News & Information

This newsletter will be published by Oct 1^st which is the first Saturday of the month when there will be a Free Help Session at Weston Library from 2.00pm.  Our volunteers hope to see you there! With colder weather it is likely that more people will have time for Family History Research.

• Death of Queen Elizabeth II

We have just lived through a very historic month; I wonder how you will record it in your own life history?  Just looking at her long life and the many changes in the position of Women in Society which have occurred during that time could form a theme for our own female ancestors. Sadly, I didn’t ask my grandfather about the passing of Queen Victoria in January 1901 when he had been 26 and would have been very aware of national events.  How did he hear the news? He told me so many stories about his life but not about that.  The method of communicating news to the public has changed so much during the 20^th  and 21^st centuries as was demonstrated by the Proclamation of King Charles III being given in several different locations to ensure that the Public were given that information as in the days of yore.

• DNA Workshop

We seem to have numerous TV programmes which use DNA as a theme – some better than others!  Our next Zoom Workshop on Wednesday, 5^th October, will be about DNA and its use in family history research.  Jenny Towie will be de-mystifying it and show how it can be used as another tool in constructing our family trees.  My main problem with DNA is the lack of supporting family trees – I seem to spend a great deal of time completing the trees of DNA matches to find that elusive common ancestor. Perhaps if I was royalty, it would be easier!

• Research Forum

Those of you who have read the Research Forum Queries will know that I have a first cousin, three time removed, Emily Ann BURROWS, who married a “Prince” in 1872.  With the help of Richard Gardiner, one of our knowledgeable members, I have been able to piece together more about her life and death. It is so helpful to have someone else look at your research from a different viewpoint.  There was an inquest after her death in 1896 with the information from the Coroner Wynne E Baxter.  I am writing an article for Buckets and Spades about her and her marriage to Zacharius Basilius GORTZACOFF. However as the deadline is the 1^st October for the November edition it will be for a later issue.

• Coroners' Reports from Inquests

Coincidentally, I had another first cousin, three times removed, Frances COLES whose story was reported in the newspapers.  There was also an inquest after her death in 1891 with information from the same Coroner Wynne E Baxter. There was considerable speculation at the time of the death of Frances that she might have been a victim of “Jack the Ripper”. The records of Coroners are often difficult to find and information about a death may only be obtained from newspaper accounts of the Inquest and post-mortem or from death certificates.

As a side issue Emily and Frances were both first cousins, once removed of my grandfather and he did not mention either of them!

• Missing Census Pages

I spent a great deal of time recently looking for the parents of Emily Ann BURROWS who I knew were living in Bristol when the 1851 census was taken.  My first point of call is usually Findmypast, but I could not find John and Ann anywhere.  Knowing that the name BURROWS had been mis transcribed before, I tried variants and even searched for the family using their first names but without success.  The address search did not come up with their actual address.

Eventually I went to the first page of the area in which I thought they would be and started to look page by page – like we used to do in the old days!  But what I found surprised me as there were so many missing pages.  By checking the Folio and Page numbers I was able to identify these missing pages – 1, 3-6, 8-15, 17, 22 and 25 – that is 16 missing pages! It is no wonder that I could not find my family.

Findmypast has been notified and promised to look into it, especially as the Genealogist and Ancestry appear to have the full set.

This is the missing family from the Genealogist.  The moral of this story is that you might have to check several resources to get a complete picture.

• WW2 Land Army Index

During September Ancestry has released the records of the WW2 Land Army Index Cards from 1939-1948.  Just searching for Weston-super-Mare there appear to be 43 women on this list. This one may answer a family history puzzle.  Anyone researching ZABEL and/or BAKER?

• Free Online Genealogy Course

Last January a new free online course was offered by MyHeritage – Has anyone tried it?  Has it been helpful?  Would you recommend it?   

• Parish Records with Images

Findmypast has increased the number of parish records for which it has images as well as transcriptions.  Some are only available from this source.  They include Roman Catholic Parish Records from various counties. Devon C of E parish records are particularly useful for anyone researching ancestors from the West of England. Several of the Weston Worthies had roots in Devon including John MAUNDER and his sister Jane MAUNDER.  This is the baptism of John MAUNDER in 1801 in Loxbeare, Devon - From Findmypast

• School Records

School Records are becoming more available, and some Admission and Logbooks have been added to Findmypast.  In the past I have found that the Logbooks which I have seen have not usually named individual pupils but were more concerned with official visits to the school, examinations and the condition of the buildings but  some of these are very different.

This is from St Nicholas School in Elstree for November 1901

Most Admission Registers give names, addresses, names of guardians and dates of birth so can be a valuable resource.

• Zoom Workshop on Education Records

The Zoom Workshop on the 26^th of October will be based on Education Records and will be presented by myself.  If you have any particular queries, you can add them to this Newsletter in the form of a comment.

• Next Members' Meeting 

The next Physical Members’ Meeting on the afternoon of Wednesday October 12^th at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, will look at the 1921 Census.  Peter Towey will inform you where & how you can access this new census release and all the new information that is included in it - and what items have been removed. 

If you can recommend any new resources or tips on how to research please feel free to add them as a comment to this newsletter. 

I’m amazed it is September already.  The Autumn always has this “fresh start” feeling for me.  I suppose it is a result of having spent so many years in Education in various forms.  The long summer holiday giving way to new avenues to pursue and it is the same with family history.  Now is the time to either start your research or review your findings.

Free Help Session at Library

You can begin by visiting Weston Library on Saturday 3^rd September when we will be holding a Free Help Session from 2.00 until 3.30 pm.  This time it is a drop-in session and you do not have to book but be aware that we have a limited number of volunteers.  It would be better to be there for 2.00 pm with as much information about what you hope to find as possible.  While waiting it may be possible to consult the information on the open shelves such as Street Directories and Electoral Rolls as well as the files on people and places in North Somerset, including family trees compiled by Brian Austin.  These sessions will continue on the First Saturday of each Month.

Hutton Show

Today, as I write this, on Wed 31^st August,  we have a stand at the Taste of Somerset Show at Hutton – I hope that some of you have found the time to visit our stand and meet the members of the Society who are running it.  If you know of other local shows where we would be welcome, please let us know.

Next Open Meeting

On September 14^th there will be a Meeting at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall in Baytree Road at 2.30pm – Speaker from 3.00pm will be Esther Hoyle,  who will talk about Somerset Women.  All are welcome - including visitors.   Esther will be well known to many of you because for several years she was the North Somerset Archivist who regularly visited the Library, bringing documents from the Somerset Archives for us to consult and her expertise to answer any questions.

Heritage Open Days

The Heritage Open Days are from 9-18 September when you can visit any number of places including Emmanuel Church, The Thatched Cottage, The Cemetery Chapel, etc  and there will be a Lego Suffragette in the Library.  Full details with dates and times of entry can be found on this web site.

September Workshop

The September Workshop, which will be held on Zoom on Wed October 5^th at 7.30pm, will be Jenny Towey on DNA testing.  That is not a mistake, no Workshop in September but two in October.  DNA is a fascinating tool for research and although not always the easiest to master can be very useful in confirming your paper research.

Derek Venn

I was saddened to hear recently about the death of Derek VENN who was instrumental in collecting first hand memories of life in Weston during WW2.  He and I gave several joint talks about his findings and a copy of some of the reports are on our web site under Weston-super-Mare with the title “Weston Memories of WW2” You need to be a member to read them but printed copies are available in the Library.      He was an energetic researcher who also led a group with the U3A who visited and learned about the surrounding Villages. His funeral is at the crematorium on 7th September at 12:30 pm ; all are welcome and donations in his memory will be welcomed by the Alzheimers Society.

Look at the Original Entry if Possible    

I know I’ve written this before but it is important to look at the original document when researching.  My grandfather, Ashton HILL, was born in Cam in Gloucestershire in 1880. I knew he had an elder sister who we called “Auntie Bo” but what was her real name?   

They both appear on the 1881 census of Cam

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census

Cam Street, Cam, Dursley, Gloucestershire, England

 So this told me that Bo’s name was actually Rosa Edith but I could not find a birth registration for a Rosa Edith HILL.  However,  I knew that Susan was a widow when she married John HILL, so I looked for the birth or christening of a Rosa Edith HADLEY…. Just in case.

How kind of the Vicar!

Another image of another family member helped me and this time from the 1921 census

This led me to the National Archives where there were detailed documents about their separation and subsequent divorce. The transcription may have just a “D” entered but at least this told me that she had initiated proceedings.

Monumental Inscriptions

The Monumental Inscriptions for Wraxall have been added to our site.   Thank you, Graham! This was of particular interest to me as my great grandmother, Annie STOKES  was born there, and her parents have a stone which lists other members of the family who died elsewhere. A really useful resource. My mother used to tell of staying with relations in Wraxall as a small child and I am now able to identify some of them.  Others I found mentioned in a newspaper account of a funeral of another Wraxall relation which listed the mourners.

There is a popular idea of family historians that they spend their time in churchyards hunting for graves.  There may be a grain of truth in this.  On my mother’s 80^th birthday in 1990 I decided that what she would most appreciate was a trip to Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire to look at her great great grandparents’ tomb! 

The Inscription is quite brief

• Richard WATTS, died 15 April 1875, aged 76
• Susanna, his wife, died 5 April 1879, aged 83
• Elizabeth, their daughter, died 12 May 1863, aged 36

Elizabeth was the only one of their eight children who did not marry.  I wonder which of the children paid for this tomb?

Brickwalls

How do you decide which part of your family tree to research or look at again?  Where are the gaps in your tree?  Those brickwalls which fail to crumble?  Perhaps not surprisingly with other attractions on hand during August the Research Forum has been little used. Why not use the web site and let others help you.  I often get surprised at an alternative yet helpful approach which is suggested to me if I share a problem – I can’t be the only one who has problems - can I?  The Facebook group has also been very quiet during August. 

Free Web Sites

One of the most frequent queries I do get is – what free sites are there? Take a look at this web site  It lists the best ones with links to them  - there are 25 .  See how many of them you have used and how beneficial you have found them to be. Which ones would you recommend?

The best free UK genealogy websites include:  FamilySearch, Free UK Genealogy. (FreeBMD, FreeREG and FreeCEN), National Library of Wales, Online Parish Clerks, Find a Will, The National Archives, National Library of Scotland, National Archives of Ireland.  etc. etc.

The National Library of Scotland even has a free town map of Weston-super-Mare!

The Future

Next year we will be celebrating our 40th birthday - Keep Saturday May 6th 2023 free for our celebrations - Cannot guarantee a drone display but watch this space!

FindmyPast have a 50% reduction for the 1921 census until midnight on Monday 29th August https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1921-census

The Wraxall All Saints MIs are now available for society members to view online.

Please report any transcript errors or information relating to missing or incomplete inscriptions to the author of this news article.

Following the success of the English Womens’ Football team in the Euros and the changes in sporting activities which have emerged over the years, I wonder what sports our ancestors enjoyed or were allowed to enjoy?  One sport which is no longer practiced locally is Cudgel, Single Stick or Sword & Dagger Play.  This was very active in the Wedmore area and the Wedmore Genealogy web site contains these notes by Rev Hervey concerning this activity 

SINGLE STICK. I have often intended raking together what I could about the old single stick players of Wedmore, but somehow I have never done it; and as I have already said, if you don't do a thing when you can, it is not likely that. you will do it when you can't. Every year it gets more difficult to find out anything about them, because the generation that played has died out. Besides single stick there was playing with the cudgels, which was much rougher work. In single stick playing the left arm was guarded and held up to guard the head; in cudgel playing the left arm was not guarded. I am told that players used "to drink gunpowder" before playing, because that made the blood less ready to come. Any blood above the neck counted. Sometimes blood was drawn on a player's mouth, and he would keep licking it away to hide it; but if the spectators saw it they would cry out, "Blood, blood, blood."

There is no mention about women wanting equality in this sport and I can’t say I am surprised. But Congratulations to the Lionesses!

While on that site do take a look at what else it has to offer – Dr Westover’s Journal is particularly interesting as it names his patients and their ailments. 

Bristol Map

BCC.MAPS.ARCGIS.COM

05 Donne 1769

Map of the country 11 miles around Bristol by Benjamin Donne published in 1769.‎

Many of my own ancestors came from the vicinity of Bristol and this map published in 1769 is very interesting to me as it also covers many of the parishes which are within the area of this Society. It produced some interesting discussion on the Facebook Group when it was posted there as it includes the names of many of the landowners and the position of some of the non-conformist chapels.  Nempnett Thrubwell is entered as just Nempnett - does anyone know when the Thrubwell was added?

It also reminded me of the back of the exercise books used by Bristol school children in the 1950s.

Private Schools in Weston

I wonder how many of you have found ancestors as boarders in one of the many schools in Weston or knew of day pupils in any of them?  There has been some response on Facebook and from the Research Forum on this site to my request for information about Private Schools in Weston.  It is proving to be a fascinating study. The number and variety of schools in Weston is amazing. I know that there are folders of information about some of them in Weston Library and that some of the larger ones have sections in books on Weston but it is tempting to compile a document about each one.  I am attaching an initial database of references to the Schools in Weston found online.  I would be grateful for any additional information which you may have and then we can put it on the web site as a specific entry under Weston-super-Mare. 

This photograph was given to me some years ago and I was told it was Stanmore Annex but where was that?  The date I was given was 1939 and in the 1941 Directory there is an Uphill Branch of this school mentioned.  I think that was at 9 Uphill Road, (now known as Uphill Road North) between Moorland and Charlton Roads.  can anyone confirm this?

Free Help Sessions at the Library

The first of these after Covid was unfortunately cancelled because nobody had booked through the Weston Library as per the instructions which we had published.  We have now decided not to have a meeting in August but to start again on Saturday 3^rd of September as a drop-in session between 2.00 and 3.30pm.   If the numbers are too great, then you may have to wait to be seen as there is still a restriction on the number of volunteers who can be there.  You can always post any queries on the Research Forum of this site or on the Facebook group

Workshops

These Zoom Workshops are attracting a small but interested number of members – more are welcome.  The first three on Births, Marriages and Deaths were in the capable hands of Peter de Dulin.  The September Workshop has had to be moved to Wednesday 5^th October and will be an introduction to DNA by Jenny Towey.  However, the October Workshop will be at its usual place on Wednesday 26^th October – the topic will be Education Records led by myself. Joining information will be sent to all full members by email.

Hutton - Taste of Somerset

We are taking a stand at the 2022 Taste of Somerset Show at Hutton in August. Come along and make yourselves known to the members who will be running the stand.  We hope to be able to answer questions about family history and hopefully will have wifi and computers to assist us.

If you are connected with any other local event where we would be welcome to have a stand perhaps you could let us know.  We need to make sure that we are known as a local Society.

Bristol & Avon FHS Family History Fair

This event, set for September has been postponed until Spring 2023.  We are hoping to have a stand there so look out for details later.  Society Fairs are an excellent way of seeing what Family and Local History Societies and allied commercial activities have to offer and to meet with people with similar interests. 

Weston Museum

With its free admission don’t overlook this facility to highlight Weston’s past and the lives of our ancestors.  There is much discussion about the state of High Streets everywhere but currently there is an exhibition which allows you to explore Weston’s High Street in this community exhibition and remember shopping, entertainment and leisure in the past.  The exhibition is a celebration of the High Street and will act as a legacy project.  It has been supported by North Somerset Council’s Heritage Action Zones. 

This Invoice from James Phillip's a forerunner of Lance & Lance on the corner of High Street and Waterloo Street was found amongst my great grandmother's books.  What surprised me was that Rebekah Saunders COLES, who before her marriage was a dressmaker and milliner, and lived in Bristol should have shopped in Weston! 

40^th Anniversary of our Society

If you have read the introduction to this Society of its home page online or on the Facebook group you will be aware that the Society was founded in 1983 from an Adult Education Class run by Brian Austin.  The Committee is now exercising its collective brain as to how we should mark this 40^th anniversary next year. A Celebratory meal and an Open Day with invitations to other local societies are being discussed.  If you have any ideas please let us know.    

Society Meetings

We do not have any meetings, face to face or by zoom during August to allow for holidays – so it just leaves me to hope that you all have an enjoyable time and perhaps meet up with family and share or make memories to include in your family history.

Just to let you know, the video of the  workshop is now on our website for you to enjoy.