Celebrate all things 'family history' with us
Who doesn’t love a chance to share their enthusiasm, whether steam trains, football or especially family history, with other like-minded souls?
So we in GFHS are absolutely delighted to host another Family History Fair between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 6 September. This is one of the ever-popular monthly Heritage Hub Open Days which will give you the chance to discover something new, whether you are just getting started with your research or want to find more details about your ancestors’ lives or the area in which you live.
So what’s happening?
Our own volunteers will be on hand to talk about some of the projects we’ve been working on in the last year, especially the Gloucestershire Mariners’ project funded by Lloyds Register Foundation. Led by local historian Tony Conder this project is exploring Gloucestershire’s maritime history and the families involved in it. We’ve researched some of those families unearthing many amazing stories along the way which Tony is using in his display at the Gloucester History Festival later in September. We’ll also be able to tell you about our long-running projects to index the local civil registration records (BMDs) and survey the county graveyards and War Memorials.
Listen to the Experts
We’re welcoming two amazing speakers. Dr Janet Few, speaking at 1.30pm, is a family, local and community historian and author with an international reputation. She’ll be talking about some of the less well known sources for family history research, from Absent Voters Lists to Valuation Office records. This talk promises something for everyone no matter what their experience. Simon Davies, speaking at 11am, has created WeAre.xyz which is a new platform for storing and sharing family and local history research. This is a great chance to learn about the latest developments in this important area.
Booking is essential for the talks via https://www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/
A problem shared…..Drop into our Research Centre to discover how to get your family journey off to the best start. If you’ve hit a ‘brick wall’ with your research and aren’t sure what to do next - our volunteers will be happy to try to help. If you’ve already done the FH basics but want to find out more about your ancestors’ lives or you’re keen to investigate the area in which you, yourself, are living - just ask us. No problem if your family isn’t local. Many of the online resources in the Centre cover the whole world and we’re also a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which gives access to a huge variety of information. If DNA puzzles you, make an appointment for a short advice session (morning only).
Be inspired
We’ve invited FH Societies from the neighbouring counties and other heritage groups to come to offer their specialist help and advice. We’re also very grateful to the staff from Gloucestershire Archives who will be providing behind-the-scenes tours, advice about preserving family memorabilia and a display of some of the Archives’ own treasures.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!