VGS Genealogy News & Events
Victoria Genealogical Society
No. 202 - May 3, 2026 |
Distributed free of charge to interested subscribers and former members. |
In this newsletter:
- If you have Irish ancestors...
- 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.
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The wait is over! If you have Irish ancestors, you’ve been waiting a long time for this.
The 1926 Irish Census has finally been released—bringing exciting new opportunities for genealogists of all levels.
To help you explore, RTÉ (Radio and Television Ireland) has produced a two part documentary, supported by a six-episode podcast series delving into the stories behind the census—you won’t want to miss it. The podcasts are available right now (https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/series/44824-come-to-your-census-the-podcast/) and the documentary will be available early May.
If you want a little more of a personal touch you won't want to miss our upcoming webinar on May 23. Get to Grips with Ireland’s Census Resources, presented by Claire Bradley "LIVE FROM DUBLIN". This session will guide you through how to effectively use Irish census, and census substitute, records, including the newly released 1926 returns, with practical tips and strategies that you can apply right away. Bring your questions to a top Irish genealogist!
Don’t miss this chance to connect with Ireland’s past in a whole new way.
| VGS New Membership Year Starting June 1
May is a great time to join or rejoin VGS! With our current membership year ending May 31, 2026, registration is now open for memberships running through May 31, 2027. Benefits are effective immediately.
We're pleased to announce another exciting year ahead for VGS! For 2026/27, we are continuing to offer a fantastic lineup of workshops, seminars, and presentations. As a member, you'll enjoy access to an expanded selection of Special Interest Groups, guidance from our family historians, plus discounts on workshops and seminars.
Membership continues to grow, supported by record attendance across our workshops, seminars, and Heritage History Hours — a true testament to the strength and enthusiasm of our community. We hope you'll join us for another wonderful year!
New members: please visit our Membership Options page.
Expired members: please visit our Membership Renewal page. | 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, May 23, 2026 | WORKSHOP 'LIVE FROM DUBLIN' -
Get to grips with Ireland's Census Resources with Claire Bradley
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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 was released yesterday and 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: Thursday, May 14, 2026 | FREE - Presentations by VGS Members -
Annual event showcases VGS members | |
FREE - THIS IS A ZOOM ONLY EVENT
This popular event is an annual opportunity for some of our VGS members to give short presentations on their genealogical or historical research projects, or their interesting ancestors. Each of our member speakers will talk for about 15 minutes:
Leona Smith: Adventures in French Archives
Leona braves the archives in France, learns things the hard way and finds treasure.
Dave Giacomelli: Eva's Promise
Dave Giacomelli recounts "Dad had just arrived in England during the war prior to flying operations over the continent with Bomber Command when he met an English woman in Bournemouth." Join us to hear the rest of this enticing family story.
Leonard Jenks: Explorations as an Amateur Genealogist, Starting From Zero
Leonard Jenks will chat about a few of his findings, some by pure luck, some incorrect paths, some rewards, that he has experienced in his evolving family history research journey.
Date: May 14, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM Pacific Time
Videoconference information will be provided in an email once registration is made.
|  | | | | Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026 | WORKSHOP -
Understanding Ancestry.com 201 with Gerry Poulton
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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.
In this workshop, Gerry will take an 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
VGS FaceBook private group with over 470 members to help you with your genealogy related questions; join the discussion at VGS Facebook Group.
VGS FaceBook public page: click Follow (over 500 followers) for event notices and other VGS news at: vicgs.
VGS Bluesky Social - find us at https://bsky.app/profile/victoriags.org (over 300 followers) for event notices and more
VGS Instagram: click Follow (over 200 followers) for event notices with a twist at: https://www.instagram.com/victoriagenealogicalsociety/
Try clicking on our social media icons at the bottom of this newsletter.
Free accounts with these social media sites may be required.
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