The Buckinghamshire Family History Society was formed in 1976 to encourage and promote the study of family history in the county. It caters for both those with Bucks ancestry (who may live at a distance) and for those who live locally whose ancestors may have lived elsewhere. The Society is a registered Charity (charity number 290335) and a member of the Federation of Family History Societies.

The objectives of the Society are

• to promote and encourage the public study of family history, genealogy, heraldry, local history and other associated subjects with a particular reference to Buckinghamshire;
• to promote the preservation, security and accessibility of archival material;
• to promote and engage in educational activities including the publication and sale of a regular journal and other appropriate material.

Members receive a quarterly magazine 'Origins'. A series of census transcriptions and marriage indexes planned to cover the whole county is available in microfiche or book form along with an increasingly diverse range of other data. We maintain a Directory of Members' Interests which is constantly updated.

The membership year starts on 1st January. New members joining before 1st October receive all issues of Origins for that year. New members joining on or after 1st Oct have their first subscription extended to the end of the following year.

Their website: www.bucksfhs.org.uk

The Cumbria Family History Society was founded in October 1976 to help Cumbrians, and people with Cumbrian ancestry, to carry out their family history researches. Our area of interest is the modern county of Cumbria, which consists of the whole of the pre-1974 counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, together with the part of Lancashire lying to the north of Morecambe Bay (North Lonsdale) and the West Riding parish of Sedbergh. Our membership comes not only from Cumbria and other parts of the British Isles, but from Australia, New Zealand, the United States - in fact worldwide.

Members with the same family interests are able to get in touch through their quarterly Newsletter, which is sent by post to all members. As well as research interests, the Newsletter carries contributed articles on all aspects of family history including: biographies of individuals, short family histories, record sources, tips on research techniques, extracts from and short transcripts of documents, information about record offices and other news items.

Members advertise in the Newsletter for help with their researches. The Society's publishing programme does not end with the Newsletter. It includes lists of "Strays" (reference to Cumbrians connected with places outside the county, including some 9,000 living in the Liverpool area in 1851), transcripts of parish registers and monumental inscriptions and the 1851 census. Details of new publications are given in the Newsletter

In order that members can meet and exchange information, they hold quarterly meetings in a number of towns around the County, in Manchester and in London. Most of these meetings feature a guest speaker on a topic of interest, followed by questions or a discussion. Other meetings are strictly social affairs - such as their "Eat and meet" evenings held in local pubs. Details of all meetings appear in the Newsletter. In addition to these meetings they organise a number of one-day and weekend seminars, as well as holding a six-day International Conference in August every third year, when many of their overseas, and UK, members take the opportunity to combine their researches with meeting their British "cousins" and a holiday in the most beautiful part of Britain.

Members of the Society are involved in a number of long term projects, some in conjunction with other organisations. Many are transcribing the 1851 Census for Cumbria, with the results being published as each section is completed. Others are took part in the nationwide 1881 Census Project, which was organised by the Mormon Church and is available on microfiche, CD and the Internet. Transcripts of the parish Registers of North Lonsdale are being checked against the originals before they are published by the Lancashire Parish Register Society. Two members are working on the Cumberland and Westmorland volume of the Society of Genealogists' National Index of Parish Registers.

The Society is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies, the North West Group of Family History Societies and a founder member of the Friends of Cumbria Archives - indeed they have close ties with the County's archivists who speak regularly at their meeting, seminars and conferences; they are also represented on the Cumbria Archives Advisory Panel.

The Society has prepared many publications, a full list is available.

Their website: www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CUL/cumbFHS

The FFHS is an international organisation based in the UK which represents, advises and supports over 220 family history societies and genealogical organisations world-wide, with a total Membership of over 180,000. Its principal aims are: to co-ordinate and assist the work of societies or other bodies interested in family history, genealogy and heraldry; to foster the spirit of mutual co-operation, by sponsoring projects in these fields. The Federation publishes its own books on how, where and what to research. Their bookshop will be present on the day.

Their website: www.ffhs.org.uk

The Essex Society for Family History was founded in 1974 and became a registered charity in 1984. They now have a Research Centre in Chelmsford which was opened in July 2000 which provides access to their extensive library of microfiche and to many computer files of local indexes etc. Their Library is also housed in the Research Centre The area covered by the ESFH is that of the old Essex county with the exception of 'London Boroughs' which are considered to be in the area of East of London FHS and Waltham Forest which is in the area of Waltham Forest FHS. Their headquarters is in Chelmsford and they have branches in Colchester, Harlow, Saffron Walden and Southend-on-Sea. Regular monthly meetings are held at each of their centres. They also have a thriving computer group which meets in Chelmsford. Meetings are open to both members and non-members but priority is always given to their members. A quarterly magazine "The Essex Family Historian" is issued free to members. The Society runs bookshops at their Chelmsford Headquarters and at meetings of the other branches at which a wide variety of publications and microfiche may be purchased. For the benefit of members who cannot get to the local meetings in Essex they operate a Postal Book Service. All the work of the Society is undertaken by volunteers. There are no paid officials. Research on a particular surname or family is not organised by the Society, but members with similar aims and interests can get in touch with each other through the Society.

Their website: www.esfh.org.uk/

The Fenland Family History Society was founded in 2001 to promote and encourage the study of family, local and social history with particular reference to persons having lived in, or having been associated with, the historical area now known as Fenland. Fenland comprises the former Isle of Ely, parts of South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk. The Society also aims to promote and encourage the preservation, security and accessibility of archival material. We have a strong working relationship with the Wisbech and Fenland Museum. tHEY are a young society but already have over 150 members from all parts of the UK as well as Canada, USA and Australia

Their website: www.cambridgeshirehistory.com/Societies/ffhs/

A one-name study is a project researching all occurrences of a surname, as opposed to a particular pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendancy (descendants of one person or couple). Some "one-namers" may restrict their research geographically, perhaps to one country, but true one-namers collect all occurrences world-wide. The Guild only accepts true one-name studies for registration, although anyone with an interest in one-name studies is welcome to become a member.

A one-name study may concentrate on aspects such as geographical distribution of the name and the changes in that distribution over the centuries, or may attempt to reconstruct the genealogy of as many lines as possible bearing the name. A frequent aim is to identify a single original location of the name, especially if the name appears to derive from a place name. But for many names, for example those indicating an occupation like Butcher, or a patronymic-type surname such as Peterson, there will not be a single origin.

One-Namers often make some attempt to quantify the rarity of their name. There is much scope for co-operation between one-namers and other genealogists and family historians - they are not a breed apart, and many are also engaged in more conventional pedigree hunting of their other ancestors. Many drift into a one-name study as a way of eliminating alternatives when researching a particular ancestral name. There is some use for example in having a complete listing of all occurrences of a surname from the IGI or from Civil Registration lists of births, marriages and deaths. A co-operative effort between people studying the same surname bears much fruit and they have a good chance of discovering new relatives, depending of course on how common the name is.

The Guild welcomes all who have an interest in one-name studies. Some benefits of membership are listed here:

The Journal of One-Name Studies, issued quarterly to members with news, articles and ideas on this branch of family history. Meetings are held in various parts of Britain with speakers on one-name studies. Publications of the Guild including Sources for One-Name Studies and Organising a One-Name Gathering. The Register of One-Name Studies listing the surnames registered by members together with their names and addresses. The Guild Forum a world wide discussion group for members who have access to e-mail. Guild E-mail Addresses of the form yourname@one-name.org which stay the same as long as you remain a member, even if you change your Internet Service Provider. Discounts on specialist computer software suitable for One-Name Studies.

Their website: www.one-name.org/

The Hampshire Genealogical Society is a registered charity. They have been in existence for 27 years involved with genealogical research in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Regional Meetings and other activities are arranged throughout the county at the following locations:

• Alton - All Saints Church Hall, Queens Road, Alton.
• Andover - Held at members' homes in the Andover area.
• Basingstoke - St Michael's Church Cottage Hall, Church Road, Basingstoke.
• Computer Group - Gilbert Room, Twyford Village Hall, Twyford, Hampshire.
• Fair Oak - St Thomas's Church Extension, Mortimer Lane, Fair Oak.
• Fareham - Wallington Village Hall, Broadcut, Fareham.
• Fleet and Farnborough - The Mytchett Centre, 140 Mytchett Road, Mytchett, Camberley, Surrey
• Gosport - The Parish Centre, Green Road, Alverstoke, Gosport.
• New Forest - Oak Room, Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst.
• New Milton and Christchurch - (Re-named from Barton on Sea due to change of meeting place) St Mark's Church Hall, Highcliffe, Dorset.
• Portsmouth - Cosham Baptist Church Hall, Havant Road, Cosham.
• Ringwood - Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood.
• Southampton - Roman Catholic Church Hall, Commercial Street, Bitterne, Southampton.
• Waltham Chase - Waltham Chase Village Hall, Waltham Chase.
• Winchester - New Memorial Hall, off Main Road, Littleton, Winchester

The HGS publishes a variety of family history publications including 1851 Census Indexes, 1891 Census Indexes,
information on CD-ROM, Monumental Inscriptions (MI's) , Portsmouth WEA Publications as well as Miscellaneous Publications, Books, Fiche, Binders and Badges.

Their website: www.hgs-online.org.uk/

They are not Herefordshire! Yes, people do confuse the two counties. Hertfordshire is a county north of London, one of the Home Counties adjacent to the capital. Officially, Hertfordshire is designated to be in the south of East Anglia, the ancient territory of the East Angles and East Saxons. The county's dominant influence has been the capital, London. The Roman military roads of Ermine Street and Watling Street pass through the county on the way to York and Chester respectively and all the county's rivers flow into the valley of the Thames.

Their website: www.hertsfhs.org.uk

Huntingdonshire Family History Society (HFHS) was founded in 1985 to help people to find out about their family history. The county reorganisation in 1974 saw Huntingdonshire become part of a greater Cambridgeshire. They now have a membership of over 350, the majority of whom live outside the old county. The Society aims to provide links between people interested in families of the old County of Huntingdonshire and to provide a forum for persons interested in genealogy generally. In this respect it fully recognises the needs of those members who cannot easily get to research in Huntingdon, and so constantly is taking account of the advances in information technology to make information more easily available. It actively supports the HUNTINGDON and ENGLISH-FENS Genealogy Mailing List as a forum for discussion on this county. The needs of those who do not have access to new technology is not ignored, and information on new developments is covered in the Journal (The Huntsman). It is a Society for the beginner and the experienced genealogist alike.

The Society is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies, and is a supporter of the Genealogy UK and Ireland (GENUKI) information service. It also receives publications of many UK and overseas societies by exchange. These are added to the rapidly growing library. At evening meetings there is a bookstall with a wide range of genealogical publications; these publications can also be purchased by mail order.

Their website: www.huntsfhs.org.uk

The Kent Family History Society was formed in June, 1974 and now has approximately 3,800 members Worldwide. The Society publishes an informative quarterly journal which is sent free to members. It has nearly 2,000 research publications available on microfiche and has also now started to produce CD's of local information all of which are available for sale to members and non-members.

There are six active branches of the Society in Kent with the latest branch at Deal having been opened in the year 2000. In addition, a Branch has been opened in New Zealand and for those members in any part of the World, the arrival of the Internet has allowed for the creation of "The Global Branch". It is the enthusiasm of the Global members that have pushed for the opening of the Society's own Web site, strongly supported by the Chairman and Officers of the Executive Committee.

They currently have a world-wide membership exceeding 3,800 - some 18% of their members live as far away as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. If you reside in New Zealand, their postal branch offers an extra benefit with their own home Newsletter which is currently published three times a year.

Their quarterly Journal (free to members), is published every March, June, September and December. It is one of the largest Family History publications, being some 84 pages per issue. Their Library offers UK members the opportunity to borrow books, leaflets etc., on loan, for just the cost of postage or copies of brief information can be made available from the 'Family Files' for just the cost of photocopying and postage.

The Society in its 28 year history, has published nearly 2,000 records on microfiche - all contain a wide variety of information. These are available at a reduced price to members. Some information is now also available on CD-ROM, and all future publications will be in both formats. A members interests directory is published annually on both microfiche and CD-ROM, with updates every quarter in the society's Journal.

Their website is slowly being constructed and will have new editions to its pages during the year.

Their Global branch with its own maillist for members currently has about 725 members online and in this way they exchange a huge range of information and help solve members problems (almost instantly sometimes!).

If you live in Kent, you can be assured of a very warm welcome at their various monthly meetings around the county in either: Ashford, Canterbury, Deal, Maidstone, Medway (Strood) or Thanet (Birchington). [These meetings are free to local members, or to any member visiting the County].

If you want to get actively involved in the KFHS they always have projects which you can participate in - no matter where you live. They are sure that that their society will be of help and encouragement to you.today.

Their website: www.kfhs.org.uk

The Lincolnshire Family History Society covers Holland, Kesteven and Lindsey, the three parts of the Historic County of Lincolnshire. Founded in 1990, the Society now has over 3500 members worldwide, and in the year 2000 the LFHS leased premises in central Lincoln as a research centre.

All members of the Society, and visitors, are welcome to all of the meetings and activities arranged by our Branches in Boston, Bourne, Grantham, Great Grimsby, Horncastle, Lincoln, Louth, Scunthorpe, South Holland (Holbeach) and London.

The Society Conference Committee arranges regular seminars with informative, and often amusing, speakers on a variety of Family History related topics.

The Conference Committee, with the assistance of other members of the Society, has organised two very successful weekend conferences incorporating the Federation of Family History Societies General Meetings.

New members receive full details of the services the Society provide on joining, these range from use of the postal libraries (books and microfiche) to searches by volunteers.

Their quarterly magazine keeps everyone informed of all Society activities with interesting articles and lists of our members' surname interests.

Their website: www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/lfhs/

Although the original Norfolk & Norwich Genealogical Society was primarily a publishing body, the scope of its activities has expanded along with the growth of interest in genealogy and family history, when in 1996 its assets were transferred to the newly formed Norfolk Family History Society.

Its main asset, purchased in 1987, was Kirby House, so named in recognition of the generous financial support given by the F.M.Kirby Foundation Inc. The building was maintained with the income from the Kirby Permanent Endowment Fund. With the realisation of all assets in 1999 the Society was able to purchase the former Gospel Hall opposite St Giles church. New premises were necessary to accomodate the Society's ever expanding library of genealogical sources. The new property called Kirby Hall will serve as a Headquarters, Library, Registered Office and is an excellent venue for meetings.

The Norfolk Family History Society is run by a Board of Trustees. The Trustees are elected by the membership at Annual General Meetings.

The Society continues to publish information relating to genealogy in Norfolk as well as its own journal, The Norfolk Ancestor. The journal is issued free to the membership which is approaching 3000.

Kirby Hall holds the Society's library collection comprising parish register transcripts, monumental inscriptions, census returns, wills, pedigrees, deeds, manorial records, subsidies, photographs, police records and a wide range of published work relating to Norfolk. Records on computer, microfiche and film include parish registers, census records and IGI for the UK. Journals from other societies both in the UK and abroad are also held.

Members are positively encouraged to add to this collection by donating copies of their own Norfolk family trees both for preservation and to be shared with their fellow members.

Branches of the Society operate in East, West, and South Norfolk, Norwich, and London. There is also an internet branch, and an Australian Chapter. Full details of meetings, venues and programmes are given in The Norfolk Ancestor.

Their website: www.norfolkfhs.org.uk

The Mid Norfolk Family History Society was formed in September 1994 and is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies. Their local members have an interest in Family History in general but do not necessarily have genealogical links to this part of Norfolk. However, they have a large number of distant members and aim to assist in their research by collecting and recording family history information from within an area of approximately 10 miles around East Dereham. The collection of local information is growing steadily. Local members may borrow from their extensive library of family history and local interest publications, access the IGI and other misc. fiche, use the 1851/1881 census indexes and the Burial Index on computer.

Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month (except Dec.) in the Trinity Methodist Church Schoolroom, Theatre Street, East Dereham at 7.30pm, usually with a speaker and update on family history news. New members and visitors are always welcome. Occasional workshop/research evenings are also held.

A newsletter is published four times a year and circulated to members. Articles from all members are welcomed. Requests for help and information may be included in the newsletter free of charge.

Members may publish details of their research interests in our Directory of Members Interests which is produced and circulated annually. The interests of members who join during the year are included in the next newsletter.

The Society aims to record information for posterity by transcribing and recording original documents, memorials etc. for the area around East Dereham. Volunteers are invited to help with their current projects or undertake new ones. Practical help and advice are always available.

The results of all their projects are reproduced for sale

Their website: www.uea.ac.uk/~s300/genuki/NFK/organisations/midnfhs/

The Society was formed in 1976. Since then membership has expanded in this country and abroad. It consists of complete beginners as well as more experienced people who have pursued the hunt for ancestors over several years.

Family history is a subject which appeals to all age-groups, has the advantage of being independent of season and weather, and need not be expensive!

Meetings are normally held on the third Monday of the month at Weston Favell Parish Hall, Weston Favell, Northampton, and the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm at the Corn Market Hall, Kettering.

The Society publishes it's journal Footprints four times a year to members.

Their website: www.fugazi.demon.co.uk/index.htm

The Society covers the area encompassed by the Soke of Peterborough. The area is bounded by Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

The Suffolk FHS's objectives are to promote and encourage the public study of British family history, genealogy, heraldry and local history with particular reference to Suffolk; and to promote the preservation, security and accessibility of archival material.

The Society has a collection of reference books, transcripts and other documents which may be consulted in the Suffolk Record Office at Ipswich. In addition it has access to magazines from many other local, national and international societies.

The Society is made up of several groups, based in the major population centres in the County. At the present time monthly meetings are held in Bury St.Edmunds, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Saxmundham, Stowmarket and Sudbury. There is also an Out of County group based in West London. You will be made most welcome at any of the group meetings.

Book stalls are arranged at many group meetings so members are able to purchase a wide range of useful and informative publications. Advice on the items best suited to members' needs is available. The Society has a comprehensive programme to publish local material including indexes and transcripts of records. Members are encouraged to take part in this activity, by engaging in projects such as recording gravestone inscriptions, indexing C19 census returns and transcribing parish and other archives. The Society produces a variety of publications related to Suffolk and these can be purchased on-line.

The Society is always pleased to welcome new members. Every new member receives a Presentation Pack containing information about Suffolk and the group. Each quarter members receive the Suffolk Family History Society's journal Suffolk Roots. This is packed with news, articles, letters, important little snippets of information and much more!

The Society has agents and banking arrangements in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA which allow members in these countries to pay subscriptions in their local currency.

Their website: www.suffolkfhs.org.uk