September 10, 2013

On the Internet – September 2013

The later nineteenth century is the simplest period to deal with for the family historian. The census shows the family unit, while the GRO records give us the details of individual lives. Ecclesiastical records provide an added source, as do wills, newspapers and military records.

August 6, 2013

Bath

Bath has a number of Anglican parish-based graveyards, some non-conformist burial grounds and, from the mid-1800s, ward-based cemeteries that catered for both Anglicans and nonconformists.  Although hotly debated in 1859, it was not until 1937 that Bath had a single municipal cemetery at Haycombe and, even then, the ‘closed’ cemeteries continued with burials.   To help family historians locate the place of burial, a Bath Burial Index has been produced.  In September 2016 this went online at the Bath Record Office website http://www.batharchives.co.uk/ . It covers over 45 of Bath’s cemeteries and has over 240,000 burial entries, over 30,000 images of memorials, maps and documentation of inscriptions for some cemeteries. The descriptions of the cemeteries indicate where documentation can be found.   It includes municipal cemeteries such as Lyncombe & Widcombe and St James (Lower Bristol Road), Locksbrook (Walcot, St Saviour’s and Weston sections), Twerton (Bellotts Road), Smallcombe Vale and Haycombe which are not covered by the National Burial Index.    It would seem that Bath is the only English city which has burial records for municipal and church-based graveyards in one place, online and freely-accessible.   Thanks to Phil Bendall for compiling and providing the above information
July 3, 2013

On the Internet – June 2013

We are all aware of Bristol’s role in the slave trade, and that many of the wealthy residents of our area made their fortunes from it. It is less well-known that, when slavery in the British Empire was made illegal in 1833, slave owners were compensated by the government for their loss. Some of the sums received were considerable.

March 26, 2013

On the Internet – March 2013

Recent issues of the monthly family history magazines have been full of what the websites will be offering new in 2013. I don’t have the benefit of the press releases, so what you read here is what is available now.

March 24, 2013

WINNER! – B&AFHS Journal wins Elizabeth Simpson Award

      The Federation of Family History Societies has awarded the B&AFHS Journal 1st prize in the ‘Large Society’ Category of the 2012 Elizabeth Simpson Award.   Congratulations to journal editor Gaynor Woolley and our many contributors.     Bristol And Avon Family History Society President Colin Chapman receives the 2012 Award of 1st place in the ‘large society’ category for our journal from Nick Barratt at the Birmingham & Midland Institute, on Saturday 23rd March 2013.   More about our journal