Family History Handbook 2018

The Guild is featured on page 25 of the recently published Family History Handbook 2018 which is published by Family Tree Magazine in association with the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS). 

Also listed is a number of surname specific family history associations and societies.

Here is what the Guild Chairman, Paul Howes said about the Guild on page 54

“Established in 1979, the Guild exists to further the study of surnames, both in educating the public and encouraging our members to study particular surnames. We have about 3,000 members around the world studying a total of almost 9,000 surnames including variant spellings. We support members by providing seminars, a quarterly journal, discounts and shared databases. Our marriage database contains over 1.1 million marriages. We have 169 active websites for members at one-name.net

Today, the global nature of the internet has made it simple to acquire data from across the world and see scans of original records, largely obviating the need to visit churches for parish registers. Larger studies can operate with teams across multiple countries. And we have seen recent growth in surnames under study from outside the British Isles, now about 70. DNA adds to the fun for surname studies! see https://guild-dev.org/dna-introduction/ for an easy-to-read tutorial.

The two really precious things about the Guild are the collaboration between members and the diversity of our studies. We can learn from each other because we are all trying different things.

Think the Guild is for others? Think again! Check https://guild-dev.org to see if one of your surnames is being studied. If you find one, use the email button to contact the member. Perhaps you can help them or they you. If the surname is not being studied, what are you waiting for – it’s time to start your surname study.”

If your interest has been whetted, but you are not sure where to start why not explore the Starting Your One-Name Study pages.

The next Introduction to One-Name Studies taught by Pharos Tutoring and Teaching begins in February 2018