Unique resources for members
Join us and get access to our extensive databases. We specialise in indexing local resources which you will not find on other sites. How about virtually all the recorded memorials for Manchester's old churchyards? Or institutional records: Bolton Workhouse creed books, admissions to the schools for the blind and the deaf? Or the early motor vehicle registrations in Salford? There are hundreds of sources and over 2.8 million name references already and new data is being added all the time.
Our friendly Helpdesk is Open!
Our knowledgeable and experienced Helpdesk volunteers help people from all over the world – members and non-members – to begin or expand their family histories, whether their ancestors originated from the Greater Manchester area or elsewhere. The Helpdesk has reopened and sessions will be running Monday - Friday as usual, however we will be operating restricted sessions hours 11.00am - 2:30pm until December. Our Virtual Helpdesk is now for members only. Please Click Here for more information.
Visit our shop!
Our MLFHS shop sells a large range of books, maps, CDs, downloads and books for recordsing your research. We stock all the local Alan Godfrey maps, a wide range of books published by Neil Richardson, the ever-popular Ancestral File for recording your search in a practical way, and CDs or downloads of records and transcriptions of Catholic church registers and more.
The shop is open! Our dedicated team work from home so occasionally there might be a slight delay, but otherwise it is business as usual.
Other upcoming events
Wednesday 1st December 7.30pm
Bolton FHS Meeting - Christmas food and drink through the ages
Join us as we find out what the men, women and children of Bolton and Manchester would have eaten and drank over the Christmas period.
Thursday 2nd December 7.30pm
Old Ireland in Colour
A talk based on the authors' books of colourised black and white photographs documenting the rich history of Ireland.
Wednesday 5th January 7.30pm
Bolton FHS Meeting - The Hidden Secrets of Marriage Registration
Antony Marr's "The Hidden Secrets of Marriage Registration" is a follow up to last August's very popular talk, Birth and Death Registration
Saturday 8th January 2.00pm
Margaret Ashton (1856-1937), Manchester's first woman councillor
Hanging the Pacifist: Margaret Ashton (1856-1937), Manchester's first woman councillor. A free, online talk, given by Dr Alison Ronan
Wednesday 19th January 7.30pm
Irish Unmarried Mothers in Britain Speaker:Dr Lorraine Grimes
Being a single mother can be extremely challenging. Being a single mother in Ireland from the 1920s to 1980s was arguably even more so.
Saturday 29th January 2.00pm
The 1921 Census : What can we discover?
The 1921 census is a landmark event for family historians - find out how this census can help you find a new generation of your family.
New Records
See at a glance the newest additions to our databases and documents collections.
Virtual Help
Our Virtual Helpdesk is still open but has now reverted to a privilege of membership.
MLFHS receives commission, at no cost to the user, on transactions completed using these links to affiliated organisations
[for more see Affiliate Links].
* Occasionally a meeting may incur an additional charge, such as admission to a place of interest, payable by all attendees.
MANCHESTER & LANCASHIRE FHS was formed in 1964 and is now one of the largest family history societies in the world. Although the Society is united by a common interest in Genealogy and Family History, members also pursue interests in closely related fields.
