Alberta Family Histories Society

04/13/2026

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 Hills of Home. The book has 846 pages and can be found in our collection at call number 971.23 Aden 2003.

“The Hills of Home started out simply as a project to record the stories of the people who have been before us”
Written by The Hills of Home History Book Committee
Page iii

Aden Alberta is located in the County of Forty Mile within a seven mile drive of the Canada-USA border into the state of Montana. This history of this area is closely linked between Alberta and Montana.

The Post Offices cover the areas of Pinhorn AB, Aden AB, Knappen AB, St. Kilda AB, River Press MT, Goldstone MT, Whitlash MT, Gold Butte MT and West Butte MT.

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

04/10/2026

The AFHS Society Meeting
Date: Monday, April 13, 2026

Investigative Genetic Genealogy: What it is and How You Can Help

Marie Palmer, a Canadian Accredited Investigative Genetic Genealogist (AIGG) who has solved numerous cases helping law enforcement solve cases of unidentified human remains and criminal cases. She will give an overview of IGG and walk through a Canadian case study about one of her first successful identifications. Additionally, she will discuss how people can help and get involved.

https://www.familyhistoryjourneys.com/

This meeting will be hybrid.

04/02/2026

Wendy Schultz, our Cemetery Committee Chair, is going to be on CBC radio. She says, "Good morning! I spoke with Liam Harrap of CBC Edmonton radio yesterday by phone about our cemetery digitization project. He’s asked me to speak again on live radio at 4:20 p.m. for an Edmonton interview and again at 4:35 p.m. on CBC Calgary for a second local interview.
Anyone interested can listen in at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active for the Edmonton broadcast or at CBC Calgary for the local show.

Jessica Ng and Min Dhariwal will catch you up with everything that happened during the day --- we'll explore the city with fresh eyes and have fun doing it. If you want to be entertained and informed this is your go to place.

04/01/2026

Here's what's happening at Alberta Family Histories Society in April:
April 4 - Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG) 10 am – Zoom
April 6 - Board Meeting - 7 pm - Zoom
April 10 - Writing SIG - 9:30 am - Zoom
April 11 - Digital Genealogy SIG – Storytelling and Preserving - 10 am – Zoom
April 12 - DNA Sig - 12:30 pm – Zoom
April 13 - Society Meeting – What is Investigative Genetic Genealogy? - 7pm – Hybrid
April 18 - English/Welsh SIG – UK to Alberta for Work – 10 am – Zoom
April 4 - Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG) 10 am – Zoom
April 6 - Board Meeting - 7 pm - Zoom
April 10 - Writing SIG - 9:30 am - Zoom
April 11 - Digital Genealogy SIG – Creating a YouTube Video 10 am – Zoom
April 12 - DNA Sig - 12:30 – Zoom
April 13 - Society Meeting – What is Investigative Genetic Genealogy - 7pm – Hybrid
April 16 – CBE Retired Teachers
April 18 - English/Welsh SIG – UK to Alberta for Work – 10 am – Zoom
April 19 – UELAC Calgary meeting
April 20 – Chit Chat – Topic for discussion is Weather – 7pm - Zoom
April 25 - Celtic – Step Migration from Ireland - speaker Barbara Watts - 10 am – Hybrid (Resource Centre and Zoom)
April 25 - Calgary Public Library Genealogy Coaching - 1 pm - Calgary Central Library - AFHS members help with your research
April 25 – Unison Seniors Expo – We will have a booth at this expo 9 am – 4 pm
April 27- Ontario SIG – Interesting Family Discoveries in books - 1:30 pm - Zoom
April 28 - Legacy SIG - 7 pm - Zoom

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 which is being renamed to Petwin Atrium Commons).

For all the latest information, or to register for a SIG please see our website: https://afhs.ab.ca/events/

03/16/2026

Genealogy 101 is less than two weeks away! We still have a few spaces available.

03/16/2026

Acme Cemetery is located in Kneehill County and is one of the cemeteries documented by our volunteers. The following information is taken from Acme Memories, the local history book for the area.

From the section regarding Church of God Seventh Day on page 106:
“In 1909, Philip Keim, a brother to John, and family as well as Jacob Fischer and family immigrated to Alberta from the Dakotas. John Keim donated a portion of land set aside for a church and cemetery. Services were held in different homes until 1914, the schoolhouse was purchased from the Beiseker area and moved to its present location.
The son of Karl Fischer was the first to be buried in the cemetery in 1913, and wife Christina Fischer also buried in the same year.”

From the section about the Grace Guild on page 107:
“In 1913, a group of farm women gathered together at the home of Mrs. Ed Pratt to form an organization with the air of doing charitable work in the community. The Grace Guild was formed and named after Mrs. Grace Cochrane. The most outstanding achievement of the Grace Guild was their cemetery project.
In 1925, the committee was formed for the purpose of improving and keeping the Acme Cemetery in good condition. Mrs. Elmer Davenport mapped out the cemetery and recorded all the graves - many were unmarked. The first Work Bee was in 1930.”

Our volunteers have documented 91 names in this small cemetery:
Acme Cemetery ~ https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/acme-church-of-god-cemetery/

03/09/2026

Acme Memories - Published 1979

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 Acme Memories. The book has 542 pages and can be found in our collection at call number 971.23 Acme ADHS.
Our Pioneers by Lavina Bates - Page iv
“They came, they saw, they conquered;
These pioneers of fame,
Who left their homes in many lands,
For this broad Alberta plain.”
The first lines of this poem, I feel, describes the Alberta Pioneer to a “T”.
“The village of Acme is located approximately 55 miles (88km), northeast of Calgary. Having been surveyed by the CPR, most of the streets were named after the members of the survey crew. The name “Acme” was derived from the fact that it was located at the north end of the line or on the highest point on the map.”
“Acme was incorporated as a village on July 7, 1910 with the three councillors, P.J. Brown as major, Arthur Wheeler and J.H. Brown.”
Page 1
Index to Acme Memories: https://albertaancestors.ca/books/b0004-acme-memories/
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

03/02/2026

In February, Alberta Family Histories Society volunteers uploaded 4 new cemeteries to our cemetery database, Alberta Ancestors. This was a total of 4085 names. More names are being added all the time, so check it out: Alberta Ancestors – https://albertaancestors.ca

Plus many updates, new names and new photos for other rural cemeteries and the City of Calgary cemeteries.
February - 2026
Vulcan Cemetery (Vulcan County) 2,824 names + 2,263 photos - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/vulcan-cemetery-vulcan-county/
Royal View Cemetery (Lethbridge) 572 names + 370 photos - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/royal-view-memorial-cemetery-lethbridge/
Grassy Lake Prairie View Cemetery (MD of Taber) 371 names + 359 photos - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/grassy-lake-prairie-view-cemetery-md-of-taber/
Huntsville Cemetery (Lethbridge County) 316 names + 241 photos - https://albertaancestors.ca/cemeteries/huntsville-cemetery-lethbridge-county/

Current Alberta Ancestors status (February 28, 2026)
379 cemeteries (increase of 6)
264,730 persons (increase of 4085)
191,942 photos (increase of 5,175)

03/02/2026

Here's What's Happening at Alberta Family Histories Society in March:

Wednesday, March 4 - Board meeting at 7 pm via Zoom
Saturday, March 7 - Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group (SIG) at 10 am via Zoom
Sunday, March 8 - DNA SIG at 12:30 pm via Zoom
Monday, March 9 - Society meeting at 7 pm Hybrid meeting - Indigenous Research at Library & Archives Canada
Friday, March 13 - Writing SIG at 9:30 am via Zoom
Saturday, March 14 - Digital Genealogy SIG at 10 am via Zoom
Monday, March 16 - Chit Chat at 7 pm via Zoom - Bring a story about a lucky family member
Saturday, March 21 - English/Welsh SIG at 10 am via Zoom - Occupations
Monday, March 23 - Ontario SIG at 1:30 pm via Zoom - Ontario to Alberta: Discovering Family Histories in the U of C Digital Collections
Saturday, March 28 - Genealogy 101 from 9:30 am to 4 pm - a day of introductory lessons - free for AFHS members; $30 for non-members - in person at our Resource Centre
Saturday, March 28 - Family History Coaching Program at Calgary Public Library

For more information, please see our website calendar https://afhs.ab.ca/calendar/

02/28/2026

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/

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/

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.