Welcome all to Jackies latest newsletter
I hope that those of you who have been attending our ZOOM talks have enjoyed the experience. It seems that this will be the way forward for the foreseeable future and I think all attendees have managed to cope with the trials and tribulations very well. I must give thanks to Phil at this point as he is the one who has dealt with the technology. If you have not tried it, why not give it a go. Download ZOOM and then just register for our talks on our website and follow the instructions.
Our next two talks for August have been planned and details are available on the website under EVENTS or details can be found on the BMSGH Members Facebook page.
On 5 August starting at 2pm Phil Lamb will be telling us about Research at National Archives Kew. If you have never been to Kew, or have not been for a long time, it is worth viewing Phil’s talk, although to be fair, under the current conditions it has all changed again. I first went well over 20 years ago and how it is organised now bears no relation to how it was organised then.
On 19 August starting at 2pm Penny Smith, Chair of our Wolverhampton Group and Vice-Chair (Genealogy) of the Society, will be telling us the story of Mabel Shaw OBE. Mabel was a Wolverhampton Grocers daughter and worked with the London Missionary Society. Should be a very enjoyable afternoon.
Can I just point out that when you register for an on line talk, we do need your full name, not an unrecognizable email address, or nickname as we need to know who you are to keep us all safe from ‘undesirables’. If we don’t know who you are, you won’t be allowed to participate.
I know I have mentioned our Facebook pages before, but many organisations like SoG, National Archives, Warwickshire Archives and many more are posting events/talks that they are holding either online or as Podcasts. When these come to me I either forward them on to our own Members page, or to the General Midland Ancestor page. So if you have not done so already, why not take the plunge and have a look.
Jackie Cotterill
NEWS FROM THE GROUPS
Bromsgrove Group:
With restrictions on large-scale gatherings continuing, Bromsgrove Group will be moving its autumn 2020 meeting programme online. Meetings will be held at the original dates and times but will be hosted on Midland Ancestors’ Zoom account instead. The upcoming meetings and speakers are:
- 08 September: Almshouses: A Home for the Poor – Ned Williams
- 13 October: The Boer War – John Butterworth
- 10 November: What’s In A Names; Talking Butts – Anthony Paulton-Smith
- 08 December – Christmas Social – to be confirmed.
All meetings will commence at 7.30 pm. Attendees will be required to register in advance in order to access the online meeting link. See the Bromsgrove Group website for further details.
Without the restrictions of distance, this is an opportunity for MA members outside of the Bromsgrove area to participate in our meetings and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.
Mike Sharpe, Chairman.
London Group posts:
The London Branch has been in regular discussion with the Society of Genealogists since they closed their doors. Although there is some limited reopening it is not felt that we are yet ready to take advantage of any possible room availability in the near future. Concerns over the length of travel for all of our members is uppermost in consideration as well as the rather cramped conditions of the SoG. So the earliest we expect to hold a meeting is 9th January 2021. Even this is subject to what happens during the winter. For the first one or two meetings we will rely on members to talk to us as this will provide maximum flexibility without inconveniencing outside speakers. However the committee is considering a zoom meeting at some point in the not too distant future – and would encourage members to keep a lookout on the meetings listing on the Midland Ancestors web site for the fortnightly zoom meetings which will be taking place – and which are well attended around the world.
Dave Kerr, Chairman
North Staffs Group: More and More churches and chapels are being lost or turned into restaurants or residential properties, so this begs the question were do the memorials go?
Can you spare a little time to photograph or transcribe?
- Memorials located inside churches, chapels etc.
- Photograph any war memorials
- Headstones within churches or chapels
- Headstones in churchyards
- Photograph any war memorials
- Headstones within churches or chapels
- Headstones in churchyards
If you feel you can help please email me and I will let you know which churches/chapels need to have their memorials photographed near you. robecarter@hotmail.com
Rob Carter
Family History Centre, Birmingham
There are ongoing discussions about opening our own library. First and foremost, obviously, is the safety of our volunteers who man the library and we need to get their views as to whether they will feel safe coming in. We also need to discuss how we can operate safely, especially in view of social distancing, etc. I will keep you informed of any decisions made
Some Archives and Record Offices, are re-opening their doors but in a very different format to what we had before. In most cases forward booking is necessary (most are using an online booking system) with a time slot as well as is perhaps ordering records, etc. Steve Freeman has told me that although Warwick Archives are reopening, we will not be operating our Help Desk for the time being.
This has come from member Ann Simcock on our BMSGH Members Facebook Page:
Next month Ancestry will be updating their DNA matches. The result will mean that matches under 8 cms will be lost from your list. I know that I do not usually take one of these matches in isolation as there are many caveats using them in that way but if they appear in a group they could indicate a distant ancestor and give a helpful link. It is suggested they will not be removed if you have put them in a group, added a note or have contacted the match.
Something else Ann has posted on our Facebook page which may be of interest to our members regarding DNA:
Over the last few days there have been problems with the GedMatch site due to 2 security breaches. A similar problem has occurred with My Heritage. Emails have been sent regarding an upgrade and asking for details. It probably would be a good idea to be very wary of any emails coming from any similar site. Stay safe
Correction to item mentioned in last newsletter about a One-Name Study. The one name study has come to light regarding the surname SMALL (and vars.) with a linkage to DAUNCEY (and vars) around Himbleton, WOR in the late 1700s to early 1800s. Then back to 1600s. Also to Wootton-u-Edge. If this is of interest to you, please contact me
Going Forward
Now would seem to be a good idea to see if there is anything you, our members, would like to see or done by the Society. Unfortunately, we cannot re-open the library, but should we be doing something more either in terms of the website, journal or in general something else that you think could be helpful?
