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About Us


The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is an independent, federally incorporated society, with two objectives:

  • To research, preserve, and disseminate Canadian and British Isles family and social history; and
  • To promote genealogical research through a program of public education, showing how to conduct this research and preserve the findings in a readily accessible form.

Our purpose is to encourage research and the publication of family histories by people who have ancestors from the British Isles.

Land acknowledgement

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa acknowledges that its activities take place in the ancestral homeland of Indigenous people who have inhabited these lands for millennia. We acknowledge the enduring presence here of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. We recognize the importance of bringing awareness and understanding of our diverse nation’s past to all, and we promote research and education programs that bring us together as Canadians.  


BIFHSGO is the leading Canadian family history society with a focus on the British Isles, which for us includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. 

Our aim is to connect family historians in an environment that encourages sharing of knowledge, learning trusted research methods and best practices and inspiring others through member-based programming and publications.

Since its founding in 1994, BIFHSGO members have benefited from informative and educational monthly meetings, annual conferences, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and occasional workshops. Member-run SIGs help family historians with improving their writing skills and with research about Scotland, London, British Colonial America, and DNA. 

BIFHSGO’s quarterly journal, Anglo-Celtic Roots, is filled with stories written by our members and provides excellent examples for others researching and writing their own family histories. Members are also encouraged to present their findings at monthly talks and, twice yearly, in shorter presentations about Great Moments in Genealogy. It is through the sharing of their research and family stories that we make new connections and learn of further resources for future research.

Our members have also contributed over the years to many indexing projects, which are searchable for free on our website. These include several indexes of home children brought to Canada by various societies, WW I soldiers' deaths at No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, as well as information from a variety of military and migration resources. Many of these indexes have been created in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada and provide great learning opportunities for our members.

BIFHSGO is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization based in Ottawa, Canada, with over 500 members, including a growing number of members from outside the National Capital Region. We welcome visitors to our monthly meetings and our SIGs. 

Please join us! 


BIFHSGO would like to recognize and thank those who provided images for this website: Dianne Brydon, Duncan Monkhouse, Dena Palamedes, Barbara Tose, Glenn Wright and Shutterstock.