Society of Genealogists
The Society of Genealogists (SoG) is a UK-based educational charity, founded in 1911 to "promote, encourage and foster the study, science and knowledge of genealogy". 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 2007, it had 11,770 members.[1]
History
Until it purchased 37 Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, in 1954, the Society was based in Malet Place, Bloomsbury, 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, London, in July 1984.[2]
Facilities
The Society possesses the largest family history research library in the country and may be used by non-members on payment of a fee. Holdings include thousands of parish register and nonconformist register copies, tombstone inscriptions, will, marriage licence and census transcripts and indexes, trade and residential directories and poll books (lists of voters), family histories, biographical dictionaries, works on apprentices and occupations, the armed forces, school and university registers and histories etc. The library catalogue is available on the Society's web site. Some records have been made available online on the Origins website [1].
Activities
The emphasis is on British, British Empire and Commonwealth sources but there is something for most countries world-wide.
The Society's Internet suite offers free access to major genealogical websites including Ancestry, Origins and Findmypast.com (formerly 1837online)
The society runs a programme of lectures, visits and courses every year, and publishes textbooks, indexes and a quarterly journal, The Genealogists' Magazine.
Prince Michael of Kent Award
The society's patron is Prince Michael of Kent, 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
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Family Records Centre [3] |
| 2001 | Not Awarded [4] |
| 2002 | Not Awarded [4] |
| 2003 | Not Awarded [4] |
| 2004 | ABM Publishing Ltd [5] |
| 2006 | Genealogical Society of Utah [6] |
| 2007 | FreeBMD [4] |
References
- ^ Society of Genealogists, Annual Report & Financial Statements 2006.
- ^ Genealogists' Magazine March 1984, vo.21, no.5, p.163-164; June 1984, vol.21, no.6, notice inside front cover. ISSN 0016-6391
- ^ Prince Michael of Kent. "Diary May, 2000".
- ^ a b c d Society of Genealogists. "Society of Genealogists makes prestige award to FreeBMD" (PDF).
- ^ ABM Publishing Ltd. "Family Tree Magazine and Practical Family History".
- ^ Society of Genealogists. "AGM minutes 2006" (PDF).