Author: Richard Backhouse

August 10, 2022

Due to a lack of volunteers to help run groups, unfortunately we have had to suspend the current programmes for both the Portsmouth and the New Milton & Christchurch groups. The Portsmouth group was the original HGS group formed 48 years ago, with the New Milton & Christchurch one a few years later. Should you […] – read more…

August 1, 2022

Rescanning of the original BDO index cards started in May of this year with the first phase of transcription starting later that month. This first phase, a verbatim transcription of the scanned card content on to XL spreadsheets, is progressing satisfactorily with approximately 4,500 cards transcribed by mid-July. The transcription team involved in this work […] – read more…

May 6, 2022

SAVE THE DATE! HGS Conference & AGM – Saturday 18th June 2022 We’re delighted to announce that, next year, we are planning to hold our Conference Day & AGM live at the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, Boorley Green, Hampshire. Make a note in your diary so you don’t miss out! Log in to the Members’ […] – read more…

April 13, 2022

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear three great talks, network with friends and new acquaintances and browse our bookstall at the HGS Annual Conference Day on Saturday 18th June 2022 Our Annual Conference will be held at The Macdonald Botley Park Hotel, Winchester Road, Boorley Green, Southampton, SO32 2UA from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. […] – read more…

April 1, 2022

Read an article published in the Hampshire Chronicle on 3rd March 2022 about the HGS collaboration with HRO “Family History has never been so easy.” A walk-in enquiry and support service in Winchester and other important new developments offer family historians a first-class service, writes Barry Shurlock  Read the full page article as published HERE. – read more…

March 1, 2022

Saturday 18th June 2022 Macdonald Botley Park Hotel Winchester Road, Boorley Green Southampton, SO32 2UA Featuring Genealogy Experts and talks from guest speakers Open to all – Members, Friends and Family with a passion for family history Tickets – £15.00 Programme 9.30 – 10.00          Registration Tea, Coffee and Light Refreshments available upon arrival.  10.00 […] – read more…

February 21, 2022

Hampshire Genealogical Society New Milton and Christchurch Branch It was with great sadness that we heard John Heighes had passed away last week. It is a great loss for his wife, Janet, and their daughters and families. Our thoughts are with them. John had been the leader of the New Milton and Christchurch Branch for […] – read more…

February 4, 2022

Members can now watch our recording of FindMyPast’s presentation “Introducing the 1921 census of England & Wales” with Paul Nixon (FMP’s Content Licensing Manager). You’ll find it in the Members’ Area under Members’ Only Data    Then choose ‘Group Zoom Presentations’. If you watched it live (on 1st February), you may wish to see it […] – read more…

January 27, 2022

Our Bookstall Manager, Elaine Boyes, has indexed some of the Hampshire Quarter Sessions records and they are now available in the Members’ Area of the website as well as writing an article about the records As many of you know my area of research is the Swing Riots. Since the archives opened again, and HGS […] – read more…

December 19, 2021

On Wednesday 8th December, at Hampshire Record Office in Winchester, Record Office staff and Hampshire Genealogical Society volunteers came together to celebrate their recent partnership. To kick off the evening, Emma Noyce, Assistant Director – Culture and Information Services [Hampshire County Council]; Caroline Edwards, the previous Chief Archivist at HRO and HGS Chairman, Paul Pinhorne, […] – read more…

December 12, 2021

County Council agreement with Ancestry® set to make 500+ years of historic records available online Anyone with Hampshire roots anywhere in the world will be able to learn more about their ancestors thanks to an agreement between Hampshire County Council and Ancestry®, a global leader in family history. Read the official announcement here. As part of […] – read more…

December 4, 2021

Special Announcement Tuesday, 1st February 2022, is a date for your diary! We’re delighted and very excited to tell you that HGS shall be hosting a special Zoom presentation entitled, “Introducing the 1921 Census of England & Wales”. Paul Nixon, from FindMyPast, will be telling us all about the newly launched 1921 Census and how […] – read more…

November 15, 2021

This is a photograph of the war horse statue in Romsey, Hampshire, where there was a Remount Depot during WW1 for the training and conditioning of horses for use in battle. In nearby Southampton, the Swaythling Depot sent horses direct to France. The Army required huge numbers of horses and thousands were requisitioned for army […] – read more…

November 9, 2021

Our Facebook page can be found here……. https://www.facebook.com/HGSfamilyhistory We know we’re not the only Family History Society to have a Facebook page but we’re quite proud of ours! At least one item is posted every single day; sometimes more. If you ‘follow’ us, these regular posts will pop up on your own newsfeed. There are […] – read more…

November 5, 2021

Do you struggle to read old handwriting – especially in wills, probate inventories and manorial documents? If so, Hampshire Records Office is offering classes to help you. There are two classes left, and we would like to encourage more bookings. read old handwriting, Book here Our events, including free onsite exhibitions, are also listed at […] – read more…

November 5, 2021

During the summer we were busily organising our move from our former location in Cosham [near Portsmouth] to Hampshire Record Office in Winchester where we have been welcomed with open arms. We ‘opened for business’ on Tuesday 3rd August and we now have a regular presence every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am till 4.00 pm. […] – read more…

November 4, 2021

Charts displaying names, dates and places will not absorb or intrigue your family or your descendants but a written account of your family, with social history, stories and archival images mixed in probably will! Writing a book may seem daunting for some but, by splitting it up into smaller chunks, the task can become far […] – read more…

October 23, 2021

The records are not always correct! Whilst doing a bit of checking on entries in the Hampshire Allegations for Marriage Licenses 1689-1837 I decided to do some checks with the HGS Marriage Index and found a few interesting variances.  Very rarely is the marriage date the same as the license date but in most cases […] – read more…

September 28, 2021

Local Population Studies Society, Free Conference, The British Diaspora Due to the ongoing pandemic the  Local Population Studies Society (LPSS) has aNewgain decided to hold its Autumn conference online.  This conference takes the theme of ‘The British Diaspora’ and has papers which examine the impact of British migration; it is a topic which may be of […] – read more…

August 29, 2021

After a very challenging couple of years the Pear Tree 400 programme is drawing to a close – a year later than anticipated but with the same packed programme reflecting the 400 years of history of Peartree Church, Bitterne. We would like to thank all our friends, partners, supporters and attenders, and of course the […] – read more…

August 29, 2021

I wanted to be sure you know about Legacy’s new initiative, Webtember: All Genealogy. All September Long. We are sponsoring this fun (and FREE!) online genealogy conference which takes place on Fridays throughout the month of September. There will be 30 live and pre-recorded webinars in all. People can join live for all four Fridays or […] – read more…

August 29, 2021

It has been brought to my attention that the village booklet for East Meon (VB003) has two websites listed that are no longer active. The defunct ones are http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/eastmean/register.html and www.lesleeztreez.com/east_meon_index.htm They have been replaced by www.eastmeonhistory.org.uk/content/catalogue_item/architecture-2/records-registers/registers-baptisms-marriages-deaths Roy Montgomery – read more…

August 6, 2021

New one-stop-shop for family historians as Hampshire Genealogical Society creates new base in county Record Office Finding out more about your ancestors is set to get easier as Hampshire Record Office in Winchester becomes the new home of the Hampshire Genealogical Society – with the Society’s volunteers and Record Office staff together offering a one-stop-shop […] – read more…

July 27, 2021

The Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) is pleased to announce that our 2021 conference “Genealogy and Social History: Know your Ancestors” will be held online via Zoom on 25th September 2021. You can now register for this free genealogy and family history conference! The main speakers include: Helen Johnson, Professor of Criminology at the University of […] – read more…

May 2, 2021

Devon FHS has decided that the August 2021 Mayflower Conference (held on the 28th) will have to be put online. http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/mayflower_conference.pdf Although large venues should be open by August, our target audience may still be worried about meeting face to face in large groups. We are fortunate that all our speakers have agreed to giving […] – read more…

March 17, 2021

Wider still and wider … Local Population Studies in England and continental Europe The Local Population Studies Society (LPSS) is a charity devoted to promoting local history, social history, and historical demography in a local context. We publish the journal Local Population Studies, and other books and edited collections from time to time and welcome […] – read more…

March 15, 2021

Has your research taken you back beyond 1837? Are you challenged by the writing you see when viewing original documents of yore? Are some of those documents written in Latin? Why not try some online tutorials to help you? Here are a few suggestions… The National Archives at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/…/reading-old…/ Ancestry at https://support.ancestry.com/…/Tips-for-Reading-Old… FindMyPast at https://www.findmypast.com/blog/help/tips-for […] – read more…

March 15, 2021

Census returns were copied at speed. Hence they are full of abbreviations and symbols. Here are some of the most common… DITTO/DO/” You will quickly become familiar with the ‘ditto’ sign meaning ‘same as above. It is often denoted by ‘do’ or a ditto mark (“). You may find, for example, a head of household […] – read more…

March 5, 2021

Chairman Paul Pinhorne is extremely pleased to announce that the HGS has agreed with Hampshire Archives and Local Studies to relocate its Research Centre to the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester. This will allow HGS members and others interested in family history to use both our resources and expertise whilst having convenient access to Hampshire […] – read more…

February 16, 2021

Do you want to display your family tree on a chart? Here are a variety of styles to choose from which you can draw up for yourself, in some cases download from the internet for free or, if you want a more professional look, purchase from genealogy suppliers. Click HERE for printable pdf file. See how […] – read more…