News & Information

New Year Resolutions are notoriously short-lived but they are worth considering in terms of a review of our Family history research progress.  I am writing this to the sound of early fireworks to celebrate the start of 2017. Let’s hope some of the resolutions last longer than the visual effect of the fireworks!

More and more research aids seem to be coming available online so it is advisable to check out our own research for duplicate names, to make sure that we have made the correct links.  I am quick to be annoyed by what I see as the errors on published online trees but this last week have discovered an error on a branch in my own (unpublished) tree caused by using the wrong birth registration – based on an inaccurate age on a census- but now verified as someone else by the addition of the mother’s maiden name on the GRO indexes.

Perhaps a New Year’s Resolution would be to visit a Record Office to consult documents which haven’t been transcribed or photographed for example the Overseers’ Accounts for a particular parish.  For background information about Overseers’ Accounts can be found on this site. These are a rich but underused resource.  They list not only the rate payers of a district but also show how the poorer members of society were helped.   If you have ancestors in Nailsea you may find this transcription helpful - it is part of a site hosted by Ian Sage who spoke to us last year. In Weston Library is a partial transcription of the Weston Overseers Accounts done by Brian Austin several years ago and arranged in alphabetical order rather that chronological order which does enable you to find all payments to particular individuals. 

Free Online Genealogical Course

The University of Strathclyde is offering another free online course in genealogical research which starts on Jan 16th and lasts for 6 weeks.  I dipped in and out of the course which started last July and I still have access to the documents.  I found it very stimulating and did pick up tips about current good practice.  Why not try it at this time of the year when there are fewer distractions like gardening and holidays to take up your time?

Its publicity states that no special knowledge or previous experience of studying is required and that this course will be suitable if you:

• have no experience with genealogy or family history research;
• have some experience with genealogical research but want to develop your skills and knowledge further;
• are a more experienced genealogical researcher but want to learn new searching, analytical or communication techniques or
• find it difficult to access opportunities for training and development.

Newish Records Online

Familysearch has added transcriptions and images of Cambridgeshire Bishops Transcripts .  Bishops Transcripts by their very nature are copies of the registers and subject to some errors but sometimes the BTs are correct and the registers have mistakes!  It is always wise to see what new records have been added to the Familysearch site especially if the images are also available as in this case.

A Book about researching an English Family

I was recently given a copy of "Common People" by Alison Light – it has a sub-title of "The History of an English Family" and was originally published in 2014.  I found it enthralling and delightful – it is the story of a search for essentially a 19th century family.  It is factual and non sentimental setting the various strands of the family against the social history of the time.  With family trees and a full index, Alison Light has written about her own family with care and integrity, producing a beautifully written and moving account of the lives of common people.  I recommend it on all counts.

Descended from Royalty?

Who do you think you are? discovered that Danny Dyer was descended from Edward III,  but how common is it to have a royal connection?  BBC 4 had an interesting article about the possibility of royal ancestors.  It seems that it is very possible but the chances of being able to prove it depends on (as we all know!) whether documents have survived for your particular family.

Writing up your own Family History

During December somebody pointed out this article to me and it makes for interesting and thought provoking reading.  It is headed up "Pass on your passwords, or your family's digital memories will die with you".  Apparently funeral directors are offering advice on safeguarding your digital legacy  When you read this in respect of any family history research you may want to preserve it all makes sense.  Perhaps a paper-based record is best after all?

Open Day 2017?

I had just 2 replies to my query last month about the prospect of an Open Day in 2017 and we will be discussing this at our next committee meeting.  As so few people responded does that mean that the rest of you are not interested in one?

Help Sessions at Libraries.

In December the last session in Weston coincided with my birthday and my thanks go to all for the cards, flowers and the cake which – really appreciated. 

This was followed by a Christmas gathering of all the volunteers in the Library in many different capacities hosted by the Librarians which was much enjoyed.

The weekly sessions will start again on Sat Jan 7th 2.00-3.30pm at Weston Library and the monthly sessions at Portishead Library will be on Wednesdays from Jan 11th from 2.00-4.00pm.  Anyone is welcome to attend not just members and it is free.  If you have a family history query do come along to see if we can help.  You do not have to be researching a North Somerset family – we have access to the library’s computers which have Ancestry and the Newspaper Archive available as well as all the free sites.

Society News

At our last meeting we had the AGM when we formally elected Roy Smith to the role of Treasurer, thanked Bill Caple for his term on the committee and co-opted Lorna Gibson to join the ranks.  This was followed by seasonal refreshments and some fascinating accounts of items which members had brought in which had relevance to their family history.  I am not going to recount them here as I hope that the members concerned will write them up for Paul Tracey to put in the future issues of our journal! 

You should now all have access to the November edition of Buckets and Spades either online or a printed version and will be aware that your membership fee is now due.  We will be pleased to accept this at the January meeting on January 24th when Bill Caple will be sharing his collection of views of Weston.

Hoping that 2017 brings you all that you wish for in terms of personal desires for yourself and those dear to you and success in your family history research.

The Compton Martin marriage transcripts covering the period 1569-1654 are now available for society members to view online.

Please report any transcript errors to the author of this news article.

The following Compton Martin parish transcripts are now available for society members to view online.

Baptisms 1674-1812

Marriages 1674-1754

Please report any transcript errors to the author of this news article.

The Clutton baptism & burial transcripts covering the period 1693-1812 are now available for society members to view online.

Please report any transcript errors to the author of this news letter.

The Hutton St Mary monumental inscriptions have been incoroprated into the burial plot transcript produced  by the Hutton Local History Society and are now available for Society members to view online.

Once again thank you too Sue Hoddinott for providing the photographs.

Please provide any corrections to the author of this news article.

Christmas is celebrated by our families in as many different ways as there are families.  It’s a time for traditions.   Even the decorations which we put on our trees may have been handed down like family heirlooms.  I’m still using some very tired angels which I remember as a child hanging from my grandparents’ tree in war time – well actually it wasn’t a whole tree then – just a branch - but just as symbolic.   As I unwrap them each year memories flood back of childhood times and the excitement of very simple and handmade presents.  If you want to know how Christmas is celebrated around the world take a look at this site about Christmas Customs

Talking to Relatives

Over the Christmas and New Year you may be meeting up with relatives and it is an opportunity to ask some questions about their memories - This article suggests some open-ended questions which might produce some ideas for further research.   It might also prevent you wishing later "If only I’d asked them when I had the chance!"

Several members have commented to me in the past how helpful it has been to have recorded the voices of their relations as they talked of their past.  The Oral History Society has published some guidelines to use when recording interviews for Family History Research which you may find useful.

Tips for Online Research

• The 1939 Register on Findmypast has recently had another 5,000,000 names added to it so it might be worth while taking another look if you were unlucky the first time.  Don’t rely on the index but if you do find a name then check the original for the information about that person.  You can also use the address search which is really helpful if the surname has been mis-transcribed.  It was interesting seeing the neighbours of my parents and grandparents when looking at the whole page.  I could remember so many of them and just seeing them brought back memories.  Including  the name of a neighbour who made me a jointed wooded dog as a gift one Christmas.  I still have it - it has been much loved and played with by children and grandchildren.
• The latest series of  "Who do you think you are" has just started and you can read more about Danny Dyer’s episode on the Findmypast Blog
• On the same page is a link to an article about ways of recording your research and keeping it on a computer but not publishing it online where others can see it.  his is a question I was asked recently by a member who wanted a way of doing this but didn’t want to have their tree seen by other researchers.  The article is written by a person who is connected with a Family Tree programme but the underlying thoughts are worth considering.
• The GRO Index  is proving a tremendous asset - it has allowed me to sort out some previously unknown (to me) births by checking out the maiden name of the mother in 19th century and enabled me to clarify which death refers to my relations with the age at death indicated in the early records. 
• On our web site under Research Aids & Transcripts  not only will full members find transcriptions of the Baptismal, Marriage & Burial Records of the parishes within our area but also under Transcripts of Various Memorials they will find 7 churches where the memorials in the churchyard have been photographed and transcribed.  –There’s even a HASE grave in Kewstoke which had taken me a long time to find several years ago.  Thank you very much to those who are making this possible.   There is also an alphabetical list of memorials at St Martin’s Worle. Transcriptions of the School Registers for Wick St Lawrence 1875-1912 are also to be found under Research Aids & Transcripts.
• I recently discovered that some members of the HASE family moved away from Somerset and settled in Manchester and I knew very little about Manchester until I found this web site for Manchester Family History Research  It has masses of interesting background information and links to where you can find out more.  The colour of the text on the site is sometimes difficult but it is worth persevering.  If you know of web sites which have proved helpful why not let us all know - you can always add a comment to this Update.

Our Society in 2017

At our AGM last week we invited those who attended to give us ideas for activities which the Society could arrange to further their research.  We are also trying to decide whether to hold an Open Day in 2017 or not.  Could we have some idea of whether you would support such an event?  In the past we have held one every other year to which we invite other Local History Groups and neighbouring Family History Societies to take stands but lately at other similar events the attendance has been disappointing.  

If we held one in 2017 – please let us know by email to any member of the committee or to myself

• Would you be able to help?
• Would you attend?
• Can you suggest a suitable location?
• What would you like to see at such event?
• Any other ideas for publicizing the Society?

I have had some queries about the November edition of Buckets & Spades which we hope will be being sent out very soon and will be available to full members on the web site.  

Just a reminder that subs for 2017 are now due and we look forward to renewing your membership for another year of fantastic strides forward in family history research! 

We do not have a meeting in December but we look forward to January when we welcome Bill Caple with his pictorial views of Weston-super-Mare.  If any of you have any pictures or postcards of the area we cover please bring them along.

Wishing you all a very enjoyable Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year with more new additions to your family tree.