For all family history researchers living in Berkshire and for those researching Berkshire ancestors
page reviewed and revised Wednesday 5th March 2014
The early twentieth century: Conflict and change
A major conference on 18th October for family and local historians, with a series of visits leading up to it.
You will find below some brief day-by-day reminders of notable events of the remarkable early decades of the last century 20th Century Calendar-see more
5th Mar 1912 Italian forces make the first military use of airships, as hydrogen filled P2 and P3 dirigibles drop leaflets and bombs and carry out reconnaissance behind Turkish lines in Libya
6th March 1913 The word ‘jazz’ appears in print for the first time in the San Francisco Bulletin
7th March 1912 Frenchman Henri Seimet is the first aviator to fly non-stop from Paris to London, completing his journey in three hours
8th March 1917 In Russia, International Women's Day protests spark the 'February Revolution' (Julian calendar still observed)—militant women textile workers strike in Petrograd and demonstrations and riots over food shortages and conduct of the war soon follow
9th March 1925 The RAF begins its first independent air action in Pink's War (after Wg Cdr Richard Pink) bombing and strafing mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in South Waziristan
10th March 1914 Militant suffragette Mary Richardson slashes Velasquez’ Rokeby' Venus in the National Gallery ostensibly in protest against Emmeline Pankhurst's re-arrest the previous day
11th March 1917 The British Indian Army captures Baghdad from the Ottoman Turks after earlier defeats during the two-year campaign
12th March 1930 In India Mohandas Gandhi begins a peaceful civil disobedience campaign against British rule with the Salt Satyagraha, a march to Dandi protesting against the British salt tax
Conference Programme outline Booking NOW
About Visits All Visits Booking NOW (next visit 4th April)
supported by Berkshire Record Office and findmypast
Members' Area - New data added
Berkshire family history publications
NEW Fawley St Mary Parish Registers CD 1540-1987
Data samples in the Members' Area. Product reviews in the Shop)
Berkshire Maps CD OS 1881-1887 ◊ 51 maps, gazetteer and index
Berkshire Baptisms CD ◊ Details of content and coverage
Berkshire Marriages CD ◊ Places and dates
Berkshire Burials CD ◊ Places and dates
Berkshire Probate Index CD 1480-1857 ◊ What wills can tell you
An Historical Atlas of Berkshire ◊ read a review
All CDs and publications sold at the Research Centre
Informed advice wherever your ancestors came from
Join the society Extended membership offer
Explore the Royal County of Berkshire
Tuesday 11 March—drop in advice at Bracknell library
Tuesday 25 March—drop in advice at Wokingham library
Branches meet at Abingdon, Bracknell, Newbury, Reading, Windsor and Woodley—see Main Menu and calendar
Next meetings Newbury (12th March) Abingdon (17th March)
WHEREVER your ancestors came from...find them at Berkshire's foremost facility for family history research—the society's Research Centre in Reading. Open to all.
FOUR family history online options
Origins - National Wills Index + York Peculiars probate images now available and census updates
British Newspaper Archive - search 7.4 million pages across the country, including old Berkshire newspapers.
findmypast - NEW RECORDS—British in India 2.5 million records + UK Rate Books—and free family tree
Ancestry search WORLDWIDE (includes lots for London, but not for Berkshire)
Browse library catalogue Search the catalogue
The Family History Research Centre is in Reading, next to Berkshire Record Office—home of original records of the Royal County—including those of Vale of the White Horse and North Berkshire. Parking is free
You will find society Marriage and Burial transcriptions (but not all of them) online at findmypast See ALL of the society's Berkshire data at the Research Centre.
Quality is key. Who wants unreliable information? Or details that can't be searched intelligently?
Berkshire Family History Society does not publish unchecked material. Almost all Berkshire FHS CDs are fully browsable and searchable, unlike those from some other societies. The society needs more people willing to check transcriptions against original records held at Berkshire Record Office in Reading. And talk to us if you have good experience in assembling and building data CDs.
Why not join in and help?
Projects make more records from the pre-1974 Royal County of Berkshire more readily accessible for more people.
page reviewed and revised Wednesday 5th March 2014
Optimised for browsers like Firefox (latest version 27), Opera (latest version 19) and Google Chrome (latest version 33). A few pages may not display perfectly with older versions. Society volunteers build and maintain this website and new content is added regularly. Please tell us if something is not working. And Bookmark this page.
