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Somerset & Dorset
Family History Society

150 years of courtroom drama

150 years of courtroom drama Speaker: Anne Brown Shire Hall, Dorchester, was the centre of justice and local government from 1797 to 1955 The courtroom was the scene of many famous and infamous trials throughout this period from the internationally significant Tolpuddle Martyrs to Martha Brown, said to be the inspiration for Hardy’s Tess of the D’Ubervilles Particularly fascinating, are the stories of the ordinary Dorset men, women and children who found themselves in the dock during...
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Searching for surnames: challenges, pitfalls and the downright ridiculous

Searching for surnames: challenges, pitfalls and the downright ridiculous Speaker: Kirsty Gray Kirsty has been involved in the world of genealogy from a very early age She researched her maternal family history and soon found the fascinating surname of Sillifant in her paternal lineage which she enjoyed exploring Kirsty has continued from a rookie to a fully-fledged professional genealogist, business owner, heir tracer, TV/radio personality, Genealogy Show Director, and more...
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John Stockley: ‘Secret War Babes: finding a family’ How DNA changed his life’ and Annual Business Meeting beforehand

John Stockley from Weymouth was the star of a TV programme, 'Britain's Secret War Babies', about children whose fathers were African American GIs stationed here in WW11 Finally a DNA test has changed his life for ever This is the fascinating story of a mixed race man growing up in the 1950s and his life, until now in his 70s he finally gets to solve the...
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Member and Guest Blogs Welcome

We welcome guest and member blog posts on any topic with a family history connection and invite you to send your contributions, which should include photo/photos, to the editor Barbara Elsmore

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