The Society of Genealogists (SoG) is a UK-based educational charity, founded in 1911Fowler, S

School of Advanced Study, University of London. Date unknown. Retrieved 2011-10-30. to "promote, encourage and foster the study, science and knowledge of

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

". The Society's Library is the largest specialist genealogical library outside North America. Membership is open to any adult who agrees to abide by the Society's rules and who pays the annual subscription. At the end of 2010, it had 11,014 members.

History

Until it purchased 37 Harrington Gardens,

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

, in 1954, the Society was based in Malet Place,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, London. The constant growth of the library and increasingly cramped building forced the Society to also sell this headquarters and move both to 14 Charterhouse Buildings (constructed in 1968 for storing rolls of silk), in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in July 1984.''Genealogists' Magazine'' March 1984, vol.21, no.5, p.163-164; June 1984, vol.21, no.6, notice inside front cover.

Facilities

The Society possesses the largest family history research library in the United Kingdom, accessible to all members without charge and available to be used by the general public on payment of a fee. Society holdings include thousands of

parish register A parish register in an ecclesiastical parish is a handwritten volume, normally kept in the parish church in which certain details of religious ceremonies marking major events such as baptisms (together with the dates and names of the parents), ma ...

and

nonconformist register A Nonconformist register is broadly similar to a parish register, but deriving from a nonconformist church or chapel. Nonconformist churches do not conform to the doctrines of the Church of England. In other words, these Protestant churches dissen ...

copies on microfilm or microfiche or in manuscript, typescript or published form, along with tombstone inscriptions,

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

marriage licence A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdiction ...

and

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

transcripts and indexes, trade and residential directories and

poll book An electoral roll (variously called an electoral register, voters roll, poll book or other description) is a compilation that lists persons who are entitled to vote for particular elections in a particular jurisdiction. The list is usually broke ...

s (lists of voters), family histories, biographical dictionaries, works on

apprentices Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

and occupations, the armed forces, school and university registers and histories, genealogical journals and many other related works. The library catalogue is available on the Society's web site. In 2000, the Society made a number of its genealogical datasets available online on the commercial service British Origins, with some free access for Society members. This material is now hosted commercially by

Findmypast Findmypast is a UK-based online genealogy service owned, since 2007, by British company DC Thomson. The website hosts billions of searchable records of census, directory and historical record information. It originated in 1965 when a group of ge ...

with a separate free service to members run by the Society itself on its own web site using the

Frontis Archive Publishing System Frontis Archive Publishing System is a content management system and electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) and is primarily used for publishing historical archives on-lines for researchers to search. Concept Frontis was laun ...

Activities

The emphasis is on

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

sources, but the Society has some sources for most parts of the world. The Society's Internet suite offers free access to major genealogical websites including Ancestry and Findmypast. The society runs a programme of lectures, visits, and courses every year, and publishes textbooks, indexes, and a quarterly journal, ''Genealogists' Magazine''. The latter is currently edited by Michael Gandy.

Prince Michael of Kent Award

The society's patron is

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent, (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family, who is 51st in the line of succession to the British throne as of September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II and Michael were firs ...

, after whom the Society has named a prestigious award (created in 2000), granted periodically to a person or organisation which has made an outstanding contribution to genealogy.

Recipients

Years not listed means no one was awarded.

References

External links

* * http://www.diary-of-a-genealogist.co.uk, 'the background, foundation and development of the Society of Genealogists and genealogy in London, 1820-2010', by

Anthony J. Camp Anthony John Camp (born November 1937) is a British genealogist and former director of the Society of Genealogists. Early life and education Camp was born at Walkern, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire. His father was an agricultural carpenter and ...

former Director of the Society.
British Origins
{{authority control Archives in the London Borough of Islington Charities based in London Family history societies in the United Kingdom * Genealogical libraries in the United Kingdom Genealogical societies Society of Genealogists Organisations based in London with royal patronage Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington Organizations established in 1911 1911 establishments in the United Kingdom