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Family History

The Trent Rectory & the Deacon family of basket makers in Nether Compton

Posted on 10th February 2014

Barbara Elsmore was inspired to hunt out some family photographs after reading an article in the February Greenwood Tree I so enjoyed Mike Whitaker’s Spotlight on Trent in the latest edition of The Greenwood Tree and it sent me searching for a couple of photos that I remembered I had on my computer somewhere, and here they are These two photographs were taken in 1901 and they picture Mrs Tate and Barbara in the garden of the Rectory Mrs Tate was Michael Goodden’s great grandmother’s... more

Desperately Seeking Granny

Posted on 5th February 2014

The Society's Chairman, Ann-Marie Wilkinson, describes a family history help session at Burnham-on-Sea They say that you should try to do something new every day Well on Monday (3rd February), I was interviewed live on Radio Bristol and Somerset Sound This was at the National Libraries Day at Burnham-on-Sea where I was doing a “Desperately Seeking Granny” session I was supposed to be talking about Family History so I was a bit surprised when the first question I was asked was about... more

The Greenwood Tree February 2014

Posted on 25th January 2014

Bob Barber, Editor of the SDFHS Journal, The Greenwood Tree, gives a preview of the February 2014 issue Another year rolls by and we start the year with a small facelift for The Greenwood Tree, including a slight colour change and some new layouts for the yellow pages and inside covers We begin a new series of articles in the February 2014 edition Colin Dean, former editor and a regular contributor, will highlight some of the rare, sometimes unique, material held in the SDFHS Research Centre... more

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

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

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