West Surrey FHS Show

On Saturday 3 November I had the chance to stop by this regional event organized in Woking, Surrey, by the local family history society. It consisted of a marketplace, roughly the size of that at the last OGS Seminar, with stalls from several similar societies from surrounding counties and smaller companies. The larger companies; Ancestry, Find My Past, Family Tree and Your Family Tree were missing. The Society of Genealogists was the present. Most stalls were continually busy.

A second room featured help desks on a variety of topics and 10 minute mini-lectures. I spent time at the stand of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy. Chris Pomery, author of "DNA and Family History", and a new book "Family History in the Genes" was present. The new book is a smaller format than his first and aimed more at a beginner level. I got the impression that there was less interest in DNA in the UK than North America, but there is the likelihood of a linkage with the Guild of One Name Studies, which would be a natural.

Free admission meant there were lots of people there. The organizing society made income from renting tables to exhibitors, but I can't imagine that covered the full cost. They may well have had a grant or similar support.