Serving Bruce County Families --past and present

Bruce County Genealogical Society

Box 1083, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0

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THE SOCIETY

Searching for your Ancestors? Look to BCGS for help!

The Bruce County Genealogical Society was founded on March 20, 1989 as a non-profit, unaffiliated organization for ancestry and family history in Bruce County, Ontario. We are proud of the many varied resources now available through our efforts.

Members and friends enjoy genealogy, meeting to network and to assist others with research. The desire is to promote education as well as to encourage high standards and accuracy.

A novice or an expert will find information about the county and far away places in our superb library of books, maps and artefacts. The publishing group is dedicated to finding and printing rare documents and research aids. Others transcribe facts from repositories and cemeteries; these records too are then published. Our newsletter, Bruce Bulletin, contains shorter articles and features helpful guides for members. The website specialty is queries, local news and history, but links can take you throughout the county or around the world, genealogically speaking that is.

Speakers, programs, workshops and courses illustrate basic tools for genealogy. You'll learn what you can expect to find, where to look for the records you need, how to research them, how to interpret and prove your data, plus how to organize your information. You'll discover what works for others searching the same places.

If you are lucky, you'll meet a distant cousin looking for your branch of the family!

MEMBERSHIP

To join our society, please fill out the membership application. 

PUBLICATIONS

Check out our list of reference material for sale. You'll find reprints of directories, local histories, transcriptions of newspapers, cemeteries, churches and censuses, maps and genealogical supplies.

Our latest publications include the following cemetery transcriptions:
new Walkerton Cemetery, Walkerton, Brant Township
St. Anne's Cemetery, Riversdale, Greenock Township
Edgehill Cemetery, Colpoy's Bay, Albemarle Township
Pine River Cemetery, Huron Township
Paisley Cemetery
Purdy Cemetery, Greenock Township
Vesta Cemetery, Elderslie Township
Calvary (R.C.) Cemetery, Walkerton
Smith's Cemetery, Culross Township
Red Bay Cemetery, Albemarle Township

THE COLLECTION

The Audrey Webster Underwood Library housed in the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre is open during museum hours. A computer and microfilm / fiche readers / printers are available. Amongst the sources you'll find are:

• Ontario Vital Statistics Index

• Bruce County Vital statistics Registrations

• Scottish Collection

• Newspapers, some indexed / transcribed

• Census records and indexes

• Family histories

• Cemetery and church records

• Historical maps

• Women's Institute Tweedsmuir Collection

• Church, school and local histories

• Newsletter exchange collection

• Genealogical how-to books

• Internet access.

We are grateful for donations. Suitable books and maps will find a good home in our collection.

MEETINGS

Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Monday of each month. January through April  meetings are at 1:30 PM. May through October meetings are at 7:30 PM. The November meeting is the Annual General Dinner Meeting. The December meeting is the Christmas Social, 1:30 PM. The location varies. Please check our website for dates, locations, changes and cancellations, or call the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre, 22 Victoria Street North, Southampton ON N0H 2L0, hours weekdays and Saturday 10 AM to 4:30 PM, Sunday 1 PM to 4:30 PM, telephone (519) 797-2080 or 1-866-318-8889. Meetings are free, and usually feature a speaker. Visitors are welcome.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

August 11, 2008
BCGS Meeting, 7 PM. Tour of Southampton Cemetery. Meet at the Museum after the tour. Roll call: Mention a family or experience or tombstone relating to Southampton. Speaker: Steve McLean.

July 24 - 27, 2008
Lucknow's 150th Anniversary

August 14 - 17, 2008
Southampton's 150th Anniversary

For more upcoming events, go to our Events page.
 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

This great society has benefited from the collective efforts of others who are interested in genealogy. Many events we attend and the resources we use have been achieved though the work of dedicated volunteers. Giving some time to the society is a great way to meet others who share your interest in family history, to keep the society vibrant and to give back to the community.

There are some worthwhile and enjoyable opportunities with the BCGS such as: serving on the executive, helping with the clipping collection, convening or speaking at a meeting, assisting in the Museum Reading Room, solving queries, transcribing records, writing articles, editing the newsletter, manning promotional displays at special events, etc. It doesn't have to be a big part of your time. Every little bit helps the cause. Please contact us at brucecgs@yahoo.ca for more details.

Bruce County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1083, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada N0H 2C0
Copyright © 2003 - 2008
brucecgs@yahoo.ca
Webmaster: Louise Stewart