Are you researching ancestors in Devon?
Don't miss this free event, where you can connect with experts from the local family history society and local archives to discover the wealth of resources available.
This is a collaboration between Society of Genealogists, South West Heritage Trust and Devon Family History Society. Join us to learn about family history resources for Devon.
Else Churchill from Society of Genealogists will talk about resources held by the Society covering Devon
Janet Few from Devon FHS will talk about:
- The wealth of online sources available to members and non-members.
- The society’s programme of online talks, informal discussions, workshops and courses
- Opportunities to interact with Devon FHS in person
- Devon FHS’s Tree House research centre in Exeter
- Devon FHS’s Acorn Club for young genealogists
Brian Carpenter, Rachel Ponting and Jan Wood of the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service will talk about:
- Man
uscript, microform and printed sources available at the Devon Heritage Centre to assist with family history research, including the West Country Studies Library, which contains many unique printed and published resources which complement the centre’s archival holdings - How the Centre’s public searchroom operates: opening hours; booking; registration; finding aids; document ordering; online resources
- What our Research Service offers for people who are unable to visit in person
- A brief overview of resources which we provide elsewhere in Devon, principally at the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple, and by the Torbay Archive Service
Alan Barclay of The Box, Plymouth will talk about how The Box can help family historians.
We will also learn how A Vision of Britain Through Time can help you to research in Devon.
Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions from the panel of speakers.
Click here for information about our events. Contact events@sog.org.uk if you have any questions.
About the Speaker
Jan Wood
Jan Wood has worked as an archivist at the Devon Heritage Centre (formerly known as Devon Record Office) since 2000 and before that was an assistant archivist at Doncaster Archives. She was born in Australia and lived there until 1995 when she gave up her previous career and moved to the U.K. permanently to train as an archivist. She is currently Chairperson of the Shillingford Local History Society, and a member of several family history and local history societies. She has been researching family history since the mid-1980s.
About the Speaker
Rachel Ponting
Rachel Ponting is the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service’s specialist Archive Researcher, based at the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter. She has had a lifelong interest in family history and undertakes a wide variety of Devon-based research for enquirers from around the world. She has recently presented two online talks – about the records of Overseers of the Poor and the Devon Quarter Sessions courts – as part of the South West Heritage Trust’s Coffee Time Talks programme.
About the Speaker
Alan Barclay
The Box, Plymouth
About the Speaker
Janet Few
Janet Few is a former chair of Devon Family History Society and President of the Family History Federation. Currently, she chairs the Education sub-committee for Devon Family History Society and is busy helping to organise a residential conference and other activities to celebrate the society’s 50th anniversary in 2026. Janet is a well-known speaker and author and has been involved in the family history world since the 1970s.
About the Speaker
Brian Carpenter
Brian Carpenter has worked for the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service as an archivist since 1991, and has been the service’s community engagement lead since 2011. He has conducted a lot of research into his family origins, including tracing ancestors who emigrated to London from Prussian Saxony in the 1880s, a Great Uncle from deepest mid-Wales who met his death on the Somme in 1916, Yorkshire forebears ranging from mill owners to greengrocers and a few Kentish agricultural labourers.
About the Speaker
Paula Aucott
Humphrey Southall is a Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Portsmouth, he is an expert on the History of the North-South divide in Britain, gazetteers and geospatial ontologies and the role of travellers in the development of political life. Dr Paula Aucott is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Portsmouth, her research interests include historical Geographical Information Systems (GIS), historical land use and medieval landscapes. They have been working together on the Great Britain Historical GIS project for over twenty years, and have been invited to present their research findings around the world. The main public interface to their work is the highly successful local history website A Vision of Britain through Time, which they continue to maintain and update.
About the Speaker
Humphrey Southall
Humphrey Southall is a Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Portsmouth, he is an expert on the History of the North-South divide in Britain, gazetteers and geospatial ontologies and the role of travellers in the development of political life. Dr Paula Aucott is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Portsmouth, her research interests include historical Geographical Information Systems (GIS), historical land use and medieval landscapes. They have been working together on the Great Britain Historical GIS project for over twenty years, and have been invited to present their research findings around the world. The main public interface to their work is the highly successful local history website A Vision of Britain through Time, which they continue to maintain and update.
About the Speaker
Else Churchill
Else Churchill is the Genealogist at the Society of Genealogists in London. Formerly a professional genealogical librarian and researcher, Else has worked for the SoG since 1994. She is the Society’s subject lead, working across the organisation and runs the publishing programme. She was the recipient of the IHGS Julian Bickersteth Memorial Medal in 2023 for her exemplary contribution to family history studies.
13/10/2025 Monday
14:00 - 16:00
Online
FREE event Book a spot to watch live. No pre-booking required to view the recording, which will be available in the SoG Member area and on YouTube.
Location
Online