Welcome to the British Columbia Genealogical Society

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Our members have been researching and preserving and publishing their own families and British Columbia’s families since 1971. This year, 2011, is our Society’s 40th anniversary.

The British Columbia Genealogical Society has been on the World Wide Web since 1996. This will soon be our new website – it’s not yet complete.

This is the link to our ‘old’ BCGS website database list. Here is the old BCGS What’s New page and the BCGS Membership page. And here is the link to the BCGS mobile site. You may find more there for now, but please have a look at what’s here first.

We welcome new members and visitors and invite you to see what we offer on-line and at our BCGS Walter Draycott Library in Surrey, BC and at our monthly meetings in Burnaby, BC.

Please visit our Research, Walter Draycott Library and Membership sections to see what resources are available to you here.

 

BCGS E-mail

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If you sent an e-mail to the BCGS yesterday, and have not received a reply, please resend your message. There was an e-mail ‘hiccup’ but all should be working well now.

If in any doubt, please e-mail: diane_rogers @ shaw.ca (removing the spaces).

Thank you!

More Upcoming Genealogy / History Events – Vancouver

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VANCOUVER

Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Hycroft Tuesday Evening Lecture Series, at Hycroft  1489 McRae Avenue, SW of Granville, Vancouver, Tuesday Evenings, 7 – 8:45 pm $12 each. Register online, Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

History of Exterior House Colour, with Donald Luxton, the history of residential paint colour from earliest buildings to the high-style heritage homes of the early 20th century.  17 January, 2012, 7pm.

History of Neon Light in Vancouver, with John Atkin, 21 February, 2012, 7pm.

Historic Stained Glass in Vancouver, with Jim Wolf, 6 March, 2012, 7 pm.

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Stanley Park Photographic Exhibit, with Jolene Cumming, Saturday, 21 January 2012, Nature House on Lost Lagoon, 12 noon – 3 pm. Drop in; by donation. Details, Stanley Park Ecology Society.

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Chinese-Canadian Veterans: Loyalty to Country, an exhibition examining the history of Chinese-Canadian veterans who, although loyal to this country, were subjected to discriminatory laws. Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society.  24 – 27 January, 2012 at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver in the David Lam Hall, 50 Pender St E, Vancouver.

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Central Branch, Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia, Vancouver.

Chinese Genealogy Research with Ancestry Library Edition, Saturday, 28 January 2012, 1 – 3 pm.

Ancestry Library Edition, free hand-on workshop, Tuesday, 21 February, 2012, 2:30 – 4pm. Computer Training Room, Level 7.

FamilySearch.org, hands-on workshop, Sunday 4 March 4, 2012, 3 – 4:30pm.  Free. Registration required. Computer Training Room, Level 7.

MEETING REMINDER -

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MEETING REMINDER – The next BC Genealogical Society Meeting is Wednesday, January 11, 2012, at 7:30 pm at Edmonds Community Centre, 7282 Kingsway (Kingsway & Edmonds), Burnaby V5E 1G3.

Two discussion topics:

Canada 150 – What is it, and of what importance is this national project to family historians? We want to celebrate Canada’s anniversary in 2017. (M. Diane Rogers)
Postcards for family historians – BCGS collects postcards. Add some colour to your lives. (Eunice Robinson)

BCGS Membership: If you/ve already renewed, thank you! And if not, please see the friendly faces of the BCGS Membership Committee on Wednesday. You can renew on-line too, using PayPal.

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BCGS General Meetings: the second Wednesday of every month, 7:30 pm at Edmonds Community Centre, 7282 Kingsway (Kingsway & Edmonds), Burnaby V5E 1G3.

Upcoming Genealogy Seminars – Fraser Valley

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Fraser Valley Regional Library Programmes. See the FVRL website for more information.

DELTA – Family Curator – Taking Care of Your Family Artifacts, Wednesday, Jan 18, 2012, 7pm-8:30pm at the George Mackie Library.  Drop in.

HOPE – Family Curator – Taking Care of your Family’s Artifacts, Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012, 7pm – 8pm at the Hope Library. This program is co-sponsored by the Hope Genealogy Club. Drop in.

LADNER – Key Websites for Canadian Immigration and Census Records with M. Diane Rogers, Thursday, Mar 22, 2012, 2pm – 3:30pm at the Ladner Pioneer Library.  Drop in.

LANGLEY – Casting the Net: Where to Seek Your Ancestors on the Internet with Brenda L. Smith. Saturday, Jan 28, 2012, 2pm – 3pm at the Langley Library.  Registration required for this program.

MISSION – From Genealogy to a Family Tree with John Herl, Wednesday, Jan 11, 2012,  7pm-8:30pm at the Mission Library. Drop in.

TSAWWASSEN – Key Websites for Canadian Immigration and Census Records with M. Diane Rogers, Thursday, March 29, 2012, 2pm – 3:30pm at the Tsawwassen Library. Drop in.

And at Agassiz, Chilliwack and Hope Libraries, antiques identification/appraisal workshops.

CHILLIWACK – Antiques in the Attic, Saturday, Apr 14, 2012 , 1pm-3pm, Chilliwack Library. Appraisals by one of our local experts. Every registered attendee with a ticket will get time with an appraiser to discuss their item. Items are restricted to one portable item (or a piece/photograph of a larger item) per person. Tickets will be available at the Chilliwack Library beginning March 1, 2012. Spectators are welcome if space permits.

HOPE – Antiques in the Attic, Saturday, Apr 28, 2012, 1pm – 3pm at the Hope Library. Registration required for this program. Bring your long-lost treasures to be appraised by our local experts. Tickets will be available at the Hope Library beginning March 1. Co-sponsored by Hope and District Recreation and Cultural Services.

AGASSIZ -What’s in Your Attic?, Saturday, Apr 21, 2012, 1pm-3pm at the Agassiz Library. Registration required for this program. Do you have some old junk that might be an antique or a collectible?  Bring it to our expert and get the real story on your hidden treasures! (Registration begins in March.)

Chinese Genealogy Workshop, Jan 28, 2012, Vancouver

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Central Branch, Vancouver Public Library, Computer Training Room, Level 7.

Chinese Genealogy – Ancestry Library Edition Workshop, Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 1pm – 3pm.

What are the discovery tools to your Chinese genealogy research needs?  What online resources are available in your library?  What is Ancestry Library Edition?  

Registration is required. See the Chinese Genealogy  Workshop Ancestry Library Edition (.pdf) for more information.
Basic computer knowledge is helpful.

Bring your Vancouver library card and login password.

For registration please contact May Yan.

Upcoming Genealogy Courses

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BURNABY

M. Diane Rogers is teaching two courses at Burnaby’s Community Centred College for the Retired – Genealogy 202 – for those beginning or returning to their family history research and – Internet Genealogy – with intensive use of Ancestry Library Edition. Classes begin the week of January 9th, 2012; 8 classes for each course. $45.

See the CCCR website www.cccrburnaby.org for registration information or call 604 517 8732.

MAPLE RIDGE

Brenda Smith will be teaching her popular course “Start Searching Your Family History: A Beginners’ Workshop in Five Lessons” at Maple Ridge Library on Sunday afternoons from late January to March. Dates:  Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00pm, January 22, February 5 and 19, March 4 and 18. Location:  Maple Ridge Library, upper floor,  Alouette Room. Cost:  $100.

To register or for more information, call 604-463-5311 or e-mail: mrmuseum@gmail.com

NEW WESTMINSTER

M. Diane Rogers will teach Intro to Genealogy: Who Are You? – a one day genealogy course for beginners and those returning to their family history research at New Westminster Secondary School, Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 9am to 3:30pm. $47 (Please bring your lunch.)

To register, see the New Westminster School Board’s Continuing Education website: www.ce40.ca or call 604 517 6345.

Please let the BCGS webmaster know of other genealogy and family history related courses, seminars and talks around the province.

 

Roedde House Tour, Vancouver, Feb 5, 2012

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“The Women of Roedde House Museum Tour” by local historians

Sunday February 5th, 2012, 11:00am to 12:30pm

1415 Barclay Street

$5 per person, all proceeds to the Roedde House Preservation Society

*Tour followed by a reception & light refreshments*

maximum 20 people

To arrange pre-paid TICKETS contact: (604) 684-7040 or info@roeddehouse.org or email Jolene@herstorycafe.ca

(order your tickets early as we expect this event to sell out)

Roedde House Museum in Vancouver’s West End is a late-Victorian home in the Queen Anne revival style, built in 1893 for the family of Matilda & Gustav Roedde, the city’s first bookbinder. It has been faithfully restored with period furnishing and family artefacts to reflect the day-to-day life of a middle class, immigrant family at the turn of the last century.

TOUR by: Lorraine Irving, (BC Genealogical Society & Mt View Cemetery tours) will speak on the tragic 1925 murder of young nurse Anna Catherine Roedde at Vancouver General Hospital. Lara Campbell, (Herstory Cafe & SFU Women’s Studies) will speak on Women & Domestic Service. Jolene Cumming, (Herstory Cafe & the Stanley Park History Group) will speak on Leisure & Recreational activities of the day.

More info: www.herstorycafe.ca and www.roeddehouse.org

Ancestry Library Edition at BCGS Library

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Beginning today, Ancestry Library Edition from ProQuest is available to BCGS members and visitors at the BCGS Walter Draycott Library. Thank you to the BCGS Library Acquisitions Committee for arranging this.

Scroll down the BCGS Library page for links to some helpful Ancestry Library Edition handouts.

American Ancestors subscription databases  (New England Historic Genealogical Society) are also available to BCGS members and visitors.

The BCGS Walter Draycott Library is open 10 am to 3 pm Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. See the BCGS Library page for more information.

 

 

Book Reviews, New Books

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The latest book reviews published in The British Columbia Genealogist, December 2011, Volume 40 #4 were very favourable. The books reviewed were:

Erin’s Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada to 1863 by Terrence M. Punch (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2010).
“A useful index that will lead you to these new sources.”

A Canadian Heraldic Primer by Kevin Greaves, illustrated by Bruce Patterson and Gordon Macpherson (Heraldry Society of Canada, 2000).
“A serious and complicated topic is written about in an entertaining manner…”

Both these books will be available at the BCGS Walter Draycott Library very soon.

The British Columbia Genealogist often features a column with the BCGS Editor’s picks from recent books on British Columbia and Canadian history and genealogy.

In the December 2011 issue, the British Columbia books mentioned were:

The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver by Chuck Davis (Harbour Publishing, 2011).

Lillian Alling: the journey home by Susan Smith-Josephy (Caitlin Press, 2011).

The Third Crop: A personal and historical journey into the photo albums and shoeboxes of the Slocan Valley 1880s to early 1940s by Rita Moir (SonNis Press, 2011).

Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru: An Illustrated History by Ali Kazimi (Douglas & McIntyre, 2011).

and

Extensions, a novel by Myrna Day set on Vancouver Island, BC (NeWest Press, 2011)

Victorian Pharmacy: Rediscovering Forgotten Remedies and Recipes by Jane Eastoe (Anova Books-Pavilion imprint, 2010).

More information

For the full reviews and more about the BC books, see the December 2011 issue of The British Columbia Genealogist. To submit a book for review, please contact the BCGS Book Review Co-ordinator.