With long winter days stretching ahead, have you entertained the thought of starting to work on your family tree, but you're not sure how to get started? Or have you begun, but have hit a few brick walls in your research? The Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society invites you to join them at "Heritage Day" on Sunday, February 16 at the Western Development Museum in Yorkton from 2PM - 5PM. The Society will be at Heritage Day, and has members at all stages of research to answer your questions and offer helpful advice to enable your research to move forward. New members are always welcome if you would like to join the Society.
The theme of Heritage Day is "Have Fun with Heritage: Historic Places Made for Play", with the goal of seeing the historical value of places designed for play. Guest speakers will talk about interesting locations in the area that have special memories for them. This can inspire you to take your genealogy work one step further and record special family stories and memories as part of your family archives.
The June 2008 issue of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society "Bulletin" has an informative article about "Passenger Ship Lists" by Rae W. Chamberlain. If your ancestors came to Canada by ship during the years 1865 to 1922, the Canadian Genealogy Centre at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy has scanned images of the passenger ship lists of Canadian ports, and they have other suggestions for gathering more information. Another site to visit is www.findmypast.com, which has passenger lists from ships leaving British ports during the years 1890 to 1960. And if you think that your ancestors may have arrived here by coming through the United States first, www.castlegarden.org has information about millions of immigrants who arrived in the years from 1830 to 1892. This fascinating article is one of many interesting and informative articles published in the SGS Bulletin.
The Yorkton Genealogy Society, a branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society, can give you valuable information about all that the SGS has to offer. As a "value added" member of the Yorkton branch of the SGS, you will have access to many services with the SGS. "The SGS is a volunteer provincial heritage organization whose purpose is to promote and develop the study, research and preservation of Genealogy and Family History". This mission statement encompasses education, preservation, resources, and promotion. For more information about the SGS, talk to Dave or Glenn when you visit with genealogy members at Heritage Day, or log on to www.saskgenealogy.com
By becoming a member of the Yorkton branch, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of the services that the SGS offers, while being able to share ideas, questions and camaraderie with fellow genealogists right here at home. Every family has a story: make this the year to discover yours with the Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society.
