Victoria Genealogical Society
209 - 4475 Viewmont Avenue V8Z 6L8 Victoria, BC, Canada

WELCOME to our VGS Facebook page. We are happy to share our genealogy news and events with you here. If you have specific or personal genealogy research questions, please contact our Queries Team directly by private email: [email protected]. You can also visit our VGS website at victoriags.org And why not join our closed VGS group here on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/172500717033/ where you can share and discuss genealogy-related topics with other members.

Researching Scotland and eager to learn more? Then be sure to sign up for next Saturday's workshop, Scotland Beyond ScotlandsPeople, by the incomparable Heather Shave. What records are available for Scotland besides the census, civil registration and parish records? Scottish Poor Law records, land records, and tax records are some of the sources which can be used. What is a Service of Heirs? A retours? A sasine? What can be found in the Kirk Session Records? What about occu...pation records? Join us and learn about location of Scottish records, including websites and important resources, and break through your Scottish brick walls at this highly informative workshop! Register through our Eventbrite page - remember to use your code if you're a member to get a discount! The code can be found in your Members Only newsletter (last one was sent Nov 17). https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/victoria-genealogical-society-3

There's still time to register for our next workshop, Saturday, Nov 7! Don't miss Enhancing Your Family Research Using Postcards and Postal History, where you can learn how to use family postcards and postal history to provide evidence of social and family connections, give clues to family mysteries, and indicate travel and historical connections. You will also learn how to use postcards to beautifully illustrate and embellish your family stories. Register in advance using our VGS Eventbrite page! https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/victoria-genealogical-society-3

WELCOME to our VGS Facebook page. We are happy to share our genealogy news and events with you here. If you have specific or personal genealogy research questions, please contact our Queries Team directly by private email: [email protected]. You can also visit our VGS website at victoriags.org And why not join our closed VGS group here on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/172500717033/ where you can share and discuss genealogy-related topics with other members.

Researching your English heritage? Need help with getting started or breaking down some brick walls? Then join experienced researcher and presenter Heather Shave for the "Beginning English Research" workshop this Saturday, 10am to 11:30am via Zoom with the Victoria Genealogical Society. See website for details and registration. http://www.victoriags.org/events.php#workshops

The VGS is excited to bring you a special Halloween VGS Members Only event! On Thursday, October 29th at 7:30pm we will welcome Dr. Simon Devereaux from the University of Victoria for his talk, "Jack the Ripper and the Royal Family: Murder and Myth." This promises to be a fascinating presentation and we are excited to bring it to our members! A PRIVATE REGISTRATION LINK FOR THIS TALK WILL BE SENT TO VGS MEMBERS ONLY IN FUTURE VGS MEMBERS E-NEWLETTERS (GREEN). JACK THE RIPPER ...& THE ROYAL FAMILY: MURDER & MYTH SPEAKER: Dr. Simon Devereaux - ONLINE VIA ZOOM Jack the Ripper is the most famous murderer in modern history. In 1970 an eminent British surgeon published an article which suggested that the Ripper was a member of the royal family. Over the next three decades, that idea metastasized, generating several books and films, and drawing an ever-widening array of individuals into its net. This talk revisits this increasingly bizarre and esoteric pattern of speculation about this most famous of crimes -- a classic example of conspiracy thinking in our era of 'Fake News'. Simon Devereaux is Associate Professor of British History at the University of Victoria, and an expert in the history of criminal justice in England, particularly during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Fantastic workshop yesterday by Allison Bond on creating a family history book, followed by a terrific conversation afterwards. There's still time to register for next Saturday's workshop, "10 Steps to Success" by the one and only Merv Scott! There will be lots to helpful information and some great handouts. Sign up at our VGS Eventbrite page. https://www.eventbrite.ca/.../victoria-genealogical. Remember, members enjoy discounts for workshops as well as other benefits so please renew your membership or join if you haven't already. The VGS would love to welcome you!

The VGS has recently had the fortune to connect with Touchwood Editions, an independent book publisher based here in Victoria. I reached out to them to see if they might be able to provide any speakers for our Speaker Series meetings, and they provided not one but FOUR speakers! We are immensely grateful to them and encourage you to check out their website! They have a wide selection of wonderful titles covering art, photography, cooking, home and garden, fiction and many boo...ks on local and regional history. https://www.touchwoodeditions.com/ We hope to see lots of you attending these online talks by Touchwood authors May Wong, Robert Amos, Michael Layland and Jennifer Butler, as well as our other wonderful speakers, through the coming months. Speaker Series talks are free for all and are held the second Thursday evening of the month. You can look at the upcoming schedule on our website: http://www.victoriags.org/meetings.php

Our VGS Centre will be opening starting on Tuesday, 19 May 2020, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Further details on our website: http://www.victoriags.org/index.htm#202005_centerOpen

Our VGS Centre will be opening starting on Tuesday, 19 May 2020, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Further details on our website: http://www.victoriags.org/index.htm#202005_centerOpen

COVID-19 - The Victoria Genealogical Society is committed to providing a safe research and volunteer environment. Unfortunately, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is presenting unparalleled conditions and circumstances that we must take very seriously so that we all stay well and safe. Here's our official policy statement and closures due to COVID-19 - http://victoriags.org/index.htm#202003_covid19

There are still seats available for our March 14 workshop, "Genealogy in the Canadian Prairie Provinces"! Join the very knowledgeable Pat Rosson to learn how to navigate the records of your prairie relatives! See our website to register: http://victoriags.org/events.php#workshops

Join us for our Thursday night speaker series March 12 to hear Dr. Sara Beam speak on this fascinating topic.

Thank goodness for people who cherish and preserve history. This is so heartwarming.

Local vintage enthusiasts will be interested in the upcoming Attic Treasures Vintage Market on 28 March 2020 at St Luke's Church, co-sponsored by Heritage Productions.

Join us Thursday, February 13 for our monthly speakers meeting when we'll be welcoming Michael Kaehn. Michael will be sharing the story of the life of his grandfather growing up in Victoria, and how he ended up at Refuge/Hot Springs Cove. Copies of his book, "The Hot Springs Cove Story" will be available for purchase. Don't miss it! http://victoriags.org/meetings.php

Are you looking to start your research? Improve your tools and resources? Get through brick walls? Put your research into compelling stories to share? Then join us January 25th for the incomparable Allison Bond who will be offering her workshop "Discovering the Stories that Bring Family History to Life." This workshop is an updated and improved presentation that starts with research basics, then looks at how to build stories from there. We will look at a research example so y...ou can see how it's really done, and the results. There are lots of tips and tricks for new and experienced users alike. At the end of the workshop you will understand how to undertake research to build real stories that bring the people in your family tree to life. Go beyond the data and reach into the past to the lives of your ancestors. Registration required - see our website to register or email [email protected] http://victoriags.org/events.php#workshops

Next Thursday's monthly Speaker Series meeting features another dynamic talk from the incomparable Kate Humble, historian and Curator for Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites. Kate has spoken to us previously in 2016 about the Dunsmuir family of Craigdarroch Castle, and last June about Fort Rodd HIll's history. On Thursday, January 9, she will be speaking about Egos and Eccentrics of Oak Bay. This dynamic talk tells the stories of a miscellany of unu...sual characters from the 19th to the 21st century who called Oak Bay their home. From a WWII POW camp survivor, to the operator of an animal menagerie, to an evangelical preacher living in supreme luxury, there’s a lot to discover behind the tweed curtain! Don't miss what will be another entertaining and informative talk from Kate! http://victoriags.org/meetings.php

Have ancestors in Quebec? Need help finding their records? There's still time to register for the first workshop of 2020 - "Introduction to Quebec Research." Join Melanie Arscott as she helps introduce you to a variety of English records available for researchers, and some of the key words that will help decipher the clues in the French records. The emphasis will be on the English population along the Saint Lawrence River. See our website to register: http://victoriags.org/events.php#workshops