We meet monthly to discuss the opportunity 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? 

• You can attend meetings of any of our 13 active groups. All groups meet in the evening with the exception of the Afternoon Group – see page via Groups Menu for details.
• Visit their pages via the Groups Menu to see their monthly programme of talks, news and articles.  Contact a Group Organiser using the form at the bottom of each Group’s 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.

Why go to a HGS Group meeting?

If you are curious, then check out this article https://www.hgs-familyhistory.com/2018/03/why-go-to-an-hgs-group-meeting/

HGS Group Locations

Click on a pin for the address and directions.

 

HGS Family History Group and Society Events for the next 3 months

• April 25, 2018 - Basingstoke Group: Lost in London - David Annal

  Tracing your ancestors back to the period before civil registration and the Victorian census returns can present a genuine challenge to most family historians. But if your family came from London, the problems that you’re likely to face can be even harder to overcome. The population of London doubled between 1801 and 1841 making it the most populated city in world. Outlying villages were swallowed up as London spread ever outwards – the boundaries of what constituted London were constantly being redrawn. The administration of the area was enormously complicated – the City of London alone comprised over 100 parishes – and the records of the various authorities responsible for running London are now spread around a number of different record offices. This talk will explain how to access and make the most of the capital’s diverse collection of records and will give some useful tips on tracking down those elusive London ancestors

• April 26, 2018 - Fareham Group: Suffragettes - Paul King

  Hear about the founding and development of the women’s suffrage movement in the UK. Focus will be on the suffragette movement between 1910 - 1914 when the suffragettes were most active.

• May 8, 2018 - Portsmouth Group: The Crinoline Church - Dennis Bill
• May 8, 2018 - Fair Oak Group: Violet’s Titanic Escape- Jane Glennie
• May 8, 2018 - Romsey Group: 'Up With the Lark – Agricultural Labourers’ – Ian Waller [Note: this is a Tuesday.]

  Most of us will have agricultural labourers in our ancestry. This talk discusses how our agricultural ancestors lived and the wealth of records which enable us to piece together their lives. The fact that they existed means that documentary evidence also exists.

• May 9, 2018 - Gosport Group: Village Life in the 40’s and 50’s – John Pitman
• May 10, 2018 - Andover Group: Customs and Costumes of Mourning - Stella Bond
• May 10, 2018 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Female Inebriates in Victorian England - Jane Fox

  In the 1891 census 99 Southam Street, Kensington was listed as a “home for inebriate women”. This talk discusses these women and the life and history of such women.

• May 11, 2018 - New Milton & Christchurch Group: Using maps - Les Mitchinson

  Another means of navigation through family history.

• May 14, 2018 - Alton Group: Portsmouth - Harlots, Dung and Glory: part 2 - Andrew Negus
• May 16, 2018 - Afternoon Group: Members’ Presentations: My Poor Relation

  Following our April talk, our group have the opportunity to share what they have learned about their poor relations. Were they in the workhouse? on parish relief? Perhaps their parish paid for their ticket to leave England. Come and share their story and your research.

• May 16, 2018 - Ringwood Group: Members' Evening - The Biggest Mistake in my Family History Research
• May 21, 2018 - Southampton Group: An Orderly Abroad - Andy Skinner
• May 23, 2018 - Basingstoke Group: Members’ Discussions: Ancestry or FindMyPast? / Saving your Research

  Two frequently asked questions – which subscription website is best? How do you save your research? Come and tell us your thoughts on these subjects.

• May 24, 2018 - Fareham Group: Members’ Evening: ‘Not A lot of People Know This’

  A chance for members to share their knowledge on a subject that may not be well known to others e.g. adoption, transportation, etc.

• June 4, 2018 - Portsmouth Group: On-line Newspapers - Colin Moretti
• June 4, 2018 - Romsey Group: The GRO Index – Just How Accurate Is It? - Celia Heritage

  This talk questions the truth about the accuracy of the GRO Index which may make us review our research technique and help knock down some brick walls! Celia explains how mistakes and inaccuracies in the Index, poor transcriptions, surname variants, BMDs not being registered where you expect them, etc. can make life for the researcher very difficult.

• June 8, 2018 - New Milton & Christchurch Group: Hengistbury Head - Steve Roberts

  Our local historian taking us much further back than usual,

• June 11, 2018 - Alton Group: Irish Research - Les Mitchinson
• June 12, 2018 - Fair Oak Group: How Our Ancestors Died - Simon Wills
• June 13, 2018 - Gosport Group: Members’ Evening
• June 14, 2018 - Andover Group: My Life in the Foundling Hospital School - Lydia Chamberlain
• June 14, 2018 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Sold, Separated or Divorced - Ian Waller

  Throughout history marriages have always broken down. There are records recording desertion, wife sale, separation and divorce, some of which needed an Act of Parliament.

• June 18, 2018 - Southampton Group: Women on the Railways - Dr. Becky Peacock
• June 20, 2018 - Afternoon Group: Members’ Display & Presentations: Inspired by Beaulieu

  What mode of transportation did your family use? Perhaps your ancestor was a cycle manufacturer? Owned a Model-T? Brings along photographs, stories and memorabilia related to your family to share with the group.

• June 20, 2018 - Ringwood Group: The History of the Ordnance Survey - Geoff May
• June 27, 2018 - Basingstoke Group: Death Records - Jane Fox

  The death records talk has some basic research records / methods but the focus of the talk is how we can use records which relate to someone’s death to inform us about their lives and extend our family history research.

• June 28, 2018 - Fareham Group: Members' only visit to Titchfield with Andrew Negus

  This is a DAYTIME visit.

• July 2, 2018 - Romsey Group: Village life in the 1940’s and 1950’s – John Pitman

  John’s talks are not simply well-researched; much of the information he shares is from his own life experiences. This particular topic is seen through his eyes as a child in those times, living on a large estate in Hampshire. He likes his audience to have a good time so he includes a good deal of humour; therefore, you can be sure there will be much to laugh about!

• July 9, 2018 - Alton Group: Members’ Evening: Problems and Successes
• July 11, 2018 - Gosport Group: Voyages from the Past – Simon Wills
• July 12, 2018 - Andover Group: Cabinet of Curiosities - Charles Kaye
• July 12, 2018 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Employment Records - Colin Moretti

  Colin will discuss possible ways to discover what our ancestors did for a living then outline information that might be found for a range of occupations, including some of the more difficult ones. For those of our forebears who were in rural trades or employed by small businesses in towns and cities it will not be possible to find detailed records (these are quite rare) but in many cases it is still possible to better understand what their job entailed.

• July 12, 2018 - Fleet & Farnborough Group: Employment Records - Colin Moretti

  Potential sources of employment records and where to look for more unusual sources.

• July 13, 2018 - New Milton & Christchurch Group: The memorials in St. Mark’s church - Audrey Brinsford & John Heighes

  The stories behind the names of the commemorated.