Midlands society changes name

One of the oldest family history societies in the country has announced a new ‘modern’ name change.

On 1 September, the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (BMSGH) formally relaunched itself as Midland Ancestors.

However, the society, founded in 1963, will keep its old name for legal and business purposes.

Bernie McLean, chair of Midland Ancestors, said: “An important aim of the society has always been to have a broad appeal to family historians and the general public at large. It was felt that our existing name did not do this.

“The society is still the principal genealogical and heraldic society for the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire and West Midlands but we need a modern persona to reflect what we offer.”

Midland Ancestors is a registered charity and affiliated society of the Birmingham & Midland Institute and the Federation of Family History Societies.

It has 2100 members and branches in North Staffordshire, Burton-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Kenilworth, Bromsgrove, Stourbridge, Worcester and London.

As part of the renaming, the society has a new website, midland-ancestors.uk, with new features such as an interactive map with historic information about the different Midlands counties. The society is in the process of transferring content from its old website, bmsgh.org.