News & Information

January 2014 Update

A Happy and Successful New Year to all our members!  There is something very special about the time between Christmas and the New Year – The decorations are still sparkling and it is a time for reflection over the remains of the chocolates and Christmas cake.  How well did your family history research go last year?  What was your biggest achievement and what happens next?   January will start with a session at the Library on Jan 4th from 2.00 til 3.30pm – so do come along if you have reached a stumbling block in your research and would like help sorting it out.  Or perhaps over the Christmas season you have met with relations who have inspired you to start your family history research – we will be only too pleased to point you in the right direction.

When I look back to start of my family history research in 1974 – No! – I know - I can’t be that old!!  My father retired that year and trying to encourage him to research our family I remember visiting a church where the parish registers were still kept in the Parish Chest.  My outstanding memory is the smell of those original parchment registers as they emerged from the dark dusty chest and the excitement in finding entries which we knew to be of our relations.

• Have you tried   Dusty Docs  ?   This is a site which leads you to free websites in the British Isles containing Parish Records.     When you find an ancestor who lives in another part of the country it is sometimes difficult to know what is available.  It’s a sort of one-shop site which can lead you to external sites which hold records of the area in which you are interested.  The Guides on the left hand side of the Home Page are also of interest.  For example – have a look at Genealogy Pox    One word of warning - Occasionally it will take you to site such as Ancestry which you can search without a subscription and then it asks for a fee if you want to see the details.   
• If you have an ancestor who lived in Bath you will be interested in the Bath Archives site  which now includes photographs of prisoners.  Not that I am suggesting that any of you have criminals as relations!
• For those of you who have ever wondered whether you could had a legacy waiting for you somewhere this is the link to the list of unclaimed estates on which the programme Heir Hunters is based
• We are planning a visit to Kew on March 11th  – look out for information about it.  Apart from the availability of records held by the National Archives, its library and free computer access for Findmypast and Ancestry   another reason for visiting Kew is that during 2014 the London LDS Family History Centre is based there.  More in formation of what is available at the London LDS FHC at Kew can be seen here 
• A reminder that we have taken a stand at the free Your North Somerset Event 2014 – which will take place on Sunday 26th January 2014 from noon until 4.00pm at the Winter Gardens in Weston.  By doing this we hope to raise awareness in North Somerset of what we have to offer and possibly to attract new members.  It should be an interesting and very varied day – do support us at it!
• I love maps and can spent hours pouring over them so I am particularly looking forward to our speaker in January. Veronica Bowerman  who has recently moved into this area from Henleaze in Bristol, will be talking about the use of maps in Family and Local history research.  You can read more about her on this site
• The Help Sessions at the library will continue each Saturday afternoon - don't forget that there are many sorts of maps available there including digitised tithe maps for all of North Somerset.

Just look at this map – it’s Weston in about 1887 – It shows clearly the differing density of the housing between the detached Victorian villas on the hill and the terraced artisans’ dwellings on the flat.  The sweep of the railway line with the excursion lines running into Locking Road (where Tesco and its car park is today). The importance of the position of Ellenborough Crescent with its view of the sea and the villas on either side of the private Ellenborough Park.  South of there you can see the beginning of the planning for development around what will be the Clarence Park area

Thank you to all those members who brought in items at our last meeting - it was really interesting to hear about them and the part they played in the history of your families.  The journal coming at that meeting is like an additional Christmas present.  Life member Brian Austin was delighted to find a photograph of his father included in Colin Middle's feature on postcards - apparently his father played violin in Harry Burgess's Orchestra - he was 2nd from the left in the 2nd row!.

Although we do not have a monthly meeting during December the volunteers will still be in the Library each Saturday except for December 28th to help anyone who wants to look again at their research or has reached a stumbling block.  It is very encouraging to see people leave the library with a smile on their faces because a suggestion has been made about where to look next or because a discovery has been made of a lost (or mislaid) relation.

If you cannot get to the Library, but have a problem, you can always try using our Research Forum – that way your query will reach a wider audience and all our members have the opportunity then to make suggestions for future research routes.  Please write the SURNAMES of the families you are researching in capital letters – that way they stand out and attract the attention of the casual reader.

• I’m not sure how many of you use a Kindle or similar for your reading matter these days but you may be interested in this offering  written by one of our affiliate members – who has contributed to our Research Forum in the past.   Called “To Weston with Love” it is an affectionate look at Weston-super-Mare.  Why not download a version and treat yourself to this over Christmas?
• The North Somerset Archivist will be in Weston Library on Thursday Dec 5th.  Book your requirements with her before Wednesday. Please contact Jane de Gruchy, North Somerset Archivist; Tel: 01823 278805 or by email
• For those of you who missed seeing the Weston-super-Mare Carnival in November you might like to take a look at this video it gives some idea of the spectacle which the Winter Carnival offers. What a pity we can't look back and see what was happening in Weston and district in the 19th Century but the newspapers do give us a little insight into life then.
• If any of you are researching family in Gloucestershire the index to births, marriages and deaths to be found here not only gives the maiden names of mothers from 1837 but also the actual churches where marriages took place. The same may apply to other counties who have participated in the UKBMD scheme (lots of useful information and links from this page).  There is a multi region search link covering 10 different counties but it is worth looking for other counties to see if they have a separate entry.
• We have taken a stand at the free Your North Somerset Event 2014 – which will take place on Sunday 26th January 2014 at the Winter Gardens in Weston.  By doing this we hope to raise awareness in North Somerset of what we have to offer and possibly to attract new members.  It should be an interesting and very varied day – do support us and it!

While you are enjoying Christmas just give some thought to which of your ancestors you would have liked to have invited to spend Christmas with you.  Perhaps they could be the basis of an interesting article for the next edition of Buckets and Spades the dead line for which is the 31st January. What makes them interesting? - how did you find out about them?

We all wish you a very happy Christmas season with perhaps the opportunity to ask some of your relations those all important questions about what they can remember about your family and then you will never have to say “Oh I wish I’d asked them while I had the chance!”

As I write this we are half way between Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night.  While we are involved in pumpkins, tricks, treats, bonfires or fireworks we can forget that at least Halloween has its roots in Pagan and later Christian festivals concerning the dead.  In some parts of Europe it is still the tradition to remember and honour the dead at this time.  Perhaps as family historians we do this all the year round - but I have noticed that on some published family trees whereas the birth and possibly marriage dates are noted the dates of deaths may be missing.

It is important to kill off your ancestors!  It is one way to check that you are researching the correct person.  It has been known for whole dynasties to have been based on a person who it was later discovered had died as a child and another person of the same name was actually the correct ancestor.

With Christmas coming I have recently thoroughly enjoyed a new book which you may like to suggest to someone as a gift for yourselves.  

"Granny Was a Brothel Keeper- Fifty Family History Traps"  was written by Kate Broad and Toni Neobard - it is humourous, up-to date, and full of useful advice and tips. 

A followup is promised called "Grandad was a Dwarf Strangler" - I can't wait! 

More details about it can be found on The Family History Partnership site where you can also find other publications relating to family history.

For those of you who are preparing items for our "Project 2014 - Remembering WW1" a source you may not have tried is the Canadian Expeditionary Force.   The web site of the Canadian Government "Library and Archives Canada" contains a searchable database of Soldiers of the First Word War.  As many young people who had recently emigrated to Canada from Britain enlisted when war was declared you may find details of them on this site (The enlistment form has a back and a front so don’t overlook the second side). 

We are looking for items for the June edition of Buckets & Spades, short presentations at the Members' Evening at the end of June and an exhibition at our Open Day in July 2014. Caroline Morris would be delighted to hear from you if you have anything to offer or have any queries.  Not only military connections but what was happening at home during this time.  To start things off – at our Members’ Evening in November please bring along any memorabilia you have from that time.

Familysearch is continually adding new items and it is worth revisiting their site from time to time – If you visit the site through  Familysearch  scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the area you are researching (perhaps United Kingdom and Ireland) you will then be taken to an alphabetical list of all available resources. Note that English, Channel Islands, Irish, Welsh and Scottish records are included under separate headings and there are separate county entries including Bristol. Some of the entries include access to images.

Some examples of newly available records on Familysearch - Access to these records is free. 

• Norfolk Parish Records. These records of baptisms, marriages and deaths span the years from 1685 to 1941. Also included are some marriage banns. Note: some of the Norfolk parish records include parishes in neighbouring regions of Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. Some images are included.
• Sussex Parish Records. The records span the years from 1538 to 1910 and can be searched by name. These are primarily baptism, marriage and burial records.
• Derbyshire Parish Records. The collection spans the years from 1538 to 1910 and covers baptisms, banns, marriages and burials. Some of these are from Bishops Transcripts. These records can be searched by first and last name.

Familysearch does not only contain parish records as the following examples show.

• Canada Passenger Lists. Each record lists the full name of the individual, the date of arrival, port of arrival, place of birth and the name of the ship. Some of the original records contain additional information and some images are also available.
• New Zealand Immigration Records . These are ship passenger lists from 1855 to 1973. These records can be searched by first and last name.

A couple of other free sites from where information may be obtained:

• The Irish Genealogical Research Society's site is a good source for pre-civil registration marriages in Ireland and it is comprised of information from a variety of non-traditional sources such as chancery bills, diaries, deeds, marriage settlements, memorial inscriptions, wills, family letter and newspapers. Each record provides the exact source of the information. Access is free.
• The 1911 census of Canada is also available online with free access.

If you live in the Weston-super-Mare area and would be interested in visiting The National Archives again next year please let us know by using the contact facility on this site choosing “Secretary” as the category.If there is another archive you would like to visit as a group please let us know.

As we do each year, the Society will have a stand at the Rotary Christmas Fair at the Winter Gardens on Saturday November 23^rd This is a market featuring local charity, crafts and produce stalls, RAFA Band and Sunshine Radio and a raffle with free entry.

As I mentioned above, our monthly meeting on November 26^th is a Members' Evening and we will be looking at and discussing your WW1 memorabilia and other family heirlooms.  As we do not have a meeting in December this is more of an informal meeting and we might even have some mince pies!  The latest edition of Buckets and Spades will be available that evening for you to collect.

The BBC have just announced they are doing a series of programmes through 2014 to remember those affected by World War 1 in our area.  They are going to be covering all sorts of aspects from those who went to war in the military to what people did at home.  This is very close to our project!  As they are looking for stories to include I would love to go to the BBC with lots of our stories.

Please do get in touch with me if you have a story about an ancestor from 1914. You never know it could be featured on the television!

Remember it isn't just about those who joined the forces but about those left at home or worked in factories.

Waiting to hear from you!!!

Caroline Morris

Memories of WW1 co-ordinator

Caroline can be contacted using the Contact Us facility towards the top right-hand corner of the screen, and select in the Category box Memories of WW1.

(Please do not attach comments to this posting but create a new News & Information item using the Category Memories of WW1.)

My Father in Law, Harold W. R Williams was born in Weston S Mare and served in the Parachute Regiment during WW2. He was living/working in Nottingham at the outbreak of War but returned to Weston after war ceased.

Link to the Paradata site where I posted his service record.

http://www.paradata.org.uk/people/harold-w-r-williams

He also received a scroll from the Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of Weston S Mare recognizing his Loyal and Gallant Service, a copy which can be used if it can be uploaded.

I realise this is for WW2 but thought it might be of interest to those with relatives of where information on their service can be recorded.

Michael Oram