News & Information

The following Nempnett Thrubwell parish transcripts are now available for society members to view online.

Baptisms 1699-1807

Burials 1698-1807

Marriages 1698-1754

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

The 1st March and St David’s Day – Celebrating the patron saint of Wales – it’s always interesting to consider that many who consider themselves to be Welsh are descended from families who moved into the Principality from other parts of Britain including Somerset!  This is of course the case for every family everywhere - there are very few who can claim to be solely from one country, that’s part of the richness of family history research.

Archives

• We were sorry to have to cancel the visit to the National Archives at Kew through lack of numbers and apologise to those who had already ordered records to view and to those who were looking forward to using the free access to the 1939 Register on Findmypast. 
• We hope to arrange a behind-the-scenes visit later this year to the Somerset Heritage Centre at Taunton.  In the meantime look at this about the North Somerset Archivist’s visits to Weston.  As I mentioned the March 3rd date in the last Update hopefully you will have ordered documents to be brought to the Library but you can also seek advice from the Archivist about what is available by going into the Library on Thursday of this week and talking about your requirements.
• A reminder that by using the online facilities of the North Somerset Library you can get free access to the Times Digital Archive 1785-2010 and the very useful UK Newstand Website for more recent publications – just remember to enter NSC before your Library number (NSC = North Somerset Council).  And don’t forget Zinio which provides you with many free magazines.  “Your Family Tree” magazine has changed its name this month to “Your Family History” but is 100 pages packed with information and something everyone with a North Somerset Library ticket can and should access especially as it’s free!

Buckets & Spades

• You should now have received the latest edition of Buckets & Spades – if not it probably means that you haven’t yet paid your annual subscription – when you do you will get access to a copy!  Thanks to Paul Tracey for once again producing a fascinating Issue.  As mentioned before he is looking for someone to take over from him as editor.  So far no one has come forward but for the continuity of this society we do need an editor! 
• Peter de Dulin has started a new series about what Family History Books you would take to a Desert Island.  Even if you can’t recommend 8 books this is your opportunity to share your favourites with the rest of us.  The dead line for the next issue is the end of May. 
• As 2016 is 100 years after the disastrous Battle of the Somme it has been suggested that  articles containing reference to that aspect of WW1 would also be topical this year.

Aerial Photographs

• The current edition of Bucket & Spades contained an article about Laura Buildings which was demolished when the NCP Car Park in Regent Street was built.  This resulted in one of our members visiting the North Somerset Studies Section of Weston-super-Mare Library on Saturday and finding some marvellous aerial photographs of the area. They included Laura Buildings but were taken at a time before the Odeon was built in 1935 and has Victoria Methodist Church, with a spire, before the fire in 1934.  The whole collection is well worth investigating if you have connections with North Somerset. 
• If your family comes from other parts of Britain take a look at Britain from Above you may be lucky enough to find some historical views of interest to you.

Victoria Methodist Church

• Having mentioned the Victoria Methodist Church in Weston-super-Mare its website includes information about some of the people connected with this Church and WW1. 
• Weston Library has a copy of film (not fiche) of the christenings of the Victoria Methodist Circuit - this hasn't yet been transcribed but covers quite a large area of Somerset including Mark

Other Societies

• It was with regret that we heard of the closure of the Sedgemoor Branch of the Somerset & Dorset FHS.  Several of us have attended their meetings in Highbridge and some of their members came to Weston. 
• Similarly the Fishponds Local History Society has also closed and their web site contains information about the bombing of Weston because one of their members had researched it.

• The Avon Local History & Archaeology latest newsletter updates can be read here 

On the Internet

• Our web site has been very quiet this month – with  the exception of the steady stream of additional transcriptions from Graham!  It is remarkable that so few of our full members seem to use the Research Forum – does this mean that you have all finished your research? – in which case should we expect an influx of articles celebrating your successes in Buckets & Spades?  
• I frequently refer to the excellent Lost Cousins newsletter as a way of keeping up to date -  but if you still haven’t signed up for it – and it is free! – Here’s the latest one dated March  and as usual it’s a mine of information.  Look at the previous ones as well if this is new to you.
• If you have connections with Norfolk you may be interested to learn that Findmypast has added transcriptions and images of records.  Search for them by using the Search A-Z of Record Sets and entering Norfolk in the Search Box – for other county records enter that county’s name instead.  For some counties you will find a wide range of records including overseers’ and Church wardens’ accounts etc. They are searchable and images are available but sometimes you may find them difficult to read!

Latest News

• Thank you to those who have volunteered to help out at sessions at other libraries – you will be contacted about starting dates and the Libraries will be publicising the events to coincide with the Local & Community History Month in May.
• If you know of anyone who was evacuated to Weston during WW2 please will you contact David TYLER who is compiling a file of information about those who spent the war years in Weston. 
• For those of you who were at the February meeting and saw the picture of the Transport Division of the Weston-super-Mare Home Guard taken in 1941 – Over the door behind them was the name “St Julian’s”.  From early street directories we have been able to locate this from the list of Villa and House Names as being at 26 Alexandra Parade.  So many of Weston’s houses had names that this facility to find out where they were is very helpful.
• The latest edition of the BBC Programme Flog it came from Weston-super-Mare and included a section on the development of the town as a sea-side destination.  You should be able to watch it during March on BBCiplayer – It’s Series 14 Episode 24
• Next Society Meeting – A Members’ Evening – As we now have wifi available at St Paul’s Church Hall if you would like to bring your laptops etc with you we can look at some of the sites available to you and perhaps assist you to access them or make full use of them.  We will be looking at the best way to use the 1939 Register, Familysearch, our own website and methods of recording your research.  

We ended January with a timely reminder from our speaker, Peter Lamb, at the monthly meeting that Family History can be intriguing and also frustrating.  Whilst researching his own family history Peter discovered a very interesting man who he thought was his mother’s uncle with connections to many famous people of his time which brought alive the political history of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating with his death on the Titanic. Unfortunately he later discovered that his connection with this man wasn’t as close as he had originally thought but that didn’t negate the importance of his findings.  However, he really did have a lion tamer in his family!!

“February Fill Dyke” goes the old saying meaning that we in Britain are in for yet more of the wet stuff.  The dykes or ditches are often called rhynes in this part of the world and are an integral part of the drainage systems for low-lying areas.  What other old weather sayings do you know which would have been important to our ancestors as they went about their daily business?  The Met Office has produced this site which does explain some of them. 

February also brings us St Valentine’s Day – with its origins clouded in history – Several web sites give some idea of how and why the traditions started this one seems less fanciful than some of the others. 

This picture is of what is described as possibly the first printed Valentine’s Day Card in the UK.

The delicate card has been pierced to produce a lace effect in the corners and is decorated with cupids, doves and flowers which were probably hand coloured after printing. It was published on 12th January 1797 by John Fairburn of 146, Minories, London. It includes a verse printed around the edge:

"Since on this ever Happy day,
All Nature's full of Love and Play
Yet harmless still if my design,  
'Tis but to be your Valentine."

It was sent from a Catherine MOSSDAY to a Mr Brown of Dover Place, Kent Road, London but as yet I haven’t found any trace of her!  

Do any of our members have any examples of Valentine Cards sent to their ancestors?   

This year is Leap Year so on February 29th it is traditionally the day on which women can propose marriage which does seem a little out of kilter with equality these days but good luck to any of our members who are planning this!

Society News

• Our Society has joined the Avon Local History and Archaeology Group. We firmly believe that you cannot fully research families without studying the local history of the area in which they lived and vice versa and by joining this group you will be able to hear about the work being done by its member societies.  A copy of its newsletter will be made available on our website for members only.
• Hopefully if you are able to go to TNA at Kew with the Society on March 10th you will be thinking of what you hope to find while you are there and using the Discovery Catalogue to identify what is available at this time. It’s not too late to contact Brian Airey if you would like to join the visit.  If you are going to consult the 1939 Register while you are there you may well find this podcast of use to you in understanding the background to the Register. It lasts about an hour but is well worth the time even without the pictures! – it is of course also useful if you cannot make the visit to Kew and will be using Findmypast to get the information.
• We are hoping to increasing the number of Help Sessions we offer in North Somerset Libraries whilst retaining the weekly sessions in Weston-super-Mare.  Monthly sessions may take place at Worle, Portishead and the Healthy Living Centre in Lonsdale Avenue - Watch this space for details of dates and times.  If you live near any of these libraries and would like to offer your services please contact Maureen Harvey or any other committee member.

Research News

Canadian Records 

• The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has published a database called Immigrants to Canada: Porters and Domestics 1899 – 1949. Free to search. 
• They have also added to their database of Canadian naturalization records so that it now covers 1915 to 1944. Free to search.

Familysearch

• Alaska - Familysearch has added records from Alaska - They are birth, marriage, death and divorce records 1816 to 1959. Free to search.
• Just a reminder that the LDS Family History Centre in Weston-super-Mare is open for you to consult some records which are only available in their own computers.   Phone for an appointment.

General Hints and Tips

• When communicating with other family historians on web pages or in emails it is helpful to write the SURNAME in upper case.  It really helps those who are trying to help if the SURNAME stands out from the page.
• When asking for help please give a little background information such as names and approximate birth dates (not your whole research! - but relevant to your query and enough that the helper has something to work with)
• This web page from the Oxford Family History Society gives some background to some common queries.  Some of it refers to that society but most is generally applicable.

Buckets & Spades​

February will bring a welcome new edition and we are very grateful to Paul for all the hard work he puts in our behalf but he is looking out for a successor and would love to hear from anyone who is interested in taking over from him.

February Meeting 

We welcome back Lynda Hotchkiss to give a talk about use of differing resources.  With her experience as a genealogist her talks are interesting and relevant to anyone researching their family.

Clevedon’s Curzon  cinema screens Make More Noise on Sunday 31st January at 5pm.

This collection of over 20 short films from the BFI National Archive combines gloriously anarchic comedies, newsreels and documentaries to create a fascinating insight into the early 20th Century struggle for women’s suffrage.
 
This BFI Collection will be accompanied, live, by composer Lillian Henley with her specially commissioned score. It will be followed by a Q&A with Tara Judah, film critic and Bryony Dixon, head of film restoration at the BFI.
 
It will follow Sarah Gavron’s outstanding feature Suffragette at 2pm.

Just had an email stating the 1939 register will be added to my subscription from February 16th!

Another New Year with a fresh start and with the same old resolutions!!  How did you get on last year checking and entering all the sources for your family research? 

Events in January

• It is 75 years since the first blitz of Weston-super-Mare in January 1941 and there will be a short dedication of the Board recording those civilians who lost their lives and are buried in Weston Cemetery.  This will take place at 2.00 pm on Thursday January 7th at the site of the Civilian Graves in the Cemetery and members of the Society are welcome to attend.  Details of the board can be seen here.  If you know anyone who may have connections with any of the families named on the Memorial please will you let them know.
•  Our Saturday Help Sessions have had a short break but will start again every Saturday from January 9th 2.00 – 3.30 pm.  If you haven’t been before, you do not need to book, but bring along your library ticket or some means of identification and some information about what you hope to find. Remember the library has access to Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive covering Great Britain as well as the extensive North Somerset Local Collection of Directories, Maps etc.

Research Forum 

The Weston Mercury printed an article about the broken tomb stone for Walter Henry EAGLES and shortly afterwards we received this photograph from a distant relation of Walter EAGLES showing that originally the small stone had been preserved alongside the official CWGC stone.

Do use our Reseach Forum if you have a brick wall or have a general query about research.  Our membership is very knowledgeable and keen to help.

North Somerset Registration Service

 I drew your attention to a proposal to change the running of the North Somerset Registration Service in October.  At the beginning of December it was decided to go ahead with the scheme to share the service with Somerset. Details can be seen here but I can see no mention of the fate of the historic and original documents for this area which are the basis for the GRO Indexes and often need to be consulted in the light of poor transcriptions.   

Family History Software Packages

The news in December that Ancestry was “retiring” Family Tree Maker highlighted the changes in methods of research over the years.  Apparently it is now more common to access your family tree on your mobile than it is on a lap top and the need for software to do this is diminishing.  The general outcry against this move (see Ancestry Blog ) would suggest that many people have been upset by this commercial decision and that not everyone wants to store their Family Tree online!

Some of you may find genealogytools.com  helpful  in choosing a replacement  - the options include Gramps which featured in a discussion on our Research Forum   2 days before the announcement from Ancestry!

We have to accept that changes and progress are inevitable but if you are using FTM you do not have to rush, you have a year to decide what to do next.  Many of the alternative software packages are offering enticements to FTM users so look carefully at what is on offer and compare it with your own needs.  Perhaps use this opportunity to review your research and in doing so discover what new resources are now available – and even new methods of entering sources!

Useful Sites

• I wouldn’t normally recommend a site which is 4/5 years old but this BBC article about resources makes some interesting points about free sites and those for which you have to pay. 
• For an over view of English Ancestry Research – although written from the American perspective – this gives an interesting guideline to what records are available at various dates.
• I have mentioned this before but in most areas with your library ticket you can access at home some Magazines including Your Family Tree – each month it will give you interesting articles and helpful advice – why not try it? For North Somerset Members  - try this site for  Online Services and click on the last item “Zinio emagazines” and follow the instructions. You can even read back issues

Tithe Maps and Apportionment Schedules

To end the year on a high – I have been able to identify where William HASE was living in Cross by using the 1838 Tithe Map with its linked Apportionment Schedule for Compton Bishop which was released by TheGenealogist on Christmas Eve. 

In various documents William was referred to as a journeyman Blacksmith and I discovered a William HARSE [sic] occupying a cottage and garden on Plot 198 while next door on Plot 199 was a Smith’s Shop (with no living accommodation) occupied by James EMERY who is described as a Master Blacksmith on the censuses and was actually living just down the road.   So I now believe that James must have been William’s employer.  This tithe map facility is really helpful but is only available if you have a Diamond subscription to TheGenealogist.  I’ve looked at the original Tithe map before but not made the connection - can’t imagine how I came to miss it!

I was delighted to find it, and in other parts of the country I’ve been able to find the places where other direct ancestors lived – The STOKES in Wraxall, Somerset, The HILL family in Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire, the JONES in Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire etc.

Society News

• We have a committee meeting arranged for the 18th January and if you have any suggestions for activities or events you would like to see the society provide please will you let us know. 
• Our January Society meeting is on January 26th when Peter Lamb will recount his research into a member of his family and his connection with the Titanic.
• We wish all our members a very happy, healthy and successful 2016 and look forward to their contributions to the Research Forum and Members’ Interests and perhaps at meetings