Midland Ancestors

Kenilworth: Charles Dickens, Warwickshire & the Great Jennens Case
2025-06-11 19:30 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Laurence Ince
Laurence is from Solihull, a member of Solihull Local History Circle, and has been working for many years on family history, particularly of his wife’s family, the Holbeches of Alvechurch.

Wolverhampton: John Wilkinson - part two
2025-06-25 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Join us for this, the second part of a presentation from March 2025, about John “Iron-Mad” Wilkinson by Richard Sells
The adult Wilkinson was involved from the start in the ‘new’ iron industry, eventually operating nine ironworks including the New Willey Ironworks near Broseley, which was established in 1757. He was a man of huge energy and foresight, the ultimate inventor and entrepreneur, a member of the Lunar Society. His 88-acre site at Bradley near Wolverhampton became the first integrated ironworks in the world and included everything necessary for iron production, from blast furnaces to canals and housing for his workers, earning him the sobriquet the ‘Father of the South Staffordshire Iron Industry’. He was also a major force behind the construction in 1779 of a certain bridge across the Severn linking Broseley with what is now the town of Ironbridge.
Despite being ‘mad on iron’ Wilkinson did not confine his interests to the iron industry. He had investments in copper and lead mines, chemical plants, canals and banking, and is famed for his work in developing cannon to be more accurate and safe. He even took advantage of the government’s inability to produce enough copper coinage to meet demand and began to mint his own trade tokens depicting his own head.
Doors open at 7.15 for a 7.30 meeting start.

Birmingham: Country House Libraries
2025-07-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Country house libraries and a case study of the library at Linley Wood.
Presenter – JJ Heath-Caldwell
In the 1700s and 1800s many of the old English gentry families amassed considerable collections of books in their country house libraries. These collections were a vast range of books passed down from ancestors, relatives, and friends of the family over the generations. Most of these country houses and their contents are now long gone, the majority having been sold off in the mid-1900s. Some of these books can be found today in antiquarian bookshops, often with bookplates or inscriptions just inside the front cover giving a clue to their original owner.
JJ Heath-Caldwell gives this talk about country house libraries and a case study of the library at Linley Wood, in Staffordshire, the home of the Caldwell family from 1789 to 1949. The core of this library was established by James Caldwell (1759-1838) with many of the books, and other family relics, coming from families with names Bentley, Coape, Crompton, Hacker, Martin and Stamford. Later generations then brought additional books and relics from the Crowe, Cuthbert, Dalton, Heath, Helsham, Hesketh, Jones, Long, Marsh and Moore families.

North Staffs Group research/help evening
2025-07-07 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-06 19:30 - 21:30 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom
Informal help or research evening. Committee Members have access to numerous items in our digital library and to subscription websites.
Members free but we welcome visitors but ask for a donation of £1.50

Kenilworth: The Feud between the Smalbroke & Colmore Families
2025-07-09 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Marie Fogg
Looks at the feud that led to numerous court cases and attempted murder in the 17thcentury.
Marie is the author of several books, about the Smalbroke family of Birmingham and Thornton School.

London: "The Commonwealth War Graves Commission"
2025-07-12 11:00 - 16:30 | London Family History Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PA, United Kingdom
“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission”
A talk by Jay Morgan Hyrons.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars. Their objective is to make sure that their sites – from individual scattered graves to cemeteries and memorials – are visited and explored as a permanent part of local and national heritage within the UK.
Meetings will be held at the LDS Hyde Park Family Search Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7 2PA. Doors open 10.00; talks start 11.00.
We will have the research facility largely to ourselves for the day of our meetings so will not be restricted on time. We will be able to take coffee and tea into our meetings as well as sandwiches.
If you download and install a Chrome extension on your laptop (which uses the building Wi-Fi), you can search records, use commercial websites for free and download images directly to your laptop after our meeting. In effect, with the Chrome extension, your laptop has the same premium access as the PCs in the FamilySearch Centre. This access only works, of course, if you are within the building on Exhibition Road since it is dependent on the building Wi-Fi address. Ask a member of staff about this if you are interested.
Underground stations: South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines).
Buses: 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430, C1

Stourbridge Group - Afternoon Visit to Kates Hill Church (St John's)
2025-07-15 14:00 - 16:00 | St Johns Church, Kates Hill, 40-49 St John's Road, Dudley, DY2 7JT
Afternoon Visit to Kates Hill Church (St John’s)

If you would like join us please email p.burkitt@mid-anc.uk. Please respond by the end of June

St. John’s Church was built at the same time (1838-1840) as its sister church, St. James’s at Eve Hill. The two churches were constructed to a similar design by William Bourne and both built by John Holland. It was dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.
St. John’s Church is built of courses of ironstone rubble with Gornal sandstone dressings and has a slate roof. It has a nave with north and south aisles and galleries lit by lancet windows, a chancel, a vestry, a west tower and an organ chamber. There are staircases to the galleries on either side of the tower, which originally had a parapet with battlements, which was later replaced by a plain parapet.
Substantial additions and alterations were made by Davies and Middleton in 1872 to 73 including the arcade of stone piers supporting the clerestory. In 1888 stained glass was added to the east window along with the lateral lancets and the wrought iron screen. In 1905, carved figures of the evangelists were added, along with the font.
The lichgate was built in 1920 and the parish hall was built in 1932.
William Perry, known as ‘The Tipton Slasher’ is buried in the churchyard, as is Mary Ann Mason, murdered by 1858 by Joseph Meadows, who was hanged in Worcester jail. There are also eleven (see below) Commonwealth War Graves from the First World War and graves of several significant figures from the Black Country’s past.
The church greatly benefited from an increase in the local population due to the large number of council houses that were built for workers employed in local industries and their families.

Meet at 1.45PM at the Church for the tour to start at 2.00PM
Members – Cost £5 (Refreshments included)

Wolverhampton: Members Evening
2025-07-30 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
A surprise as details are yet to be decided – it may be a continuation of our February meeting or something else – maybe a talk, so please check back nearer the time for further details. Rest assured, there will be something of interest for family historians!

Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a meeting start at 7.30 p.m.

North Staffs Group
2025-08-04 19:30 - 21:30 | West Midlands
NO MEETING

Stourbridge Group - Research Day
2025-08-16 11:00 - 15:00 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
Stourbridge Group – Research Day

Open to Members and Non Members of Midland Ancestors.

We have access to the following sites

Ancestry – excellent for building a family tree

FindMyPast – super search engine for UK records

Fold3 – military records, especially American and British

Britishnewspapersarchive.co.uk – now have over 94million pages of British newspapers.

Newspapers.com – mostly US records but also UK newspapers

So if you need any help in finding records including military record and newspaper articles please pop along. If you do not have access to Ancestry or FindMyPast we can build a tree in Ancestry under our subscription and make it available to you – you would need to create a free account in Ancestry. You would not be able to change the tree, but viewing is fine.

There is no entry fee but we would like a small donation to Midland Ancestors if we help you find records or start your family teee.

Knitters,Nailers and Traitors - Belper in the Industrial Revolution by David Skillen
2025-09-01 19:30 - 21:30 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom

Closure of Kingsley Norris Room
2025-09-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
The talk by Adrian de Redman ‘A Brief Introduction to Heraldry’- will take place from 2pm to 4pm but there there will be NO access to the Kingsley Norris room beforehand.
If anyone arrives early they should make their way directly to the Dickens Room for the talk.
The new IT equipment is being installed and the room will be out of bounds from 10am-4pm.

Birmingham: Peplow Memorial Lecture
2025-09-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Peplow Memorial Lecture – Heraldry
Presenter – Adrian De Redman
A light-hearted invitation to become addicted to the handmaid of history.
Subject to confirmation nearer the time, this is expected to be the first of a number of talks for those who would like a working understanding of the subject. Designed with the emphasis on “if heraldry isn’t fun, chuck it!”
Adrian is Vice Chairman (Heraldry) of the Midland Ancestors, a post he has held for over 20 years. He is founder and Chairman of the Birmingham Heraldry Project, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Fellow of the Flag Institute, Honorary Fellow of the Heraldry Society. He has been a heraldry addict since the age of 14, he was granted Arms in 1989.

William Augustus Peplow
Gus as he was known was a successful business man from the Black Country and descended from a long line of clockmakers. He had a keen interest in Heraldry, which he helped develop in the society, also making authoritative surveys of the hatchments of Worcestershire. He later became President of the Worcester Archaeological Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. After his demise in 1983 this annual lecture was set up in his memory.

Kenilworth: Lavinia, Princess or Fake?
2025-09-10 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Vanessa Morgan
The story of Lavinia Ryves who tried to prove in the 1860’s, through documents in her possession, that she was the granddaughter of theDuke of Cumberland, brother of George lll, and therefore entitled to a title and an inheritance.
Vanessa worked as a professional genealogist and local historian, and has written six books and many articles, as well as giving talks for many groups. She is a story-teller.

Stourbridge Group - "Over by Christmas?" Black Country Civilians and the outbreak of the Great War.
2025-09-16 07:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
“Over by Christmas?”
Black Country Civilians and the outbreak of the Great War.

This illustrated presentation examines the civilian reaction to the outbreak of the Great War in the Black Country. Was it ‘business as usual’ on the Home Front, or did war hysteria sweep across the region? Did the war bring out the best, or the worst, in local people? What happened to ‘foreigners’ living in the area? What were the myths and what was the reality? Come along and find out what you don’t know about the Great War! ​​

The Speaker – Quintin Watt
Originally from London, Quintin is a retired History teacher who spent his entire career at one school, in Worcestershire. During the past 45 years he also found time to complete two masters degrees and edit two books about the local history of the West Midlands. Quintin has been involved with several organisations, and is currently Secretary of the Black Country Society. He also finds having a love of history is vital when pursuing his other passion: supporting Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Doors open at 7.00PM for a 7.30PM Start
Visitors Welcome – £5 Donation appreciated

Wolverhampton: "Let may fate a warning be"
2025-09-24 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Fatal Transport Accidents in the West Midlands, 1820s – 1920s.
A illustrated presentation which deals with curious accidents that involved the region’s stage coaches, canals, railways and trams. How and why these shocking events happened and who was to blame.
Join us for a fascinating presentation by Quintin Watt.

Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a meeting start at 7.30 p.m.

Birmingham: Whose Ancestor is it Anyway? - Ethics in Family History"
2025-10-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Whose Ancestor is it Anyway? – Ethics in Family History”
Presenters – Margaret Roberts and Ann Simcock
“I am only researching my family tree, where does ethics come into it?”
As Family Historians we can be frequently faced with the questions – What information do I share? How do I share information? Should I share information?
Margaret Roberts is an academic author, experienced researcher, speaker, and genealogist who specialises in Sports history. She has numerous publications focussing on women in sport from Victorian swimming onwards. Margaret has presented diverse academic conferences and has given over 60 invited talks, both on line and in person to public groups. She is editor of Britain’s only on line Sport and leisure History magazine Playing Pasts, Chair of the FHS of Cheshire, Trustee and Liaison Officer at the Family History Federation, Trustee of Devon FHS, Independent Researcher representative and Trustee of the British Society of Sports history and a member of the Few Forgotten Women team.
Ann Simcock is a former history and drama teacher who has been researching her family for over 30 years. Since teaching her son at home, prior to his going to Chetham’s Music School, she has taken classes and given presentations, in person and on Zoom, in family history, local history and drama for groups such as the WI, U3A , Family History Societies and others. Along with Margaret she is a member of Janet Few’s Few Forgotten Women Team who carry out research into women who would otherwise have been left in the shadows of history.
Margaret and Ann will use this interactive session to discuss various scenarios you may encounter on your family history journey.

Kenilworth: Using Tithe Documents & Maps for Family & Local History
2025-10-08 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Anne Langley
Anne is secretary of the Stretton on Dunsmore History Society, and author of Victorian Village Life, Brandon Silk Mill, Warwick County Asylum and Joseph Ashby’s Victorian Warwickshire.

London: Members Day – “The job my ancestor did”
2025-10-11 11:00 - 16:30 | London Family History Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PA, United Kingdom
Members Day – “The job my ancestor did”
Following on from Sharon Hintze’s talk about occupations this is an opportunity for members to give a short talk about the occupation of an ancestor.
Meetings will be held at the LDS Hyde Park Family Search Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7 2PA. Doors open 10.00; talks start 11.00.
We will have the research facility largely to ourselves for the day of our meetings so will not be restricted on time. We will be able to take coffee and tea into our meetings as well as sandwiches.
If you download and install a Chrome extension on your laptop (which uses the building Wi-Fi), you can search records, use commercial websites for free and download images directly to your laptop after our meeting. In effect, with the Chrome extension, your laptop has the same premium access as the PCs in the FamilySearch Centre. This access only works, of course, if you are within the building on Exhibition Road since it is dependent on the building Wi-Fi address. Ask a member of staff about this if you are interested.
Underground stations: South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines).
Buses: 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430, C1

Stourbridge Group - Early 20th. Century Family and Social History Research
2025-10-21 19:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
Stourbridge and the Black Country Group –
Early 20th. Century Family and Social History Research

Presenter – Stephen Dyer
The 1920s & 1930s was an era of defining events that would change the course of many families for decades to come, leading up to the 1921 Census which was released in January 2022. Stephen’s talk looks at the 1920’s and 1930’s and how WW1 impacted society in the two decades after the wr had ended
Stephen is National U3A Genealogy Subject Adviser and a member of the Society of Genealogists.

Doors open at 7.00PM for a 7.30PM Start
Visitors Welcome – £5 Donation appreciated

Oxfordshire Family History Fair
2025-10-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Cherwell School, North Site, Marston Ferry Road, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7EE, United Kingdom

Wolverhampton: Sir William Marshall - England's Greatest Knight
2025-10-29 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Sir William was an Anglo-Norman soldier and stateman during the Middle Ages who served five English Plantagenet kings – Henry II, his son and co-ruler Young Henry, Richard I, John and Henry III. This will be Max, in costume, entertaining us with his lively and amusing presentation style.
Our presenter, Max Keen, will be in costume.
Please note: there is a minimum donation requested of £5 for visitors for this event however join as a member, in cash on the night, and your membership will cover you for this talk, November’s meeting and all of 2026 – a bargain!

Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a meeting start at 7.30 p.m.

Birmingham: Was Your Ancestor a Criminal ?
2025-11-01 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Was Your Ancestor a Criminal ? – An examination of 18th & 19th Century Crime
Presenter – Colin Chapman. This meeting will be in the John Peek Room.
Several of today’s petty misdemeanours were regarded in the past as crimes. Were your ancestors involved as witnesses, accusers, jurors, or even accused? Crimes were many and varied giving rise to much documentation for the family history researcher.
Colin Chapman is a Life Vice-President of the FFHS. He is Founder/co-founder of six county-based family history societies: President of three and Patron of another. A Vice-President and Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and a former member of its (then) Executive Committee. An acclaimed authority on WW1 German POWs held in Britain.
Colin has written numerous genealogically-related books, three of which are published also in the United States. He originated the three-letter Chapman County Code for British Isles counties which formed the formed the basis for a British Standard and now an International Standard, ISO-3166. that we all should be familiar with.

North Staffs Group - Research / Help Evening
2025-11-03 19:30 - 21:30 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom

Kenilworth: North to Alaska ... The Klondike Gold Rush 1897-99
2025-11-12 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Graham Sutherland
Local author and professional speaker, Graham is a retired Police Inspector, and has also been a Town crier, and is a Blue Badge tourist guide. See website: www.talksandwalks.co.uk for more details.

Stourbridge Group - Weighing the World - The Story of W&T Avery Ltd
2025-11-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
Weighing the World – The Story of W&T Avery Ltd
Speaker: Andrew Lound

The name Avery is synonymous with weighing, and quality. The firm’s roots date back to 1728 although the name ’Avery’ doesn’t go over the shop until 1817. A family business that grew from strength to strength guided by some of the country’s most colourful businessmen until the sudden death of Henry J. Avery in 1894. The firm then became a Public Limited Company with a board of directors and an externally sourced managing Director—the famous William E. Hipkins—the man who would turn Avery’s into the greatest weighing machine company in the world. With access to rare images and research Andrew tells the story of a legend in industry from the anvil of a small workshop to the age of micro processors. A success story with all of the drama of a novel. As usual with an Odyssey Dramatic Presentation® it is high entertainment and not too heavy for the general audience. Accompanied by music, images and props.

Wolverhampton: A Christmas Themed Meeting
2025-11-26 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Join the Wolverhampton group for their last meeting of 2025. For the last three years we have enjoyed looking at “12 Days of Christmas” or a presentation about 12 different FREE websites that may aid new discoveries in our research over the holiday season.
Will it be “Yet Another 12 Days” or something else! Please check back nearer the time for any further details.
We will definitely have some light refreshments so feel free to bring a plate of something tasty to share, join in with a raffle, and start the Christmas season here.
Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a meeting start at 7.30 p.m.

North Staffs Group - Christmas Social Evening
2025-12-01 19:30 - 21:30 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom
As it is Christmas we usually serve mince pies with the tea or Coffee
Informal help or research evening. Committee Members have access to numerous items in our digital library and to subscription websites.
Members free but we welcome visitors but ask for a donation of £1.50

Birmingham: The Adventures of Harry Payne – the Edwardian “Literary Tramp”
2025-12-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
The Adventures of Harry Payne – the Edwardian “Literary Tramp”
Presenter – Quintin Watt
This presentation will piece together the remarkable story of a partially-sighted vagrant, as he tramped around the British Isles. At each town he visited, Harry earned a few pence by writing a review of that place for the local newspaper.
These perceptive snapshots provide a unique worm’s-eye view of Britain before and during the Great War. They earned Harry the epithet, “Literary Tramp”, and challenge the myth that poor people left no written evidence of their lives and experiences.
Quintin Watt has written several articles for local history magazines and edited two books ‘The Bromsgrove Guild – An Illustrated History’ (1999) and ‘Wolverhampton’s Great War, 1914 to 1921’ (2020)
Quintin taught History at a high school in Bromsgrove for 39 years. He has completed two Masters Degrees, in West Midlands Regional History (1993) and Britain and the First World War (2022).
Quintin served as secretary and chairman of the Bromsgrove Society’s Local History Group and the Wolverhampton Society. He now serves on the Committe of the Black Country Society.
