We encourage you to read the material below to learn about your membership privileges and responsibilities. Then go to our Membership Rates page by clicking the "Register" link at the end to find pricing and submittal details. Membership can be obtained via regular postal service, registered PayPal, or credit card PayPal.
All email queries regarding membership or site access should be addressed to .
All correspondence, newsletters, Journals, notices, etc. will be made available to members via our Society web site. Those members not connected to the Internet and unable to receive email will receive such materials via conventional postal services. It is the responsibility of each member to inform the Membership Committee Chairperson of any changes in email or postal addresses.
Membership is for the year January through December. Dues are not prorated, so when they are received between January through September, membership renewal is required for the forthcoming calendar year. New memberships received in October through December, however, will be applied to the forthcoming year(s).
The rationale on which this policy is based is that, regardless of the time of year a membership is received, all the benefits, resources, research aids, databases and newsletters published to date by SGGEE are available immediately to the new member on the SGGEE web site. In other words, there is no "penalty" for becoming a member of SGGEE late in the calendar year rather than early.
Individual Membership - May be granted to any person who is interested in the objectives and purposes of the Society, agrees to abide by the constitution and bylaws of the Society, pays the dues of the Society, and is approved by the membership committee.
Individual members in good standing have the right to:
- attend and to vote on any issue at any general meeting of the Society.
- stand for election to an elective office in the Society if 18 years of age or older.
- receive for the current year, one copy of each issue of the Journal and any newsletter published by the Society.
- have access to any libraries established by the Society.
- have access to the full website of the Society.
- join any branch of the Society in accordance with such Branch's regulations.
Family Membership - Where more than one person in a household joins the Society, the membership may be classed as a Family Membership. Each person included in the Family Membership shall have the rights of an Individual Member except that the household shall only receive one copy of any publication or newsletter of the Society.
These instructions apply to establishing your member login on the new SGGEE website, effective September 2024. Once you have received acknowledgement of your membership, you will need to set up your login username and password. Your username will be the email address used to establish your SGGEE membership. Here are the instructions for setting up your user account on the new website.
If you are an existing member and have forgotten your username, you will need to email and request it. Once you have your email address, you can follow the process in these instructions to reset your password. Use the same instructions if you already know your email address in order to reset your password.
Maximum membership benefit is derived from members who submit data for our Master Pedigree Database. We hope that you will share your pedigree or family group data with us for including in our Master Pedigree Database. Due to the complexity of merging new data into our huge database, we have found it necessary to develop Submission Standards (pdf). Please comply with these Standards before submitting any data. Electronic data submissions can be emailed to or hardcopies can be sent to the address at the bottom of this page via regular mail.
In addition, it is helpful if everyone uses the same standard for place names within their data submission. The standard as a detailed document. There is also an appendix to it. Both are in pdf format.
When you submit your data, you can save us a lot of time and effort if you only send us the Germans in your data (meaning those with any German blood, AND their descendants and spouses) in your data. In order to trim the database that you send to us, please follow the this guide.
Renewal requires that you submit the next years fees along with the Renewal Form (if using conventional mail) or by resubmitting the on line Application Form (if using PayPal).
With PayPal, there is only one rate -$40 CDN. If you use the PayPal method, you will be transferred from the registration page to the PayPal logon page or directly to your personal PayPal page.
VERY IMPORTANT: You should only make a PayPal payment through the SGGEE link to ensure a secure payment transfer. Within your PayPal account you will be able to select your payment options based on your personal settings. If you follow an alternate process, you may experience problems or time delays in the processing of your membership. SGGEE accepts no responsibility for your use of an incorrect payment method.
Our Privacy Policy and Bylaws are available for your review if you wish to see them.