Membership

The annual fee is $63.00 for the Society and Branch and Special Interest Group fees range from $5.00-$15.00 depending on the Branch or Special Interest Group. You must join the Society first and then you may add on any (or all) of the branches and SIGs that you choose. The Branch/ SIGs’ fees go to the Branch/ SIG to support their events and projects. All fees are processed in Canadian Dollars. 

Branches and SIGs (Special Interest Groups) focus on a geographic area or topic of interest to researchers. Branches and SIGs work in conjunction with the Society and can offer networking opportunities, educational events, help with preservation projects and more. Dedicated volunteers who have a passion for genealogy manage our Branches and SIGs.

You may want to join the Branch in the area where you live so you can network, learn and share with other family historians. You may also want to join the Branch or SIG where your family lived to help with your research in that area. Branch and SIG membership may include newsletters, members’ only resources, and research guidance. Each group is unique so please check their website and resource list (Resource Section of website) or contact the Branch or SIG directly for more information.

As a member of The Ontario Genealogical Society, you will have access to our Members’ Corner that includes our Quarterly Journal “Families”, discount offers, members’ only fees for events, our recorded webinar library and more. Branch/ SIG membership fees may include newsletters, members’ only resources and special pricing for their sponsored events. Branch / SIG fees go directly to the Branch/SIG to cover their costs.

If you have a profile on the site, please click Login and complete the login side of the page. Once logged in, click on Membership, then Society Membership and follow the prompts to check out and complete your membership.

If you do not have a profile on our site, click on Login and complete the Register Side of the page. Once you are registered, click on “Join / Renew Membership” from the “My Account” page and follow the prompts to check out and complete your membership. You can also download the membership form and send a cheque to the Office. If you are sending a cheque, please register on the site first so your profile will already be in our system.  All cheques are payable to “The Ontario Genealogical Society”.

Log in to the Society website and from the “My Account” page click on “Join/ Renew Membership”. You will be directed to the membership page. Click on the Branch/SIG you would like to add and click Add to Marketplace Cart.  This will not duplicate anything memberships you have already purchased, only the new item will appear in the cart. Follow the prompts to complete the order. Any Branch/ SIG memberships added throughout the year will expire with your Society membership.

Please contact the office for assistance, or call us at 416-489-0734 or toll free at 855-697-6687 during business hours.

Your membership is valid for one year from the date that you join.

Unfortunately, we cannot cancel or refund membership fees.

You can purchase a gift membership by either using the online system or by printing and mailing in the membership form. To use the online system, register the person who will have the membership and include all of their contact information in the process. Once you have registered, the new member must complete the society membership.  You can also purchase a gift certificate for another person that they can use for membership or Marketplace. The recipient will receive a notification once the transaction is complete.

My Profile

To change your address, log in to the website and from the “My Account” page click on “Address”  then click “edit”.

To change your email or password, login to the website and from the “My Account” page click on “Account Details” and make the changes.

Log in to the website and from the “My Account” page view the membership card for your expiry date.

Donations

From the home page of the website, scroll down to “Donate Now” and follow the prompts. Donation receipts will be issued to Canadian residents for donations over $20.00. You can also send a cheque to the Society office. Please include any specific information on the direction of your donation.

If the donation is process though Canada Helps your receipt will be issued right away by email. If your donation is made through the Society, receipts will be issues in January the following year and emailed directly to the donor. If there is no email in the system, they will be mailed.

For more information about bequest in my will or other planned giving questions, please contact our Executive Director at [email protected] for more information.

 

Website

Click on Login and complete the register side of the page. You can have a profile without being a member.

To log in to the website click on “Login” and fill in the Login side of the page.

If you get locked out after too many login attempts, please confirm your login credentials, wait about 30 minutes and then try again. If the problem persists, reset your password using the “Lost Password” on the login page or contact the Society Office for assistance.

Please confirm your login credentials, use the “Lost Password” options to reset your password or contact the office for further assistance.

Log in to The Ontario Genealogical Society website, click on “My Account”, then “Members’ Corner” 

This is a member’s only resource. Login to The Ontario Genealogical Society website, click on “Resources”, then “Members’ Corner”, then “MyHeritage Library Portal”. On this page you will see an access code in a yellow box, please make note of the code and click on Visit MyHeritage Library Edition Webpage. Enter the access code and click Sign in. Click on MyHeritage Library Edition.

Marketplace

From the home page of the Ontario Genealogical Society website click on “Shop”. Locate the item using the search box and add it to you cart.  You can add other items by clicking on “Continue to Shop” Once everything is your cart, click on “Proceed to Checkout”.

Please send an email to [email protected] and quote the order number and name of the publication.

Please contact the office and give the order name and name of the publication.

From the home page of the website, click on Shop and then Gift Certificate. Follow the prompts to complete the transaction. Please note is this is for someone else. They will get an email confirming the transaction once the purchase is complete.

Some of the items in TONI (The Ontario Name Index) can be viewed through our Pay per View Program. To use this service please first purchase a prepaid Voucher.

This is a member’s only resource. Login to The Ontario Genealogical Society website, click on “Research”,  then choose the  “MyHeritage Library Portal”. On this page you will see an access code in a yellow box, please make note of the code and click on Visit MyHeritage Library Edition Webpage. Enter the access code and click Sign in. Click on MyHeritage Library Edition.

Education and Research Help

If it is a general question, please visit our General Genealogy Research Help page.

If it is specific to a region in Ontario, please contact the local branch in the area of research or fill out our Research Form.

To locate a professional researcher please review the directory on the Association of Professional Genealogists Website.

From the home page of the website, click on “Education” and then “Upcoming Webinars”, scroll down and find the webinar you would like to register for and click on “Information/ Registration”.

To subscribe, scroll down on the home page of the website you will see the subscribe box. This is open to members and non-members.

Conference

Watch eWeekly and the society website for information as it becomes available.

Follow the information in eWeekly and on the society website once registration is open.

Library

The Ontario Genealogical Society’s library holdings are located in the Toronto Reference library. For more information, please see the Libraries tab on the home page.

This collection is a reference only, non-circulating collection. To access it you must visit the library in person or hire a researcher to help you. Professional researchers can be found on the website of the Association of Professional Genealogists. An index of the library collection is available in the Master Library Catalogue.  

Please check the Master Library Catalogue. Not all Branches or SIG’s are included at this time but we will be adding more as they become available.

General

Members can help by participating in projects, committees and councils for both local and provincial initiatives, as well as on the Board of Directors. Please contact the Branch/ SIG or Society Office and we can connect you with any groups you are interested in volunteering.

On the home page of the Ontario Genealogical Society, there is a link to our Facebook and Twitter pages. Many of our Branches / SIGs” also have their own social media accounts. Please check their website for more information.