Five Things To Do in the Family History Centre

I love a list and must confess to making several different ones each week.

A research list is always one of my favourites and helps to keep me focussed on the task in hand while reducing the risks of forgetting something or, probably worse, slipping down tempting rabbit holes.  I also keep a list of tempting rabbit holes, but that’s probably just me!  So when someone asked me what they could do if they came into the Family History Centre, I immediately went into ‘list mode’ and came up with these Five Things.

First (and rather obvious) you can investigate your Gloucestershire roots.  Many of the basic FH sources like parish registers and probate records for the diocese of Gloucester are available on the Ancestry subscription website which you can use free-of charge in our Centre.  However, the Society’s volunteers have indexed other name-rich county sources including Monumental Inscriptions, Gloucester Cemetery registers and some non-conformist records - you can only use these resources in our Centre.

Second (but not quite so obvious) you can investigate your roots almost wherever they lead you, even abroad.  The main subscription sites, Ancestry and Find My Past, both cover the whole world and between them include a wide range of sources far beyond parish registers and wills.  These include census returns, military records, passenger lists and immigration records plus some more niche material like employment records.  Our FH Centre is also a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which means you have access to the wealth of material collected by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons)- it is the only Affiliate Library in the area and an amazing resource.

Third (and following on from the first two) you can discover more about what life was like for your family or even investigate someone with no connection to yourself.  We have access to the British Newspaper Archive which includes a huge number of English language papers from around the UK from the mid-18th century to the late 20th century.  It is a truly amazing resource which will help you to understand more about daily life in a vanished world.

Fourth (not obvious at first glance) you can investigate the history of the community in which you live or work, used to live or work or even just interests you.  Basic sources like census returns are available on Ancestry and FindMyPast and you can look at a range of maps online as well as check local newspapers.

Fifth (and not found anywhere else) you can talk to the Society’s knowledgable and enthusiastic volunteers who are always delighted to help you get started, tackle research brick walls, make sense of what you’ve found and celebrate your successes.

Finally - Our FH Centre is open to all and we welcome everyone whatever their specific interest or level of experience.  We are an independent charity run by volunteers and you can discover more about us on our website gfhs.org.uk

Vicky Thorpe