For the last four decades, one group has passed down stories and helped fill out family trees in Yorkton.
That group is the Yorkton Genealogy Society. The society started back in 1981 after a group of residents were curious about their family's past.
Helen Norman, one of the society's founding members, talked about how the group came to be.
"I think everybody has a curiosity about their families, and I've always been curious but never really asked anybody because it was just something you thought about," she said. "There was a lady here in Yorkton, Hendricka Blommaert, and she had a class at the community college about genealogy. We went to that class when it came on, and after she realized that there was quite a lot of us that were interested, so besides teaching the class, she would come and set up our branch."
Genealogy is studying families, their history, tracing their lineages, and Norman said their purpose was to research and record their families as far back as they can.
She noted that not only did you get a chance to learn about your family, but you also got a chance to hear family stories and connect with family members differently.
Lynda Burback, the current president of the society, said that a similar curiosity to Norman's saw her join the society.
"I first started after my mother died, and she left me a whole box full of pictures, and it's a good thing that she and I sat down one day, and we went through them all, and I wrote on the back who everyone that my Mom could possibly remember, but there was some she couldn't remember, and I just wanted to know who else was in that photo."
Burback said that she would like to see younger members join and take an interest.
"We are trying to get more active and more members in the group to join. We've got a little extra five members than we ever had before; it's not doing all that bad."
She noted that she had learned a lot about her family, including that her whole life, she grew up right across the street from her Dad's first cousins.
Burback added that currently, they are meeting via Zoom once a month, but she hopes they can return to there in-person meetings they usually hold at the library.
She also added that anyone interested in joining the society to contact her at 1-306-782-1685 or Doris Mayben at 1-306-782-4531.
