We all enjoyed the talk at the end of March by Dr Janet Few who recounted her experiences when researching and taking part in the filming of an edition of the BBC’s “Who do you think you areâ€. As our own member, David Milner had spoken earlier in the year about his experiences in connection with another programme – “Heir Huntersâ€- it has been really interesting to hear what actually goes on in producing these items which have us shouting at the TVs – “Why don’t you try.........?!â€
Of course we do have to be grateful to these shows for inspiring others to decide to research their family history. The Saturday afternoon “Help Sessions†at Weston-super-Mare Library often attract people who are just starting the search for their ancestors as a result of watching one of these programmes but perhaps do not realise the unseen (and often frustrating) research which goes on behind the scenes.
With June and holidays fast approaching – it looks as if we will be short of volunteers in the Library during June and July. If anyone is able to come along to help out just during those months we would love to hear from you - if you can guide someone through the beginnings of family history research then please get in touch with me Click here and I can let you have details. You do not need to be an expert in every aspect - there will be others there who can give advice as well. We would also like to send our very best wishes for a speedy recovery from his fall to David Tyler who has been a constant member of the team in the Library for many years.
It is interesting and encouraging to see the use being made of the Research Forum – Please note that it is easier for everyone to pick out the relevant details if the surname is entered in UPPERCASE. You never know who may be looking at this site and it is through something I wrote about my family that I have been contacted by someone with whom I share great great grandparents, Charles & Lavinia STOKES from Wraxall. So even if you do not get an immediate answer it's worth posing the question.
The Speaker on Tuesday May 28th will be David Hawkins who will be talking about “My Criminal Ancestors†– this is always a fascinating topic and even if you do not have criminal ancestors the methods of researching them is of interest to all.
If you do have criminal ancestors you will know that the detail which is available in the early newspapers can be quite amazing – probably because without photography and TV to spread the word everything had to be described. Local Newspapers can be seen on film at the Weston Library but other 19th century newspapers can be searched at home in many parts of the country if you use a library card – check with your local library if they subscribe to this service.
The North Somerset Archivist will be in Weston Library on Thursday June 6th so do let her know in good time if you would like to see any documents – full details see here
Can I draw your attention to our Project 2014 – the News Item see here from Caroline explains our intentions as a Society for next year and we do hope to have a special edition of Buckets & Spades concentrating on the results of our research and it will also be the theme for our own Open Day in July 2014. As Caroline has explained please contact her if you have any information at all of the activities of your relations during WW1 - we all have relatives who lived through that time so this is something that we can all contribute to wherever we live. By the way, did you know that it was a criminal offence to sell fresh bread at that time?
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