HGS Hampshire Genealogical Society's Family History Page

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HGS Hampshire Genealogical Society's Family History Page Hampshire Genealogical Society (HGS) helping you explore and research your family history

Hampshire Genealogical Society has been encouraging, supporting, and successfully conducting family history research for over 40 years.. It is run entirely by volunteer members who want to help you explore your family history. Whether your family connections are within Hampshire or outside its borders, as a beginner or an expert, you will receive a warm welcome.

SATURDAY SMILE
10/10/2026

SATURDAY SMILE

NEXT WEEK’S HGS EVENTS…Tuesday, October 13, 10.00 am – 12 noon: Free drop-in family history help sessions at Basingstoke...
09/10/2026

NEXT WEEK’S HGS EVENTS…

Tuesday, October 13, 10.00 am – 12 noon: Free drop-in family history help sessions at Basingstoke Discovery Centre (Library), Potters Walk, Basingstoke RG21 7LS
HGS Members or Non-Members welcome!

Tuesday, October 13, 8.00 pm - Fair Oak Group: Members’ Evening

Wednesday, October 14, 7.30 pm - Gosport Group: “Martha Caldwell” - J J Heath Caldwell

Thursday, October 15, 2026 - Wi******er Group: “The History of Hampshire Churches” - John Vigar - via Zoom

Saturday, October 17, 11.00 am – 1.00 pm: Free Family History help sessions at Fareham Library, Osborn Rd, Fareham PO16 7EN. Please book your slot in advance by contacting the Library

Saturday, October 17, 11.00 am – 1.00 pm: Free Family History help sessions at Stubbington Library, Stubbington Ln, Fareham PO14 2PP. Please book in advance by contacting the Library

DON’T TRUST TRANSCRIPTS!When using a commercial website for your research, do not rely on their transcripts. Many provid...
08/10/2026

DON’T TRUST TRANSCRIPTS!

When using a commercial website for your research, do not rely on their transcripts. Many provide images of original records too and these are what you should always be sure to look at.

Transcripts are not always accurate and seldom provide all the details shown in the originals. Transcripts are therefore not reliable evidence and should not be saved as such. The image of the original must be the focus of attention.

Make your own transcription of every detail. Question what each word and number really means and record only what you are sure is correct.

07/10/2026

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE ANCESTOR...

BURNEY COLLECTION OF NEWSPAPERSThe Burney Collection Newspapers is the largest single digital archive of 17th- and 18th-...
06/10/2026

BURNEY COLLECTION OF NEWSPAPERS

The Burney Collection Newspapers is the largest single digital archive of 17th- and 18th-century English news media, featuring nearly 1 million pages of content housed physically at the British Library.

Assembled initially by the Reverend Charles Burney (1757–1817), the collection chronicles the birth and evolution of modern journalism.

Key Features
• Contents: Over 1,270 titles including newspapers, newsbooks, broadsides, pamphlets, and proclamations.
• Coverage: Spans from 1603 to the early 1800s, covering the English Civil War, the South Sea Bubble, and the French Revolution.
• Geography: Mostly London publications, alongside English provincial, Irish, Scottish, and colonial American/Asian papers.
• Access: Fully searchable text and images available digitally via Gale Primary Sources through local, academic and institutional subscriptions.

ARE YOU IN THE ‘FAN’ CLUB?A lateral way to approach research is to use the FAN technique; i.e. to draw clues from a wide...
05/10/2026

ARE YOU IN THE ‘FAN’ CLUB?

A lateral way to approach research is to use the FAN technique; i.e. to draw clues from a wider circle of Family/Friends, Associates and Network. Instead of looking solely at an individual ancestor, research the wider community of people who interacted with them.. Look at the circle(s) within which they lived, moved and worked.

Using this method can help you break through difficult brick walls.

Here’s how to go about it…
• Extract all entries for the family name from appropriate registers and put them into wider family groups
• Research further into witnesses on documents – they may be extended family members, fellow churchgoers or co-workers
• Neighbours in censuses, directories or electoral rolls may be in-laws or cousins
• A surname used as a middle name may indicate the mother’s maiden name or a marriage up the line; it may honour an employer, a master of apprenticeship or a close family friend

SUNDAY SNIPPET
04/10/2026

SUNDAY SNIPPET

Address

Hampshire Archives, Sussex Street
Wi******er
SO238TH

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+447769405195

Website

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