Events

2026

Prison and Court Records

Canadian Census title slide

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 wide variety of color and detail. We will look at records on everything from petty theft to illegal poaching to declaring someone’s husband dead. The scope includes Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. 

January 5, 2026 | 7:00pm PST

Kelowna & District Genealogical Society
Via Zoom | Free for members; $10 for non-members

Ireland in your PJs

Wolf in Dewolfe clothing title slide

Everyone has heard the story that all the Irish records were burnt or that you can only research your family if you travel there. However, times have changed and it is possible to do a considerable amount of research online, at home, in your pyjamas. Join Andrea, not in her pjs, as she does an overview of what is available from the comfort of your sofa.

March 25, 2026 | 6:30pm PST

Poco Genealogy Group
Via Zoom

Prison and Court Records

Canadian Census title slide

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 wide variety of color and detail. We will look at records on everything from petty theft to illegal poaching to declaring someone’s husband dead. The scope includes Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. 

April 6, 2026 | 1:00pm PST

Nanaimo Family History Society
Via Zoom | Free for members

A Wolfe in Dewolfe Clothing

Wolf in Dewolfe clothing title slide

The DeWolf family from Wolfville, Nova Scotia, were part of the wave of Planters from New England who settled the lands left vacant by the Acadian Expulsion in the 1760s. Typically, any time a genealogical friend sends me a DeWolf, they link into my tree in some way. However, the DeWolfe Boathouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts, proved to be a challenge. Follow my journey as I track the family back from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia through census, vital records, town records, family histories to determine if they are connected to the Nova Scotian DeWolf family.

May 2 & 3, 2026

Nova Scotia Genealogy Virtual Conference 2026
Via Zoom | $39 for GANS members; $69 for non-members

Opening Research Avenues

Every researcher eventually runs into a place, a time period, an occupation or a topic that is unfamiliar. Cyndi's List, a genealogical research portal, and FamilySearch Wikis, an online directory and handbook, are invaluable resources to move your research forward.

May 6, 2026

Maple Ridge Family History Group
Via Zoom |

AI: Deciphering the Hype

AI: Deciphering the Hype

Daily, we are bombarded with marketing about Artificial Intelligence (AI) but what is it and how does it work? How is it different from doing a web search? Is it useful for genealogy or is it just the new toy? What should we be concerned about? How do we use it ethically?

May 9, 2026

Pacific Dogwood Chapter NSDAR
Via Zoom | for members

Seafaring Ancestors

Seafaring Ancestors title slide

Do you have captains, crew, ship-owners, insurers, bread-makers or pirates in your family tree? You might have an ancestor involved in the shipping industry and not realize it. Learn where to look to discover your seafaring ancestors. This talk provides a basic overview of where to look for seafaring ancestors (not those who were in the navy) tailored for British and Canadian research.

PERMISSIONS MADE SIMPLE: Copyright for Family Historians

permissions title slide

Do you want to share your family history in a book or on a website or in YouTube video or social media? Do you want to use photos, maps, text, music, in your book but are not sure what you can use or how to get permission? Join Andrea Lister for this program as she guides you through the various forms of permissions and when they are required.

July 9, 2026 | 7:00pm EST

The Ontario Genealogical Society 2026 Webinar Series
Via Zoom |

Opening Research Avenues

Every researcher eventually runs into a place, a time period, an occupation or a topic that is unfamiliar. Cyndi's List, a genealogical research portal, and FamilySearch Wikis, an online directory and handbook, are invaluable resources to move your research forward.

May 6, 2026

Maple Ridge Family History Group
Via Zoom |

AI: Deciphering the Hype

AI: Deciphering the Hype

Daily, we are bombarded with information about Artificial Intelligence (AI), but what is it and how does it work? What are some of the different implementations of AI? How is it different from doing a web search? How is AI being used by family history sites (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast)? Can you use chatbots like Chat GPT or Gemini for research? Is it useful for genealogy or is it just the new toy? What should we be concerned about? How do we use it ethically? Join Andrea Lister as she explores this topic.

October 17, 2026

2026 Abbotsford Family History Day
In person | Free

Canadian Census before Confederation 1841-1861

Census title slide

Census records exist for what is now known as Canada exist from before Confederation in 1867. Records include the Pre-Confederation censuses of Lower Canada, Canada West, and the Province of Canada. Join Andrea Lister, historian and census expert, to explore techniques to help you find your ancestors in these early records.

December 2, 2026 | 7:00pm PCT

Maple Ridge Family History Group
Via Zoom |

Opening Research Avenues

Every researcher eventually runs into a place, a time period, an occupation or a topic that is unfamiliar. Move your research beyond genealogical databases and explore new resources such as Cindi’s List, HathiTrust and more with Andrea Lister, historian and genealogy researcher.

February 11, 2027 | 7:00pm MST

Strathcona County Library
in-person attendance with virtual speaker | Free

PERMISSIONS MADE SIMPLE: Copyright for Family Historians

permissions title slide

Do you want to share your family history in a book or on a website or in YouTube video or social media? Do you want to use photos, maps, text, music, in your book but are not sure what you can use or how to get permission? Join Andrea Lister for this program as she guides you through the various forms of permissions and when they are required.

March 1, 2027 | 7:00pm PST

Kelowna & District Genealogical Society
Via Zoom | Free for members; $10 for non-members

Canadian Census before Confederation 1841-1861

Census title slide

Census records exist for what is now known as Canada exist from before Confederation in 1867. Records include the Pre-Confederation censuses of Lower Canada, Canada West, and the Province of Canada. Join Andrea Lister, historian and census expert, to explore techniques to help you find your ancestors in these early records.

March 11, 2027 | 7:00pm MST

Strathcona County Library
in-person attendance with virtual speaker | Free