Members' Interests

The Society has provided the facility for members to register and publish their surname research interests from its inception.  Interests notified by members have always been published in supplements to the Manchester Genealogist and added to a computer database. Periodically, a summary of current members' interests is published on on CDROM. The last updated issue was released in 2006 to include all interests published in the Manchester Genealogist up to the end of 2005.

Use by Searchers

The members' interests database is open for searching by members and non-members alike and non-members are encouraged to make use of this facility.

Contacting Submitters

Where the submitting member has added their e-mail address to the database, it is possible to send an e-mail message to the submitter to follow up possible shared ancestry. The submitter's e-mail  address is not visible but enquirers will learn this when the submitter replies direct.

If the submitter has not made his/her e-mail address available, postal contact details may be found by referring either to the published CDROM, which may be purchased from our mail order department, or by reference to the back issue of the Manchester Genealogist magazine indicated. The search results will indicate which is appropriate. Alternatively, a letter may be sent to the Society in a stamped, un-addressed envelope and we will be pleased to forward to the submitter's last-known address. It should be noted that the submitter may no longer be a member and consequently, we cannot guarantee that they have not moved since submitting their interests.

Use by members Only

The submission system is only for the use of Society members who are encouraged to add their interests to the database using our online service. This allows interests to be added and deleted at the member's convenience and reduces the amount of work which has to be done by our volunteers.

Security of e-mail Addresses

Members who submit interests online are encouraged to include their e-mail address so that enquirers may contact them by e-mail. This process is anonymous in that the submitter's e-mail address is not visible to the enquirer. Addresses are held in a secure database so that members can be confident that inclusion will not result in unwanted messages or inclusion in SPAM mailings.

Submission of Interests on Forms

New members receive a form in their Fact Pack on which to list their surname interests for publication. This can be used to plan what is to be entered online but if the member does not have access to the internet, the form may be submitted for us to enter on the member's behalf. Interests submitted in this way will be entered to the same database but will not offer searchers the facility to contact the submitter by e-mail.