Old King Cole was a merry old soul - we all know that. What you didn't know, perhaps, was that he was my grandad.
In May, the Berkshire Family History Society and the scouts gave me a long-awaited pleasure. Having heard stories of the chalk mines in Emmer Green, I had given up hope of ever visiting; but the wait was wort
c. 2009, the lane in Padworth on which the church and Padworth House stand was named Sopers Lane, chosen to commemorate one of the village's oldest families. Shirley Dixon has researched the family for many years.
Roy Starkey highlights one of Berkshire's notable families, the Russells of Swallowfield Park - the home of Sir Arthur Russell
Leigh Dworkin, Windsor Branch Chairman, investigates a possible future for genealogy, and its impact on family historians
David Cliffe reminds us about an early census survivor related to the Little End of Caversham and the fire of 1907
Lynne Taylor looks at how a family tree can become a world tree
Berkshire Family History Society works to meet the needs of those researching their ancestry across the UK and overseas – as well as those looking for former relatives in historic Berkshire. You do not need to be a member to benefit.
The society offers:
Research Zone in central Reading that is free to use and open to all
Free access at The Centre for Heritage and Family History to online resources like FindMyPast, the 1939 Register, The Genealogist, the British Newspaper Archive and Ancestry (the worldwide edition)
Regular free help and advice sessions
Meetings in Abingdon, Bracknell, Newbury, Reading and Windsor; and a virtual Computer Branch which meets online. All meetings are open to everyone
Community forum – informed answers to research queries and advice from experienced researchers
Members’ Area with data and other information not readily accessible elsewhere
Indexes and transcriptions of Berkshire’s historic records on CD — parish registers, probate documents, monumental inscriptions, maps, First World War history and more
Quarterly magazine, the Berkshire Family Historian, for members
a chance to join in project work, recording, transcribing and helping to preserve records
Links to the research experience, advice and support of members worldwide