The Society

The Society exists to encourage the study of family history within the old counties of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. It not only provides a friendly point of contact for people world-wide who are interested in the same surnames and families, but also offers a wide range of facilities to support their researches into genealogy and the local area.

The Society was founded in 1976 and it now has about 1,800 members, mainly in the UK but also in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA as well as several other overseas locations.

CFHS is a Registered Charity and a member of the Federation of Family History Societies.

Our Aim

With the increased interest in genealogical studies, mainly family history, there is an increase in the need for information. The records that have been held for many years are now fragile and frail, the area for storing documents has decreased and the funding of local research office has decreased.

The aim of the society is to preserve existing records while transcribing and collating new information. Most churchyards in Cambridgeshire have now had their monumental inscriptions (gravestones and the like) recorded for posterity by the CFHS or the Women's Institute. Parish records have been indexed and transcribed by members of the CFHS to preserve the original information while making it accessible to all.

It is our aim to publish as much information as possible on microfiche or in book form or on CD-Rom. This allows information to be disseminated to the home or to remote study centres allowing those researchers without access to the county to continue their studies.

In the meantime it is also our goal to raise enough money to provide aid to local depositories to house and maintain original records.