AFHS

Celtic Special Interest Group
2026-09-26 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-10-24 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Edmonton) | At AFHS Resource Centre & via Zoom, Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2N1, Canada
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. It does not meet in June, July, August or December.
Meetings will be held as a hybrid Zoom session from the AFHS Resource Centre located at Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE in Calgary (unless the weather or roads are bad, then the meeting will be by Zoom only). The meeting details and Zoom invitation will be sent out a few days prior to each meeting by Stephanie to AFHS members who are on the Celtic SIG distribution list. If you would like to attend as a guest and are in Calgary, please just come to the Resource Centre and introduce yourself. If you would like to attend via Zoom as a guest, email communications@afhs.ab.ca at least a day prior to the meeting..
The topic for this Celtic Special Interest Group meeting is: To be determined
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 the Calgary 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 (no later than 24 hours ahead of time). Please say you are requesting a guest invitation for a Celtic SIG meeting and include the date.
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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.

AFHS Resource Centre Open
2026-09-26 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-03 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-10 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-17 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-24 12:00 - 16:00 | 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 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 Petwin Atrium Commons building (formerly known as Heritage Square 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.

CPL Coaching Program
2026-09-26 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.

Ontario Special Interest Group
2026-09-28 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: Tracing the History of an Ontario Property and Its People presented by Eleanor Rath.
Eleanor Rath grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern Ontario. Retired from a career in local government, her days are now filled with research.
To date, Eleanor has traced the history of more than 100 properties for Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) London’s Historical House Sign program. She also leads walking tours for seniors, sharing the stories of London’s historic neighbourhoods. In 2024, she was recognized as the first recipient of the London Heritage Hero Award.
Using her experience in London-Middlesex, Eleanor is here to share tools for researching an Ontario property and the people who lived there.
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/

Truth & Reconciliation Day
2026-09-30 | Alberta

AFHS Resource Centre Open
2026-10-01 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-10-02 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-08 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-10-15 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-10-16 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-22 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-10-23 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-10-29 10:00 - 14:00 and 1 more date | 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 Petwin Atrium Commons building formerly known as Heritage Square (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.

Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group
2026-10-03 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.

Writing Special Interest Group
2026-10-09 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

AFHS Resource Centre Open
2026-10-09 12:00 - 16:00 | 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 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 Petwin Atrium Commons building (formerly known as Heritage Square8500 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.

Digital Genealogy / Family Genes Special Interest Group
2026-10-10 10:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
The Digital Genealogy / Family Genes Special Interest Group has two areas of focus:

All things digital that can be used for genealogy research
The Family Genes service offered by our Society

The Digital Genealogy / Family Genes Special Interest Group meets the second Saturday of each month (except July and August) at 10 am. Meetings are usually held via Zoom.
The topic is to be announced.
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 the Calgary 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.
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For other Special Interest Group meetings and AFHS events, see our calendar.

DNA Special Interest Group
2026-10-11 12:30 - 14:30 | Zoom
The DNA Special Interest Group is for those who are interested in using genetic genealogy as a genealogy tool. It usually meets on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 12:30 pm except for July, August and May (because of Mother’s Day).
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.

Thanksgiving Day
2026-10-12 | Alberta

AFHS Society Meeting CANCELLED
2026-10-12 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 for October 2026 has been cancelled due to Thanksgiving and the Family Roots Conference.
Our 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!
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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.

Family Roots Conference 2026
2026-10-17 08:45 - 16:30 | Hotel Blackfoot, 5940 Blackfoot Trail SE, Calgary, AB, T2H 2B5, Canada
Alberta Family Histories Society is excited to welcome you to Family Roots 2026 – The 3 Rs of Genealogy: Relationships, Research and Resources. We’re looking forward to a great day of learning and connecting in person at our conference!
When: Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Hotel Blackfoot, 5940 Blackfoot Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta (see map here)
Why attend? Come learn and connect with other family historians! Find inspiration and learn about new research skills. Expand your knowledge and make new discoveries.
Registration Fee of $90 (AFHS members) or $100 (non-members) includes:

Four sessions (6 presentations, but there is a choice for two of the time slots)
Continental breakfast
Buffet lunch
Digital syllabus

OPENING KEYNOTE SESSION
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Is This Genealogy or the Cha Cha? – Sara Cochran
Revisiting and reevaluating our early research and home sources of information might seem like a waste of time, but often, it’s the key to getting past a roadblock in our research. We’ll discuss techniques for finding new clues in records we already have and look at several small case studies to see the value of taking the time to go backward in order to go forward.
MORNING SESSION – Choose one of two presentations
1) Navigating, Sensitivities, Trauma and Secrets in Storytelling – Rhonda Lauritzen (presenting via Zoom)
Are you grappling with how to address a family secret or trauma? This session will equip you to write about tough topics with empathy and grace. Tackle the challenge of crafting stories that heal rather than harm, avoiding “time bombs” that disrupt relationships. Through case study examples, learn critical mindsets to approach adversity in a story. You will come away with practical language for writing about sensitive topics and guidance for when to share or withhold stories. You will come away feeling empowered to draft a story that fosters transformation and connection. Discover how to write “time capsules” that inspire, ensuring your family history unites rather than divides.
2) Genealogy Starter Kit – Ron Gilmore
This presentation will introduce the notions of genealogy and the “Why” of this incredibly popular hobby with some examples. The session covers software, websites, DNA, genealogical organizations and sources of information. Ron will suggest a best practice set of structures for storing documents and digital files. The presentation includes many real-life samples of diverse aspects of Family History, far beyond simple birth, marriage and death dates. Genealogy has many fascinating dimensions, but the family stories uncovered are simply incredible.
AFTERNOON SESSION – Choose one of two presentations
1) To Spit or Not to Spit? Is DNA Testing Right for Your Research? – Sara Cochran
Covering the very basics of Genetic Genealogy, we will review the types of DNA tests available; list the companies that offer them, and determine how to choose which is best for your research and which family members to test – if any!
2) Advanced Genealogy Resources – Christine Hayes
Calgary offers a wealth of resources for genealogists, making it an excellent place to explore family history. In this session, Christine – an AFHS member and former library genealogist – will guide you through some of these valuable tools and collections. She will also share practical strategies to help you locate comparable genealogical resources in your own community.
FINAL PLENARY SESSION
Missing: Reward! Locating Widows, Spinsters and Bachelors – Sara Cochran
Have some of the folks on your family tree disappeared? Pick up some new ideas on how to find widows and never-married adults and then watch these techniques in action in three short case studies..

8:45 am
Doors Open for Registration. Continental Breakfast

9:15 am
Welcome

9:30 am
Opening Keynote: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Is This Genealogy or the Cha Cha? – Sara Cochran

10:30 am
Coffee Break

11:00 am
Navigating, Sensitivities, Trauma and Secrets in Family Storytelling – Rhonda Lauritzen (presenting via Zoom) OR Genealogy Starter Kit – Ron Gilmore

12:00 noon
Buffet Lunch

1:30 pm
To Spit or Not to Spit? Is DNA Testing Right for Your Research? – Sara Cochran OR Advanced Genealogy Resources: Insights from Calgary Collections – Christine Hayes

2:30 pm
Break

3:00 pm
Plenary Session: Missing: Reward! Locating Widows, Spinsters and Bachelors – Sara Cochran

4:00 pm
Door Prizes & Closing Remarks

Sara Cochran – The Skeleton Whisperer
Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with over thirty years of research experience. Her research has taken her to nearly every state in the USA and Ireland. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls, discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors, and helping individuals preserve their photographic legacy. She holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, and is an alum of the ProGen Study Group. She is a member of DAR and other lineage societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. You can find her online at TheSkeletonWhisperer.com.

Rhonda Lauritzen – Evalogue
Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer and keynote speaker, holding an MBA from the University of Utah. She served as CEO of her family’s business and was a state college vice president. Her storytelling began with her parents’ business saga, leading to founding Evalogue.Life in 2016. Rhonda has written over a dozen books with four traditionally published. She is a regular feature writer for Family Tree Magazine and has been interviewed by major media worldwide. Her professional work has included being hired to tell the stories of families, buildings, and cities. Rhonda believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending. Rhonda will be doing her presentation via Zoom. A full bio and a short highlight reel can be found here: http://evalogue.life/rhonda-lauritzen

Christine Hayes – AFHS Member
From a young age, Christine was the kid who perched quietly nearby, eavesdropping on the conversations of grown-ups and wondering about the people behind the names. Years later, after taking a job in the genealogy department at the public library, those names she’d heard resurfaced in census records—and she was hooked. Christine spent the bulk of her career helping people trace their ancestry. She believes that storytelling is the bridge between past and present, and that preserving family history is the most powerful way to keep our collective memory alive. Christine now serves as the Program Committee Chair of the Alberta Family History Society, where she continues to work with genealogists looking to find family and discover the lives of those who went before.

Ron Gilmore – AFHS Member
With a degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in mathematics, Ron worked for industrial giants such as General Electric and IBM before transitioning to a consulting career, assisting large organizations cope with installing and leveraging information technology. His work took him across Canada, USA and Europe. Now, he is enjoying a journey of discovery in genealogy. His focus is Ireland, Scotland, England, France/Germany and some rather entertaining family history sagas. Ron belongs to four genealogical societies in California and is a past president of the Alberta Family Histories Society. He has shared his presentations with genealogical groups in Canada and USA. His website can be viewed here.

Our conference committee is looking for donations for door prizes! If you would like to donate something, we will list your business here, include them in our syllabus and add them to the PowerPoint that will be shown during the lunch hour. Please contact familyroots@afhs.ab.ca
Confirmed door prizes to date are:

Donated by Wendy Schultz – To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant

We hope that you are ready to register! Registration will open on June 6 and close on October 12 at midnight. There will be no registration at the door of the conference as we have to make seating and catering arrangements in advance.

To register online with credit card payment, go to Eventbrite.
If you prefer to pay by cheque, download and print this registration form and mail it with payment to the address on the form. Mail-in registration forms must be received at our office no later than October 9.
We will offer payment by cash or cheque at the following Society meetings at our Resource Centre: June 8 and September 14.

If you have special dietary requests, please note them during the registration process.
Accommodations: If you would like to stay at the conference hotel, please contact Hotel Blackfoot and reference AFHS Conference 2026 to book your accommodation. Attendees are responsible for making payment directly to the hotel. The rates are as follows: 1 or 2 queen beds – $198.41 (includes taxes) OR 1 king bed – $233.07 (includes taxes).
Photography and Filming Disclaimer – Please note that photographs and footage may be taken at this Family Roots event. These may be used for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and on social media. Please contact familyroots@afhs.ab.ca if you have any concerns.

AFHS Chit Chat Session
2026-10-19 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.
The topic for this session is to be determined.
These sessions are held by Zoom. Please register for the meeting using this link.
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For more AFHS events, see our calendar

Ontario Special Interest Group
2026-10-26 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: To be determined
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/

Legacy Special Interest Group
2026-10-27 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/.
