It’s a maxim often cited at the Society of Genealogists that ‘place takes precedent’. Part of this talk will also look at the resources held in the Society of Genealogists library for both local and genealogical research.

Else Churchill is the Genealogist at the Society of Genealogists in London and this year celebrate  40 years of experience as genealogist and educator. She currently leads as the Society’ subject specialist and the Society’s education and publication programmes, campaigns and external liaison. Else lectures regularly for the Society of Genealogists, The National Archives and for local groups around the United Kingdom and oversees. Along with teaching the Pharos course on sources for the long eighteenth century her main research interests lie in the seventeenth century and sources for people who lived through the English Civil Wars and she enjoys trying to help American genealogists cross the pond to discover the roots of their colonial ancestors. 

Her own family history research is concentrated in south-west Herefordshire in the 1670s but having exhausted most of the surviving local sources for this period and with little chance of taking this family back further, Else has recently been concentrating more on twentieth century scandals in her immediate family and applying DNA studies to her genealogy. Else campaigns and actively works on behalf of the genealogical community. She is an active participant in the Historians Collaborate group.

Please note. This talk is the second part of a reciprocal exchange of speakers as the Society of Genealogists and BALH explore the role of local history in family history. The first being ‘Your Ancestors and Local History’, a lunchtime chat given to SoG members by Joe Saunders in September 2022. Find more about the SoG on their website: https://societyofgenealogists.arlo.co/w/