Special Show Offer. £10 off Membership Subscriptions!!

The Society will be waiving its joining administration fee (usually £10) for anyone who wants to become a member of the SoG at the Society of Genealogists Family HistoryShow which is an integral part of Who Do You Think You Are? Live at Olympia February 26-28 2010. 

This means your first year’s UK subscription will be £45 instead of the usual £55 (£27 for overseas members instead of £37). In addition we are including a free 2G SoG usb memory stick as a welcome present to all our new members – perfect for downloading or backing up your family history files. Hurry while stocks last.

Come and see the SoG at stand 1025 where you can fill out the membership application form and meet our staff and volunteers.

Society of Genealogists at Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2009

Infomation about membership benefits can be found on the Society of Genealogists Website

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Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Society of Genealogists, Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2010

In this seminar Celia Heritage will give an overview of the civil registration system. She will look at the causes of errors on the GRO index and how they may affect your research. She will also look at the brick walls you may encounter in your research in connectin with the GRO index as well as in your research in general, and how to find ways around them. Cost £17.50/£14.00 (SoG members)

This Norman church is said to be the oldest church building in London, founded by Rahere, a courtier of Henry I in 1123. It has been the scene of many films and TV series, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, the latest being the current Sherlock Holmes film in cinemas as I write. The church is just a little way out of the City walls in Smithfield which was originally a field used for jousting and a venue for executions and of course well known today as the site of London’s former cattle market.

The building has gone through many changes and today it is possible to see some of the original 12th Century church with many of the additions that have taken place up to and including the 20th Century.The original Priory was surrendered to the tyrant King Henry VIII who passed them on to Sir Richard Rich who took up residence in the Prior’s House. Under “bloody” Mary it became a Dominican convent until an Act of Parliament of 1559 once again restored it to a Parish Church.

The church had a Charnel House under the Sanctuary which today is a dressing room. Here we saw some of the vestments that are quite old and only used on special occasions such as a rose coloured set used on Mothering Sunday.

The visit finished with a look at fifteen minute film about the church and a fascinating look at some photographs showing the graveyard and local Elizabethan housing from 1877;  then off to the tea room in the Cloisters for a well deserved cup of tea!

The church is open to visitors most days and charges £4 for entry but of course you will have to look around yourself and not get the expert commentary of the Verger or the camaraderie in company with other Society members. In fact the next two outside visits to Lambeth Palace and Goldsmiths’ Hall are both fully booked, and the next after that is the visit to Wesley’s Chapel on 31st March 2010.

I highly recommend an afternoon or day out led by the Society but suggest you book early  to avoid disappointment!

Technorati Tags: Society of Genealogists, St Bartholomew the Great

Natalie Ceeney

Natalie has been Chief Executive since 2005, and the past four and a half years has seen some significant changes to TNA under her leadership. The National Archives has moved firmly towards the digital age and concentration of digital information management, while providing access to its collection and expertise to an increasingly wide and diverse audience.

The Ministry of Justice will be handling the recruitment of Natalie’s successor through open competition. In the intervening period the Ministry has asked Oliver Morley, currently Director of Customer and Business Development, to take over as interim Chief Executive. In his current role, Oliver is responsible for customer, product and service strategy, partnership and business development, trading services, and marketing and communications. His team led the launch of the online 1911 census and many other leading historical content services via the relaunched nationalarchives.gov.uk. Prior to The National Archives, Oliver was at Thomson Reuters, with global responsibility for improving information services for customers.

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, genealogy, The National Archives

The Society of Genealogists will be 100 years old in 2011 and we intend to celebrate our anniversary in style.  There will be different activities to commemorate the occasion and we hope all our members and friends will join us in our celebrations.

Details of all our commemorative events planned for 2011 will be posted on our website and in the Genealogists’ Magazine. Here are the first two events to note in your diary

The Society of Genealogists Centenary Conference will take place on
Saturday 7 May 2011
Venue: Royal Overseas League,
Over-Seas House,
Park Place
5 St James’s Terrace,
London SW1A 1LP

Royal Overseas League, London SW1

This will be an all day event culminating in a Conference Banquet in the evening.  More details including lecture streams, prices etc will follow but this is definitely a date to book in your diary.

Society Centenary Celebration Dinner
Friday 6 May 2011
Venue: Royal Overseas League, London
This will be a high profile dinner to formally celebrate the Society’s 100th Anniversary.  Spaces will be limited, ticketing information and pricing will be available soon.

Technorati Tags: Family History News, genealogy, Society of Genealogists

In case anyone gets fed up with mince pies and Christmas TV we’ve got a bit of a challenge for all our members and friends. Can you tell what these two baby plaques  signify? They are high on the wall of the sandwich bar at the beginning of the cul-de-sac that leads down to the SoG. 

We’ve never noticed them before but they are fairly high up and we could be very unobservant!!

How long have they been here? What are they and do they have any meaning?

There is no prize and the answers won’t be published – because we just don”t  know. But if anyone has a clue do feel free to let us know, because it has us stumped!!

Comments are open below

Happy Christmas

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, puzzles, Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists would like to wish all its members and friends a Very Happy Christmas and warmest wishes for 2010!

Here’s hoping that the season’s get together will jog some family memories and that your family history research will be a huge success in the New Year. We look forward to bringing you more news about the SoG and the family history community in 2010.

For details of our Christmas and New Year Closures do see our main website

The workshop timetables show when the Society of Genealogists experts, local societies and exhibitors will be speaking. There are talks for every level of interest in family history.

Tickets are free at the show but some advance boookings are avalable from the show website at £2 each.

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, genealogy, Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2010

The Commission has been asked to decide whether the acquisition may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) within any market or markets in the UK. Brightsolid, which runs websites Find My Past.com and 1911 Census.com, and Friends Reunited, which owns Genes Reunited.com, are two of the three largest suppliers of online genealogy services in the UK. These websites allow users to search and access historical information and documents such as census results, birth, marriage and death records, and also supply family tree software.

The issues statement follows the first stages of gathering information, views and evidence and identifies clearly for all interested parties the specific questions and areas the inquiry is examining. This will form the basis for hearings with Brightsolid and Friends Reunited.

The full issues statement is available on the Commission’s website

The issues statement should not be seen as implying that the inquiry group (the Group) has identified any competition concerns—the Group has yet to reach any conclusions on this inquiry. The purpose of making the issues statement public is to inform all interested parties and give them an opportunity to raise any further points with the CC.
If the Group considers that the merger has resulted or may be expected to result in an SLC, it will consider whether and, if so, what remedies might be appropriate, taking into account any customer benefits that might arise from the acquisition, and will issue a notice of possible remedies, should this be required, at about the time it publishes its provisional findings.
The Commission is expected to report by 16 April 2010 and would like to hear comments on the issues statement from any interested parties, in writing, by 6 January 2010.
To submit evidence, please email anne.jolly@cc.gsi.gov.uk or brightsolidfriendsre@cc.gsi.gov.uk or write to:
Anne Jolly
Inquiry Manager
Competition Commission
Victoria House
Southampton Row
LONDON
WC1B 4AD

Technorati Tags: Brightsolid, family history, Family History News, Find My Past, genealogy, Genes Reunited

Do you want to track down a missing relative, loved one or close friend but don’t have the resources?

Or perhaps your genealogical search has gone cold and you don’t know where to turn?

Help is at hand in the form of “trackers” who will be filmed as part of a new BBC primetime television programme.
The TV team, with expertise in genealogy and people finding, may be able to help you find your missing person or lost contact.

If you need their help then please contact RDF Television

Email: trackers@RDFTelevision.com or Tel: 0207 751 7304

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy