Announcing “Start Your Family Tree Week”-  26 Dec 2010 – 1 Jan 2011

 The holiday season between Christmas and New Year is a great time to statr your family history. Families will have come together and the stories have come out.  Serious family historians will have time to use that new genealogical software and update their family trees.

Family history websites findmypast.co.uk and Genes Reunited are getting together to launch the first “Start you family tree week” in the UK.  From Boxing Day 2010 right through to New Year’s Day there’ll be special offers and activities available every day on both websites, including free getting started guides, printable charts, discounts, competitions, and lots more. This new initiative has the support of the Society of Genealogists and the Federation of Family History Societies. It is anticipated that further partners and websites will become involved, with the aim of getting more people of all ages to discover more about their family history over the Christmas period.

Look out for the “Start your Family History” week promotions on the SoG website   and newsblog  where the Society of Genealogists will make available  downloadable pdfs of our 10 tips for starting your family history, a 4 generation pedigree chart and updated Start your Family History Information leaflet

Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager of findmypast.co.uk commented: “We know from our customer surveys that Boxing Day is one of the most popular days of the year for people to research their family history. With the family gathered around for the festivities, it’s the perfect time to quiz the older generations on what they remember about the family, and get the youngsters inspired too about this rewarding and fascinating hobby.  And with many people not working between Christmas and New Year, you’re more likely to have time on your hands to get down to some serious record searching.”

Details of what’s on offer each day will be posted every day from Boxing Day onwards on the findmypast blog http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/ and Genes Reunited blog http://blog.genesreunited.co.uk/

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The Society of Genealogists is delighted to welcome Tim Lawrence to his new role as Head of Library Services at the Society of Genealogists.

Tim is well known to staff and Society of Genealogists members as the former Deputy Librarian and has been a valued member of SoG for some years.  Tim and the rest of the library team will ensure the Society of Genealogists Library remains the UK’s premier National Library and Education Centre for Family History serving genealogists around the country and indeed around the world.

Tim carried out his professional library training at the University of Brighton, where he was awarded a first class honours degree in Information and Library Studies.

He has worked at the Society for 12 years, the last 7 as Deputy Librarian, during which time he has gained a wide ranging knowledge of its unique family history library and archive.

A member of the Society in the early 1980s,Tim has been researching his own family history for more than 30 years, tracing them back to 16^th century Lancashire. His wide ranging expertise has always been valuable

On his appointment Tim commented that he was looking forward to the challenges of his new role, particularly bringing the Society’s unique resources to a wider audience through the digitisation of some of its collections.

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The Society of Genealogists will be exhibiting at the National Family History Fair in Newcastle.

Let our Census Detectives Team help you find your missing ancestor

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Staff, Family History Volunteers, SoG Members and Trustees came together this week to wish Sue Gibbons all the best in her retirement.  Sue has been Librarian at the Society of Genealogists since 1991 and will be missed by all her friends.  Sue pioneered the Society’s online  Library catalogue (SoGCAT) and the microfiching and digitisation of the SoG collections. Never ones to miss an opportunity to get together for a chat, nibbles and a few (soft) drinks everyone came downstairs to hear SoG Chairman Colin Allen wish Sue all the best and present her with her with life membership of the Society along with flowers, champagne and presents bought for her from the collections.  Travel was the theme of the gifts with a SatNav to guide her on her way and vouchers to put towards travel.

However, Sue seems pretty sure of the direction she is going in and has firm plans for her retirement. She will continue as a volunteer at the SoG on Mondays and Friday working on digitisation projects and perhaps she will now get time to write that book she has been promising ! But no doubt she will get stuck into her own family history research and win her the battle with that enormous garden that she has been telling us about over the years.  We’d like to wish Sue all the best for the future and thank her for being such a great asset to the Society and for helping so many family historians on their way.

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Today sees the launch of a new family history page of the 2011 Census website www.census.gov.uk/2011familyhistory 

The idea is to provide members of the public who are keen to delve into their family’s past with easy how-to guides, hints and tips, and give those who are already up to their eyes in second cousins, twice removed, the opportunity to share their experiences with others.

Anyone wishing to offer their census story for consideration can do so via 2011censusfamilyhistory@ons.gov.uk or post their story on 2011 Census Family History on Facebook. The 2011 Census team is also looking for interesting census- related stories to feature in local newspapers, radio and websites. These too can be sent using the family history email address.

The 2011 Census will take place on 27 March 2011 when everyone in England and Wales will be asked to complete and return a census questionnaire. For the first time the questionnaire can be completed online using a unique access code.

The completed paper questionnaires will be scanned and the data digitised, but a ‘photo’ of the handwritten questionnaire will be kept confidential until released after 100 years.

Censuses will also take place on the same day in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

For further information, images and interviews:

Press Hotline: 01329 447654

Email: 2011censuspress@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Visit:

www.census.gov.uk. This will raise the profile of the 2011 Census among the general public. A sample page is available to download at www.census.gov.uk/2011familyhistory.

BACKGROUND NOTES

1. The 2011 Census team is asking genealogy organisations to publish a  2011 Census page on their website, which includes the 2011 Census logo and a link back to

2. A census is a survey of all people and households in the country. It provides essential information from national to neighbourhood level for government, business, and the community.

3. The 2011 Census will take place on 27 March 2011. The census occurs every 10 years and involves everyone in England and Wales filling in a questionnaire about themselves and where they live.

4. Office For National Statistic (ONS) is responsible for carrying out the census in England and Wales.

5. ONS is responsible for gathering and interpreting all the data from the census and turning it into helpful information, as well as using it to estimate the number of people and households in each area across England and Wales.

6. The information provided in the census is confidential and safeguarded by law.

7. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available from the Media Relations Office.

8. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for official statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. © Crown copyright 2009

www.census.gov.uk/2011familyhistory along with a Facebook page where amateur genealogists can share their helpful tips for searching census records and discuss their findings.www.census.gov.uk/2011press

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