Berkshire Family History Society
Welcome
page last reviewed and revised 5 February 2012
If you are just starting your research, these articles will help you
Come and meet the society - follow links for more details
Maybe you missed the BRACKNELL FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
but you have plenty of opportunities to catch up with the society in coming weeks - including at six Branch meetings every month
Tuesday 14 February - Drop ins at Bracknell and Woodley
Wednesday 15 February - Drop in at Eton Wick Library
Wednesday 15 February - STARTING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
7.30 - 9 pm - Research Centre in Reading. A short introduction to research. Just £5 - book your place now
Saturday 18 February - Family History Surgery - Abingdon
Friday 24 to Sunday 26 - Who Do You Think You Are? Live
Meet us at the UK's biggest family history event at Olympia
Tuesday 28 February - Drop in advice: Wokingham Library
BERKSHIRE PARISH RECORDS
You can now search some transcriptions of parish register entries for Berkshire online (but not all of them yet!) in the Parish Records Collection of Findmypast . These are transcriptions that have been created - and checked - by the society and there are even more at the Research Centre. You will find original records of pre-1974 Berkshire (that includes the Vale of the White Horse and North Berkshire) at Berkshire Record Office in Reading.
Berkshire Burials CD - 773,000 transcriptions
NEW 10th EDITION £20 (+ p and p for online/mail orders). Updates for 9th, 8th and 7th editions are available too. Fully searchable and browseable by name, place and date
Buy Berkshire Burials 10th Edition
Or collect a copy from the Research Centre during opening hours. Learn more about Berkshire Burials
8 February - Newbury - Researching pubs and publicans
15 February - Woodley - Five presentations (Computer Branch)
17 February - Bracknell - Early censuses - 1086 to 1841
20 February - Abingdon - Researching surnames
23 February - Reading - 19th century child labour
28 February - Windsor - Using your local studies library
Just added - more meeting summaries - for all society members
Recently added - a definitive gazetteer for Berkshire
DISCUSSION LIST - your best source of informed help and advice - on general topics too - not just Berkshire issues. Benefit from members' collective expertise. As a member posted (5 February):
'Amazing in a matter of a few hours what our list can achieve!'
Members' Surname Interests 9,500 surnames - Updated 20 July
Birth Briefs - nearly 35,000 names - Updated 3 September
Are your surnames here or your ancestors in these resources
Berkshire Family Historian - Learn more or read a copy (PDF copy opens in new window). Read over 100 back issues in the Members' Area
'Thank you for the very interesting December issue. I have already found a snippet about one of the branches of my family (in the London Gazette) using the search method suggested - something that had never turned up before!'
Special extended membership offer: runs from 29 January
Membership brings you many benefits, including four copies of the Berkshire Family Historian each year.
Berkshire Marriages Transcriptions with a pre-1837 focus, 346,000 names and 117,000 marriages from over 100 Berkshire parishes. Later entries with ages, status, occupations, residences, fathers' names and occupations, even witnesses. Find out more
Berkshire Burials Over 773,000 transcriptions - many more than in NBI3 - from 235 places, and with many extra details too
COMING SOON - Berkshire Probate Index Berkshire Archdeaconry probate records (1480 to 1857)
Certificates cost £9.25 when ordered online from the General Register Office and £9.00 from a Local Register Office with a local reference or event date. Some companies and websites will charge you much more than this - Do not overpay for something that you can order for yourself at a fraction of their prices! Use Berkshire BMD to find local BMD references for Reading and Bradfield districts.
Do you use indexes and transcriptions?
Yes? Then why not help the society to make more transcriptions of pre-1974 Berkshire records more widely accessible?
JOIN THE PROJECTS TEAM. Some tasks can be done out of county - even out of country! But vital checking of indexes and transcriptions against original records can only be done in Reading at Berkshire Record Office Find out more
Maybe you work, maybe you are about to retire, maybe you are retired now. Whatever your background - your specialist skills and knowledge could make the difference.
Join the team - get in touch today
Here in Reading you can research your ancestors internationally, in the UK - and even in Berkshire. Search online using Findmypast and Ancestry (Library Edition - not UK), and check extensive datasets and resources in CD, microform and print formats.
Need some help to get started? Sign up for STARTING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY on Wednesday 15 February - 7.30 pm
Wherever your ancestors came from - America, Australia, Ireland, London, Yorkshire, even Berkshire - use the Research Centre and its resources to delve into your family history. A warm welcome awaits - with help and advice should you need it. Opening times - the Centre is next to Berkshire Record Office - home of original records for pre-1974 Berkshire. And parking is free.
Search Findmypast - (check the latest datasets), FreeBMD, Berkshire BMD and Ancestry Library Edition - explore births, marriages and deaths, census returns, parish records, military records, migration records and many other datasets.
Find key resources for other UK counties too - on CD, fiche and in print - or research them online. Find out more about the 7,000+ library items summarised here ~ for every Berkshire item there are four more linked to other UK and overseas locations.
Note: the Centre is not open on the second Sunday in April -Easter Sunday
page last reviewed and revised 5 February 2012
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