Local History Societies: Beckenham & Bromley branch of the Historical Association. Flying Bombs and Rockets, WWII. Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Lewisham.

Local History Societies : Beckenham & Bromley branch of the Historical Association.

The Beckenham and Bromley branch of the Historical Association is located in the United Kingdom. The Historical Association was founded in 1906, and the Beckenham and Bromley branch being set up in 1947. The Association is a voluntary organisation for all people, whether professional or amateur historians, who have an interest in the past. Beckenham and Bromley HA

Flying Bombs and Rockets.

Between June 1944 and March 1945 London was attacked by the V1 Flying Bomb, the first cruise missile and the V2 rocket, the first ballistic missile. 8,938 Londoners were killed and some 25,000 were seriously injured. Thousands of houses and other buildings were destroyed. One of the results was the rebuilding both commercial and of housing of London. One way or another everybody living in the London area was affected by these attacks and the results were to continue with the following generation. If your family lived in London during this period this site will be of great interest.

This web site is about the attacks and how it affected parts of South London. It has the details of the places where V1 and V2 rockets landed, photographs and much more. Flying Bombs and Rockets

Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Lewisham.Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre: 199 201 Lewisham Library, Lewisham High Street . SE13 6LG. e-mail: Lewisham LH&A 

The London Borough of Lewisham covers the ancient parishes of St Margaret, Lee and St Mary, Lewisham, as well as the parish of St Paul, Deptford (the ancient parish of Deptford was divided in 1730 into the parishes of St Nicholas and St Paul. The parish of St Nicholas is now in the London Borough of Greenwich).

Bellingham, Beckenham (part), Blackheath (part), Brockley, Catford, Crofton Park, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hatcham, Hither Green, Ladywell, New Cross, Southend, Sydenham are also covered by Lewisham. Most Lewisham borough parishes have deposited their registers with the Local History and Archives Centre and some are still held by the churches themselves. Contact the Library for further details.

Archive material is available by appointment only and a research service is available. Full details can be found at  Local History and Archives Centre

Copies of the Parish Registers for St Nicholas and St Paul as well Lewisham St Mary are available from NWKFHS Publications.   

The Guild of One-Name Studies "Maritime Records Seminar" 17 November 2012 - at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. The Leopold Muller Lecture Theatre. Great Britain Family Names Profiling

The Guild of One-Name Studies Maritime Records Seminar Saturday 17 November 2012 -  at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. The Leopold Muller Lecture Theatre. 09:30 for 10:00 a.m.

Speakers taking part are James Davey, Richard Wragg and Martin Salmon who will advise on Naval Records of the National Maritime Museum. Debra Chatfield will then explain what is available in FindMyPast's Maritime records for One-Name Studies.

During the lunch break there will be opportunities for a guided tour of the museum; the museum's Caird Library; search FindMyPast's records online (for free); and time to talk to other delegates and see their displays.

Following lunch, Simon Fowler will speak on Royal Navy Sources for One-Name Studies and we complete the lectures with Richard Brooks explain Locating Royal Marines, and we end the day with a question and answer session involving all speakers.

The cost of the seminar is £22.00 per person including lunch and refreshments. Guild members, family historians, genealogists and members of the general public with an interest in the subject matter are welcome. Further details and how to book can be found at Maritime Records Seminar 

Great Britain Family Names Profiling

A website which presents the findings of a University College London (UCL) project which is investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic. You can search the databases  for 1881 or 1998  and trace the geography and history of your family names. Maps show the distribution of the surname. Great Britain Family Names  

MyHeritage.com Look-alike Meter-Free to use. Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Greenwich. Greenwich ST Alfege (copies of the Parish Registers) and the Roman Catholic Our Ladye Star of the Sea from 1794. photoLondon; database of 19th century Photographers and Companies.

MyHeritage.com Look-alike Meter-Free to use. 

MyHeritage.com has a free to use 'Look-alike' facility. You can upload photo's of a child and both parents and by using state of the art face recognition technology to determine the resemblance. Who the child most looks like. Look-alike Meter

Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Greenwich.

The Greenwich Heritage Centre, Artillery Square, Royal Arsenal, London SE18 6ST. e-mail Greenwich Heritage Centre 

Collections include those of the former Greenwich Borough Museum in Plumstead and the Local Studies Library at Woodlands. This includes maps, photographs, paintings, archaeological material, natural history specimens, and social history objects. It also holds the records for the London Borough of Greenwich, as well as its predecessors. More details at Greenwich Heritage Centre  and  Family History

The Parish Records for Greenwich are also available from NWKFS: Greenwich ST Alfege (copies of the Parish Registers) and  the Roman Catholic Our Ladye Star of the Sea from 1794. Details can be found at NWKFHS Publications

At Burial Records  you can arrange to search in person the cemetery burial records for Charlton Cemetery from 1855, Greenwich Cemetery from 1856, Woolwich Cemetery from 1884, Plumstead Cemetery from 1890 and Eltham Cemetery from 1935 or for an eye watering £49 fee request for them to be searched.

photoLondon; database of 19th century Photographers and Companies. 

Though this website is no longer being updated the approximately 9,000 biographical entries on photographic companies and the people who worked within the photographic industry in London during the 19th century is still maintained for archive purposes and you can still search the database for information. These include some Photographers who worked in the parts of London covered by NWKFHS. 

If you have a photograph you are trying to date or find more information about the Photographer this is a good place to start. photoLondon

Belvedere Stories: part of Tideline, a Heritage Lottery project by Bexley Council, working with writer Sarah Butler. Societies bordering NWKFHS: Rotherhithe & Bermondsey Local History Society. Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Bexley. Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Bexley.

Belvedere Stories: part of Tideline, a Heritage Lottery project by Bexley Council, working with writer Sarah Butler.

If your ancestors or family or maybe yourself lived in Belvedere this site will be of interest to you. Sarah Butler along with volunteers, schools and groups found stories, poems and tales about the area.

From  the Great Flood of 1953 through World War 2 and childhood memories; the Gypsy encampment to the industrial area the area’s heritage is told by local people.

There is a story map that features people's memories and creative writing inspired by Belvedere's heritage. You can even add your own. Belvedere Stories  will take you to the Home Page. At TideLine  you can download stories of the personal experiences of people from WWII to the 50's and 60's. 

Societies bordering NWKFHS: Rotherhithe & Bermondsey Local History Society.

Rotherhithe and Bermondsey  are next door to Greenwich and Lewisham and your ancestors and families could have worked, moved to or from either one.  The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey LHS  deals with the history of Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, the surrounding area, Docklands and the River Thames. They have talks each month and there are Guided Tours for the area, at which non members are welcome (a donation is welcome).

Local Studies and Archives Centres in NWKFHS area: Bexley.

Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre:  Townley Road, Bexleyheath,  Kent. DA6 7HJ. e-mail Bexley LS

Collections include records of the London Borough of Bexley and its predecessors, schools, churches, estates, people, businesses and societies. Newspapers from 1873 to the present; photographs, postcards and illustrations; books and journals on all aspects of Bexley, Kent and London; oral histories; local maps and plans, from around the 18th Century; census records; street and trade directories and south east London telephone directories from 1940 onwards.

Full details can be found at Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre. A list of the Parish Register available can be found at Bexley Parish Registers.  A research service is offered Bexley Local Studies Research at £25 per hour. Or you can use the NWKFHS research service (£5 per hour) details can be found at Society Research Service 

Archives Awareness Campaign-2012: Sports, Games and the Olympics. Keep Fit Britain-Victorian times to the 1960's. Wills and how to read them-The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies course 1st September, 2012.

Archives Awareness Campaign-2012: Sports, Games and the Olympics.

As the London 2012 Olympics draw nearer Archives through out  the country are illustrating the feats of British sports and games over the last 200 years. Accounts from the 1908 and post war 1948 Olympics in London, the stories behind the history of sport and sporting heroes in the UK will be revealed in archives and local record offices.

Archive organisations, local record offices and councils are inviting the public to discover the stories behind the history of sport and the sporting heroes in their communities. More details and links can be found at Archives Awareness and at National Archives

Keep Fit Britain-Victorian times to the 1960's.

The national archives has a selection of photographs at Keep Fit Britain the photographs range from a Victorian lady elegantly dressed for cycling, an Edwardian demonstrates ’ideal’ exercises to photographs from the early 20th century showing how some sports such as ice skating and weightlifting are virtually unchanged.

Wills and how to read them-The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies course 1st September, 2012.

Wills can be an important source of information about your family history.  The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies ( Canterbury, Kent)  is running a one day course to show how wills can help you research your family, how to find them and their associated documents and practical advice on how to interpret the handwriting.

The cost is £37 (£30 for IHGS Members). Full details and how to book can be found at IHGS Wills Course

Free Family History Day-Saturday 4th August 2012. 1.30pm-4pm at Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Government to introduce ‘20-year rule’ from 2013 for the release of Records.

Free Family History Day-Saturday 4th August 2012. 1.30pm-4pm at Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY.

If you are new to Family History or are researching your ancestors but feel you could benefit from some help and advise or if you would like help on what records to look at and what information they give you North West Kent Family History Society is running a Free Family History event. You do not have to be a member of the Society and there is no cost involved. But you do need to book in advance.

The afternoon is provided by the Society as part of its object of aiding and encouraging the study of family history and genealogy in South East London and North West Kent.

What is covered: Starting your Family History by Society Librarian and Local Historian Janet Rose. There will be an opportunity to  ask experienced Family Historians and researchers questions and for help and advice In addition there will be an opportunity to look more closely at how various records can help you and further your research.

More details can be found at Family History Day. To book a place you can e-mail NWKFHS Family History Event Booking must be in advance of the day.

Government to introduce ‘20-year rule’ from 2013 for the release of Records.

 

The Government has announced that it will move towards releasing records when they are 20 years old instead of 30 from next year, the result of which will mean there will be thousands of historical records will be made public much earlier than previously possible.

 

The release will be staged over a ten year period by 2023. Starting in 2013 the change will apply to the majority of public records transferred to The National Archives and 70 institutions, with the exception of records selected for transfer to one of the 116 local authority places of deposit. The cost impact on the National Archives is in the process of being assessed.

 

Further details can be found at National Archives 

 

 

Federation of Family History Societies has announced a special offer in conjunction with MyHeritage 46% Discount 15 July-15 September 2012. FFHS Free Really Usefull Information Leaflet. Free GENUKI church location database.

Federation of Family History Societies has announced a special offer in conjunction with MyHeritage

Federation of Family History Societies has announced a special offer in conjunction with MyHeritage working with the Federation of Family History Societies to offer members of the FFHS member societies and the FFHS ezine readers a special discount.

If you belong to a Family History Society that is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies you can claim a 46% discount on an annual MyHeritage data subscription. If you subscribe to the e-zine (Free to anyone who is interested in Family History) at FFHS e-zine  you can also claim the discount. To claim the discount go to MyHeritage The offer runs from 15th July-15th September 2012.

FFHS Free Really Useful Information Leaflet.

This can be downloaded (pdf file) free  at FFHS 16 pages of information to help with your research: Useful websites; first steps in family history; addresses of Family History Societies in the UK and overseas and much more.

Free GENUKI church location database.

Contains the approximate location of the parishes that existed around 1837 and has many uses. When looking for baptisms/marriages/burials in a parish/church it can be useful to know the surrounding parishes to check them as well. This Free database will give you all the churches within a 3 mile radius and also plot the locations of churches on a map.  Church Location Database

One Place Studies. Guild of One Name Studies. The National Archives is changing its prices from 30 July 2012. Some charges are increased some are reduced.

One Place Studies.

Most are aware of One Name Studies where one surname is researched and that the best place to see if a one name study has been carried out on your surname is at the Guild of One Name Studies (Goons). However,  there are also studies that have been carried out on individual places, villages etc. These can equally be as valuable as a one name study. In some cases they are very detailed containing such information as Parish Registers, Censuses, details of local families, buildings and so forth. They can cover a period from pre Victorian to the present day. A few stretch back to medieval times.

Some are available to search free of charge on the Internet, a few have a charge and others are available to purchase as a book or CD-ROM.

Some examples of Free One Place sites can be found at:

Sheeness/Sheppy/Penney  which contains a collection of thousands of names and Historical Data and Family History records from Sheerness & the Isle of Sheppey , Kent.

Staplehurst, Kent which has Baptisms, Marriages and Burials recorded in the parish register and related information. The 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census information.

Barham, Kent Has lots of information about the village its people and the past including births and baptisms for the 1700's.

Hartley, Kent has information/documents/records  going back to the 12th Century. 

At One Place Studies you can find links to other sites in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and some overseas such as Australia. 

Edenbridge, Kent: CD-ROM

The Society has published 'Edenbridge - An Index of People and Places 1200-1851'. The result of many years of research by its author, Lionel Cole. It collates a large amount of data on the inhabitants of and the places in Edenbridge. Based on many record sources including - parish registers, the parish chest, title deeds, wills, taxation records, judicial records, manorial records, local newspapers and the Tithe Award survey it is divided into two parts. The first part, organised in chapters each of 50 years, lists alphabetically all individuals who can be identified for that period in chronological order. The second part lists chronologically the main points in the history of every house in the village and every farm or group of fields in the countryside, and is illustrated with maps and with photographs of all buildings in the village which were present in 1851.

If you have connections to Edenbridge these 2 Cd's would be invaluable. You can order the Cd's (cost £10 plus postage) at NWKFHS

The National Archives is changing its prices from 30 July 2012. Some charges are increased some are reduced.

The charges for public services, including research and record copying is to be changed. Prices were last reviewed in 2005, which means some of the costs have increased. However, owing to technological advances and efficiencies in some cases prices are frozen or reduced. The pricing structure has also been simplified. More details can be found at National Archives-New Fees where you can download a pdf file giving the new charges.

North West Kent Family History Society July and August Talks and drop-ins July-August 2012.

North West Kent Family History Society July and August Talks and drop-ins.

The Society is holding talks at the three Branches and will be holding drop-ins at various locations in the comming weeks. They are open to non members as well as members.

Bromley Branch. Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS. The hall opens at 9.45am, the meeting proper is due to start at 10.30am:

Saturday 21st July 2012 Dr Jonathan Oates, "London Ancestry"

Saturday 18th August 2012 Kathy Chater "Turning your tree into a tale - Writing up your family history"
Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford, Kent. Open from 9.45am with the meeting proper starting at 10.30am:

Saturday 7th July 2012 Tim Cox The history of how the seaside holiday developed or "I do like to be beside the seaside"

Saturday 4th August 2012 Mari Alderman "Illegitimacy"

Sevenoaks BranchSevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road (at junction with Crampton Rd.), Sevenoaks, starts at 7.15pm:

Thursday 12th July 2012 Lee Ault "All the Rage"
Aug No Meeting

Other Events:

New Ash Green  Library Drop-in Session. 14th July 2012. New Ash Green DA3 8QT.

Members of the NWKFHS Events team will be present at the Library to assist and give information about researching your family history. For times you can contact the Library by e-mailing New Ash Library

Dartford Library Heritage Week. 10-17 September, 2012.

NWKFHS will also be providing a display at Dartford Library as part of Dartford Heritage Open Days. More details as they become available.

Before travelling for any talk or event please check that there are no changes or alterations. For NWKFHS please check the Society Website NWKFHS Meetings