By way of a New Year's Eve present I'll just remind you of this little gem:
The UK & IE Railways map
This is an interactive historic map of almost *every* railway station & line that's *ever* existed on the British & Irish Isles.
It's a fabulous resource and even if you're not a railway buff - I guarantee that you'll lose hours down this rabbit hole - enjoy and Happy New Year!
Link - : railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php
https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/podcast
FHSC wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and all the best for 2022
2022 is already looking like a great year of events for members of FHSC
Our seminar series continues with Myko Clelland from FindMyPast talking to us about the 1921 census in January
In February we welcome Natalie Bodle, an expert in Irish Ancestry, while March sees something a little different with Sean Szmalc, complete in period dress, revealing the unforgettable story of the Titanic.
Dr Michala Hulme is our guest in April and she will be talking to us about the TV programme DNA Journey, in which she was the lead genealogical researcher, should be a great evening. Something more local in May when Kathy Burtinshaw takes us through the history of the Macclesfield workhouse and how mental health records can be used in your research and to wrap up the first half of the year June sees Dave Annal presenting his very interesting and entertaining talk - My Ancestor was a Liar.
Speakers at the seminars for the rest of the year include; Professor Rebecca Probert, Dr Janet Few, Dr Penny Walters and our very own Ann Simcock, who will deliver the 2022 Dorothy Flude Memorial Lecture in October.
We also have something very special lined up for early in the new year, all a bit secret for now but keep your eye out for details soming very soon.
Added to that our Groups have some great speakers and events in the pipeline with appearances by Judith Batchelor, Dr Mike Ebester, Jackie Depelle, Paul Hindle, Christine Wootton and Tony Bostock and many others on a diverse range of subjects including Colditz, Railway accidents, Cheshire turnpikes, heraldry, military medals ... the list is endless. Please keep a eye on the Events page of the website as more Zoom talks and events are listed.
Gay will be continuing with her excellent and comprehensive monthly newsletters together with Margaret's Musing which include news of what FHSC has been up to and a list of some of the websites included in the Archive of the Week section on our social media platforms.
The Cheshire Ancestor continues to go from strength to strength and Rosie does a sterling job getting the journal ready for publication each quarter, an unenviable task it must be said and a mention in despatches to Geoff for his Net that Serf section. If you have any articles or items of interest please submit as soon as possible, details regarding deadlines and email addresses can be found in the current issue.
So - all in all - being a member of FHSC is great value for money - 7 or 8 Zoom talks a month, in person events, newsletters, journal, a huge range of content on our website all for the just £18 a year [£13 if you opt for the Ancestor in digital form only], or £1.50 a month..... what a bargain!
Once again I'm featuring an Advent Calendar on our social media platforms
During this series of WDYTYA, one of the main themes that came through for me was to ask questions of your relatives, there will come a day when you wish you had and the people won't be there to ask - so with that in mind this year's FHSC advent calendar is going to take the form of:
24 Questions to ask your Loved Ones this Christmas
with a different question everyday, hopefuly this will also encourage younger generations to get involved.
For those that don't follow our social media accounts I will post a full list of all the questions as a downloadable PDF on the website under the Public Documents section - perhaps if you do hav a go you can let me know how you get on
If you would like to join us on Facebook or Twitter then I would be more than happy to help you sign in and show you how to keep your profile safe - just email me at
