The postal address for Research queries is: The Channel Islands Family History Society P.O. Box 507 St. Helier Jersey JE4 5TN     Or you can email the CIFHS Research Secretary at: cifhs [at] localdial [dot] com

Our family history research rates are £5 per hour for Members and £10 per hour for Non Members.

The Research Groups

The Channel Island Family History Society has developed several specialist groups over the years, each with their own expertise. In the early years for instance, the church records from each parish were transcribed by several of its members and many of you will be thankful that another group within the Society has indexed several of the Censuses.

What is a Research Group?

It is a small group of people (about a dozen) who meet regularly to discuss and take on enquiries. They are unpaid volunteers with specialist knowledge of family history; the fees received for their work go to the Society to further its work.

Why use the Research Group?

All the Jersey centres (the Family History Society, the Société Jersiaise and the Jersey Archive) use the same information, so why use the Research Group? The main advantage is the breadth and depth of knowledge the members have of local families and the connection between them. Some have detailed and specialist knowledge of particularly families for instance and all have a good knowledge of local history which sometimes suggests a line of enquiry.

What information is used?

The Society has an impressive collection of material: church records - some from the early 1600s to 1842, census material, rate books, local history books and other records. Some members have donated copies of their family trees following extensive research. Most of the collection is held at the Jersey Archive, where it can be used by visitors, but the Research Group also uses other sources such as early local newspapers and archived Court records.

How much will research cost me?

The standard charge is £10 per hour for non members and £5 for members, which is payable in advance.

Can we obtain birth, marriage and death certificates?

The short answer is yes, but there are two points to remember; first, certificates are available only from 1842 and second, they need to be ordered from the Superintendent Registrar's office. We can arrange this but the Registrar's charge is £20 for each certificate, payable in advance.

Help us to help you and keep the cost down.

Tell us as much as you can about the individual or family that you are interested in. Tell us what sources of information you have already used or tried, even if unsuccessful. That way our researchers will not waste their time (and your fees) looking for information which has already been researched. In these circumstances, too much information is better than too little.