The Janaury FHSC Cheshire Research Buddies topic of the month is Nantwich and area  - Do you have ancestors in the area, or are you researching a local family and want some help, perhaps on the other hand you live in the locality and could offer help with photographing gravestones or buildings. This is the chance for members to help each other, I'm sure there are many members out there with knowledge of the area that they could share. If you have a research question then please feel free to email me on   and I will circulate it among attendees beforehand.

You will need to register to attend, to do so please click on the 'Register [Individual]' button below on the left and process your registration, you will receive an email confirmation and the zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded the morning of the helpdesk meeting. If you run into any difficulties with this then please contact Margaret Roberts on 

NOTE that registration closes at 10am on the morning of the meeting.

The Historical Newspapers Group, which meets on the first Friday of the month at 2pm and is led by Margaret Roberts, explores the use of old newspapers in family history research. Hints and tips on using the newspapers online, how to get the best out of your searches and sharing stories of successes, and failures are a mainstay of the group.

The Real Downton Abbey : Domestic Service before the Great War

Please note that this is an afternoon meeting and will start at 2.30 pm 

This event is for members only and registration is open, please press ‘Register [Individual]’ button below on the left and then click 'Process your Registration, you will receive an email confirmation. Registration will close on 10th February at noon and the links will be sent out that afternoon. 

Image Credit Launus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The MAC Users Discussion Group meets on the third Monday of the month at 2pm. The group is led by John Reed and is the perfect place to discuss any issues or share your hints and tips and learn from other members about all things MAC related. Thinking of swapping to a MAC  then there is no better way to find out more.

Most of us will have seen programs like Heir Hunters and shudder at the issues.

A look at probate records and what they can tell us.

You will need to register for this event registration is open and closes on 14 February 2026. 

Just press the 'Register [individual]' button below and then process your registration, you will receive an email confirmation of your booking. 

Zoom links will be sent out the day before the talk 

Chris is a graduate of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Canterbury, where he is a course tutor. He also runs a genealogical research and education business from his home on the Suffolk Coast, specialising in East Anglia and heraldry and is the Chairman of Alde Valley Family History Society

This talk is a gentle introduction to the fascinating world of heraldry and how it can be used to further family history research.

This event is for members only and registration opens on 1 February, when the ‘Register [Individual]’ button will show on the bottom left of the Event details on the FHSC website for you to click and then process your registration, you will receive an email confirmation. Registration will close on 16th February.

The zoom links/meeting protocol will be forwarded the day before the talk.  If you run into any difficulties with this, then please contact us on the dedicated seminar email address – seminars@fhsc.uk. The Seminar series is co-ordinated by Margaret Spate, Jean Laidlaw and Margaret Roberts and ALL correspondence, queries etc should be sent to the dedicated email address.

PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT RECORD SEMINAR TALKS

The FHSC Annual Quiz 2026 date is announced 

Save the date 19th February 2026 at 7:30pm and register today.

Attendees will be randomly placed into teams of 4 or 5 in breakout rooms - don't worry Zoom will do it all for you - and each team will have a question master.  All teams will be asked the same set of questions and then we shall come back together into the main zoom meeting to discover the answers and see which team is the winner. 

I'm hoping that many members will join us, last year's event was great fun and enjoyed by all who attended. 

You will need to register, registration is open and closes on 17 February 2026. Just press the 'Register [individual]' button below and then process your registration, you will receive an email confirmation of your booking.

Zoom links being sent out on the morning of the quiz - 19th February 2026

The Family Historian Users Group provides support and tips for using Family Historian software. Led by Geoff Johnson members are welcome to chat about their experiences of using the software and to discuss any problems etc that other members of the group may be able to help out with

Publishing your Family History Research Group, covers all aspects of publishing your research, whether you are considering writing a book, creating a website or blog, submitting an article to the Cheshire Ancestor, recording a podcast etc, then this group is the ideal place to discuss your ideas and concerns. Led by Victoria Doran, the group meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 2:30pm, with a break for the Summer.