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Monday 12pm - 3pm Tuesday 12pm - 3pm Wednesday 12pm - 3pm Thursday 12pm - 3pm Friday 12pm - 3pm Saturday 12pm - 4pm

Victoria Genealogical Society

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Victoria Genealogical Society

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To support and promote family history research in Victoria, across Canada and around the world. We are also a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.

The Victoria Genealogical Society is a non-profit volunteer-run organization founded in 1978. Our "Genealogy Learning and Research Centre" is located on the second floor of the Pennbridge Building in the Royal Oak Shopping Centre, Victoria BC Canada. We can help you to:

LEARN HOW TO RESEARCH - attend our genealogy workshops, seminars and meetings. LEARN FROM OTHER MEMBERS - network at our Special Interest Groups (SIGS) and Speaker Series meetings

LEARN BY DOING - research your family history, build your family tree. Visit our website to learn more about our membership, programs, services, events and activities, contacts, and more : http://www.victoriags.org

10/05/2026

IN-PERSON FAMILY HISTORY 101 SEMINAR on OCTOBER 17, 9 am to 2:30pm. REGISTER NOW at https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=3071820

10/04/2026

FREE DROP-IN GENEALOGY COFFEE CHATS will continue this Fall - next date WEDNESDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2026, 1PM at GVPL SAANICH CENTENNIAL LIBRARY (G R PEARKES CENTRE). EVERYONE WELCOME!

09/26/2026

FREE online event - Aviation History of Victoria BC by Capt Steve Nichol on 8 Oct 2026. Register now - https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=3060724

09/15/2026

An Archivist's Best Practices for the Family Historian, with Kaetlen Bursey. Sept 19, 2026. 10am-noon. Registration details at https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=3049485

09/07/2026

FREE VGS Heritiage History Hour presentation by Pat Skidmore
Marjorie's Story: A British Child Migrant in Canada
September 10th, 2026, 7:00pm Pacific Time
Join us via ZOOM.
Registration required at https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=3049045

07/02/2026

Our next FREE Genealogical Coffee Chat event will be held 8 July 2026. Everyone welcome! Join us 1 pm to 3 pm at the Colquitz Room in the Saanich Pearkes Recreation Centre here in Victoria BC Canada. More details at

06/15/2026

Last summer our FREE in-person Genealogical Coffee Chat events proved very popular. So we're doing it again this summer, but at different locations. Everyone welcome! More details: https://victoriags.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=554933&item_id=2994391

03/31/2026

𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝟭𝟬𝟭

Want to use Ancestry.com but do not know where to start?

With more than 19 billion records, Ancestry is the world’s largest online genealogy resource — and it can be challenging to know where to begin.

To help, this workshop introduces the basics and provides a clear starting point for your research.

In this session, you will learn:

• how to create a family tree
• who to begin with and what information to enter
• privacy considerations
• how to add spouses, children, and parents
• the basics of searching records
• whether you can trust Ancestry hints

The workshop also includes an introduction to AncestryDNA, including Origins, match lists, ThruLines, and more.

Bring your questions — time permitting, we will work through them together.

This is the first of a two-part series, with a follow-up workshop on May 30, 2026 for deeper exploration. Registration is required for each session.

🎙 Presenter
Gerry Poulton

Gerry has been researching family history for more than 30 years and volunteers weekly at the VGS Learning and Research Centre. He has delivered workshops for over 15 years and previously taught chemistry at the University of Victoria for nearly 40 years.

🗓 Date and Time
Saturday, April 11, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Attend in person at our VGS Learning and Research Centre or via Zoom.

209 - 4475 Viewmont Avenue, Victoria, BC

🎥 Recordings will be available for 30 days to registered attendees.

For more information and details:
https://bit.ly/4bbxLt6

Visit victoriags.org for other calendar events, services, and information about the Society.

03/23/2026

𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥: 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗘𝗚𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦

** 𝗪𝗜𝗡 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗞𝗜𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗗𝗡𝗔! **

Join four leading DNA experts for this enlightening online seminar.

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, this seminar will show you how to put that evidence to work.

This seminar features four highly respected DNA educators:

• Blaine Bettinger
Using Autosomal DNA for 18th and 19th Century Mysteries

• Roberta Estes
Mitochondrial DNA to Z: My Results Are Back, Now What?

• Janine Cloud
Lessons Learned from Big Y Testing

• Jim Bartlett
Segment-ology

🗓 Date and Time
Saturday, April 25, 2026
9:00 AM – 2:20 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) with breaks between sessions.

🎥 Recordings will be available for 30 days to registered attendees.

For more information and details (Zoom only):
https://bit.ly/41inlC6

Visit victoriags.org for other calendar events, services, and information about the Society.

03/17/2026

📜 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗜𝗔

VGS Heritage History Hour
In association with the BC Black History Awareness Society

Many people associate Black Canadian history with the Underground Railroad and settlement in Central and Eastern Canada. However, the story in British Columbia is quite different.

In 1858, around 800 educated and skilled Black men and women left an increasingly racist and divisive United States and travelled to the Colony of Vancouver Island at the invitation of Governor Sir James Douglas. Once here, they established businesses, purchased land, entered politics, and became leaders in their communities—achieving many historic “firsts”.

This presentation explores these early stories along with more recent Black histories in British Columbia using archival sources including photographs, genealogy records, newspapers, manuscripts, and books.

🎙 Presenter
Fran Morrison

Fran Morrison has served as a Board Member of the BC Black History Awareness Society since 2010. She manages research and content development for the Society’s website and designs presentations on early Black history in British Columbia.

Fran is a descendant of Black Loyalists who came to Canada in 1783 and Underground Railroad travellers from Maryland in 1823. She has collaborated with historians, researchers, and educators and has presented to many institutions including the Royal BC Museum, UVIC Continuing Studies, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, and provincial ministries.

🗓 Date and Time
Thursday, April 9, 2026
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

These Heritage History Hour events are FREE to all.

🎥 Recordings will be available for 30 days to registered attendees.

For more information and details (Zoom only):
https://bit.ly/3Nk89Bd

Visit victoriags.org for other calendar events, services, and information about the Society.

Address

209/4475 Viewmont Avenue
Victoria, BC
V8Z6L8

Opening Hours

Monday	12pm - 3pm
Tuesday	12pm - 3pm
Wednesday	12pm - 3pm
Thursday	12pm - 3pm
Friday	12pm - 3pm
Saturday	12pm - 4pm

Telephone

250-360-2808

Website

https://victoriags.org/

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