Welcome to another month. When you research your family, every month has its own importance. This month sees our wedding anniversary – 63 years – and on the same day our son and daughter-in-law celebrate 35 years. Love and Congratulations to them.
It is interesting to note how marriages have changed over the years. Not only is the traditional church wedding in decline but there are fewer marriages happening. One wonders how difficult it will be to trace ancestors without these records in place.
September visit to Mendip Hospital
Sadly, the proposed visit to the Cemetery of the Mendip Hospital on Wed Sept 11th has had to be cancelled through lack of interest from our members and friends.
This cemetery https://mendiphospitalcemetery.org.uk/ is well worth a visit and the volunteers who run it are extremely helpful. The Exhibition in the Chapel gives a fascinating insight into the lives of the people who were inmates at this hospital. It is open every Sunday and Wednesday from April until the end of September, 11am until 3.45pm. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the cemetery and the chapel. Admission is free but they would be grateful if you could leave a donation toward the ongoing care of this special place.
Some who died there were buried in Weston Cemetery – details of those can be found on our web site.
September Members' Meeting
In place of the visit - at Our Lady Of Lourdes Church Hall on Sept 11th, Peter Towey will be speaking about Non-Conformist Records, What they are and where to find them. meeting as usual at 2.30 - 4.30 p.m.
Deaths at 100 Fishponds Road
The Workhouse at Eastville, Bristol, known as 100, Fishponds Road was designed by the same architect as the Axbridge Workhouse, but it did have its own burial ground. Recently much research has been undertaken by the Bristol Radical History Group and the list of burials which took place there has been put online. https://www.brh.org.uk/site/articles/rosemary-green-burial-ground-data/
Landing of German Plane at Lulsgate
After posting about this plane and the MEACON in Lympsham both on our web site and on the Facebook Group I received comments and promises of more information from other researchers. This is a new area for me and I was intrigued by the detailed research it has revealed. Many thanks for those who contributed and I look forward to receiving more information.
Olympics
 Any mention of the Olympics and Weston always brings up Paulo Radmilovic who is buried in Weston Cemetery and a blue badge is attached to the Imperial Hotel where he was the landlord for many years.
Wikipedia recounts Paolo Francesco Radmilovic (5 March 1886 – 29 September 1968)….. He represented Great Britain at four editions of Summer Olympics. He won four Olympic titles in a 22-year Olympic career. He won four gold medals across three successive Games a record which stood for a Great Britain Olympic athlete until broken by Sir Steve Redgrave when he won his fifth gold medal in 2000. In 1928, he became the first person to compete for Britain at five Olympic Games, a record that would remain until surpassed in 1976. Does your family have Olympic connections?
The only Olympian I have knowingly met was the Show Jumper, Foxhunter, with his rider Harry Llewellyn who won the only Gold medal gained by GB at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. This was at a local horse show in South Wales.
VENN Family
Local Newspapers do not seem to publish pictures of marriages as they used to but in 1931 the Weston Gazette included this photograph of John and Emily VENN of Brent Knoll who were celebrating their Golden Wedding with their 9 children and many grandchildren. Is anyone researching this family?
The nine children are grouped at the back. Six daughters and three sons. The 1911 census shows that they actually had 10 children but one had died. Always look at the original entry as that information is not included in transcriptions.
Although VENN is a name which is local – a Hannah VENN born in Wedmore, was my husband’s 3 x great grandmother - it is surprising that no one has entered it as a Surname Interest on our website although several members of the Facebook group have submitted it to the List of Surnames included under Files on that group.
John VENN was born in Wick St Lawrence in 1856, the son of James & Martha VENN nee MORGAN. By using the free GRO site it is possible to find mother’s maiden name.https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp
In April 1881, just after the census was taken, John VENN married an Emily HAYES at Wick St Lawrence Church. Image from Ancestry.
By following the VENN family on censuses, it can be seen that when their first son, James Alexander, was born in Portbury in 1882 he was named after both of his grandfathers. The family then moved to Wick St Lawrence where Sophia Kate and Albert were born.
Researching this family has shown that both C of E and Non-Conformist records should be searched.
 It appears that although James VENN, father of John, had been the Parish Clerk and Sexton of Wick St Lawrence. (found by searching Baptismal records of Wick St Lawrence as it is shown as father’s occupation when children of James & Martha were christened). John and Emily decided to use the Methodist Chapels at Wick St Lawrence and Westbury on Trym for the christenings of some of their children.
A former Methodist Chapel in Wick St Lawrence.
See below for some non-conformist christenings of VENN children taken from Ancestry.
No christenings for James Alexander VENN, Sophia Kate VENN nor for Herbert VENN (the child who died) have been found although the burial of Herbert was found at Holy Trinity Westbury on Trym in 1898 with a note to say that he was Wesleyan.
The Burial Amendment Act of 1880 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1880/41/pdfs/ukpga_18800041_en.pdf states:
Part of this VENN family can be found on Ancestry and although not complete the tree does contain some photographs of James Alexander and his family which might be useful.
John and his wife died in 1932/33 at their home in Brent Knoll and newspaper accounts confirm his links to the Methodist Church.
Activities during August
When this Society was founded in 1983 it was decided that our members would not want to attend meetings in August because of the holiday season and other calls on their time. September, being the start of the academic year was considered the time when people would start thinking of new activities. Courses explaining the ways and means of researching family history were offered by Societies, Further Education Colleges, Adult Education Centres, the WEA, the U3A and other providers.
Today things are different. I wonder how many undertake a course of study to discover the best methods for research and to understand the records which are available?
Of course, it is possible to study alone but the guidance of someone who has experience and knowledge of the history of the subject is a tremendous advantage. What is your opinion on this subject?
The records we commonly use were not originally created for our use but in many cases as an aid to national and local government. The National Archives and County Record Offices are the repositories where such documents are kept. Visits to these places can be exciting and productive. It is still important, if possible, to view the original document as transcriptions can be misleading and not everything is available online. Overseers’ Accounts are rarely available online and can be the most useful documents in detailing life in a parish. Handwritten documents can be difficult to read and there are courses on reading them. Today AI may be used to transcribe them which can also lead to difficulties!
Who Do You Think You Are?
This programme has been going for 20 years and the next series Is due to start on BBC 1 on Thursday, the 15th August at 9.00 p.m. featuring Vicky McClure who has worked to promote support for Dementia alongside her acting career. We have to remember that the many family history related programmes which are broadcast are designed to entertain rather than to educate a broad audience and perhaps you are left wanting more detail about how the links were found.
Such programmes like Long Lost Families and DNA Journeys are sponsored by Commercial enterprises such as Ancestry and FindmyPast. However, they do serve as a stimulant for future research and often focus on the social implications of life in the past. Which are your favourite programmes?
80th Anniversary of D Day - Exhibition
In Taunton Library from August 12th – 24th will be an exhibition which details for the first time the top-secret work in the hydrographic department during World War 2. It is brought to light in photographs, documents, artifacts and medals which will be on display. A new book by Dr Adrian Webb entitled “Churchill’s Secret Chart Makers” will be available and he has been booked to talk to our Society in 2025.
Hutton Show
On August 28th the Society will be hosting a stand at the annual Hutton “Taste of Somerset Show”. Members of our Society will be there to answer any questions about how to research your Family History and to enjoy all that the show has to offer. The show will be at St Mary’s Field, and we will be there from 11.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m.
If you know of any village shows in the locality which would welcome a stand from our society, please let us know as it all helps to advertise our interests and gives us publicity.
Flower Shows
August is the month for Flower Shows and you can often find ancestors as prizewinners in newspaper accounts. This is part of the list from the Blagdon Flower Show of 1909. Some names appear more than once. Are any of your ancestors there?
Finally
Apologies for the lateness of this newsletter – I’ve been sidetracked!! As it’s August there will be no Free Help Session, Society meeting or Zoom meetings during August but there will be a Free Help Session at the Library on the first Saturday in September – Sept 7th.
You can always ask questions on our Research Forum or on the Facebook Group!
Please feel free to add any comments pointing out errors and/or omissions. Enjoy your Summer.
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