About the Federation of Family History Societies

The Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) is an educational charity formed in 1974 and granted charitable status in 1982. The organisation represents over 180 societies throughout the world, including national, regional and one-name groups.The principal aims of the Federation are:

• To co-ordinate and assist the work of societies or other bodies interested in family history, genealogy and heraldry
• To foster mutual co-operation and regional projects in these subjects
• To represent the interests of its member societies, and family historians in general, on numerous national and regional bodies.

Local family history

The FFHS, with its member societies, has overseen and encouraged a number of far-sighted and ambitious projects. The society volunteers have transcribed and published thousands of family history records of great national and local importance.The expertise that the member societies have in their local family history cannot be underestimated and is of enormous benefit to genealogists worldwide, ensuring that an invaluable local knowledge, understanding, sensitivity and accuracy underpins all of their records.

For a full list of the FFHS member societies view our contributors list Federation of Family History Societies Members

The FFHS and Findmypast

The Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS) closed its former website, FamilyHistoryOnline, in March 2009. It now distributes its members' data in partnership with findmypast. To contact the FFHS with regard to its work with findmypast please email FMP.Liaison@FFHS.org.uk

The FFHS members' data includes:

The National Burial Index (NBI), a huge national project, was co-ordinated by the FFHS and first published in 2001 with the co-operation of its local family history societies.

Other records currently on FamilyHistoryOnline include parish records such as baptism, marriage and burial information pre-dating civil registration, census records, as well as various other directories and smaller indexes of specific local interest.

Find out more about the Federation of Family History Societies

Joining a local family history society

It's worth joining a family history society - in fact usually several, unless you are positive that your family has lived for many generations in one place. With modest annual subscriptions, there are many benefits to joining a local Family History Society.

Even if you don't research directly in a society's area, there are many advantages:

• Societies usually have books and information about your area
• They will have Members' interests: lists of surnames being researched.
• Many societies regularly publish a journal or newsletter
• They will have meetings with guest speakers, covering items of interest and hints on how to do your own research.