Friday 31st January at West Kirby entrance fee £5 see poster above
CHESTER FAMILY HISTORY GROUP CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The Chester Group of the Family History Society of Cheshire celebrated its 50th anniversary last week. The group was formed in 1969 and held its first meetings at Stanley Palace. During that year the group joined with another family history group in Sale to form the Family History Society of Cheshire which was one of the earliest county family history societies in the country. The Society has grown from an initial membership of about 80 to a current membership of over 1,500. There are now thirteen local branches spread across the historical county of Cheshire, a county-wide Computer Club which meets in Hartford, two family history libraries and research centres, one at Mobberley and one at Crewe, and an award winning magazine and website.
At last week's meeting to celebrate the anniversary, Chester Group Leader David Guyton welcomed members and a number of special guests including two whose membership dated back to the formation of the Society in 1969, two former Chester Group Leaders, and representatives from the Family History Society of Cheshire including the recently re-elected Chairman, Alan Bennett, who also happened to be Chairman when the Chester Group celebrated its 40th anniversary. David Guyton gave a short talk highlighting some interesting and amusing items discovered during the course of family history research and showing some photographs of Chester fifty years ago. It was striking just how much the shopping scene has changed and how dated the City of Chester buses and private cars of the period now looked. Following the talk, Alan Bennett cut a ceremonial cake specially decorated with Chester's coat of arms and members and visitors took part in a family history quiz and enjoyed some festive food and refreshments.
The Chester Group holds meetings on the last Thursday of the month at All Saints Church in Hoole, Chester. Most meetings feature a speaker on an aspect of family history or local history. As well as a talk, there is a family history help desk and the opportunity to discuss family history topics with other members. Many members have particular areas of knowledge on family history or experience with using computers and the internet for family history. There is also a raffle and tea, coffee and biscuits are served at the end of the meeting. New members and visitors are always welcome.
The Group also runs two family history help desks. The help desk at the Chester History and Heritage Centre previously at St Michael's Church in Bridge Street, Chester, is now at the Grosvenor Museum in Grosvenor Street, Chester CH1 2DD. Opening times are 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. There is also a help desk at the Library at Storyhouse from 10 am to 12 noon on Tuesdays. Whether you are a newcomer to family history or are looking for some local knowledge or have run up against a brickwall or would like some help on a computing or internet aspect of family history, just ask. There is always somebody who would be pleased to help.
For more information check the Family History Society of Cheshire website at www.fhsc.org.uk or contact the Chester Group at .
This year for our GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY we held our AGM at the Lion Salt works at Northwich. It proved a very good format and an excellent venue. We had two excellent talks, one by David Thomas our Northwich Group leader all about the Anderton Boatlift where he had worked for several years. A Marveloous feat of engineering and a feature of the landscape fascinating to watch it in action. Our second talk was by Peter Solan all about the history and extrraction of salt in Cheshire; how it was laid down and created in the first place and the vast millions of tons lying underneath Cheshire. I was particularly interested in his study of the linguistics of the word SALT prefixed SAL this side of Europe and over the Alps prefixed HAL.
The museum has an intersting shop with many books and crystals for sale. Somee of us ate lunch atthe Salt barge Pub across the road. and after the afternoon talk wa a complimentary cream tea.
The business of our AGM was failry short and brief, with a report from our retiring Chairman, Victoria. All the very best for you travels. our webmaster, Alan Bennett, was voted in as our new Chairman. He has done the job before so knows what is expected. He will continue as our Webmaster and will see us through a period of change for Family History Societies.
We also presented Ian Hartas with a lifelong membership for all his years of work creating and implementing the UKBMD project now covering eleven geographical areas of the UK. Thank you Ian.
A brand new publication for those with an interest in Alsager.
The output of a very professional project to document and verify the memorials in great detail.
https://www.fhsc.org.uk/products-2/downloads/download-christ-church-alsager-mi
its available for download now for £6.
FHSC sends lots of emails to our members and website users for a multitude of reasons.
We deliver them through a professional email service provider called Elastic Email.
It has come to my attention that a reasonable number of our emails arentbeing delivered because Elastic Email have got a block on some of your email addresses.
If you find you are not receiving any emails from us then please use the following link to re-enable delivery to you:
https://api.elasticemail.com/contact/subscribe?version=2&pID=f65a4548-8a8a-42d5-994c-721c718b57f8
You just provide your email address and then you will then recieve an email with another link in it. Clicking on that link will confirm to Elastic Email that you wish to receive emails from FHSC.
You can control the types of emails you get from us at:
https://www.fhsc.org.uk/?Itemid=9222
The other issue is that we still hold lots of invalid email addresses for a number of you. These are primarily caused by:
- you not having provided one
- ones provided by email providers that are no longer in existence, e.g. wanadoo and fsnet
Please log in and check your details as soon as possible at:
https://www.fhsc.org.uk/new-my-membership/my-profile-2#login-details
Regards
Alan
Webmaster
Over the last week I have added about 70 new downloads to the online shop, Sales are going very well.
Hopefully you will find some items of interest.
We held our 50th Anniversary AGM yesterday at the Lion Salt Works.
During the meeting our chairman, Victoria Doran, stood down as she has decided to spend the next 18 months touring the world. I am sure we all send our good wishes for what should be a fantastic experience for Victoria.
I have been elected to fill the void as chairman, a role I previously held from 2008 until 2012.
I will also continue as webmaster and hope that I can find the necessary time for both roles.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in my new role.
My main focus will be how to restructure the society to provide what members need and our survival through turbulent times for family history societies.
Kind Regards
Alan Bennett
Chairman and Webmaster
Dig up your roots in West Lancashire
Saturday 5th October 2019
10.00 am to 4.00 pm
Emanuel Methodist Church
Derbys Street, Ormskirk
L39 2DC
See the above poster for details of the next Bloor society Meeting and AGM
On 1st and 2nd of July 2019 Thomas Duckenfield and his family visited Dukinfield. This was a long awaited visit. Tom and I have been friends and collaborators for around 12 years via the internet with our joint interest in the Dukinfield Family's ancestry, particularly their slave plantation interests in Jamaica and North Carolina.
This was a whistle stop tour visiting as many sites as possible connected with the Dukinfield Family and a Civic Reception at Dukinfield Town Hall, (photograph above. Thomas pictured with his ancestor Robert Duckenfield of Civil War fame).
Tom, a descendant from the Dukinfield Plantation in Jamaica, is a gracious, distinguished man with a lovely family which Dukinfield was delighted to entertain.
The main point of his visit was to meet with the Friends of Old Hall Chapel, Dukinfield to help further their ambition to preserve the Chapel as a Conserved Ruin. More on their website, http://www.oldhallchapel.org/
I have written a summation of my research into the Slave Connections in Jamaica and North Carolina. Its an exciting story including slaves, pirates, the Lost Colony of Roankoe Island and the foundation of New Haven Connecticut by the Eaton family from Cheshire http://tamesidefamilyhistory.co.uk/duckenfieldvisit.html
My webpage also contains a couple of videos I took on the day.
Advance notice of Tameside Group's AGM Wednesday 11th September at 7.30 pm at Old Chapel Community Rooms, Dukinfield.
Sorry for this late notice but I have been inordinately busy. Thank you for your patience, agenda and reports later this week.
STRETFORD FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY FAIR
SATURDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2019
10 A.M TO 4 P.M.
ST MATTHEWS CHURCH HALL, CHESTER ROAD, STRETFORD, MANCHESTER M32 9AJ
ENTRANCE FEE £2
A talk on Local History is by Bill Newton & Bill Mather
Slides and Re-discovered Films From the Stretford House 50 Project. A collaboration between Stretford Local History & Manchester Modernist Society at 10.30 a.m.
A talk on Family History is by Sylvia Dillon
The talk will be about death certificates and causes of death from 1837 through to the 20th century at 2.30 p.m.
Whether a beginner or experienced family historian or interested in local history there will be something for everyone
The stands and exhibitors includes a variety of family and local history societies, maps and genealogical supplies
This year the FHSC will be celebrating 50 years of Family History.
To Celebrate why not join to take part in the celebrations and what we have to offer. Over the 25 years I have been a member I have met wonderful friends, shared interests, visited many of the other groups, all very friendly and make you most welcome.
Becoming a member opens doors to exciting offers, free help, we show you how to help yourselves, you must do the hard work, its addictive once you get started you don’t want to stop! Who knows you could be related to Royalty or maybe not, but I can promise you, your journey takes you on a long path of twists and turns, intriguing, sometimes frustrating but never dull!
Let’s make this Golden Anniversary one to remember.
Welcome to the new and improved FHSC website.
You will notice the striking gold colour scheme to celebrate our golden aniiversary this year.
We will resort to our more traditional green on New Years Day 2020.
We have done extensive testing of the new look and feel, but ........................... there may be issues we havent found.
Please notify the webmaster via Contact Us if you find anything that is broken.
The main functional change on this revision is an improved Links system. We hope you like it. If you have any suggestions for additional links then just let the Web Administrator know via Contact Us.
Alan
FHSC Webmaster
The very recent problems for people renewing or upgrading their subscriptions by PAYPAL have now been resolvedby the software developers of our Memberhsip software. Everything should be working fine now.
At the moment ther is when paying for memberhsip via PAYPAL, the redirect to paypal is not working and it is returning you to the website homepage.
It is an error we are aware of and has been raised with Tech Support and shgould be fixed very soon
Rosie Rowley reminder
Members’ Competition Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of FHSC
“A Golden Moment"
This is your opportunity to get into print! To commemorate the Society’s Golden anniversary in 2019, the Society is launching a very special members’ competition. Members are invited to submit an article to the competition for publication in the CHESHIRE ANCESTOR. In addition to publication, the winner will receive a £50 voucher to spend on FHSC Society publications, and a one - year digital subscription to Family Tree Magazine kindly offered by Warners Group Publications. Two runners-up will each receive a £25 voucher to spend on FHSC Society publications. The competition is open only to those who are current members of FHSC, and who joined prior to 1 July 2019. The article should be about “a golden moment” in your family history journey. This could be about breaking through a brick wall or an unexpected discovery related to the life of an ancestor. Ancestors can be male or female and the article should explain your special moment in your family history research. Further details are available in the June edition of Cheshire Ancestor.
very best,
GAY
This is an opportunity to win a free 3-day pass, worth £149, to the UK’s biggest genealogy conference, RootsTech London 2019, which takes place at the London ExCel Conference Centre from Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th October, 2019. Keynote speakers include Dan Snow, Nick Barratt and Donny Osmond – see RootsTech.org for full details.
Please read the full article by Rosie Rowley on the Macclesfield Reflects webpage: http://macclesfieldreflects.org.uk/2019/08/13/2019-rootstech/
You are advised to check whether our research centres are open before you travel. It could be that volunteers are finding it difficult to be there due to the floods:
The website is running SLOW at present, we are aware of performance issues and will fix them as soon as possible.