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The SDFHS Blog

From Slavery to the Workhouse

Posted on 2nd May 2017

I am sure many of us have discovered that one or more of our early family members went into the workhouse Sitting at our computers in our centrally heated homes we have tried to imagine what it might have been like with, perhaps, images coming to mind of Oliver Twist asking for more, or the heavily pregnant Fanny Robin, in Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd, painfully making her way to the workhouse to meet her fate We are likely to have gleaned that this was to be avoided at all... more

The Greenwood Tree – March 2017

Posted on 24th February 2017

The March 2017 issue of The Greenwood Tree is now being printed, and will be posted to all members of the Society next week This is the first under the new schedule, where the publication dates will be at the beginning of March, June, September and December So if you’ve been wondering where your copy of The Greenwood Tree has got to, don’t despair – it will be with you soon Once the print copies are in the post, the PDF version will be uploaded to the Members' Area of our website We... more

The Wonders of The Library Catalogue or how I came to fight my way through an imaginary net curtain

Posted on 20th February 2017

I struggled to come up with a title that would grab your attention as I knew 'The Library Catalogue' just wouldn't do it I thought 'The Life Changing Library Catalogue' didn't quite have the right ring to it as in the scheme of things it seems such a small achievement but there are years and years of work by a series of long term volunteers at the Family History Centre behind it I take this opportunity to thank the most recent incumbent, Elsie Smith, who has just retired after many years of... more

Family Christmas Favourites

Posted on 24th December 2016

Do you remember, in the days before the supermarkets took over and provided all our Christmas requirements, that there were recipes within the family passed down from generation to generation When I was a child, with a younger brother and three young boy cousins, we would all enjoy a glass of ginger wine in a small sherry schooner at Christmas time My cousins were so young they could not get their tongues round what to them was a very new word 'wine' and they would pronounce it ginger 'wiyerne'... more

The Greenwood Tree – November 2016

Posted on 1st November 2016

The November issue of The Greenwood Tree is now in the post to members The Editor, Bob Barber, presents a few items to whet your appetite The cover includes a number of photographs collected recently by the the Society's Photographs Project They also act as a Who Do You Think This Is feature Go to page 113 and see if you know any more about the people portrayed With thanks to Allan Collier for permission to use his photos, and also Sylvia Creed-Castle, Tony Chew and the Sunshine Coast... more

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