FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES

Family History Societies

There is nothing like local knowledge when you are researching your Family History, and Local Family History Societies and Family History Groups have the best local knowledge amongst their members.

Dedicated teams of volunteers scour the Parish Registers, transcribing what they find so that you can see what has been recorded by the incumbents of the past. Sometimes, if you are lucky, there may be a comment made by a diligent Parish Clerk which will add just that little bit extra to your research.

Some Family History Societies, along with transcriptions of Parish Registers, Monumental Inscriptions, Workhouse Records, etc., have local history books of their areas. These are invaluable for really understanding how your ancestors lived and what was happening in their neighbourhoods at the time.

If you have ever tried to find that elusive birth, marriage or death record but to no avail, then the local Family History Society is best placed to offer you advice as to where to look next. It might be that your family upped sticks and moved to the next village. Someone in the Society is bound to know!

You do not have to join a Family History Society to buy their products, but the advantages of doing so are manyfold: you would receive their Family History journal on a regular basis and be able to see who else might be tracing your ancestors; you would have instant access to some resources where you can go for help and advice; if you live locally, you would be able to attend gatherings of the members and discuss your research, so no longer feeling as though you were working on your own.

From the Scottish Islands to the tip of Cornwall, Family History Societies and Family History Groups are well represented here, with organisations joining Parish Chest regularly and so bringing new products to help with your research.

A wealth of information that will help the Family Historian with their genealogy queries is available through the Family History Societies and Groups registered with Parish Chest.