Welcome to the Family History Social

The very latest news from the world of genealogy

Categories

More...

TheGenealogist adds over 1.1 million records to their Sussex Parish Record Collection

TheGenealogist has added over 1.1 million individuals to its parish record collection covering the county of Sussex. Published In association with The Parish Record Transcription Society, this first tranche of records will be followed by more releases in the near future. This New release covers individual records of:
  • 717,000 Baptisms
  • 213,000 Marriages
  • 208,000 Burials
The Parish Record Transcription Society (PRTSoc) have worked with TheGenealogist and S&N to publish their records online, making over 1.1 million individuals from baptism, marriage and burial records fully searchable: "We are very pleased to be working with TheGenealogist on this major project, previously undertaken to transcribe the parish registers of West Sussex by the staff and dedicated volunteers of the PRTSoc. This will preserve these records for future generations and brings them into the online community." Peter Steward, Chairman of PRTSoc Mark Bayley, Head of Online Development at TheGenealogist, welcomed PRTSoc to the growing number family history societies on both TheGenealogist and FHS-Online saying: “We’re delighted that PRTSoc chose to publish their records through TheGenealogist and FHS-Online. This release adds to the ever expanding collection of parish records on both websites. These partnerships help fund societies whilst bringing their records to a much wider audience, through online publication.” This release joins TheGenealogist’s Sussex collection including parish records to form a major resource for the county. Read their article here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2017/new-sussex-parish-records-reveal-a-grizzly-end-646/ If your society is interested in publishing records online, please contact Mark Bayley on 01722 717002 or see fhs-online.co.uk/about.php

TheGenealogist logo

Leave a comment

Discover Your Ancestors Family History Show Yorkshire

This weekend is going to be great for family historians in the area of York!

One of the largest family history shows in the UK

Logo

With exhibitors coming from all over Britain and Ireland, this family history show is probably the largest event of its kind in England. Every year the fair is well attended by family history societies and companies plus there is lots of local history from the York area as well. The organiser's website says: 'You don't have to have Yorkshire Ancestors to come to this fair - they can be from anywhere at all! Everyone is very welcome and there is lots to see. There is plenty of parking and refreshments are available all day. There are several lifts to take you to the upper levels, and the whole place is wheelchair friendly. Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised!' Yorkshire Family History Fair Saturday 24th June 2017 10am to 4.30pm The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE   To get a great deal on tickets take a look at their website now: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/index.php
Leave a comment

One of the largest family history shows in the UK

With exhibitors from all over the UK and Ireland, this is probably the largest event of its kind in England. Many family history societies and companies attend each year. There is lots of local history from the York area too.

York Family History Fair

You don't have to have Yorkshire Ancestors to come to this fair - they can be from anywhere at all! Everyone is very welcome and there is lots to see. There is plenty of parking and refreshments are available all day. There are several lifts to take you to the upper levels, and the whole place is wheelchair friendly. There will be FREE talks from a number of experts, to discover more see the talks page on their website: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/free-talks.php The Yorkshire Family History Fair is run by Discover Your Ancestors Magazine and sponsored by TheGenealogist Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised!

Yorkshire Family History Fair

Saturday 24th June 2017 10am to 4.30pm The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE To get your tickets go to: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/
Leave a comment

Nuneaton & North Warwickshire FHS worked with TheGenealogist to put records online

TheGenealogist logo

Press Release from TheGenealogist. TheGenealogist adds to its growing collection of Parish Records with the release of those for Nuneaton & North Warwickshire.
  • Released in partnership with the Nuneaton & North Warwickshire Family History Society there are over 454,000 new fully searchable records of individuals
  • Allowing the researcher to discover more than 300,000 people recorded within the baptisms from this area in the heart of England
  • Family historians can also discover the details of over 90,000 individuals from marriages and nearly 60,0000 people listed in the burials of Nuneaton & North Warwickshire
Nuneaton & North Warwickshire FHS worked with TheGenealogist to publish their records online for the first time, making 454,525 individuals from baptism, marriage and burial records fully searchable. "The officers of Nuneaton & North Warwickshire Family History Society are delighted to be working with The Genealogist to bring their collection of baptism, marriage and burial transcriptions for north Warwickshire online…” John Parton (Chairman) With some of the surviving records reaching back into the 1700s this is an excellent resource for family historians to use for discovering Nuneaton & North Warwickshire ancestors. The records are also available on TheGenealogist’s Society website FHS-Online.co.uk where societies get 100% of the income. This new initiative will provide for those researchers preferring online access, while allowing us to continue offering the data on CD.  NNWFHS members have opportunity to take out an enhanced subscription which includes access to the data." John Parton (Chairman) This is an ongoing project with the society working on transcribing many more records. “We’re delighted to welcome NNWFHS to both TheGenealogist and FHS-Online. This release adds to the growing collection of parish records on both websites. These partnerships help societies boost their funds whilst bringing their records to a much wider audience, through online publication.” Mark Bayley (Head of Online Development) If your society is interested in publishing records online, please contact Mark Bayley on 01722 717002 or see fhs-online.co.uk/about.php

 ####

Examples from Nuneaton & North Warwickshire Parish records In these records can be found the famous novelist, poet, journalist and translator George Eliot, under her real name of Mary Anne Evans. She was born in Nuneaton and baptised at Chilvers Coton All Saints church in 1819 - she used the pen name of George Eliot in order to be taken more seriously as a writer. For the settings of the stories, Mary drew on her Warwickshire childhood. Chilvers Coton became Shepperton. Shepperton Church is described in great detail in The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton, and is recognisably that of Chilvers Coton.

Nuneaton Chilvers Coton

Also to be found in these records are members of her family that she used as inspiration for some of her characters. For example the record for her sister Christiana Evans, baptised in 1814, contains a relevant note by the society that reveals: Sister of George Eliot. Christiana, 'Chrissie' as she was known to her family, was the original of: "Celia" in ‘Middlemarch’ & "Lucy Deane" in ‘The Mill on the Floss’. If we search for Mary Anne’s brother, Isaac Pearson Evans who was born in 1816, there is a note which tells us that he was the brother of George Eliot and that he was the basis of Tom Tulliver in “The Mill on the Floss”. Another person to be found in these records is a Henry Harper, born 1830, whose mother Anne has the note: Anne Harper - daughter of Rev. Bernard Gilpin and Mrs Ebdell ("Mr Gilfil" and "Caterina") and was the son of "Mr Farquhar - the secondary squire of the parish" in “Scenes of Clerical Life” by George Eliot. Additionally there is Isabell Adolphine Gwyther born in 1834 and Edward James Wilson Gwyther born in 1837, who share a mention that reveals: The Rev J Gwyther was Curate of Coton. He and his wife were the originals of “Amos & Milly Barton” in ‘Scenes of Clerical Life’ by George Eliot, “Milly Barton” was the mother of six young children. Using these records you would also be able to find the death in 1836 of Christiana Evans, the writer’s mother.
Leave a comment

Events at the Society of Genealogists for 2016

The Society of Genealogists has released its new 2016 Events programme is now online and bookable. Listed below are events taking place at the Society of Genealogists in January. Visit their website if you want to find out further information about each event, as well as events taking place during the remainder of the year. If  you are a member of the Society of Genealogists and are booking online, then you should remember to log in first, in order to receive the member discount. Non-members are  also welcome to attend events, at the full price. Events can also be booked by telephone (Tuesday-Thursday & Saturdays), at the number listed below. All events take place at their premises in London, unless otherwise noted.   Wednesday, 13 January  14:00 - Discovering Discovery: Using The National Archives Website and Catalogue Discovery is The National Archives online catalogue and holds more than 32 million descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 archives across the country. Millions of records are available for download, find out what can be found in the catalogue and how to get the best from the website. A one-hour lecture with Guy Grannum, Discovery Product Manager at The National Archives. Free of charge, but must be pre-booked.   Thursday, 14 January     18:00-20:00 - Stage 1 Evening Skills Course (10 weeks) The Society's successful family history skills course begins again with the first ten-week series of classes for those who are new to family history or who have had a little experience and want to build upon their initial progress. Our team of professional genealogists will introduce the records and illustrate how they should best be used for the study of family history. Publications, electronic finding aids and the internet will, of course, be included along with all the basic sources needed to start research. Topics will include how to get started, how to best search the census, newspapers, probate, parish registers, Non-Anglican family History and more. With Else Churchill, John Hanson, Simon Fowler and Ian Waller. Thursday evenings (last class 17 March)   Cost 175.00/140.00, Please see further information about Stage 2 and Stage 3 courses, on our website.   Saturday, 16 January     14:00-17:00 - Researching Irish Family Life in the Famine Years    80% of today’s English people have Irish ancestry and this seminar looks at Irish lives in the rural west of Ireland in the famine years between about 1800 and 1850. In the first talk, we will look at how people lived; their houses, possessions, food, work, education, entertainment, etc.  It touches on politics, social attitudes and the reasons for mass poverty and emigration. The second talk discusses how to use such facts as these to build your own family history in places, like Ireland, where few real records survive.  It looks at subjects such as additional places to search and how to follow leads, how to put the story together and to what extent you can judge events of 200 years ago by modern standards.  It opens up a whole area of family history beyond the collecting of birth, marriage, death and census data. If you have just a few facts, this seminar will start you on a family quest that will be engrossing, interesting and, with luck, extremely rewarding. A half-day course with Stephen Lally, Cost 20.00/16.00   Wednesday, 20 January   14:00 - Copyright for Family History      Copyright applies to photographs, diaries, paintings, film clips and many other works.  This talk will aim to cover some of the issues you might face with copyright works in your family history, including how long copyright lasts, when you might or might not need permission to use the works, and what you can do if you cannot find the right holder and would like to copy the work.  This talk will be especially useful for those considering publication of their family history. A one-hour talk with staff from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the official government body responsible for intellectual property rights including patents, designs, trademarks and copyright. Cost 8.00/6.40   Saturday, 23 January      10:30-13:00 - Research Before Parish Registers Pre 1600 research is an entirely different "ballgame" with many records existing that can be useful. Many such records continued beyond 1600 but are under-used. Some family historians think they have to stop researching when parish registers end. How wrong you are! Come see what is available. A half-day course with Ian Waller, FSG  Cost 20.00/16.00   Wednesday, 27 January  14:00 - Catching up with FamilySearch  The familysearch.org website is the largest family history website in the world, with billions of names across thousands of collections - and more are added monthly. Learn what new major databases have been added, how to find this information, and how to best use the website. A one-hour lecture with Sharon Hintze. Free, but must be pre-booked.   Thursday, 28 January  14:00 - Visit: St-Mary-le-Bow Church We will learn about the history of this famous church and the great architecture of Sir Christopher Wren, in particular relating to the famous steeple.  Inside the church we will look at the post-war rebuilding by Lawrence King, the beautiful stained glass windows by John Hayward and the other modern furnishings. The church has many international connections, including significant ones with the USA, Norway, Germany and Australia.  It also possesses an 11th century crypt, part of it now an elegant chapel, the rest of it used as a restaurant, set among many of the original Norman arches. With Tony Tucker   Cost 10.00/8.00 (appx 1 hour)   Saturday, 30 January  10:30-13:00 - East London, Kent & Essex in the 18th Century The emphasis of this course will be on the movement of people, money and goods backwards and forwards between East London and the counties - the pattern being very different between Kent and Essex. Come and learn more about these areas, and subsequently more about your ancestors during this important time. A half-day course with Derek Morris Cost 20.00/16.00   Saturday, 30 January      14:00-17:00 - Good Research Techniques This course will take an in-depth look at the best ways to research in order to avoid making mistakes as well as how to get the most out of the records you use. We will also look at the likely causes of brick walls you may meet during the course of your research and the best way to tackle them. Sources covered include BMDs, census and parish records. A half-day course with Celia Heritage Cost 20.00/16.00

Society of Genealogists

Society of Genealogists

Leave a comment

South West Area Group Family History Fair

The largest family history show in the South West

This coming Saturday, 16th May 2015, between 10am to 4pm at The Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare is "The largest family history show in the South West". With over 40 exhibitors from all over the UK and Ireland, they have many family history societies and companies attending again this year. Free Talks are being hosted throughout the day by various experts. "Looking for Tommy - Tracing a Military Ancestor" and "Breaking Down Brick Walls in your family history research" both of which are by Mark Bayley, who is an Online Genealogy Expert. "Recording, Reporting and Preserving Your Family History" with David Bayley, Genealogy Software Expert. "Restoring Old Photographs & some tips for Do It Yourself Restorers" with Matt Curtis of Moments in Time.  "How to start researching your Family Tree" with David Gynes Dorset FHS Whether you are a beginner or an expert, everyone will be made very welcome at the event and there will be a lot to see with refreshments available all day. For those coming by car there will be plenty of parking to take advantage of. This event is organised by family historians for family historians and is their 9th show, which the organisers report is getting more popular each time. The event is sponsored by  S&N Genealogy Supplies and by leading British genealogy research website TheGenealogist who will be there at the show. As they say in their publicity: "Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised!" http://www.swag-fair.co.uk/

South West Area Group Family History Fair

Leave a comment

Godhelmians have their own ancestor website

At last week's Who Do You Think You Are? Live in among the talks, family history societies, genealogy suppliers and data providers were a delegation from a town council from Surrey that obviously values its history and genealogy. It would seem that the town of Godalming has launched its own ancestry website at www.godalmingancestry.co.uk and representatives of the town spoke to our writer and handed us a leaflet that interested us so much that we have decided to mention it here. Perhaps other towns may like to take a leaf from their book and do something similar?

Godalming Ancestry

Godalming Ancestry Website at www.godalmingancestry.co.uk

 
Leave a comment

Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE 2015

The world's largest Family History show is being staged at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre this year from the 16th to the 18th April 2015, moving to the Midlands after many  years exhibiting in London. Tickets are on sale at: http://www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/

TheGenealogist family history talks at Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE

TheGenealogist  and S&N Genealogy family history talks on their stand at Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE

Leave a comment

Bristol & Avon Family History Open Day

This Saturday 27th September is the Bristol & Avon Family History Open Day. It's on from 10am to 4pm at The University of the West of England in Bristol.  Entry is £2 per person and young people under 16 have free entry.

There's a number of excellent talks happening throughout the day including the popular 'Breaking down brick walls' with Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist, Jacqueline Wadsworth 'The Effects of World War 1 on home life' and Clive Burton 'Bristol at the outbreak of World War 1 and the formation of Bristol's Own'.

If you have ancestors in the Somerset, Gloucestershire or Avon areas, or live nearby, why not visit the Bristol & Avon Family History Open Day? 

There's more details at the Bristol Family History Society website.

Leave a comment

The Midlands Family History Fair

This Saturday the 9th August, it's the Midlands Family History Fair at Worcester Warriors Rugby Club. The Fair is open from 10am to 4pm and entrance is only £3 per person. As well as numerous stalls to browse, there's a number of free talks in the Hindlip Suite including the popular 'Breaking Down Brick Walls in your Family History Research' from Mark Bayley of TheGenealogist and a talk on the Women's Voluntary Aid Detachments in World War 1 from Paul Handford and also the Secret Army- British Resistance Organisations 1938-45 from Malcolm Atkin. There's a special offer on TheGenealogist and free goodie bags for the first 100 visitors to the TheGenealogist stand as show sponsor. It promises to be a great fair. Will you be going?

Midlands Family History Fair

This weekend sees the Midlands Family History Fair

Leave a comment
Found 30 Results.
Back to top