Tag Archives: One Name Studies;

Why Family Historians need Metal Detectors and other matters

by thehistoryinterpreter

Robert Braund's seal (Roger Paul)Huge excitement amongst the Braund research team. A metal detectorist has turned up a Medieval seal near Stokenham, Oxfordshire. In case you’re wondering – not the carcase of a cute furry mammal but a document seal. Said seal is inscribed ‘Robert Braund’. Although Braunds are predominantly a west country family from the 1400s and earlier references are in Lincolnshire, we do have a Robert Braund who owned land in Stokenham in the 1250s – amazing. Finds such as this appear on the Portable Antiquities website, definitely worth a look.

Blogging has taken a back seat whilst I give and prepare a number of talks, including those for Who Do You Think You Are? Live at the weekend. I have agreed to meet up with so many people that I just hope I have time to give the talks! I have already taken my first booking for 2015 – get in early to beat the rush I say.

The annual march to commemorate the English Civil War Battle of Torrington has come and gone. Fortunately we avoided the worst of the bad weather. I elected not to drum this year – one can have too much of ‘The English March’. I have learnt that keeping a low profile and avoiding press photographers is impossible when one is standing by someone who looks archetypally seventeenth century. Even the photographer said to my companion, ‘Didn’t I take your picture last year?’ On the subject of bad weather we have remained if not exactly dry at least not flooded. The building work was ‘winded’ off a couple of times but I now have a functioning letter box again and the conservatory has a roof. Still quite a bit of internal work to be done but I am getting there.

I am now the proud possessor of 16 boxes of Family Historian’s Enquire Within so you may purchase them directly from me if you like – or even if you don’t – I rather need my house back. I will have some for sale at Who Do You Think You Are? so stop me and buy one – or two. I have to lug these best part of a mile to the station each day so could do with not having to take too many home again, especially as I am bound not to be able to resist the temptation of making book purchases of my own.

I have been thrilled by the response from ladies wanting to take part in my 1946-1969 memories project I anticipate that the last few spaces will go at the weekend and we will start soon afterwards so get in touch soon if you would like to join in.

My recent introduction to Google+ inspired me to attempt a family hangout. My granddaughter was singularly unimpressed at being dangled in front of the camera so she could participate – made more difficult by the fact that her mother was making contact via a phone. It is the next best thing to being there though, so I hope that we can do it again and I have visions of reading stories via Google+.

An impending computer disaster is the imminent demise of my apostrophe key. I am a bit of an apostrophe fiend and have been known to boycott businesses advertising potatoes’ or vacancies’ so this is serious. It of course shares a key with the @ symbol. The lack of an @ could cause difficulties too.

Convict Orphans, Distractions and What Not to Buy?

by thehistoryinterpreter

Spent some time yesterday answering an enquiry for my One Name Study. For those of you who think this is Braund, well you would be wrong. Although I am the honorary historian for the Braund Society that registration belongs to a fisherman of my acquaintance. My registered surname is Sweetingham and I don’t get many contacts from fellow researchers. This was from someone whose ancestor was transported in 1830 as a four year old, together with his mother and grandmother. I found myself investigating Tasmanian convict orphans and trying to trace what happened to the father of the young boy.

It turns out that dad led a somewhat disreputable life himself and I was back in the realms of the British Newspaper Library index following reports of assault, selling alcohol without a licence, drunkenness and finally a sentence of eight months hard labour for destroying his father’s will. This is the stuff of which family histories are made, not my family history sadly but fun to research nonetheless.

I was very pleased to be invited to present two sessions at next year’s Who Do You Think You Are? Live at Olympia. Both are related to my books ‘A to Z of Family History’ is based on the forthcoming (it is forthcoming honest – should be available in time for Christmas) Family Historians’ Enquire Within. I will be previewing this talk in Bideford in November. I have been putting the finishing touches to this presentation but it is so difficult not to get sidetracked investigating all those wonderful sources. My current writing project and the subject of my other Who Do You Think You Are? Live presentation, is Putting Your Ancestors in their Place: a guide to One Place Studies and that is equally distracting. After all I just have to stop and put all my suggestions into practice for my own One Place Studies just to check that they work don’t I?

I have responded to an enquiry for memories of the 1987 storm that swept southern England. It feels rather strange to know that my, to me comparatively recent, memories are now part of an historic investigation. Still another snippet to add to my memoirs. You are recording your own memories aren’t you? We are tomorrow’s history – don’t plan to do it when you retire, when you are less busy, when you have something to say – do it NOW. Your descendants and other historians will be grateful.

Been tempted by the ‘buy it now’ button in Amazon lately. They have helpfully provided a list of what might be of interest to me. These irrelevant delights include War and Peace, a jigsaw of Padstow harbour and a 4x 4 boot liner for dogs. I have neither 4 x 4 nor dog so no idea where that came from.