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.
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.
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.
This talk was given on 14 June 2021. Founded in 1731, The Gentleman’s Magazine was the world’s first magazine, reporting domestic and foreign news, announcing the latest discoveries in science, medicine and technology, reviewing books and recording freak weather, births, marriages and military promotions. Its obituaries of the deceased laid the foundation for the later Dictionary of National Biography and are a major source for the lives and deaths of thousands of 18 th century people.
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.
In this talk on 12 August 2024, over Zoom, we will explore a range of technological and other developments which show just how radically things changed in four years, and how much was learned - from air power and fire power, through manufacturing and science, to infantry tactics and approaches to command.
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.
On 8 February 2021 Christ Fleet of the National Library of Scotland described the main types of map that are useful for family history research. The main focus was an online demonstration of the main ways of finding these maps and viewing them online, as well as the range of georeferenced map viewers, and how these can best be used together.
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.
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.
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.
Charles tells us about some of the “unexpected” relatives he’s found whilst expanding his tree beyond direct family. He also shows how he was able to help some people trace their birth parents, given by Zoom on 24 August 2020
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.
Phil's objective is to introduce each and every audience member to at least one useful new tool they haven't tried before. There will be a PDF handout for this talk containing URLs for each of the tools mentioned.
Phil Isherwood delivered our first ‘lockdown’ talk using the video conferencing system Zoom on 1 June 2020
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11 November 2024 - Zoom Meeting and a chance for members to remember, by talking about them, the people in their families that they have discovered who gave their lives in the service of their country.
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.
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.
On 7 September 2020, during a members' show & tell meeting Bob Bridges told us how the question "I do wonder what happened to the Glover girls?" by his mother took him into the world of show business and war time radio broadcasts.
At a members' show and tell meeting in August 2020 Gillian Chen talked to us about why she started her family history research. Starting with the information and stories, provided mainly by her mother, she then set out to try see if the stories where in fact correct.
8th July 2024 - In this meeting over Zoom, Gill Blanchard will show us how to bring the story of our ancestors to life. How to stop researching and start writing, choose a format and what to include. What to do with our family stories, missing pieces, and anomalies. We will discover how to bring life to the page with the author of Writing Your Family History (Pen and Sword, 2016) and experienced writing tutor and biographer.
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