Family History for Beginners
Have you thought about tracing your ancestors?
Made a New Years resolution to have a go at starting it?
Would like to start but don't know where to begin?
Have just started but now need help & advice?
Rescue is at hand in the form of an evening introductory session at our Research Centre where experienced family historians will guide you through the necessary stages to get you off on a firm start. The course will cost just £5 and will run from 7.30 - 9.00pm on 15 February 2012.
Places are limited so get your application in early to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If the date is inconvenient or more people want to take this up, we will look at further sessions.
Posted 3 January 2012
Research Centre News
Research your Family History at weekends
For a trial period, we have introduced Saturday opening (the fourth Saturday each month - but not in August). (This replaces the previous fourth Sunday opening.) The Centre still opens on the second Sunday each month).
Weekend opening times are 11 am to 4 pm
SPECIAL OFFER FOR NON MEMBERS
Available for non-members of the Society during August and September
Water, water everywhere
Torrential downpours in Reading on 18 August saw flash floodwater pouring into the Research Centre. Quick thinking by those volunteers on duty averted any serious damage. The Centre will continue to open at the stated times. Apart from some rearranged furniture, you wouldn't know anything was different - and all research facilities remain available.
revised 19 August 2011
An Opportunity!
Do you enjoy family History?
Do you like helping others?
If you can answer "Yes" to both of these questions then why not become a volunteer Research Assistant at the Research Centre. It is not a difficult job providing that you have a good basic knowledge of family history and are comfortable about using computers. The work is fun and you get to meet a lot of interesting people.
In addition, you get to know more about the working of the Society. Full training will be given and your first few sessions will be with a more experienced assistant who will ease you into the job. Will all members please give this some urgent consideration as the running of the Centre depends on sufficient members volunteering their services.
1911 census and Findmypast
available on a PC in the computer suite, findmypast offers you access to a wide range of UK family history records, including:
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the most complete census collection (1841 to 1911)
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the most complete online index of civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths (1837 to 2006)
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parish records dating from 1538
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migration records including 24 million passenger list records
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military records
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other specialist records
To access findmypast or Ancestry Library Edition, users are asked to pay £1 for each hour or part-hour to use these services (to help to offset costs incurred by the society in providing these online services).
As long as a computer is free, you can switch from Ancestry to Findmypast (and back again) during your hour.
The 1911 census for England and Wales is available on findmypast as part of this facility. You can also buy and use 1911/findmypast vouchers to use on computers at the Centre or on your own machine at home.
About the Research Centre
Yeomanry House offers you an unparalleled set of resources for your family history research, whether you are searching locally, nationally, or internationally.The Centre is near the centre of Reading, next to Berkshire Record Office and within walking distance of both the railway station and the town centre. There is normally enough on-site parking for visitors to the Centre but the centre is also served by local buses (numbers 1, 2, 26, 18, 33 and 105 - but subject to change). Ask for the stop for the Register Office.
Admission is free for society members with a current membership card. Other visitors are asked to pay a small £2 temporary membership fee per visit. During opening hours the Centre is staffed by volunteers (Research Assistants) who are always happy to help and advise visitors. But they have other duties too which means that they do not carry out research for you.
The Research Centre occupies two floors. Downstairs are the signing-in desk, the computer suite and the bookshop. Upstairs (accessible only by a short staircase) is the library and the fiche readers. We regret that disabled access to the library is not easier. Research Assistants will always get items for you and a fiche reader is available downstairs.
page last reviewed and revised 14 May 2011
