Our history

In 1978, a small group of people in Jersey met to discuss the formation of a Society dedicated to the study and tracing of the family histories of Channel Islanders. The first meeting (Nov. 1978) was at St. Lawrence Parish Hall, Jersey and more than fifty people attended. Membership passed one hundred during the next year. It was an early intention to form local CIFHS Branches in the other Channel Islands and elsewhere but as time went on this proved impossible so the voluntary Officers in Jersey assumed the complete role of the CIFHS Committee. Now the Society concentrates on research into Jersey families, and so it is now known as Jersey Family History Society.

The Society’s volunteers have spent uncountable hours transcribing local records to make them more accessible to family historians. They are broadly categorised into three collections and are available to view either in person at the Jersey Archive or on their online website or an index of all the collections.

Collections

Anglican Parish Registers: The backbone of family history is in the old church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. The Society has transcribed the baptism, marriage and burial registers for the twelve Church of England parishes in Jersey from 1540 to 1842. These can be viewed on the Jersey Archive website

Jersey Census Returns: The Society has transcribed all the Jersey Censuses from 1841 to 1911 by parish and district. These are more accurate than those available on various online websites as volunteers are more familiar with Jersey surnames.

Family Trees: The Society’s records also include various Family Trees some prepared by members and others donated. These can be very helpful as a starting point, but you are always advised to go back to source documents to double-check accuracy.

The Society’s Collection has been housed at the Jersey Archive in Clarence Road, St Helier, since it opened in July 2000. The collection is available on open shelves where it can be accessed in person. Alternatively, an Index to the contents of the Society's Archive is available here.