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The SDFHS Blog

Family Tree Maker and Ancestry

Posted on 20th February 2016

Like many family historians I wanted a computer program where I could keep all the information I was finding out about my family When a friend emailed me a report she had produced I realised I wanted to be able do the same and so I turned to Family Tree Maker, paid for the 'package' and loaded it onto my home computer I loved it from the start A lot of my information had been gleaned by my cousin and she would send me bits of paper with hand written notes on them or copies of censuses and I... more

Two men with multiple ‘marriages’

Posted on 7th February 2016

I suspect that many family historians who run into a ‘brick wall’ when trying to pin down an ancestor do the same thing as I do and try to ‘sneak up’ on them by looking at other people with the same surname in the same area at the same time, in the hope of being able to connect to the right family Doing this for one of my GGGGG Grandmothers, Jane Storrow/Starrow, meant that my research wandered off at a tangent and I started investigating the marriages of a man whose gravestone lists... more

‘The Greenwood Tree’ – February 2016

Posted on 28th January 2016

The February 2016 edition of The Greenwood Tree is now being mailed to members and the Editor, Bob Barber, gives a preview of its contents A new year brings two new ideas which we hope will become regular features in The Greenwood Tree The 'People, Places and Problems' column has appeared since the very beginning of the journal, offering readers an opportunity to share problems and ideas with the wider membership Whilst this can establish useful links with others researching similar family... more

Remembering a Generation

Posted on 1st January 2016

In November 2015 the Society published Remembering a Generation The World War One servicemen of West and Middle Chinnock by Phil Nichols, who describes the origins of his research and new contacts he has made as a result of the publication While writing this book, I came to see how little I had appreciated the significance of the war memorials, both inside and outside of our two village churches, and the names inscribed on those memorials It was very clear, however, that the collective... more

Christmas Star(s & Stripes)

Posted on 23rd December 2015

Robin Ansell continues Barbara's 'transtlantic connection' theme for Christmas tree decorations Following Barbara’s story of tree decorations on both sides of the Atlantic, I offer our ‘stars & stripes’ Christmas tree star! It has adorned our Christmas tree every year since 2006 – when it was presented to us in Pennsylvania, by our then newly-discovered American cousins Connecting with them was in large measure due to the hallowed pages of the Society's journal The Greenwood Tree... more

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