01935 429609
Somerset & Dorset
Family History Society
Join Now

The SDFHS Blog

Skills Workshop on Documents

Posted on 20th January 2014

Dorothy Bower describes Ted Udall's 'Skills Workshop on Documents' On Saturday last (18 January), along with 14 other members, I attended the Skills Workshop, on reading old documents, held at the SDFHS Family History Centre in Sherborne Ted Udall, the SDFHS Secretary and an experienced family historian,  initially took us through the various types of documents and the working of the scribes, the tools used, the formation of the characters and the formats for transcribing and translating ... more

West Dorset Group AGM

Posted on 19th January 2014

Sylvia Creed-Castle describes the recent AGM of the SDFHS West Dorset Group The West Dorset Group of the SDFHS held their Annual General Meeting on Saturday 11 January 2014, at Loders Village Hall  The following members continued on the committee:  Brian Webber (Chairman), Sylvia Creed-Castle (Treasurer) and Executive Committee member, Caroline Meatyard (Programme Organiser) Sally Phillips volunteered to be a new committee member During the Chairman’s report flower presentations were... more

Kellaway coat of arms in Sherborne Abbey

Posted on 8th January 2014

SDFHS member Warwick Kellaway of Hamilton, New Zealand, has been researching his family history for many years The name Kellaway/Kelleway/Kelloway/Kelway/Callaway/Calloway/Calway/Callow/Kellow, and the other variants seen today, is reasonably considered to derive from the village of Caillouet, in Eure, northern France The first dated record of the family name in England has been accepted to be that of Philip de Chailewai in the 1165 Gloucester Pipe Rolls holding land in Wiltshire, probably... more

Your Journal needs you!

Posted on 7th January 2014

Bob Barber, the Editor of the Society's Journal The Greenwood Tree needs your help: Have you made any New Year resolutions Why not make it a priority to put pen to paper and write up some aspect of your family history research The Greenwood Tree is your journal and can only continue if members send material for publication Publishing your research gives it exposure to a wide audience and can often answer questions or help to make contacts with others interested in the same area In August... more

Archives