This new addition to the Society’s popular ‘Cemeteries & Burial Grounds’ walks, will take place on Friday, 7 October 2011 starting at 2pm. The walk will last approximately two hours and our group  will meet our walk leader, Alec Tritton, at Postman’s Park, behind St. Botolph Aldersgate. Book early as places are limited.

The walk MUST be pre-booked, price £10.00 (£8.00 SoG members). To book a space, visit our secure website or telephone the events department: 020 7553 3290. Do you have a question? email the events department

Technorati Tags: ancestor, burial, cemetery, family history, graveyard, parish, Society of Genealogists, walk

 The Society will be present at the Nunhead Cemetery Open Day again this year.  We will be manning a small stall, with leaflets and a selection of Society publications.

The Open Day runs from 11a.m. to 5p.m. and admission is free.  There will be guided tours of the cemetery and visits to the chapel and crypt (which are not normally open), as well as various stalls, plant sales, refreshments and a choir in the chapel (!)  See the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery website for further details (www.fonc.org.uk).  If you have not been to Nunhead Cemetery before, it is well worth a visit.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Technorati Tags: burial, family history, genealogy, graveyard, Nunhead cemetery, Society of Genealogists

A delightful visit for 21 Members and their guests who were most royally entertained by Tom, one of the in pensioners, resplendent in his red ceremonial uniform which he admitted he avoided wearing outside the Hospital because of the unwelcome attention it attracted.  His 25 years service in the army (Royal Engineers) showed in his cynical and philosophical wit, which shone through.  Knowing when to salute and when to hide came second nature and he left us with the problem of deciding, at times, where truth ended and fiction began!  

The history of the Royal Hospital Chelsea is well documented and need not be repeated here.  Their web site (www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk) also contains much interesting information including a little about births (?) marriages and burials.  As we went around with Tom many additional interesting facts emerged.  Yes it is true that each pensioner’s ‘berth’ was a six feet by six feet timber windowless hut until relatively recent times but have now been upgraded to …. nine feet by nine feet!  And for every 36 men there are just 4 toilets and 2 showers.  There were other benefits in the past such as their own in house brewery and 5 gallons of beer between four men at dinner every day, served from a leather jug. 

A wooden marquetry alter piece in the chapel which was, allegedly, rescued from the Great Fire of London but its origins have been lost in time.  However, it is believed there is writing on the back which may indicate its history but removing the piece for confirmation would present too big a risk (also allegedly!).  The chapel is also used for private weddings, as a source of income.

There is a large ongoing refurbishment and redevelopment project which will eventually give each pensioner two rooms and an ensuite bathroom.  Some have already been completed and the recent admission of three lady pensioners raised a few grumbles when it was discovered that they were moving straight into the new
accommodation, ahead of men who had been there perhaps 30 years.  Until one gentleman was offered a place in the new wing but decided he was happier staying where he was!  Old soldiers never change.

Part of the redevelopment was a brand new infirmary, opened last year and named after Margaret Thatcher who remains a keen supporter of the Hospital.  The Hospital is still very dependent upon fund raising and Margaret Thatcher is credited with raising millions of pounds through her forceful determination with visiting dignitaries to the UK. The Hospital Chapel remains her regular place of Sunday worship.  The Chelsea Flower Show is held on the Hospital’s land which makes an important contribution to funds, together with other events through the year on the same site.  

An entertaining visit, ably enhanced by Tom’s good humour and I felt it was a privilege to meet him.

Barry Hepburn

Technorati Tags: ancestor, chelsea, family history, history, military, pensioner, Royal Hospital, soldier, visit

There are still a few places left for the Society’s One Day Conference – an essential day out for dedicated family historians

Breaking the Barriers – Innovative Genealogy in the 20^th and 21^st Century will take place on Saturday 7th May at the The Royal Overseas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, 5 St James’s Terrace, London SW1A 1LP

Tickets are available from the Society’s online shop

A full list of Speakers and details of programme for the day can be found on the Society of Genealogists conference blog

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Society of Genealogists Centenary

The Society’s successful family history skills course begins again with the first sixteen-week series of classes for those who are new to family history or who have had a little experience and want to build upon their initial progress. The team of lecturers, Paul Blake, Else Churchill, Geoff Swinfield, Ian Waller, Michael Isherwood and Simon Fowler will introduce the records and illustrate how they should best be used for the study of family history.

This course provides plenty of opportunity to use genealogical sources in practical sessions in the classroom and as exercises at home. The lectures cover sources in all the major repositories but emphasis is also placed on the extensive collections held in the Library of the Society of Genealogists that can be of help to the beginner. CD publications, electronic finding aids and the internet will, of course, be included along with all the basic sources needed to start research.

Programme:

17 March Getting Started: Research Standards The World of Genealogy – the major repositories and online providers of genealogical information. The Research Process and Standards. What’s Been Done Before Research Directories. The Role of the Internet. (EC)

24 March Family Sources, Basic Records and Pedigrees Identifying & Assessing Family Sources. Basic Pedigree Layout. Oral Evidence. Using databases. (EC)

31 March Civil Registration, Records of Birth, Marriage & Death The Civil Registration System in England & Wales. Key Dates. Using the Indexes. Locating and Obtaining Certificates. Free BMD; UK BMD; Findmypast Family Relatives, BMD Index, Ancestry, Genes Reunited etc and other Internet sources. The content of BM&D certificates. (IW)

7 April Civil Registration (continued) Shortfalls and problems in the Civil Registration System. How to overcome them. Tricks of the Trade. (IW)

14 April Victorian & Edwardian Census Returns & Finding Aids The content of census returns 1841 – 1911 and how to access them. Indexes and Finding Aids. ‘Missing’ people and how to find them. (GS)

21 April No Class

28 April Using Record Offices, the Internet and Online Databases successfully Finding and using resources online and in local record offices. (PB)

5 May First Steps at Kew and Beyond An introduction to what can and cannot be found at The National Archives. 20th Century Records at the National Archives. The Valuation Office Records and The National Farm Survey. (PB)

12 May The Armed Forces and Merchant Navy in the 20th Century Sources for WW I & II. (SF)

19 May Newspapers, Directories, Electoral registers & Poll Books The value of using Newspapers, Directories, Electoral Registers & Poll Books. Where to find them and How to use them. (EC)

26 May The Library of the SoG & its Catalogue Tour of the Library and Explanation of the Catalogue System. Practical exercises in using the Library to establish what research has been done before. (EC)

2 June Parish Registers Anglican Parish Registers and Bishops’ Transcripts. Marriage Licences, Bonds & Allegations. PR Indexes and Transcripts – where to find them and how to use them. (GS)

9 June Parish Registers Continuation of above. (GS)

16 June Non- Anglican Family History Records of Protestant Nonconformist Denominations, Roman Catholics, Jews and Quakers. (MI)

23 June Wills, other Probate Documents & Reading Old Handwriting The genealogical Value of a Will. Standard formats. Nuncupative Wills. Administrations and Inventories. Probate administration and records pre and post 1858 – the role of Church. Where & How to find a Will. Practical examples. Writing an abstract. General principles of reading old handwriting. Examination and key points of various alphabets and script styles. (GS)

30 June Wills, other Probate Documents & Reading Old Handwriting continuation of above. (GS)

7 July Family History in Practice Case Study & Practical Exercise to demonstrate the skills and knowledge covered in the course modules. The rules and conventions of pedigree layout. Computer aided Family Trees. Exercise in drawing together information into a pedigree. (PB)

£200/£160 for SoG members All places must be pre-booked

http://www.sog.org.uk/orderline/software.shtml

by telephone: Tel: 020 7553 3290 or send a cheque to:

Society of Genealogists Library & Education Centre 14 Charterhouse Buildings Goswell Road LONDON EC1M 7BA

 For queries, contact Lori Weinstein at: events@sog.org.uk

Technorati Tags: ancestor, census, class, course, family history, genealogy, lecture, Parish Registers