The
Bulletin
A word from
our chairman
Newspaper
digitisation
Access to Archives (A2A)
London
family history societies merger
Unwanted indentures
An odd
gravestone inscription
Derbyshire video
Society
of Genealogists' history fair
Wiltshire Open Day
100 years ago
Family Tree Day
'For a healthy,
happy job'
1901 census online
A word from
our chairman
Writing this in early January, the census is
very much on my mind, not just the 1901 census
but all the other census returns and indexes that
have been published over the last two decades or
so.
My own involvement with family history started
in the late 1970s, when my wife, Lesley, offered
to help the Society of Genealogists while we were
working in the Middlesbrough area. We were asked
to re-type the transcript and index for the
parish registers of St Martin at Palace, Norwich.
We did a spot check of the index and finding many
errors felt we had to re-index the transcript. As
this was in the days before personal computers
the work was done on x slips and a second-hand
IBM Selectric typewriter. It was a fascinating
and demanding project and it was very satisfying
to handle 'our' bound quarto transcript and index
when we visited the Society of Genealogists.
While we were relative beginners working on
our own, albeit with good instructions and
examples, I think we produced a good result. We
went on to help with the Berkshire 1851 census
index and other projects.
Later, we were very pleased when the 1881
census became available in January 1982 and I'm
sure there must have been enormous queues, longer
than usual, at the Census rooms in
Portugal Street, London, in those early days. To
begin with, the only aids were the standard place
indexes, with street indexes if you were lucky.
So it took me by surprise recently to hear
that someone was complaining when there was no
name index to part of the 1891 census. My
immediate feelings were, 'Why should there be?'
and 'You'd better get started!'
There are so many indexes and aids available
these days, with national indexes to the 1881 and
now the 1901 census returns, we forget that
normal family historians like you and me created
many. A common mistake is for someone to say that
the LDS (Latter Day Saints) 'did' the i88i census
index. I'm sorry they didn't. Yes, they set up
and organised the project but ordinary family
historians up and down the country carried out
most of the actual transcription.
Anyone who has helped in a transcription
project will understand the limitations of a
transcript. They will know that they must check
the original, or at least a facsimile of it, as a
transcript is only one interpretation of the
original. They will also know the difficulties of
interpreting handwriting and look for possible
alternative spellings in the index. They should
also appreciate that many records were recorded
from the spoken word and that variations in
spelling are to be expected. They will, in short,
be able to make the best possible use of a
transcript or index.
I'm sure there will be much discussion in the
next few months about the quality of the index
and transcripts for the 1901 census. I'm also
sure that those who helped in transcribing the
1881 and 1851 census returns or have been
involved in any society transcription project
will be able to make the best use of this new
tool, appreciating both its value and limitations.
Newspaper
digitisation
The British Library Newspaper Library carried
out a pilot project last year to test the
possibility of putting newspaper texts onto the
Internet. For the pilot project duplicate
negative microfilms of newspapers were scanned
and indexed. A selection of material from older
newspapers was made to test the search facilities
and the capability of the system. The newspapers,
of which a limited number of facsimile pages are
currently available are: Daily News, Manchester
Guardian, News of the World and Daily Dispatch.
The results of this project are available at: www.uk.olivesoftware.com.
How long we will have to wait to see more
newspapers on the Internet only time will tell.
As well as the British Library project The Times
is also planning a digitization system.
Access to
Archives (A2A)
There's a new Access to Archives (A2A) web
site on www.a2a.pro.gov.uk.
It's designed as an online database for record
office catalogues from all over England. The
project is still in its relatively early stages,
but it already includes 1,081,595 records from 76
archives across England. So far, the emphasis has
mainly been on quarter sessions and petty
sessions records -with catalogues from many parts
of the country now being online. It should be
stressed that the site is not intended to be a
gigantic personal name index intended solely for
genealogists. However, it is clearly a major
archival initiative - and a site worth
remembering for future reference.
London
family history societies merger
The London & North Middlesex FHS has
merged with the Westminster & Central
Middlesex FHS. The two branches of the
W&CMFHS, at Rayners Lane and Wembley will
continue, with their existing officers, as
branches of the L&NMFHS. It's anticipated
that this amalgamation will enable them to give
an improved service to members over a wider area.
For general enquiries contact Mrs. S Lumas (see
journal for address)
www.lnmfhs.dircon.co.uk
Unwanted
indentures
The following apprenticeship indentures were
purchased at a flea market some years ago. All
relate to New Windsor and to Archbishop Laud's
charity:
- William Robert Arthurs, age 16, son of James
Arthurs, tailor, of Park Street NW, apprenticed
to Charles Arthur Cobden, tailor. November 1887.
- Ernest Alexander Windsor, aged 13, son of
George Windsor of Keppel Row, tailor, apprenticed
to Jesse Cooper, coach builder, November 1884.
This indenture has been overwritten onto a
previous form relating to William Maynard, aged
14, son of Elizabeth Maynard, widow, of Love
Lane, apprenticed to George Pirer Cartland,
photographer of High Street.
- Rowland Fuller Gray, aged 13, son of Charles
James Gray, gardener, of Kepple Street,
apprenticed to Edward and William Dickenson of
Victoria Street, plumbers, November 1885.
The owner would be willing to reunite these
documents to the apprentices' families in return
to a small donation to charity.
An
odd gravestone inscription
Just over the Berkshire border at Dorchester
Abbey, in Oxfordshire, there's an unusual
inscription on one of the graves:
Here lies one who for medicine would not give
A little gold; and so his life he lost:
I fancy that he'd wish to live
Did he but know how much his funeral cost.
Apparently funerals cost as much in the past as
they do now.
Derbyshire video
The Derbyshire Family History Society has
produced a video explaining how to trace your
family tree in Derbyshire. Filmed at their
Research Centre and Derby Library it takes the
beginner through the first tentative steps using
real documents when necessary. A copy can be
purchased from the Research Centre, Bridge Chapel
House, St. Mary's Bridge, Sowter Road, Derby DE1
3AT.
Society
of Genealogists' history fair
The annual Society fair at the Royal
Horticultural Society Hall in London will be held
on Saturday and Sunday May the 4th and 5th. Last
year 5,000 visitors came from all over the
country to meet representatives of the county
family history societies browse through the
books, computer supplies and programs. This year
your Society will be present on both days, so if
you'd like to meet us come along on either day.
We look forward to seeing you.
Wiltshire Open
Day
The Wiltshire Family History Society's annual
open day will be held on Saturday June 15 at the
Bouverie Hall, Pewsey from 10am until 3.45pm.
Local societies will have stalls and it's likely
to be as successful as last year.
100 years ago
Mr. Maker, living at Yattendon Court, wrote
about 1902: 'The season early in the year was one
of great promise but a cold spring, a dull
sunless summer and a wet August put paid to it.
At Sunninghill, Ascot four inches of rain was
recorded in June and more than four inches during
the month of August'. Plus ça change, plus c'est
la même chose.
Family Tree Day
Saturday 8 June 2002 marks the first 'Family
Tree Day' at the Oxfordshire Record Office. This
is likely to be an extravaganza not to be missed.
Hosted by the staff of the record office in
conjunction with the Oxfordshire Family History
Society, the day will have numerous attractions
including: computer demonstrations, the chance to
browse and make purchases from the an extensive
bookstall, and an opportunity to make purchases
of microfiche from the Society without incurring
those irritating postal charges.
The Society's computerised search services and
newly computerised birth brief index will also be
available for consultation. The record office
searchroom will be open as usual, and this will
enable the researcher to review a particular
record, and to discuss their problems and
findings with members of the Society and other
experienced family historians. 'Family Tree Day'
will be held on Saturday 8 June 2002 at the
Oxfordshire Record Office, St Luke's, Temple
Road, Cowley, Oxford 0X4 2EX.
'For a
healthy, happy job'
That was the banner on the poster of the
famous wartime poster urging women to join the
Women's Land Army. Thousands of women took up the
challenge of providing Britain with home grown
food at a particular crucial time in our history,
with imports cut off by the submarine war in the
Atlantic.
Although the original service records do not
survive, the index cards have recently been put
on microfiche. The cards often give background
information on the volunteers including name,
changes of name on marriage, address, date of
birth and dates of service. Some of them even
have photographs. If you would like to look at
the index they are in record class MAF 421 at the
PRO.
1901 census
online
By the time you read this I hope that the PRO
will have sorted out the problems with the 1901
census and that you will have found those missing
relatives at the turn of the twentieth century.
Much is riding on this site. If it's successful
then many of the other nineteenth century
censuses will be available over the coming years.
