Basingstoke HGS Family History Group meet monthly for Talks and Visits to Inspire and Help you with your Research

Welcome to the Basingstoke Group page. You do not need Hampshire ancestors to attend our meetings, all you need is an interest in family history. Our subjects are varied and aim to assist you with your research wherever your ancestors came from. We give you the opportunity to chat with like minded researchers who can help and advise you. We cater for all and are a very friendly bunch! We have some extremely knowledgeable members, from those with up to 40 years research, to those who have only just started.

Meetings of the Basingstoke HGS group are generally held on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the main hall of the St Michael’s Church Cottage (behind St Michael’s Church) from 7:30pm to around 9:30pm. This is a ground floor room with disabled access and toilet. Parking outside is free. The main part of our evening concludes around 9:00pm, when refreshments are made available for a small fee and members chat amongst themselves.

Why Join Basingstoke Group

Specialist speakers give talks, and we have participation evenings when members may present and talk about their own research. Please see our Programme of the events organised.

There are three tables in the hall; one contains magazines and leaflets donated by members, the second contains useful information to browse through, and the third contains books donated by Members (on history, family and local history) that are available to borrow. All leaflets, magazines and loans are free of charge.

A monthly Newsletter is e-mailed to our members and visitors reminding them of the date of the next meeting, and includes snippets of information about all sorts of family history things!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You are most welcome to join our meetings as a visitor, or even better, join HGS and become part of a wide Hampshire family history community.

HGS Basingstoke Group Events & Meetings

• February 26, 2020, 7:30 pm: Members’ Presentations - Emigration in the Family (not convicts)
• March 25, 2020, 7:30 pm: My Ancestor was a Liar - Dave Annal

  Sifting through the evidence to find the truth (or what passes for the truth in the world of genealogy) is a skill which all serious family historians need to develop. The information left by our ancestors is all-too-frequently misleading, inaccurate or just plain wrong! As we become more experienced we find that they had any number of reasons to be economical with the truth.
  Of course, sometimes our ancestors simply didn’t know the answer to the questions thrown at them by the clerks, registrars and enumerators. Using real examples, this talk will look at some of the reasons why our ancestors might have lied and offer suggestions on how to recognise their varying degrees of ignorance, half-truths and wilful deception.

• April 22, 2020, 7:30 pm: Moving Forward: How to bring your research up to date - Antony Marr

  Looking at moving your existing family research forward through the C20th, finding lost family and missing relatives through the use of the records of civil registration, probate, electoral registers and other on-line searches. The talk will look at methods of research, and also the ethical and practical issues you may encounter in this sensitive area.

• May 27, 2020, 7:30 pm: Members’ Presentation - Transcribing HGS records
• June 24, 2020, 7:30 pm: From Grub Street to Fleet Street: The history of English Newspapers to 1899 - Bob Clarke
• July 22, 2020, 7:30 pm: Members’ Presentation - Questions and Answers Session
• August 26, 2020, 7:30 pm: Summer Function
• September 23, 2020, 7:30 pm: Getting your stuff in order: Documenting your Family History - Jane Fox
• October 28, 2020, 7:30 pm: Members’ Presentations - Newspaper Findings
• November 25, 2020, 7:30 pm: Christmas Function
• December 23, 2020, N/A: ** No meeting in December - Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year!

The group is currently run by committee. They can be contacted using the form on this page.

Find Us Here:

St Michaels Church Cottage Hall
Behind St Michaels Church
Basingstoke
RG21 7QW