Anglo-German Family History Society

Type: Non-profit, genealogy society.
 
Purpose: to promote and encourage the public study of family history, genealogy, heraldry and local history with particular reference to persons living in or associated with the present and former German-speaking parts of Europe and their immigration to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland; and to promote the preservation, security and accessibility of archival material.
 
Contact Information.
  • Website: www.agfhs.org
  • Facebook: N/A
  • E-mail (of liaison member): peter@towey.me.uk
  • Mailing address: 4 Channel Heights, Bleadon Hill, Weston-super-Mare, BS24 9LX, England, UK.
  • Phone number: N/A
  • Fax number: N/A
  • Auf Deutsch? English or German
Membership Plans: Initial joining fee of £7.00 sterling.
  • Single membership for UK Resident: £15.00 sterling
  • Joint membership for two people at same mailing address in UK: £16.00
  • Single membership for person with mailing address in the  European Union: £16.50
  • Single membership for person with mailing address in the rest of the World: £18.50.
  • These rates include being sent the quarterly magazine by mail.
Membership Benefits:
  • Magazine “Mitteilungsblatt” [in English] three times a year + one “occasional issue” once a year.
  • Access to the Society’s “Name Index” which contains over 500,000 entries relating to Germans in UK.  It includes the surviving registers of the German Churches in UK up to 1900 with many for later periods; extracts from ICRC records of German Internees in the UK in WW1 – not all yet included in the ICRC WW1 website: grandeguerre.icrc.org; and many other miscellaneous sources. This Index is not online and is only available to Society members. Many register entries include the place of birth in Germany.
  • Research into members’ genealogical problems by the society’s expert researchers, and the opportunity to seek advice from other members.
Events:
  • Meetings 6 times a year on 2nd Saturday of February, April, June (including AGM), October & December. These are held at the King’s Cross Methodist Church, Crestfield Street, London, WC1 (directly opposite King’s Cross Main Line Railway Station). The hall is open from 12.30pm until 5.00pm. Meetings are free to members but guests and non-members are requested to make a donation towards the hire of the hall.
  • Meetings normally include two talks, an opportunity to talk to others and browse our bookstall.
  • The Society takes a bookstall to (and can deal with questions, etc at) several Family History Fairs in England each year.  These normally include: the 3-day Who Do You Think You Are? Live Fair at the NEC Birmingham, England, in early April; the West Surrey Family History Society Fair at Woking in Surrey, in November. Other Fairs are attended as convenient.
  • For details of our events see the website and the Mitteilungsblatt.
Research Area of the Society:  Germans worldwide but with a particular focus on Germans in the British Isles: ie England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, etc.
 
Research Services: Only as above.
 
Library: Now disposed of.
 
Publications:
  • The Society has been publishing books on matters of relevance to British people researching their German ancestors since we were formed in 1987.  Besides the “Mitteilungsblatt” magazine, we publish Peter Towey’s “How to Research Your Germán Ancestors” [aimed at people with German ancestors in UK], 3rd edition and several booklets on different aspects of research into Germans in UK.
  •  The Society also publishes a series of books on German occupations in UK and the relevant social background.  So far these have included: German Hairdressers in UK; The King’s German Legion – Records and Research Volumes 1 & 2; Wandering Musicians of the Pfalz; and Sugarbakers.  We also publish books on the life of Germans in UK: eg The German Orphanage [in London]; the German Hospital [in London]; An Insight into German Internment in WW1; and Civilian Internment in Britain During WW2: Huyton Camp.
  • Our publications, and other publications that we stock, are available online at www.genfair.com. They are priced in sterling but can be purchased internationally by credit card.