Local and family history organisations

Below is a list of local and family history groups with a website. This should give you an overview of the sort of things that local and family history groups get up to and how they could help with your research.

To find a group local to you, the best plan is to ask in your local public library for names and addresses of local organisations. We've selected these mostly by searching on the history section of the HUMBUL site and picking the ones that have most relevance to personal history researchers in the south east. You could conduct a similar search yourself using HUMBUL.

• The Society of Genealogists hold and publish an enormous amount of materials to support family historians, and also run courses in genealogy. Their library is very extensive and holds many of the large name indexes vital to tracing your family tree. Their website also allows access to several online research tools.
• The British Association for Local History's aim is to promote the study of local history as both an academic subject and leisure activity. Their site contains a sizeable list of links to individual local history groups, and useful online research tools.
• The Family and Community Historical Research Society encourages and promotes the study of family and community history in the United Kingdom. The Society concentrates particularly on Victorian social, migration and class history, as well as eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century family and community history. Some of the website is only available to subscribers.
• The Historical Association supports the study and teaching of history at all educational levels. On the web site users can find information about local history and the various branches of the Historical Association, the services they provide, and a library of specialist history organisations and institutions.
• The Local Heritage Initiative helps gives communities funds, advice and support explore their history. At the same time, it is collecting records and stories from the projects to create a national archive of England's rich and diverse local heritage. you can apply for a grant worth between £3,000 and £25,000. Over 500 projects have already been funded through LHI.