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

January 11, 2024

Date for your Diary – 16th March 2024

The Family History Show Midlands 2024 will be held at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, on Saturday 16 March. BAFHS will be there! This is a great opportunity to visit a larger family history event relatively close to Bristol. Advance tickets are currently available at £8 each, but BAFHS has a number of tickets for £4 for members – please email awayfairs@bafhs.org.uk for more details.
January 10, 2024

Research Room open!

We’re back after our Christmas break – open Wednesday 10am-1pm, Thursday 1-4pm and 2nd Saturdays 10am-1pm. Bristol Archives take their annual stocktake closure from 15-28 January, but we are open during that period (at the above times). Full details of Research Room Bristol Archives Opening Hours
January 5, 2024

Hidden in Plain Site?

No, it’s not a spelling mistake – it’s next Monday’s Bristol Group meeting! Mia Bennett will be looking at free online sources that are often overlooked in preference for the main commercial websites. This talk gives ideas of where else you could go to expand your hunt for your ancestors’ life stories. The talk is online and begins at 7.30pm (on Monday 8th January) and is available to members only (joining details sent by email). If you are not a member you can join BAFHS. Just visit https://bafhs.org.uk/support/join and enjoy this and many other talks and benefits of being a member.
January 2, 2024

Happy New Year!

Please note that our Research Room is closed until Wednesday 10th January 2024. Also, because the archives are closed, it will only be open on the second Saturday of the month for the time being. Best wishes for a Happy New Year to you all!

Family history for Bath, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

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.