It’s December 1st and my Alarm woke me this morning with Christmas Music so it must be time to start opening Advent Calendars. Enjoy those chocolates! The anticipation of Christmas is probably at its height if you have children in your family but consider the Pagan Winter Festivals in December and the probable effect that they and the traditional Christmas celebrations might have had on your family in the past. What are your own memories of Christmas? 
Mine go back to War-time Christmases with home-made gifts, paper chains, family gatherings with singing around a piano at my grandparents’ home and the excitement of waking early to see what Father Christmas had brought!
Society Christmas Meeting
This year will be different for our Society – for the first time in its history there will be a Members’ Meeting in December. This will take place on Wednesday Dec 14th at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall from 2.30 p.m. when the speaker, Margaret Flux, will reveal the secrets of “Her Wonderful Curio Cabinet”. I’m sure that there will be other seasonal offerings for your pleasure at this meeting. Visitors are welcome at our meetings.
Free Help Session
On Saturday 3rd December there will be our usual monthly Free Help Session at Weston-super-Mare Library. Just turn up at 2.00 p.m. with a question about your family history for our Volunteers who will be ready and willing to advise you. You do not have to be a full member of the Society to come along or only researching North Somerset families – all are welcome.
Christmas Weddings
With the holiday season fast approaching – I am wondering how many of our ancestors celebrated wedding anniversaries at this time of the year. Using a totally unscientific test I looked at my extended family tree and found that:
- 9 couples were married on Christmas Eve
- 34 couples were married on Christmas Day
- 30 couples were married on Boxing Day
- 6 couples were married on New Year’s Eve
The number married on Boxing Day surprised me because I had thought that Christmas Day would be the day of choice and I hadn’t considered Boxing Day at all. This article from Findmypast explains the popularity of Christmas Weddings.
An original marriage certificate showing an example of a Christmas Day Wedding - can anyone explain why the signature is over a postage stamp?
This wedding took place at the Congregational Church in Waterloo Street which had been built in about 1875 to replace the one which had been in the High Street and is known to older Weston residents as the chapel which became Woolworths.
Image from Know your Place - This church was lost during the blitz, was rebuilt and is now an United Reform Church
Statistics from 2021 census
Whilst considering statistics, some of the results of the 2021 census have just been released. The Office for National Statistics is gradually releasing a summary of the findings. This one concerns Religion and should be read rather than relying on the interpretation given to the results by the media. This is of particular interest to family historians when you consider the changing role that the Church has had in managing the population. Parish Registers are a mainstay of 19th Century and earlier research. With the diversity of the population, counting the people to aid government, education of children or support for the poor is now secular and no longer the sole concern of Roman Catholic, Anglican or Non-conformist Communities.
The 1921 Census for Scotland
To celebrate St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople have included the 1921 census of Scotland on their web site It will cost you £1.50 to view an entry which is cheaper than the English 1921 census was when it was first released on FindmyPast. However, it is easy to get carried away with a pay for view system and spend too much - so be careful with your searches to ensure that you get the correct one.
Weston Worthies
Having completed the profiles of the 40 Weston Worthies whose portraits are in the Museum it has been suggested to me that next year other profiles might be completed of other Weston Notables. Would you like to nominate who should be included?
Surname Interests
Having entered your Surname Interests on our web site you can also add a PDF Family Tree or a profile of one of your ancestors under this heading which might help others. All can see these interests. An example from my father's pedigree chart
Interests in Places
I have also posted under the Place Heading articles about “My connections with Mark” and My connections with Wraxall” These are usually only available to full members but I believe I have allowed any reader to be able to see them (as they are mine) as an example of what you might post. If you have a village or parish which is of particular interest to you perhaps you could add your connections to that place.
Free Online Resources
I’m sure I have given this link before but in case we have new members who might not be aware that as a Society we are affiliated to the Family History Federation and that this is one of their valuable aids. If you have the time it pays to spend some of it familiarising yourself with this site and all what it has to offer.
Videos of past meetings
For those full members who missed or want to refresh their memories, the Videos of past meetings and workshops are available once you have logged into the website and can be found listed as Videos under your name which should be under the main menu. Here is an example from a session which I led last year about the JACKSON-BARSTOW family. Like the other videos you can watch any of them at a time convenient to you.
Facebook Group
Our Facebook Group is a Private Group with 522 members – and they can all read this Newsletter even if they are not full members of the Society. Any FB member can answer queries which have been posted to the Group or post their own research problems or share their successes or tips on how to find out more about family history. If you are reading this and have tried to join our Facebook Group it is important that you answer the Membership Question or else you will not be approved.
Future Events
As it is our 40th Anniversary Year in 2023 may I suggest that it might be appropriate to think about arranging a family gathering to celebrate your common ancestors and share the knowledge that you have gathered.
As the original date chosen for our 40th Celebrations was also chosen to hold the Coronation our event will now take place with a Fair to be held on Saturday May 20th at Our Lady of Lourdes Church hall from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Local Family History and Local Groups have been invited together with other stands so keep this day free for you to be able to take part. Make 2023 the year that your brick walls all crumble away and you see the past more clearly.
With Best Wishes for a great time spent with family and friends during the festive season, however you celebrate it.
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