27 Sep 2020: Our website, forum, online shop and online events programme are operating, even while The Centre remains closed. Choose from the menu or scroll down for more info
Use our Research Wizard to step through the resources we have available
Our volunteers have transcribed millions of records and written reams of articles about Berkshire. Follow this guide and you'll soon discover if we have the tool to break down your brick wall
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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, Windsor and Woodley — open to everyone
Online discussion list for members – 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