News & Information

Weston-super-Mare has enjoyed glorious weather and interesting visitors during September but life goes on even if Banksy has left!  With the evenings shortening now is the time to revisit your Family History.  I have had some serious questions asked recently from people who are continuing with research which was started by their parents or even grandparents.  Technology has progressed rapidly and information stored on 5¼ floppy discs is difficult to retrieve.  How is your research presented?  Is it saved by at least two different methods and in different places so that any computer failure does not result in you redoing all your research?

We are nearing the deadline for entries in the next edition of Buckets and Spades – Paul is always happy to receive articles and short pieces which will interest our members

At our September meeting we have just had a very interesting talk by Peter Towey about Chancery Records.  Apart from the fascinating account of the goings on in the DARLEY family he explained the background to the process of cases in Chancery.  The amazing amount of detail obtained in these papers painted a very clear picture of the family even if the Pedigree produced as a result of a Visitation to Cornwall could be likened to a poorly researched Ancestry Family Tree!!  Peter recommended the Research Guide from the National Archives for more information about Chancery Records.

More Interesting Websites

• Keep up to date with what is being made available at the National Archives by looking at their Blog.  This one starts with information about carrier pigeons.
• For those of you who use Facebook there are some interesting sites available. Bristol Record Office  is worth looking at.
• To keep in touch with what is happening while Weston Museum is closed use their Facebook Page
• You don’t need to have a subscription to Findmypast to read its Blog - it includes a review of the edition of “Who do you think you are?” which featured Anne Reid and an article on how to research Welsh ancestors.

TV and Family History

The current season of “Who do you think you are?” has been entertaining and informative  showing some sources which you may not have considered or may not be relevant to your family but nevertheless are worth remembering ......just in case!  Although I’m not expecting to have to trace my family back to William the Conqueror!     If you have missed any you can always catch up on iplayer.  When I looked for one of these programmes I came across two editions of the People’s Detective  which I had missed in 2001. One about Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch and one about Florence Maybrick and a murder mystery, neither local to Somerset but interesting!

I came across this article recently - it's about a year old but you might find it interesting - "Family History TV - a Dangerous Fiction?" The subject is very popular but for whom are these programmes intended?

Names in Newspapers

Harvest Festivals and Flower Shows are often reported in detail in Newspapers and it is really interesting if you find your ancestor won a prize for their potatoes!   You can access the British Newspaper Archive from any library computer free of charge.  Here's an example:

From the Western Daily Press - Thursday 22 August 1867

Poultry and FLOWER SHOW at Weston-super-Mare

VEGETABLES

• Best half peck of kidney potatoes—first prize, G.AVERY, Yatton ; second, J. HORNETT, Weston; third, H. BAILEY, Bleadon; extra prize, Lot GOODALL, Draycott.
• Best half peck of round potatoes —first prize, J. CLAPP, Congresbury ; second, C. BASTABLE, Weston; third, W. FISHER, Weston; extra prize, W. PITTS, . Weston.
• Best half peck of peas—first prize, W. BARNSTABLE, Huntspill; second, C. BAILEY, Bleadon; third. J. FRY, Milton; extra prize. H. BRYANT, Burrington.
• Best half peck of broad beans—first prize, W. BARNSTABLE, Huntspill;  second, W. PAYNE, Milton; third, A. CLARKE, Worle.
• Best four cabbages—first prize, W. PITTS, Weston ; second, H. POPLE, Weston; third, C. BASTABLE, Weston.
• Best three vegetable marrows—first prize, T BANWELL, Weston; second, S. BINDING, Bleadon; third, H.BRYANT  Burrington.
• Best 12 carrots—first prize, J. COX, Burrington;  second, C. BABER, Wrington ; third, J. COOK, Wrington.
• Best 12 Turnips-first prize, F. NIPPER, Winscombe; second, A.CLARKE,  Worle;  third, S. BINDING, Bleadon.
• Best collection of pot herbs – first prize,  W PITTS, Weston; second, D. WATTS, Milton,
• Best Autumn Sown Onions  - First prize J BASTABLE, Weston ; second D WATTS, Milton; third C BAILEY, Bleadon.
•  Best Spring Sown Onions , - First Prize , A BURGESS, Worle ; second, J. BAWDEN, Compton Bishop; third, J CLAPP, Congresbury
• Best Three Cross lettuces  - First prize, C BASTABLE, Weston;  second, J PALMER, Hutton.
• Best three cabbage lettuces-first prize. C.BASTABLE, Weston; second, B.PONSFORD,  Weston.
• Best Six heads of Celery—first prize, D.WATTS, Milton: second, J. FRY, Milton.
• Best six sticks of Rhubarb -first prize, J. H. GLOSSOP, Weston; second, C. BABER, Wrington.
• Best dish of scarlet runners-first prize, J. CLAPP. Congresbury; second, J. DAY, Axbridge ; third. H. SPURWAY, Weston.
• Best brace of cucumbers-first prize, H. GILLBANKS, Axbridge; second, J. CLAPP,  Milton; third, W. VOWLES, Cross.
• Best dish of parsley—first prize, H. SPURWAY, Weston.
• Extra prizes for pickling cabbage—G. PERRETT and J. H. GLOSSOP, Weston.

If anybody recognises their family name please let me know!  There were other classes for Flowers and Fruit.

Our Website

It is when you lose something that you value it most and we certainly discovered that when our website disappeared.  Many thanks are due to Paul and Graham for its reinstatement.  Now it’s back it’s up to us all to use it.  Use the Research Forum – if you have a query, post it and if you can offer suggestions to answer a query please share them.   Great to see the particpation which is happening since it's return.  Add the surnames you are researching to our Members’ Interests and check to see whether anyone else is researching the same name. 

Society Meetings

We are continuing with our Help Sessions on Saturday afternoons at Weston Library from 2.00 until 3.30pm.  There are copies of the original records for all North Somerset Parishes on fiche – transcriptions of many of these are now on our web site but like all transcriptions we advise checking the originals before entering the detail on your family tree.   Local Newspapers such as the Weston Mercury, the Clevedon Mercury and the Weston Gazette which are not yet online can be consulted for local events.  If you are researching Bristol ancestors there are copies of the transcriptions of the Bristol Parish Registers made by the Bristol and Avon FHS which can be consulted – the originals are in the Bristol Record Office.  You don't have to be researching local families to get help on a Saturday - the library computers have free access to Ancestry and the Newspaper Archives and our volunteers are full of useful tips to aid your research.

At our next monthly meeting on the 27th October,  Ann-Marie Wilkinson from the Somerset & Dorset FHS will be visiting us to speak about the people featured in a collection of photographs which are in the Wells and Mendip Museum in Wells.  This collection was mentioned by our speaker in May who discussed how to find and interpret images for Family History research.

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