Alberta Family Histories Society

Alberta Family Histories Society Genealogy and Family History

The activities of the society are funded completely by membership fees, fund-raising projects and donations from individual members.

Pincher Creek Mennonite Brethren CemeteryPrivate Property The Pincher Creek Mennonite Brethren Cemetery is a historic, s...
02/16/2026

Pincher Creek Mennonite Brethren Cemetery
Private Property

The Pincher Creek Mennonite Brethren Cemetery is a historic, small burial ground located on private property in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek. It is situated near the Springridge Mennonite Church, east of town.
The Springridge Mennonite Congregation began services in 1927 and formally organized in 1928 with 56 members. Initially the congregation was known as the Blumentahler Mennonite Church. The first building was occupied in 1934, built from salvage materials from an old hotel in Fort Macleod. In 1969, the congregation changed its name to Springridge Mennonite Church.

This tiny cemetery holds 5 burials of the Gietz and Poettcher families. Herman and Caroline Gietz are interred here as well as their daughter Ellen, who all were born in Poland. Ellen passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia. Two Poettcker brothers, Henry William (age 15) and his brother Herbert Henry (age 18) are also buried here. On a hot day in early July of 1954, the boys drowned in the dammed-up pond on the family farm. The boys were the sons of Henry A. and Katie Poettcker, who are buried at Coaldale Mennonite Cemetery.

For further information, check out AB Ancestors link to this cemetery - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/pincher-creek-mennonite-brethren-cemetery-md-of-pincher-creek/

Thank you to Gord McBean, who gave an excellent presentation at our society's Monthly Meeting - on Researching in Britis...
02/11/2026

Thank you to Gord McBean, who gave an excellent presentation at our society's Monthly Meeting - on Researching in British Columbia.
There was a lot of information that applied to researching elsewhere so we were all able to learn useful information for searching for our ancestors.

Gord did his presentation via Zoom.

In January, Alberta Family Histories Society volunteers uploaded 2 new cemeteries to our cemetery database, Alberta Ance...
02/09/2026

In January, Alberta Family Histories Society volunteers uploaded 2 new cemeteries to our cemetery database, Alberta Ancestors. This was a total of 1766 names. More names are being added all the time, so check it out: Alberta Ancestors – https://albertaancestors.ca

January City cemeteries burials: 97, plus many edits, updates & photos for Alberta Ancestors related to these & earlier burials
January - 2026
January rural cemeteries added to AB Ancestors: 1,766 names & 1,441 photos
Canmore Cemetery (MD of Bighorn) - albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/canmore-cemetery-md-of-bighorn/ - 1,708 names, 1,394 photos
Sion Lutheran Cemetery (Barrhead County) - albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/sion-lutheran-cemetery-barrhead-county/ - 58 names, 47 photos

Current Alberta Ancestors status (January 2026)
375 cemeteries
266,360 persons
193,799 photos

Did you know that we have an extensive collection of local history books at the AFHS Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 M...
02/02/2026

Did you know that we have an extensive collection of local history books at the AFHS Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Tr SE in Calgary)?
This month we are featuring Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass - History of the Pioneers of Pincher Creek and District. The book has 867 pages and can be found in our collection at call number 971.23 PINC 1974.
Brief Note - Robertson-Ross who described the beauty of this area in his diary in 1873.
“Recrossing the Old man River we rode to the top of the Porcupine Hill and from there . . . had, I think, one of the most magnificent views I ever saw in my life. At a distance varying from 15 to 20 miles, in a sort of an immense amphitheatre lay the Rocky Mountains towering their great heads many thousand feet high, on our left the boundless prairie stretching far to the Eastward, in our front to the south at a distance of about 50 or 60 miles, the Boundary lines, the “Chief Mountain” and part of the Territory of Montana US . . . . We could see the Belly River, Crow’s Nest River and many other fine mountain streams.”
Our volunteers look forward to helping you research your family history! For information about our programs and open hours, please visit our website at https://afhs.ab.ca

February 2 - Board Meeting - 7 pm - ZoomFebruary 7 - Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG) 10 am – ZoomFebruary...
02/01/2026

February 2 - Board Meeting - 7 pm - Zoom
February 7 - Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG) 10 am – Zoom
February 8 - DNA Sig - 12:30 – Zoom
February 9 - Society Meeting – Researching in British Columbia presented by Gordon McBean - 7pm – Zoom
February 13 - Writing SIG - 9:30 am - Zoom
February 14 - Digital Genealogy SIG 10 am – Zoom
February 16 - Chit Chat - 7pm - Zoom
February 21 - English/Welsh SIG - 10 am – Zoom
February 23 - Ontario SIG - My Thompson Family (Peter Robinson settlers) presented by Steve Henley - 1:30 pm - Zoom
February 24 - Legacy SIG - 7 pm - Zoom
February 28 - Celtic - Education in Ireland and Scotland - 10 am – Hybrid (Resource Centre and Zoom)
February 28 - Calgary Public Library Genealogy Coaching - 1 pm - Calgary Public Library (downton) - AFHS members help with your research
Our Resource Centre is available to the public Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm, and Saturdays from noon to 4 pm. Our volunteers look forward to helping you at our new library, meeting and office space (Suite 251S in the south tower, 8500 Macleod Trail SE in the Heritage Square building).
For all the latest information, or to register for a SIG please see our website: https://afhs.ab.ca/events/

Christine McAstocker Hayes and Marion Peterson did a presentation to a very attentive group - SAGE (Senior Adults Growi...
01/29/2026

Christine McAstocker Hayes and Marion Peterson did a presentation to a very attentive group - SAGE (Senior Adults Growing & Exploring) at Fish Creek United Church.
If you know of a service club or seniors organization in Calgary that would be interested in a talk about getting started in genealogy and the resources offered by AFHS, just let us know!
(Photos courtesy of Karen B. Palmer)

The Highland Cemetery in Vulcan County is one of the cemeteries documented by our volunteers. This photograph shows it s...
01/26/2026

The Highland Cemetery in Vulcan County is one of the cemeteries documented by our volunteers. This photograph shows it shrouded in snow and fog, with the headstones hidden behind the large bushes that surround this small cemetery.

The following description was written by George Fulton:
"The Highland Cemetery was formed in December 1908, at a meeting held at the Highland School.
Thomas Love donated two acres of land, a part of his homestead which was the northeast quarter of section 32-17-24-W4 for which he was given a paid up share and a lot. The first board elected was: C. E. Robinson, President; R. P. Hay, Secretary; and F.F. Bone, Treasurer. John Douglas, C. E. Robinson and R. P. Hay were elected directors. Capital stock was set at $100 .00 with shares to sell for $5.00 each . The last meeting was held April 6, 1949 , with D. L. Doane presiding and Viola Rushfeldt as secretary."

Our volunteers have documented 91 names in this small cemetery:
Highland Cemetery - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/highland-cemetery-vulcan/

Did you know that we have an extensive collection of local history books at the AFHS Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 M...
01/19/2026

Did you know that we have an extensive collection of local history books at the AFHS Resource Centre (Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Tr SE in Calgary)?

This month we are featuring the two volumes for Vulcan: Wheat Country (1973) and Wheat Country II (1988) - A History of Vulcan and District. With combined pages, these two books have 1883 pages and can be found in our collection at call number 971.23 VULC 1973 and 971.23 VULC 1988.

An excerpt from Wheat Country - A History of Vulcan and District - 1973
Early History By Ruby Jamison, page 1:
“Ever since the first white man penetrated Alberta (Bouchier de Niverville in 1751) this great country of ours has grown; helped by the pioneers, some whom came to the Vulcan area in 1888 as ranchers, others in 1903 as homesteaders.
The rolling contours of our prairie with its extremes of temperature in the winter and summers, remain very much the same as when the Indians pursued the buffalo across the plains. With the exception of buffalo and wolf (the latter only lightly prized) there was very little hunting or trapping in our area.
A trail made by the Blackfoot Indians from Fort Macleod to Blackfoot Crossing runs through townships 16 and 17, ranges 23 and 22. Exposures of coal seams were found along this trail by the early explorers. In the 1800’s the Indians that hunted on these plains were Gros Ventre, Peigan and Blackfoot.
The main trade routes and NWMP forts formed a triangular area, from Fort Walsh to the south-east, Fort Macleod to the south-west and Fort Calgary to the north, with the Vulcan area (being the centre) by-passed.
It is thought that a CPR surveyor, who laid out the Vulcan townsite, named it after the Greek Gods of Olympus, because it was the highest elevation on the CPR tracks across the prairies.”

An excerpt from Wheat Country II - A History of Vulcan and District - 1988
A Re-Count of Past Events by Nancy Middleton:
“Through my research, I have been able to establish some of the events which have shaped the Vulcan of yesterday into the Vulcan of today. Numerous changes have taken place in our Town since the last written history book, entitled “Wheat Country”. Time has seen streets, sidewalks and water/sewer systems evolving, business and industrial growth and the expansion of Town boundaries for the development of new and better facilities. The Village of Vulcan was incorporated December 23, 1912, holding its first elections for Town Officials January 13, 1913. “

Our volunteers look forward to helping you research your family history! For information about our programs and open hours, please visit our website at https://afhs.ab.ca

(AFHS realizes the wording used in this excerpt is no longer considered acceptable.)

01/14/2026

Join us for our February meeting:

BROAD CONTENT: HOW TO FIND IT AND USE IT.

By understanding the broad context of our geographic area and the era we can interpret the evidence more accurately and thereby understand the decision-making of our ancestors more clearly. We sometimes view context as just the historical events that affected our ancestor. We will broaden that definition and explain the difference between it and social history. Examples clarify meaning and illustrate how this is a project long process and not effort applied at the end.

DATE: Monday, February 2, 2026, 7pm

PRESENTER: Jill Morelli

Via Zoom

Price: KDGS members Free; non-members $10; REGISTRATION REQUIRED https://www.cognitoforms.com/kelownadistrictgenealogicalsociety/meetingregistrationsfor20252026

BITE-SIZE PRESENTATION: Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS), with KDGS member, Marlene Crane

Jill Morelli, CG, CGL, is a writer, lecturer and founder of the Certification Discussion Group, an online series which demystifies the journey to BCG certification. She lectures nationally and has written articles for National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Swedish American Genealogist, and many others. She publishes regularly and is working on her third book—a compilation of all the articles she has written about her mother's family. Jill is a past president of the Seattle Genealogical Society, program chair of the Puget Sound-Association of Professional Genealogists and a member of many local genealogical societies. She lives in Seattle.

Thank you Christine for presenting at the society's monthly meeting. You gave tips to newer genealogists and reminders t...
01/14/2026

Thank you Christine for presenting at the society's monthly meeting. You gave tips to newer genealogists and reminders to more experienced researchers.
Members who missed the meeting or want to view it again will be able to view it on our website once our tech team has time to edit it.

In December, Alberta Family Histories Society volunteers uploaded 3 new cemeteries to our cemetery database, Alberta An...
01/12/2026

In December, Alberta Family Histories Society volunteers uploaded 3 new cemeteries to our cemetery database, Alberta Ancestors. This was a total of 701 names. More names are being added all the time, so check it out: Alberta Ancestors – https://albertaancestors.ca

December City cemeteries burials: 92, plus many edits, updates & photos for Alberta Ancestors related to these & earlier burials
December - 2025
Diamond Valley Cemetery - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/foothills-cemetery/ 287 names, 229 photos
Kevisville Cemetery (Red Deer County) - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/kevisville-cemetery-red-deer-county/ 280 names, 232 photos
Trinity Lutheran Cemetery (MD of Pincher Creek) - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/trinity-lutheran-cemetery-md-of-pincher-creek/ 134 names, 106 photos

Current Alberta Ancestors status (Dec 31st, 2025)
373 cemeteries (increase of 3)
264,730 persons (increase of 824)
191,942 photos (increase of 626)

Alberta Family Histories Society is once again offering Genealogy 101! It will be held on one day - March 28 from 9:30 t...
01/11/2026

Alberta Family Histories Society is once again offering Genealogy 101! It will be held on one day - March 28 from 9:30 to about 4 pm at our Resource Centre in Calgary. This program is free for AFHS members and $30 for non-members. For more information, please see our website https://afhs.ab.ca/event/genealogy-101/

Address

Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, AB
T2H2N1

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 2pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+14032141447

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