Society of Genealogists | Mar 29, 2024, 12:00 PM
The Genealogy Gazette, Our News: Mar 24
Welcome to The Genealogy Gazette, discover the latest SoG news and family history tips here.
All About That Place is coming back!
We’re delighted to announce that All About That Place is returning, running from Friday 27th September to Sunday 6th October. This year we want to help you ‘put your ancestors’ in their place, both in terms of time and location. So, get ready for a unique 10-day family and local history event, packed with bite sized talks and supported by an electronic workbook full of tasks and activities! Sign up here to get All About That Place updates.
Interested in Speaking, see here for more information? Keen to join our list of esteemed Sponsors – email allaboutthatplace@sog.org.uk
Jewish Family DNA Case Studies with Michael Tobias
There are some talks that we feel are so important that we want everyone to have the chance to watch them, and so we opt to provide them for free. This talk is one of those talks.
DNA has changed the way many of us do genealogy, and it has had a particularly important impact on Jewish heritage studies. Using DNA, genealogists have been able to identify family members who are missing or have been erased from any records. Families split up by the Holocaust have been reunited.
As a charity dedicated to helping those who want to explore their heritage, so we are delighted to be able to offer you the option of accessing this talk for free. Choose either the free option or opt to pay for your ticket at our usual talk rate (£10), and by doing so, donate to the SoG, helping us to continue providing talks, events, genealogy guides, and information to everyone interested in discovering their ancestors.
Find out more and book your space HERE.
EVENTS
In March we added talks about Welsh and Irish Ancestry to our Gold Members video library, along with talks on women’s history, the Historic Town Trust and British India. With over 100 talks now available, our Gold Members library is packed with entertaining and educational talks. Not a gold member yet? Find out more here.
We couldn’t run our events programme without a wonderful team of volunteers to host the sessions. If you would be interested in opening up the Zoom meeting, introducing the speaker and reading out the questions at the end do get in touch at events@sog.org.uk. Experience in using Zoom is helpful.
Our occupation of the month is Chairmakers, with Richard Holt explaining the development from Woodland Craft to Factory Industry.
Our theme this month is religion, as we consider how our ancestors worshipped and how religion affected communities. We’re exploring this with a wide range of talks, from Sarah Robinson’s Who were the Walloons and Huguenots? to Michael Tobias’ Jewish Family DNA Case Studies.
We’re also delighted to be welcoming back Sophie Kay, who always brings a fresh perspective on genealogical research. Her talk, Embracing the Snail: Fast and Slow Thinking in Genealogy Research will use practical tasks to help you explore fast and slow thinking techniques.
FREEBIES! Focus on the SoG Genealogical Treasures and Collections takes place on 30th April, and we’ll be delving into wills in the SoG archive document collections, copies and indexes from the SoG library and FamilySearch. Grab your ticket now.
Do you have a website for your family history, one name study, one place study, or even your genealogy business? Join Mia Bennett and Fiona Brooker to explore what a successful website looks and feels like.
Interested in 2 or more talks? Consider going Gold for the month. Priced at £15 per month, our Gold video library is like Netflix for genealogy. Dip in and out depending on your needs. See more here.
We are very excited about a brand new 8-week course, “Beginning Irish Research” taking place online on Tuesdays from 6.30-8.30 pm, beginning 2 April. Irish genealogy expert, Jill Williams, will guide you through the wealth of sources that are available, and you’ll learn how to work around missing collections or gaps in records.
It’s DNA Day on 25th April and we are thrilled to celebrate with DNA expert Michelle Leonard, who will be joining us to show us Unknown Ancestor Mystery Case Studies and to announce our exciting new DNA Summer School running 12 – 16 August.
Also coming up in April:
- Exploring House History: The History of 192 Brick Lane and its Inhabitants with Linda Hammond
- Family Historian Software: Places, Addresses & Maps with John Hanson
- Getting the most from Goldie May: Automate Your Research Log with Richard Miller
- Visit: Police Museum Archives
- The Sands of Time: A Surrey Cottage from 1450 to the Present Day with Nicholas Dixon
- And just for members: Palaeography Club, Book Club, Brickwall Buster Zoom, SoG Virtual Café and a lunchtime chat about The Art of Family History. Learn how to become a member and access these events here.
- Gold Exclusive Armed Forces Advice Hour in which military expert Graham Bandy will be answering questions about National Service, artist Pat Rooney, and a possible lieutenant in Nelson's Navy.
Visit sog.org.uk/events to see all events in date order.
Book Club
Our next book club read is The House by the Thames by Gillian Tindall. We will meet on 22 April to discuss the book, and again on 29 April to meet the author.
“Just across the River Thames from St Paul’s Cathedral stands an old and elegant house. Over the course of almost 450 years, the dwelling on this site has witnessed many changes. From its windows, people have watched the ferrymen carry Londoners to and from Shakespeare’s Globe; they have gazed on the Great Fire; they have seen the countrified lanes of London’s marshy south bank give way to a network of wharves, workshops and tenements – and then seen these, too, become dust and empty air.”
Visits
Want to get out and about? How about having a guided tour of the new collections library at the Museum of the Home, with a visit to the Almshouse which was built in 1715, thrown in? At the end of your tour, you can also visit the Museum and its garden for free.
Spring into your family history research with the Family History Skills Course!
- Is it time to probe a bit deeper into your family history?
- Are you ready to move on from sources such as census, civil registration and wills?
- Are you looking for ideas to break down brick walls in your research?
The Family History Skills Course Stage 2 may be for you.
Each week, an experienced professional genealogist gives us a comprehensive guide to topics including school records, apprenticeships, guilds and livery companies, tithe and enclosure maps, immigration to England, emigration from Britain, applications of DNA in genealogy, military records and we start off with a lesson on ways to find that elusive ancestor!
The twelve-week course takes place online and all sessions are recorded so can be watched or rewatched later. Join expert tutors and a friendly bunch of students from all over the world on Saturdays beginning 6 April, 10.30 am-12.30 pm.
All Society of Genealogists members get a 20% discount or if you are not a member, this course comes with three months’ membership to SoG included for free.
Further details on the course can be found here.
Join us this April and spring clean your family history research.
LIBRARY NEWS
For the latest news on happenings in the library see our April Library Update, which includes the latest collections to be added to the permanent library shelves, our new Featured Collection and a new library tour video you can access at home.
VOLUNTEERING NEWS
For the latest news about volunteering activities at the Society see our April Volunteering Update, including progress by our library and home volunteers, and the appointment of a new volunteer administrator.
BOOKS OF THE MONTH
March’s Books of the Month: My Ancestors were English Presbyterians or Unitarians by Alan Ruston (2nd ed., 2001) + My Ancestors were Congregationalists by David Clifford (2nd ed., 2000).
In My Ancestors Were English Presbyterians or Unitarians Alan Ruston gives us a comprehensive guide to researching these two religious denominations. Beginning with a history of Presbyterians and Unitarians in England, the book then provides a list of locations for the family historian to use. Locations include England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Ireland.
My Ancestors were Congregationalists is an essential guide to locating and understanding Congregationalist records. Parish registers of the Church of England are not the only source available to family historians for identifying their ancestors’ baptisms, marriages and burials. For those with Congregationalist ancestors, there are other records available.
David Clifford has included a detailed directory list of all Congregationalist chapels in England and Wales founded before 1850. Plus there are details of what record offices and the major libraries hold.
The cost of My Ancestors were English Presbyterians or Unitarians is £4.95. The cost of My Ancestors were Congregationalists is £3.90. A £2.75 postal charge applies within the UK. This book, plus the full range of titles published by the Society, is available from our bookshop through our website and onsite. Offer valid until 30 April 2024.
A £2.75 postal charge applies within the UK. This book plus the full range of titles published by the Society is available from our bookshop through our website and onsite. Offer valid until 30 April 2024.
Competition
This month, we are giving you the opportunity to win a copy of March 2024’s discounted books, My Ancestors were English Presbyterians or Unitarians + My Ancestors were Congregationalists. To enter, please answer the following question:
In what year was the Unitarian Historical Society founded?
Please email your answer to competition@sog.org.uk by midnight GMT on 10 April 2024 with the heading “Genealogy Gazette Competition”. Please provide your full name, postal address and telephone number. Only one entry per person. The winner will be notified by email.
The winner of February 2024’s discounted book, My Ancestor Was Irish, was Tom Gawn. The answer to ‘Griffith’s Valuation was the first, full-scale valuation of property in Ireland. Details of property with valuations were published between 1847 and what year?’ was 1864.
Please contact us for more information
Our Courses and Talks
New Courses, Talks & Walks
Discover new courses, talks, walks and visits each month. Delivered by experts in genealogy or history our educational opportunities cover a vast array of topics. From techy tools to history to genealogical research tips. Check out this month's offering (and beyond) here.
Calendar View
Know you have a quieter month ahead and want to plan in some learning time? Scroll through our calendar to discover our vast array of courses, talks, walks and visits. From 12 week evening courses, to lunchtime chats. There's something for everyone.
Free Events for Members
We regularly hold events focusing on our collections, alongside members' social sessions, and updates. Discover upcoming 'free for members' events, and find your genealogy community!
Join us
As a member, you can make the most of our resources, access our experts, and find a welcoming community of people interested in family history and genealogy.
We all have roots. Let’s find them together.
