Join SVGS on Saturday May 9, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for the second of our Spring Speaker Series “Changing Places, Changing Borders: Overcoming Geographic Challenges” with Dave Obee, noted Canadian Journalist, Genealogist and Author. Did you know it was possible to live in the same dwelling your entire life, yet be born, married and die in three different locations. Such is the puzzle of changing borders/jurisdictions at the local, state or country level. Dave will help us sort out just how to locate our ancestors when they lived their lives on the shifting sands of changing borders.  Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

Spring is finally here and it’s time for the first of our Spring Speaker Series. Join SVGS on Saturday April 11, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for “Hatched, Matched & Dispatched Chasing Ancestors Through US Vital Records” with Colette Hokanson. Colette is a FamilySearch Researcher. Come learn research methods that can help you find these important building blocks of genealogy. Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

Did your ancestors mysteriously appear in Skagit County in the 1900 Census? Maybe they were in the Equality Colony. Join SVGS on Saturday March 14, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for “The Equality Colony of Skagit County” with Robert Burns, author of “Rebels in the Wild: The Equality Colony and the Taming of American Capitalism”. In the late 1890s a group of like-minded individuals came from around the country to establish a socialist colony in Skagit County. Find out who they were, what motivated them, why they chose Skagit County, and why the colony collapsed. Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

You can’t keep a good library down! Join SVGS on Saturday February 14, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Libraryfor “Washington State Library Family History Resources” with librarian Crystal Hicks. From historic newspapers and local city directories to maps and tribal histories, the Washington State Library has materials to aid you in your family history research. Come learn how we can still access these materials despite the library’s closure to the general public due to budget cuts. Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

Did a branch of your family suddenly head north to Canada during the Revolutionary War? You just might have just found a United Empire Loyalist ancestor! Join SVGS Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for “United Empire Loyalists” the Colonists loyal to the King with Brian McConnell. Brian is a Canadian Author, Genealogist and Historian. Come learn about the Colonists that opposed the American Revolution and resettled north of the border in Canada.  Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

Save the dates! 2025 is in the books but the best is yet to come. Join the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society for our upcoming 2026 Winter Speakers Series with programs in January, February and March. Until then, Happy Holidays to you all from SVGS.

Join SVGS Saturday, November 8, 2025, 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for “Beyond the Brick Wall: Strategies for Pre-1850 U.S. Research” with Julie Anderson. Julie is a U.S./Canada Research Specialist at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Come learn what resources and research techniques are available to help you locate your ancestors in records before the 1850 Census.  Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.

Join Skagit Valley Genealogical Society Saturday, October 11, 2025, 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for “The Role of Convents and Monasteries in the 15^th-19^th Centuries and How They Affected Our Ancestors”with Milan Pohontsch, President, Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies. Learn about the social and economic impacts of monasteries and how the lives of those that lived and worked on monastic estates differed from peasants under noble rule.  Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org. Thank you,

Before there were trains, there were Wagon Trains! Join SVGS Saturday, September 13, 2025, 1pm at the Burlington Public Library for the “Western Overland Trails – Following the Seven T’s,” with Steven W. Morrison. Come learn about the trails that populated the West, including the Oregon and California Trails, the Mormon migration, the Santa Fe Trail, and more. Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a Zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.