British Columbia Genealogical Society
Wintery BC
Photo Courtesy of Chris Albrecht
Welcome to the British Columbia Genealogical Society
We are a registered charitable organization with over 300 members from a variety of backgrounds and, like you, we all have an interest in researching our family history in British Columbia and beyond. We hope you will consider joining our Society.
The BCGS Library is OPEN Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10AM - 3PM. The library will CLOSE for Christmas Break from December 21, 2025 and Reopen January 6, 2026.
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The BCGS Library is OPEN Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10AM - 3PM. The library will CLOSE for Christmas Break from December 21, 2025 and Reopen January 6, 2026. 〰️
The BCGS would like to acknowledge the ceded and unceded Indigenous ancestral territories of BC and Canada. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn the history, culture and traditions of the First Nations Peoples, alongside our personal investigations of familial settler history and encourage everyone to reflect on the Indigenous history of the lands where they reside.
BCGS Activities and Highlights
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Genealogy for Beginners - Registration CLOSED!!!
These virtual classes will cover research basics, software programs, online databases, online/offline resources, and common issues and problems. These are perfect for the beginning researcher but a great refresher for any level of genealogical experience.
Classes will run from 7-9pm via Zoom on January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2 & 9.
Classes are FREE for BCGS members & Affiliate Society members, $40 for non-members. -
Happy Holidays!
The BCGS woud like to wish all our members and friends a very happy holiday season.
Enjoy the time spent with your families as you gather to celebrate in your own way. And maybe find some time to follow up on some of that genealogy research you have been thinking about!
Wishing you all the best of the season and a very happy new year.
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Call for Board Nominations
The March Members’ Meeting & AGM will be held on Zoom on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, at 7:30 pm. In addition to the regular meeting, elections will be held for a number of positions on the BCGS Board of Directors.
We are grateful that many of our current Board members have agreed to stand for positions on the Executive committee.
Please consider putting your name forward if you are interested in participating.
More information coming soon.
Calendar of Upcoming BCGS Local & Zoom Events
14 January 2026
BCGS Members’ Meeting
via Zoom
Members Chat - 7:00 - 7:30 pm
Meeting Starts - 7:30 pm
Members will receive a ZOOM invitation a few days ahead of the meeting. Non-members please contact info@bcgs.ca.
“What’s Up” In Genealogy in BC and Beyond
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Canadian Letters and Images Project
Canadian Letters & Images Project - A digitization project for those who served Canada in conflict or war. Learn how you can contribute and what has already been digitized.
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ProQuest - Online Access to BC Newspapers
ProQuest provides free online access to past issues of the Vancouver Sun (1912-2010), Vancouver Province (1894-2010) and Victoria Times Colonist 1884-2010) for anyone in B.C. or the Yukon.
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Legacy Family Tree Webinars
The world’s most popular webinar website for genealogy and DNA testing, where you can enjoy a robust offering of live and recorded webinars presented by top speakers. Over 2000 webinars to choose from.
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The Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria
2025 Tours and Excursions
Our tours begin at 2 pm. No reservations needed. It costs $5 for non-members and $2 for members. The fee can be paid by cash or e-transfer.Tour locations are noted in the description. Most of our tours take place at Ross Bay Cemetery, RBC. For the Ross Bay Cemetery tours we meet at the cemetery entrance on Fairfield Road, opposite the south end of Stannard Street.
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Prison and Court Records, with Andrea Lister January 5 2026 7pm via Zoom
A presentation of the Kelowna and District Genealogy Society.
Prison and Court Records can tell you a lot about your ancestors and their lives. Whether documenting legal battles or criminal activity these records will provide a variety of colour and detail. We will look at records on everything from petty theft to illegal poaching to declaring someone’s husband dead.
KDGS members free; non-members $10. Pre-registration required.
