The Hungerford & Associated Families Society Inc (HAFS) was founded by Ron Prentice in Sydney, Australia in 1990. Later, HAFS was incorporated as an association in NSW in December 2001. As an incorporated association, our Constitution (see a copy at the bottom of this page) prescribes how we operate.
Broadly, HAFS aims to research, record and share the history of the Hungerfords and their descendants in Australia and New Zealand, for the benefit of both family members and broader society. To achieve this, the society:
- collects and stores a growing range of historical research material
- publishes a Newsletter each February and August and a Journal each May and November.
- runs HAFS tours and events to places of historical interest, and to provide an opportunity to introduce family members to each other.
HAFS detailed Aims & Objectives are listed here.
There are now some 100 HAFS members, mainly in Australia, but also some in USA, Canada, England and New Zealand. Some HAFS members also belong to our US counterpart, The Hungerford Family Foundation, Inc.
Members have varying interests in genealogical research, linking with other family members, and, more recently, analysing DNA matches to find distant (or not so distant) cousins. One recent and exciting “discovery” has been the confirmation that John Knight (a ward of Emanuel Hungerford who came to Australia with Emanuel and his family) was almost certainly the son of Emanuel.
Our records indicate there are around 10,000 Australian Hungerford descendants living today, so we hope to increase member numbers through our website and a growing range of activities. Membership of the Hungerford and Associated Families Society is open to any family member and friends and researchers with a close link or special interest in our research and activities.
The Society is run by a Committee which is elected at our Annual General Meetings. Reports of general meetings are provided to Members in our Newsletters and on this website. The AGM is usually held in conjunction with an annual church service and a social event, so members who have travelled have a chance to meet each other and view our publications, historical materials and so on. All members are welcome to attend the AGM, the lunch and the Church service as suits.