News & Information

October has started with the reopening of the Weston Library in its new premises in the Town Hall in Weston and our Help Sessions have resumed on the 1st and 3rd Saturday afternoons of each month.  There are some changes in the procedures for these sessions and if you are a member of the Library it will help if you have your Library ticket available when you come but as before if you are new to the area or live elsewhere you will be asked for some other means of identification.

You do not have to be a member to come on a Saturday - just an interest in Family History - as we have computer access to censuses etc. your family does not have to originate in Weston-super-Mare - all are welcome.

The Weston and Worle News has been added to the local newspapers which are accessible on film in the library.  The earliest Weston newspapers are from the 1840/50s so if you do have an interest in Weston and district from that time they are well worth a visit.  There are also some newly available tithe maps of the area and the files of printed information which had previously been held at Weston Museum are now in the Library.  If you are in the area please visit the new library to see for yourself what is available for people researching their families in North Somerset. More details here.

While I'm talking about books etc. in libraries - have you tried the Internet Archive which is a digital library of free books, movies & music?  If you limit your search to "Text" there is an amazing number of old books (out of copyright) which have been digitalised - such as some printed transcriptions of parish registers and old guide books to areas which can be useful in filling in the backgroud to your research.  As an example try searching just for "Parish Registers" or just enter the name of the place in which you are interested.

October 13th is the last Saturday opening of the Cemetery Chapel for this year - the open afternoons organised by the Friends of Weston Cemetery will start again in the Spring.

We are still looking for new volunteers to assist with checking the parish transcriptions which are now a major part of this web site - please contact Graham Payne if you would like more details.

Looking forward to November, the last visit to Weston Library for 2012 of the North Somerset Archivist is on Thursday, November 1st - so if you wish to consult original documents which are held at the Somerset Heritage Centre do plan ahead and put in your order by contacting Jane de Gruchy - see Somerset Heritage Centre or our Forthcoming Events for more details.

It is often said that more people become interested in family history in September when the summer is officially over.  If you think this summer has been wet - take a look at this film which is part of the BBC archives. Click here and then  under Aerial Journeys and you will find “Beside the Seaside” which may bring back memories to some of you.  It’s a 50 minute film but if you look at about 20 minutes 26 seconds you can see Weston-super-Mare in 1969.

September brings us Open Doors weekend with a chance to go into buildings not normally open– see this site for places to visit in Somerset but don’t forget that the Milton Rd Cemetery Chapel will also be open in Saturday, Sept 8^th. Look here for places in the Bristol area 

We will have a stand at the Open Day of the Bristol & Avon FHS at Thornbury on September 15^th and would love to meet anyone who has, or has had, family in Weston-super-Mare and District.  We will be running our Help Desks and will try to give advice and information from our resources to anyone who asks.  

If you have found family who lived in this area of Somerset you will be familiar with the increasing number of transcriptions which are available to you on this site.  Take a look under Research Aids & Transcripts in the Main Menu for a full list.  Note that we also provide the transcriptions in CD or booklet form for those who prefer that format or who do not wish to become members to access the transcriptions.

We need people who will help with the checking of transcripts.  Please contact Graham Payne if you would like to know more about this and what it involves. 

We would also welcome additional helpers in the new Library when it opens in October.  If we have enough volunteers it may be possible to offer the free help sessions more often.  Please contact me if you would like to offer assistance or to discuss what you would need to do.

As you watch the latest “Who do you think you are?” programmes on the BBC it is interesting to realise that everyone has their own story to tell and it has never been a better time to start this absorbing activity.  If you have a query please try a message on our Research Forum – this will reach most of our members and reading other people’s problems often gives you a route to try yourself.  Or if you prefer a personal approach use the “Contact Us” facility on the home page and use the category “Research Enquiries”

Our meeting in September will look at getting the most from our photographs with some useful tips for preservation and enhancement.  Looking forward to October – we have been told that the Library should be opening on Oct 1^st with our first help session on Oct 6^th.

 It’s August 1^st and GB have won their first Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.  There has been much talk about the adrenaline rush felt by the successful competitors – I’m sure we all have felt similar excitement when we eventually find a link to a long lost ancestor.  The joy of family history is that we don’t have to wait 4 years before we can experience it again! 

However, when watching them on TV the great athletes make winning a medal appear easy and well within their capabilities and we forget the years of perseverance and dedication which it takes.  The same applies to programmes dramatising family history research – the reality of research requires more effort than is sometimes portrayed but the results are really worth it.

We held a successful Open Day on July 14^th and it was good to meet some of our members who do not normally attend meetings.  Thank you to all of you who helped on the day and supported us.  The Help Desks were kept busy and we were able to break down a few brick walls. 

In the July Update I mentioned the arrangements which are in place to cover the move of the Library.  We held our last Help Session in the Library on July 21^st and we will start again in the Town Hall in October.  The North Somerset Archivist has now publicised her next visits to Weston – they will be on Thursdays, the 1st November 2012, 10th January and 7th March 2013 all in the new premises.  This is a tremendous help to anyone who is researching Somerset ancestors because documents can be brought to Weston for you to consult them.  Just contact the North Somerset Archivist for more details and to discuss which documents are available to help you.

Although we have no meetings in August perhaps this is an ideal time to review your research and identify the areas on which you need to work.  A query on our Research Forum might trigger off some ideas from other members of where to look next.  It doesn’t necessarily have to relate to Weston-super-Mare and district because we are very aware that our membership has a vast range of interests.   Have you entered the surnames you are researching or looked to see if anyone else is researching the same surname?

The web site is continually updating and new material is appearing.  Some of the articles which have previously appeared in Buckets & Spades can be found under “Journal Articles” in the main Menu - if you have recently joined these may be new to you.  Also, check the number of transcriptions which are now available to members.  What else would you like to see featured on the web site which would be a help to you?

We wish all members a happy holiday in August but please remember that we can be contacted through this page if you have any queries about your research.

The weather in the UK must improve soon and allow us to visit those places beloved of our ancestors who lived in this part of Somerset!  We are looking forward for a fine day and meeting you on July 14th when we have our Open Day at St Paul's Church Hall (BS23 1DF).  Representatives from neighbouring Family and Local History Societies and Groups will be on hand to answer your questions and hopefully suggest ways of breaking down those brick walls.  It's FREE entry from 10.00am - 4.00pm.  See here for more information.

During the mornings of July 3rd and July 5th we have been invited to help the young people of Worle School who have included Family History Research as one of their options for the end of year enrichment days.  Thank you to those local volunteers who have agreed to take part - It is always enjoyable to be at these sessions and perhaps share our enthusiam for this way of making history come alive by making personal links with the past.

Saturdays July 7th and 21st will be the last Help Sessions in the Library in the Boulevard in Weston.  There will be no library meetings during August and September so please watch this site for information when these sessions will start again in the newly refurbished Library premises in the Town Hall.

Of course if you have any problems about your research you can submit a query to our Research Forum on this site and one of our members may have the answer.  It's always worth a try and as you can see not all the queries are about Weston and District.  Some of our families did not stay in one place for long.

At our monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 31st Elizabeth White, a local historian, who now lives at Pill will be talking about her "Queer Little Village".  Pill, situated mear the mouth of the River Avon has a long connection with the Bristol Channel Pilots who for centuries have guided shipping through the sometimes treacherous waters of the Severn estuary.

There is no monthly meeting in August and at the September meeting we will be looking at the care and restoration of old photographs.  If you are out and about in August with a camera we would be very interested in new photographs of the villages and towns which make up the area covered by the Weston-super-Mare and District family History Society.  Paul Tracey is always interested in items for the Journal, Buckets & Spades, and any picture which illustrates part of your family's history would be welcome.

This month, June, is a hot spot of nostalgia with the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in full swing.  Perhaps it might inspire some of you to write an article about your Victorian ancestors for a future issue of Buckets & Spades. The next edition should be ready for distrubution at the June meeting but you've plenty of time for the October one!  This magazine is one of the benefits of full membership of our Society and is a credit to the editor, Paul Tracey, who always appreciates pieces for publication.

The society will be at the Wiltshire Family History Open Day on Saturday June 16th for more details see here.

Please make a note of our Open Day on Saturday 14th July at St Paul's Church Hall from 10.00 - 4.00 pm.  Representatives from the Wiltshire, Gwent,  Somerset & Dorset and the Bristol & Avon Family History Societies along with the Guild of One Name Studies will be there to answer your questions and there will be Help Desks in operation.  Local History Groups from Hutton, Kewstoke, Banwell and Worle will also be on hand with all their local knowledge.  Entry is free and refreshments will be available.

Ancestry has updated the Index for Wills and Administrations for England and Wales so that it now covers from 1858 to 1966.  This really is a help and of course may be available in your local Library.

An early warning notice - there will be no Saturday afternoon Help Sessions during August and September of this year and neither will the North Somerset Archivist be visiting Weston during those months.  This is to allow the Library to prepare for its move to the new premises at the Town Hall. 

The Bristol Records Office has announced some changes to the procedure when you visit - full details can be seen here

Our next meeting which is a Members' Evening is on the last Tuesday of June - June 26th - and the topic is "Problem Solving" As you will have seen on our published programme we have been asking for questions for the Panel to be submitted to the Secretary by June 12th - I'm not sure how many we have (if any!) but no question is too silly - A different perpective on your problem will often evoke a new line of enquiry.  If you have a discovered a new resource this can also be of interest at this meeting. We hope that this will result in some productive discussion and exchange of ideas.

May 1st sees the first instalment in a new series of Family History programmes entitled "War Hero in my Family" which can be seen on Channel 5 looking at the experiences of relations of well known celebrities during WW2.  If you are near Clevedon on May 15th you could attend a talk covering a much earlier period of Military History given by our member David Milner.

Perhaps you will find time during May to visit some of the places which were well known to your ancestors.  I see that Graham Payne has been out and about photographing the tomb stones in Puxton Church Yard.  If you are a full member, the results can be seen with our Parish Transcripts under the heading "Monumental Inscriptions". 

Photographing documents can be a quick and accurate method of recording information, which can be transcribed at a later date, but you should be aware that since the beginning of April this year if you wish to use a camera in the Bristol Record Office you will need to purchase a daily licence which will cost you £5.00.

The free Help Sessions continue at the Library on the 1st & 3rd Saturday afternoons of each month when, because the North Somerset Library subscribes to Ancestry, you are able to access information about your family through censuses and other sources. April saw the addition of some Yorkshire non-conformist registers, London & Surrey marriage bonds and yet more Titanic records.  It's always a good idea to revisit sites to find out what has been added since you last looked.

The topic for the next Society meeting on the 29th May is "Was your Ancestor a Gypsy" and we will welcome Beverley Walker, the membership secretary of the Romany & Traveller Family History Society who will share some tips on researching these elusive ancestors.