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About Us

Our Roots

The roots of the East European Genealogical Society Inc. (EEGS) began in 1989. An informal group of researchers felt a need to develop and share genealogical knowledge about eastern Europe and began meeting monthly. Most were members of the Manitoba Genealogical Society (MGS).

On 19 September 1989, the group petitioned the MGS to become a branch. Upon acceptance of the petition, the East European Branch (EEB) of the MGS held its first meeting on 16 January 1990.

The EEB was at the forefront of genealogical societies serving people with eastern European genealogical roots when Communism fell. The gradual improvement to record access was exciting and the branch saw membership increase with individuals wanting to learn more about their “Old Country” familial roots.

The elected officers recognized the importance of the EEB’s work and obtained Registered Canadian Federal Charity Status in 1994. After six years of steady growth, the branch was already extending their influence beyond Manitoba and decided to form a separate organization. The EEGS was incorporated as a Manitoba non-profit organization assuming activities formerly offered by the EEB. The first official meeting occurred on 13 March 1996.

Our Constitution and Bylaws can be found in this PDF document.

Harvest near Trebišov, Slovakia about 1933

Our Volunteers

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."- Helen Keller

The heart of our organization is our volunteers. They fill all the positions in the running of the Society, support our leaders, serve as ambassadors of the Society when it is invited to participate in cultural events, and perform all the work on special projects such as the 2018 publication of the final volume of the Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography.

The EEGS would not be where it is today without the dedication of all those who have worked so hard and diligently throughout the years.

"Volunteers will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no volunteers." - Ken Wyman

Pioneer family standing with a team of horses
Baňacky groom and bride, Trebišov, Slovakia
Soldiers from Sečovce, Slovakia

Our Strengths

The EEGS has developed a number of strengths over the past three decades some of which are highlighted below.

Our quarterly journal East European Genealogist (EEG) supports our members by offering feature articles that are “teaching in nature.” Given the broad nature of member interests, article content may not pertain directly to all members but our hope is that everyone can take away some little nugget of information. The EEG is housed in libraries and archives in North America, Poland, and Ukraine. Over 30 years of publication (to the end of the fall 2022 issue), there have been 320 feature articles written by 136 different authors published in 121 issues (118 journals).

The Society has accumulated a substantial non-lending library collection currently housed at the University of Winnipeg here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The collection comprises over 300 titles as well as a map collection and is available to the public. Given that holdings do not circulate, visitors can be reasonably assured that materials will be available.

The depth and breadth of our knowledge base is substantial. Those who provide research support on behalf of the Society often have 20+ years of experience. We are honoured that several members of our support team are published authors and experts in their fields.