Oxfordshire FHS is a Registered Charity, Number 275891 and is a member of the Family History Federation.
If you have ancestors from Oxfordshire, then we have the resources to help you. If you live in Oxfordshire and are interested in Family History, even if you don’t have Oxfordshire ancestors then OFHS could still help you.
We hold talks and member chatrooms online via Zoom. Check the events calendar on www.ofhs.uk/events <http://www.ofhs.uk/events>. Many of our past talks are also recorded and available in the Past Talks section in the Members’ Area of our website.
OFHS Members also enjoy free access to the Big Oxfordshire Names Database (BOND) a rich source of searchable records drawn from Parish Register transcriptions, Monumental Inscriptions including images, surname data stretching back to the medieval period collated from numerous publications, Quarter Session records and some Grave Registers for Oxford City. This is a growing resource so please check www.ofhs.uk/new-contributions/what-is-in-bond for details of the latest coverage. We hold our own Family History fair which this year will be on Saturday 24th October 2026 - www.ofhs.uk/fair2026.
Volunteers from the Society man advisor sessions at the Oxfordshire History Centre and in libraries across Oxfordshire.
Our objectives are:
1. To advance education in family history and genealogy primarily within the post-1974 county of Oxfordshire.
2. To collect, index, co-ordinate, publish and make accessible in the interests of family history and genealogy any relevant document or records relating to the county
3. To promote the preservation of such documents or records.
4. To encourage the study of family history and genealogy
5. To assist educationally by lectures or otherwise in record research
6. To co-operate with family history and other societies with similar interests.
Since 1963, Midland Ancestors has been the principal group for genealogy and heraldry across the three counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Membership provides a quarterly journal either by post or email and whilst members are invited to use the family history research centre in Birmingham city centre, assistance from a distance can be given. At the research centre there is free access to the Family Search affiliate library and the Find My Past website.
Monthly meetings consist of guest speakers or research evenings are held across the five groups, located at Stoke on Trent, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, Birmingham, Kenilworth and London- open to members of the public. We are about to deliver on-line talks.
The Society over the years has collected a wide variety of indexes- baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials, newspapers, trade directories, maps, wills, etc. The ever-growing library catalogue can be viewed from the website. We have an extensive online shop where downloads and second handbooks can be purchased.
Our social media presence is active, as is our Heraldry group and ongoing projects. We are currently collaborating with Aston University History Department and other historical societies within our area- participating each year with the very successful Birmingham Heritage week.
Manchester and Lancashire fhs
MLFHS is a large, thriving family history society covering roughly the larger area of Greater Manchester and its surrounds and with additional branches local to Oldham, Bolton, Anglo-Scots and Irish Ancestry (resting at present). The Society and its branches held 50 meetings in 2022, online, in-person and hybrid, and continued with the preservation and transcription of old records, supported by a large team of volunteers. Our website “Manchester Ancestors” holds over 3.2 million records in our searchable databases and a further 7,000 records were added in November alone; records as diverse as monumental inscriptions, admissions to the Royal Manchester School for the Deaf and Dumb, RC church record transcriptions, wartime blackout fines and early local vehicle registrations. By joining our society you can access all databases and the documents collections, attend any of our meetings, ask questions in our online forum, receive our quarterly journal and, if you are local or visiting Manchester, call at our public helpdesk run by our very experienced volunteers, five days a week, at Manchester Central Library. All this for just £15 a year which also includes membership for another family member.
The London Westminster & Middlesex Family History Society area comprises the City of London, the City of Westminster and the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow and Islington, together with parts of Ealing and Hillingdon. Bringing together all those family historians with ancestors in the area or who live in the area.
Our 3 branches hold monthly meetings, each branch has experienced members from whom advice and assistance may be sought. Members are welcome to attend at all three branches, which meet in Barnet, Rayners Lane and our Virtual Branch which meets on Zoom.
We publish a quarterly journal “METROPOLITAN” free to members, containing news of Society activities and project work, articles and correspondence.
Our famous “Parish Guides” are packed full of information about sources to help you research your family history and where to find them.
If you have ancestors buried in our area , you might find one of our “Monumental Inscriptions” booklets useful.
Lastly our two “Census Guides” naming streets from the 1851 census returns for Westminster and the City of London are invaluable in establishing where our ancestors lived.
Membership and publications available via Parish Chest https://www.parishchest.com and Gen Fair: https://www.genfair.co.uk
