There are still spaces on the following Society of Genealogists events taking place in August, further information about each event is listed below. All events with a charge must be pre-paid. Events can be booked through the website or by telephone (Tuesday-Thursdays & Saturdays) at the number listed below. Non-members are welcome to attend events, at the full price. All events take place at our premises in London, unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, 3 August 14:00 – Marshalsea Prison
For 500 years until 1842, Southwark was the home of the Marshalsea Prison, one of London’s three major debtors’ prisons. Between 1811 and 1842, it stood on a site north of St. George’s churchyard, and it was there that John Dickens was admitted on February 24th, 1824. The Marshalsea was very unlike today’s criminal prisons, and its bygone world was one that we can call truly Dickensian. The head of that world was the Knight Marshal of the Royal Household. Debtors were sent to the Marshalsea from the Palace Court, which stood from 1812 in Great Scotland Yard, off Whitehall, and had its own advocates. Learn more about this institute’s famous history.
A one-hour lecture with Stephen Humphrey cost 8.00/6.40 SoG members
Thursday, 4 August 18:00-19:45 – Breaking Down Brickwalls Workshop: Quick Reference
Our series of workshop sessions will be an opportunity to tackle genealogical brick walls and conundrums in a group environment. After all two heads (or more) are usually better than one! Facilitated by a tutor the introduction will look at a topic or problem that commonly arises during the Society’s regular consultations or advice sessions and make sure you know what you need to know to tackle the problem. After the initial presentation the tutor will open up the session to group questions and discussions about your genealogical queries that may (but not exclusively) be related to the topic under discussion.
Learn more about the standard guides and textbooks that the SoG staff and volunteers use for answering our enquiries
With Else Churchill cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members
Friday, 5 August 14:00-16:00 – Walk: Cemeteries and Burial Grounds in the Financial District of London
Visit cemeteries both past and present, in this fascinating historic area of London.
With Alec Tritton cost 10.00/8.00 SoG members
Saturday, 6 August 10:30-13:00 – Fishing and Fishermen – for Family Historians
This course will provide an introduction to fisheries history and a summary of main developments, as well as an introduction to various archives and bodies of records that can be used in researching the subject.
A half-day course with Dr Martin Wilcox cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members
Saturday, 6 August 14:00-17:00 – Using Legacy Family Tree Genealogy Software
Learn about the features of this popular genealogy software and how to get the best from it.
A half-day course with Alec Tritton cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members
Wednesday, 10 August 14:00 Using Masonic Records for Family and Local History
Was your ancestor a Freemason? Learn more about the records found at The Library and Museum of Freemasonry, and how their library and archive can help you research family members.
A one-hour lecture with Diane Clements cost 8.00/6.40 SoG members
Thursday, 11 August 11:00-13:00 – Walk: Tudor and Jacobean Era in the City of London
This era is one of the most fascinating in the history of London. We will visit areas where monasteries once stood, places of business, and historic places of worship and amusement, and learn more about London during the period of the 16th and early 17th Centuries.
With Kevin Flude cost 10.00/8.00 SoG members
Saturday, 13 August 10:30-17:00 – Palaeography for Beginners
This workshop is for beginners. You will learn to read and transcribe 16th and 17th century
documents written in the Secretary Hand characteristic of the period. You will work with facsimiles
of key documents for family and local historians such as wills. You will practise techniques to
help you tackle any unfamiliar style of handwriting. You will learn how Secretary Hand came
into being and why it was superseded. If he has time David will help you read your own difficult
documents.
A full-day course with David Smith cost 35.00/28.00 SoG members, spaces limited
Wednesday, 17 August 11:00-13:00 – Walk: Hampstead’s Lost Rivers
On this tour Paul Talling will take you on a relaxing walk around Hampstead, showing you the sources of three of London’s best known lost rivers – the Fleet, the Tyburn and the Westbourne and reading from his book ‘London’s Lost Rivers’. We will visit the sites of wells, a lost pond famously painted by John Constable as well as the existing Hampstead Ponds and streams that form the sources of these rivers that began their descent in Hampstead towards the River Thames and shaping London’s history.
With Paul Talling, cost 10.00/8.00 SoG members
Thursday, 18 August 18:00-19:45 – Breaking Down Brickwalls Workshop: DNA
Our series of workshop sessions will be an opportunity to tackle genealogical brick walls and conundrums in a group environment. After all two heads (or more) are usually better than one! Facilitated by a tutor the introduction will look at a topic or problem that commonly arises during the Society’s regular consultations or advice sessions and make sure you know what you need to know to tackle the problem. After the initial presentation the tutor will open up the session to group questions and discussions about your genealogical queries that may (but not exclusively) be related to the topic under discussion.
In this workshop, we will learn more about DNA and DNA testing and its use to family historians. With Dr Geoff Swinfield, FSG cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members
Wednesday, 24 August 14:00 – How to Transfer your Family History Data to Another Package (including GEDCOM transfers)
Many of us get frustrated with the genealogy package that we use or maybe it dies a natural death because of the company producing it. Whichever the case you are left with having to move your data to another package but there is also the fear that it won’t be that easy and will you lose anything? The lecture will try to explain the trouble free means of making that move – it will also unravel the black art as many see it of GEDCOM.
A one-hour lecture with John Hanson, FSG cost 8.00/6.40 SoG members
Thursday, 25 August 14:00-15:30 – Visit: Institute of Historical Research Library (London)
The IHR library in London has a vast reference collection of published primary sources covering the history of Western Europe and its colonial history from the fifth century to the present. Open to all history researchers, it is free to use for university staff and postgraduate students, with low cost membership available for other researchers. Library staff will give our group a talk on IHR digital resources and Victoria County History, and we will also have a tour of the library.
cost 10.00/8.00 SoG members
Saturday, 27 August 10:30-13:00 – Effective Record Keeping
No matter how much research you undertake if you do not keep proper records either on paper or computer than you will end up in a muddle or duplicating your research. The course provides an insight into record keeping methods, what is essential to record and how to get the best from your research.
A half-day course with Ian Waller, FSG cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members
Saturday, 27 August 14:00-17:00 – My Ancestor Came from Dorset: Those that Came and Those that Went
We will look at what resources are available for family history research, where to find them, how to use them and why some people left Dorset and others stayed.
A half-day course with Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard, cost 20.00/16.00 SoG members