Welcome to the Family History Social

FIBIS 20th anniversary conference is to be held at Hawkwell House Hotel, Iffley, Oxford. Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September 2018. This weekend conference is for both members and non-members of the Families in British India Society with an interest in the period of British involvement in India from 1600 to 1947.

The varied lectures cover family and historical research topics. In this final year of the WWI centenary, the conference showcases the FIBIS project detailing recruits to WWI from the community of Anglo-Indians and domiciled Europeans, a view of the Gurkha Regiment over 200 years and advice on researching Indian Army records. Remembering 1947, there will be a lecture on Partition and Independence viewed through the contemporary newsreel and camera lens.

The Conference also considers different approaches to individual family research, from the science of DNA to the very subjective memories evoked by sharing a kitchen!

The actress Diana Quick also relates her typical Anglo-Indian family story and the research and journeys that it inspired.

Alongside the lecture programme there will be workshops and opportunities for one to one help, and time to network and compare notes with other delegates, buy books, meet the speakers and authors and join in social activities.

You can book for the conference at https://www.fibis.org/events/fibis-20th-anniversary-conference/ 

Here are some links for more information:

https://www.fibis.org/events/fibis-20th-anniversary-conference/20th-anniversary-conference-speakers/ 

https://www.fibis.org/events/fibis-20th-anniversary-conference/20th-anniversary-conference-sponsors/

https://www.hawkwellhouse.co.uk/

The Family History Show at York held on the 23rd June was a fantastic success.

The people attending the event run by Discover Your Ancestors Magazine certainly seemed to be enjoying all that was on offer from family history societies to the expert's talks. As we went around asking the exhibitors for their reaction it was universally very positive with comments about how busy it had been and how they would be back next year.

I'm now looking forward to the London show run by the same organisers at Sandown Park Racecourse on the 22nd September.

I hope to see you there!

TheGenealogist has just released a great new resource for family historians wanting to find ancestors who had officially changed their forename or surname in Britain. The Change of Names Database covers information gathered from a number of sources including Private Acts of Parliament; Royal Licences published in the London and Dublin Gazettes; notices of changes of name published in The Times after 1861 with a few notices from other newspapers; registers of the Lord Lyon [King of Arms] where Scottish changes of name were commonly recorded; records in the office of the Ulster King at Arms and also some private information.

Use this database to:

• Discover ancestors that recorded a change of name
• Find what name had been adopted and the name discarded

Lord Byron who changed his surname to Noel and is found in the Change of Name Database on TheGenealogist

 

This is available to Diamond Subscribers and can be found under Miscellaneous Records.

 

The second release this month is to coincide with the return of The Family History Show, York to the racecourse on Saturday 23rd June. TheGenealogist has now added the Colour Tithe Maps for the North Riding and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Complimenting the already released schedule books and greyscale maps, these colour maps add an attractive visual aid to find where your ancestor lived in the mid 1800s.

 

The fully searchable tithe records released online allow researchers to:

• Find plots of land owned or occupied by ancestors in early Victorian North Riding and East Riding of Yorkshire on colour maps
• See where your forebears lived, farmed or perhaps occupied a small cottage or a massive estate.

Colour Tithe map of Township of Kelfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

 

To search these and a huge assortment of other genealogical records see more at: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk

 

Read TheGenealogist's article on the fascinating Change of Name Database at:

 

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/change-of-name-database-discovers-ancestors-who-adopted-different-surnames-846/

 

15 June 2018

Don't forget The Family History Show York is next Saturday 23rd June 2018 - 10am to 4.30pm at The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1RX.

Pre-book your tickets for The Family History Show, York and buy one get one half price!   Hurry, as pre-booking closes at the end of Wednesday 20th June!

Saturday 23rd June 2018 - 10am to 4.30pm

The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX

Admission: Adults £5.00, Children under 14 FREE

With even more exhibitors attending this year, the York Family History Fair is probably the largest event of its kind in England. Many family history societies and companies attend each year. There is lots of local history from the York area too.

Facilities include:

• Free Talks from Expert Speakers
• Exhibitors from all over the UK
• Free Parking
• Cafe with refreshments available all day
• Fully accessible with lifts and ramps throughout

This weekend sees the second family history fair to be held at The Lincolnshire Showground. Echoes of the Past will be on this Sunday 26th October from 10am to 4pm at the EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground. Entry is £4 per person and there is free parking. There is also a free hourly bus shuttle service to and from Lincoln city centre. There will be free talks throughout the day including the popular 'Breaking down brick walls' talk from Mark Bayley of TheGenealogist. It promises to be another great event, if you live in or near the Lincoln area, it's well worth attending the event! There's more information from the Lincolnshire Echo website who are organising the event.

This forthcoming weekend, Saturday 28th June, sees one of the major family history shows in the North of England, the Yorkshire Family History Fair. It is one of the largest family history shows in the UK , now in its 19th year and there are over 70 exhibitors expected on three floors. There is plenty of parking, refreshments are available all day and lifts to take visitors to all three floors.  The fair is open from 10am to 4.30pm and features a number of free talks including Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist. If you've not been before, the fair is at The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York YO23 1EX. Admission is £4.50 for adults and children under 14 have free admission. There's more information available on the Yorkshire Family History Fair website. It promises to be a great fair. Hopefully see you there!

       

Following rumours circulating for a while, it has now been officially confirmed that Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2015 will be relocated at the NEC in Birmingham.  With the shortage of major exhibition venues following the closure of Earls Court in London, show organisers have taken the decision to base the show in a more central location. The WDYTYA Live offical website remarks that "Bringing the show to the world-class NEC allows us to offer visitors a central location, opening it up to more exhibitors and visitors from across the whole country, giving even more people the chance to unravel their family history." What do you think of the venue change for 2015? Will you be going? Let us know.

In a flash the major family history show of 2014 has been and gone. Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2014 at London Olympia (and its new opening days of Thursday to Saturday) seemed to generate a healthy number of visitors. Attendees were steady although it was felt not exceeding the levels of previous years. However, there was a healthy number of exhibitors and as expected a focus on the commemorations of the start of The Great War, with the Imperial War Museum present. All the usual main family history websites were present in what was as ever, a very enjoyable family history exhibition. Did you attend or exhibit, let us know what you thought of Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2014!

 

The first family history fair of the New Year is shortly upon us. The popular Bracknell  Family History Fair is on Sunday 26th January at Bracknell Sport & Leisure Centre. Admission is £3 and doors open from 10am to 5pm. There is free parking available and a cafeteria for drinks and snacks. The Bracknell Family History Fair has been voted Number 3 in the country by Your Family Tree Magazine and is widely regarded as a family history fair well worth attending. This year, the Society of Genealogists will be attending, there'll also be a military history advice desk, specialist groups and a number of family history societies present. S&N Genealogy Supplies and TheGenealogist will also be present, providing talks on family history research. There's more information at http://www.familyhistoryfairs.org/dateloc.html#wirr

As the main family history fair in the world gets ever closer, the organisers have been issuing regular updates and promotions to entice people along for the 2014 event. With  the first of the celebrities -John Simpson now confirmed, it promises to be another good event. With the usual main exhibitors, excellent speakers and family history societies sure to be present and the Imperial War Museum launching their new First World War initiative at the show, there's many reasons for those both new to family history and the more experienced family historians to attend. Don't forget the show runs from Thursday to Saturday this year with no Sunday opening: Thurs 20th February  09.30 -17.30 Friday 21st February  09.30 - 17.30 Saturday 22nd February 09.30- 17.30 To whet your appetite, this is their latest video promoting the show: http://youtu.be/sUeWyTrdM-0