GROUPS AND SOCIETIES
Dyfed Family History Society
e membership@dyfedfhs.org.uk w dyfedfhs.org.uk
The society covers the counties of Cardiganshire (Ceredigion), Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) and Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro), with local branches in Cardigan, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Llandovery, Llanelli and a section within the London Branch of the Welsh Family History Societies.
Glamorgan Family History Society
Aberkenfig Resource Centre, The Len Evans Centre, Off Heol Persondy, Aberkenfig CF32 9RF t 01656 728531 e arc@glamfhs.org.uk w glamfhs.org.uk
Glamorgan Family History Society runs a resource centre in Aberkenfig, which gives access to books and journals; birth, marriage and death certificates; parish registers; and memorial inscriptions. In addition you can buy a copy of some items for personal use at home, as CDs, booklets or fiche.
Gwent Family History Society
e secretary@gwentfhs.org.uk w gwentfhs.org.uk
Gwent replaced the historic county of Monmouthshire in 1974. The society formed in 1981 and now runs five branches in Blackwood, Chepstow, Ebbw Vale, Newport and Pontypool.
MUSEUMS Big Pit National Coal Museum
a Blaenafon, Torfaen NP4 9XP t 0300 111 2333 e bigpit@museumwales.ac.uk w museum.wales/bigpit
The museum’s highlights include a tour 300 feet underground.
Firing Line: Cardiff Castle Museum Of The Welsh Soldier
The Interpretation Centre, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff CF10 2RB t 02920 873623 w cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk
The museum’s reference library holds material relating to soldiers who served in 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays), 1st the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, the 41st and 69th Regiments, the Welsh Regiment and the Welch Regiment. The website includes a searchable database of more than 19,000 soldiers.
National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP t 0300 111 2333 e cardiff@museumwales.ac.uk w museum.wales/cardiff
The museum houses the country’s national art, geology and natural history collections.
National Waterfront Museum
Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 3RD
0300 111 2333 waterfront@museumwales. ac.uk
w museum.wales/swansea
Housed in an original listed warehouse, the museum focuses on industrial history including the origins of the trade unions.
South Wales Miners’ Museum
Afan Forest Park, Cynonville, Port Talbot SA13 3HG t 01639 851833 w south-wales-miners-museum.
co.uk
Dedicated to the workers of the South Wales Coalfield, the museum is near the small village of Cymmer in Neath Port Talbot.
WEBSITES Archives Wales
w archives.wales
Find out the latest news from the country’s archives, including upcoming talks and exhibitions.
Crime And Punishment
w crimeandpunishment. library.wales
Find information about crimes, criminals and punishments in gaol files from the Court of Great Sessions in Wales from 1730 until its abolition in 1830.
Findmypast
w bit.ly/fmp-wales
Here you can find details of the vast Wales Collection on findmypast.co.uk, first launched in 2012, which includes millions of records from across South Wales. The site also has electoral registers covering the region, and you can search a free, pareddown index via familysearch.org.
National Museum Wales
w museumwales.ac.uk
This is the best place to find out about collections held by various museums including the National Museum Cardiff, the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea and the library of St Fagans National History Museum.
Swansea Mariners
w swanseamariners.org.uk
Look for a relation in an index of merchant shipping registers and crew agreements held by West Glamorgan Archive Service.
Welsh Newspapers
w newspapers.library.wales
Search 15 million newspaper articles. You can specify English or Welsh-language publications, a particular title, a date range, a region, and whether you want news, adverts or family notices. Also journals.library.wales has journals published from 1735. w library.wales/discover/ nlw-resources/wills
Search wills proved in Welsh ecclesiastical courts before 1858.