News & Information

I have sent out a reminder by email that membership subscriptions end on 31 Dec., however I have just been through all addresses on the website and found several members have changed their emails since my records were updated. So I am trying to capture those miscreants!!

Thank you to those members who have responded to the original email. I apologise to those with standing orders who received that email as they obviously do not need a reminding.

Brian

Our AGM was held in November and I was pleased to note that we have some possible new committee members.  May I wish them a warm welcome and hope their involvement brings them much joy and pleasure over the years to come.

It’s December already, somewhere I have an account of a family (not mine) celebrating Christmas back in the 19^th Century.  It describes the people sitting around the fire, recounts what they have to say and paints a picture of domestic peace and concerns.  It is interesting reading giving an insight into conditions at that time. Perhaps we should all write a description of our family this Christmas so that our descendants get an idea about how we celebrated this year. Family History is not only dates and places but also events and how we lived.

My memory goes back to my childhood Christmases when we spent hours making decorations from coloured paper and received handmade gifts from parents, grandparents and other relations.

I still have this set of handknitted clothes for my doll, “Wendy”, including underclothes. I must have been about 5 years old when I was given this doll.  Later, she had to share the doll’s pram with our dog who allowed my sister and I to push her around in it!

What were your favourite gifts at Christmas apart from the apple and orange in the toe of the sock? 

I remember a visit to the Hippodrome to see a Pantomime with an aunt and being persuaded to stand up and conduct the orchestra who followed my frantic waving with commendable ability!

I remember gathering around the piano at my grandparents’ house with my mother playing carols and old songs which were then rendered by my uncles and aunt.  I remember the warmth of the open fire, the chicken sandwiches (no turkey in those days) and mince pies. We played hilarious games like charades and paper-based games - I do remember an older member of the family being quite surprised when she wasn’t allowed Addock as a type of fish starting with “A”.  Apart from Anchovy I can’t think of a fish which fits this description!

In the next few days Christmas tree decorations dating back over 60 years will be lovingly placed on our tree and fond memories of the first times they were used remembered.

New Ancestry Records

Here are some of the latest additions to Ancestry

·         The Royal National Lifeboat Institution Records are particularly interesting and contain several people from Weston. That the RNLI will be able to return to Birnbeck Pier once the renovation is completed is great news for Weston.

photographs reproduced by kind permission of Weston-super-Mare RNLI

·         On Ancestry the REME Records also list some Weston residents. One, taken at random, was Percy Arthur COUNSELL, 1902-1979, who lived in Bedford Road.  He served in India.  He survived the war and both he and his wife Daisy were buried in Weston Cemetery.

·         There are several members of the Polish Forces who are buried in Weston Cemetery. They are included in the list on Ancestry of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940-1947. They include Stanislaw WALCZAK, Alojzy MORAWIEC, Felix ZALEWSKI etc.

Findmypast – Military Records

Last month, with the commemoration of Remembrance Day, Findmypast posted a video about how to find Military Records of our ancestors.  You can find it on https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/british-army-promotions-medals
I was interested this year in watching the TV coverage of the various ceremonies to mark the occasion that the events at Monte Cassino were included.  I have a copy of my father’s military records which include mention of his wounding in Italy on the approach to Monte Cassino at that time, so I was pleased to see it included this year.

Free Sites Online

·         A reminder that there are masses of free sites online to aid our family history research.  You can see some of them here: https://www.family-tree.co.uk/how-to-guides/doing-your-family-history-online-50-best-websites-for-family-history/ The first one listed is Familysearch which has been available in various forms for years and should not be forgotten as a source. 

·         How many of these sites have you used?  Can you recommend others?

LostCousins Newsletter

I often suggest that you read the frequent newsletters for Lost Cousins and this is no exception,  Go to the latest one for news and a mention of the DNA master class which is recommended reading. https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/endnov24news.htm

Society Events

North Somerset Archives Service - 5^th December

The next visit of the archivist from the North Somerset Archives Service, Eve Bickerton, is on Thursday 5^th December from 10:30am to 12:30pm and 1:00pm to 2:30pm (this is a change from the normal times of 11:00am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 3:30pm)

Any requests to bring documents up from Taunton should be made by
Email: somersetarchives@swheritage.org.uk

See more details https://www.wsmfhs.org.uk/society_news_view.php?nID=548

Free Help Session at Weston Library – Sat Dec 7^th

These sessions take place on the first Saturday of each month from 2.00 p.m. until 3.30 p.m. and all are welcome to attend.  Our Society Volunteers are happy to help anyone who has problems with their research and to point them in the right direction.

Society Members’ Meeting – Wed Dec 11^th

This meeting takes place at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall from 2.00 p.m. until 5.00 p.m. As this will be the nearest meeting to Christmas it is a special meeting. There will be a quiz, raffle, short talks by members, and of course cake! Non members are welcome.

Facebook Group and Research Forum

·         We have had some interesting postings on FB about the PUDDY family of Mark and Wedmore.  There was also a post about the PUDDYs on our Research Forum on the Web site.  It is a difficult and large family to unravel.  One suggestion was that we had a facility to compare family trees.  You can post a family tree under the Members’ SURNAME Interests on our Web site.   

·         Please consider posting your queries about your research, not only about PUDDYs, either on the Research Forum or the Facebook Group. 

Edwin and Catherine PUDDY photographed in 1864 in Wedmore. My aunt married Stanley PUDDY, a son of Thomas PUDDY, pictured far right in front row. My husband’s cousin married the daughter of Reginald, another son of Thomas.

AI and Family History

Last month I asked about how many of you have used AI to assist your research but had no response so perhaps you are not using it.  Can anyone recommend an overview of how it can be useful and what pitfalls to avoid?

Finally

Wishing you all a joyeous time over Christmas, however you spend it. Perhaps with family gatherings where you can recount the history of your family, and gather more information.
Looking forward to a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2025 when we as a society breakdown all brickwalls, fill in those gaps and find pleasure in those adrenaline shots we get as we find that long lost ancestor. This all helps us to understand the way in which our family lived in the past and to pass it on.

The next visit of the archivist from the North Somerset Archives Service, Eve Bickerton, is on Thursday 5^th December from 10:30am to 12:30pm and 1:00pm to 2:30pm (this is a change from the normal times of 11:00am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 3:30pm)

Four times a year, (usually) on the first Thursday in March, June, September and December, the North Somerset Archivist visits Weston super Mare Library to provide an ‘archive searchroom’ environment for users to consult original documents and resources.

Somerset Archives and Local Studies has a long history of providing this service with North Somerset Council, and as such has built up a contingent of loyal and dedicated researchers. The last visit, September 2024 was no exception, and we were delighted to welcome some familiar faces.

We can bring original documents to Weston super Mare Library for you to consult, and during the visit can provide some additional help and support.  Only one archivist visits, so must balance their time between all the researchers.  But the friendly nature of the service means that we can spend a bit more time than we might normally be able to, finding out about your research and suggesting new avenues.  Combine that with the impressive knowledge of the Weston super Mare Library staff, and we make a very helpful team!

So far this year 86 documents have made the journey up to Weston super Mare, and over the last 12 months 119 documents have been consulted as part of the service.  We’ve had 31 happy researchers over the last 12 months, with an average ‘dwell time’ of 90 minutes, which means they’re really enjoying their visits and making the most of their time.

Any requests to bring documents up with them from Taunton should be made by the Friday before the visit.  Email: somersetarchives@swheritage.org.uk

Dates for 2025 are (all Thursdays)

6^th March 2025

5^th June 2025

4^th September 2025

4^th December 2025

This is the presentation that Jenny Towey gave at the Annual General Meeting on 14 Nov 2024

wsmfhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Hints-Tips-for-FH.pptx

If you have not got Microsoft PowerPoint you can get a viewer from

Google Play at  play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.powerpoint

or iTunes at apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-powerpoint/id586449534

The AGM of YOUR Society is to be held next week. The constitution states that we MUST have Chair, Secretary & Treasurer as well as 3 other members for the committee. Current post holders and members of the committee have been in situ for some considerable time. At the moment we DON'T have a nomination for CHAIR or TREASURER. Without these posts we will fold.   Committee meetings are held via zoom so you don't have to live in Weston. Also if anyone can take over recording talks and IT work we would like to know.

Do you still want a FH Society?

Please come forward to help.

Brian Airey

Secretary

Welcome to another Newsletter – What with Halloween, Diwali, Bonfire night, and Remembrance Sunday there are several celebrations in which we and our ancestors took part at this time of the year.   How are they recorded in your Family History? – Do you talk about your experiences to younger relations? – How have they changed over the years?

Free Help Session – Nov 2nd

The Weston Library will be closed on Nov 2^nd.  We will not be holding a Free Help Session on Saturday November 2^nd.  The next one will be on Saturday December 7^th. 
In the meantime, we look forward to reading and answering your queries on the Research Forum on our Web Site or on our Face Book Group.

Gloucestershire Family History Fair – Nov 2nd

If you live near Gloucester or have relations from Gloucestershire you should find much to interest you at the Gloucestershire Family History Fair on Saturday Nov 2^nd at the Heritage Hub, Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester , GL13DW.   https://gfhs.org.uk/event/gloucestershire-family-history-fair/
My maternal Grandfather, Ashton B HILL, was born in Cam near Dursley in 1880 and my paternal Grandmother, Alice B JONES, was born in Gloucester in 1879; both after marriage ending up in Bristol.

Remembrance Day – Nov 11^th

^{poppy from freepik.com}

While you are wearing your poppy, remembering all who died in the service of this country it is wise to include those who came back.  They rarely spoke of their experiences but returned with many physical and mental problems which stayed with them all their lives.

If you have ancestors who served in WW1 these YouTube videos give some help with available records from the National Archives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Z0vFH2zMg

A similar video covering WW2 records is also available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkVFYvUZYM

A Video about “Using Prisoner of War Records” is also in this series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WvD_mI9CvU

What are your suggestions for researching Military members of your family? 

AGM and Members’ Meeting – Nov 13th
The AGM will be on Wednesday 13^th November at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall starting at 2.30pm.  As Hon President of this Society, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the Committee for continuing under immense personal pressure to keep this society going.  Whenever requests for help have gone to our members for assistance the outcome has been disappointing. As our committee meetings are held on Zoom you do not have to be a local member to be on the committee, just to be able to support your fellow enthusiasts.

The AGM will be followed by a talk from Jenny TOWEY entitled Hints & Tips for Family History Research 

Hear about the hints and tips that Jenny Towey has discovered over her 50 years of researching her family tree. Research techniques have developed so much over this time, but it is good to have a “Back to Basics” session occasionally remembering that if you are researching online that information is often being updated and you might find new documents available.

DNA
For those members who are also members of the Weston U3A There is a DNA Research Group led by Jenny TOWEY which meets by Zoom monthly on Monday afternoons.  See  https://weston.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/dna-for-family-history/ for more details.

AI for Family History
In August, FamilySearch published this guide to using AI for Genealogical Research. https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/ai-developments-genealogy 

If you prefer to watch a video about AI – Try this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S71pcTLQs5M 

Have any of you used AI to aid your research?  Please comment with your findings.

I have experimented briefly with Microsoft Co-Pilot which for one question did lead me to a document in the Bristol Archives I had not considered before.  Be careful with your questioning and check the answers carefully to avoid errors in its reply. 

Interestingly, I also asked it  - “ What can you tell me about Thomas Long, born 1818 in Bitton and a leather merchant in Broadweir Bristol?”
Its answer directed me to our own web site!

Thomas Long, born in 1818 in Bitton, Somerset, was a leather merchant who lived and worked in Broadweir, Bristol. He was a tenant at 19 Broad Weir, which was later destroyed by a bomb in 1942. His business was located near the Crown Tavern and he was linked to numerous newspaper accounts and the births of his children.

See Weston-super-Mare & District Family History Society

House through Time
Have you been watching this programme?  This series seems slightly more contrived and disjointed than previous ones but historically correct.  Have you considered researching the residents of your own house through time?

If you live in an older house, you can trace the families who lived there through censuses, parish records, street directories, newspapers, electoral rolls, County Archives etc., building up a picture of the area and changes which occur.  If the house was converted into flats – was it one of Henry Butt’s “Mansions”?
Our house was built in 1935/6, so we have little census information to go on. As the first two owners (father and son) were both called Henry WOLSTENHOME that did cause me some difficulty.  The father died in December 1944 and was buried in Weston Cemetery.  The son moved into his father’s house until about 1952.  It all adds to your own family history.

Birnbeck Pier
With the news of Lottery Funding of £10 million to aid its restoration I was interested to hear that our Mayor, John Crockford-Hawley has discovered that he is a distant cousin of the 4 year-old Cecil Hugh Smyth-Pigott, son of the Lord of the Manor who laid the foundation stone in 1864. Would like to see that Family Tree!

Prize Winning Salmon
It was reported in the Weston Mercury (with a misprint in the Heading) that a 3 lb Salmon had won a Langford resident a trophy.  When reading the article, it was actually a 31 lb salmon.   
This reminded me of Samuel Norvill who in the first half of the 19^th century caught a Salmon weighing 32 pounds and a quarter on the west side of Knightstone, in a net in the mud. As it was the first salmon to be caught that season it had to be taken to the Lord of the Manor, at Brockley.  Whoever took the fish to Brockley was given half-a-crown and as much as he and his pony could eat and drink.  Samuel was given three shillings on account of the size of the fish. This is recorded in Ernest Baker’s interviews of Weston inhabitants.

Workshop by Zoom – November 27^th
The November Workshop will be looking at “How our ancestors died”.  Peter de Dulin will be considering the various events which affected how our ancestors died. Joining details will be sent to all full members before the event.

All too often we forget to kill off our ancestors and there are some family trees which suffer from this problem.  I was sent one not long ago which was based on a John PUDDY but unfortunately the John PUDDY who was given as the father of a large family had died when he was 2 but this had not been recorded and the wrong John PUDDY chosen to record.

Somewhere I have a small book written by a coroner which lists many causes of death which makes for fascinating reading.

Finally
I hope that as the nights are now drawing in you will have more time for family History and offer your help to others in this society to gain as much pleasure from researching as you do.  Please add your comments and suggestions for a society which meets your needs to this newsletter.