New Membership Systems Coming Soon!

You may remember that in last month’s Gazette we announced that we are moving our membership IT systems over to a new provider, Oomi. Members can look forward to a brand new community area, and other improvements are planned for later in the year – all designed to make it quicker and easier for you to access your member benefits.

Our first set of updates will take place on the 28 May, and to facilitate the change we need to pause new bookings on Events between 22 and 28 May. While the events themselves will run as normal, booking onto or purchasing event tickets will not be possible during this week. Don’t worry, we’ll be sending out reminders so that you can book onto any events you are interested in before the freeze starts!

Neville Taylor, Chair of the Fellows

We were very sorry to hear of the passing of Neville Taylor, who volunteered in the library for many years. He was particularly keen on library collection care - so many books were labelled, covered and stamped by him, and contain his handwriting on our bookplates. After covid, he resumed volunteering at Holloway Road, processing books and helping us to tidy catalogue record barcodes in preparation for the new library. From September 2023, in the months leading up to opening, he attended Wharf Road twice a week to help process books to be shelved in the new library. He was always a complete gentleman, with quiet dedication and helpfulness, and a groanworthy pun now and then that kept us smiling.

Neville’s funeral will be held at 12pm on Wednesday 21st May at the West London Crematorium.

Tips from inside the SoG

The following hints and tips for family history research were shared by members after SoG events. There were too many hints and tips shared by those that attended the SoG Family History Skills Course Stage one but one said,

Order post-1857 wills and probate documents while they are £1.50 a go! I had no idea it was so easy to get the full wills online.

Another Family History Skills course attendee said,

On the 1939 Register don't assume that people listed are married or related as there is no 'status' listed.

There was no shortage of advice from those who attended a talk by Andrew Redfern on artificial intelligence and family history,

Don’t be put off by new technology you don't understand - watch a SoG presentation (perhaps twice) and have a go!

Be brave and try AI - perhaps start with obituaries or short biographies.

Voice recording can be converted to text file using software such as Descript.

Try ChatGPT for free; you have nothing to lose - although check what it tells you.

Watch for bias when using AI. Being aware, questioning and critiquing are so important. The human leads and AI assists/follows. Verifying sources is still at the heart of research.

Thanks to everyone who has shared tips with us over the last month.

All the talks and sessions mentioned in our tips section are available in our Gold Members’ video library. Join today and you’ll have access to the entire back catalogue of over 100 recordings. Find out more here.

Your Family History Journey – Go Beyond the Basics

Are you ready for the next steps with your family history research? If you’ve mastered the basics and are ready to dig deeper, the Stage 2 Family History Skills Course is the course for you.

This 12-week course is designed for those looking to move beyond the familiar and into the fascinating world of lesser-known records.

Do you have ancestors from Northamptonshire, Leicestershire or Rutland?

Join us at the SoG Library in London to watch a recorded presentation given by Else Churchill, the local Family History Society, County Archive, A Vision of Britain Through Time and more. The presentation will befollowed by a tour of our Wharf Road Library focusing on our resources for the specific county. 

Wednesday, 14 May 2025 Northamptonshire

Wednesday, 11 June 2025 Leicestershire and Rutland

Date for your diary - Monday 8 - Friday 12 September

Victorian London Getaway in London

Join us at the Society of Genealogists for a Family History Getaway Week. Spend five days in our London Resource Hub discovering life in Victorian London.  

Twelve workshops and talks, help using our library and sandwich lunches are included in the cost, plus exploring our books, documents and records, and optional extra workshops, walks and visits

Sign up for more details at: www.subscribepage.com/london_getaway

Our programme of online events and archive visits continues, with a focus on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, marked by assistance to use WW2 Military Records with Graham Bandy, Lunchtime Chat: The Greatest Generation - Celebrating our WW2 Ancestors and a full day exploring all aspects of World War II Military Ancestors.

Have you ever thought about volunteering with us?

We have various projects designed for the meticulous, the curious and, the creative. From facilitating events to transcribing Pedigree Rolls - there are plenty of opportunities to learn more about the world of genealogy and family history while sharing your expertise. 

We have over 150 volunteers, working from all over the world but we also have in-person opportunities working from our north London based library. Training is available for all of our projects and we have a dedicated volunteer’s forum where you can ask questions or have a chat.

So, whether you would like to learn more or would just like to make new friends why not check out our volunteers page and get in touch? 

May's Book of the Month is:

My Ancestor was a Lunatic by Author by Kathy Chater (2014)

Many family historians find gaps in their family trees. Someone may suddenly disappear for a while or permanently. There can be lots of explanations for these disappearances, but one of the more common is related to mental health conditions. Then, as now, some people had breakdowns in their health and needed space.

New Family History Attraction Opens in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Celebrate the joy of discovering your roots at the Family Heritage Experience, a new state-of-the-art exhibition opening April 25 at 97 Newbury Street in Boston’s historic Back Bay. Created by American Ancestors® to mark its 180th anniversary, this interactive space invites visitors of all ages to explore the connections between past and present through engaging exhibits, original artworks, and cultural artifacts. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am.–6 pm., this self-guided experience is perfect for families, school groups, and curious minds alike. Learn more at fhe.americanancestors.org.

To celebrate the launch, TheGenealogist is offering a limited-time 30% discount on its 12-month subscription – just £97.95, including free access to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine for one year. Offer ends 11 July 2025. Start uncovering the world your ancestors lived in by visiting TheGenealogist.co.uk.

MyHeritage has released a significant new collection: Search United States, World War II Draft Registrations, 1940–1947.

This collection includes 42 million records of men who registered with the Selective Service System during and immediately following World War II, between 1940 and 1947. The records span multiple draft registration rounds and include men aged 18 to 64 across 33 states and D.C., offering personal details like addresses, occupations, next of kin, and even physical descriptions. This collection was indexed using cutting-edge AI technology developed by our Machine Learning team, which was able to automatically and accurately extract handwritten information from the draft cards.