Collection Items Ordering over Christmas

Due to the Christmas closure, we will not be ordering collection items from our offsite store for visits from 18 December - but supply will resume for visits from 8 January.

If you require collection items for a library visit during this period, please get your Collections Order Form in by 6 December and we can order in advance.

During November we looked at several aspects of death and dying including finding graves, taxes associated with death and funeral traditions. We also learned about using records of war to learn about our ancestors - from the 1939 Register to the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, and a look at the WW1 Homefront. These talks are all available in the Gold Recording Library. We also ran a few Cinema Experiences in Wharf Road, with members enjoying coming to watch talks with company and chatting about them with fellow members.

In December, our theme is births delving into illegitimate births, nonconformist birth registration, where to find birth and baptism records, an in-depth look at what birth and baptism records can tell us and the awful practice of baby farming. Of course, we are also celebrating Christmas with quizzes, our members' social, a cook-a-long, a virtual tour and learning the Christmas traditions of our ancestors.

Join us at Wharf Road to watch our talks. Our cinema experience is FREE until the end of January 2025. Book your place to watch the following talks in company at Wharf Road. You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions, as if they were in the room.

Cinema Experience: Virtual Tour: Christmas in Georgian London with Rob Smith. Thursday, 5 December 2024, 11:00.

Cinema Experience: Beyond the Birth Certificate with Julie Goucher (1-hour talk). Thursday, 12 December 2024, 14:00.

Cinema Experience: Birth & Baptism Records at SoG & Elsewhere with Else Churchill (1-hour talk). Tuesday, 17 December 2024, 14:00.

Cinema Experience: Intelligent Clustering in DNA with Mia Bennett (1-hour talk). Thursday, 9 January 2025 14:00.

Cinema Experience: Sources for Titled and Landed Families in the SoG’s Library with Else Churchill (1-hour talk). Tuesday, 14 January 2025, 14:00.

Cinema Experience: Following the Money – an introduction to financial records for family historians with Malcolm Smart (1-hour talk). Thursday, 16 January 2025, 14:00.

Cinema Experience: Professional Corner: Heir Tracing the Real Deal with Kirsty Gray (1-hour talk). Friday, 17 January 2025, 10:30.

Cinema Experience: Tracing Police Ancestors with Tom Andrews (1-hour talk). Thursday, 23 January 2025, 14:00.

Check www.sog.org.uk/events for more cinema experiences coming soon.

Book our BRAND NEW course Using English and Welsh Court Records for Family History before the end of 2024 for three exclusive extras:

• A two-hour class with Caroline Adams Reading the Records of Manorial Courts
• Case studies: Chancery and Divorce with Jackie Depelle
• Case study: Hiding in the Chancery Cupboard. The Trials & Tribulations of an Eighteenth-Century Wife with Sue Swalwell

Other clutter-free ideas for your Christmas wish list include our Saturday Morning Stage 1 Family History Skills course,  a perfect refresher in all the essential records and sleuthing skills required to be a genealogist.

December’s Books of the Month are:

Dates & Calendars for the Genealogist, by Cliff Webb (2020)

This invaluable guide contains plenty of tables and charts, allowing the genealogist to work out times and dates.

The usual cost of Dates & Calendars for the Genealogist is £4.95 and it is currently available to SoG members at the discounted price of £3.99 (£4.49 to non-members).

The Family History Show Comes to Liverpool

TheFamilyHistoryShow.com is thrilled to announce the expansion of its popular genealogy event series to Liverpool. The new show will take place at the iconic Aintree Racecourse on 3 May 2025, providing family history enthusiasts in the North West with a unique opportunity to explore their roots.

This addition to the show calendar complements the well-established events in London and the Midlands, further cementing The Family History Show's position as the UK's leading genealogy event organiser.

What’s On The Box?

We have been marking Remembrance Day this year with some of the BBC’s war programmes, live and on iPlayer. We found We Were There, women veterans’ first-hand memories of their service experiences, and Fighting for King and Empire: Britain’s Caribbean Heroes particularly moving.

For those who have Sky Arts and NOW TV, there is also a beautiful tribute to British landscape artist Eric Ravilious: Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War is a 2022 documentary that tells the story of his life during World War II.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Join the conversation on our Facebook page - let us know which shows you're loving and any fascinating stories you've discovered through them.

Ancestry has added:

• UK and Ireland, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution Records, 1824-1989
• Web: Isle Of Man, Wills Index, 1600-1864
• England, Battle of Trafalgar Crew Lists, 1805-1806
• UK, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Service Records, 1942-1959
• UK, World War II Photographs, 1939-1945
• UK, Selected Smaller Units Service Records, 1921-1959
• UK, British Army World War II Medal Index Cards, 1939-1945
• Poland and Great Britain, Polish Air Force in Great Britain, 1940-1947
• Teesside, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1997
• Teesside, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1939
• Teesside, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1923
• Teesside, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812

Ancestry DNA has a Holiday Sale: save on AncestryDNA kits, starting at £39.

TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist has launched a new, comprehensive collection of parish records for North West Kent (Baptisms: 1538-1916; Marriages: 1538-1939; Burials: 1538-2000). The detailed transcripts include direct links to original images of the parish records. The latest release of military records includes:

• Naval and Military Despatches Vol. IV-VI (1915 - 1916)
• The British Roll of Honour 1837-1887
• Return of The Names of The Officers in The Army 1811-1816
• Surrey Musters, Part I-III 1544-1684
• The Army List for 1881
• The Army List for September 1933
• The East-India Register and Directory, 1811
• The East-India Register and Army List, 1842
• The Last Post, Roll of Officers (Naval, Military or Colonial) who fell in South Africa 1899-1902 (also includes War Correspondents and Nurses who lost their lives)
• The Muster-Roll of Angus, South African War, 1899-1902 (with 700 portraits)
• A List of the Flag Officers and Other Commissioned Officers of His Majesty's Fleet, 1826
• List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps, 1775-1900
• Naval Worthies of Queen Elizabeth's Reign 1562-1643
• Navy - Pensions, Compensations, and Allowances
• The Royal Navy List for 1901
• The Navy List for 1902
• The Navy List for April 1915
• The Navy List for April 1932
• The Navy List for July 1915
• The Navy List for January 1929
• Arbroath & District Roll of Honour 1939-1945

To celebrate this release, for a limited time you can claim a Diamond Subscription for the price of a Gold subscription at just £98.95 along with a FREE online magazine - a saving of over £64. This offer expires on 14 February 2025.