| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Convenor: | |
| When: | Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2nd Wednesday of the month, 2.15pm for a 2.30pm start, until 4.30pm |
| Venue: | Member's Home |
This new group is starting in February 2026 for members who
- are new to genealogy, or
- have undertaken some genealogy research but want to explore a fuller range of genealogical research tools, or
- want to expand research undertaken by others.
The focus of the group will be to research our post-1837 (when civil registration began) ancestors who lived in England and Wales. However, it may also be possible to discuss pre-1837 Church of England Parish records and how to research Scottish or Irish ancestors if there is sufficient interest.
This group has grown from a series of short-term introduction to genealogy groups which have run over recent years. Here are some comments from members:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the introductory sessions. Despite being a complete beginner, after just 4 meetings I’d identified all my great grandparents (and many of their parents) and have also found out a lot about where and how they lived. I am now looking forward to discovering more and more about my family.”
"I had been researching my forebears for several years but found the many websites offering help confusing. Using GRO (General Register Office), Census records, newspaper archives, military records etc has provided me with detailed information not found elsewhere."
"My curiosity for researching my family history was sparked when I stumbled across a free website but found it confusing to use. The Genealogy Group has helped me to understand the range of websites available and how to use them, in combination, to methodically build my family tree."
The group plans to meet face-to-face on the second Wednesday afternoon of each month (except January and August) with the following provisional programme for 2026:
11th February – Introduction to genealogy / building our family trees from the information we know.
11th March – Finding our ancestors Birth, Marriage and Death (BMD) records post 1837
8th April – Finding our ancestors in Census records
13th May – Graves, Probate and Wills
10th June – Did our ancestors serve in WW1?
8th July – Using newspapers to find out about our ancestors’ lives
August - No meeting
9th September – Using maps to find about where our ancestors lived
14th October – Did our ancestors travel to, immigrate to or emigrate from England and Wales?
11th November – Would a DNA test help our research?
9th December – Keeping track of all the information we have collected
Meetings will be interactive and practical, for example, we will search for records using online sources. The Convenor will provide information to start discussions but all members will contribute to the discussions. This may include accessing records from freely available websites / records before a meeting for discussion at the meeting. Any records found during meetings will be saved and sent to the member after the meeting.
Group Members need basic IT skills, for example they must be able to:
- receive and send emails.
- access and use information on the internet. Information such as internet articles, search engines or templates to be completed (to help collect and collate the information you find) may be sent as URL links or email attachments.
New members are welcome to join the group mid-year but we will arrange one or two catch up sessions on BMD and Census records so that you can participate fully in the group.
Exeter u3a also has a Stage 2 Genealogy Group for experienced Genealogists. If you are unsure which group would be best for you, please contact the Convenor who will be happy to chat to you.
