AFHS

AFHS Resource Centre Open
2025-08-14 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Edmonton) | Resource Centre – Petwin Atrium Commons, Suite 251S 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
The AFHS Resource Centre is open today. The public is welcome to come and use our Resource Centre! Our knowledgeable volunteers look forward to helping you discover what we have to offer for your genealogy research.
We’re located at Suite 251S in the Heritage Square building (8500 Macleod Trail SE) in Calgary.
For more information and to search our online catalogue, see our Resource Centre page.
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Another excellent research resource in Calgary is the Calgary Public Library.

AFHS Board Meeting
2025-09-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Alberta Family Histories Society holds regular Board Meetings, and AFHS members are welcome to attend!
For the 2025-26 year, these meetings will be held via Zoom.
If you are a member and would like to attend, please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca for the Zoom invitation.
Why attend? Board meetings are an opportunity to review progress, present ideas, assess risks and make strategic decisions to keep AFHS on the path to success (source).
For the dates and times of other AFHS Board meetings and events, see our calendar.

Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group
2025-09-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
This special interest group is for those who use Family Tree Maker software or would like to learn about it. Bring your questions! We learn from each other.
The Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group meets on first Saturdays each month except July and August at 10 am (Edmonton time).
All meetings are held via Zoom, and those on the SIG distribution list will be sent the link a few days before the meeting by Bev or Nola who are the SIG leaders.
For the coming year, the newest version of this software, 2024, will be the main topic of discussion. We will look at features and discuss any difficulties folks are facing. The value of this SIG is that someone may be able to help or suggest a way around it. Older versions are also looked at if necessary.
Our special interest groups are a member benefit, but we welcome visitors! If you would like to attend this meeting as a guest, please email communications@afhs.ab.ca to receive the Zoom invitation.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.
To learn more about Family Tree Maker software, see the Mackiev website.

AFHS Society Meeting
2025-09-08 19:00 - 21:00 | At AFHS Resource Centre & via Zoom, Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
The AFHS Society Meeting is our regular meeting for all members, usually held on the second Monday of each month from September to June. Guests are welcome to attend!
Please note: Due to the passing of her father, Tara Shymanski is not able to do the presentation about Hudson’s Bay records on Monday night. Instead Amber Godfrey has kindly come forward to do the talk.
Topic: The D.R. Eaton Tragedy: Researching Three Nova Scotian Brothers Who Were Lost at Sea
Description: The Shaw brothers had no idea that their routine voyage to Bremen would end in tragedy. In the fall of 1878, they set out from Baltimore, Maryland to Antwerp, Belgium, with a load of grain and timber. Their ship, the D.R. Eaton, had been built in Eatonville, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, by brothers D.R. and C.F. Eaton and was launched in October 1877. She was built by J.G. Olive Jr. of Saint John, New Brunswick, a first-class ship builder. The D.R. Eaton was declared to be a “ship of the first order for strength and durability.” So how did this brand-new vessel disappear completely, never to be heard from again? Captain Harris H. Shaw, his wife and young daughter, two of his brothers and twenty other crew members simply vanished. Follow my journey as I learn more about this seafaring family and the tragedy that befell them. Newspaper articles, probate documents, Seafarer’s of the Atlantic Province records, census returns, birth and marriage records all help me piece together their story.
Our Speaker: Amber Godfrey
Amber Godfrey is an amateur family historian whose love of family history started in childhood, listening to family stories shared by her parents, grandmothers and extended family. She received a Family History kit for Christmas when she was twelve and that started her on a family history research journey that continues to this day.
After finishing college and working in a variety of office jobs, Amber realized that she could combine her love of books and research and her interest in computers by working in libraries. She graduated as a Library Technician and worked in public libraries in BC for nearly twenty years. When she moved to Calgary, she was hired by the Calgary Board of Education to work on-call in school libraires. Now that her family has moved back to BC, she is currently searching for her next job.
Amber plans to remain a member of the Alberta Family Histories Society and will continue her role as editor of the AFHS Chinook Arch newsletter. While she was living in Calgary, she also volunteered at the AFHS library and helped with their Family History Coaching program at Calgary Public Library.
In 2024, she submitted a presentation idea to the Nova Scotia Genealogy Virtual Conference and was chosen as one of the presenters. Amber is passionate about sharing stories of ordinary people who led interesting lives, especially women, and she hopes to do more presentations for groups in the future.

This meeting will be a hybrid Zoom meeting held at our Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE in the Heritage Square building). If you are in Calgary and area, we’d love to have you join us in person.
The zoom invite for this meeting has been removed since this meeting has now passed.
We welcome guests!
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For more AFHS events, see our calendar.
To see our other two society websites, browse to https://albertaancestors.ca or https://familygenes.ca.

Writing Special Interest Group
2025-09-12 09:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
This special interest group will help you record the stories of your family research. It will meet via Zoom on the second Friday of each month beginning at 9:30 am.
Due to the nature of this group, we’ve decided to limit the number of participants. Please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca to see if there is any space in this group.
Special Interest Groups are a member benefit for all Alberta Family Histories Society members. If you would like to attend a session as a guest, please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca

Digital Genealogy / Family Genes Special Interest Group
2025-09-13 10:00 - 12:00 | To be determined
The Digital Genealogy / Family Genes Special Interest Group is cancelled for September due to ongoing issues with the Family Genes website.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.

DNA Special Interest Group
2025-09-14 12:30 - 14:30 | Zoom
The DNA Special Interest Group is for those who are interested in using genetic genealogy as a genealogy tool.
Topic: To be determined.
This meeting will be held via Zoom. The meeting link will be sent out to those on the SIG distribution list a few days prior to the meeting by Linda who is one of the SIG leaders. If you are an AFHS member and would like to be added to the distribution list, please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca
We welcome guests, so if you would like to join us, send a message to communications@afhs.ab.ca
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For more AFHS events, please see our calendar.
To learn more about using DNA as a tool for genealogy, see this website by FamilySearch.

AFHS Chit Chat Session
2025-09-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Alberta Family Histories Society hosts a monthly “Chit Chat” session to offer a time for casual conversation. Bring your stories or questions. Share your favourite resources. Come meet others who are also passionate about family history! Invite a guest if you want, be it a cousin, neighbour or co-worker.
As a fun activity, we’ll be doing an Ancestor BINGO game. Please print out these game boards before the session if possible: Ancestor BINGO
These sessions are held by Zoom. Here is the Zoom invitation:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86794762224?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 867 9476 2224
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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For more AFHS events, see our calendar

English/Welsh Special Interest Group
2025-09-20 10:00 - 12:00 | To be determined
The English/Welsh Special Interest Group is for those researching in England or Wales. If you are doing genealogy research in either of these areas, come join us! Our members have a wealth of information to share.
The English/Welsh Special Interest Group meets on the third Saturday of each month (except July and August) at 10 am.
Meetings are sometimes hybrid from the AFHS Library at Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE in Calgary and sometimes only via Zoom.
Topic for this meeting: Photo Analysis. Kelly Southworth will do a presentation about using clues in photographs to date them. Steve Henley will do a talk about how to use technology to date photographs.
Our special interest groups are a member benefit, but we welcome visitors! If the meeting is being held at the library and you live in Calgary and area, please just come to the library and introduce yourself. If you would like to attend a Zoom session as a guest, please email communications@afhs.ab.ca to receive the Zoom invitation.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.
Alberta Family Histories Society is a member of the Family History Federation – an organization that supports family historians research, especially in the United Kingdom.

Legacy Special Interest Group
2025-09-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
This special interest group is for those who are using Legacy Family Tree software or those who want to know more about it. Bring your questions! We learn from each other.
The Legacy Family Tree Special Interest Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from September to November and January to May at 7 pm. All meetings are held via Zoom.
This meeting will be held via Zoom. Those on the SIG distribution list will be sent the link a few days before the meeting by Bev who is the SIG leader.
Our special interest groups are a member benefit, but we welcome visitors! If you would like to attend this meeting as a guest, please email communications@afhs.ab.ca to receive the Zoom invitation.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.
The popular Legacy software may be downloaded for free from https://legacyfamilytree.com/.

Thanksgiving Day
2025-10-13 | Alberta

Celtic Special Interest Group
2025-10-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
ZOOM ONLY – The Celtic Special Interest Group is for anyone with Scottish and/or Irish ancestry. If you are doing genealogy research in either of these countries, come join us! Our members have a wealth of information to share.
The Celtic Special Interest Group usually on some fourth Saturdays at 10 am. In the 2025-2026 season, the meetings will be held in September, October, November, January, February, March, April, and May.
Due to the weather forecast, this meeting will be held by Zoom only. If you need the invitation, please email communications@afhs.ab.ca.
The topic for this Celtic Special Interest Group meeting is: Peter Robinson Settlements of 1823 and 1825.
Our special interest groups are a member benefit, but we welcome visitors!
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.
Alberta Family Histories Society is a member of the Family History Federation – an organization that supports family historians research, especially in the United Kingdom.

UEL Meeting
2025-10-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Resource Centre – Petwin Atrium Commons, Suite 251S 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
Our Resource Centre will be used by the local branch of the United Empire Loyalists. AFHS members are invited to attend.
Stephen Davidson from Nova Scotia will be presenting a talk on “Fascinating Facts from Loyalist History: What your teachers might not have known about Canada’s refugee founders”

“This is a particularly good talk for those who are new to loyalist history. It features 25 facts that most Canadians don’t know about the Loyalists. Those who have a longer familiarity with loyalist history may enjoy seeing how many of these facts they already know.”

Stephen has consistently contributed to a weekly Loyalist newsletter called Loyalist Trails.

Resource Centre in Use for Cemetery Volunteers Function
2025-11-23 11:30 - 14:00 | Resource Centre – Petwin Atrium Commons, Suite 251S 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada

Strategic Planning
2025-11-23 14:30 - 17:00 | AFHS Resource Centre, 712 - 16 Avenue NW, Calgary, Canada
We will be having an in-person strategic planning session at the AFHS Resource Centre. This is an opportunity for the members to help shape the future of the Alberta Family History Society. Please come contribute your insights and ideas.

Basics Special Interest Group
2025-11-29 10:00 - 12:00 | At AFHS Resource Centre & via Zoom, Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
Are you just getting started? Have you been researching for a while and want a deeper understanding of some of the common topics in genealogy? This Basics Special Interest Group is for you!
We will meet on November 29 and January 31 (5th Saturdays of the month). The meetings will be hybrid – held at our Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE) and by Zoom.
The topic for November 29 is to be determined. It will be either Newspapers (presented by Bev Smith) OR Wills and Probate Records (presented by Marion Peterson). The exact topic will be posted a few weeks before the meeting.
Special Interest Groups such as the Basics Special Interest Group are a member benefit for all Alberta Family Histories Society members. If you would like to attend a session as a guest, please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca. For a list of all other calendar events, see our calendar.

CALL Presentation
2025-12-04 11:00 - 12:00 | At AFHS Resource Centre & via Zoom, Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
Join us at the Resource Centre for a presentation offered by CALL (Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners)
Sir John A. Macdonald – The Vision, the Controversy and the Cost of Nationhood
Join us for an hour’s presentation and discussion of Canada’s first prime minister. Sir John A. left us a nation of promises but also some tatters of legacy issues. Ian Harvey of CALL and Jim Benedict of AFHS+CALL will talk on Macdonald, covering the nation building period of 1885, when Canada was only eight years old, the transnational railroad was just completed and the settlement of the west was underway. His handling of indigenous peoples and the Louis Riel rebellion lingers on in today’s debates.
The event will be held on Thursday, December 4 th , starting at 11 am at the AFHS Resource Centre in the Heritage Square at Suite 251-South, 8500 Macleod Trail, S.E. The talk will also be available on Zoom. See the link below.
We are inviting members of the Alberta Family Histories Society, AFHS, to join us in person or by Zoom. This is sponsored by the “Historical Events & Their Impact” group of the Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners, CALL. Please come to the talk to enjoy some Canadiana and to meet some other very interesting people.
The presentation will wrap up by noon. The members of CALL intend to enjoy a lunch at the nearby Toscana Restaurant, a short walking distance just north of Heritage Square with optional parking for you. AFHS members are welcome to join us.
Jim Benedict
The Zoom link has been distributed to our members in recent Windsock messages.

Resource Centre Closed for Christmas Break
2025-12-20 - 2026-01-02 | AFHS Resource Centre, 712 - 16 Avenue NW, Calgary, Canada
Our Resource Centre will reopen on January 3 at noon.

Labour Day
2025-12-21 | Alberta

New Year's Day
2026-01-01 | Alberta

Ontario Special Interest Group
2026-01-26 13:30 - 15:30 | Zoom
If you are interested in Ontario genealogy research, come and join us! Meet other genealogists researching in Ontario records, connect with those with expertise in Ontario research, join in small group discussions, find out about new resources, get help with your Ontario brick walls and learn about the extensive collection of Ontario resources found at the AFHS Resource Centre.
The Ontario Special Interest Group meets the fourth Monday of each month (except July, August and December) at 1:30 pm. Meetings are usually held via Zoom.
The topic for this meeting is Early Ontario Newspapers and the speaker is Nancy Leveque.
Our special interest groups are a member benefit, but we welcome visitors! If the meeting is being held at the Resource Centre and you live in Calgary and area, please just come and introduce yourself! If you would like to attend a Zoom session as a guest, please email communications@afhs.ab.ca to receive the Zoom invitation.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.
Interesting Ontario genealogical content can be found at the website of the Ontario Genealogical Society at https://ogs.on.ca/

Basics Special Interest Group
2026-01-31 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Are you just getting started? Have you been researching for a while and want a deeper understanding of some of the common topics in genealogy? This Basics Special Interest Group is for you!
We will meet on November 29 and January 31 (5th Saturdays of the month) by Zoom.
The topic for January 31 is to be determined..
Special Interest Groups such as the Basics Special Interest Group are a member benefit for all Alberta Family Histories Society members. If you would like to attend a session as a guest, please contact communications@afhs.ab.ca. For a list of all other calendar events, see our calendar.

CPL Coaching Program
2026-01-31 13:00 - 15:00 | Calgary Central Library, 800 3 St SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 2E7, Canada
Alberta Family Histories Society partners with the Calgary Public Library to offer a coaching program. This is held the last Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 pm (except July, August and December). Experienced library staff and AFHS volunteers will be available to provide one-on-one consultation on any aspect of genealogy or family history from getting started to busting those brick walls. Register on the CPL website.

Finance Committee Meeting
2026-02-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Resource Centre – Petwin Atrium Commons, Suite 251S 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
The Finance Committee will meet during this time.

Family Day
2026-02-16 | Alberta

Genealogy 101
2026-03-28 09:30 - 16:00 | Resource Centre – Petwin Atrium Commons, Suite 251S 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
Just getting started? Looking for basic information about doing family history? Join us for one day of introductory lessons.
Saturday, March 28 from 9:30 – 4 pm (doors open at 9)

In person only at the AFHS Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE)
Free for AFHS members; $30 for non-members (Non-members can apply the $30 towards a membership if they join before April 30).
This program will only be offered if we have a minimum of 8 participants.
March 21 is the deadline for registration.
Register by contacting communications@afhs.ab.ca
The presenters will be Bev Smith, Marian Jones and Marion Peterson – all experienced volunteers with Alberta Family Histories Society.

The Schedule:

Why Do Genealogy
What is the Difference between Genealogy and Family History?
Who Do You Start With? BMDs & Family Group Sheets
Where to Look

Morning Break

The Internet as a Source / Popular Internet Sites
Cite Your Sources
How to Organize
Software / Online Trees

Lunch – Bring your own bag lunch; we will offer water, juice, tea or coffee (1/2 hour)

Fun with Genealogy – a true example
What is a Pedigree Chart
Genealogy as a Puzzle – The Research Process

Afternoon Break

Census Records
Timelines
What is Your Goal?
Q&A
Tour of Resource Centre

Ready to register? Just send an email to Marion (communications@afhs.ab.ca) by March 21.

Good Friday
2026-04-03 08:00 - 17:00 | Alberta

UELAC Calgary Spring Meeting
2026-04-19 12:00 - 16:00 | At AFHS Resource Centre & via Zoom, Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
Our Resource Centre will be in use for the Spring Meeting of UELAC Calgary.

Unison Seniors Expo
2026-04-25 09:00 - 16:00 | Unison Centre, 1133–7 Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alberta Family Histories Society will have a display booth at the 2026 Seniors’ Expo at Unison at Kerby Centre. Save the date!

Victoria Day
2026-05-18 | Alberta
