Wales Societies



Welsh societies and organisations may have valuable genealogical information. They may cover a region, a county, or a portion of a county within the country. Most publish helpful journals, transcripts, and compiled genealogies. They may have ongoing projects such as creating indexes or transcribing records. Some publish queries about Welsh ancestors or maintain lists of members’ research interests.

You may want to join one of these societies and support its efforts. This section discusses only Welsh and some English societies, but do not overlook societies in the country your ancestors may have emigrated to.

See Wales Periodicals for more information about the journals and newsletters published by Welsh societies.

Family History Societies
Membership in family history societies is open to anyone. As a member you can receive the society’s journal and have access to the indexes it produces. In addition, most societies regularly produce a "directory of member interests." This useful tool can put you in touch with other people interested in tracing the same lines. Some members may be willing to do limited research for other members, particularly those who do not have access to records. Some Welsh societies will publish letters of inquiry in their journals, but they may expect the writer to join or pay a small fee.

To join a society, write to the secretary of that society for an application. Return the application with the amount required to join. Most societies have reasonable membership fees. You can normally find the membership fees and the society’s address in the journal it produces. Many societies have Websites which include information about becoming a member. You may locate Websites for societies through Google or the links below.

Association of Family History Societies of Wales
The Welsh family history societies formed the Association of Family History Societies of Wales in 1981. The function of this association is to encourage the study of Welsh family history and to publish helpful works for the Welsh genealogist. The association works with the Federation of Family History Societies mentioned below, in promoting genealogy and family history worldwide.

The Welsh Family History Societies are:


 * Dyfed Family History Society
 * Cardiganshire Family History Society
 * Clwyd Family History Society
 * Glamorgan Family History Society
 * Gwent Family History Society
 * Gwynedd Family History Society
 * Powys Family History Society
 * Ystradgynlais Family History Society

The Family History Federation serves as the coordinating body for the local family history societies. It supports and encourages genealogy and family history among its member societies. The Federation helps keep individuals and societies informed of what others are doing. For information about this organization, visit their website.

Local History Societies
There are many organized groups that study and publish journals and books on local history. Here are the links to the historical societies of the 13 counties of Wales:

Anglesey Societies Breconshire Societies Caernarfonshire Societies Cardiganshire Societies Carmarthenshire Societies Denbighshire Societies Flintshire Societies Glamorgan Societies Merionethshire Societies Monmouthshire Societies Montgomeryshire Societies Pembrokeshire Societies Radnorshire Societies

The British Association for Local History is a coordinating organization for many local history groups. You may write for information about this association to:


 * British Association for Local History Shopwyke Hall Chichester, Sussex PO20 6BQ UK Website: British Association for Local History

The following periodical contains scholarly articles on local history, book reviews, and notes:


 * The Local Historian. London, England: National Council for Social Service, 1952–68. (FamilySearch Library .) This periodical was formerly called the Amateur Historian.

Addresses for local history societies in Wales are found in the following:


 * Henderson, S. P. A., and A .J. W. Henderson,eds.Directory of British Associations &amp; Associations in Ireland. 13th ed. Beckenham, Kent, England: CBD Research Ltd., 1996. (FamilySearch Library .)
 * Pinhorn, Malcolm, ed. Historical, Archaeological and Kindred Societies in the United Kingdom: A List. Isle of Wight, England: Pinhorns, 1986. (FamilySearch Library ; computer number 0370075.)

One-Name Groups
Some organizations gather information about all individuals with a particular surname. If you are interested in such an organization, contact:


 * Guild of One-Name Studies Box G 14 Charterhouse Buildings Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA UK Website: Guild of One-Name Studies

A published list of one-name studies is:


 * Register of One-Name Studies1997. 13th ed. London, England: Guild ofOne-Name Studies, 1997. (FamilySearch Library 1997.)

Other Societies

 * Capel: The Chapels Heritage Society
 * North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History This association is dedicated to advancing Welsh studies. They hold a biennial conference in North America.

Locating Records at the FamilySearch Library
Society publications are referenced in the Author/Title Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under the society name. They are also listed in the Place Search under:


 * WALES - SOCIETIES


 * WALES, [COUNTY] - SOCIETIES


 * WALES - GENEALOGY


 * WALES, [COUNTY] - GENEALOGY

Copies of some records gathered by societies are listed in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under the record type. For example, cemetery transcripts done by a local family history society are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:


 * WALES, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - CEMETERIES


 * NOTE: All of the information from the original research outline has been imported into this Wiki site and is being updated as time permits.

Websites

 * Ancestor Search Family History Societies England and Wales
 * Ancestor Search Local History Societies England and Wales
 * Cyndislist Wales Societies
 * Federation of Family History Societies Member Societies Wales
 * Genuki Wales Societies
 * Local History Societies Wales