Programme of Lectures

DateTalkSpeakerDescription
20-Jun-23How To Date Old PhotographsStephen Gill
bio

Stephen Gill

I have been a professional photographer in a variety of specialisms for over fifty years. For the last twenty-five years I have specialised in photo-restoration and research. With three published text books on dating old photographs and many years as a speaker on the topic I like to help people discover the secrets their old photographs can contain.

The talk follows a timeline of photographic history and how it can relate to your own research. We look at examples where looking at details can help put a photo into a time, place or context. If anyone wants a little help with their own photos if a decent scan can be sent to me with sufficient time I am happy to take a look and give my opinions.

18-Jul-23How to use FamilySearch to Discover Your Ancestors?David Purser
bio

David is a member H&DFHS and a volunteer at the FamilySearch Centre in Harrogate. He has been a user of FamilySearch and its predecessors since 1967

David's talk will cover how familysearch.org website can provide useful clues and hints when researching your family history.

19-Sep-23An (almost) Yorkshire Story Told through Sixteen CouplesNatasha Houseman
bio

Natasha Houseman imagined as a Saxon 

Outside of being a family story obsessive, I lead charities who work on the environmental challenges we all face and more specifically in support of those people most immediately & directly affected and least able to cope with what our changing climate is meaning. Through my work I work with people living in Africa, Asia, continental Europe and elsewhere and my best connecting conversations always start with family histories. You can find me at www.natashahouseman.co.uk.

Just two of my 3xg grandparents were not of Yorkshire stock, with one born in Gloucestershire and one in Pembrokeshire. These two, a couple, had met, married and moved to Yorkshire by 1851. Only one other 3x great grandparent was born outside of Yorkshire (in Lancashire). She was illegitimate, I am now convinced she was conceived in Yorkshire and she married back into Yorkshire folks.


 


Whilst I love sheet thirty-two of the Bartholomew half inch revised map “Wharfedale” from 1932 because it includes the branches from south of Leeds and west of Harrogate, my roots are predominantly in the Nidderdale, Upper Wharfedale and Washburn valleys.


 


This talk is a whistlestop tour of the sixteen couples (thirty two people) who are my 3xg grandparents. It covers farmers, miners, canal boat people, dressmakers, grocers, gamekeepers and yet more farmers as well as women’s (lack of rights) in the Victorian age, illegitimacy and painful deaths. It’s also about sources and local names. All within that small geographic radius we are all interested in. My intent is to open conversations and (perhaps) new routes to explore your own family history in this area.


Martha Handley       Thomas Wellock

17-Oct-23A Grandmother’s LegacyJenny Mallin
21-Nov-23Yorkshire Resources at the Society of GenealogistsSue Gibbons
bio

Sue GibbonsSue Gibbons was the Librarian of the Society of Genealogists for almost 20 years. During this time she was responsible for managing a major Lottery funded project to convert the old card catalogue into computer form and make it available on the Internet. She has been a member of the Anglo-German FHS since 1987 and is a life member and Fellow of the Society of Genealogists,

She is writing My ancestor was a shopkeeper and a second edition of her book German pork butchers in Britain for the Anglo-German FHS is nearing completion.

Yorkshire sources in the library of the Society of Genealogists


We start with using the library catalogue online.


Next how to find out about the broader jurisdictions for Yorkshire and your target parish, such as the Poor Law unions


Then the talk follows the arrangement of books in the library:


General eg.:  Armed forces, Court records, Education, Manorial records, Occupations, Taxation, Wills etc


 Local histories and local history societies


Registers and other sources for births, marriages and deaths


Monumental (tombstone) inscriptions


Censuses and census substitutes


 Directories


Poll books and voters registers


Periodicals of county and local record and historical societies etc


Lastly we cover some of the special collections in the library and free access to subscription websites from the library

19-Dec-23Christmas QuizKevin Hawkins

Members Only event.  This year the quiz master will be our chairman, Kevin Hawkins