Talk about Etruria Bone Mill
2025-04-07 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom
Many people living or working in the Stoke on Trent Area will be aware of the Etruria Bone Mill. Now an industrial Museum. Bernard Lovatt is going to tell us all about it.
Members free we welcome visitors but ask for a donation of £1.50

Kenilworth: Researching & Writing the Mourning Brooch Trilogy
2025-04-09 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Jean Renwick

Jean Renwick’s talk reveals years of research behind her family saga, The Mourning Brooch, based upon the lives of real Yorkshire people who lived in the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. After inheriting a mourning brooch, Jean was intrigued to know who was Elizabeth Addy, commemorated in the brooch, and what happened to the two little girls she left behind. The two novels of the trilogy so far published reveal how the sisters’ lives took them in very different directions.
Using newspaper archives, Renwick discovered scandals, adding drama to the tale, and research in England and the USA revealed much about the personalities of the characters. And the story moves to London, Lancashire, Philadelphia – even Constantinople – all based on fact. Finally, she will report on progress in writing the final part of the saga covering two world wars.

The Mourning Brooch Book One, An Ending. A Beginning covers 1839-1876 and Book Two, Moving On reaches 1913. If you want to read the books ahead of the talk, they are available as a paperback or for Kindle on Amazon. More details and images can be found on www.jeanrenwickauthor.co.uk
Group members are invited to bring to the meeting any examples of jewellery they have inherited, mourning jewellery particularly.
The books will be available for sale on the night (paperback version discounted to £10).

London: “British Newspapers as Historical Resources”
2025-04-12 11:00 - 16:30 | London Family History Centre, 64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PA, United Kingdom
“British Newspapers as Historical Resources”
A talk by Denise Bates.
Themed around family history (though the main principles can be applied to other topics) this talk covers locating newspapers with potentially relevant information, searching effectively, identifying an ancestor and using the varied content of newspapers to understand something about the world in which they lived.
The group AGM will follow the talk.
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 - The Rise and Fall of Worcestershire's Witley Court
2025-04-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
Talk – The Rise and Fall of Worcestershire’s Witley Court

A Royal Palace created by the Earls of Dudley before its untimely demise.
Witley Court was once one of the great country houses of England. An impressive early 17th-century mansion here was transformed in three remodellings: twice by the Foley family in the 18th century and again about 1805–10, and then by the Ward family, Earls of Dudley, in the 1850s. Both families had made fortunes from iron and coal in the West Midlands, England’s industrial heartland. In the Victorian period Witley was famous for its opulence and extravagant parties.
After a devastating fire in 1937, Witley became one of the country’s most spectacular ruins. But it is still possible to gain a sense of its former grandeur, as well as to see the earlier layers of the building’s history laid bare by the fire.

The Speaker – Ray Sturdy

Based in Worcestershire, Ray is a photographer and explorer who has documented his travels around the world for others to enjoy. Together with geographical expeditions, Ray’s talks also include historical slideshows with famous figures including Vesta Tilley and I K Brunel.
Ray is a qualified engineer who has spent most of his working life running training courses around the world for pipeline engineers. He spent the last two years before retirement working in Saudi Arabia where he started to put together a list of slideshows and talks to raise money for several charities, including money for Mencap, NSPCC and Cancer Research UK.
Memorably, Ray has climbed Kilimanjaro, trekked in Antartica with temperatures of 35 degrees below zero and parachuted free fall from 15,000 feet.

DOORS OPEN AT 7.00PM for a 7.30PM START

Visitors Welcome – DONATION of £5 APPRECIATED

Family History Centre - closed
2025-04-17 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-18 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-21 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-05-05 10:00 - 15:00

Family History Centre - reopens at 10am
2025-04-22 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-05-06 10:00 - 15:00

Wolverhampton: The Story of Carribee Island
2025-04-30 19:15 - 21:00 | Wolverhampton, The Terry Harding Room, Perton Civic Centre, Church Road, Perton,, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, WV6 7PD, United Kingdom
In Victorian times Carribee Island was a notorious part of Wolverhampton, home to the city’s Irish migrants. The neighbourhood was stigmatized as a problem space using public health language that was shot through with racial and social stereotypes. In fact, it was home to ordinary people doing ordinary things. Once the myths that were layered on it are picked apart, it was just an ordinary neighbourhood.
Join us for a fascinating talk about this lost area of Wolverhampton presented by Simon Briercliffe.

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

Birmingham: Society Conference and AGM
2025-05-03 10:00 - 15:30 | Birmingham & Midland Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
Family History Day incorporating Annual General Meeting
An All day event with Speakers Sharon Hintze and Beverley Walker.
Programme Timings –
09.30 – Doors Open & Registration
10:00 – Welcome
10:15 – Presentation by Sharon Hintze, topic – By the Sweat of Thy Face; Occupations.
11:15 – Coffee Break
11:45 – AGM – A link to Agenda & Reports will appear here abt 4 weeks beforehand.
12:30 – Lunch Break
14:00 – Presentation by Beverley Walker, topic – Gypsy Ancestors in the Midlands
15:00 – Closing Words (Chairman/President)
15:15 – Disperse

Sharon Hintze – Title: ‘By the Sweat of Thy Face’
This talk starts with Adam (the first ag lab) but focuses on the 18th and 19th centuries with a nod to censuses after 1900. Some occupations remain the same but have different names, while others disappear from records as circumstances change. Emphasis is placed on the wide range of sources for occupations. Examples are given of occupations which are carried on through generations or families, and occupations which are numerous in a specific area.

Audience members are invited to bring an example of an ancestor with an interesting occupation, or a link to learning about a specific occupation.
Sharon has excellent credentials. She is a fifth generation family historian with roots in the West Midlands, specifically Wednesbury. Sharon has served in various family history assignments for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the longest spell being twenty years as Director of the London FamilySearch Centre. She is a member of the Irish Genealogical Research Society Library Committee and a member of Council for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. Sharon is a well-known and frequent speaker on the family history circuit and occasional writer.

Beverley Walker – Title: ‘Gypsy Ancestors in the Midlands’
We welcome Beverley Walker who is to speak to us about researching gypsy ancestry. Beverley discovered in 1985 when she started to research her family that her paternal grandmother (whom she never knew) was a Gypsy. This led on to the study of genealogy with the University of London and a stint working for the GRO in St Catherine’s House though Beverley does say that they didn’t let her near the certificate production. She then became an ‘heir hunter’ for a London based Probate Research Company. Beverley has been a Member of the Romany & Traveller FHS and a committee member since 2004 in the roles of Membership Secretary, Chair and Secretary and is a noted speaker on the subject.

The society Family History Centre will be open at times during the day.

North Staffs Group Research / help evening
2025-05-12 19:30 - 21:30 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom
AGM and 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: Child Migration - Not one of our better decisions!
2025-05-14 19:30 - 22:30 | Kenilworth Centre, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, Abbey End, Kenilworth, CV8 1QJ, United Kingdom
Speaker – Stephen Dyer
This talk looks at the long history of British child emgration schemes up to 1967 when some 150,000 children were sent overseas to settle and grow up in British colonies and dominions.
Stephen is a National U3A Genealogy Subject Adviser and a member of the Society of Genealogists.

Stourbridge Group - The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
2025-05-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Stourbridge, St. Peter's Church Hall, Pedmore, West Midlands, DY9 0SW, United Kingdom
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states 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.

The Talk – Architecture/Conservation and Archives
This is a great opportunity to learn about the very important work carried out by the CWGC. The talk will primarily focus on the Architure and Conservation work carried out bt the CWGC
Commemoratiom

Speaker – Sarah Hann
Sarah is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) volunteer speaker. Until Autumn 2024 she was the CWGC ‘Eyes On Hands On’ coordinator for the region covering the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and the North Wales counties to Gwynedd and Anglesey.
Previously, she worked for Warwickshire Heritage and Culture (the county museum and archive service), has been a teacher, community worker and television producer.
Sarah first became interested in the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission when she visited the war graves in Cairo and at El Alamein for a television programme over 30 years ago.
Thiepval Memorial
DOORS OPEN AT 7.00PM for a 7.30PM START
Visitors Welcome – £5 Donation appreciated

North Staffs Group Research / help evening
2025-06-02 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

Volunteer Week - Tuesday 3rd June
2025-06-03
Volunteer Week – Tuesday 3rd June
Trustees
Join Our Team as a Trustee – Midland Ancestors Family History Society
Passionate about genealogy & preserving history? We’re seeking a Trustee to help guide & grow our society, ensuring family heritage is cherished & shared for generations.
What You’ll Do:
– Provide leadership & strategic direction
– Support projects, research & community engagement
– Help shape the future of our genealogical society
Who We’re Looking For:
– Someone passionate about history & genealogy
– A strong communicator & team player
– Experience in governance or nonprofit leadership is a plus
Why Join Us?
– Make a meaningful impact on historical preservation
– Collaborate with fellow genealogy enthusiasts
– Help connect people with their family stories
Interested? Get in touch today! We’d love to hear from you.

Volunteer Week - Wednesday 4th June
2025-06-04
Volunteer Week – Wednesday 4th June
Join Midland Ancestors as a Shop Product Administrator!
Are you detail-oriented and tech-savvy? We’re looking for a volunteer to test PDF files, ensure bookmark links function correctly, and add items to our shop.
🔹 Role: To test pdf files to ensure bookmark links work and then add the item to our shop.
🔹 Requirements: Windows 10/11 PC/Laptop & Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download available)
🔹 Training: Full training and documentation provided
Make a meaningful contribution to genealogy and heritage preservation. Join us today!

Volunteer Week - Thursday 5th June
2025-06-05
Volunteer Week – Thursday 5th June
📢 Volunteer Opportunity! 📢
Are you detail-oriented and a great listener? We need a volunteer to type up minutes from Executive Committee meetings using recorded audio. Help preserve important discussions and keep our records clear and organized!
Interested? Get in touch today!
General Secretary: k.walker@midanc.uk

Volunteer Week - Friday 6th June 2025
2025-06-06
Volunteer Week – Friday 6th June 2025
Join Our Team as Programme Secretary!
Are you passionate about family history and eager to make a difference? Our Family History Society is looking for a volunteer Programme Secretary to help us organise engaging guest speakers for the Birmingham group.
What You’ll Do:
– Plan and coordinate our programme of talks- face to face and via Zoom.
– Liaise with guest speakers and members to ensure a varied and exciting schedule.
– Help promote events to encourage participation and grow our community.
What We’re Looking For:
– Organised and enthusiastic individuals with a love for history and genealogy.
– Good communication skills and a friendly approach to working with others.
– No experience necessary—just a willingness to get involved and learn!
Join us and help shape a vibrant and welcoming space for family history enthusiasts. To find out more or to apply, contact Peter Middleton
We’d love to have you on board!

National Volunteer Week - Meet the Trustees at the BMI
2025-06-07 12:30 - 13:30 | Birmingham & Midland Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
National Volunteer Week at Midland Ancestors!
Join us on Saturday 7th June 2025, from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, at Sir Arthur Sullivan Hall, Birmingham & Midland Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, for an informal chat with the Trustees. Learn how you can get involved and help preserve family history! 📜✨
Come along, ask questions, and explore exciting volunteer opportunities!

Birmingham: Early 20th. Century Family and Social History Research
2025-06-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Birmingham & Midland Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3BS, United Kingdom
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. Stephens talk looks at the effect on the family and social history following the end of World War One.
Stephen is National U3A Genealogy Subject Adviser and a member of the Society of Genealogists.

Kenilworth: Charles Dickens, Warwickshire & the Great Jennens Case
2025-06-11 19:30 - 22:30 | 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, 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 | St. John’s Centre, St. John’s Centre, 122 Newcastle Rd. Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, ST4 6QD, United Kingdom

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.
