HGS Family History Groups
Although most HGS group meetings are in-person meetings, some are held via Zoom, so please do check to see the type of meeting.
For meetings that are held via Zoom only, please contact the appropriate Group Organiser no later than 24 hours prior to the talk to be added to the invitation list. Remember to include your membership number or indicate if you are a guest.
If you plan on travelling to an in-person meeting where you are not already on the Group Organiser’s contact list, we suggest that you contact the Group Organiser to let them know: this way, if the meeting is cancelled (e.g. due to speaker unavailability) they will be able to let you know, saving you an unnecessary trip.
We meet regularly to share, learn, exchange ideas and information, as well as to help us each further explore our family history projects. Why not come along and see for yourself?
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- You can attend the meetings of any of our 8 active Hampshire-based groups.
- The International Group meetings are held every two months via Zoom: these meetings are on alternate months to the National Group meetings.
- The National Group meetings are held every two months via Zoom: these meeting are on alternate months to the International Group meetings.
- Visit a Group’s page (via the menu on the right) to see their programme of talks, news and articles. Contact a Group Organiser using the form at the bottom of their Group page.
- Come and meet like-minded people. HGS Group Meetings are free to members and prospective members.
- They are a good way to gain some new insights on how to further explore your family history.
- Whether you are a beginner or an expert, with a family from within or outside of Hampshire, you will always be welcome and find someone who has something new and interesting to share.
HGS Group Locations
Click on a pin for the address and directions.
HGS Family History Group and Society Events for the next 3 months
To attend a Zoom talk offered by any of the groups, please contact the appropriate group organiser no later than 24 hours prior to the talk. Please include your membership number or indicate if you are a guest.
- March 18, 2026 - Ringwood Group: DNA for Family Historians - Steve Manning - via Zoom
- March 19, 2026 - Winchester Group: ‘The Forgotten Spy’ - The Secret Life of Ernest Oldham - Nick Barratt - via Zoom
- March 25, 2026 - Basingstoke Group: My ancestor was a Miller - Laurie Page
A teacher of genealogy for more than 20 years, Laurie will talk of the history of milling, of windmills and watermills and the general life of a Miller.
- March 26, 2026 - Fareham Evening Group: Lost Images Reunited, and how to research old photographs - Owen Rowe
Join me in a fun interactive presentation about my hobby of reuniting lost photographs with their families. We will look at a few cases and how I managed to find out who they were and track down their families. Then we'll look at how to date photographs and what resources there are to help you research photographs.
- April 1, 2026 - International Group: [BST] The Rise of Non-Conformity, the various types and how to access records - Sally Gardiner - via Zoom
- April 8, 2026 - Gosport Group: Producing a Family History on a computer - Laurie Page
- April 9, 2026 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: ABM followed by Working Down A Coal Mine – Keith Fletcher
The history of coal mining and the life of miners by our very own Keith, a miner from the Durham coal fields.
- April 9, 2026 - Andover Group: Hearts of Oak: Crisis in the New Forest - Gale Pettifer
- April 14, 2026 - Fair Oak Group: Southampton: Slaughter, Water & Trade – Part II - Andrew Negus
- April 15, 2026 - Ringwood Group: Dating old photos - Steve Gill - via Zoom
- April 16, 2026 - Winchester Group: The Mayflower’s Voyage from Southampton - Cheryl Butler
- April 23, 2026 - Fareham Evening Group: Members’ Evening
- May 6, 2026 - National Group: Britain's Railway History for Family Historians - Richard Marks - via Zoom
- May 12, 2026 - Fair Oak Group: Sacrifice and Remembrance - Jeremy Prescott
- May 13, 2026 - Gosport Group: Agent Zigzag - Peter Power
- May 14, 2026 - Andover Group: Members’ Evening
- May 14, 2026 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Researching In the Archives – Sarah Pettyfer
Sarah, a member of AGRA, introduces the records held in local archives that are not available online – including the ‘parish chest’.
- May 20, 2026 - Ringwood Group: Isaac Gulliver: The King of Smugglers - Richard Hutley
- May 21, 2026 - Winchester Group: Linley Wood Library - JJ Heath Caldwell
- May 28, 2026 - Fareham Evening Group: Houses with Histories: Where Buildings and Family Stories Meet - Fiona Ranger & Sue Wheatley
The talk will explore how researching a house brings together the house occupants, owners and local history which combine to give an insight into the story of the house. It will include case studies and problems that can be encountered when researching.
- June 3, 2026 - International Group: [BST] The Mayflower Pilgrims: Myth & Memory - Cheryl Butler - via Zoom
- June 4, 2026 - Andover Group: The Saxon Family Tree - Laurie Page (NB - this is a week earlier than 'normal' due to a prior hall booking)
- June 9, 2026 - Fair Oak Group: Building Spitfires without a Factory - Alan Matlock
- June 10, 2026 - Gosport Group: Members’ Evening
- June 11, 2026 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Website Workshop: A Look Beyond Ancestry & Find My Past
A chance to see what websites are out there that you may not have come across – some of them for FREE!
- June 17, 2026 - Ringwood Group: The Lost Buildings of Ringwood - Alex Bancroft, Chair of the Ringwood Society
- June 18, 2026 - Winchester Group: The Commonwealth War Grave Commission - Will Reid
- July 1, 2026 - National Group: Missing from Home - David Ennifer - via Zoom
- July 8, 2026 - Gosport Group: Visit and tour of Haslar Hospital
- July 9, 2026 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Late Victorian London: A City of Dreadful Delight – Dr Judy Hill
Tales of prostitution, sexual scandal & murder!
- July 14, 2026 - Fair Oak Group: Yet More Hampshire History in 10 Object - Tony Cross
- July 15, 2026 - Ringwood Group: Members’ Evening - A House Through Time
The story of a family home. Can you find a picture of the Ringwood Meeting House?
- July 16, 2026 - Winchester Group: Migration: when we get stuck - Laurie Page
- August 5, 2026 - International Group: [BST] British Emigrants in the Empire: some personal stories - Frances Hurd - via Zoom
- August 11, 2026 - Fair Oak Group: Guided Walk – Bishops Waltham - Eric Reed
