It’s hard to believe it is the end of January 2021 already! Where did that month go? My mom used to say that the older you get the quicker the years fly by and that certainly seems to be true.
As the Covid situation is not getting any easier, the Trustees have put back any decision on re-opening our Groups and of course, the Family History Centre, until Easter. Hopefully by then the picture could be clearer.
ONLINE TALKS
I know that many of you enjoyed the talk given by John Titterton via Zoom (We had 100 viewers). Some years ago I read his article on pinpointing where an ancestor came from and tried it on my husband’s Cotterill’s. They came from around the Stafford area and I had managed to get back to about 1700 in my own research. This is where my investigations came unstuck because there are so many Cotterill’s in Staffordshire, all with the first names of Matthew, Samuel and Thomas that I was spoilt for choice and could go no further!
For those interesting in reading John’s article it is available online by going to the Local Historian Magazine website https://www.balh.org.uk/. You will just need to search in publications. Thank you, Kate, for telling us.
I also logged in to the Bromsgrove Group’s talk on the Whittall Street Explosion of 1859 last Tuesday and I know that one or two people had ancestors who were killed in that explosion. Very interesting and thought provoking. We forget nowadays that these types of accidents were quite commonplace.
FEBRUARY TALKS
Coming up next month we have three talks well worth joining.
9 February, Bromsgrove Group will be presenting Paul Hudson of Worcestershire Archives. I know that lots of you will never get to The Hive at Worcester, but it is a place I love mainly because it is open seven days a week! l was lucky enough to be invited to the Opening ceremony and managed to get the chance to see the Archives from the back – so to speak!
10 February, the Kenilworth Group will be hosting Mary Bodfish who will be presenting ‘The baby in the Locket’. As well as being a member of the Society, Mary is a well know speaker on the Family History circuit.
17 February, Jacqui Kirk, another member and a speaker we have had before, will be presenting ‘My Ancestors Were Boring – They were only Ag Labs’. Jacqui will endeavour to show that their lives were anything but boring.
(Details for these talks are available on the website, https://midland-ancestors.uk/category/events/ click on the Calendar and scroll down to the talk you want to join in with). Don’t forget to check the times and registering details.
Because we had so many people join at the last one, Phil, ably assisted by Gareth, said he will probably open registration earlier. If you want to join, please sign in when you can and don’t leave it until the day of the talk as you could well be disappointed.
Forthcoming Events (not Midland Ancestors)
• EVENT : St Philips , an Introduction to the Heritage of Birmingham Cathedral with Jane McArdle.
Online talk given by Birmingham Civic Society:
Non-Members £5.98
Birmingham Civic Society Members Free
Fri, 5 Feb 2021 12:30pm – 13:30pm GMT
Book at http://ow.ly/ztj150D7sg5 Information on the rest of the talk programme will follow soon.
• EVENT:25 – 27 FEBRUARY, 2021 RootsTech Connect: A **Free Online **Conference Experience
For the first time ever, the world’s largest family celebration event will be entirely virtual and completely free. Get ready to celebrate shared connections with people from around the world. Connect with friends, your family, your past, and your heritage and homelands—all from the comfort of your home and in your browser.
RootsTech Connect is different than any other virtual event—no boring speakers or falling asleep at your computer screen. Rather, enjoy dozens of inspirational learning sessions, uplifting messages from celebrity keynote speakers, and hands-on activities to help you celebrate your heritage all year long.
Register for free at: https://www.rootstech.org.
• EVENT: SATURDAY, 10 APRIL 2021 FROM 10:00am -18:00pm
Really Useful Family History Show
https://www.fhf-reallyuseful.com/
Early Bird tickets available now
• THE FAMILY HISTORY FEDERATION WEBSITE A variety of free podcasts is available on, as well as a collection of useful literature to help in your research. You will also find details of other talks given by Family History Societies up and down the Country. https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/
Thanks to Jacqui Fielding for posting the following on the Birmingham Ancestors Facebook page.
A talk on Traditions of Death and Burial. Which can now be viewed on You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwYuC1aNHvc&feature=youtu.be
This is something I didn’t know but may explain why sometimes you can get discrepancies between various sites.
FreeBMD provided Ancestry with their transcription of the GRO indexes for the period 1837-1915, but subsequent corrections to the FreeBMD database have not been uploaded to Ancestry.
Thanks to the Peter Calver and the LostCousins newsletter.
I know that many of you are wary of using social media platforms such as Facebook, there are so many specialist Groups available, you may find of interest, so why not dip your toe in the water and join. We also have a Twitter page, but this is not in my remit, but check it out if you are a Twitter user. Don’t forget to check out YouTube as well, this is useful for just about everything!
If there are any more websites or events that you think our members would be interested in, please let me know or get in touch with Linda for the Midland Ancestor.
Talking of which, I know that Linda is always on the lookout for articles for the magazine, so if you would like to submit an article get in touch with Linda at editor@midanc.uk
Finally, I know that many of you have already done so, but your subscription for 2021 is now due. To renew there are various ways to do this. Firstly you can complete the form in the December journal and send it to the address shown on the form with either a cheque or your card details; or you can renew via the online shop https://midland-ancestors.shop/ or you can telephone me and renew over the phone. My phone number is on the reverse of the Midland Ancestor.
Jackie
PS – This is for ladies only: Today my 10 year old granddaughter was watching the film Hairspray which was set in the 1960s. It took me straight back: the hair, the dresses, the make up !!! On the downside I remember ironing and starching those net petticoats, going to bed with rollers digging into your head, the stockings. I think I prefer todays fashions when anything goes!
