The Society’s Book of the Month for January is My Ancestor was in Service, by Pamela Horn. By the end of the Victorian era, nearly a third of all women and also many men in England and Wales had been a domestic worker at some time in their lives. This book seeks to give some guidance in researching ancestors who were in service or who themselves employed domestic staff. Dr. Pamela Horn lectured in economic and social history at Oxford Polytechnic and has written a number of books on social history topics covering the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. My Ancestor was in Service is available with an extra 20% discount in addition to your existing members’ discount during the offer period, and is available, along with many other titles, from the Society’s bookshop. We are having an extended offer this month due to the later New Year reopening, so this offer will end on 21/02/12. Offer excludes trade orders.

28 January is Tracing Your Female Ancestors Day at the Society of Genealogists. Our first half-day course, Women in the 1800’s: Birth & Baptism with Tom Doig will take place from 10:30am-1pm.
Tom will look at how pregnancy was identified: the Monthly Nurse and Laying-in, childbirth & midwives/Godsibs, the folklore of birth, dealing with weak babies, normal and private baptisms and traditions of naming the child as well as ‘upsitting’ and the ‘churching’ of women.
Tracing Female Ancestors, will follow from 2-5pm, with Ken Divall and Else Churchill
These sessions will discuss how Family historians are often accused of interesting themselves only in the male lines of their ancestry following the history of the surname. Older pedigree compilations often ignore the daughters of a family leaving it difficult to establish the distaff line. However there are some sources that can be used to throw more light into the lives of our ancestresses and which let us hear their voices. We will look at some strong minded, vocal women; hear their voices and learn about women who fell on hard times. In the second session we will look at how the wars effected women’s lives, and changing their social status forever. Often taking over the jobs that had previously been the preserve of men, for example, bus and tram driving.

Each of these half-day courses cost £17.50/£14.00 (SoG Members) and can be booked together or separately. Spaces are limited and must be pre-booked, either online or by telephone: 020 7553 3290.Do you have a question? email the events department.

Technorati Tags: ancestor, class, family history, female, genealogy, grandmother, lecture, military, Parish Registers, pedigree, social, Society of Genealogists, talk, women

The Society will be closed from 4pm on Saturday 24 December and will re-open at 10am on Wednesday 28 December. The Society will also be closed for New Year, stocktaking and closed week from 4pm on Saturday 31 December 2011 until 10am on Tuesday 10 January 2012

If you are planning a visit to the Society of Genealogists please keep an eye on the website www.sog.org.uk 

May we take this opportunity to wish all SoG Members and Friends a Very Happy Christmas

and good luck with your family history research in the New Year

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy

Start Your Family Tree Week 26 Dec -1 January

The Society of Genealogists, our Centenary Sponsors findmyPast and our Show Partners Who Do You Think You Are? Live are encouraging everyone to get interested in family history this holiday.

Christmas is a great time to get the family together and climb the family tree. Top Tips,  Kids pedigree charts, Information leaflets and Help & Advice on tracing your family history can be found on the SoG FREE Help and Advice Pages

Win a Day at the Society of Genealogists

Each day from Boxing Day until New Year’s Day, findmypast.co.uk, sponsors of the Society of Genealogists’ Centenary Year will be giving you a helping hand on your journey into your past. Look at their website for the Start Your Family Tree Week daily hints, tips and activities to help you research your family tree. Discover some of the great prizes the Society of Genealogists, findmypast and other partners are offering for family historians throughout the week including a free Day at the Society of Genealogists with our Genealogist Else Churchill.

Make it your New Year’s resolution to carry on researching your family history and encourageyou friends and family to join you on the genealogy adventure - imagine what you can show your family next year.

Take part in FindmyPast’s Family Tree Week competition http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/start-your-family-tree-week/competition for a chance to spend a day tracing your family tree with SoG genealogist, Else Churchill, at the Society of Genealogists in London – using the resources of the SoG and getting an expert’s help with your family history. The prize includes return travel by train to London from within the UK and two nights’ accommodation in London for the winner and a guest.

Technorati Tags: genealogy

The development of fixed surnames occurred much later in Wales than in the rest of the British Isles.   Is this why you cannot find your ancestor in the records? Come and discover how Welsh names evolved,  when the traditional patronymic naming system declined and some techniques for research.

A one-hour lecture with Mari Alderman on Wednesday, 18 January at 2pm, £6.00/£4.80 SoG members. This talk must be pre-booked, through our secure website, or by telephone: 020 7553 3290. Do you have a question? email the events department.

Technorati Tags: ancestor, class, family history, genealogy, patrynomic, Society of Genealogists, surnames, wales, welsh