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.
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.
On Monday 13 March 2023 via Zoom: A light-hearted walk through a variety of genealogical records, reinforcing the value of scrutinising original documents.
On Monday 13 February 2023 over Zoom: The relieving officer’s role was to monitor all applications for relief in his parishes and in co-ordination with other parties recommend whether the application should be approved by the Board of Guardians. His role was also to supervise any conveyancing of the poor from the parish to the Bicester Workhouse or its Infirmary or on occasion to Littlemore Asylum. Examination of the various records within the Oxfordshire archives from the various books and forms completed by the Relieving Officer were examined in the talk.
Monday 9 January 2023 - Via Zoom: A look at the program "Charting Companion" and how it can be used to tell your family history with great and original charts.
On 12 December 2022 via Zoom: Main theme “Who would you invite to Christmas Dinner and Why? However, if you have other topics you want to discuss e.g. Tips and strategies for searching for people; how you have proven/disproven the family "stories"; leasons learnt over the time you've been researching your family history; strange things found during your research or anything related to Family History you want advice on.
The VCH Oxfordshire team is currently researching Chipping Norton and its immediate area, for the next volume in the Oxfordshire series. In this illustrated talk Simon Townley will explore different aspects of Chippy's history, encompassing its medieval origins and castle, the famous Bliss tweed mill, and 19th-century struggles with sewage - along with some long-lasting family names.
Recording available - Talk given On 14 November 2022 via Zoom: It would be unusual if your ancestor did not appear in Quarter Session records. Besides petty crime the Quarter Sessions administered many local government functions including licensing, local taxes, market and fairs. The records are perhaps the most comprehensive of any English Court and this talk on 14 November 2022 examines their value to family historians and guides you through the content of the records.
On 10 Oct 2022 via Zoom Dr Nick Barratt looked at the changing ways that we research our family history, from DNA to digital datasets. The recording is available on this page.
The presentation on 12 September 2022 over Zoom, began with a brief introduction to the history of Quakerism, and a little about the distinctiveness of Quaker culture, followed by a look at the wide range of Quaker sources. The scope of the talk is restricted to Quakerism in the British Isles.
Given On 8 August via Zoom: Annoying Ancestors was an anecdotal story of how to search for your ancestors, highlighting the challenges they may knowingly or unknowingly have put in your way. New and experienced researchers will find this talk features obstacles to consider when tracing your ancestors. She hopes that her presentation, Annoying Ancestors, will inspire you to begin or will help reinvigorate your family history journey.
A recording of the session we had on Family Tree Maker with a brief look at some of the other associatied products Charting Companion and Family Book Creator.
Endell Street was unique. This talk, originally scheduled for 8 November 2021, has been rescheduled for 13 June 2022. It shows that it was the only hospital within the British Army to be staffed by women – all the doctors, nurses and orderlies were female apart from a dozen or so male helpers. The women of Endell Street treated 24,000 wounded soldiers who were shipped back from the frontline in France, Gallipoli and elsewhere throughout the war. After the war the hospital remained open to treat victims of the 1918 ‘Spanish’ flu pandemic. Endell Street became renowned as the most popular hospital in the First World War
On 9 May 2022, this step-by-step guide took us through how to best utilise the tools and facilities provided by Ancestry DNA to improve your techniques to find 3rd and 4th cousins and beyond. These techniques do not require an Ancestry subscription but will be enhanced with a subscription.
This talk, on 11 April 2022, focused on sources that can be used to put flesh on the bones of our ancestors, highlighting clues that might point towards unusual records and other images.
This talk, on 28 March 2022, introduced us to the different types of records that can help you trace people who spent time in South Africa, and the many websites and resources that are available.
The talk “Family Tree Drawing”, on 14 March 2022, looked at the differences between using a genealogy program and a dedicated drawing package to draw out a family tree, the plusses and minuses of both programs and a look at some variations David have done in the past
This session, on 28 February 2022, discussed what ethics and morality mean, and what these have to do with genealogy. Ethical dilemmas in genealogy came to the forefront since law enforcement utilised information from GEDMatch to apprehend a suspected serial killer. These issues include exposing secrets and lies, and unexpected DNA results.
The 1921 Census of England and Wales is here. In this talk, given on 14 January 2022, join Findmypast for an unmissable exploration of the biggest new arrival in family history. After years spent digitising and transcribing this unique snapshot of our recent history, discover the stories and secrets contained within.
This talk, given on 24 January 2022, examined how in the mid nineteenth century changes in employment practices and rising real wages meant that ordinary working people found themselves, usually for the first time, with leisure time and with spare money to spend on recreation. This talk describes where and how Oxford citizens spent their free time, and how the middle classes attempted to impose ‘rational recreation’ on their working-class contemporaries.
This talk, given on 10 January 2022, examined the village of Bletchingdon(ton) under the Annesley family from approximately 1750 to 1948 through records left in various archives. It showed how manorial, parish, tithe and land records can be integrated with village stories into a more rounded picture of an Oxfordshire village in the 19th century.
The presentation, on 13 December 2021, by members of the Education team of the Genealogical Society of Victoria in Australia covered convict records, the bounty immigration schemes, free immigrants and the immigration schemes in the 20th century including the 10 Pound POM scheme. It also covered the resources available with emphasis on those available online.
In this talk, delivered on 22 November 2021, Tim Healey created a vibrant portrait of Christmas in a turbulent age, describing Lords of Misrule, Twelfth Night revels, wassails, Boar’s Head feasts, frost fairs on the frozen Thames – and the Puritan ban on Christmas itself.
This is a follow up to Phil's earlier talk on using Research Plans to help with Family History Research. This time Phil will concentrate on how to build the plan. His talk took place on 11 October 2021.
