Surrey British Columbia Family History Centre

Location and Map

 * 6270 126th Street Surrey BC south side of building. There is a buzzer just to the left of the main doors to be buzzed.
 * Parking is free for our patrons.
 * Location on Map

Contact Information


 Phone: 604 597 9695 

 E-mail: surreyfhc@gmail.com 

CLOSED - COVID - NO SUMMER HOURS - Usual summer hours below
Tuesdays 10 am to 9 pm

Thursdays 12 Noon to 4 pm

All other visits must be by appointment - contact surreyfhc@gmail.com to request a visit

Usual regular hours below
''' ***During inclement weather call ahead to be sure the center is open. '''

• Tuesdays 10 am to 9 pm • Wednesdays 11 am to 3 pm • Thursdays 2 pm to 9 pm Hope to see you there.

Holiday Closures
Closed all Statutory Holidays

Summer closure last week of June and 1st week of July

Christmas Closure 3rd week of December to 2nd week of January


 *  Please contact our centre to get up to date closures, to check our hours, or to arrange group visits or arrange special help. Call: 605 597 9695 or email surreyfhc@gmail.com

Calendar and Events
All classes are currently being held on Zoom.

****Register at surreyfhc@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link and any handouts.

Registration is required for these Zoom classes: Registration links for each class below
Monday, September 20th at 10 AM to 11:30 AM (Pacific Daylight Time): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtcOuvrDksHdEFUS8pRrPZsc9fGjspkP2T

or

Wednesday, September 22nd at 7 PM - 8:30 PM (Pacific Daylight Time): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEsdOyrrjoiG9e_JGkPBHM1BtXSfXyBvKNp

Class Description
It’s the stories that make family history come alive. Storytelling connects, teaches and creates a sense of belonging for future generations. Not sure where to start or how to fit family storytelling writing into your daily routine? This session will inspire, motivate and give practical ideas and steps on how you can capture, write and share your personal and family memories – as you live your life.

Instructor
Karen Inkster Vance, MA, is an educator, family storyteller, researcher and writer who has enjoyed documenting her family history for over 30 years. She is the author of Voices from the Past: A History of North Roe (2006), a social history of the village in Shetland, Scotland where her great-grandfather was born. She conducted over 150 oral history interviews as part of the Ex-Cadet Oral History Project at Royal Roads University and oversaw the writing and production of two documentary films, Coming Full Circle: Remembrances of Royal Roads Ex-Cadets (2009) and Ingrained in Us: Remembering Royal Roads (2013), both of which aired on local television.

After travelling the world to tramp through cemeteries, wade through archives and interview numerous family members Karen has discovered that true joy comes not from just filling in the names and dates on her family tree but from piecing together the lives that her ancestors led. Gathering social history clues, analyzing photos and oral history interviewing are just a few of the creative approaches Karen uses to bring her ancestors to life. She is on a mission to write down and share her ancestors’ stories and help other family historians do the same.

_____________________

INDIVIDUAL FAMILY HISTORY HELP IS AVAILABLE FROM OUR STAFF USING PHONE OR ZOOM

To get help: Contact us through surreyfhc@gmail.com and let us know what you need help with.

We will arrange a time for our staff to assist you from home.

(We will not be able to access resources only available at the FHC.)

If you are not familiar with how a virtual consultant meeting works, it’s pretty simple. The consultant will email the patron an invitation to join a Zoom meeting. After the patron joins, they will choose the option on the tools bar to share their screen. Once the screen sharing feature is enabled, the consultant will be able to guide the patron as they visit the websites needed to work on their family history. It’s like having a consultant right by your side looking at the same screen and talking you through the process.

Finding Your Roots Conference - an annual event - CANCELLED FOR 2021 - COVID
2021 CONFERENCE IS CANCELLED

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog Films: We have many films and fiche on extended loan. So even though film ordering has ended you can still access these resources at our center.
 * Index of all the extended films/fiche in our center is available on our computers.
 * Thousands of books dealing with research from all parts of the world. An index of these books is available on our computers.
 * Film indexes for Ontario.
 * Icelandic Census books

New Book Acquisitions
 June 2020 

We have acquired a large collection of Ukrainian and Polish research books.

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal: This centre has access to the Family History Centre Portal page which gives free access in the centre to subscription websites.
 * Premium Databases Include the following
 * 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
 * Alexander Street Press• The American Civil War: Research Database, Letters and Diaries, Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera, Social and Cultural History, Women and Social Movements in the United States
 * American Ancestors
 * Ancestry.com - Institution version
 * Archive Digital
 * FamNet
 * Findmypast - Institution version
 * Fold3.com
 * Geneanet
 * Kinpoint - premium
 * MyHeritage - Library Edition
 * Newspapers.com
 * Paper Trail
 * Puzzilla.org - Premium Services
 * We also have database programs for information storing of your genealogical work such as Legacy, Roots Magic, and Ancestral Quest. We have the deluxe paid versions at our center. You may download the basic free version for use at home.

Hardware and Equipment
Our centre has 12 computers, 2 printers, 3 fiche readers, 4 film readers including 1 high magnification readers, 1 digital film/fiche reader and a multi functional digital copier/scanner/printer.

Center Services
INDIVIDUAL FAMILY HISTORY HELP IS AVAILABLE FROM OUR STAFF USING PHONE OR ZOOM

To get help: Contact us through surreyfhc@gmail.com and let us know what you need help with.

We will arrange a time for our staff to assist you from home.

(We will not be able to access resources only available at the FHC.)

If you are not familiar with how a virtual consultant meeting works, it’s pretty simple. The consultant will email the patron an invitation to join a Zoom meeting. After the patron joins, they will choose the option on the tools bar to share their screen. Once the screen sharing feature is enabled, the consultant will be able to guide the patron as they visit the websites needed to work on their family history. It’s like having a consultant right by your side looking at the same screen and talking you through the process.

Group Visits - no group visits at this time - youth groups, adult groups, children's groups and family groups.

Email: surreyfhc@gmail.com on what types of instruction are available, etc.

NEW SERVICE: One on One Assistance - to book this email surreyfhc@gmail.com and you will be contacted with times available. Often individual assistance is available from regular staff without an appointment. However, if you wish to be sure there is a knowledgeable staff member available you can book an appointment.


 * 1) Patrons can scan photos to memory sticks and upload them to the FamilySearch Family Tree site.
 * 2) Patrons at the center have free access to 12 premium databases including Ancestry and Find My Past. We can help you get the most out of these
 * 3) Our friendly staff can assist with uploading images and doing research using FamilySearch and the Premium Databases
 * 4) We offer monthly seminars during the winter months to help patrons learn new skills and these are free and open to the community.
 * 5) We book group appointments to help youth groups and families learn more about their ancestors.
 * 6) We teach individuals and groups how to do FamilySearch Indexing, how to research using FamilySearch, how to complete the My Family booklet and enter data in Family Tree.
 * 7) We can help you create fan charts, photo pedigrees, etc. using Treeseek
 * 8) We can help you use the Premium versions of Puzzilla to find more cousins.

Executive Committee:  Director: Jeannie Vance Assistant Director: Sara Herrington Patron Services Coordinator: Jeannie Vance Technical Coordinator: George Caldwell

Training Coordinator: Jeannie Vance Scheduling Coordinator: Barbara McMullin

Associate Administrator: Jacquie Jarvis

Specialists: (other consultants may also have knowledge for researching in these areas)

Scotland - George Caldwell

England - Marilyn Ponting, Jeannie Vance

Ontario: Jeannie Vance, Sharon Russell or Terry Rogers

New England: Terry Rogers

FamilySearch - Jeannie Vance