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Gwynedd Family History Society

The Society was founded in 1980 to bring together the many people interested in family history.  It caters for those with Gwynedd ancestry, and we are happy to help, if possible, those in need of assistance in their research. 

The Society’s aims are:

  • To foster interest in family history and to aid the progress of newcomers to the Society.
  • To publish a journal “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots” twice a year as a means of exchanging news and information and widen knowledge of genealogical records.
  • To transcribe and index parish records and census returns, and to record memorial inscriptions, especially in threatened graveyards.
  • To promote for the benefit and education of the public the study of genealogy, heraldry, local and family history in the former counties of Anglesey,  Caernarfon, and Meirionnydd (Merioneth).

Our aim with this new website is to bring together information for both members and non-members researching Gwynedd family history, although we do hope that any non-members using our resources will see the benefit of joining us.

If you need further information about the work of the Society, please contact us - secretary@chtgwyneddfhs.cymru  

We would be pleased to help you.

Join today!

Shop

The Society’s publications, which are constantly being added to, are on sale to members and non-members, as well as to libraries and other societies. They include baptisms, burials, census and marriage indexes.  In addition memorial inscriptions are also published with full index, plans and additional information, with extra notes for non-Welsh speaking readers.  All of these are published in A4 booklets. Please visit our Shop for further information.

Journal

The Society publishes a journal, which is distributed free to members twice a year. Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots is the official publication of the Society, full of news and articles and is published in the spring and autumn. Members are encouraged to submit articles to the Journal Editor in Welsh or English (an English synopsis will be given to those published in Welsh). 

Branches

We are a very active society, with branches in  Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd, Conwy and Zoom. In addition, we have an extremely busy Facebook Group with members from Gwynedd, the surrounding area and across the UK as well as worldwide sharing useful information and helping each other with their research. Updates from the Society are also announced on the group.

Programme of Meetings / Events

Each of our branches has a programme of meetings with talks on a wide range of subjects. While members tend to visit their local branch, they are welcome to attend any branch event. These meetings aren’t closed to members as we are delighted to welcome non-members to talks for a small donation.

Resource Centre

The Society’s Resource Centre is situated at:

Canolfan Yr Aelwyd
Stryd yr Eglwys (Church Street)
Caernarfon
Gwynedd
LL55 ISW

Members are welcome to browse in the Society’s publication and library collections on the third Saturday in the month (excluding May) between two and five p.m. Please visit our Resources pages to view information on books, manuscrips and other materials that may help your research.

Your annual membership subscription to Gwynedd Family History Society helps the Society achieve its charitable objectives. 

The work of the Society includes:

  • Producing 2 copies annually of our journal Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots which publicises our activities and shares family history stories.(A4 in size and full of interesting articles both in Welsh and English – last issue was 64 pages).   
    Members can publish their family interests in the journal.
  • Arranging regional and Zoom meetings with a varied programme of speakers.
  • Help from officers and others who have specific area knowledge and are fluent Welsh speakers.
  • Access to a “members’ only” area on our Society’s website to update personal data and interests.
  • Providing access to the Society’s Resource Centre in Caernarfon which is open on the afternoon of the third Saturday of each month.
    Here you can access all of our resources and seek advice from officers’ and others on brick walls you may have.
  • Providing access to the large number of publicationss that the Society produces which are also available to buy from our website:
      • monumental inscriptions from churchyards and chapel cemeteries across Gwynedd
      • indexes to selected parish registers and 1851 census etc.
  • Providing access to our wide range of  library collection with a loan facility. Currently we hold over 1,400 items relating to family history and local history relating to Gwynedd.
  • Providing access to our manuscript collection,, including donated family history/trees for reference in our resource centre.
  • We also have a big collection of birth, marriage and death certificates which have been donated to the Society
  • A limited look up request service for those who provide us with the names and known dates and we’ll check for information in any of our publications, manuscript collections or books. This is very useful for those who are unable to visit our Resource Centre. 
  • Opportunities to join a project to record a churchyard / graveyard.
  • Opportunities to volunteer to become a member of the working Committee to help with the general running of the Society. (Extra helpers always welcomed by the Committee).
  • Opportunities to help on our stand at various events (Welsh National Eisteddfod (when in North Wales) & Family History Fairs).
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