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The Greenwood Tree – September 2018

Posted on 26th August 2018

The September edition of The Greenwood Tree is a Special Edition focusing on World War One to mark the upcoming centenary of the Armistice It contains eight extra pages and will be mailed to members early in September The Editor, Paul Radford, previews this Special Edition, which SDFHS members can already download from the Members' Area of the Society’s website To mark the centenary of the Armistice, we invited members to tell their stories of the ancestors who went to war, the families... more

The Greenwood Tree – June 2018

Posted on 26th May 2018

Paul Radford, Editor of the SDFHS Journal, The Greenwood Tree, previews the contents of the June issue which is now being printed and will be posted to all members in early June SDFHS members can already download the electronic version from the Members' Area of the Society's website Migration from the West Country to the New World and the colonies is the main theme of the June edition of The Greenwood Tree, coinciding with the staging of what should be one of the most exciting family... more

The Dirdoe family of Gillingham, Dorset, and their capture by pirates

Posted on 23rd February 2016

Thomas Dirdoe who was born in 1588 in Gillingham, Dorset, was the 11th Great Grandfather of SDFHS member, Arnaud Aurejac-Davis, who tells the fascinating story of the capture of Thomas and his son by Barbary pirates The first Thomas Dirdoe (1588-aft1643) was baptized on 22 March 1588, at Gillingham, Dorset, the fourth son and child of Charles (described as a ‘gent’) and Joane Thomas must have been a boisterous young man since in July 1613, at the age of only 25, he was granted a pardon for... more

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