News & Information (General)

Further to Pat's newsletter, I have had to change the workshop for the 27th March.

We welcome Mark Bayley from The Genealogist who will give us a presentation called Breaking down brick walls in your family history research.

How to resolve stumbling blocks in your family history research using new and unique search strategies to find those missing relatives. This includes searching for a family using just the individuals' forenames, using keyword search tools, using criteria other than a name to search on, and using other advanced search techniques. The talk also covers unique data sets such as Non-Conformist records, Non-Parochial records, Fleet marriages, Will images, Parish Records, Directories, Newspapers and more.

Login details will follow in due course

Peter de Dulin

vice chair

Thanks to member David Hollins and Federation of FH notifying us that the Ministry of Justice were planning on digitising wills, then destroying the originals after 25 years. 

We responded to the Federation email that we were totally opposed to this act of vandalism as only an original article is the true thing. There are so many mis-transcriptions  of all documents that the original source document is the only one to consult. 

According to an article on the 'Who Do You Think You Are' website, the period for consultation is only open until 23 February 2024, but no genealogical organisation has been included in the consultation. A petition has been started to preserve wills in perpetuity in line with current legislation. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/654081.

Feel free to sign.

Brian

Just a gentle reminder that our membership year runs from 1 Jan-31  Dec., so if you have not yet renewed your membership now is the time to do it. 

There are various ways to renew: through Parish Chest or Genfair; by bank transfer to Weston-Super-Mare & District Family History Society account 51383493 sort 40-46-18; Standing Order; cash or cheques to 125, Totterdown Rd, Weston super Mare, BS23 4LW.

Brian

Is everyone aware that if a child is born to people who were not married at the time of birth but subsequently do marry the child/parents may apply for a new birth certificate giving the father's name thereon. Look at the Legitimacy Act 1926 on National Archives website for full details. The Act has been amended a couple of times but is well worth looking at.

There is an interest in the casualties of the bombing in Weston from the Weston branch of the Royal British Legion. 

This Society has uploaded a list of the fatalities from that Blitz bombing onto this website. A version can be seen here   

Are there any relatives or descendants in this group or do you know of any?  (not all were from this area)

Please contact Pat Hase, who is co-ordinating this research (so that you don't end up researching someone who is already known to us).

Many thanks.

pathase38@gmail.com