Category: News

January 2026 Family History Forum

Make your Genealogical Year a successful one! Learn about Genealogy Sources at our FREE January 27, 2026 Family History Forum: Genealogy Sources: What are They?
This session will explore sources of information for building your family history. We will discuss types of sources and reliability of the information found therein to provide evidence for your ancestors; how to find and access sources of information; and how to construct a proper source citation.
Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 6:30pm PST
Presenter: Claire Smith-Burns
Location: via Zoom
REGISTRATION REQUIRED – https://orl.libcal.com/event/3986487

November 2025 Family History Forum

Historic Vital Statistics across Canada: What’s Online?
Looking for a Canadian Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate for your ancestors? Come on this guided tour across Canada to discover what is available (or not) online! Each province is responsible to record their own Vital Statistics; therefore, the start dates vary and also the privacy protection laws. Availability online also differs widely from province to province.

Click on this link for the Recording – https://youtu.be/S_J-BBIrWWE
Family History Forums are a partnership presentation series of the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society and the Okanagan Regional Library. The topics vary but are typically at the beginner’s level in Family History research. All are welcome to these FREE Zoom presentations, but pre-registration is required through the ORL’s Events Calendar. When registering, be sure to enter your email address correctly and watch for the email from the ORL to confirm your registration. The Zoom link and handout will be emailed to you the day before the presentation.

2026 Upcoming Meeting Information

February 2: Broad Context; How to Find it and Use it! presented by Jill Mirelli
By understanding the broad context of our geographic area and the era we can interpret the evidence more accurately and thereby understand the decision-making of our ancestors more clearly. We sometimes view context as just the historical events that affected our ancestor. We will broaden that definition and explain the difference between it and social history. Examples clarify meaning and illustrate how this is a project long process and not effort applied at the end.
April 13: All Kinds of Loyalists presented by Kathryn Lake Hogan
During the American Revolutionary War, approximately 35% of the population of the Thirteen colonies was loyal to King George III of Great Britain. Was your ancestor one of them? How do you know if your ancestor was a Loyalist? In this presentation, learn what to look for in documents and records to determine if your ancestor meets the qualifications of being a Loyalist.
May 4: Using AI to Research Documents & Letters presented by Mark Thompson
Do you have old family letters and documents waiting to be explored? In this beginner-friendly session, learn how artificial intelligence can assist you in analyzing and researching your family’s personal archives. From summarizing key points to quickly identifying names and relationships, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can help you speed up your research. You’ll also learn how to responsibly use some of the amazing, but riskier, aspects of AI like transcription and translation. Join Mark Thompson to learn how AI can lighten the load and help you reveal the rich history hidden in your family archive!

Loading

Archives

June 2025 Family History Forum

Topic: Exploring Irish Records – Not Everything was burned! Presenter, Eunice Robinson of the BC Genealogical Society One of the myths about researching in Ireland is that no records exist, and it is impossible to find your...

Read More

April 2025 General Meeting

April 7: Lost in London, presenter Helen Smith of Brisbane, Australia. This recording is no longer available. Bite-size: Employment Records in Genealogy: A Bank Manager in Summerland, presenters KDGS member, Brenda...

Read More

Heritage Week 2025

Heritage Week: KDGS members, Robert Nield, Mary Read, Sandra Sellick and Claire Smith-Burns have researched the five SS Sicamous captains for our Heritage Personalities display boards; see these at the Monday February 17th...

Read More
Loading