout enjoyed this recent field trip. Our thanks goes to Lori Treloar, Executive Director of the Shawnigan Lake Historical Society for the invitation to her special presentation and guided tour. Many of the walkers enjoyed lunch at the Lakehouse Restaurant where lively discussions continued. Great weather and great people made for a lot of fun.
| 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.
| Visit our VGS Website often to get updated information about us and our upcoming events.
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