British Isles Interest Group
The Southern California Genealogical Society's British Isles Special Interest Group meets online on the 4th Sunday of even months: February, April, June, August, and October (there is no December meeting) from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Check the calendar and social media for updates.
About Us
The British Isles Interest Group promotes and encourages interest in family history, particularly relating to ancestry in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. We educate and encourage others in British Isles family history through research assistance, a variety of resources and a community in order to facilitate the acquisition and exchange of family history research information.
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Meeting Access Information
British Isles Interest Group meetings are held online.
Join the meeting online:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/464872341
Join by phone:
United States: +1 (224) 501-3412
Access Code: 464-872-341
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Everyone with an interest is welcome to participate! For more information contact britishisles@scgsgenealogy.com
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2026 British Isles Interest Group Schedule
The Southern California Genealogical Society’s British Isles Interest Group continues its tradition of meeting regularly throughout the year. In 2026, the group will meet five times—on the fourth Sunday of the even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, and October)—bringing together enthusiasts and researchers with shared interests in the British Isles. This page, the SCGS Events section, and the SCGS Calendar are the best sources for the latest programs, speakers, meeting details, and updates you need to plan your participation.
British Isles Interest Group Leader,
Jan Dougall
Number of Immigrants to the United States from Great Britain 1820-1957
Between 1820 and 1957, over 4.5 million people emigrated from Great Britain to the United States. The highest levels of immigrants were during the 1860s to 1880s, with almost 110,000 immigrants in 1888 alone. The period with the lowest levels of migration came in the 1930s and early 1940s, as the Great Depression caused an economic crisis across the globe, hitting the U.S. and Great Britain particularly hard. Economic recovery in the late 1930s caused the migration rate to increase again, before World War II brought the numbers back down in the first half of the 1940s.
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O'Neill, Aaron, Statistica.com, 2 Feb. 2024, Statistica.com
More at the SCGS Library
Cornish Collection
The SCGS Library has an excellent collection of Cornish ancestry records dating back to the 1500s. These records include the celebrated Ross Collection of births, marriages, deaths, and other official government and church records in Cornwall. Our collection also includes records of Cornish miners in California, Michigan, and other areas of the United States where Cornish people worked and lived.