Upton St Leonard WI: Margaret Roy from Evesham on tracing your ‘Family History'

TRACING your ‘Family History’ seems to be having a revival and Margaret Roy from Evesham was our very enthusiastic speaker, using slides and photographs of her past family history encouraging us to delve into our own past ancestry.

Collecting facts, figures, old photographs, memorabilia and especially listening to and recording older family and friends memories to make a diary or family scrap book will all help towards the family tree records.

Parish registers, marriage and death certificates can reveal useful information: maybe the fathers workplace, cause of death etc.

Looking at graveyard tombstones, shipping passenger lists, wills, military records, social history, memorial inscriptions, can all build a picture towards our families social and background history.

The first census began in 1841 and another in 1911 where some of us had grandparents or parents and can research via Ancestry.co.uk

Margaret also said National Archives at Kew hold records of WW1, but is was bombed at some time.

The Record Office at Alvin Street, Gloucester is also available to use and staff are very helpful.

So ladies get searching in the archives, you never know what surprises are in store!

A warm round of applause was followed by a vote of thanks from Marlene.

Business was brief as Diane welcomed all ladies.

Our group meeting at Witcombe Village Hall was a great success and well attended, Jan Turner was guest speaker.

Tea and cakes were busily served by some members at Upton St Leonard’s Village Fete.

Our summer outing Wednesday, August 10, Gloucester Docks for a boat trip with cream tea £14, 2.30 – 4.30pm.

King’s Head Wednesday, June 22, 12.30pm, meeting for lunch, a good social time was had by a dozen of us.

Tredegar House and Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff were enjoyed by Kathleen, Jean and Jan.

The WI outings need to be supported ladies.

All other news in the news sheet.

We meet again on Monday, July 4, 7.30pm, in Upton St Leonard’s Village Hall for a talk on Dylan Thomas, Reminiscences of Childhood, speaker George Yiend.

All ladies very welcome