Welcome to another Newsletter – What with Halloween, Diwali, Bonfire night, and Remembrance Sunday there are several celebrations in which we and our ancestors took part at this time of the year. How are they recorded in your Family History? – Do you talk about your experiences to younger relations? – How have they changed over the years?
Free Help Session – Nov 2nd
The Weston Library will be closed on Nov 2nd. We will not be holding a Free Help Session on Saturday November 2nd. The next one will be on Saturday December 7th.
In the meantime, we look forward to reading and answering your queries on the Research Forum on our Web Site or on our Face Book Group.
Gloucestershire Family History Fair – Nov 2nd
If you live near Gloucester or have relations from Gloucestershire you should find much to interest you at the Gloucestershire Family History Fair on Saturday Nov 2nd at the Heritage Hub, Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester , GL13DW. https://gfhs.org.uk/event/gloucestershire-family-history-fair/
My maternal Grandfather, Ashton B HILL, was born in Cam near Dursley in 1880 and my paternal Grandmother, Alice B JONES, was born in Gloucester in 1879; both after marriage ending up in Bristol.
Remembrance Day – Nov 11th
 poppy from freepik.com
While you are wearing your poppy, remembering all who died in the service of this country it is wise to include those who came back. They rarely spoke of their experiences but returned with many physical and mental problems which stayed with them all their lives.
If you have ancestors who served in WW1 these YouTube videos give some help with available records from the National Archives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Z0vFH2zMg
A similar video covering WW2 records is also available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkVFYvUZYM
A Video about “Using Prisoner of War Records” is also in this series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WvD_mI9CvU
What are your suggestions for researching Military members of your family?
AGM and Members’ Meeting – Nov 13th
The AGM will be on Wednesday 13th November at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall starting at 2.30pm. As Hon President of this Society, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the Committee for continuing under immense personal pressure to keep this society going. Whenever requests for help have gone to our members for assistance the outcome has been disappointing. As our committee meetings are held on Zoom you do not have to be a local member to be on the committee, just to be able to support your fellow enthusiasts.
The AGM will be followed by a talk from Jenny TOWEY entitled Hints & Tips for Family History Research
Hear about the hints and tips that Jenny Towey has discovered over her 50 years of researching her family tree. Research techniques have developed so much over this time, but it is good to have a “Back to Basics” session occasionally remembering that if you are researching online that information is often being updated and you might find new documents available.
DNA
For those members who are also members of the Weston U3A There is a DNA Research Group led by Jenny TOWEY which meets by Zoom monthly on Monday afternoons. See https://weston.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/dna-for-family-history/ for more details.
AI for Family History
In August, FamilySearch published this guide to using AI for Genealogical Research. https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/ai-developments-genealogy
If you prefer to watch a video about AI – Try this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S71pcTLQs5M
Have any of you used AI to aid your research? Please comment with your findings.
I have experimented briefly with Microsoft Co-Pilot which for one question did lead me to a document in the Bristol Archives I had not considered before. Be careful with your questioning and check the answers carefully to avoid errors in its reply.
Interestingly, I also asked it - “ What can you tell me about Thomas Long, born 1818 in Bitton and a leather merchant in Broadweir Bristol?”
Its answer directed me to our own web site!
Thomas Long, born in 1818 in Bitton, Somerset, was a leather merchant who lived and worked in Broadweir, Bristol. He was a tenant at 19 Broad Weir, which was later destroyed by a bomb in 1942. His business was located near the Crown Tavern and he was linked to numerous newspaper accounts and the births of his children.
See Weston-super-Mare & District Family History Society
House through Time
Have you been watching this programme? This series seems slightly more contrived and disjointed than previous ones but historically correct. Have you considered researching the residents of your own house through time?
If you live in an older house, you can trace the families who lived there through censuses, parish records, street directories, newspapers, electoral rolls, County Archives etc., building up a picture of the area and changes which occur. If the house was converted into flats – was it one of Henry Butt’s “Mansions”?
Our house was built in 1935/6, so we have little census information to go on. As the first two owners (father and son) were both called Henry WOLSTENHOME that did cause me some difficulty. The father died in December 1944 and was buried in Weston Cemetery. The son moved into his father’s house until about 1952. It all adds to your own family history.
Birnbeck Pier
With the news of Lottery Funding of £10 million to aid its restoration I was interested to hear that our Mayor, John Crockford-Hawley has discovered that he is a distant cousin of the 4 year-old Cecil Hugh Smyth-Pigott, son of the Lord of the Manor who laid the foundation stone in 1864. Would like to see that Family Tree!
Prize Winning Salmon
It was reported in the Weston Mercury (with a misprint in the Heading) that a 3 lb Salmon had won a Langford resident a trophy. When reading the article, it was actually a 31 lb salmon.
This reminded me of Samuel Norvill who in the first half of the 19th century caught a Salmon weighing 32 pounds and a quarter on the west side of Knightstone, in a net in the mud. As it was the first salmon to be caught that season it had to be taken to the Lord of the Manor, at Brockley. Whoever took the fish to Brockley was given half-a-crown and as much as he and his pony could eat and drink. Samuel was given three shillings on account of the size of the fish. This is recorded in Ernest Baker’s interviews of Weston inhabitants.
Workshop by Zoom – November 27th
The November Workshop will be looking at “How our ancestors died”. Peter de Dulin will be considering the various events which affected how our ancestors died. Joining details will be sent to all full members before the event.
All too often we forget to kill off our ancestors and there are some family trees which suffer from this problem. I was sent one not long ago which was based on a John PUDDY but unfortunately the John PUDDY who was given as the father of a large family had died when he was 2 but this had not been recorded and the wrong John PUDDY chosen to record.
Somewhere I have a small book written by a coroner which lists many causes of death which makes for fascinating reading.
Finally
I hope that as the nights are now drawing in you will have more time for family History and offer your help to others in this society to gain as much pleasure from researching as you do. Please add your comments and suggestions for a society which meets your needs to this newsletter. | 
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