Past Events and Programs
May 22, 2018 - Using Timelines - Chris Krismer

Chris Krismer was the guest speaker at our May 22 meeting. She discussed the use of timelines and showed us examples of timelines for family groups.

A timeline can be for an individual or for a family. It may go forwards in time or it may start at the date of death and move back. It visually shows changes in the family, as the decades go by.

Include dates for birth, marriage and death, as well as for significant events such as immigration, naturalization, homestead patent, and census years.

Add wars and other historical events that would have impacted your ancestors’ lives, such as the Spanish flu of 1918. Dates for events affecting the people of Saskatchewan can be found in Saskatchewan Timeline published by the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan. A copy of this publication is in the SGS Library.

April 24, 2018 - Clan MacKenzie Society of Canada - Sharie Argue

At our April meeting, Sharie Argue, Saskatchewan Commissioner for the Clan MacKenzie Society of Canada, was our guest speaker.

Sharie spoke about her involvement with the Clan MacKenzie Society of Canada, and also provided suggestions on how to do research in Scotland.

The newsletter for the Clan MacKenzie Society is now published in an electronic format. One of their historical sources is the Findon Tables, which shows the family trees for several branches of the clan. They also have a DNA project that may help in proving the traditional genealogies.

Sources for information about Scottish history and culture are:
The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History by George Black. This book is in the SGS library.
Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland includes topographical, historical, social, and architectural information.
Electric Scotland ( https://www.electricscotland.com/) is a website with information on the history and culture of Scotland, as well as the Scottish connections in various countries around the world.

ScotlandsPeople (https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/) is an excellent website for finding genealogical records, although there is a fee for access.

ScotlandsPlaces (https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/ is a free online resource with maps, photographs and written records for locations in Scotland.

The Scottish people were well educated, due to their strong oral traditions. They likely did not read or write, but they knew their history, all the details of their trade, and could quote poetry.

April 6, 2018 - Saskatchewan Legislative Library TOUR

On the afternoon of April 6, a group of fourteen people toured the Saskatchewan Legislative Library, on the second floor of the Legislative Building. Visitors are required to leave their identification at the security kiosk while they are in the building.

Beth Christianson, Reference Librarian, spoke to our group about what the library has to offer. Then we were permitted to browse, which led to some members actually finding information on their ancestors!

The Library’s collection is available to the public for in-library use. The Library subscribes to all currently published Saskatchewan newspapers and many magazines. They also have online databases for newspapers, including Canadian Major Dailies and PressReader. There is an extensive collection in areas related to government and public policy. Items of particular interest to genealogists are local history books from around the province, Newspaper Indexes, Newspaper Clippings Files, war histories, and western Canadian history books.

You can search the library catalogue from home. It is on the Library Home Page at
http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/library/
Many of the materials are stored off-site, so you are encouraged to call ahead to ensure that the items you are interested in will be available when you arrive.

March 27, 2018 - Saskatchewan Remembrance Project - Chris Harris

Chris Harris was the guest speaker at our March branch meeting. He told us about his project of remembrance for Saskatchewan soldiers who had died during WWII. Chris is a journalist and had written a story about a Saskatchewan soldier who had died in Normandy. He did some research and found that 46 Saskatchewan soldiers were killed on D-Day, and he wanted to do something to honour these fallen soldiers. In 2016, he visited the cemeteries in France, located the headstones and photographed each one.

As news of his project spread, Chris began to receive requests from people who were interested in getting a photograph of the headstone for a family member buried in France. Chris noticed that these soldiers were the great-uncles in their families, rather than the grandfathers. This is because many of the soldiers who had died were 18, 19 or 20 years old, and had not even begun their lives as adults.

In 2017, he travelled to war cemeteries in Italy, to photograph more headstones of soldiers buried there. He has now documented the burial locations of 292 Saskatchewan soldiers in France and Italy.

Last Remembrance Day, Chris displayed his gravestone photographs on the grounds of the Saskatchewan Legislature, honouring those Saskatchewan soldiers. Watch for him to be there again this year on November 11th.

To keep up to date on Chris’s Saskatchewan Remembrance Project, check out the Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/SaskRemembrance/


February 27, 2018 - Group Sharing

Our February meeting was a chance for everyone to contribute. Two possible options were to share how you organize your genealogy, or to bring a written item from an ancestor. A number of helpful tips were shared.

We have a variety of methods for organizing our genealogy. Some use file folders or binders, while others are entirely digital. It seems that our organization methods evolve over time.

Portability was desired, which could be done digitally or with a binder that has a zipper. Colour coding is helpful; this is done by using different colours of file folders, by placing a coloured dot on the file folder to indicate the family line, or by using colours on digital folders. Using a research log was recommended, and an example of using a spreadsheet was shared.

All documents can be scanned and kept as digital records. You must be sure to back this up to the cloud or an external hard drive. Original documents should be stored in an archival quality box or portfolio.

Several people want to share their information and to pass it on to younger family members. An example was to give a family tree showing a baby’s ancestors, as a baby gift. Family history and stories are precious, no matter what format is used to record them.

We also saw several examples of an ancestor’s written item. These included:
A postcard showing the address where parents had lived,
Old cards and a family Christmas letter,
A transcript of an ancestor’s Civil War journal,
A published book that was written by a family member,
A binder with the family story, maps and photographs, and
A coil-bound family history book.


January 23, 2018 - Heirloom Show and Tell

It was foggy in Regina on the evening of January 23, but everyone who ventured out to our meeting had something exciting to share. Some brought a treasured item to show, while others informed us of some great learning opportunities. The lively discussions that resulted kept us there until 9 PM!

Heirloom articles that were shared:
A dress brought to Canada from the Ukraine has embroidery with thread and beads. We heard of a trip to the Ukraine and some amazing research that included viewing church records with the family names.

A butter press box would be used to shape a block of butter. A grandmother, who lived in Manitoba, had used this.

A beautiful, old book of poetry by William Wordsworth was in excellent condition. A photograph was shown of the Great-Grandparents who originally had the book.

A member showed a large family photograph and identified a young boy in the photo as her grandfather. A little sister is not visible in the photo because she was hiding under the table.

A Norwegian family Bible that belonged to an immigrant in Minnesota is now in the care of a great-granddaughter in Saskatchewan.

Photographs of several Royal china teacups and plates were shown, with an explanation of the events that they commemorated.

A woman wore a purple hat with a red flower, and had a book of photos of female family members, each wearing the hat when they were 60 years old. The hat and book were first presented to her mother and has been shared by the sisters, daughters and nieces as each one turns 60.

We learned of a Grandmother, who traveled with her family across Canada in a colony car and arrived in the North-West Territories on April 1, 1905. The Grandmother’s photograph and a small booklet of photos from 1905 were shown, as well as a painting done by Grandma. The member’s written story about her grandmother was published in the book Women Pioneers of Saskatchewan, Vol. 2 edited by Celeste Rider, Saskatchewan Genealogical Society.

Opportunities for learning about genealogy research and writing are:
The Prairie History Room at the Regina Public Library, Central location, has a wide selection of resources, including census records, city directories, community history books, passenger lists, and newspapers. With a library card, you can access the Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest databases. The Prairie History Room is open 7 days a week. More information on the many valuable materials in the Prairie History Room can be found at https://www.reginalibrary.ca/services/prairie-history/resources

The Smith Family history book has a record of extensive research and a copy of it is in the SGS Library.

A few people have been watching Legacy webinars and highly recommend them. You can register to watch a live broadcast for free. You may choose to subscribe for a month or for a year, and then you will have access to the handouts and you will also be able to view the recorded webinars anytime. A schedule of upcoming webinars is available at https://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars.php

For those interested in the United Empire Loyalists, there is the UELAC "Loyalist Trails" newsletter, and the UELAC Facebook page.

The book Cream Money: Stories of Prairie People complied and edited by Deana J. Driver is a collection of short stories. It can be read as an example of a writing style that may be useful when working on your own family history book.

The Family History Writing Studio
https://www.familyhistorywritingstudio.com/ offers a six-week online course on "Writing Ancestor Profiles". Each week participants write on various topics and then submit an assignment. Many techniques are learned that will help when writing a family history. They also offer a free clinic for “28 Days of Writing”
https://www.familyhistorywritingstudio.com/family-history-writing-challenge-2018/

Another fun and easy writing opportunity that is free is offered by Amy Johnson Crow. It is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” and provides a variety of topics with lots of options.
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

Organize Your Family History offers the free 30x30 Challenge where you commit to working on your family history research for at least 30 minutes each day for 30 days.
https://organizeyourfamilyhistory.com/value-30x30-challenge/

October 24, 2017 - How to Scan & Organize Photos - Wanda MacDonald

Wanda MacDonald was the guest speaker at our October branch meeting. She is an Independent Consultant at YGY Photo - formerly Heritage Makers and Our Memories for Life www.heritagemakers.com

Wanda shared how to “Incorporate technology to make it work FOR us”. Using digitization, easy-to-use design and editing programs and must-have back up and cloud storage, we can navigate the challenge of taking our photos and memorabilia from forgotten to Fabulous! A selection of digital photos can be assembled into a published book, to share with other family members. Also, those scanned and stored photos will be safe from disasters such as fire or floods.

Wanda showed us how quick and easy it is to use the FastFoto scanner. One lucky member, Evelyn Gay, who brought a variety of photos to the meeting, had her photos scanned for the demonstration. The scanner makes copies of the front and back of each photo.

The large group in attendance had a fun evening, thanks to Wanda’s bubbly personality.


September 26, 2017 - Vimy Ridge 100th Anniversary - Gareth Evans
The guest speaker at our September meeting was Gareth Evans, who is a heritage designations advisor with the Government of Saskatchewan.

Gareth, who studied the Vimy Ridge memorial and attended the 100th Anniversary ceremony in France earlier this year, spoke about his research. Providing a brief summary of the battle and the commemorative efforts after the First World War, he then discussed his participation as one of the 50,000 people who attended the event. Gareth would like to thank the Regina Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society for hosting his talk and the warm reception he received.

For those who would like to learn more about Vimy Ridge, Gareth recommended the following two books:
Vimy: The Battle and the Legend by Tim Cook, and
Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment by Geoffrey Hayes, Andrew Iarocci and Mike Bechthold.

Jun 25, 2017 - Cemetery Reading
This year’s Cemetery Recording took place on June 25 at the Yellow Grass Cemetery, in the RM of Scott. The Yellow Grass Cemetery has approximately 1,000 total burials.

The nine volunteers who participated in the cemetery recording were Elaine Noble, Diane Romphf, Shirley Hauglum, Jill Vaisey, Darlene Clifford, Sharon Spott, Linda Engel, Brian Scherle and Phoebe Banbury. Elaine and Diane took photographs of the headstones while the other volunteers recorded the inscriptions on the headstones. Several graves have a white cross beside the headstone, in recognition of service in the Canadian armed forces. A few of the graves had German inscriptions. We noticed that there were some families who had lost several young children.

The weather was perfect for a day at the cemetery. It was warm and sunny with no wind. At noon we took a break to eat lunch in the outdoors. We all appreciated having the use of a washroom, in the trailer that Elaine and Phoebe brought to the cemetery.

This event brought together several experienced cemetery recorders and some newer members who were doing this for the first time. It was a great opportunity to meet other members of the Regina branch.
On Sunday June 7 2015, seven branch members read three cemeteries in the Rural Municipality of Longlaketon number 219, north of the Qu'Appelle River.
See the Cemetery Index page for details.
Thanks to coordinator Shelley Kloczko
and volunteer readers and photographers
Phoebe Banbury, Elaine Noble, Jacquie Perigny,
Sharon Spott, David Wessel, and Colleen Slater-Smith.
bullinterested spectator

May 23, 2017 - Legacy Genealogy Program, Part 2 - Chris Krismer

Chris Krismer returned as our guest speaker on May 23, to continue with Part 2 of the Legacy Program presentation. Part 1, an introduction to Legacy, took place on February 28.

The Legacy 9 Deluxe Edition has been released. A new feature of Legacy 9 is that it will tie into Find My Past, My Heritage and Find A Grave, if you have a subscription to the desired website. Also, hashtags can be attached to your ancestors, which could be used for the cause of death. These new features in Legacy 9 may be most useful to those genealogists who are researching in the United Kingdom and western Europe, since the websites Find My Past and My Heritage are focused on that geographic area.

If you have an earlier version of Legacy, it can still be used and it may provide enough features to meet your needs. Be aware, if you are using Legacy 8 and you convert your files to Legacy 9, you can no longer use them in Legacy 8.

Chris showed us the Legacy 8 Deluxe Edition to demonstrate how to use Legacy. She provided a thorough explanation of how to enter information under the various icons. She also shared numerous tips that will help us to make better use of the Legacy program.

It is possible to enter an additional set of parents, which could be used for an adoption. Also, the relationship of a half child can be shown, such as the child of a second wife. To do this enter the names of both wives, using "Unknown" if necessary, and then add the names of the children.

Be consistent in the format that you use for entering the names of people and for recording dates. Also, be consistent when making a master list of the locations. For a location in the U.S.A., record the "city, county, state, and country"

Enter the name that was used for the location at the time of the event. For example, the province of Saskatchewan did not exist until September 1, 1905. The area that is now southern Saskatchewan was the District of Assiniboia from 1882 to 1905, so the location for an event during this time period is District of Assiniboia. Also, many towns that were in Saskatchewan no longer exist. In eastern Europe and Russia, there were changes in the boundaries of countries, resulting in name changes for many locations. It can be helpful to enter a note with the current name for such a location.

April 25, 2017 - DNA for Genealogy - Sharie Argue

The guest speaker at our April meeting was Sharie Argue. She has been President of The Clan MacKenzie Society of Canada since 2013 and is also the Commissioner for Saskatchewan with the society.

Sharie is a very committed amateur genealogist with a database of over 50,000 collected through personal research, with contributions from cousins worldwide. Reading history books and studying maps, traveling, and interviewing others provided much of her information. More recently, her research also includes DNA testing.

The Y-DNA test provides information about the direct paternal line. The Y chromosome is passed from father to son, with very few mutations. The Y-67 marker testing will provide enough information to be useful in genealogy research. If you are a female, the Y-DNA information for your father’s ancestors can be obtained by testing your father, your brother, or an uncle or male cousin who has the direct male lineage to a shared paternal ancestor.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is passed down from a mother to all of her children. The mtDNA testing can be done on males or females to learn more about the maternal line.

The Autosomal DNA testing may not be as useful for genealogy research because it tests for DNA that you have received from both of your parents. It will be difficult to differentiate between your maternal and paternal lines when using autosomal DNA results.

After the presentation there was a discussion about the various companies that offer DNA testing.

March 28, 2017 - Picture Perfect - Renae Grubb

At our March monthly meeting, Renae Grubb provided guidance on how to preserve our family photos. She gave recommendations for organizing the photos and safely preserving them. Renae also showed us a few of the family albums that she has made, as examples of her techniques.

Store your photographs and albums in rooms that you are living in, as room temperature is the best environment for preserving photographic items. Always avoid a damp basement or a hot attic as locations for keeping your photos. Sunlight can damage photos that are on display.

Magnetic album pages are chemically destroying the photos that are securely attached to the cardboard. The first priority should be to get those photos out of the albums. Dental floss may be helpful in removing photos that are stuck on. Any photos that are difficult to remove should be scanned on the computer, before attempting to remove them from the album. In some cases you may have to cut around the cardboard and leave the photo attached to the cardboard.

Gather the photos and begin to sort them. Use many 12x12 inch pieces of cardboard to simulate album pages, and set your sorted photos on the cardboard sheets. The best and most meaningful photos can be organized into themes (special events or family branch). Next place these in chronological order and then arrange as album pages. Leave room on the pages for documenting and adding other keepsake items.

Double photos can go into your research folder or there may be another family member who would like to have a copy. Photos of mystery people or places should be kept and shared with distant relatives, who might be able to identify people in your photos.

Photos that you wish to preserve can be scanned on the computer. These photos can easily be shared with others. Be sure to make a back up copy of these scanned photos.

The original photos can be stored in photo albums. Use photo albums and products that are acid-free and lignin-free. With scrapbook style photo albums you can document the history right on the album page. Include family stories, handwritten letters, your feelings, recipes, etc. Store albums upright on shelves, which provides less pressure and abrasion on the photos.

March 3, 2017 - Tour of the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan

On the afternoon of March 3, nineteen of us met at the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan at 3303 Hillsdale Street for a very informative tour. A variety of media are archived, such as books, paper documents, microfilm, photographs, audio and film.

Many records with valuable information for family history research are available at the Provincial Archives. Some examples are:

    Homestead registers and homestead files
    Historical maps including township survey maps and Cummins maps
    Community history books
    Henderson’s city directories for Regina
    Many Saskatchewan newspapers, on microfilm
    Passenger manifests for ships that arrived in eastern Canada, on microfilm
    Department of Education records concerning early school districts

For specific information about the materials at the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan, go to their website at:
www.saskarchives.com

Feb 28 2017 - Legacy Genealogy Program Part I - Chris Krismer

Chris Krismer introduced us to the Legacy program and explained how to use several of the options that are available in the program. She demonstrated how to add a child to a family and then showed the various ways that the family information can be viewed.

If you decide that a person does not belong in a particular family, you can “unlink” that individual and their information is still in the program. Names with variant spellings can be entered with an Alternate Name. A source citation should be entered for every event and additional notes can also be added. If entering a location or a source citation that has already been entered into the program, you can select it from a drop-down list instead of typing it in again. Additional events or facts can be entered to create a timeline for a family member. Some useful facts could be an alternate birth date or death date, schooling completed, naturalization, residence at each location and medical events.

The program can be customized to suit your preferences. The names of those who are in your direct line can be displayed in bold. The font colour for the children’s names can be set to distinguish between girls, boys and unknown gender.

TO BE CONTINUED...
Chris will continue her presentation in May, with Legacy Genealogy Program Part II scheduled for our meeting on Tuesday, May 23. This gives us an opportunity to start using the program and to try out the many hints that Chris suggested before we learn additional information about Legacy.


Nov 24 2015 - The Importance of Using Maps - Pat Ryan

Back by popular demand, Pat Ryan gave this insightful presentation at the AGM.
Maps play an intrinsic part in solving virtually every genealogical puzzle.
How could this couple have met? Did they move, or did the border of some juristiction
or name of their village change? Which church did they attend and would it have kept
their records? Did they travel far to attend school or work, or was it just next door?
Land holdings far apart or right together?
Historical maps are crucial in family history research. Maps come in various scales,
from extremely local and detailed, to world-wide, each useful for different purposes.
There are also many types, such as political, physical and topographical.
They display different information, including land ownership, parish borders,
population, weather, and such things as migration and trade patterns.
Have at least one relevant map handy while doing your research. Use maps often.
Pat has graciously given us permission to post the handout from her presentation,
which contains links to several websites featuring maps useful to genealogists.
Visit Pat at her blog: PastRelations Genealogy Family History.

Oct 27 2015 - A Twist in Time, a look back on history - Leo Saccary

In 2014, Leo Saccary’s high school and community leadership made him the
first ever Saskatchewan recipient of the Vimy Foundation Pilgrimage award,
a week long all expenses paid trip in April 2014 to WWI battlefields and memorials.
The Vimy Foundation created the award to honor exceptional Canadian youth
who have served their peers, schools, communities, province or country.

Sep 22 2015 - Mary, Mary Lou & Renae’s Amazing Genealogy Adventure

What do Gnomes, Giraffes, Gallbladders & Genealogy all have in Common?
Mary, Mary Lou & Renae’s Amazing Genealogy Adventure of course!
Three cousins researching for their Elder ancestors in Ohio & Pennsylvania.
Who says genealogy researching is boring?

June 7 2015 - Cemetery Reading
On Sunday June 7 2015, seven branch members read three cemeteries in the Rural Municipality of Longlaketon number 219, north of the Qu'Appelle River.
See the Cemetery Index page for details.
Thanks to coordinator Shelley Kloczko
and volunteer readers and photographers
Phoebe Banbury, Elaine Noble, Jacquie Perigny,
Sharon Spott, David Wessel, and Colleen Slater-Smith.
bullinterested spectator
May 26 2015 - Creating Research Plans - Michael John Neill

Michael John Neill is a columnist for Ancestry World Journal and the author of the
Genealogy Tip of the Day blog. We viewed one of his series of instructional videos.
With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Neill outlined the reasons for and
strategies to use in planning and carrying out research. Some of his advice:
• Set a goal which is clear, specific and realistic. Focus on one person or relationship.
• Don't set out to prove a particular "fact" - You don't know it yet! - Don't assume.
• Review and analyze what you already know - How reliable is your evidence?
• Learn what sources may be available - Are they primary or secondary?
• Chart potential sources - name, record, reason to search, availability, priority.

From your priority list,
create a plan, do your research, and log each search (successful or not.)

Mar 24 2015 - German Settlement in Saskatchewan - Dave Wessel
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, more Saskatchewan residents claim German than any other ethnic ancestry, including English.
Very few of the early settlers came directly from Germany, most arriving from eastern Europe.

With the help of maps and timelines,
Dave looked at 500 years of European history to
learn why these people left Germany and Austria
in the first place, and why they chose to
re-migrate to the Canadian prairies later on.

As the Prussian and Hapsburg empires expanded, along with Russia under Catherine II,
German settlers, especially religious minorities, poured eastward between 1763 and 1871.
Then, as Russia's open-door policy ended, and the Prussian and Hapsburg empires shrunk in the face of Slavic nationalism between 1871 and 1929, German-speakers were looking for a place to go. Those are precisely the years of the first major European settlement in the Canadian prairies.

Ethnic Bloc Settlements in Sask
Atlas of Saskatchewan
Feb 24 2015 - Funeral Home Records - Nathan Gerow
As a Family Representative at Regina Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home,
Nathan Gerow could answer our many questions about both funerals and cemeteries.
A lively discussion with Regina Branch members continued throughout his presentation.

Full-service funeral homes maintain considerable data concerning the life, funeral and burial of a person.
Public information such as full name, dates of death and burial, and exact burial location are available to anyone.
Other information is subject to privacy concerns
and only available to certain individuals such as
the executors of a will and close relatives.

Personal history information may include full name,
gender, birth and death dates and places, marital status
and spouse name, names and birthplaces of parents,
occupation and place of business, and other details,
as well as name and relationship of the informant.
Nathan Gerow Nathan Gerow
Jan 27 2015 - Show and Tell - member sharing
Several branch members each brought an artifact and
shared the story behind it. Several others contributed news
of a research success or other adventure. For example:
• a grandfather's German Silver Cross
• two 3-generation family history scrapbooks, presented as wedding shower gifts
• January garnet birthstone ring given to mother on her 14th birthday in 1939
• a souvenir bowl from Tribune Co-op, where grandfather and uncles managed stores
• photo ca 1870: Major General Charles Otway, Royal Artillery
• photos of two couples of third great-grandparents
• an original letter from Lemburg Sk to Lvov Ukraine, 1914
There was also a discussion of the many
Genealogical DNA Services now available.
letter from Lemburg SK to Lvov Ukraine 1914
See our Show and Tell page for photos of the artifacts.
You can link from there to four other Show and Tell photo pages from previous years.
Sharon Evelyn Amy Colleen Dwayne Betty

Tue Nov 25 - Who's Your Momma? - Pat Ryan
Pat Ryan, popular Regina-based professional genealogy researcher and educator,
presented one of her popular interactive programs at our AGM.

She started us off with two innocuous-looking reports from rural newspapers:
a bridal shower and a wedding. Both contained a couple of village names and
long lists of participants, with husbands' initials rather than first names.
First: Consult a map for the exact location of the places named, and their relationships.
Second: Read very very slowly and carefully. Don't leave anything out.
Many of the names become relevant to your research, although initially you may care
only about the bride. Such secondary sources tell so much about the social history
and context of your ancestor's life, providing many clues to the fuller life story.
And they may lead to primary sources such as birth, marriage and death certificates.

Later, Pat revealed that the subject of our detective work was her own mother.
The bride's history was far more complicated than appeared from a village
wedding report. For example, she went by 7 or 8 different names in her lifetime.
Family history is not always as straightforward as it may appear!

See Pat's blog at PastRelations Genealogy Family History
and her bio on The National Institute for Genealogical Studies website.

Pat Ryan Who's Your Momma AGM workshop
Elaine Phoebe Renae Shelley Ian
Tue Oct 28 - Family History Centre Tour - with John Williams
The Regina FHC is one of a huge network of genealogical resource centers
operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Members of SGS Regina branch enjoyed attending this hands-on visit to learn of
the many FHC resources, whether housed in the Regina library or available online.
Click here for a list of the resources available at the Regina Family History Centre.
Tue Sep 23 - Sharing Summer Genealogy Discoveries - member sharing
Members shared many fine stories of their family history adventures this past summer. Various members went on short and long trips, met and/or entered into
correspondence with distant relatives, had surprise windfalls of information,
made surprise breakthrough discoveries, or simply enjoyed amusing experiences.
A more detailed summary of this meeting will be posted here later.
Tue May 27 - Mother's Day - member sharing
Members were encouraged to bring photos or keepsake items or stories
about their mother, grandmother, great grandmother, or other female ancestor.
A summary of this meeting will be posted here later.
Tue Apr 22 - Timelines - Shelley Kloczko
Every life begins with a birth and ends with a death.
Between these are events such as marriages, childbirth, and moves to new homes.
As researchers, we often have information and evidence about some,
but not all, of these events. Shelley used real research examples provided
by branch members to illustrate how a timeline can help identify
records to search for to fill in the gaps in our knowledge.
A summary of this meeting will be posted here soon.
Tue Mar 25 - One Family's War - Rollie Bourassa
Rollie Bourassa told of his father, a soldier in WW II.
In 1940, Private Clarence Ovilla Bourassa left his wife
and young sons Roland and Murray in Lafleche SK
to join the Canadian Army fighting in Europe.
He died in battle in northern France July 20 1944
and is buried in a war cemetery nearby.
Decades later, while moving his elderly mother
out of her house, Rollie discovered a trunk containing
scores of letters Clarence had sent home during the war.
Over seven years and two complete rewrites, Rollie
edited a book of these letters entitled One Family's War,
published by the University of Regina Press in 2010.
In 2013, 14 members of the Bourassa family travelled to France to visit battlegrounds where Clarence served,
such as Dieppe and Juno Beach. They were finally able to see where their father and grandfather had died almost
70 years before, and to visit Clarence Bourassa's grave.
Rollie published a second edition of the book in 2014,
including a description of this trip.
Tue Feb 25 - Organizational Strategies that Work for You - Gale, Shelley, Renae
Following is a high-level outline of Renae Grubb's portion of the presentation.
For more detail, read Organizational Strategies that Work for You

The ABC's & 123's of organizing your genealogy research
A: Assess & analyze the type of system that will work best for you.
• What is your research goal?
B: Basic information on researching.
• Know how to collect and record information and source the records
C: Collect and track records.
D: Don't - Renae warns of four things not to do.
Time to put the ABC's into action:
1: Start with yourself:
• Start with the known, and then focus on each branch.
2: Organize & Record:
• Pick a system that works for you.
• Ten Tips for Organizing Genealogy Research
3: Write a Family History:
• Present & preserve your family research
Websites:
Renae provided a list of useful web addresses.
Jan 28 2014 -  Show and Tell of Family Treasures - member sharing  
In what has become an annual January event, several branch members
brought old family treasures and told the stories behind them.
The artifacts included:
• marriage registrations from 1655 and 1692!
• a costume crafted from plug tobacco bags
• a gorgeous hand-made wedding "yoke"
• several engagement and wedding rings
• three old family bibles
• a large needlepoint sampler by a ten-year-old
• an old straight razor in mint condition (right)
For photos of the artifacts from this program
and those of three previous years,
see the four Show and Tell photo pages.
Nov 26 2013 - Annual General Meeting and Potluck Dinner
A smaller than usual group (14) enjoyed a yummy potluck supper
before our AGM at a new location, Whitmore Park United Church.
Social activities followed the business meeting:
The mystery school age photo activity was a huge hit.
Members shared highlights of the October provincial conference in Moose Jaw.
The evening ended with a question draw related to our individual genealogy research.

Stepping down from the executive were:
Gale Shawcross, secretary for the last 5 years, and
Elizabeth Susa, director for the last 2 years.
The executive positions Vice President, Secretary, Director remain vacant for now.
A number of the secretary's duties were agreed to be shared by members present. President Renae Grubb will manage the branch gmail account.
Treasurer Shelley Kloczko will take membership & research requests.
Anna McCashin will record executive meeting minutes until a new secretary is found.
See the About Us page for a complete list of current directors and volunteers.
Regina Branch AGM 2013 Branch members with school photos
Oct 22 2013 - My Ireland Heritage - Renae Grubb
Renae shared with the group her stories from her most recent (third) trip to Ireland, focused on her family history.
She travelled with a running friend interested in genealogy.
(Travelling with family may get in the way of doing family history!)
Thanks to some amazing coincidences this friend knew the lady in County Monaghan
who toured around Renae's American cousins in 2007!
Renae obtained a research package from myislandheritage.com and took advantage of any personal contacts she could develop, whether running friends, distant relatives, or a professional researcher. Local contacts can be a great help as sources of local information, both genealogical and general. She read and researched and planned
as much as she could before starting her journey, but is always alert for
new contacts, new clues, and serendipedous moments along the way.
They visited several genealogical resource centers, including the Ulster American Folk Park, the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies, the National Library in Dublin, and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast. However, they also made a point of visiting other locations of interest which have little obvious connection with genealogical research, such as the Giant's Causeway and the Titanic Museum.
Read My Irish Heritage - Renae Grubb for an extensive list of resources,
including books, research tips, and links to several websites.
Searching the Recently-Released 1921 Canada Census
Sep 24 2013 - Gale Shawcross
Gale Shawcross discussed how to make effective use of the 1921 Canada Census using the existing location-based index. A name-based index is being prepared by Ancestry.ca, but is not yet available.
First she put the census into context: a rapidly growing Canadian population in a very difficult time. It was post World War I, just after the influenza pandemic and two drought years in Saskatchewan. Many people were on the move, and population was shifting from east to west.
Without an index by name, it is important that you already have an idea of where your ancestors may have lived in 1921. Gain clues from the national census of 1911 and the prairie censuses of 1906 and 1916 if applicable. All of these have name indexes, which will help you to find a recent residence for your family. Other genealogical sources will also give you a clue. Detailed maps from that period are indispensable for determining the appropriate census sub-district. After you find the sub-district, you will have to browse the records. Knowing names of neighbours can help with this. Note that enumerators usually moved from house to nearby house if they could, but also may have had to return if residents were absent on the first visit. This may be noted at the end of the sub-district record.
Urban and rural searches use different aids. In the major cities, annual telephone books and Henderson's Directories give a exact address. Check them first. In the rural areas, knowledge of section-range-township can be found from homestead or other property records held at ISC, or from other family records. Cummins maps from 1920 are very helpful.
Once you have found your family, the census record contains the answers to 35 questions for each family member. Topics include basic personal information such as age and gender, family relationships, location and type of home, citizenship, ethnicity, religion, education and employment.
Recommended Reading:
Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census (2012) by Dave Obee
May 28 2013 - United Empire Loyalists - Pat and Gerry Adair
The American Revolution was fought from late 1775 to 1883.
During that period, thousands of American colonists proved their loyalty to the
British Empire by adopting the the Royal Standard and/or joining Loyalist militias.
After the war, many migrated to present-day Canada, where they were granted land.
New Brunswick and Upper Canada (now Ontario) were created to accommodate them.
Loyalists included those of British descent, but also Six Nations, Dutch, German, and African, among others. Today about one in ten Canadians is a UEL descendant.

Pat and Gerry took us through the history, describing the many categories of Loyalist,
and what documentation each needed to be officially recognized as UEL
for the purpose of land grants and other privileges.

Descendants of the original Loyalists are entitled to the Hereditary Title "U.E.",
Canada's only hereditary title. Proving that descent requires all of the rigor needed
to prove any genealogical descent. At least one piece of primary source evidence is required to connect each generation to the next, although a preponderance of multiple pieces of secondary source evidence may be accepted in some cases.

The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC)
can help you to research your Loyalist ancestry.
Gerry is the UELAC prairie regional vice-president and the Sask. branch genealogist.
To contact the Sask. branch, email Gerry and Pat Adair or phone 306-646-4952.
Click here for the Loyalist Directory.
April 23 2013 - Tour of the Prairie History Room - May Chan
Regina Public Library librarian May Chan provided us with an instructive tour of the
Prairie History Room and its rich genealogical resources, open every day of the week.
Materials and services include microfilm (with digital reader), digital databases
(with computers), wi-fi connectivity, printers, reference books, newspaper clipping files,
and a "Ready Reference Shelf" of finding aids for the above. Specific resources include:
  • Digital databases: Ancestry, Heritage Quest, Leader-Post Newspaper Index
  • Passenger Lists and Border Entry Records: Canadian ports
  • Canadian and Prairie Census Records
  • Regina newspapers: Leader, Daily Post, Standard, Leader-Post, Prairie Dog
  • City Directories and Telephone Books for major prairie cities
  • about 2400 Local History Books and 200 School Year Books
  • Maps and Atlases: RMs, topographical maps, historical atlases, gazetteers
  • Peel Collection: a bibliography of prairie history
She also discussed interlibrary loan and other genealogical resources in Regina.
The latter include the Family History Centre, SGS Library, Sask Archives Board,
Regina City Archives, Sask Legislative Library, U of R Library archives section,
the former Plains Museum, and various professional associations.
Each has a different mandate, thus a different mix of resources.
Visit and bookmark the Prairie History Blog or email askphr@reginalibrary.ca.
Mar 26 2013 - Interviewing a Family Member - Renae Grubb
"To ask or not to ask, that is the question!"
With a hilarious assist from "Aunt Em" (aka Gale Shawcross),
Renae demonstrated how to conduct a genealogy interview with an elderly relative.

Here is a sampling of some of the many tips presented:
  • Plan with the 5 W's in mind. "When" is usually "as soon as possible".
  • Modern recording devices are convenient, but pen and paper are essential.
  • Prepare your notes, questions and equipment ahead of time.
  • Ask: who, what, when, where, why and how?
    Expect long answers to "why" and "how".
  • Ask questions about their childhood, school, youth, marriage, profession, middle age, old age, family history with names and dates of current family and ancestors, historical events, home life, religion, culture, leisure and hobbies, social status, discipline, values, etc.
  • Photo albums, scrapbooks and heirlooms may help get the stories flowing.
  • Tread lightly around personal privacy and sensitive issues.
  • Get written permission to use the material if you plan to publish or distribute parts of the interview.
  • Be sure to send a thank you card or make a thank you phone call the next day.
    Offer to provide a copy of the interview as well.
  • Consult websites, books, magazines and journals for hints on interviewing:
    For example: 20 Questions for Interviewing Relatives in Familiy Tree Magazine.
The full presentation will be published in the next edition of Now and Then newsletter.
Feb 26 2013 - In Search of Marriage Records - Gale Shawcross
Gale opened the program with examples from her own family research, highlighting the variety of marriage records in different time periods and countries, and a variety of strategies for "solving the puzzle" on the way to finding and using those records.
Several other members shared their research as well.
Some of the many helpful observations made:
Don't always assume marriage predates children, or names are spelled consistently,
or the official record is perfectly correct, or the wedding took place in the bride's family church, or the person was married only once, or that the handwriting will be legible.
Some people use different names in different times or circumstances
(e.g. Scandinavian farm names vs patronymics). Census records often contain errors.
Read marriage records very carefully and completely, including witnesses. All are clues.
Sometimes you find the record via a circuitous route:
If the expected churches don't have the record, examine local records.
Look in neighboring parishes. Get clues from marriage books and wedding photos.
Find out about the marriage(s) from an obituary years later.
Shelley Klozcko stressed the importance of a record search plan.
She told the story of having to go to a local RM office in Saskatchewan for death data
in order to get clues to find a passenger list from more than a generation earlier
in order to find a marriage certificate in Bukovenia from even earlier.
Jan 22 2013 - Show and Tell - member sharing
Six branch members each brought a family item to share. All were most interesting:
  • brass ink well with components made from WWI bomb parts ca 1914
  • grandmother's bridal veil with shell headband worn at her wedding on 5 June 1921 in Neudorf SK
  • working Santa-Glo electric wall ornament made in the 1930s
  • father-in-law's portable Underwood typewriter from 1947
  • elaborate ink well featuring two brass monkeys
  • five postcards sent to a boy in Campbellcroft ON
To see photos of the items, see the first Show and Tell page.
Nov 27 2012 - Annual General Meeting
As is our custom, we began our 2012 AGM with a potluck supper.
After the business meeting and elections, we enjoyed some fun and games.
A bingo game mixer had us asking each other whether we had visited Salt Lake City,
had ancesters from the Banat, or relatives who had homesteaded, for example.
Another game had us matching branch participants with their childhood photos.
And we shared artifacts and stories of Family Christmas Traditions.
To see the 2013 executive, and a list of volunteers, see the About Us page.
Oct 23 2012 - Citing Sources - Holly Schick
In her book Evidence, Elizabeth Shown Mills reminds us that genealogy
without proper source citations causes us to "confuse ourselves and mislead others".
We must record the source of every bit of genealogical data we find.
We must cite every source in every family history item we publish,
down to the level of a family record sheet shared with immediate family.
Unsourced data is useless, as it cannot be confirmed or re-analyzed.
Original (primary) sources, from participants or eye-witnesses, are best.
Derivative (secondary) sources may be less reliable if far from the primary source.
Sep 25 2012 - Don’t let your memories fade
Renae Grubb, Elizabeth Susa and Shelley Kloczko presented many ideas for
the preservation, storage, organization and presentation of photos.

Renae presented manual methods for organizing photo albums, such as "power layout",
a method for sorting pictures on pieces of cardboard representing pages.
Other advice: use acid-free pages and pencil, and "keep it simple".
Elizabeth recommended a special knife for removing photos glued in old albums.

Shelley emphasized digital methods for organizing photos and making albums.
"Flip-Pal" is a compact mobile scanner from Legacy Family Tree, with almost magic "Easystitch" software to recombine a large photo scanned in more than one pass.
Other great products include Creative Memory Manager for cross-referencing files,
and StoryBook Creator for creating an album from photos almost automatically.
Other advice: use consistent file name conventions and folder structure for all files.
Sep 14 2012 - Government House Tour
See photographs on the Government House page.
On Friday September 14, about ten branch members and friends enjoyed
a guided tour of Government House. Formerly this was the home and office of several
early Lieutenant Governors of the Northwest Territories and later Saskatchewan.
The current Lieutenant Governor still has her offices here.
Much of the property is now a museum, with the furnishings restored
to a style similar to that circa 1910. The tour ended with a special look
'behind the scenes' at the storage facilities and research offices.
Missed the tour? Click on www.governmenthouse.gov.sk.ca for a virtual tour.
June 3 2012 - Cemetery Reading
On Sunday June 3 a number of branch members and friends read and photographed headstones in several cemeteries in the RMs of Francis and Lajord,
in and between the communities of Francis, Davin, Sedley, Lajord, and Kronau.
This data will be compiled in indexes over the next few months.
May 22 2012 - Researching Women - Celeste Rider
Genealogy research on women faces special challenges:
There were fewer public records of women, and they changed names at marriage.
Celeste provided many strategies to deal with this, providing many specific examples.
Much is good research advice in general: Use home sources. Start with
recent events and work backward in time. Use a timeline. Hone your search skills.
However, to deal with the special issue of name change upon marriage(s), look for
special clues in sources. A brother's surname in an obituary provides a maiden name.
A mother's maiden name may be found on a birth certificate. Census documents
and wills provide relationship information. Focus on witnesses and informants
in documents, as these people may be sisters or other close relatives.
Apr 24 2012 - A Good/Slipp Family Reunion - Phoebe Banbury & Renae Grubb
Renae and Phoebe gave a slide presention of a well-organized
Good and Slipp family reunion they attended recently in New Brunswick.
The reunion featured a river cruise and three days of events at family locations
dating back to their arrival as United Empire Loyalists in 1783-84.
Practical advice on organizing a successful reunion includes:
decide what type of event it is, allow lots of planning time, use many volunteers, communicate regularly, plan for kids and teens, and choose accommodation carefully.
Mar 27 2012 - Discovering My Welsh Ancestry - Trevor Powell
Archivist Trevor Powell described his quest for the stories of his grandparents who emigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. They came from four different
communities in Wales, all related in some way to the coal and iron industry:
the Powell family from Rhos in the north, Jones from company town Ebbw Vale,
Williams from Blaenavon (another southern coal town) and the Hill family from Cardiff.
Trevor is particularly interested in their livelihoods and social conditions,
not simply the BMD records that are the starting point of genealogy.
Beyond the basic archival records, he makes great use of personal contact
with relatives in Wales, books that provide historical background,
and the wealth of data that can now be found on line.
Feb 28 2012 - SGS Library Tour - Megan Ashcroft
At the regular branch meeting for February 2012, SGS Librarian Megan Ashcroft
gave a tour of one of the best-stocked genealogical libraries in Canada.
She emphasized the benefits of value-added membership, which allows access to
the Sask Records Index (SRI), burial index, obituary index, Cummins maps, and
remote services such as Ancestry.com, Find My Past and Godfrey Memorial collection.
Regular library collections include Henderson's Directories, family histories,
research guides, genealogical resources organized geographically,
journals, atlases, maps, school year books, and cemetery files.
Jan 24 2012 - Show and Tell
Always popular, the Show and Tell program attracted good attendance.
The theme for this meeting became nineteenth century photos and huge albums.
click here for photos
Some of the artifacts and/or stories presented:
  • a photo of a great great grandmother enlarged and developed on cloth
  • two tea tins and a book about the Mazawattee Tea company, founded ca 1865
  • photo of an elderly woman who had been married 20 Oct 1808
  • large framed and glassed oval photos of a couple married 21 Jan 1837
  • a pillow case edging of cut work embroidery fashioned before emigration in 1911
  • a 0.5K woman's diamond ring, old mining cut, engraved S.L. 1862
  • two quite different photos of great grandfather b:1848 d:1909
  • three photos showing three generations of one family, earliest from 1882
  • large album featuring a new family every two pages
Trevor Gale Ian Marian Lynn Miles
Nov 22 2011 - Annual General Meeting
Pot luck dinner and AGM.
program - In Search of Private Cyril Grubb - Renae Grubb
for photos of artifacts, see the Cyril Grubb page
Renae Grubb told of a rewarding research project which began with one sentence about her husband's uncle Cyril, growing to two huge binders of information,
and an intimate knowledge of a young man who gave his life for his country.
In 2004 she knew only that Cyril Grubb of Balcarres, Sask, was born Feb 9 1922 and was shot dead by a sniper Oct 2 1944. Much of the source data was already in the family, but Renae had to work hard to determine where it was, collect it, and put the pieces together. Over the next few years, she collected from ...
  • a cousin: 33 letters from Cyril to his sister Gertrude while he was in the army
  • two other relatives: photos of Cyril
  • Doug Chisholm www.woodlandaerialphoto.com: aerial photos of Grubb Lake
  • Bill Barry's book Age Shall Not Weary Them: basic info about Cyril the soldier
  • the Veterans Affairs Canada website: Cyril's service data such as service number, age, regiment, cemetery, war medals
  • she also checked several other websites for various types of information
  • the Saskatchewan War Memorial at lists Cyril Grubb among 5000 Sask war dead
  • an aunt: Cyril's six war medals,
    and the blood-stained prayer book he was carrying at the time of his death!
  • Library and Archives Canada: a genealogy package Cyril's service file
  • the Sask Geographic Names Board at ISC: a certificate and map of Grubb Lake
  • friends: a map, brochures and photos of Cyril's grave from a trip to Holland
  • the House of Commons: a copy of the Book of Remembrance page listing Cyril
  • another aunt: two certificates in honour of sent to his parents
Oct 25 2011 - Scottish Research - David Wessel
Dave led a brainstorming session where members suggested many ideas for
Scottish special interest group activities. We learned that a majority of branch members have some Scottish ancestry, and most are interested in the special interest group.
We set a time and topic for the first SIG meeting in January.
Sep 27 2011 - Eastern European Research - Holly Schick
May 24 2011 - SGS Conference Review
April 26 2011 - Special Interest Groups
Members discussed setting up special interest study groups within the branch.
They suggested groups based on individual countries, on information sources such as passenger lists, and technical topics such as computer applications.
Existing on-line interest groups such as those at GenealogyWise were recommended.
We decided to create one group and see how it goes.
A group on Scottish genealogy with 9 initial members will be chaired by David Wessel.
Mar 22 2011 - Preparing for a Research Trip - Colleen Slater-Smith
Colleen began by informing us that her first genealogy trip was accidental.
A planned 3 month trip to Europe with a friend morphed into
a genealogical trip to Europe with her English-born mother.
She entertained us with both the successes and misadventures of her more recent trips.
Her primary advice is to go as well-prepared as possible,
but be prepared for serendipitous detours.
Take maps and cameras with many batteries and memory cards.
Phone ahead to pre-book readers and anything else you may need.
Above all, don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.
Members became very involved in the discussion,
relating many of their own stories of what to do and what not to do.
Feb 22 2011 - Show and Tell
Like the show and tell meeting of last March, this was a great success.
Branch members brought family artefacts and told the story of each.
Some of the items and/or stories:
click here for photos
  • a very large photograph of a Saskatchewan barnraising in 1910
  • a 1914 wedding announcement, photo and news report, and the bridal sash
  • an Orange Lodge medal and old watch along with a photo of its owner
  • a 1943 diary and 2 of 7 large scrapbook albums from a police chief in Burma
  • a 19th century crucifix with skull and crossbones from the Banat (Serbia)
  • a much-used glass coffee sealer from the 1920s, in apparent mint condition
  • a pre-1918 scrapbook, obtained from a relative discovered via the internet
Jan 25 2011 - The Genealogy Game
Four members of the program committee developed a series of questions in the categories of general knowledge, Saskatchewan, Canada and international.
The rest of us formed teams and attempted to answer the questions.
This was the first time we tried this idea. A sampling of questions and answers will be shared in future issues of the branch newsletter.
Nov 23 2010 - Annual General Meeting
The 2010 AGM was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on a snowy November 23.
Those present enjoyed a delicious pot luck supper before getting down to business.
President Marian Powell, assisted by executive members
and committee chairpersons, reported on the activities of a busy 2010.
In addition to the regular monthly meetings and ongoing projects, there are some new initiatives. For example, the 1891 Census Index for the Northwest Territory is virtually ready for publication, and the Branch has drafted a new policy for archiving its records.
A new executive was elected and most volunteer positions filled.
We have had a very productive year, but as usual can use even more volunteers.
Oct 26 2010 - British Home Children
19 brave people came out to the Regina Public Library Tuesday evening
during the city’s first nasty blast of winter.
Holly Schick detailed the conditions in the United Kingdom
that led to the child migration to Canada.
Most historians and researchers would agree that it was a misguided attempt
to help some 100,000 destitute children. There were dozens of different agencies.
Dr. Thomas Barnardo, one of the more well known humanitarians,
sent the largest group of approximately 30,000 children to Canada.
In researching a Home Child, Holly suggested the first place to search is
the Library and Archives Canada website
She also recommended the book The Golden Bridge (2003) by Marjorie Kohli.
Or check Marj Kohli's website.
Sept 28 2010 - Getting on the Genealogy Track
Shelley Kloczko's top piece of advice is to define specific objectives in your
family research and follow them through. Have a checklist of sources and
a research calendar of what you searched when and with what result.
This will help you use your research time wisely and productively.
Shelley is currently working towards a certificate in Genealogical Studies with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, affiliated with the University of Toronto.
They have offered online courses since 1999.
MGS/SGS joint conference 2010 - Dianne Romphf Wins Heritage Award
SGS presented the 2010 Saskatchewan Genealogical Heritage Award to Regina Branch member Dianne Romphf at the MGS/SGS joint conference in Yorkton Sept 17-19.
Since joining the branch in 1996, Dianne has served in numerous capacities.
These include, but are not limited to, executive member, cemetery coordinator,
census index coordinator, and Now and Then newsletter editor.
As a SGS Certified Saskatchewan Record Searcher, Researcher and Instructor,
she has performed family history research for many clients over the years.
She capably coordinated two SGS provincial seminars on behalf of the branch.
This award is richly deserved. Congratulations Dianne.
June 13 2010 - Edenwold Cemetery Recording
On Sunday June 13, a beautiful day enabled six hardworking branch members
to record and photograph every headstone in twelve small cemeteries
within the Rural Municipality of Edenwold.
All of the data and photographs are currently being indexed by Shelley Kloczko,
and several have already been submitted to the SGS for inclusion in their database.
May 25 2010 - Cemetery Records at SGS
Linda Neely and Norm Stetner are the volunteers who coordinate the Saskatchewan Cemetery and Burial Index for SGS. To date about 3,500 cemeteries have been located, and 2,500 recorded. This includes 440,000 burial records. Regina Branch participates in this process every year, and its members use the resulting data in their research.
Linda and Norm discussed the process of locating cemeteries, recording and photographing them, and organizing and indexing the resulting burial records. They indicated where the physical records are located in the library, and showed us examples of the material, including maps, photographs and indexed data for each cemetery.
Apr 27 2010 - Genealogy and the Internet
This was a multifaceted introduction to using the internet for family history research.
Dave Wessel gave general tips on internet research and answered technical questions.
Gale Shawcross provided advice on using the pay site Find My Past.
Dianne Romphf and Jean Ashcroft discussed the pay site Ancestry.com
and several free sites such as AutomatedGenealogy.com, FamilySearch.org,
Library and Archives Canada, the Peel Collection and provinical Vital Statistics.
March 23 2010 - Show and Tell
Like most member sharing meetings, this was a great success.
Branch members brought family artefacts and told the story of each.
Some of the items and/or stories:
  • military service medals from the Boer War and WW I, with a photo of the soldier
  • a century-old German baptismal certificate from the Banat in present-day Serbia
  • a large trunk brought to Canada from Poland or Russia via Hamburg in 1892
  • a will dated 1849 from Quebec, containing the maiden name of the widow
  • a ladies ring from Ontario in 1868
  • a huge family bible from 1834 with a braided lock of hair in it
  • another 19th century family bible containing 6 pages of handwritten genealogy
  • a foot stool in fine condition, from a shipwreck on the Scilly Isles circa 1840
  • a pendant with photos of grandmother and grandfather from WW I
  • 78 rpm recordings of father-in-law's first radio broadcast in 1948
  • an 1887 German prayer book containing a birthday list of surviving children
  • a trial transcript from a 1912 murder near West Bend Saskatchewan
  • framed photos of a northern Saskatchewan lake and the soldier it is named for
  • a family scrapbook from the Bruceville district near Pense Saskatchewan
November 24 2009 - Annual General Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Regina Branch was held on November 24, 2009 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church with 23 members attending. After a potluck supper the meeting was called to order and executive and committee reports presented.
In 2009 the branch moved meetings from Knox Metropolitan United Church to the new Saskatchewan Genealogical Society library location at #110-1514 11th Avenue.
The move has allowed members to make use of the SGS library resources before the meeting starts. Doors open at 6:00.
At the conclusion of the business meeting, members enjoyed a fascinating program on “Genealogy Research and War” presented by Brian Brodie.