Over 9 million family history records are available online today. The Society is delighted to announce that Findmypast.co.uk is to host the Society’s online collection in its centenary year. Major data sets including Boyd’s Marriage Index and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Faculty Office and Vicar General Marriage Licences will be published on Findmypast.co.uk and exclusively for members on the SoG members area.

 Today the Society of Genealogists in London and leading family history website findmypast.co.uk have published online over 9 million records from the Society’s unrivalled collection at findmypast.co.uk.

Among the records going online today are:

• Boyd’s Marriage Index containing over 7 million names from 1538 to 1840
• Boyd’s London Burials 1538-1872 containing 240,000 names
• Faculty Office Marriage Licence Allegations 1701-1850
• St Andrew’s Holborn Marriage Index 1754-1812
• Vicar-General Marriage Licences Allegations 1694-1850
• St Leonard Shoreditch Burials 1805-1858 and Workhouse Deaths 1820-1828, online for the first time
• Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills Index 1750-1800

Today searchable indexes and transcripts have been added to the website, and customers will be able to order copies of the originals for some of the records from the Society of Genealogists.

In the coming weeks further records will be added to the website including Bank of England Wills Extracts containing 60,500 names, including images, and Apprentices of Great Britain containing 350,000 names.

Findmypast.co.uk has been working in partnership with the Society of Genealogists for a number of years to make the Society’s collection available to a wider, international audience. Earlier projects were Civil Service Evidence of Age and Great Western Railway Shareholder records.

Anyone with a full subscription to findmypast.co.uk will be able to access all the records within their existing package. Otherwise they can be viewed with PayAsYouGo credits.

Members of the Society of Genealogists will be able to view the records for free via their existing membership login to the Society of Genealogists’ own Members’ Area at http://www.sog.org.uk The records will be added gradually during 2011. Until the records move over to the SoG site, members will be able to continue their free access to this data on the British Origins website

Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.co.uk, said, “Findmypast.co.uk warmly welcomes the addition of these amazing records from the Society of Genealogists’ collection and looks forward to working with the Society on bringing these records to a wider, international audience in the Society’s Centenary Year and beyond. Family historians will find the records an invaluable aid to their research.”

June Perrin, CEO of the Society of Genealogists added: “The Society of Genealogists is delighted to be working with findmypast.co.uk in widening the audience for these wonderful resources. It is a great boost to the start of the Society’s 100th year. We hope the records prove extremely useful in the search for that ‘elusive’ ancestor.”

About findmypast.co.uk

Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.

Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.

Findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records.

In November 2006 findmypast.co.uk launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

As well as providing access to historical records, findmypast.co.uk is also developing a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.

In April 2007, findmypast.co.uk’s then parent company Title Research Group received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast.co.uk was acquired in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company who were awarded The National Archives’ contract to publish online the 1911 census, which it launched in January 2009.

About the Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists is the UK’s largest Family History Society. Founded in 1911 its objects remain to “promote encourage and foster the science and knowledge of genealogy” by “creating a safe depository for pedigrees and other manuscripts”. The Society’s remarkable library today houses unique genealogical collections along with copies of source materials, indexes and finding aids. The Society’s family history education programme is the largest in the country and the Society continues to be a leading genealogical publisher. Its first premises were in the rooms of one of the Founders George Tudor Sherwood at 227 Strand, London. The Society is now in its fifth building. The Founding Fellows, Members and Associates would, we hope, be proud of the Society’s modern achievements as it has grown to be the UK’s National Library and Education Centre for Family History.

Else Churchill, Genealogist

Technorati Tags: family history, Find My Past, genealogy, Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists will be closed from 4pm Thursday 30 December and will reopen to members and the public on Tuesday 11th January at 10am . Bookshop  and events orders can still be placed online and will be dispatched during the week commencing 11 January 2011.

During the first week of January the Society will be working on various projects in the library and stocktaking. Our first lecture when we reopen in the New Year will be on Wednesday 12 Jan at 11.30 with Tim Lawrence speaking on Using the Society of Genealogists’ Members Area Website and outlining the new developments for SoG data in the future.  Tickets for this lecture are free but can be booked online via the SoG online shop

However there is still plenty for all those who have taken part in Start Your Family Tree Week.

Each day from Boxing Day until New Year’s Day, findmypast.co.uk, sponsors of the Society of Genealogists’ Centenary Year have 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.

Look at the findmypast  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 day tracing your family tree with famous genealogist, Else Churchill at the Society of Genealogists in London – using the resources of the SoG and looking at aspects of their research. 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
• 1 free membership of the Society of Genealogists in our centenary year
• 1 ticket to a day course at the Society of Genealogists, London: ‘Family History for Beginners and Refreshers’ with Geoff Swinfield on Saturday 5 March 2011.
• Society of Genealogists‘ publications
  • 1 x My Ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer by Ian Waller
  • 1 x My Ancestors were Londoners by Cliff Webb
  • 1 x My Ancestor was an Apprentice by Stuart Raymond
  • 1 x My Ancestor was in Service by Pamela Horn
  • 1 x My Ancestor was in the British Army by Chris and Michael Watts
• A free start your family history beginners session at the Society of Genealogists with community officer Ashley Young who can help anyone start using computers and get the most from free online resources at the Society of Genealogists Library, such as findmypast.co.uk and other online family history sites usually only available on pay-per view or subscription

Make it your New Year’s resolution to carry on researching your family history – imagine what you can show your family next year.

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Members' Area, Society of Genealogists, Start Your Family Tree

Download the free information leaflet with all the links to sources and sites to help you Start Your Family History with the Society of Genealogists

Check out the great prizes from the Society of Genealogists and the Start Your Family Tree Partners

Participants include:

Genesreunited http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/static.page/syftw

findmypast http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/start-your-family-tree-week/index

Eneclann – www.startyourfamilytree.ie

Scotlands People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Society of Genealogists www.societyofgenealogists.com

 My History www.my-history.co.uk

Race Online www.raceonline2012.org

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, genealogy, Society of Genealogists, Start Your Family Tree

Yet agan local intermittent power supply problems have resulted in power problems in the Society of Genealogists’ Library (Wednesday 8 December) This means that the Middle and Lower Libraries at the SoG currently have no lights or computers and are temporaily closed until further notice. If the situation cntinues the Society will close at 4pm.

The Society of Genealpgists is very sorry for the inconvenience caused and we hope the problem is rectified as soon as possible. Anyone travelling to the Society is recommended to telephone reception 020 7251 8799 to establish the latest situation as we know it.  (updated 13.00 pm Wednesday 8 December)

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, Society of Genealogists

Many organisations are seeking volunteer help at present, and even the Government recognised the vital role that volunteers play when they launched their ‘Big Society’ campaign in June.

The Society of Genealogists is currently looking for volunteers who can come into their library in London to help scan some of their vast collection of family history  records. You would need to be able to visit the library on a regular basis (either a half day or whole day per week) to help operate the Society’s scanners. Full training will be given and although little technical knowledge is required a basic familiarity with computers would be an advantage. If you would like to help in this vital work please email the Head of Library Services on librarian@sog.org.uk with details of when you would be available.

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