VGS Genealogy News & Events
Victoria Genealogical Society
No. 199 - March 17, 2026 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members. |
In this newsletter:
- Happy St. Patrick's Day - Book now for workshop by Irish genealogist 'live from Dublin'
- NEW SEMINAR - DNA Day, From Segments to Stories (DNA kit door prizes)
- Upcoming VGS Workshops, Seminars and Heritage History Hour Events
- New to genealogy research? 3 Steps for beginners
- VGS Social Media channels
Scroll down to read these articles.
VGS is a non-profit and you can help us by forwarding this newsletter to your friends | HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
CELEBRATE YOUR IRISH GENEALOGY BY BOOKING WORKSHOP BY CLAIRE BRADLEY 'LIVE FROM DUBLIN'
| First Census of the Irish Free State to be published online on 18 April 2026. Join Dublin based genealogist Claire Bradley as she discusses her analysis of the 1926 Census and many other useful resources.
For more information click HERE | Upcoming Workshops, Seminars, Heritage History Hours, and other VGS events
Upcoming VGS workshops, seminars and more are listed below and also available online at VGS Calendar of Events | | Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026 | WORKSHOP -
Using Heraldry in Genealogy with Kathie Ross | |
Heraldry can be more than just coats of arms on a shield—it can be a valuable tool in genealogical research. In this presentation, Kathie will introduce the basics of heraldry and explain its uses in genealogy. Learn how heraldic devices can provide clues to family connections. Real-world examples will show how heraldry has helped solve genealogical puzzles and uncover new lines of inquiry. If you’ve never used heraldry for your genealogical research, this session will offer practical insights and resources to get you started.
| | | About Kathie:
Kathie Ross, PhD, QG, has a post-graduate diploma in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde. Kathie loves to solve genealogical puzzles. She particularly likes reading old handwriting and using old coats of arms to find clues. Kathie has been instructing both online and in-person for almost three decades and loves to help people be successful at their own research. Based in Victoria, British Columbia, her research includes Canada, the United States, Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland and Ireland - all areas where her family genealogical research has taken her.
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 (noon) PST
Location: This is a hybrid workshop. You may attend by Zoom or at the VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre 209 - 4475 Viewmont Avenue, Victoria, BC V8Z 6L8 CAN
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE | | Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 | FREE HERITAGE HISTORY HOUR -
Black Histories of British Columbia: Stories, Realities, Legacies | |
ATTENDANCE IS VIA ZOOM ONLY
While there are many stories of formerly enslaved people using the Underground Railroad to escape cruel bondage in the US and travel to what is now Central and Eastern – that is only part of the Canadian story; and in British Columbia the narrative is quite different. In 1858, leaving behind an increasingly racist and divisive America, some 800 educated and skilled Black men and women came to the Colony of Vancouver Island at the invitation of its Governor, Sir James Douglas. They put their skills and education to work; becoming property owners, entrepreneurs, politicians, community leaders, and achieved many “firsts”.
| | | This presentation shares some of these original stories and more recent Black Histories, utilizing archival records, including images, genealogy records, newspapers, manuscripts, and books. Specific archival materials are included and/or referenced throughout the presentation.
Fran’s presentation audiences have included participants at public events, various library communities on Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland, private organizations, and public institutions such as Provincial Ministries (Citizens Services, Office of the Provincial Health Officer), Royal BC Museum, Salt Spring Island Historical Society, UVIC Continuing Studies Program, UVIC Faculty of Social Sciences, and Vancouver Heritage Foundation."
About Fran:
Fran Morrison has been a Board Member of BC Black History Awareness Society since 2010. She manages content research and development for the Society’s website, manages projects, and designs and narrates presentations on early BC Black History. She has variously co-authored, participated, contributed, advised, and collaborated with researchers, writers, educators, scholars, and historians outside of the Society to provide a multi-faceted view of the diverse and multicultural community in BC. Fran comes from Nova Scotia and is a descendant of Black Loyalists who came to Canada in 1783 and Underground Railroad travelers from Maryland in 1823. Fran moved to BC with her family in 1992. Attaining the PMP® designation, she worked as a project manager in the private and public sector for more than 25 years.
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm PST
Location: This is a Zoom only event
Cost: Heritage History Hour (HHH) events are FREE to all
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE
| | Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 | WORKSHOP -
Understanding Ancestry.com 101 with Gerry Poulton
| |
ATTENDANCE IS EITHER VIA ZOOM OR IN PERSON - SELECT DURING REGISTRATION.
Want to use Ancestry.com but don’t know where to start? That’s not surprising because there is a lot to learn about the world’s largest online genealogy research repository, with over 19 billion records.
To take some of the challenge out of this, we are offering a series of 2 separate workshops, starting with Ancestry basics on April 11 with a follow up workshop on May 30 to delve deeper.
Register for one or both. Separate registration is required for each workshop.
| | | In this workshop, learn how to get started on Ancestry. Gerry will address such questions as:
- How do I go about creating a family tree?
- Who do I start with? What do I enter? What to call it?
- What about privacy?
- How do I add a spouse? Children? Parents?
Also included: a look at the basics of simple searches, how to enter the data into your tree, and whether you can trust the hints Ancestry gives you. Gerry will end with a discussion on AncestryDNA, including the Origins feature, match lists, TruLines, and more.
Bring along your questions and, time permitting, we will try to find some answers for you.
If this leaves you wanting more, please register separately for the follow-up workshop on May 30, 2026.
Gerald (Gerry) Poulton began genealogical searching in the days of microfilms, microfiche and paper records when little was online or indexed. As information became more and more readily available, he has become more familiar with searching and has been actively involved in research for more than thirty years. He is a member of several genealogical societies and volunteers at the Victoria Genealogical Society’s Learning and Research Centre every week. He has also been making presentations and workshops on a variety of topics for more than fifteen years.
Gerry’s 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! He was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and in a previous life taught Chemistry at the University of Victoria for nearly 40 years.
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 (noon) PST
Location: This is a hybrid workshop. You may attend by Zoom or at the VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre 209 - 4475 Viewmont Avenue, Victoria, BC V8Z 6L8 CAN
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE | | Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026 | NEW
DNA DAY SEMINAR - From Segments to Stories
| Presented by: Blaine Bettinger, Roberta Estes, Janine Cloud and Jim Bartlett.
Door prizes from FamilyTree DNA: Big Y kit; mtFull sequence kit; and, a Family Finder kit
Every person carries DNA inherited from their ancestors, and that DNA is waiting to tell their story. From autosomal segments to Y-chromosome deep dives, today's seminar will show you how to put that evidence to work. Don't miss this excellent opportunity to learn from these four leading DNA experts for this enlightening online seminar.
This seminar is a ZOOM ONLY event.
The seminar begins at 9:00 am Pacific time and includes four 1-hour presentations. There are two 10-minute breaks after sessions one and three and a 45-minute lunch break after session two. The seminar will conclude at 2:20 Pacific Time.
Recordings of the sessions will be available to registrants for 30 days following the event.
| | SESSION 1 - 9:10 am Pacific Time:
Using Autosomal DNA for 18th and 19th Century Mysteries - Blaine Bettinger
Even though our 18th and 19th century ancestors have been dead for decades, their DNA still survives in their descendants. Learn how to use autosomal DNA to attack and potentially solve genealogical mysteries and brick walls for ancestors who were born or lived in the 1800’s, 1700’s, and beyond .
Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence and the use of artificial intelligence for genealogical research. He is the author of the long-running blog The Genetic Genealogist, and frequently gives presentations and webinars to educate others about the use of DNA and artificial intelligence. Blaine has been a leader in the field of genetic genealogy, and has helped pioneer several aspects of genetic genealogy methodology.
| | | | SESSION 2 - 10:20 am Pacific Time:
Mitochondrial DNA to Z: My Results Are Back, Now What? - Roberta Estes
Would you like to understand how to use your mitochondrial DNA results for genealogy? What do those numbers mean and why are they important? This is just the class for you. Roberta will take results, step-by-step through all of the reports and tools and help you interpret what they mean and how to use them for genealogy.
Roberta Estes, MS, MBA, author of the books DNA for Native American Genealogy and The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA: Y-DNA, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X-DNA is a scientist, National Geographic Genographic affiliate researcher, Million Mito team member, and founding pioneer in the genetic genealogy field. Roberta has written over 1800 articles at her popular blog, DNA Explained, https://dna-explained.com/, about genetic genealogy and how to combine traditional genealogy research with DNA to solve those stubborn ancestor puzzles.
| | | | SESSION 3 - 12:00 pm Pacific Time:
Lessons Learned from Big Y Testing - Janine Cloud
DNA testing with the Big Y can reveal far more than a haplogroup—it can reshape our understanding of paternal ancestry. In this presentation, Janine Cloud shares what she learned while analyzing Big Y results from several ancestral lines, including Griffin, White, Hensley, Blackerby, and Cloud. Using FamilyTreeDNA tools such as Discover, the haplotree, and match analysis, she demonstrates how Big Y results can confirm research, challenge assumptions, and uncover new insights into paternal family history.
Janine Cloud has worked with FamilyTreeDNA for close to 15 years, leading customer service and group projects teams, coordinating events, and speaking widely on DNA and genealogy. She enjoys helping researchers understand their DNA results and apply them to their family history. Her own genealogical research includes several Big Y-tested paternal lines.
| | | | SESSION 4 - 1:10 pm Pacific Time:
Segment-ology - Jim Bartlett
“Segmentology” dives into the practical use of DNA segments for genealogy. Jim Bartlett shows how to organize shared segments, form triangulated groups, and map your chromosomes to specific ancestors, turning raw match data into clear evidence for your family tree. Drawing on more than a decade of segment-based analysis and 200+ blog posts at Segmentology.org, Jim explains complex DNA concepts in plain English so genealogists can confidently apply them to real research problems.
Jim Bartlett has been a genealogist since 1974 and a leading voice in genetic genealogy for more than two decades. He founded and still administers the BARTLETT DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA, and he has tested at all major DNA companies. A passionate advocate of chromosome mapping and triangulation, Jim writes the long-running blog Segmentology.org, where he explains autosomal DNA segments and methods in clear, practical terms for everyday genealogists.
|  | | | Date: April 25, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM until 2:20 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) (UTC-08:00)
Location: This is a ZOOM only event.
Note: Recordings of the sessions will be available to registrants for 30 days following the event.
Registration cancellations will be accepted.
| | Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026 | WORKSHOP 'LIVE FROM DUBLIN' -
Get to grips with Ireland's Census Resources with Claire Bradley
| |
ATTENDANCE IS VIA ZOOM ONLY.
Family historians with Irish ancestry are often disappointed to discover that much of Ireland’s censuses have not survived. This workshop illuminates how this happened, what is left & where to find it, how you can still use the remaining censuses, even if your ancestors left before the relevant dates covered.
We will also discuss the main census substitutes for genealogical research in Ireland with live demonstrations of the main websites. It will give tips and tricks to improve your search results. | | | The 1926 census (scheduled for release in April) will be discussed in detail. Bring your queries, as there will be time to brickwall bust.
ABOUT CLAIRE:
Claire Bradley is a professional Irish genealogist working with both traditional paper records and genetic genealogy. She holds a Certificate in Genealogy from University College Dublin and a Masters in History of the Family from the University of Limerick. Claire is passionate about teaching people how to research their own ancestry. She has taught an in-person beginners’ adult education course for the last 15 years covering all the Irish major sources in Dublin, and is the Director of Irish Studies with the International Institute of Genealogical Studies. She is also a co-founder of the Pro-Am Genies network for professional and aspiring genealogists. She regularly lectures both in person and online to a wide range of family history and historical societies in Ireland, the UK and countries with large Irish diasporas. For more information about Claire visit her website https://cbgenealogy.ie/ .
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 (noon) PST
Location: This is zoom only event.
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE | | Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026 | WORKSHOP -
Understanding Ancestry.com 201 with Gerry Poulton
| |
ATTENDANCE IS EITHER VIA ZOOM OR IN PERSON - SELECT DURING REGISTRATION.
Want to use Ancestry.com but don’t know where to start? That’s not surprising because there is a lot to learn about the world’s largest online genealogy research repository, with over 19 billion records.
To take some of the challenge out of this, we are offering a series of 2 separate workshops, starting with Ancestry basics on Apr 11, 2026. On May 30th our Ancestry 201 workshop will delve deeper.
Register for one or both. Separate registration is required for each workshop.
| | | More about Ancestry.com 201
In this workshop, Gerry will take a more in-depth look at Ancestry:
- What is on the home page? What do each of the tabs do?
- What are the different methods when searching for data?
- How to save/print results which we’ve found?
- How to add new found data to our tree?
- How to add photos/media to our tree?
- How to download our tree data?
- Can we upload to our tree?
We will also discuss what Pro-Tools offer and whether it’s worth it.
Bring along your questions and, time permitting, we will try to find some answers for you.
About Gerry:
Gerald (Gerry) Poulton began genealogical searching in the days of microfilms, microfiche and paper records when little was online or indexed. As information became more and more readily available, he has become more familiar with searching and has been actively involved in research for more than thirty years. He is a member of several genealogical societies and volunteers at the Victoria Genealogical Society’s Learning and Research Centre every week. He has also been making presentations and workshops on a variety of topics for more than fifteen years.
Gerry’s 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! He was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and in a previous life taught Chemistry at the University of Victoria for nearly 40 years.
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 (noon) PST
Location: This is a hybrid workshop. You may attend by Zoom or at the VGS Genealogy Learning & Research Centre 209 - 4475 Viewmont Avenue, Victoria, BC V8Z 6L8 CAN
Note: Video recordings of this event will be available online for 30 days to registered attendees only
For more information or registration visit REGISTER HERE
| 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. *** New: we have updated our online library catalogue which can be searched HERE.
Step 2 - Family History 101 Seminar and SIG are a great place to start. After becoming oriented to genealogy research at the Centre, members may find themselves prepared to register for our annual Family History 101 half day Seminar. Members may also enjoy further supports by joining 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. The Family History 101 SIG is designed for those who are new to genealogy. Once you get basics in the Family History 101 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 Heritage History Hour. Another benefit of membership is the price breaks for our regular workshops and seminars, and access to our monthly Heritage History Hour 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.
Never mind surfing the web - follow these 3 steps to learn genealogy research tools and techniques. For membership details, please go to Membership Options. | VGS social media channels
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