All UK taxpayers can increase the amount the society receives by giftaiding their membership, at no cost to the individual
FREE ACCESS to the Centre for Heritage and Family History
FREE ENTRY to most meetings and reduced admission prices when a fee is charged
MEMBER DISCOUNTS when buying society products, publications, research and services
FREE ACCESS TO KEY ONLINE RESOURCES in the Research Zone at The Centre
MEMBER ONLY CONTENT – additional menu items with access to some invaluable Berkshire data not online elsewhere
DISCUSSION LIST – very useful if you live out of county or out of country. Seek advice and ask questions on any topic (not just on things related to Berkshire) and benefit from the collective expertise of fellow members — worldwide. The society is on social media too
BORROW BOOKS on local and family history from branch libraries
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE The award-winning Berkshire Family Historian packed with news, reviews and features, and a publications list.
SHARED INFORMATION Share pedigree charts and SURNAME interests
PROJECTS Your chance to join with others in society project work — on site, at Berkshire Record Office, in your own home — wherever in the world you may live. It’s your chance to give something back to family history — for researchers of tomorrow
The Society’s membership year runs from 1 July – 30 June and renewal notices will be sent one month before the end of each membership year.
Look out for renewal notices in the June edition of Berkshire Family Historian
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