Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society

lfhhs.org.uk

Preston Branche.mail

NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Thanks to those who attended Barry Ashton’s funeral at the end of last month. Mourners were queued in their numbers outside as the Chapel was that full. One of the largest I have seen for some time and reflects the esteem in which he was held by so many people. A marvellous ‘send-off’ for a really nice man.

Tonight is our annual “Jacob’s Join” when we get together for our light-hearted quiz and scrumptious festive feed. Again our thanks to Joan for putting the quiz together, to Pat for collating the buffet side of things, Stephanie and Sheena for the liquid refreshments and to you all for your contribution to the evening.

This will be only our second meeting at our new venue and we would appreciate any feed-back you have on it’s suitability. Reminder that there will be no meeting in December.

Chorley Branch’s next computer night will be 7.30pm on Monday, 19th December, at the research centre, Astley Park, and best to ring first and tell them you are coming, on:- 01257-262028 Steve/Shelia. For your normal research needs Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10am-4pm and Saturdays of 10th and 17thDecember 12-4pm, ring first on 01257-231-600

Lancashire Archives is open 9.30-5pm Tuesday-Friday, Saturday, 10th 10-4pm and until 7pm on Tuesday 13th December. It will be closed from Friday 23rd and re-open on Thursday 29th December. It will also be closed Monday 2nd January. Also, check out their website of “What’s on at the Archives” at:-

On Friday 9th December at 2.30pm there will be a presentation of “Getting to know the Archives.” So if you ever wondered what is available and where to find it, now’s the time.

The Straits research centre at Oswaldtwistle will be open Thursdays and first Saturday of 3rd December, 1-5 pm. 01254-239-919 or All the centres offer you free access to Ancestry and Find My Past searches as well as pointers and advice on your ‘brickwalls’.

Another now impending closure is Fulwood Barracks. And it’s Museum ... ???

Any thoughts of places for our ‘out-visit’ next June?

If you have Roman Catholic Ancestry, the following list of sites may help you to find your connections more easily. The Catholic National Library, formerly at Farnborough, but now at Ushaw College, University of Durham – check online for extra details.

Scottish Catholic Archives – held at The Sir Duncan Rice Library of the University of Aberdeen. It holds records from before the restoration of the Scottish Hierarchy in 1878, including mission records, correspondence, prominent families and estate papers.

Parish registers and post 1878 Catholic diocesan archives are held at Columba House in Edinburgh.

English BMD parish entries may be found at under RG4 classification. You could also check out the Catholic Family History Society (CHFS) and Manchester Catholic Register, for published datas.

Preston City are talking about putting free Wi-Fi into The Harris sometime in the New Year. Make things a lot easier when doing your research there. The Archives already has it of course, free and automatic connection. Just log on.

The G.R.O. has opened a new web-site where you can order certificates online for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption events registered in England and Wales and for certain British Nationals, who were born, married, formed a civil partnership or died overseas. Some restrictions still apply. You can also order Commemorative marriage certificates for silver, ruby, golden and diamond wedding anniversaries. There is a large Q & A section. Go to:-

If your search is unsuccessful, try the ‘Variants’ box, Cate/Kate/Catherine/Katherine/Kitty, forename or surname.

Hints on doing more advanced F. H. searches on Google can be found here:-

and

Chorley Branch have announced that they are running their very successful ‘First Steps Course for Beginners’ in the New Year. The Course runs for 10 weeks starting on Friday 27th January 2017, at the Chorley Family History Research Centre, Astley Hall. The cost is £40 and each session starts at 7.30pm. Over the ten weeks attendees are introduced to the basic sources that enable them to take their family history back nearly 200 years. The subjects covered are Civil Registration, Census, Church Records, Record Keeping, and Research Strategies - all the skills and knowledge needed to start your Family History.
Contact Ron Chapman on 07730 793990 or email to book or for further details. Non-members welcome.

This website was recently re-launched with free searches of birth, marriage and death certificates, for the first time. You are only charged if you wish to download or view a record image. The charge is now £7.50 for 30 credits which enables the purchase of 5 images at £1.50 each.

Lostock Hall Library will finally close on 30th November, that will leave only Kingsfold, Leyland and Longton in South Ribble. It has not yet been decided where the local history items will be re-located.

Ever thought of having your DNA tested for Family History purposes? There is a ‘sale’ on at the moment at :- TIP: When you reach the page, hold your cursor over ‘DNA Tests’ in the upper left corner and select "All" to see every sale price.

The dates when we have our ‘HELP’ workshops at Leyland Museum are the Saturdays of 18th February, 24th June & 18th November from 10.30-12.30pm.

Bring along your brick-walls or if you just need a start to get you going. You don’t have to wait until then of course, just go to the ‘Help Desk’ on any of our meeting nights.

The Society’s ‘Helping Hands’ co-ordinator, Fiona Hall, is seeking volunteers who are prepared to do a small-ish amount of local research to help others who cannot get up to Lancashire for various reasons, mobility, cost, abroad etc. It could be at The Harris, The Archives, a local church, cemetery or taking a photograph etc. If you could help, please contact me and I will forward on.

A change of printer has resulted in three new ‘30’ colour and black ink cartridges only for Kodak, ESP and Hero machines and a ‘HP 934XL’ black for a HP 6830 e-AiO or 6230 e.printer being available to a good home. If you can make some use of them for yourself, give me a call.

Our newsletters are now on our web site at , click – Branches, click -Preston, scroll to the bottom of the page, and our back-numbers are there. If you have anything to contribute or draw attention too, please give me a call.

Finally, the Chairman and committee members would like to take this opportunity to wish a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and your families and hope to see you all again on Wednesday, 25th January, 2017, when David Joy will present to us “Liverpool Cowcatchers – A Family History.”

A full list of next year’s meetings and workshops are overleaf.

Stewart McLoughlin Secretary 01772-614457

Lancashire Family History

and Heraldry Society

PRESTON BRANCH

e.mail:-

2017 MEETINGS DATES AND SPEAKERS

Date / Speaker
25/1/17 / David Joy
Liverpool Cowcatchers – A Family History
18/2/17 / Workshop – Leyland Museum – 10.30 -12.30pm
Bring along your troubles and brick-walls
22/2/17 / The branch’s Annual General Meeting, followed by
Roger Blaxhall ‘Should I stay or Should I Go?’
How Ormskirk treated evacuees from Liverpool!
29/3/17 / Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines
The Last Train to Tomorrow
26/4/17 / Stewart McLoughlin - Thomas Hill Joseph Napoleon Horatio Bonaparte Swindlehurst Nelson
The longest named in Preston Cemetery.
31/5/17 / Harold Hoggarth
A week in the life of Grandma
24/6/17 / Workshop – Leyland Museum – 10.30 -12.30pm
Bring along your troubles and brick-walls
28/6/17 / Out visit – to be arranged – No Meeting
26/7/17 / Joanne Halliwell
Betsy III – The Happy Ever After
30/8/17 / Members own research night. Bring along your troubles...
27/9/17 / Ann Berry
Documenting Dissent - Joseph Garstang
25/10/17 / Dr David Hunt
The Horrocks Family
18/11/17 / Workshop – Leyland Museum – 10.30 -12.30pm
Bring along your troubles and brick-walls
29/11/17 / Jacobs Join and Quiz Night
27/12/17 / No Meeting

ALL MEETINGS WILL BE AT THE KINGSFOLD METHODIST CHAPEL HALL,

PADWAY / HAWKSBURY DRIVE, PENWORTHAM, PRESTON, PR1 9EJ

AT 7.30PM ON THE LAST WEDNESDAYOF EACH MONTH

FREE ENTRY - NON MEMBERS WELCOME

Secretary :- 01772-614457