Category: News

September Family History Forum

We are pleased to link our September 22nd Family History Forum to “Culture Days!” This is a free Zoom talk in partnership with the Okanagan Regional Library – registration required.

What: Discover Where Your Story Began: Connecting to Your Ancestral Heritage
Discovering your family history is more than just gathering names, dates and places. Family history becomes meaningful when you connect to your ancestor’s culture, traditions and stories. Claire Smith-Burns of the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society will provide you with a step-by-step guide to embark on your family history. She will particularly focus on records and tools that will help you to get to know your ancestors and build their life stories. A handout with chart templates will be provided.
Presenter: Claire Smith-Burns
When: Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026, 6:30pm
Registration Required*: https://orl.libcal.com/calendar/kelowna/fhf
Family History Forums (FHF) 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 by LibCal or the ORL librarian. No FHF in July, August or December.
*Registration often surpasses our Zoom limit but we find that many who register do not log in; by the time we know there is room for more people to attend the presentation, it is too late to notify those on our Waiting List. Therefore, we will no longer limit registration but please be sure to log in early (the Zoom link will be activated at 6:15 PDT) or you may not be able to access the Zoom if 100 people have already logged in. Thank you for your understanding!

Upcoming Meetings

We have a wonderful lineup of speakers planned for our 2026–2027 genealogy season, with fascinating topics for both experienced researchers and those just beginning their family history journey!
Registration is required. Attendance is free for KDGS members. Non-members are welcome and pay a $10 fee per meeting.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
September 14: Mohini Singh will be talking about discovering her Grandfather’s First Family in India; Bite-size
October 5: Diane Henriks, presenting “Unraveling Family History with AI: Leveraging AI to Trace an Ancestor’s Journey” (no Bite-size due to AGM)
November 2: Ken McKinlay, presenting “Researching Your Canadian World War II Ancestors;” Bite-size, Joan Kirkbride tells us about the research she’s done on Louis King, WW II Commando
January 4: Tara Shymanski, presenting “Connecting with our Roots: How Family Stories Shape our Lives;” Bite-size, Bruce Stevens tells us about his RCAF Ancestor
February 1: Nicole Elder Dyer, presenting “DNA Evidence & Analysis with AI;” Bite-size, Carol Winston, “White Knuckles, Time Travel and AI: Unlocking a 1932 Family Road Trip”
March 1: Andrea Lister, presenting “Permissions made Simple” (navigating copyright for genealogists); Bite-size, Claire Smith-Burns will guide you through making your own Family History Display Board

September 2026 Meeting

We are excited to hear our speaker, Mohini Singh, at our September 14th general meeting! As a “welcome back,” we are not charging non-KDGS members to attend (typically, we charge non-members $10 to attend our meetings). Everyone must still register, though, to receive the Zoom link. If you have friends who may be interested in the KDGS and discovering their family history, please feel free to invite them! We look forward to “seeing you in September” and hope you’ve had some great family history adventures over the summer!

Mohini Singh immigrated from  New Delhi India in 1983. After completing Broadcast journalism at BCIT, she came to Kelowna to work at CHBC TV where she was for over 20 years. Mohini also serves as a City of Kelowna Councillor (since 2011) and volunteers her time for many organizations in the Okanagan. Her family has criss-crossed the globe from Pakistan to India then they were spread out in Canada and the US. Recently, Mohini traced her roots with the help of her friend, Jaspal Khunkhun, who will be joining her as she shares her story with us.
What: My South Asian Family presented by Mohini Singh
When: Monday, September 14, 7pm
Where: Via Zoom – you must register to receive the Zoom link   REGISTER HERE

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Archives

2026 Upcoming Meeting Information

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