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.
On 9 November 2020, Malcolm Austen gave us a talk about GENUKI detailing what it is and how it can help you find sources of information.
On 7 September 2020, during a member "Show & Tell session" Charles Eldridge showed us the techniques he uses to get more out of DNA tests with Ancestry.
A talk over Zoom on Monday 14 August 2023. Where Gay Evans will look at large families in the 18th / 19th century and the implications for the parents, especially the mothers.
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.
On Monday 13 March 2023 via Zoom: A light-hearted walk through a variety of genealogical records, reinforcing the value of scrutinising original documents.
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.
This talk on 11 December 2023 over Zoom, 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 discuss the ethics of testing and considerations regarding the possibility of uncovering a family secret.
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.
On Monday 26 October 2020, John Titterton discussed wills and associated documents, the meaning of their contents and how they can help build family trees using case studies from the Titterton family of Staffordshire and Derbyshire. A write-up of the talk and the Titterton will documents are available to view here.
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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.
Railways were one of the largest employers and many companies left a legacy of staff records. In this talk, given on 12 April 2021, Ian Waller examined how those records help piece together the career of a railway worker up to nationalisation in 1948.
This talk, given on 24 May 2021, concerns establishing the truth of a WWI friendship between two Wiltshire farmers' sons, and why one's marriage to the sister of the other, led to the unexpected discovery of an 18th Century Grant of Arms, several 18th Century family trees, crested china and a signet ring. Also an 18th Century print of the College of Arms where a family namesake was Richmond Herald. The story of the fortunes of this family of farmers descended from Merchant Mariner adventurers provides a fascinating insight into the 18thC and their descendant families are searched for the linkage that would show why that cache of 18th Century material descended to its present owners.
On 5 October 2020 Phil Isherwood explained what Evernote is, how it works and showed practical examples of how he has used it to transform the organisation of his genealogy projects.
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.
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.
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.
The presentation on 28 June 2021 showcased the use of a large number of datasets made available online by Oxfordshire Libraries for the benefit of library members. These datasets can be used at home by anybody that has an Oxfordshire Library Card and without charge.
Hybrid Meeting: On 24 April 2023 Malcolm talked about school log books and how they can be used to flesh out the bones of your family history. A recording of the talk is available to view.
On 22 February 2021 Simon traced the development of Salter's Steamers showing how it grew from a leading racing-boat constructor in Wandsworth to become one of the largest inland boat-builders and passenger boat operators in the country. he aslo described many of the famous names associated with the business, including Lewis Carroll, William Morris, Edward VII, Jerome K. Jerome, T. E. Lawrence and C. S. Lewis. The talk was given on 22 February 2021.
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 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.
Anyone lucky enough to trace their ancestry to the 17th century will face undoubted challenges from gaps in parish registers and the upheavals of civil wars. In this talk, given on 10 May 2021, Else Churchill looked at the problems and some of the solutions that will inform genealogy research in this century.
