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 in this workshop.
On May 30, 2026, the followup workshop will 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.