Midland Ancestors

Kenilworth: North to Alaska ... The Klondike Gold Rush 1897-99
2025-11-12 19:30 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | 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.

Kenilworth: Christmas Social
2025-12-10 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Members and Non-Members Welcome

2026 Kingsley Norris Memorial Talk via Zoom
2026-01-10 14:00 - 15:00 | West Midlands
As this is an online event, you will need to register your interest via the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/eQjW05g5TQidHs8Fx9OsRQ.
Please use the email address we have on record as your credentials will be checked before allowing you into the session. There will be a cut off time of 30 minutes prior to the start time of the event to register.
If anyone would like assistance with joining the on-line Zoom sessions, please contact the General Secretary or “MA-IT support” itsupport@midanc.uk

Title: Autosomal DNA & One Name Studies
Speaker: John Titterton
As the registered researcher of the Titterton One Name Study, John is
researching all instances of the name Titterton. He has established about 30
different Titterton family trees but there are a number of brick walls
stopping them being connected together.
There are three types of DNA testing;
· that going back in the female line (mitochondrial DNA);
· that going back in the male line (Y Chromosome DNA)
· that going back in all lines (autosomal DNA).
One might expect that the Y chromosome DNA tests would be the best one
to help a One Name study. John was contacted by a complete stranger with
a Titterton grandmother. Their autosomal DNA test had three Titterton
hits which did not connect to the grandparent nor to each other. The talk
discusses how he was able to make connections between different Titterton
branches using these autosomal results. He was then able to break down
brick walls.

Kenilworth: "AI For Family History" via Zoom
2026-01-14 19:30 - 21:30 | West Midlands
AI For Family History : What it can (and can’t) do for you
Speaker: Linda Hammond
A practical, no nonsense guide to using AI tools effectively (and knowing their limitations).
Linda is a professional genealogist based in France, with extensive speaking experience at major genealogy events including Roots Tech, The Genealogy Show, and the Really Useful Show. She is keen to engage with the audience during the Q & A session, so be sure to bring your questions and comments.
More details at www.lindahammondresearch.com

London: "Wills & Probate"
2026-01-17 11:00 - 12:00 | London Family History Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PA, United Kingdom
“Wills & Probate”
A talk by Sharon Hintze.
A talk primarily covering England and Wales, and including how to use FamilySearch resources to find probate records and record copy wills online.
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 - AGM and a Short History of the Chance Brothers
2026-01-24 14:30 - 16:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
A Short History of the Chance Brothers
Speaker: Henry Chance

Heraldry Group Meeting
2026-01-27 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-02-24 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-03-24 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-04-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Why not come along and learn how to interpret the various coats of arms in stained glass windows, church monuments, etc, and discover who married who, together with their family history.

Wolverhampton: Longest Way Up and Shortest Way Down
2026-01-28 19:30 - 21:15 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Join us for the first meeting in 2026 of the Wolverhampton Group for a look at life in the Mounted Police by an experienced officer, Stephen Gwilt, with first-hand experience of the role.
The doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. meeting start. There is plenty of FREE parking at our venue and all members and visitors are welcome to join us for what promises to be an interesting presentation about the Mounted Police.

Breaking Down Brick Walls via Zoom
2026-02-07 14:00 - 15:00 | West Midlands
As this is an online event, you will need to register your interest via a link which will be added here before the event:
Please use the email address we have on record as your credentials will be checked before allowing you into the session. There will be a cut off time of 30 minutes prior to the start time of the event to register.
If anyone would like assistance with joining the on-line Zoom sessions, please contact the General Secretary or “MA-IT support” itsupport@midanc.uk

Title: Breaking Down Brick walls: Methods and Skills
Speaker: Mike Sharpe
All of us encounter ‘brick walls’ in our research. Indeed, it can be argued that
every research line ends with a brick wall at some point. Going back to
basics, professional genealogist Mike Sharpe will look at theoretical
concepts for our research, as well as some practical approaches and skills for
becoming a better researcher.
Aspects discussed will include:-
using online information; reading old handwriting; understanding local context; making
the most of archives; family reconstitution; and using DNA in our research.
Mike Sharpe is a professional genealogist, writer and lecturer and runs
Writing the Past, a family history research and writing service. He is a
Member of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives
(AGRA), the Society of Genealogists, as well as a Trustee and Vice-Chair,
Genealogy for Midland Ancestors. He writes for family history magazines
and is the author of three books on family history.

Kenilworth: "Thomas Stokes, Apprentice" via Zoom
2026-02-11 19:30 - 21:30 | West Midlands
As this is an online event, you will need to register your interest via a link which will be available before the meeting:

The Life and Times of Thomas Stokes, Apprentice
Speaker: Steve Manning
A fascinating ‘how to do it’ family history adventure built around the indenture papers signed by Thomas Stokes of Yarwell, Northamptonshire and his widowed mother in 1842.
Steve’s interest in Family History began when he was still a teenager. Unsurprisingly, his level of activity waxed and waned over the years as work and family needs took priority, but that early enthusiasm never dimmed. Looking back with the wisdom of years, he acknowledges much of his early research had serious shortcomings – but he has absolutely no regrets about having started out so young.
Steve currently serves as both Chairman of the Family History Federation and President of the Peterborough & District Family History as well as being a member of various other family history societies. An enthusiastic public speaker, he absolutely loves talking on his favourite topic – Family History! He is based on the Cambridgeshire / Lincolnshire / Norfolk border, so delivering talks by Zoom works!

Course: Introduction to Family History Research at Perton Library
2026-02-23 14:00 - 17:00 | Perton Library, Severn Drive, Perton, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV6 7QU, United Kingdom
Week one of a five week course which is structured for beginners and those who have done a little research but do not know what to do next. Each week covers a different topic with the first three being the basic building blocks of family history research.
Find out how to ….

get started in researching your family history
learn about the records which will help you
find the records and interpret them
discover the heroes and rogues in your family
reveal the truth behind your family tales

Sessions are on five consecutive Monday afternoons.
Each session will last for between two and three hours and is completely free of charge. Lots of handouts and guidance. Always small friendly groups.
If you have to miss a session you will be able to catch up with that missing session on another course
To book a place please contact the library direct on 01902 506 050. Places are limited so if you book a place but later change your mind about attending, please notify the library to allow someone else to take up the place.
Further details are available from the organiser – contact detail below

Wolverhampton: Members Evening
2026-02-25 19:30 - 21:15 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
We invite members of the Wolverhampton group to consider sharing details of their own research. You may like to tell the group about your discoveries whether this is your own family history or a topic or theme you have researched. No-one is expected to speak for longer than they feel comfortable with however we do try to limit each person to approximately 15 minutes to give everyone a chance to ask questions and to make a contribution to the evening.
During a similar evening in 2025 we learned of a connection to a lifeboat disaster, a Swiss barometer maker and drownings of two different merchant seamen of the coast of South American all from just one member. What will we learn this year?
There is plenty of FREE parking at our venue. Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. meeting start.
Presenters: our Group Members!

Stourbridge Group - J M W Turner and the Black Country
2026-02-28 14:30 - 16:00 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
J M W Turner and the Black Country
Speaker: Brendan Clifford

Voted Britain’s favourite artist in a 2004 BBC Poll, JMW Turner visited the Black Country and Birmingham area a couple of times during his life (1775-1851). The Talk covers the background of Turner’s interest in the area, the watercolours he produced and specifically the tangled tale of what happened to his watercolour of Dudley.

Kenilworth: "Fatal Transport Accidents"
2026-03-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
“Let my quick fate a warning be…” Fatal Transport Accidents in the West Midlands, 1820s-1920s
Speaker: Quintin Watt
This illustrated presentation deals with various accidents that involved the region’s stage-coaches, canals, railways and trams. How and why did these shocking events occur, and who was to blame? What ‘Health & Safety’ lessons were learnt from these many tragic mishaps?
Quintin taught History at a high school in Bromsgrove for 39 years. He has completed two Masters Degrees, in West Midlands Regional History and Britain and the First World War. He has written articles for local history magazines and edited two books – the Bromsgrove Guild – An Illustrated History and Wolverhampton’s Great War, 1914-1921. Quintin served as secretary and chairman of the Bromsgrove Society’s Local History group and the Wolverhampton Society as well as the Black Country Society.

Stourbridge Group - William Morris and Nuffield Empire
2026-03-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
William Morris and the Nuffield Empire
Speaker: Max Hunt

William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (10th October 1877 – 22nd August 1963)

William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield was an English motor manufacturer and philanthropist. He was the founder of Morris Motors Limited and is remembered for establishing the Nuffield Foundation, the Nuffield Trust and Nuffield College, Oxford, as well as being involved in his role as president of Bupa in creating what is now Nuffield Health. He took his title from the village of Nuffield, Oxfordshire, where he lived.
William Morris, Lord Nuffield, was born in fairly humble circumstances in the St Johns area of Worcester in October 1877. His entry in the baptismal register of Hallows Church gives his father’s occupation as clothier, though he was in fact clerk to a local firm. While William was still a child, the family moved to the Oxford area when his father took up the position of farm bailiff to his father-in-law at Brasenose Farm.
In 1913, William was able to rent, for a modest sum, the premises of the old Oxford Military College at Cowley; as part of the deal, he also rented, and began to live in, Temple Cowley Manor House. His first car, the Morris Oxford, was produced in 1913 using an engine bought in from White and Poppe in Coventry. A light 10 hp vehicle, it retailed at £175. He then looked to the example of Henry Ford in the USA to see how to build bigger, more powerful machines, in 1913-1914 ordering 5,000 engines from Continental Motors in Detroit. In 1920 he built the Cowley works on the old parade ground of the military college.

Wolverhampton: War As Seen Through Artists and Poets
2026-03-25 19:30 - 21:15 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
Tonight’s presenter, Craig Denston, will be visiting Wolverhampton group again to share with us his research into the various Artists and Poets who have been influenced by their experiences to express themselves through their works. Join us to hear more.
Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. meeting start. Plenty of FREE parking at our venue.
All members and visitors are welcome to a meeting that promises to be interesting and thought provoking.

Kenilworth: No meeting this month
2026-04-08 19:30 - 21:30 | West Midlands

London: "Titanic– The Midlands’ Connection"
2026-04-11 11:00 - 13:00 | London Family History Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PA, United Kingdom
“Titanic– The Midlands’ Connection”
A talk by Andrew Lound.
Although the towns of Belfast and Southampton claim the Titanic as their own, over 70% of the ship’s interior was manufactured in the Midlands. Based on his own
research Andrew tells the story of the Midlands’ industrial work on the ship and the fate of the local passengers. A dramatic presentation delivered in full White Star Line Uniform, using images, audio and numerous props. Climb aboard and experience the voyage of your life.
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

'First Steps' in Family History
2026-04-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute – Kingsley Norris Room, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Gareth, Mark and Kim will be hosting an all day of tuition, tips and advice on how to research your family history.
The day is open to anyone first starting out on their journey, but also to members who simply want to refresh their knowledge.
Linda and Susan will be in the Family History Centre to answer questions on our resources available to assist your journey.
Please contact Kim Walker – General Secretary, for further information and to book a place.
Whilst the event is free, donations are always welcome.

Stourbridge Group - "Oh, What a Bostin War"
2026-04-21 19:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
“Oh, What a Bostin War”
Speaker: Quintin Watt

“Oh, what a bostin war!” – Mobilisation & Recruitment in the Black Country in 1914This illustrated presentation examines the military reaction to the outbreak of the Great War in the Black Country. Were people really excited to have a ‘pop at the Kaiser’? Did thousands of eager young men immediately ‘rush to the colours’, afraid they might miss out on all the fun? Why did they really join up? What are the myths and what was the reality?

Wolverhampton: The Forgotten Staffordshire Workhouse
2026-04-29 19:30 - 21:15 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
In Victorian England, the question haunted every parish: what should be done with the poor? The answer, in 1834, was the workhouse — a place meant to provide food, shelter, and discipline… but remembered today for something far darker.
Hidden among the lanes of Trysull, the Seisdon Union Workhouse served the surrounding villages — from Wombourne to Tettenhall, Pattingham to Kinver. Built in 1860, it stood for decades, shaping countless lives — and then, somehow, slipped quietly from memory.
Join the Wolverhampton group as we learn about the stories of those who lived and worked behind its walls — and rediscover a forgotten chapter of Staffordshire’s social history.
Presenter: Andrew Sloane
Doors open at 7.15 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. meeting start.
Plenty of FREE parking at our venue. Members and Visitors are welcome.

Kenilworth: ABM plus "Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People"
2026-05-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, Cv8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary People
Speaker: Helen Lloyd
An introduction to oral history, with audio extracts from the speaker’s recordings of Birmingham life stories, and discussion of the pros and cons of oral history in a whistle-stop tour through the twentieth-century.
Helen worked in radio for much of her life, including many years as a freelance reporter for the BBC Radio 4 programme, Women’s Hour. She has recorded and edited life stories for many oral history projects, including the BBC’s Millenium Oral History Project, “The Century Speaks”, Birmingham Central Library’s Millennium project and Digital Handsworth, amongst others …
More details in doc provided, and see website: www.oralhistoryconsultancy.co.uk

London: Group Visit to the The National Museum of Computing
2026-05-17 | The National Museum of Computing, Block H, Bletchley Park, Bletchley, MK3 6EB, United Kingdom
Group Visit to The National Museum of Computing
The National Museum of Computing is an independent charity. It houses the world’s largest collection of functional historic computers and World War II machines.
This museum is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers and is recognised as one of England’s top 100 “irreplaceable places”. It houses the functional historic computers and World War II machines, including Enigma, Lorenz, the working Turing-Welchman Bombe, the rebuilt Colossus (the world’s first electronic computer), and the WITCH (the world’s oldest working digital computer).
The Museum enables visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s and beyond. Visitors will engage with several volunteers as they go round, who will be on hand to deliver the stories and full demonstrations of the working exhibits.
This museum is situated adjacent to the Bletchley Park complex and is an independent museum with its own separate entrance and admission fee. There is a car park, but the site is only a short walk (less than 15 minutes) from Bletchley train station. Trains run from London Euston and typically take around 53 minutes. There is also a café at the museum.
We will meet at the museum but will need to know in advance who will be coming.
This is a paid event- currently £15, with some concessions.
Further details to follow. Please re-visit this page for details and joining instructions.
