Tag Archives: Who Do You Think You Are?

Typos get you Noticed

by thehistoryinterpreter

The other day, my attention was drawn to the fact that my Thursday session for Who Do You Think You Are Live, entitled ‘Are you Sitting Comfortably?: creating your family’s story’, had been billed as ‘Are you Sitting Comfortably: creating your family’. This wasn’t quite the session I had planned. Offers of help came in from volunteers who had heard that some of my sessions involve audience participation, tickets began selling like the proverbial hot cakes. So much so, that advance tickets have sold out, although it may still be possible to pick some up on the day. I pondered over re-writing my introduction – ‘When a Mummy and a Daddy love each other very much…….’ I have now decided that some people might actually be expecting the originally intended session, so, sorry to disappoint but it has now been corrected to ‘Creating your family’s story’.

I have been marooned in my house all week, probably not any bad thing given the number of writing tasks I have on the ‘to do‘ list, which is rapidly assuming the proportions of a three volume novel. According to the Highways Department, the people who have closed the road that runs immediately past my house, in order to create large holes in it, have to leave me a way to get in and out of my drive. They do? What the road-digging types have not allowed for is the fact that my drive is barely wider than my car, so I need to be a long way across the road before beginning to turn, in order to avoid leaving my paintwork on next door’s wall. Pulling forward the required amount will take me through some attractive looking yellow barriers and probably in to a newly dug ditch. Men in high-viz jackets assure me that they will move said barriers and any stray heavy machinery in the vicinity, if I need to leave home. I have yet to put this to the test, or to see how I am supposed to negotiate the ditch.

Ones that got away coverI have finally managed to finish my booklet about elusive/migrant ancestors and the publishers have sent me a draft cover in record time. Looking forward to seeing the finished article. This is another that will be available digitally and in book form. More on publications:- It has been my pleasure this week to prepare for printing a booklet written by someone else. This is the enlarged and updated history of a local chapel. Watch this space for news of its publication Buckland Brewer fans.

 

Exploring History, Writing Books and Lost Fishermen

by thehistoryinterpreter

‘Putting your Ancestors in their Place: a guide to One Place Studies’ is now with the proof readers. If all goes well it will be available in time for Who Do You Think You Are? Live in February, to go with one of my presentations there. Hurrah – now what shall I write? Actually there are plenty of ideas so please don’t suggest anymore. If you are still waiting for ‘Family Historians’ Enquire Within’, it is on its way – promise. Gave the talk of that book yesterday. The audience seemed to appreciate the A to Z suggestions but a bit of a crisis when, with only ten minutes to go, I was still only on M.

Favourite website of this week is the ‘Explore’ section of the Victoria County Histories’ website. There are articles, maps, drawings, photographs and audio files, even for counties that are poorly served by the volumes themselves.

I’ve managed to successfully identify three death certificates for the Clovelly fishermen who were lost in the 1838 storm and whose bodies were recovered. Also completed three research requests and tried to unravel another confusing American Braund line.

This coming week will see me passing on the benefits of our gravestone recording experiences, listening to the story of the research into the men on our local war memorial and a day in the seventeenth century.

Still working on Lucy’s maternal line – details to follow.

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.

In at the Outset – Society for One-Place Studies, Soldiers’ Wills and other matters

by thehistoryinterpreter

Hurrah! After all the hints of the past few months I can confirm that the Society for One-Place Studies is born. I seem to have ended up as Vice Chairman. Do look, do join if you too are researching the history of a place. This is going to be a good way to exchange ideas and encourage each other. Yes, this does mean that I have been instrumental in the launching of two societies in a month – so much for a quiet life.

The Buckland Brewer History Group website is developing nicely and we have had a great deal of interest from near and far.

Spent some time this week searching for the Braund Society journal, which had in theory been delivered to an outbuilding near me. Outbuildings duly searched and no sign. Eventually the parcel was tracked down. The relief delivery driver used his sat nav (always a bad idea if you are trying to find my house) and then dumped the parcel in the nearest shed, which just happened to be that of a neighbour who was on holiday. The regular driver, refreshed from his break, after consultations with his colleague and identifying sheds on Google Earth, retrieved it.

Had a new one in the seventeenth century this week. I had enlisted a willing (well probably not so willing) victim volunteer, to pose as a cavalry officer. I was about to place a Monmouth cap (knitted beany hat affair) on his head, which was somewhat follicly challenged, when he tells me he is allergic to wool! So straight to the helmet then – one has to suffer for one’s art – or at least he did.

Some TV ties ins now. Disappointed to find that Celebrity Masterchef’s ‘Wars of the Roses’ menu included orange carrots. Thanks to Martha for picking that one up – to say nothing of the not very historic plastic stock pots. Impressed though by Nick Hewer’s apparent fluency in reading seventeenth century documents during his episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Was there really a nicely transcribed copy nearby? I rather think there may have been.

Finally I must mention the heavily hyped Soldiers’ Wills site. Great resource but the site leaves a lot to be desired. They need to include a proper explanation of the class of records. It also needs the facility to search a range of dates, currently it is one year at a time. The full date span on the advanced search is 1850-1986. It seems the only dates in use at present are 1914-1921 but if it tells you that, it isn’t anywhere very prominent. Just glad I didn’t search 1850-1986 a year at a time for all the Braunds! This is really only set up for an individual family historian looking for a single will at present. What about us One Place Studiers? I’d also like to have been able to tell them all this but my and several others’, feedback emails bounced! Second attempt at feeding back was more successful and the wills arrived on my computer within two days – shame one was mis-indexed though.