The Wakefield & District Family History Society was formed in 1997 by a small group of people in order to further their interest in family history. We have since grown to a membership of around 500 from around the world.
The objective of the Society is to advance public education in Family History and Genealogy for the benefit of anyone living in the area of the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council or with interests or family in that area.
To fulfil this aim we organise regular monthly meetings with speakers on a variety of topics, training courses and visits to places of interest to family historians. All members receive a quarterly journal, “The Wakefield Kinsman”.
We also transcribe and publish a wide range of records from parishes, censuses, trade directories, newspapers and other sources which provide invaluable information for those researching their family.
Click here to view a map of the area covered.
The Quirks and Pitfalls of Family History Research
On Saturday 2nd October our guest speaker will be Steve Erskine. He is Assistant Curator at The Green Howards Museum at Richmond in North Yorkshire. While helping to run the museum, Steve has a website that helps family historians with their research. From the bizarre, humbling and awe inspiring stories he reveals how researchers can be helped in areas not explored. He looks at questions of parentage that reveal stories of service and sacrifice to tearful family members. Using the bare minimum of evidence , Steve can provide some useful ways to encourage Family History research.