Root & Branch December 2008

The contents of the December 2008 issue are:

Regular Features

• West Surrey Family History Society Information: Full details about membership categories and guidelines for submitting articles to Root and Branch .
• Editorial: Sheila Brown extends Christmas wishes and expresses gratitude to regular contributors.
• Chairman's Letter: Sue Turner explains how Family History Societies such as West Surrey help beginners, as well as more experienced researchers.
• From the Secretary: Ann Sargeant reports that West Surrey Family History Society volunteers are transcribing the births, marriages and deaths from an additional 47 churches and have donated the films to the Surrey History Centre.
• Diary of Events around the UK: With so many opportunities to visit family history events, you'll want to review these dates and make plans to attend.
• Members' Interests: If you have any of the following names in your family tree, you will want to further check the Root and Branch list for whom to contact for more information: ANDERSON, ATTWOOD, AUST, BAILEY, BLAY, BLIGHTON, BLYTON, BURCH, BURTENSHAW, BUTCHER, CHATT, COWDRE, COWDREY, DAVEY, DAVY, DENYER, DICKASON, DUCKETT, DYATT, DYSON, ELLIS, ELSLEY, ETHERTON, FAULKNER, FURLONG, GODDARD, HACKMAN, HALL, HANCOCK, HART, HEATHER, HENDY, HOLBOURN, HOLLE, HOWARD, HUNTINGFORD, KERSHAW, KING, LLOYD, LONGHURST, MORELL, NASH, OSBO, PAGE, PEARCE, PEMBERTHY, RICHARDSON, ROLLETT, SEARLE, SMITH, SNOOK, SREADBOROUGH, STEVENS, TAYLOR, TURPIN, UPJOHN, VINCE, WAY, WHITTINGTON, WIGG, WORSEFOLD, YOUNG
• Letters: Readers comment on interesting topics such as the Andrew WINDSOR Almshouse Charity, another memory about family history society legend Don Steel and a tip on using a British Columbia, Canada, website for research.
• Aid & Assistance: Helpful members of West Surrey Family History Society are ready and willing to share records for the surnames PAGE, SHARPLES, HOLLEBONE and DENYER.
• Help Wanted: Can you provide clues to help researchers with information about Victorian water colour artist W.H. JONES or Charles MAW, and whether a wedding photo is of Ada Elizabeth BRIDGER and Arthur Edward MESSENGER or Harry James BRIDGER and Rose Hanna Helen BERRYMAN?
• Computer Corner: Jeanne Bunting checks the census for actual names to grace her version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and offers insight into other successful census searches.
• News from the Centres: What's on at Camberley, Farnham, Guildford, Walton-On-Thames and Woking.
• Future Meetings at the Society: Choose from 20 upcoming meetings of West Surrey Family History Society from December through March.
• News from Surrey Heritage: Julian Pooley credits media interest in such diverse topics as typhoid and baseball for an increase in the number and kinds of inquiries that Surrey History Centre continues to receive.

Articles

• Decembers of Yesteryear: Ann Sargeant provides entertaining observations on 18 different Christmases between 1655 and 1981.
• Open Day 2008: Approximately 1,000 people turned out at the November Open Day. Find out what attracted them and why you should attend in 2009.
• Thomas Davison's Accounts Book: The second installment of this traveling salesman who lived at Ripley, Surrey lists the names and places he visited between 1757 and 1764.
• Paths Less Trodden: Bob Brock looks at a fascinating and sometimes overlooked family history resource - street directories.
• Where There's a Will: Geoff Clarke reviews the fascinating will of George Wallington MALINS who recorded his bequests before his death in 1822.
• Family Photographic Index: A new website contains thousands of peoples photos from the 1850's to 1930's.
• The Story of the Family Photographic Index: Anne Matanie offers advice on finding photos in a collection of over 6,000 images that she has helped to create.
• A History of Chobham by Robert Schueller: June Spong looks back at a 1989 book that is now out of print.
• Chobham Burial Book: Nova Atkinson reports that Chobham Museum has been given the funeral book of A.J. Coleman and Son covering the years 1916-1973. She also writes about Chobham carpenter William BAIGENT, 1790-1859.
• Young Surrey Prisoners: According to Dominic Harper, in 1873 a total of 25 children from Surrey were prisoners at Wandsworth Prison. Those researching the following surnames, will be especially fascinated with the “crimes” of youngsters named: ANSCOMBE, BOWERS, BUTTON, CASSEY, CHARMAN, DAVAIE, ELKINS, GODFREY, HALL, HEMPSON, HENDERSON (alias ANDERSON), HUNT, JEFFREYS, LEDGER, MORRIS, PAGE, RYAN, SAVAGE, SHEA, STILL, SUMMERLEY, THOMPSON, WARNER, WESTON, WHITE
• Charles Henri WYS MELHAM: Lyn Andrews takes readers through the challenges of finding her ancestors, one of whom, according to family lore, may have been a "lady of the night." Other pertinent family surnames are: CONDUCT, BUSHELL and GARIN.