This category covers write-ups of many OFHS meetings and recordings of talks held using Zoom. They are exclusive to members and often contain very detailed information on a subject and well as links for further research.
This is a list, with links, of the previous courses and talks that have been given to members of Oxfordshire Family History Society that were recorded. Links to the recordings can be found on the relevant page in the Members' Area of the website.
A great opportunity to start your family history research on a sound footing, or to brush-up on your techniques with Oxfordshire Family History Society’s “Family History for Beginners Zoom course”. The OFHS Family History for Beginners Zoom Course is suitable for complete beginners or those who have not used the Internet for their research. It covers the main genealogical building blocks – births, marriages and deaths and census records – showing you how to get started, how to build up a timeline for your ancestors, and how to stay organised and focused. The course consists of three 90-minute sessions with two weeks in between for you to try out what you have learned. Each session is accompanied by a handout.
The course was run over Zoom and consisted of 3 modules which covered some important genealogical skills and techniques requested by OFHS members in a survey that was sent out earlier this year, including: effective use of the Internet; how to find and make sense of early records and sources; how to analyse evidence; how to read old handwriting; how to solve genealogical mysteries; and how to carry out a mini one-name study.
This was a Hybrid meeting on the 22 April 2024. Speaker: Dr Sophie Kay. Focusing on her Outlier Method and Ancestral Walks techniques, Sophie will show how by uniting historical maps with historical records you may spot research errors, separate out namesakes, understand our ancestors & bring their worlds to life, all using freely available, historical Ordnance Survey maps. Examples will focus on U.K. towns for the period 1800-1950, but these methods can be applied to any place or era where suitable maps and address data are available.
This is a Zoom meeting on 8 April 2024, talk starting at 8pm. Speaker Peter Lawrence - In this talk Peter outlines the history and success of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and its amazing legacy that we can still enjoy and benefit from today. Given the number of people that attended the Great Exhibition there is a good chance that one of your ancestors was among them.
This was a Hybrid meeting held on 25 March 2024, Speaker: Liz Woolley - In this talk Liz talked about the history of Brewing in the city of Oxford both in the colleges and the town. She examined how & why, dispite Temperance efforts, Oxford's brewing trade flourished.
This is Zoom meeting given to the society on 11 March 2024, speaker Debbie Bradley. A practical talk about things you need to think about to find your ancestors if they moved around the country.
In this Hybrid talk on 26 February 2024 Trina explains why & how she came to write a book about the 12 Balscote men that died in World War One. She also looks at the war time service of 2 of the men.
A Zoom meeting on 12 February 2024. Speaker Denise Bates - Some parents took a less than traditional approach to naming their offspring. Discover some of the quirky names in birth records, and what they reveal about the times.
This was a Hybrid meeting on 22 Jan 2024. Phil Isherwood talked to us about using the internet to find old books etc that may enrich your research. During the talk you will learn: The main Internet sites for accessing antiquarian books; how to access and use the sites; the types of materials that can be found and Phil will share his top 40 antiquarian resources.
This was a Zoom on 8 Jan 2024,Speaker: Dr Amanda Bevan of the TNA. In this talk Dr Bevan gave an insight into her work at TNA and a quick toor of the TNA discovery site, and showed how two different areas of legal records held at TNA can be used to cast light on familial bonds, working lives and preceptions of the world.
This talk given on 11 December 2023 over Zoom by Claire Bradley, concentrates on autosomal DNA explains the terminology, what companies offer this service, costs and how to use this tool to progress your ancestry. It finds cousins matches for you and also provides an estimate of deep ancestral ethnicity. It will also discusses the ethics of testing and considerations regarding the possibility of uncovering a family secret.
In this hybrid meeting Kim Davies, Engagement officer at the Soldier's of Oxfordshire (SOFO) museum talked about Oxfordshire's Military Heritage using a number of objects form the SOFO museum's collection.
On 13 November 2023 over Zoom, Ian Waller will take us into the world of Royal Navy records a most comprehensive series of records outlining the service. The Admiralty was extremely meticulous at keeping records of operations, procedures and personnel and this talk provides an overview about such records.
From very humble origins, James Ryman (c1795-1880) rapidly rose up the social ladder to become a famous art dealer. Ryman’s art shop on the High Street in Oxford, was much-frequented by the likes of J.M.W. Turner, John Ruskin and Lewis Carroll.Ryman used his wealth to radically reconfigure the house and expanding estate at Summerhill Villa and play an important role in the history of Summertown. A generous supporter of charitable causes, Ryman opened his pleasure gardens for charity events, garden shows, parties for school children and cricket matches. The estate became an important social hub for the residents of Summertown.
9 Oct 2023 (11am) - Via Zoom. When we find familiar jobs in our family tree, we usually have a good sense of the kind of work they involved and the industry we need to explore if we're to discover more. But what if you encountered a labbet amongst your ancestors? A lumpman? Or a water gilder? Far more than just a quick cross-checking point between record sets, occupations can yield rich insights into an ancestor’s daily existence, social status, and role within their local community. In this talk, we’ll delve into a range of resources and strategies for demystifying unfamiliar historical occupations, including some Oxfordshire-specific jobs and industries.
This hybrid talk, by Simon Wehham, will chart the development of the complex campaign, by various different organizations including the Suffragettes and the Women's Social & Political Union, to get woman the vote and how it was eventually won.
On Monday 11 September 2023 over Zoom: John will take us beyong the peace and serenity offered by our parish churches and look at some of the countless images of Murder, Sex and Mayhem that he has come across in his travels. From medieval murals and stained glass depict the martyrdom of saints from home and abroad, and the grisliest of dooms. At a lower level may be found misericords showing whippings, wife beatings, and brawls. Finally there are many monuments and memorials that show scenes of murder and mayhem in goodly measure including stagecoach crashes, bridge collapses, falling trees, falling bridges, falling chimneys, shootings, stabbings, mine collapses, shipwrecks and explosions.
A talk held over Zoom on Monday 14 August 2023. Where Gay Evans looked at large families in the 18th / 19th century and the implications for the parents, especially the mothers.
24 July 2024 - Hybrid (Exeter Hall & Zoom). This talk will went through the 10 steps to develop an One Place Study with examples and explanations based on the speakers study of Bletchington. Various stories relating to events in the village will be retold. Each One Place Study is unique, but the principles can be applied to any study.
On 10 July 2023 -via Zoom. This talk will consider the types of roles women undertook on the Victorian and Edwardian railway, their recruitment, their working conditions and the limitations that were placed on their advancement. It will also consider the broader social forces and factors that shaped their employment. The talk will be appealing to those interested in railway history, railway work and women's employment in Britain in this period.
On Monday 26 June 2023 Oxfordshire FHS held its AGM at Exeter Hall, Kidlington and over Zoom. The AGM was followed by a talk by Mark Davies entitled "Some Binsey Whimsey".
On Monday 12 June 2023 via Zoom: What better way to attract people to you and the data that you have than creating your own website. However, many are put off by the thoughts of the technical problems. This lecture looks at some of the alternatives there are and some of the questions that you need to answer on the way.
22 May 2023 - Hybrid Meeting: This talk explored the little-known story of the Ascott Martyrs and their contribution to the campaign being mounted by the National Agricultural Labourers Union led by Joseph Arch to improve the wages of the agricultural labourer. In May 1873, 16 women from Ascott-under-Wychwood, some with babes in their arms, were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour in Oxford Gaol, for what on the face of it, amounted to little more than a peaceful demonstration in support of a strike for a living wage by some agricultural labourers in the village.