West Middlesex FHS Journal, Volume 37 (2019)

This page provides a summary of the articles which appeared in all four journals of 2019. You may select an article and go straight to the right page in the journal, or use the links below to browse the journal from its cover.

Ramblings of an Editor - The DNA Question
Ann Greene briefly reviews the value of DNA testing for family history research.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 7 (March 2019)

Can DNA Tests Help You? - FFHS
This is a reprint of a well-researched article by the Federation of Family History Societies on the value, or otherwise, of DNA testing for researching into family history.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 8-11 (March 2019)

Monthly Talks - Roland Bostock, Ann Greene and John Seaman
Notes on the talks given at three recent meetings: Susan Moore on Chancery Proceedings (October); Impromptu meeting when speaker was unable to get to the meeting (November); Christmas celebrations (December); Ann Greene on Hounslow's Special Constables in WWI (January).
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 13-19 (March 2019)

The Police Strikes of 1918 and 1919 - Ann Greene
Ann provides a summary of the Police Strikes of 1918 and 1919. In 1918 the Government acceded to the strikers requests and police pay was increased. In 1919 the strikers were sacked from their jobs.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 19-20 (March 2019)

My Grandfather's Armorial Bearings - Roland Bostock
Roland shows off the Armorial Bearings of his grandfather, as granted by the College of Arms, and gives a proper description of the various elements to the Armorial Bearings.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 21-23 (March 2019)

The Burial of Benjamin and Catto Blake in Shepperton - John Seaman
This a reprint of John's article by the same name from 2008. It is about the burials of two slaves from the West Indies and how they may have come to be buried in Shepperton.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 26-28 (March 2019)

Secret Lives Conference - Carole Steers
Carole gives an insight into the talks and goings on at this well attended conference, hosted by AGRA, the Society of Genealogists, the Guild of One-Name Studies, and The Halsted Trust.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 29-30 (March 2019)

One Name Studies
The Liddiard Family History Society invite anyone with a connection to the family to attend their second family gathering in April 2019.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 34 (March 2019)

Recent Website Updates - Roland Bostock
Roland describes recent additions to the website, in particular what can now be discovered from the Parish Information page.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(1) 37-38 (March 2019)

Annual General Meeting
Minutes, including the accounts, of the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Society held on March 21st at St. John's Centre, St. John's Road, Isleworth.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 6-14 (June 2019)

Monthly Talks - Roland Bostock, Muriel Sprott
Notes on the talks given at two recent meetings: Alan Rice on Cemeteries Management and Disposal of the Dead; a personal experience (February); Mark Pardoe on The History and Architecture of London's Underground Stations, The First 150 Years [Part 1] (March).
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 15-19 (March 2019)

Woollards in the Middlesex County Times - Paul Douch
Paul noticed that Find My Past had just announced their digitising of the Middlesex County Times from 1866 to 1936, and he started a thorough investigation into the recorded activities of the Woollard Family (his mother's maiden name), with interesting results.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 20-23 (June 2019)

West London Local History Conference 2019 - Yvonne Masson
The article includes writeups of five talks and a Readings session. Two Richmond Theatres: their Roles in the Social Life of the Town by Paul Velluet; Musical Life in Georgian Brentford and Chiswick by Val Bott; Music Halls bring Variety and Fun to South West London by Neil Robson; a session on Readings; The Lido. West Ealing: a Journey through Cinema History 1913-2005 by David Shailes; and The National Jazz and Blues Festivals in Richmond in the 1960s by Alan Sherriff.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 25-30 (June 2019)

Linking Newspaper Reports and Parish Registers - John Seaman
John checks out the Parish Registers of Shepperton for three deaths occuring in Shepperton, but reported in newspapers from elsewhere.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 31 (June 2019)

Ancestors in Isleworth - Pat Candler
Having transcribed more than 10,000 baptisms at Isleworth, from the typed records made many years ago by Mavis Sibley, Pat shares what the process was like for her.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 32-33 (June 2019)

Recent Website Updates - Roland Bostock
Roland describes recent additions to the website, with particular mention of the DNA Testing page, and the new Newspapers page, which are both under the Research Tab.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 34 (June 2019)

Bookshelf
A review of The Boy from Soapsud Island by H. C. Faulkner.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(2) 35 (June 2019)

Robert Cole (1862-1940) Strange behaviour for a Good Samaritan - Margaret Watson
Margaret tells of the charitable life of her ancestor Robert Cole junior, which then included an act of a decidedly uncharitable nature in his later years.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 6-8 (September 2019)

Monthly Talks - John Seaman, Ann Greene, Roland Bostock
Notes on the talks given at three recent meetings: Judy Hill on The Poor and Sickness in the Early 19th Century (April); James Marshall on The Great West Road and the Brentford Golden Mile (May); James Turner on The Hampton Wick Accident 1888 (June).
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 9-16 (September 2019)

My DNA Story - Valerie Boddy
Valerie gives some very useful feedback after taking two DNA tests, one with MyHeritage, the other with Ancestry.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 17 (September 2019)

In our spare time we still ..... - Muriel Sprott
Muriel gives a personal account of two new venues where the Society recently exhibitied: Richmond May Fair, where we were set up in a mini-marque; and 'How we used to live' which was a day of talks held at the Surrey History Centre, Woking.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 18-20 (September 2019)

The Great Diary Project
The editor provides information on The Great Diary Project, a collection of 9,000 unpublished diaries held at Bishopsgate Institute Reading Rooms, London.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 21 (September 2019)

The Memorial Inscriptions of St. Mary's with St Alban, Teddington - Roland Bostock
Roland gives an account of his recent survey of the gravestones at St. Mary with St. Alban, Teddington. The account includes some history on the two churches, detail of previous memorial surveys at the church, and some of the notable inscriptions that he and Yvonne Masson found.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 22-26 (September 2019)

Empress Place - Ann Greene
Ann's curiosity was roused when she found herself walking down a street called Empress Place in south west London, and finding one side of the street was simply a large wall with mostly space behind. This is her account finding out much much more more about Empress Place and its residents.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 27-30 (September 2019)

West Middlesex Family History News
An email received from member Timothy Warner on the good works of his great grandmother Constance Baker, who became known as the 'Mother of the Wounded in Fulham'.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(3) 35 (September 2019)

A copy of the Society's Privacy Policy on data that we hold on our members.
This is to demonstrate our compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation Act of 2018.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 6-7 (December 2019)

Monthly Talks - John Seaman, Muriel Sprott, Roland Bostock
Notes on the talks given at three recent meetings: John Clarke on The History of Brookwood Cemetery (August); John Symons on DNA: The Story Continues (September); Marke Pardoe on The History and Architecture of Underground Stations Part 2 (October).
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 9-16 (December 2019)

Recent Website Updates - Roland Bostock
Roland outlines recent additions to the website, including the new OurOwnYouTube page, the addition of photographs of memorials at three churches, and a new page on Professional Research.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 17-18 (December 2019)

One Man and His Dog - Pat Candler
Pat tells of her uncle's obtaining of a dog licence in Northern Ireland.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 18 (December 2019)

Leslie's Stone - Bridget Purr
Bridget tells a twisty tale which starts with the discovery of a stone commemorating Leslie who died in action in France in 1916, who turns out to be her uncle Leslie Tyers, and which stone she now owns, and is moved to Newark Municipal Cemetery.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 20-24 (December 2019)

A Ray of Light ..... - Pat Candler
Pat shares part of her story researching her own ancestry. Pat has taken courses and listened to talks on DNA testing, and has taken an autosomal DNA test with interesting results.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 25-28 (December 2019)

Sunbury Snippets - John Seaman
John unearths two short stories from his delving into the archives at Sunbury library.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 29 (December 2019)

Isleworth 390 - the book
A brief review of the recent publication titled The Isleworth 390, referring to the 390 names engraved on the war memorial at Hounslow.
West Middlesex FHS Journal 37(4) 34 (December 2019)




Society news

Notice Board

The Notice Board was last updated on 29th March 2024.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is on Thursday 19th December 2024. This will be a hybrid Zoom meeting, we are the speakers. Members will talk briefly about some family history photo that is of interest. Refreshments and possibly a raffle are also planned.

Next Fair

Our next family history fair is the East Surrey Virtual Family History Fair on Saturday 25th January.


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9-Nov-2024

Committee minutes for September 2024 now added to Members Area.

4-Nov-2024

Thanks to Lesley Kinch, all journals are now fully digitised. Enjoy.

19-Oct-2024

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