How we can help

The Research Service

If you are unable to visit our Family History Centre in Yeovil yourself, experienced and knowledgable volunteer members of the Society will do research on your behalf in the records held at our Centre.

In addition to paper transcripts from parish and other records, the Society has databases of family history information compiled by our volunteers:

• Baptisms (Somerset only)
• Marriages (Somerset & Dorset and Somerset pre-1754)
• Burials (Somerset & Dorset)
• Monumental Inscriptions (Somerset & Dorset)
• Pedigrees (Somerset & Dorset)

These often contain information that is not yet available elsewhere online, and we can search the databases for you.

Work on improving and updating these datasets is ongoing and the Society also has new projects which are collecting data from other sources which will be of use to family historians. For details of all our current projects, click here.

Information we require from you

It will be to your advantage if you specify as clearly and precisely as possible the information that you are seeking, and enclose any relevant information which might assist us.

• Please write clearly or type your enquiry. Whether contacting us by letter or e-mail, remember to include your name and postal address.
• Wherever possible include first name and surname and at least a rough idea of the date and place where you require the search to be made.
• Add any other data about members of the family.
• Include a (UK) daytime telephone number so that we can contact you for clarification if necessary.

Please allow for a reasonable amount of time to answer your questions.

Charges

The charge for research is £5 an hour (SDFHS Members) or £10 an hour (non Members).

The cost of photocopies or printouts is 25p per page. This is to cover the time of the volunteer and a little of the cost of renting the building in which we work.

Payment methods

Copies and Copyright

Much of our material is copyright and is supplied on the understanding that anything that we send will be used for personal use only and will not be passed on to others.

How to contact us

Research Service, SDFHS, Broadway House, Peter St., Yeovil, Somerset BA20 1PN
Phone: (01935) 429609
E-mail