If you’re living in New Zealand – or able to travel there – and interested in genealogy, heraldry and family history, then you’re in luck!

The Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations (AFFHO) is holding its next triennial congress in Auckland from 16-20 January. The overarching theme of this congress, the twelfth in a series stretching back to 1977, will be “Preserving the past for the future”. It’s hosted by the New Zealand Society of Genealogists at Kings College, Otahuhu.

The programme is simply packed with hour-long lectures and two-hour workshops, together with several plenary sessions, on a bewildering variety of themes. Guest speakers specialise in all kinds of fields relevant to the Australian and New Zealand family researcher, including local historians, family record archivists, geneticists and practitioners in many more disciplines.

Other special events include the Congress Banquet at Eden Park, home of the All Blacks, and a day tour of Auckland for out-of-town visitors.

Topic profiles, speaker profiles and a full programme are all available from the website, and it’s possible to register (for the whole conference, for single days or for individual events) online. But time’s running short, so hurry!

Website: 12th Australasian Congress on Genealogy & Heraldry

Set up in 1979, the Guild is an association of genealogists undertaking specialist research into specific family names and their variants. Where people researching their own family history have got blocked, other references to the same surname may often provide the key and allow them to make further progress. This is particularly the case where the name is a rare one. (Where it isn’t, DNA testing may help.)

Guild members are willing to undertake research into paid enquiries. Some of the information Guild members have unearthed is also available online.

If you’re a dedicated genealogist and are interested in this branch of genealogy, membership is £12.00 a year and offers a wide range of benefits.

For more information see:
http://www.one-name.org/

The Society encourages genealogical research and promotes the preservation of Jewish genealogical records and resources. Members, who include both beginners and experienced genealogists, share information amongst themselves.

For more information see:
http://www.jgsgb.org.uk/

They have community outbound activities, a calendar of events, information and training about genealogy in general, a couple of genealogy quizzes, and lots more.

For more information see:
http://www.aagsnc.org/

The SBD is a Historical Society/Family History Society that specialises in the brush/broom making trades and those who have worked therein for the past few hundred years.

The Society of Brushmakers’ Descendants aim is to help and inform its members, and to discover and prove links between brushmakers’ families.

For more information see:
http://www.brushmakers.com/

Whether you are an enthusiastic beginner or an experienced genealogist, the aim of the Railway Ancestors is to help you get the most from a fascinating hobby that can unlock the doors to your past.

For more information see:
http://www.railwayancestors.org.uk/

Many people shy away from research prior to 1750 due to an inability to read and interpret the documentation. This day seminar is designed to introduce the student to the documents and handwriting encountered in local and family history research. Practical examples will illustrate the methodology of “learning to read” old documents.

For more information see:
http://www.ihgs.ac.uk/courses/day_and_residential_08_reading_old_documents.php

There are beginner’s courses, courses about using the Internet for genealogy, and many specialised courses covering subjects such as how to search for information depending on what your ancestor was – a civil servant, a bigamist, a bastard?

All the courses seem to be very reasonably priced and some are free. The courses are all held at Goswell Road, London, EC1M 7BA unless stated otherwise.

For more information see:
http://www.sog.org.uk/events/calendar.shtml

The beginner’s course goes back to 1837 and the intermediate course covers research before 1837.

At £25 for two days both courses are inexpensive and affordable. According to their website subjects covered may include:

Beginners

How to begin

Surnames

Civil Registration from 1837

Researching on the Internet

Using computers

Census 1841-1901

Intermediate

Brief re-cap on Beginners Course

Parish Registers

Parish Chest

Wills & Probate

Local Repositories

Looking at your problem areas

For more information see:
http://www.dorsetfhs.org.uk/courses.htm

The Society’s website also offers information about other genealogy courses. For example, The University of Birmingham offers a two year part-time certificate course in Family History.

For more information see:
http://www.bmsgh.org/educate/edu1.html