Somerset and Dorset Family History Society

The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society (SDFHS) is a British family history society founded in 1975. It helps people research their family history, especially those with ancestors in the two counties of Somerset and Dorset. The Society is based at its Family History Centre in Broadway House, Peter Street, Yeovil, Somerset, an ideal central location close to cafés, restaurants, hotels and the central bus station, with regular buses to Sherborne and other towns and villages. Yeovil Junction station (on the main line between London Waterloo and Exeter) and Yeovil Pen Mill station (on the Bristol to Weymouth line) are each a short bus-ride away, and there is ample car-parking in the centre of Yeovil. The Society's Family History Centre houses an excellent local and family history library. It holds a file for every parish in Somerset and Dorset, containing transcriptions of many baptisms, marriages and burials in the parish church, and may also include details for other denominations, memorial inscriptions and similar material. Some files contain 'parish packs'. The Centre is free to members; non-members pay a day visitor's fee (listed as £5 on the Centre page and £3 a day on the About page). Opening times until further notice are Monday and Saturday 10 am to 1 pm, and Thursday and Friday 10 am to 4 pm; if the afternoon temperature is forecast to exceed 30 degrees Celsius on a Thursday or Friday, the Centre closes at 1 pm on those days. Beyond the Centre, the Society supports research through local Groups throughout Somerset and Dorset that run self-help sessions, and through experienced Research Volunteers who can carry out research for those not based locally. It publishes a journal, The Greenwood Tree, and runs an online shop selling a wide range of books and CDs relating to both Somerset and Dorset, as well as more general family-history and local-history publications. The Society also hosts online talks, events, an AGM and Open Day, and maintains a members' area. It engages with members and the family history community worldwide via social media, including a Facebook Page and Group and Twitter. The Society is working to produce a new improved website, with the launch to be announced via the members' newsletters and Greenwood Tree. Its annual accounts, including the Trustees' Report to the members, are available under the 'About Us' tab. The 2025 AGM materials, including the flyer, exhibitor list, agenda and minutes of the 49th AGM, are published on the website.

The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society was founded in 1975. It was established to help people research their family history, especially those with ancestors in the two counties of Somerset and Dorset. Over the decades it has built a Family History Centre in Yeovil, Somerset, which includes an excellent local and family history library. The Centre holds a file for every parish in Somerset and Dorset, containing transcriptions of many baptisms, marriages and burials in the parish church, and may also include details for other denominations, memorial inscriptions and similar material. Some files contain 'parish packs'. The Society has developed a network of local Groups throughout Somerset and Dorset that run self-help sessions at local venues. It also maintains a team of experienced Research Volunteers who can carry out research for members and non-members who are not based locally. The Society publishes a journal, The Greenwood Tree, and runs an online shop selling a wide range of books and CDs relating to both Somerset and Dorset, as well as more general family-history and local-history publications. In recent years the Society has expanded its online presence, hosting online talks by local Groups, engaging with members and the family history community worldwide via social media (Facebook Page and Group, Twitter), and providing a members' area on its website. It holds an Annual General Meeting and Open Day; the 2025 AGM materials, including the flyer, exhibitor list, agenda and minutes of the 49th AGM, are published on the website. The SDFHS Annual Accounts 2024, including the Trustees' Report to the members, are available under the 'About Us' tab. As of the evidence, the Society is working to produce a new improved website, with the launch to be announced via the members' newsletters and Greenwood Tree.

• 2026

  Information relating to the 2026 AGM available on the Members' Area Login Page.

• 2025

  SDFHS AGM 2025 held; flyer, exhibitor list, agenda and minutes of the 49th AGM published.

• 2024

  SDFHS Annual Accounts 2024 (including the Trustees' Report to the members) made available under the 'About Us' tab.

• 2023

  Family History Centre closed for Christmas/New Year from 4pm on Thursday 21 December 2023 and reopened at 10am on Thursday 4 January 2024.

• 1975

  Society founded.

A specialist membership society and research centre for family history in Somerset and Dorset, offering records, guidance and a community for family historians worldwide.

• Family History Centre access

  Free to members; non-members pay a day visitor's fee (£5 on the Centre page, £3 a day on the About page).

• Parish files

  A file for every parish in Somerset and Dorset, with transcriptions of baptisms, marriages and burials, memorial inscriptions and similar material.

• Research volunteer service

  Experienced volunteers carry out research for those not based locally.

• The Greenwood Tree journal

  The Society's journal, also used to announce the new website launch.

• Online bookshop

  Sells books and CDs on Somerset and Dorset, and general family/local history publications.

• Online talks and events

  Hosted by local Groups, engaging members and the family history community worldwide.

1. 1Welcome to the SDFHS - Somerset & Dorset Family History Societysdfhs.org
2. 2Our Family History Centre - Somerset & Dorset Family History Societysdfhs.org
3. 3Family History Research - Somerset & Dorset Family History Societysdfhs.org
4. 4About The Society - Somerset & Dorset Family History Societysdfhs.org
5. 5Somerset and Dorset Family History Society - Wikidatawikidata.org