Waltham Forest Family History Society. Waltham Forest Family History Society was founded in 1978 to bring together and to encourage people with an interest in family history and genealogy. We are a small but friendly society that caters for all those with South West Essex ancestry who might live at a distance, and for those who live locally but whose ancestors came from elsewhere. Regular talks on family and local history.

In ancient times Ilford was part of Barking parish, so much of our history is linked to that town and abbey, founded there c. AD 666 and demolished in 1541-2. The Hospital Chapel of St. Thomas of Canterbury, where we hold our meetings, was founded in c. 1140 by Adeliza, Abbess of Barking and this is the oldest and most interesting building in Ilford.