Thank you for attending RQG Conference 2026
Saturday, 25 April 2026
The Birmingham & Midland Institute, Birmingham (UK)
RQG welcomed nearly 100 genealogists and family historians in Birmingham (UK) on Saturday 25 April 2026 for our biannual family history conference. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Exploring the Past, Embracing the Future’. In line with RQG’s commitment to excellence, the programme emphasised evidence-based practice, critical analysis, and the clear communication of research findings. Networking was a core element of the day, with informal opportunities to connect with peers.
We were delighted to be joined by our two distinguished keynote speakers Professor Rebecca Probert (University of Exeter) – Researching bigamy through family history records, and Dr Sophie Kay (Khronicle®) – Ethics and You: a people-centred guide to genetic genealogy.
We were also joined by a fantastic selection of speakers throughout the day:
- Michael Tobias – DNA Case Study – The Unknown Fathers,
- Justine Gallagher – Poverty, Parenting and Prostitution: Children admitted to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Industrial School (1880-1891)
- Elizabeth Walne – Will bots tell your story? AIOs, GEO and getting your ancestors a click
- John Cleary – Who drew that tree? A Regency family tree mystery
- David Ryan – Exploring Irish Census Records
- Nicholas Dixon – Conviviality and Decorum: A Journey Through Two Centuries of Masonic Ancestry
- Jananne Rahman – William Maybank and the Hyde Park Riots of 1866
- Nicola Johnson – Titanic Myths: What the Records Really Reveal
- Patricia Coveney Sears – Making the Invisible Visible: non-elite women in pre-famine south-west Ireland
- Julie Kathleen Johnson – Workhouse Voices Recovered: Archival Research and Genealogical Practice in 18th–19th Century Suffolk
Carol Bannister, Toni Sutton and Helen Tovey also ran an interactive workshop: Crafting, pitching & publishing genealogy & family history articles.
