Why Join Us?

By being a member of the Rossendale Branch you will have access to local people who have a wealth of knowledge of the ancient Townships and Parishes. People who understand the area, the names of the old places and its inhabitants and their occupations.  The Branch has access to a number of Parish Register, Monument Inscription and Census transcripts and we will endeavour to point you in the right direction with your research and in some circumstances provide the answer to a query (see footnote)

Membership of the Society also entitles you to:

• A Starter pack of leaflets.

• Quarterly copies of the magazine 'Lancashire' which goes only to members of the Society.  It has over 48 pages  including:
  
  Histories of Lancashire Townships.
  Articles on how to solve individual  problems.
  An opportunity to  publish your own family history and research experiences. 
  Answers to unusual problems about research in Lancashire that you are unlikely to find elsewhere.

• Publicise your surname interests, research problems and queries in the magazine.

• Place your family tree in our Pedigree Database and be put in touch with others researching the same names in the same areas.

• Attend any of the 14 Branch meetings, each offering visits, talks, workshops (discussion and help with research problems) and a chance to chat to fellow researchers.

• Access branch resources and microfiche of published society projects (over 500), which can be viewed at branch research meetings.

• Subject to acceptance, have your personal family history website linked from the Society website.

• Attend the Conferences of the Federation of Family History Societies.

• Attend the Society's Annual Conference and Annual Dinner.

• Access the Society's Helping Hands Service either by post or e-mail. Help is given on possible sources of information and wealth of local knowledge from Branches. It is not restricted to Lancashire.

• Access the LFHHS e-mail Discussion Group available to members only. This group offers support and advice to members and an opportunity to share knowledge.

• Use the Society's Resource Centres at The Straits, Oswaldtwistle and at Astley Hall Farmhouse, Chorley with on-line access and extensive libraries of microfiche, CDs and publications.