News & Information

FFHS Members - FFHS Every Ancestor Matters Conference MShed, Prince’s Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol, BS1 4RN Saturday 14th April 2018 The programme has been assembled to both broaden and deepen your understanding of the wonderfully diverse and absorbing interest we call 'Family History'. On Saturday 14th April you can expect to discover answers to many questions you don’t yet know to ask! Intrigued? You should be! Are you enthusiastic to learn from acknowledged experts on the following research topics: Wills? British India? Gypsy Heritage? Adoption? ... and maybe much more? The FFHS Every Ancestor Matters Conference sessions at the Bristol M Shed on Saturday 14th April are designed to enlighten your understanding in such areas. Our programme will include talks by the following accomplished speakers: John Hanson - Professional Genealogist Peter Bailey - FIBIS + FFHS Beverley Walker - Romany and Traveller Family History Society Dr Penny Walters - Adoption Research Expert Book for our Saturday Session of the FFHS Every Ancestors Matters conference ... and you'll also be offered the (optional) opportunity to attend further lectures on Friday 13th April ... and/or accompanied visits to places of interest in the Bristol area on Sunday 15th April. Booking: Attendance at the Saturday 14th April session of the FFHS Every Ancestor Matters Conference is £39:50. Capacity is limited to 60, so Please Book Early to avoid disappointment https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ffhs-every-ancestor-matters-conference-bristol-tickets-42528771701

It is with sadness that we have learned of the death of George Knox, aged 92, Life Member of this Society.   With his wife, Millie, George contributed greatly to the Society.  They were in charge of our Stand at numerous Family History Fairs and were well known to other societies. Millie, who died  in 2015, was our Secretary and George edited the Journal as well as overseeing the transcription of the 1891 census when it was released and he produced our first publications of transcriptions in booklet format.  We miss them both and our sympathy goes to their family.

His Funeral service will be at Weston-super-Mare Crematorium on Monday February 26th at 11.00am. Family flowers only by request but donations in memory of George to Diabetes UK may be sent c/o L Bennett & Son Funeral Directors 9 Queens Rd Clevedon BS21 7TH. Tel 01275 875882.

The Blagdon parish transcripts have been updated to include the following periods and are now available to view online.

Baptisms 1555-1599

Burials 1556-1599

Marriages 1576-1599

Please report any transcript errors to the author of this news article.

The National Archives Suffrage 100 projects and records As it is 100 years since women received the vote and The National Archives have sent us information about new records that have been released. To mark the anniversary they have launched their Suffragette 100 season. There are lots of talks and events taking place at The National Archives as well as the new records and for more information please follow the link below. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/suffrage-100

There will be a group meeting before the speaker at 7pm on 27th February for those people who would be interested in running a Facebook page for the society. We had to abandon the idea last year when the website crashed. 

The meeting will be in the small hall.

Received from Claire Corkhill, Council for British Archaeology. If you are interested in this project please contact her directly.

In Spring 2018 the Council for British Archaeology’s Home Front Legacy team, in partnership with the Living Legacies 1914-18 First World War Engagement Centre, are hosting three First World War workshops to help you learn how to research, record and fund your own First World War project. Please could I ask you to share the details of these events with your colleagues and volunteer networks. The first workshop will be held on Saturday 24 March at the Engine Shed, Stirling. This will be a two-part event with a session on the development of the CBA’s Young Archaeologists’ Club across Scotland in the morning, followed by the First World War workshop in the afternoon. The second, on Sunday 15 April, will be hosted by CBA Wales as part of their conference ‘Archaeology in Wales 2018’ at the University of Trinity Saint David in Lampeter. Finally, on Thursday 26 April the Living Legacies team will host the final workshop at Queen’s University, Belfast. We are also continuing to encourage and advise groups, societies and individuals who would like to record the places and buildings from the Home Front in their local area. If you are unable to attend one of our workshops you will find all the information you need to start recording on the Home Front Legacy website, or you can contact myself or Project Officer Chris Kolonko (chriskolonko@archaeologyuk.org) with any questions you might have. Finally, we are always looking for new Home Front Legacy Champions, so if you know an individual or group who are already adding to the Home Front Legacy app, or who have been researching the First World War in their local area and may like to share their knowledge with us please do get in touch. Our Champions make a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Home Front and we would like to highlight the great work they are doing via our blog and social media channels.