News

The Yule 2024 Coontin Kin is now available in the Members' Area.

We have added the transcriptions and images for Whiteness and Weisdale to the Monumental Inscriptions collection in the Members' Area. There was, briefly, a technical issue which meant that the transcriptions only were added initially. The images are now there as well.

The Hairst Coontin Kin is now available in the Members' Area.

The speakers for our 2024 Conference, on the 21st September 2024, have been announced. They are detailed in the Events section of the Website.

The images for the kirkyards in Quarff and Gulberwick have been added to the website. Other areas will be added through the year. Watch for announcements!

The Shetland FHS AGM will be held at the Society premises at Garthspool on Friday 26th April at 4pm.

The Voar Coontin Kin has been added to the Members' Area.

More images have been added to the MI collection on the Members’ Area. All the Mis from the six graveyards and war memorial from Northmavine, the most northerly parish of the Shetland Mainland have been added.

More back numbers of Coontin Kin have been added to the Members' Only area of the website. The first 26 editions of the journal are now available there.

WHAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IS HERE! Our lang-lippened Monumental Inscription images database makes it debut online today, nicely in time for Christmas. The first graveyards - Whalsay, Skerries, Lunna, Vidlin and Fair Isle - are now online in the Members’ Area of our website.

The latest edition of Coontin Kin is now available in the Members' Area.

We shall be closing the office on Friday December 1st until around Up Helly Aa (late January).

All welcome to this free collaborative event with the Shetland Family History Society event in the Shetland Library on Saturday 9th September at 7pm. Karen will be available to sign any books

The recent lecture by Frank Hay and John Goodlad at our popular Hay weekend.

All Welcome at the Launch of the Hay Surname Weekend.

The A.G.M. will be held at Garthspool on 21st April 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

We haved now re-opened our Garthspool premises for the year but will be observing the Shetland Holiday on 1st February 2023 when we will be closed. We look forward to seeing you soon

Conference 2022 Handout

The Sharing Shetland virtual conference was held on 22nd October 2022.

Please note that we will be closed from Monday 5th December 2022 and opening again on Monday 30 January 2023. Should you wish to make an appointment between those dates please contact: [email protected]

New content has been added. Data available for members to see includes: 21 of the MI books, and all the indexes to the full series of MI books.

The Hairst Coontin Kin is out now. Look for it on the website Members’ Area or your printed copy arriving in the post.

NEW, research pieces, images and stories.

The Simmer issue of our free to members journal Coontin Kin is in available now.

The Voar issue of our free to members journal Coontin Kin is in available now.

Yet more incentive to purchase a membership – masses of information available online to members. Wills being added regularly, always adding out of print Coontin Kin journals and Monumental Inscriptions. Come and join us! You can purchase a range of types of memberships here.

More material – free to all members!

NEW online content added for members

The latest issue of the society magazine Coontin Kin is now available, issue no.115, Hairst 2020 contains a range of interesting material. The content this time includes:

Connectivity and practical help with all your Shetland genealogy research has always been the focal point of Shetland Family History Society. This website is being added to and new member only areas are coming soon. To add to the mix we have started a dedicated Facebook page, you can find us here.

Moving online for now...

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing situation in Shetland regarding the Covid-19 virus and concerns about the local situation we have taken the decision to close the society offices at Garthspool.

A superbly researched and presented book, now selling in our online shop.

Settled in and ready to meet you all...

The latest issue of the society magazine Coontin Kin is now available, issue no.112, Hairst 2019 contains a range of interesting material. The content this time includes:

Charity regulation, administered by OSCR, indicated that our finances be published.

In conjunction with Shetland Library the Society are delighted to announce the launch of wonderful new book, Hard Down written by Captain Jack Isbester. It covers the fascinating lie of Captain John Isbester from Whiteness.

Charity regulation, administered by OSCR, indicated that our finances be published.

The committee and volunteers of the Shetland Family History Society wish all Shetlanders, the wider Shetland Diaspora and indeed everyone a very merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Along with Strathclyde University, The Scottish Association of Family History Societies has agreed to be collaborators on a programme called “Scotland – One Family One World/ Living DNA”. All member societies have been asked to publicise this to members. Click here for a link to further information.

We are delighted to announce that Shetland Family History Society (SFHS) are now part of the VisitScotland Ancestral Welcome Scheme.

Do you live in Shetland?

Before we even host the next Surname of the Month (see post here) we are busy planning the next one! The Pearson event, part of a larger programme, will be held in the Vidlin Hall on Thursday, 28th July from 2:00 - 4:30 pm.

Surname of the Month, Henry – information now confirmed. Work is on-going investigating and preparing material for the launch of the next Surname of the Month, Henry, a name which has been present in Shetland for 400 years.

Abernethy … Staatsarchiv Bremen. At the Kirk of Weik in Unst Kirk 31st August 1661 John Abernethie Clerk to the Kirk Session writes a testimonial for Harman Dethine and Gert Dethine, his brother. Merchants of Breman, Burgesses of Bremen -the first known Archives record of an Abernethy in Shetland.

Anyone with a family or general interest in the Great War or indeed just an interest in Shetland genealogy would find this an extremely worthwhile event to attend.

Society member Jasmine Moncrieff, member no. Member 2229, reports on the recent event to celebrate Surname of the Month. A new venue and a new story. The Arcus Story. Our ‘Surname of the Month’ continued with Arcus as our July project.

Launch voted a huge success … Saturday the 9th May, 2015 saw the launch of the latest in the series of Surname of the Month events organise by the Society.

Are you visiting Shetland this year? If you are perhaps you would like help with any genealogy research or perhaps even with getting in touch with any living Shetland relatives. We can possibly help there; revised opening times for the Society premises in Lerwick have been published here.

It is perhaps little known but the Shetland Family History Society offer a research service from its base at Hillhead, Lerwick.

A plea in Coontin Kin No. 35 Simmer 2000 asking seamen and women to allow information from their Discharge Books to be copied and retained by the Society for research by future generations has resulted in almost 1000 responses.

At a combined event organised by the Burra History Group and the Shetland Family History Society, the launch of the third Surname of the Month was a most enjoyable evening.

ANDERSON … Origin of Anderson … Most surnames originating in Shetland were patronymic - the children taking their father's forename with -son added to it. Andersons are descended from men called Andrew.

A new initiative launched in Shetland … The official launch of the Sharing Shetland Surnames initiative takes place on Sunday, 8th June.

Members should note that current memberships expire on 31st December 2013. You can renew or purchase a membership here online. If renewing please quote your current membership number, which if you have forgotten, has been sent out with your latest issue of our journal Coontin Kin.

We would love to have images to populate all the parish map pop-out windows. Two images is the minimum we are looking for so if anyone would like to donate images of any of these parishes please email the Editor at: [email protected]