News & Information

I have added a document which describes the Masters and Matrons who controlled the establishment throughout its existance from 1836-1930.  It includes a photograph which names all the staff who were in post when the Axbridge Workhouse closed (as a Workhouse) in 1930. As this photograph also names the Guardians of the Poor who represented each of the Parishes making up the Axbridge Union at that time it may interest those of you who have no connection with the Workhouse through its inmates but do have members of their families who were in positions of authority administering the Poor Law.

As a result of the last visit of the North Somerset Archivist who brought the original register of births in Axbridge Workhouse to the Library, I have been able to check, correct and add a number of additional records to this transcription, including still births.  Where no name was entered in the register at birth - I have obtained some from the GRO index or Baptismal Records and entered them in squared brackets e.g. [Mary]. 

The notes contain information from a number of sources and as with all transcriptions they need checking before accepting into your family trees. The Workhouse authorities, at one stage, decided to mention how many illegitimate children individual women had given birth to and I am not sure that all these statements are accurate!  It's worth checking to see if a surname in which you are interested is included in this transcription as most of the 38 parishes which make up the Axbridge Poor Law Union are mentioned.

The transcriptions can be found under Research Aids & Transcripts - and then under Various Institutions.

February may be our shortest month but it certainly finished on a high.  Following a successful visit to the National Archives we had an excellent talk from Clive Burlton on "Trenches to Trams" the story of his wife's grandfather's life.  It demonstrated almost a text-book method of family history research starting with information held within the family - (and it must be said, these were of the highest quality!) through resources held in other archives such as the Bristol Record Office, Bristol Museums and the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum to name but three.  More information about the Gloucesters can be found here and for those of you who missed the talk a brief summary of his book can be found here.

The February edition of Buckets and Spades was another fascinating publication - having whetted our appetite about what can be discovered from postcards last time, Colin Middle has certainly provided food for thought with his article about people portrayed on postcards.  Sheila Mills also contributed a piece about her family and family photographs including a plea for all of us to name our photographs! Weston Rugby Football Club researched by Rod Crocker is another interesting item and is full of names of players and officials of the club. Thanks to those who have supplied items but Paul is always happy to receive more for the next journal.

On March 7th the North Somerset Archivist will be visiting the Library - her visits are not so frequent these days so please make the mose of them - Check with the online catalogue what is available and order in advance of her visit. Order your documents from  Jane de Gruchy, North Somerset Archivist: Tel: 01823 278805 email

Weston Museum is entering the next phase of its Heritage Lottery Funding application and will be consulting the public about its requirements of a local museum.  Look out for invitations to visit the museum and to offer your thoughts on a questionnaire. More information can be obtained here. 

Keep up to date with what is available on the Internet - more documents are appearing almost daily - yes, I know that you do have to pay for some of them but set that against the cost of traveling and the time saved by digital indexing.  Please bring along the links to any sites which you have found helpful to the next meeting because after the AGM we will be looking at this topic.  Nominations for Chairperson, Treasurer and committee members are required by the secretary, Brian Airey, one week before the AGM.

In January, due to the snow, we had to cancel one of our help sessions but to coincide with National Libraries Day of Saturday Feb 9th we will be running an additional session - so that will be three opportunities during February for you to visit Weston-super-Mare Library between 2.00pm and 3.30pm on Saturdays to attempt to break down those brick walls or to get help interpreting what you have already discovered. 

The visit to Kew will go ahead on Feb 19th but there are still places available.  Don't miss this opportunity to visit the National Archives.  The coach will pick up in Weston and Clevedon with more details under forthcoming events. During the afternoon on Feb 19th from 2.00pm - 3.00pm there is a free event at the National Archives - more details here

A missing war memorial first inspired a quest to discover club members who fell in the Great War. 85 names have now been identified. Some remarkable stories paint a miniature portrait of the whole war - every service, arm, theatre and front - through their experiences. Stephen Cooper tells of the research that led to his book.

The Society's January talk by our own member Dave Milner turned out to be extremely interesting with his personal experiences of being contacted by an "Heir Hunter" and how his family dealt with the estate of his intestate cousin.  We are all much better informed now and hopefully all our members now realise the need to write a will.

While dealing with what is now termed "end of life" matters - someone mentioned the Deceased Online site to me at the last meeting - you might also find it useful - initial searching is free.  It is good for London records and is worth looking at for recent deaths.

It has been encouraging to see an increased useage of the Research Forum. However it does look as if it is being used more by new members than by those who have been researching for some time - does that mean you have all the answers?  In which case you might have some suggestions which could help newer members! It is open to everyone to answer the queries. With regard to the Research Forum - it would make it a little easier to read if surnames were entered in upper case type - that makes the surname more obvious to casual readers. We do want to make your membership worthwhile so please avail yourself of this facility.

We have a full list of speakers for 2013 and at the end of February we will welcome Clive Burlton.  Weston Mercury reviewed his book From Trenches to Trams which you can read here .  I found the book to be absorbing and so fully researched that I'm sure you will find the talk stimulating.

Looking forward to March and our AGM.  I will be standing down as Chair - I have served the society as Secretary and Chair for a great many years - at least 15 - and our constitution wisely does not allow for continuous service. At the end of our financial year we will also need a new Treasurer as Shirley will be giving up at Christmas - this means that there is time between the AGM and the end of the year for someone to work alongside Shirley in order that the changeover is seamless. With the increase in our membership it really should not be impossible to fill both positions and if you would like to volunteer to fulfill either of the roles or could recommend someone else please feel free to have a chat with any of the committee or contact the Secretary, Brian Airey.

A Happy New Year to all our members and to those of you who are just browsing the site - I wonder how many of you have made New Year Resolutions?  Mine for this year is to properly record the sources from which I have found  information about my family. Yes, I know I should have been doing this for years but in the excitement of each new discovery I'm afraid I often rush on to the next step without stopping to make a note of exactly where I found it, whether it is from a primary source, or from someone else's transcription or from a printed record etc. This has resulted in much duplication of effort over the years trying to rediscover some vital scrap of knowledge.  But I'm sure none of you are in the same boat..... What are your new year family history resolutions?

We are very lucky these days in the increasing number of images of original documents which are available online and the visit to the National Archives at Kew in February will enable us to see others.  It's not too late to book a seat on the coach - just let Brian Airey know if you want to come.

Once the New Year celebrations are completed and the Christmas decorations taken down there will probably be more time for research - if you come across a problem in your family tree you might like to consider explaining it as a Research query on the Research Forum.  Within our membership are people who are very knowledgeable and are able to answer your questions which don't have to be related to Weston-super-Mare and district so why not try to breakdown your brickwalls in this way?  The Research Forum has been a little quiet lately but that's probably due to the holiday season and we have all been catching up with the living members of our families! A cousin told me over Christmas that she has found documents and photographs concening our grandparents which I may find interesting.....I'll be visiting her very soon!

The Help Sessions at Weston-super-Mare Library start again on Saturday 5th January - so you could aways bring along your problem there as well - between 2.00pm and 3.30pm.  The North Somerset Archivist will also be at the Library on Thursday Jan 10th. There is more information about the North Somerset Archivist here and if you would like material brought from Taunton you will need to contact the Somerset Heritage Centre before noon on Wednesday January 9th on 01823 278 805.

I'm looking forward to Dave Milner's talk to the Society on Tuesday 29th January - details on the Forthcoming events and at that meeting the full list of speakers for 2013 will be available.  Wishing you all a very happy and rewarding 2013.

Apologies for the lack of a November Update - how many noticed that there wasn't one? - Congratulations if you did!  A big thank you to all those who brought items to the November meeting to discuss their contribution to your family history.  I was particularly intrigued by the Book of Handy Hints with the weird and wonderful cures for everyday ailments - it certainly emphasised how times have changed. 

That meeting also saw the publication of the latest edition of Buckets & Spades, which is always interesting - Paul does a really great job in editing it for us but would welcome new contributions.  New members might like to catch up on some of the older articles which can be found on this site under "Journal Articles" on the Main Menu.

December began with our attendance at the Charity Fair at the Winter gardens in Weston on Dec 1st where Graham Payne and Bill Caple offered help and advice.  They traced some elusive ancestors and raised interest in our Society from others.  On the same afternoon, the Free Advice Session took place in the Library, where our volunteers cheerfully spent time sorting out problems - these can be extremely interesting - we never know whether we will be delving into local Parish Records, Street Directories, Tythe Maps, local newspapers or unravelling Italian or French ancestors. You don't have to be a member to come along with a question. There is always a mixture of local families and those who were from elsewhere - we do have internet access to help us look wider afield. We will be there again on December 15th and start the new year on January 5th.

The date has been fixed for a visit to the National Archives at Kew on Feb 19th - more details and a booking form in Buckets & Spades or more information from our secretary, Brian Airey.  Why not take advantage of this visit to download (just for the printing costs) some of the online documents (which include those from Ancestry and Findmypast) which are available at Kew.  The addition of the British Newspaper Archive to Findmypast should be of interest to many.  Of course, everything we read in the newspapers must be accurate - I was delighted to find out that in March 1859 my gg grandfather, Thomas LONG, received a public apology from a neighbour, Alfred BUSH who had falsely accused him of keeping a brothel! 

Christmas will probably bring some family reunions and the chance to ask others those questions before it is too late - use your camera, phone, i-pad or whatever to record the family get-to-gether, and make a note of what you are told.   Am I the only one who feels that a camera should also be used at funerals but am reluctant to do so? - why is this? 

We do not have a monthly meeting in December but in January one of own members, Dave Milner will be talking about his experiences tracking down the beneficiaries for a will - heir hunters in action.  Have a great Christmas and a successful and Happy New Year.