News & Information

Another month, another Update!   Let’s start with a request for members to add anything which they have found helpful to them in their hunt to discover their past. Just add your comment after this item. These Updates started at the beginning of 2012 and looking back over them I can see that there have been several instances of new resources becoming available on the internet.   I have highlighted those which have come to my knowledge but I’m sure that other members will have found more so please can we get to hear of them.

Sadly we have just lost another member.  Our sympathy goes to Jill Gamlin following the death of her husband Ian.  Ian and Jill have held a family membership for many years and often attended meetings.  Ian gave us a very interesting talk about his sea-faring ancestors in the north east demonstrating that although we are called the Weston-super-Mare & District FHS our members’ interests are very widespread. I remember Ian's surprise when he discovered that before moving "up north" his family actually came from Somerset!

September is a time to review our family history – and to look again at some of the areas which have become a stumbling block.  Refreshed after the summer when holidays and gardening seem to take priority it is an excellent idea to take a fresh perspective.   Going back through my research to fill in the gaps;   it’s surprising how much more has become available in the last few years – it’s worth the effort to check your earlier research.   You may need different research skills than before.  The old IGI on microfiche had some doubtful patron entries but has been superseded by Familysearch.org (this is a link which limits your search to the UK & Ireland). Scroll down the page to see the range of resources available some of which alow you to see scanned images of the original.  As a free aid to research it should not be overlooked.

   During August there was a fascinating exhibition of the History of Worle presented by the Worle History Society. More details on their web site.  The members of that Society are to be congratulated for the work they all put in to produce such an interesting and well presented event.

We had a stand at the Worle exhibition and Graham Payne was able to help some of the visitors investigate their families.

This photo is showing Graham ready to offer assistance.  As he has ancestors from this area he had a great deal of local knowledge as well as access though our web site to all the transcriptions which he has made available to our members (assisted in some cases by other members who are also transcribing and checking). 

The rate at which the transcriptions are appearing is amazing and we all thank Graham for his dedication to this work.

   Some of us (or our parents) may have had Honorary Aunts and Uncles – those of you who have seen our WW1 exhibition in the Library will have seen how I managed to trace one of these from information sent on one of those embroidered cards from France to my mother.  But who was Uncle Georgie?  Why didn’t I ask her while she was still alive?! As far as I knew she didn’t have an actual Uncle George.

This is only a very small part of our WW1 exhibition which will move to the Library in Worle throughout September.  If you can get there - do spend some time reading the stories which our members have researched.  There are more in the current edition of Buckets & Spades.

This year there has been a concentration on the effect of the 1914-18 war on members of our families both those who served and those who supported the country in other ways at home.  There have been some really thought provoking exhibitions staged about the Great War. 

• One of these is at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.  Based in Taunton Castle, this brilliant museum is well worth a visit anyway for all the artefacts depicting the development of life in Somerset.    The WW1 Exhibition is on display at the Museum of Somerset until  3 January 2015. The museum is open from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (last entry 4.30 pm) Tuesday to Saturday, and Bank Holiday Mondays. Entry to the museum and the exhibition is free. For further information visit: Somerset  Remembers
• For a really atmospheric WW1 experience I can heartily recommend the exhibition staged by the Museum in Wells, which includes a replica of a trench with realistic sound effects.  This one will be there for four years and will be updated each year.  At the moment they are focussing on what happened in 1914 but in 2015 this will be changed to look at 1915 and so on.  For further information visit:  Wells Remembers. 
• Don’t forget the Five Lives – Five Stories Exhibition which continues at Weston Museum until 14th Dec 2014.  Entry to the exhibition if free and It documents the lives of five different North Somerset people and the part they played in the Great War.  See Five Lives – Five Stories for more details.

This month I’ve been looking at some of the videos on YouTube which may or may not be helpful to furthering your research.

• National Archives – How to use the National Archives for Family History Research  This was made in 2012 and there have been some changes since but the talk does take this into consideration
• The Family History Show with Nick Barrett has some videos online one of which includes reference to ancestry to King Canute!
• At a members’ evening Paul Tracey showed us some ways of using Google to better effect when researching family history.  There are a series of videos available entitled The Google Genealogist – Parts 1 to 5 and New Tips and Tricks.  You may already know all these methods but you may not!
• There are 75 videos put on by the Barefoot Genealogist (employed by Ancestry) from which you can choose a topic which interests you.  If you are researching American links in your family these may be particularly useful, although some of her examples are British.   An example is this one about finding a woman’s maiden name.
• If you can recommend any other please add them as a comment to this item.

Looking Ahead

• Our September Meeting will welcome  Andrew James  talking about his own family research  “From Farmer’s fields to Flander’s Fields”
• The Chapel in the Milton Road Cemetery will be open as usual during the 2nd Saturday, Sept  13th,  from 1.30 until 3.30pm
• The Help Sessions every Saturday afternoon in the Library from 2.00 until 3.30pm
• As I mentioned in the last Update  - The Open Doors weekend takes place on the 2nd weekend of September the 13th & 14th and the Bristol & Avon FHS has its Open Day on September 27th
• Look out for a visit to the Who do you think you are?Live event in Birmingham in April 2015. April 16th - 18th.  If you haven't already done so please can you let Brisn Airey know if you would like to go - actual date to be arranged.
• Keep May 16th 2015 free for a visit to the SWAG fair at the Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare.  Details include a list of all the exhibitors.  

Finally, look out for news about a new feature on our web site.  A welcome new facility is being worked on which when introduced will be a tremendous asset to all our members researching local families.

   August is always a quiet month where family history is concerned.  We do not have a monthly meeting but that does not mean that research stops.  The Help Sessions continue in the Library every Saturday from 2.00 pm until 3.30 pm.  If you have not been in before, why not come in one Saturday to discuss your research - you do not have to be a member to come in for help.   There is a bonus if you are researching a local family because there is a wealth of information in the Local Studies Library.    This includes family trees of local families which have been produced by Life Member, Brian Austin as well as his transcriptions of other documents the originals of which are in the Somerset Heritage Centre. 

 Last month the Library Staff gave a tea-party as a “Thank you” for all the volunteers who help out in the library. You can see that we were well represented – just count the blue shirts – and two of our members were not wearing their shirts that afternoon!    

July saw our Open Day and to echo Brian Airey’s words of thanks at the last meeting - We were very grateful for all the help given in setting up and running the event and thanks also go to those members of other Societies who travelled to Weston to demonstrate what they had to offer.  Although there was free entry to the Open Day we covered our costs – thanks to the draw, the refreshments, the sales from the stand and a couple of new members. There are a few photographs elsewhere on this site.  The WW1 Memories exhibition which was a major part of the Open Day has moved to Weston Library during August – if you couldn’t get to the Open Day, do go and spend some time looking at the exhibits and perhaps reading some of the research which has been undertaken by members. 

Just after the Open Day we were saddened to hear of the death of Sheila Anderson.  With a Membership No of 2, Sheila was a founder member (and honorary life-member) of our Society.  Her experience of family history research, which dated back to before Computers, resulted in knowledge and understanding of records which she willingly shared with other members.  She was a committee member for many years and filled the roles of Secretary and Chair at various times.  Sheila was frequently to be seen behind the stand at Family History Fairs and was well known to other Societies. 

 Another life member, Brian Austin, was our speaker at the July meeting giving a thought provoking talk about what we can expect to discover about our families if we rely on the reported word.  Like Sheila he started researching his family and the local area many years ago.  Brian has become the local expert in Weston Families.  Over the past 50 years he has seen many changes not only in society itself but also in the methodology of research.  He questioned whether there had been an improvement!

The BBC programme “Who do you think you are?” is celebrating 10 years and 100 episodes with a look back at its past programmes on August 6th and will start Series 11 on August 7th with a look at the ancestry of the actress Julie Walters.  This usually means that this will encourage some new people to start their family history research because it all looks so easy on the TV!  The reality is that although you can make a rapid and encouraging start there will come a time when you will need all the perseverance and lateral thinking you can muster.  This is where a Family History Society can be a tremendous help.  To be able to talk to others who have met with the same problems and can offer suggestions is one of the benefits of membership.  Come to a meeting, describe your stumbling block on our Research Forum or come into the library where two or more brains are often better than one. 

If you have found a resource which is new to you please share it with the rest of us – you can use the Research Forum to do this.

• The North Somerset Library Services online services offers a wide range of options which can be used at home using your library card number.  Until it was pointed out to me at the last meeting I had overlooked the very last item on this page – The Zinio eMagazine – this enables you to read online 25 different current magazines including “Your Family Tree” and other magazines which may interest you.  If you live in another area check with your own library to see what it offers.
• The Chapel in the Cemetery will be open to the public on Saturday afternoon of August 9th from 2.00pm – If you haven’t seen inside now is the time to do so and perhaps check up where either your ancestors or other well known Weston forefathers were buried. 
• Whilst considering resources for WW1 Research I was recently made aware that the Commonwealth War Grave Commission has introduced a section entitled “Discover 14-18” which gives greater detail about the course of the war.
• With more images of original documents becoming available you might find this free online course from the National Archives on how to read old hand writing helpful. It is a step by step guide to various styles of writing which allows you to attempt to transcribe various samples.  It certainly takes practice to read some of them but there are some helpful tips.   There is also a course for reading Latin
• If any of you have Scottish relatives who died in WW1 you will find this site useful.  It has been created to collect together all the many and various memorials to the servicemen and women of World War 1

Looking forward to September

• Look out for the Heritage Open Days during the weekend of 11th-14th September.   To discover what will be open in Bristol take a look at this web site  and for places to visit during Somerset Open Doors see this site
• Bristol & Avon FHS will be holding their Open Day on Saturday 27th at  The University of the West of England Conference Centre, Frenchay, Bristol BS34 8QZ. Open 10.00am to 4.00pm For more details and a list of all the exhibitors see their website.
• Our speaker at the end of September will be Andrew Janes who will be talking about tracing members of his family From Farmers Fields to Flanders Fields.

If you are using the holiday season to visit those parts of the country well known to your ancestors don’t forget that local history groups as well as local libraries and museums may well have the answer to your questions. Come back refreshed and ready to knock down those brick walls!

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our Open Day on Saturday 12th July. It will be opened by the Town Mayor, Councillor Ros Willis, at 10.00am and entry is free. 

We have noticed lately that the attendance at other Family History Open Days in neighbouring counties has been less than in the past – possibly due to all the advertising which tells you how easy it is to trace your family?  But, those who do come always seem to remark – “I didn’t know so much help was available!”  

If you are thinking twice about coming to ours – please think again because not only do we have stands from Family History Societies and Local History Groups (The full list of exhibitors can be seen here) but we also have an exhibition put together by Caroline from members’ own research about WW1. It’s not too late to contact Caroline with anything which you have for display.

If the excellent edition of Buckets & Spades which Paul has just produced on the same theme is anything to go by the exhibition will be fascinating.  If you are not yet a member there will be copies available at the Open Day for sale.

Some of our members will be at the Library that afternoon as usual for the Free Advice Session from 2.00 until 3.30, but we will also have a Help Desk at St Paul’s running all day so if you are stuck, or have not started to research yet, you should be able to get individual help in either place.

Whilst talking about Open Days - The annual “Who do you think you are? Live” is moving from London in 2015 and will be at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham from 16th-18th April.  This is a little nearer us so you might consider a visit if you haven’t done so before.   As this date clashed with the one originally chosen for the SWAG (South West Area Group of Family History Societies) Fair at the Winter Gardens in Weston - that will now take place on May 16th 2015. So make a note of that date in your diaries for next year.

At our last meeting I mentioned a problem I had discovered with a small part of the transcription and images of the 1851 census of St Paul’s Bristol.  Ancestry has only filmed every other page, and out of the 54 pages involved FindmyPast has omitted 30 of them.  I wondered whether some of  the originals had been lost - but no – The Genealogist has filmed the complete set!   I spotted this because a family I was looking for went over two pages and of course both Ancestry and FindmyPast produced only half the family (not the same half!) making a complete nonsense of their transcriptions.  However I did find the complete family on The Genealogist and this led me to wonder how often this happens especially when we say we cannot find a person on a particular census – do check that the page numbers are consecutive and that no schedule numbers are missing.  This can’t be the only time it has happened.

• Ancestry has gone over the WW1 Service Records and Pension Records for 1914-1920 and re-indexed them to include the names of spouses, next of kin and other family members shown on these records.  This might enable you to narrow down the records for a man with a fairly common surname by searching for next of kin etc.
•  Should you be researching Canadian records – Familysearch  has just added births from Ontario from 1869-1912
• The Welsh Newspapers  now cover 1804-1919 – free online and are responsible for this July Update taking 3 times as long to write as I get side-tracked finding relations I didn’t know I had!

At our next monthly meeting – on 29th July - Life member and Local Historian, Brian Austin, looks back on the characters and events he has chronicled during his 50 years of Weston research. He’s called his talk “50 years and still at it!”  This society grew out of some adult education classes he ran at Weston College when he shared his great enthusiasm and knowledge with eager students - some of whom are still members today.  He also single-handedly ran research sessions both in Bristol and Weston Libraries.  This was before computers when Brian will say you had to do the research the “proper way”!  To help people research Weston families he did the original transcriptions of the censuses and other local records which are still available in Weston Library along with many files of family trees of local families.

We do not have a meeting in August but don't forget that anyone can ask for help via our Research Forum and of course any member can offer help by replying with a comment.  If you have any ideas for Speakers you would like to listen to or topics you would like included in 2015 I would be glad to hear from you.

We are looking forward to the next edition of Buckets and Spades with its emphasis on WW1.  Paul has reported that it will be a bumper production with many members contributing articles.  If you still have some research Caroline is waiting eagerly for items to display on our Open Day on 12th July.  You can contact her through this site using our Contact us button and choosing Memories of World War 1 as the category. 

For those of you who are reading this within the next 6 days there is an interesting programme on BBC i-Player about Horses during WW1 and as it concerns Portishead you may well find this interesting.  It’s called The Equine Army and can be seen here

We have given some help with information for an exhibition to commemorate the centenary of the First World War which will be on display at the Weston-super-Mare Museum from Saturday 7th June to Sunday 14th December 2014. The exhibition is called Five Lives, Five Stories: North Somerset People and the First World War. It examines the impact of the War on five North Somerset people tracing their stories before, during and after the War, in which each played a very different role.

These people are:

• Robert William Cruse (1878-1917) who fought with A Company, ‘Bristol’s Own’, 12th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
• Edith Graves-Knyfton, nee Alston, (1876-1964) who worked as Vice-President for the British Red Cross for Weston-super-Mare District
• Alfred Leete (1882-1933) who designed the most iconic image of the First World War showing Kitchener.  Alfred Leete was educated in Weston and was buried in Weston Cemetery
• Harry Mogg (1860-1929) who led Mogg’s Military Prize Band at recruitment events and fundraising concerts
• Beatrice Page, nee Granger, (1889-1972) who was the first female tram driver in the South West of England/possibly the country

Our Society  will be putting in an appearance at the  Kewstoke Local History Group  exhibition  later this week – if you do have any connections with Kewstoke take a look at their site to see the extent of their holdings and what will be on view during the exhibition  and do come along even if you have no actual connection with Kewstoke we will not be limiting the area we can help with!  - it’s always an interesting exhibition .

I am firmly of the belief that you cannot do family history research without looking at the local history of the area which was home to your family.  Bearing this in mind the website Vision of Britain   can be very helpful – its maps and links to other information set the scene for a deeper understanding of the area.  It also has a link to Oldmaps Online  which is an amazing site with detailed maps from all over the country.

There will be representation from Local History Groups at our Open Day on 12th July at St Paul’s Church Hall – Kewstoke will be there and we hope that Banwell, Worle, Wick St Lawrence and Hutton will also be represented apart from the neighbouring Family History Societies of Somerset & Dorset, Bristol & Avon, Gwent (Monmouthshire) and the Anglo-German FHS  as well as our WW1 exhibition and Help Desk.  Admission is free and refreshments will be available.

We will also be represented at the Open Day for the Gwent Family History Society on 14th June and the Wiltshire FHS Open Day on 21st June - perhaps we'll see some of our members at these events.

Following my comments about FindmyPast in last month’s update I feel it only fair to record that there have been improvements and more improvements are planned.

Our Research Forum has produced some interesting items and thanks to those members who are willing to share their experiences and suggestions.  Please enter the surname in CAPITALS  as it helps us to help you more quickly.  Against myself,  I have to a admit to have spent some time recently thinking about whether there was a  family with the surname ORPHANS in Winscombe after this query  was published under this heading – “Thomas Orphans Winscombe 1919” – Yes, I know I should have read the whole article before jumping to conclusions - of course the surname was THOMAS!

Don't forget we will be looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible at our Open Day on 12th July which will be opened by the Town Mayor of Weston-super-Mare at 10.00am

Congratulations are due to one of our honorary life-members, Stanley Baker.  On April 24th he was awarded the Mayors’ Award for Services to the Weston-super-Mare Town Council.  It was in recognition of the enormous part he has played with the Society in producing a searchable database for all the graves in Weston Municipal Cemetery in Milton Road. 

Congratulations Stan! – it is great that all the work you have done has been recognised and at 95 your grasp of some of the modern technology puts all of us in awe of you! You’re so much more than a Silver Surfer! 

The photograph shows the actual presentation in the Blakehay Theatre by the Town Mayor, Councillor Keith Morris.

I’m the eternal optimist –

• I know that one day I will find out where my 4 x great grandparents, Robert & Hester LONG were hiding before they married in St Mary’s Church, Bitton in Gloucestershire in 1767.  This was one of the very first things I found out when I started researching in 1975.  Armed with information from my grandfather and visiting the church (where in those days they kept the parish records) I was able to trace my family back to their marriage but I've never got behind it!. 
• I know that one day I’ll discover that one of my family was involved in some epoch making event - (other than Jack the Ripper!) – And I’ll find a well documented and resourced account of whatever they did.
• I know that one day FindmyPast will again be a site which I can wholeheartedly recommend as I have always done previously.  For those of you who have been reduced to shouting at your computer with frustration during the past month as you try to work out why  those facilities with which we were all so familiar and were so useful to us have apparently disappeared take a look at this video.  It does explain the reasoning behind the changes and I have noticed that in the last few days changes are beginning to take place to restore some of the missing features.

If you need to talk over a brickwall or to get someone else’s suggestions on how to progress do come in to the Library one Saturday between 2.00 and 3.30pm and see if we can help.  You do not have to be a member and you do not have to book. 

To facilitate a weekly presence in Weston Library is a great commitment and the Society is very grateful to those who have volunteered to help.  You do not need to be available every week – even if you think you could come in just once a month Maureen Harvey would be very pleased to hear from you.  You can contact her by using the Contact Us button on this site and choosing Weston Library Enquiries as the Category and your message will be forwarded to her.  You do not need to be an expert in every branch of family history research - we're not! - but we aim to give  people the confidence to discover their own family history and to know where to ask when stuck .  

Some web sites which may be of interest

• If you are researching Essex ancestors FamilySearch has just added nearly half a million baptisms, marriages and deaths to their free site.
• Similarly FamilySearch has also updated their Dorset Records - it is always a good idea to check to see if more records have become available
• The Families in British India Society has recently added many of its records to FindmyPast but you can still access them free of charge on its own site.
• The Gazette, or as it used to be known the London Gazette, is a very useful free source of information.   This short video explains the workings of the Gazette and its function in the recording of official information.  If you’ve not used the Gazette before do take a look – I’m sure you will find it useful and some unexpected information may turn up.
• Pathe News has released a selection of films taken at the time of WW1.  The whole Pathe collection which is now available gives a fascinating background to our research

How are you getting on with your WW1 research?  We are all familiar with the large WW1 Cemeteries in France but it is also humbling to see how many casualties were buried in this country.    You can search The Commonwealth War Graves Commission site for Cemeteries, and then narrow it down to WW1 personnel.  Why not search to see how many people from WW1 are buried in local cemeteries and churchyards.  For example:  On the CWGC home page click on “Find a Cemetery” - choose United Kingdom as the Country and then enter the name of a parish – perhaps the home parish of your family - it doesn’t have to be in the Weston-super-Mare area.

Just a reminder that the deadline for WW1 related articles for Buckets & Spades is the 20th of May – earlier if you can.  Contact Paul Tracey if you have any queries about suitability or presentation. Use the Contact Us Button on this web site and choose Journal Editor as the Category. Caroline Morris is coordinating the exhibition of WW1 material for our Open Day on July 12th and would love to hear from you about what you have to display. Use the Contact Us Button on this web site and choose Memories of WW1 as the Category.  

I’ve just found this Post Card in an aunt’s effects.  It’s dated 1906 probably Battersea but can anyone make any suggestions about why a Wedmore lad should be member of the Band of the Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service (Rifle Volunteers) which appears to have strong London connections.  Reg PUDDY who sent the card later lived in Weston ran a Dairy in West Street and leased the Thatched Cottage Cafe on the sea front for several years. Any suggestions by using the comment facility at the end of this item.

The next Buckets and Spades will be special.  Dedicated to those who were alive during The Great War.  Lets make this special.  Do you have any snippets of information about your ancestor in WW1?  If you wish to put an article together, however short or submit a photograph please do contact me via the website.  The deadline for articles is Tuesday 20 May.

Caroline

Project leader - Memories of WW1