There is always something going on in the Society and as December approaches the Society newsletter is worth looking at to keep up to date. Tony has made it very seasonal and it’s packed with Society information .... ..http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/nwk-newsletter-dec-2016.pdf

 

There is also mention of the library  before and after Christmas treats and many workshops and discussion dates for Jan-March (these are slightly different to those that will appear in  the journal when it comes out ..... . just a hiccup as dates were changed to accommodate MORE activities!).

 

I'm sorry to send early greetings but in case I don't talk to you all before Christmas have a Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Regards

David

Latest Worshops

Hi Folks Victor has updated the program of workshops for the end of the year and 2017.

60 – October 19th 2016 :- “ Writing Family Histories” :-  This led- discussion group will not tell you how to write or even how to write up your family history but will help you to think widely about communicating you research to your chosen audience.  Pauline is not an expert at family history research but enjoys words, attends a creative writing group and edits our journal.  It would be helpful to bring a simple family tree of three generations or more, hand sketched is fine, and a timeline of events from the life of one of your ancestors. - Pauline Heathcote – This is a repeat of the workshop first held in November 2015

 61 – November 16th 2016 :- “ Brick Walls - Thinking Outside the Box – Mind Maps and other Methods” :- This workshop will try and suggest methods of thinking about how to overcome those ‘brick walls’ that every family historian meets.  It will use the attendees own stumbling blocks to discuss sources and how to set out the known facts and suggest research to help solve the problem.  Attendees' submitted brick walls will be used as case studies. - David Cufley – This is a repeat of the workshop held in March 2015

62 – January 18th 2017

:- “ Record Keeping for Family Historians” :- Filing family group sheets, certificates and other paper documents with cross referencing systems and descriptions to enable research results and sources to suggest your future research. - David Cufley                                                                                                                                      This is a repeat of the workshop first run in October 2015.       

62A – January 25th 2017 :- “Society Quarterly Discussion Group” :-  “What happens to my research when I'm gone?”                                                                                                                         [Please see information elsewhere in the December 2016 Journal]                        

63 – February 15th 2017 :- “Beginner Session” :-  This workshop aims to assist in the early stages of Family History research. It will cover birth, marriage & death certificates, census, parish registers, wills, directories & websites. - Fran Rogers

64 – February 22nd 2017 :- “An Introduction to Family Historian - A Genealogy and Family Tree Software Computer Program” :- This workshop will provide an overview of this UK program. Content will include preferences, data entry, importing data from other programs, as well as introducing diagrams, reports and the adding of photos. It will also cover the method of recording sources and their respective citations. Aimed at beginners. - Brian Kirk                    This is a repeat of the workshop first held in April 2016 & repeated in September 2016

 

PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE TWO WORKSHOPS IN FEBRUARY

65 – March 15th 2017 :-  “Finding the Missing”:- Searching for ancestors in unexpected places such as hospitals, prisons, workhouses, almshouses, asylums, industrial schools and among apprenticeship, Poor Law and Settlement records. - Jean Stirk                                                   This replaces the postponed workshop from July 2016

 

66 – April 19th 2017  :- “Some Early Sources Pre 1700” :- Have you tried using Equity Records held in The National Archives?  ie. Star Chamber, Chancery, Exchequer & Court of Requests.  By using TNA's 'Discovery', references to the documents are revealed.  Explanation of the documents with their immense amount of information even for the very 'umble'. - Joyce Hoad

 

66A - April 26th 2017 :-“Society Quarterly Discussion Group” - Topic TBA                     [Please see information elsewhere in the December 2016 Journal]

67 – May 17th 2017 :-  “Andrew Farmer, 1835-1865, a Royal Naval Officer.” A Greenwich scholar who fought in the Opium Wars, court martialled for prevarication and died of a fever serving on a ship engaged on anti-slavery patrol. Janet's research has involved using a variety of sources which she will share with workshop participants. - Janet Digby

68 – June 21st 2017 :- “Your Society Needs YOU :- Transcribing, Checking and Editing of Society Publications”.  A workshop for volunteers interested in becoming transcribers, checkers and editors. Additional volunteers are needed to help with the production of new publications from original documents. Join this workshop to find out how you can help. - Barbara Phillips This is a repeat of the workshop first held in May 2016  

                                                                                            

69 – July 19th 2017 :-  “The 1939 Register” :– The Register can be used as a census substitute but, unlike other census', it is not a snapshot in time but an evolving document which continued to be updated for some years after WW2.  We will examine what it contains and discuss any problems you may have encountered when using it. - Christine Hills                                          This is a repeat of the workshop first held in May 2016

69A - July 26th 2017 :-“Society Quarterly Discussion Group” - Topic TBA                      [Please see information elsewhere in the December 2016 Journal]

70 – August 16th 2017 :- “Your Family in History – A Time Line” :- A guide through history (1500-1914) briefly highlighting events and their effects on your ancestors lives.  This is more in the form of a discussion group so that you can introduce events that affected YOUR ancestors. - Hilary Waters                                                                                                                                This is a repeat of the workshop held in August 2016

North West Kent Family History Society: Research North West Kent area.

North West Kent Family History Society: Research North West Kent area.: Society Library Based Research Society volunteers are available to carry out research for members and non-members at a cost of £10.00 per ho...

Dartford Meeting 1st October

Hi Folks

Kevin Cordier the Site Manager for Dartford Science & Technology College has emailed to say he is pleased to confirm that the requested Venue for our October 1st booking has become available due to a cancellation. So we are back in our regular Hall

He has therefore moved our hire for that day back to our originally requested location of the Multi-purpose hall.

So please go to the usual Hall.

See you there.

 Regards

David

Hi Folks,
North West Kent Family History Society are attending the Hextable Heritage Open Day on Saturday 10th September 2016.
The Society volunteers will be there to help anyone who wants to research their family history.
Find out how to do the research or if you have researched a stumbling block come and ask for advice.

Come and see us, we will be pleased to talk family history.
Regards
David

Caravans at Weald and Downland Open Air Museum

Hi Folks,
I was at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum on Monday (8th August) and saw the caravans they have on display.
See attached photographs

Coincidence after Saturdays talk, see Vagrants, Gypsies, Travellers & Strangers in Kent.

Regards
David

Vagrants, Gypsies, Travellers & Strangers in Kent

At the Dartford meeting of NWKFHS today (6-8-2016) Gillian Rickard gave a talk about Vagrants, Gypsies, Travellers & Strangers in Kent and the records to trace them.
Difficult ancestors to trace as they are regularly moving about.

A member asked for the contact details of the Romany and Traveller FHS who are members of the FFHS.
Their web site is www.rtfhs.org.uk.

The other question was 'how do Costermongers fit into this group of people?'. Gillian mentioned that costermongers were generally London based and not Kent.
The FFHS's 'an introduction to Occupations, a preliminary list' by Joyce Culling  gives the meaning 'Costermonger: Itinerant seller of apples and other fruit (from custard a round bulky apple).
The Oxford English Dictionary on historic principles adds that 'Now in London, a man who sells fruit, vegetables, fish etc. in the street from barrow'. 
My ancestor Frank Russell was according to his Obituary in the Daily Mirror of 1916 was  the 'King of the costers'. He had sold fish from a barrow in Woolwich Market. In all the Census he gave a different birth place and I assume he had a dislike for officialdom so when asked by the enumerator where was he born he gave a different answer each time. The myths and legends in the family indicate that he travelled about a lot and at one time had claimed to have been with Sanger's Circus. A truly itinerant seller of fish.

You never know how the topic of the meetings may help your research.

David

Latest Workshop list

Hi Folks,
Victor has sent this list of the proposed workshops.
If you are interested email workshop.booking@nwkfhs.org.uk

List of Workshops run by the Library

 57 – July 20th 2016 :-   “Lay Subsidies, Poll Tax, Hearth Tax etc, class ‘E179’ at TNA ” :-  A workshop aimed at finding and using the records in The National Archives.  The database to E179 is the index to places, and can identify which original records include names and dates. These are essential in confirming your research and expanding the knowledge of your ancestors especially before parish registers. - Joyce Hoad                                                                                             Please note the change of title even though the content remains the same.

58 – August 17th 2016 :- “Your Family in History - A Timeline” :- A guide through history (1538-1914) briefly highlighting events and their effects on your ancestors lives. This is more in the form of a discussion group so that you can introduce events that affected YOUR ancestors. - Hilary Waters

58A – September 21st  2016 :- “Your Society Needs YOU :- Transcribing, Checking and Editing of Society Publications”.  A workshop for volunteers interested in becoming transcribers, checkers and editors. Additional volunteers are needed to help with the production of new publications from original documents. Join this workshop to find out how you can help. - Barbara Phillips -  This is a repeat of the workshop first held in May 2016

 59 – September 28th 2016 :- “An Introduction to Family Historian - A Genealogy and Family Tree Software Computer Program” :- This workshop will provide an overview of this UK program. Content will include preferences, data entry, importing data from other programs, as well as introducing diagrams, reports and the adding of photos. It will also cover the method of recording sources and their respective citations. Aimed at beginners. - Brian Kirk – This is a repeat of the workshop first held in April 2016 

 PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE TWO WORKSHOPS IN SEPTEMBER.

 

60 – October 19th 2016 :- “ Writing Family Histories” :-  This led- discussion group will not tell you how to write or even how to write up your family history but will help you to think widely about communicating you research to your chosen audience.  Pauline is not an expert at family history research but enjoys words, attends a creative writing group and edits our journal.  It would be helpful to bring a simple family tree of three generations or more, hand sketched is fine, and a timeline of events from the life of one of your ancestors. - Pauline Heathcote – This is a repeat of the workshop first held in November 2015

 61 – November 16th 2016 :- “ Brick Walls - Thinking Outside the Box – Mind Maps and other Methods” :- This workshop will try and suggest methods of thinking about how to overcome those ‘brick walls’ that every family historian meets.  It will use the attendees own stumbling blocks to discuss sources and how to set out the known facts and suggest research to help solve the problem.  Attendees' submitted brick walls will be used as case studies. - David Cufley – This is a repeat of the workshop held in March 2015

There will be no workshop in December

Thank you to all leaders and attendees for 2016

Watch this space for 2017 workshops!

 

War Damaged site in London

 As a family history society we receive some interesting donations that are not quite family history.
We have received an album of 28 photographs from WW2 period of the damaged site and buildings being a Joinery factory at Baldwins Gardens, adjacent glass shop, decorating department. It also shows premises in Leopards Court, Grays Inn Road, Verulam Street, Duncan Avenue. Lots of broken brick walls and bent steel structures.

If anyone wants to see more get in touch with library@nwkfhs.org.uk

Greenwich Park Wall Walk

As part of the normal workshop program this walk has been organised. Contact workshop.booking@nwkfhs.org.uk if you wish to attend.

The details for the walk on Monday 18th July is as follows.

The walk around Greenwich Park Wall is an effort to see the 400 year history of the Park, its wall and buildings that bisect it. Its a quick introduction to building construction so you can use it to help your family history research.

Please be aware the site slopes and the walk even by me cutting corners is a long walk. If one was to walk around the outside and then the inside its 4 miles but the intention is to cut through the park from one interesting area to the next talking about the history of the buildings and bricks as we go . I'm aiming for say 2 hours. Bring your own refreshments and water as warm weather may make the walk more tiring. If its raining bring an umbrella.

Meet at the War memorial on Maze Hill and Charlton Way corner for a 10.30 am start.

Suggest you bring a camera and notebook.
 

You can park for free off the residential roads of Vanbrugh Park and Westcombe Park Road but not in the residential permit areas. Parking in the park is expensive.

If you have any queries email us.

Regards
David