Root and Branch June 2014

The contents of the June 2014 issue are:

Regular Features

• West Surrey Family History Society Information/Root and Branch: Information about membership categories and guidelines for submitting articles to Root and Branch.
• Editorial: Sheila Brown highlights the 40th anniversary of our Society and looks forward to the celebration event on 20th September at Guildford.
• From the Secretary: Ann Sargeant asks members to contribute to the Society’s future direction by answering a survey. She notes that as part of the 40th anniversary activities, Anne Ross will be collecting contributions of 1974 family history memories from any location. Also reported is the campaign to open historic BMD registers and the prospect of an England and Wales online census in 2021.
• Members' Interests: Should any of the following names appear on your family tree, you may wish to check the list in Root and Branch for complete contact information: ABBERLEY, ADAMSON, ANCHOR, BEGRIE, BOUSHER, CONIE, DICKS, DONALDSON, GADDIS, GOATLEY, GOODMAN, HARRIS, HAYMAN, HILL, HOPKINS, HOWIE, JAMES, JENNINGS, MARTI/EN, MARTIN, MCSPEDDAN, PENDRY, PREEECE, PURNELL, REES, ROBERTS, ROSE, SIMS, SPIKESMAN, SUTTON, WILLIAMS.
• Help for Members: A member offers help with early Wiltshire parish records and holds a number of birth, marriage and death certificates.
• Computer Corner: Jeanne Bunting reviews her volunteer experiences at WDYTYA and comments on the growing popularity of DNA tests. She also reminds members not to fall for scammers who call reporting a virus and request a credit card number and personal information from you.
• News from the Centres: What's on at Camberley, Farnham, Guildford, Walton-On-Thames and Woking, as well as news from the Computer Group, plus a recap of recent meetings.
• Future Meetings at the Society: Upcoming meetings of West Surrey Family History Society from June through September.
• News from Surrey Heritage: Julian Pooley announced the Richmond Poor Relief records are now searchable free. New accessions include: St. James’ Church, Shere; Trinity Methodist Church, Woking; St. Andrew’s Reformed Church, Woking; St. Paul’s, Woking; St. Bartholomew, Horley; St. Michael and All Angels, Pirbright; St. John the Evangelist Church, Merrow; King George V Sanatorium, Godalming; St. Catherine’s School, Bramley; East Surrey Regiment and Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment; Private Maurice MATCHAM; Sergeant Albert Edwin RICE; A/RQMS Herbert William BOWEN; and St. John’s School, Woking.
• Diary of Events around the UK: News regarding museums, family history fairs and associated events that will interest both new and experienced genealogists.
• Mailbox: A member asks for a look up at The National Archives, Kew, while Epsom College requests help with names of pupils who served in the Great War.
• New Publications through the WSFHS Bookstall include: CD 40 – A Second Collection of London and Middlesex Baptisms

Articles

• The Society’s flagship Family History Fair and Open Day is seeking helpers for the Saturday, 1st November at Woking Leisure Centre.
• The Monumental Inscriptions database continues to expand with the latest additions: All Saints Wandsworth; Morden Road Congregational Church, Morden; Lower Morden Congregational Church; West Norwood Cemetery; All Saints, Carshalton; St. Giles, Ashtead; St. Bartholomew, Burstow; St. Mary, Horne; St. John, Wotton; St. Michael, Bedworth; St. Bartholomew, Leigh; and St. Mary, Buckland.
• Sue HARVEY shares her discoveries about her grandfather, Walter George KEMP.
• Dominic HARPER recalls learning to drive in 1956/57.
• While turning out her elderly mother’s garage, Christine BUTLER’s remarkable find is a cot quilt (possibly) made by the Queen in 1945.
• Pauline TAYLOR penned My Ancestor Was Witness to the Great Fire in Tooley Street, London, in 1861.
• Sheila BROWN provides a historical overview of cremation.
• Cliff WEBB lists Ockham Wills in PCC – 1814-1856 of: Stephen GAVILL, John WOOLGER, Edward CAPON, Richard COBB, Isabella THOMPSON, Richard BONE, Peter KING, Abraham FENN, Elizabeth PETO, John STONARD, Henry PAGE, Sarah GARMENT, Richard ARTHUR, Mary WATERER, Susanna READSHAW, John GAVILL, Samuel ORFORD, Margaret BURGOYNE and John OTTOWAY.
• Jan SIMMONDS shares research on Maurice Martin MATCHAM 1895 to 1918.
• Bob BROCK shares information on Chertsey in the Twenties, including a list of businesses.