Nanaimo Family History Society

Researching in the Location of Your Choosing
2025-06-05 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Denver)
Researching in <location TBD>, hosted by Susan Bates, Bronwyn Fraser
The geographic focus for June will be determined at the May meeting.

Genealogy Book Club
2025-06-12 18:30 - 20:00
Genealogy Book Club, Terry Hartley
We’re studying “Research Like a Pro with DNA” by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthln. The discussion at the June session will be on Chapter 12.
It’s not necessary to register again if you’ve registered for any session of the Book Club previously.

NFHS General Meeting
2025-06-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Beban Park Social Centre, Room 8
Gordon L. McBean of Winnipeg, Manitoba
Gordon will present “They Came Through Ontario”. He will be reporting on the various research methods and tools he has used to obtain favourable results.
This is a Hybrid meeting.

NFHS Executive Meeting
2025-09-08 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-10-06 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-03 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-01-05 19:00 - 20:30

NFHS General Meeting
2025-09-15 19:00 - 21:00
Terry Hartley of Nanaimo, BC (member) – topic to be determined.
DNA testing for genealogy offers more than just ethnicity estimates —it uncovers a personal archive of inherited information waiting to be explored. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll review the three main types of DNA used in family history research: autosomal, Y-DNA, and mitochondrial DNA. You’ll learn how each one can help confirm relationships, break through brick walls, and reveal unexpected family stories.
Real-life examples will be used to illustrate how DNA can support, and sometimes challenge, your paper trail. We’ll also touch on important ethical and privacy considerations when working with your genetic data.
This is a Hybrid meeting.

Genealogy Book Club, Terry Hartley
2025-09-18 18:30 - 20:00, 2025-11-20 18:30 - 20:00, 2025-12-18 18:30 - 20:00
Repeated by popular demand! We’ll be studying Research Like a Pro with DNA by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthln, and applying their methods to our own research. Each participant will choose a brick wall ancestor and work through the techniques outlined in the book to make and document progress. Along the way, members will share updates, receive constructive feedback, and benefit from guidance from both fellow participants and the facilitator.
The book can be purchased online available in paper or ebook. The book club sessions will run monthly on the third Thursday through to June of 2026. Register once for all of them.

Coffee Club
2025-09-25 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-10-30 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-27 10:00 - 12:00
Come join our large table for fun and interesting conversation. Held on the last Thursday of the month, 10:00 am to 12 noon at Smitty’s, Rock City, 2980 Island Highway, Nanaimo. We send reminder emails about a week ahead of time and ask for RSVP’s to provide Smitty’s with a number to set up for.

SOS: Searches and Strategies for Your Research Challenges, hosted by Susan Bates, Bronwyn Frazer
2025-10-02 18:30 - 20:00, 2025-11-06 18:30 - 20:00, 2025-12-04 18:30 - 20:00
Join us if you have a brick wall you’d like us to tackle, or if you enjoy solving others’ puzzles, or if you just want to hear some new strategies that might apply to your own research.
These sessions will be held on the first Thursday of October, November and December.

“A Mouse at Moresby”, Tony Green
2025-10-09 18:30 - 20:00
Tony will talk about his father’s experiences as a photographer for the Royal Australian Air
Force in New Guinea in WW2. He’ll also describe the lengthy development of the book and
explain the curious title. The book by Big Sky publishing of Australia is now for sale online and will be released October 1st. www.bigskypublishing.com.au/books/a-mouse-at-moresby/

Genealogy Book Club, Terry Hartley
2025-10-16 18:30 - 20:00
We’re studying Research Like a Pro with DNA by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthln.
Repeated by popular demand! We’ll be studying Research Like a Pro with DNA by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthln, and applying their methods to our own research. Each participant will choose a brick wall ancestor and work through the techniques outlined in the book to make and document progress. Along the way, members will share updates, receive constructive feedback, and benefit from guidance from both fellow participants and the facilitator.
The book can be purchased online available in paper or ebook. The book club sessions will run monthly on the third Thursday through to June of 2026. Register once for all of them.

NFHS General Meeting
2025-10-20 19:00 - 21:00
Dave Obee of Victoria, BC – “Every Source Matters: Using a variety of clues to find distant
family members”
Dave Obee is editor and publisher of the Times Colonist newspaper in Victoria, B.C. He has worked as a journalist in British Columbia and Alberta since 1972. He also finds time to maintain a terrific, information packed website covering Canadian and European links that is well worth a look. You will be impressed. https://www.cangenealogy.com/
This is a Hybrid meeting.

Je Me Souviens, Ruth Stewart
2025-10-23 18:30 - 20:00
I have been researching my pre-1700 Quebec ancestors. Join me as I trace their routes from France to the settlements of Quebec, Sainte-Foy and Ville-Marie in New France.

DNA Clusters, Aleda Spring
2025-10-30 18:30 - 20:00
Aleda will describe what Clusters are, and how they can be used to help identify your DNA
matches.

Joseph Dalby, Apothecary, Penny Bent
2025-11-13 18:30 - 20:00
Penny tells about some of the background information she uncovered while researching her ancestor Joseph Dalby. She wrote about Joseph and his Carminative in an earlier issue of Ancestree.

NFHS General Meeting
2025-11-17 19:00 - 21:00
Glenn Wright of Toronto, Ontario – Last Sacrifice: Researching Canada’s War Dead 1914-1919 and 1939-1945
Every November 11, we gather at local memorials to remember those who died in service to their country in times of war. Researching Canada’s war dead whether a member of your family or community can be, in itself, an act of commemoration. Basic information about Canadian fatal casualties in both the
First and Second World Wars is easily accessible at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. This website incorporates the database of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and provides the name of the soldier, date of death, age, unit, next of kin and place of burial or commemoration. In addition, the Virtual War Memorial allows one to add information to an individual’s entry, i.e., photographs, newspaper clippings, letters and more. In this sense, it is a living memorial to our war dead.
We are blessed with a number of diverse and informative resources, both online and published. In this presentation, we will explore these resources that allow us to document – and remember — those who died in either World War as fully as possible.

This is Zoom only meeting.

Show and Tell: War Stories and Mementos from Our Ancestors, co-hosted by Susan Bates, Bronwyn Frazer, Tony Green
2025-11-27 18:30 - 20:00
This mini zoom session will appeal to members who have stories, letters, photos, medals, etc. from their families’ war experiences that they’d like to share with the group.

NFHS Executive Meeting
2025-12-01 13:00 - 15:00
TBD

NFHS Social
2025-12-08 13:30 - 16:00

Elizabeth Who? — Thomas Where and When? by Carolyn Kemp
2025-12-11 18:30 - 20:00
Using UK Wills and Land Records: A Case Study, Carolyn Kemp
Carolyn will explore how UK wills and land records assisted her exploration of her Sussex Agate family. This presentation will also provide details about how these important genealogy sources can be found online, including a number of free sources from numerous UK databases.

TBA
2025-12-14 08:00 - 17:00
TBA

Zoom presentation only.

NFHS Executive meeting
2026-01-06 19:00 - 20:30
Location and time to be determined.
