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I have been involved with Family History for more years than I care to remember and when I look back to that sunny August day in 1969 in Kirby Malham church, never would I have imagined in my wildest dreams where that memorial high on the wall, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight, would lead me. Having been six years on the Executive Committee I was a little surprised to become the President of the FFHS, but having got over my surprise I felt very honoured to be a representative of all the Societies which make up the Federation for without you there would be no Federation The journey first to an a rather overgrown soot engrimed cemetery called Abney Park in the east end of London, yes my roots have a lot in common with Eastenders. Then to Somerset House via St Catherines House to the Family Records Centre which seemed like a genealogical paradise and then from there, with some sadness, to The National Archives at Kew. The committee known as Kew 2008 was formed so that users from the Family Records Centre would be made to feel welcome and also that the facilities would be as user friendly as possible. Geoff Riggs and I were invited to be members of the committee which was chaired by Sharon Hintze from the LDS church. James Strachan and Chris Cooper from The National Archives were determined to listen and take on board as many of our suggestions as possible and as a result going to the TNA is a very good experience. Most of the staff from the FRC are there, the finding aids are excellent and for a first time visitor help and advice is available which is given with friendliness and interest So many other records offices were visited and we should be very proud of our County Record Offices who work so hard very often now with limited resources. The LDS Church too has been a stalwart supporter of Family History over the years and in September Charles and I were invited to a Celebratory Concert for the 50th Anniversary of the London Temple, the other Temple is in Chorley, there has always been a strong bond between us and I would like to say a big thank you for all the support and encouragement they have given to Family Historians the world over. Finally to overseas where because of work commitments it has been possible to meet with many Societies who have to struggle with the same problems which we have here at home. Commercialisation, finding volunteers, the total acceptance that everything is on the internet and most worryingly of all that it may be on the internet but often the accuracy leaves much to be desired. This can be outweighed by the ease with which records can now be accessed from so far away. I remember being in the outback in New South Wales miles from anywhere and a man said to me how do I get a birth certificate, how times change. Lady Teviot, President Top of page
To mark the 90th anniversary of the Armistice, The National Archives has launched a season of podcasts of personal stories from those who served in the First World War more information > Top of page
The Halsted Trust is hosting the next national Family & Local History conference ‘Open the Door & Here are the People’. It is being held at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, 28th to 31st August 2009. The event will cover a broad spectrum of subjects of interest to the family, local and social historian with experts, information and celebrity speakers on subjects from buildings to immigration and the military to industrial Britain. The conference will see speakers from, The Galleries of Justice, King's College, London, The Library & Museum of Freemasonry, The Media Archive for Central England, National Maritime Museum, National Monuments Record, Parliamentary Archives, Royal Geographical Society, The Women’s Library and the Society of Genealogists. The Halsted Trust is also hosting the Federation of Family History Societies General Meeting as part of the conference activities
To register your interest in the conference
It is a
fantastic resource for searching the contents of archives throughout
London while only visiting a single site more information > Top of page
The live event format of the hugely popular BBC TV series, Who Do You Think You Are? takes place for a third consecutive year at London’s Olympia on the brand new show dates of 27th February – 1st March 09 and promises to deliver the most comprehensive resource for any family historian
BUY
2 FOR 1 TICKETS more information > Top of page
Advertising
in the FFHS Ezine
is by the following methods:
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More details of events to be attended by the FFHS can be found on our website. The Great War Archive, a major project run by the University of Oxford. The aim of this initiative was to collect together material related to the First World War held by members of the public to help keep the memory alive of the sacrifices made during World War One. The final collection will be made available free of charge via the internet on the 11th November 2008, the 90th anniversary of the Armistice. The Family Records Centre is now closed and the General Register Office (GRO) no longer provides a facility for customers to apply for and collect certificates in central London. All certificates are issued by post via the General Register Office based in Southport, Merseyside. The service provided by local register offices remains unchanged
FFHS-NEWS is a
'one-way' Mailing List which is used to make announcements from
the Federation and to publish information of general interest,
as and when it occurs.
BBC commemorates 90th
anniversary of Armistice
Looking for the ideal gift for the family historian this christmas? NBI 2nd Edition Now Only £36 RRP £45 Temporary closure of Caird Library, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Work will
begin earlier than initially planned on the £35 million
redevelopment of the National Maritime Museum,
to include a modern research and reading room and improved
storage for the paper-based collections. The move of the archive
and library collections currently stored in the South West Wing
of the museum to temporary offsite storage will therefore begin
earlier, with the Caird Library
closing to all users on
Saturday 20th December 2008. The Library will reopen in
late spring / early summer 2009. Competition Winners A full list of Ezine competition winners can be seen on the FFHS website. view competition winners >
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Lutterworth LE17 9BJ
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