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September 5, 2023

Our new season of talks begin next Monday

On Monday (11th September) there will be a Bristol Group meeting and talk entitled “National and local surnames” by Richard Coates. The venue is BAWA Leisure. Professor Richard Coates is a linguist with special interest in history and geography and retired from UWE – his focus is on proper names, especially personal names. Richard’s talk will start at 7.30pm although the bookstall, storage materials and a helpdesk are available from 7pm. All are welcome – free to members and non-members. Members will also be able to attend online (details sent by email). We look forward to seeing you next week!
August 29, 2023

Local History Live!

The BALH (British Association for Local History) major local history event for 2023 is being broadcast live from The National Archives at Kew on Saturday 16th September 2023. It is an online event and looks to be a fascinating day with lots of family and social history interest – find out more on their website.

Where your journey begins...
What will you discover?

Founded in 1975, we are a well established Family History Society focussing our activities on Bath, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (the former county of Avon 1974 to 1996) and its constituent predecessor and successor counties. We are also frequently referred to by our initials - BAFHS. The hub of our activities is our Research Room where enthusiastic volunteers give their time for the benefit of the Society.

What we do:

  • Encourage the public study of family history with reference to the historic county of Avon and its successor counties.
  • Publish a quarterly Members' Magazine (available in digital or paper format).
  • Transcribe and publish source material of interest to family historians.
  • Hold regular in-person and online meetings with a programme of illustrated talks and lectures.
  • Operate a Research Room where advice and resources are freely available.
  • Operate this website which is dedicated to family history.
  • Organise outings to places of interest.

Members:

Members are at the heart of our Society. By becoming a member, you will be joining a like-minded group of people who support our work. There is also the opportunity to become actively involved with a wide range of activities - you'd be surprised what it takes to run a modern family history society. It is quick and convenient to join online.