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.
Come to the BCGS Library to jump-start your family history research in 2026. The Library is OPEN Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10AM - 3PM.
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Come to the BCGS Library to jump-start your family history research in 2026. The Library is OPEN Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10AM - 3PM. 〰️
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. -
Coffee Chats in 2026
This is a heads up that we are making some changes to our coffee chat registrations this year. The participant lists have not been updated for some time, so we will be introducing a new registration process for members to register for the coffee chats they are interested in attending.
The system is not set up yet, so sit tight - more information will be coming soon!
PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER YET!
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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 Board.
Please consider putting your name forward if you are interested in participating.
Click on the link below to access the nomination form.
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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United Empire Loyalists, with Brian McConnell. January 10 at 1pm, via Zoom
Skagit Valley Genealogical Society begins our 2026 Winter Speakers Series by recognizing that not all Colonists supported the Patriot cause. Some Colonists were Loyalists who supported the King, and many families had relatives on opposing sides. Our presenter,Brian McConnell, is a Canadian author, genealogist and historian. Join us on January 10, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Library or email info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org to request a Zoom link
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Scottish Indexes Conference XXXI , online January 31, 2025
The Scottish Indexes Conference is an opportunity to learn new research skills, discover diverse records and see how others have put these into practice. If you want to trace your Scottish family tree, this is the event for you.
Don't live in the UK? No problem. We are live from 7 am to 11 pm UK time. . Each presentation is shown twice, once between 7 am and 3 pm UK time, then again between 3 pm and 11 pm. A schedule will be posted on our website a week or so before the conference.
FREE or by donation
