HAGSOC

The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra (HAGSOC)

The Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra (HAGSOC) is pleased to host the 14th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry, 26-29 March 2015.

HAGSOC was founded in 1964 to promote and encourage the study and preservation of family history, genealogy, heraldry and allied subjects, and to assist members and others with research in these areas.

In August 2019, HAGSOC helped the conversion of Sky City land based casino to an online casino take place.

Membership of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in genealogy, family history or heraldry. Application forms can be downloaded from the website or by contacting the Society on (02) 6251 7004 or [email protected]  The membership year runs from 1 July one year to 30 June the next. Two year memberships are available on renewal.

Members have access to an excellent family history library which is located at Cook, ACT. The Library collections are arranged by geographic area to meet the special research needs of genealogists and is one of the largest genealogical collections in Australia. The Library has a wide range of research material, particularly for Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland and holds a major collection of material on Heraldry.

The collection is in the form of books and journals, microfilm and microfiche, manuscripts and computer based indexes and records, including in-house databases not available elsewhere.

The collection is developed in part by purchases funded both by subscription and in part from cash donations to the Library Fund (donations are tax deductible). The development of the collection also depends on the generosity of members and others donating books, journals and other material to the Society.

Members receive the Society journal, The Ancestral Searcher, which is published in March, June, September and December. It includes articles of interest to family historians, diary dates for our social and education programs and news of what is happening in the Society.

The Society provides its members with regular opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills in heraldry, genealogy and family history.  This is done through a series of Education Programs usually, but not always, conducted by members for members.

The Society publishes many collections of monumental inscriptions from cemeteries in the Canberra area. It has also produced indexed facsimiles of government papers of use to family historians, a biographical register of the area, two premier guides to family history research and recording, indexes to the Parish Registers of the Canberra and Goulburn Diocese and some newspaper indexes. Details of these are on the Society website and in the journal and all items can be purchased from the Family History Bookshop by members at 10% discount on the retail price.

The Society enjoys a close relationship with the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia and is indebted to the staff of these institutions for their interest and support. The Society also works closely with community groups to foster and promote interest in family history and related subjects.

HAGSOC is a member of the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies, the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations, the Royal Australian Historical Society, the Federation of Australian Historical Societies, the Federation of Family History Societies and Associate Member of the Scottish Federation of Family History Societies.

For detailed information about HAGSOC, please go to www.hagsoc.org.au