Please be advised that the AGM & GM will be held on Saturday 21st March 2015 at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (Portsmouth), HM Naval Base (PP66), Portsmouth, PO1 3NH

The meeting will commence at 1.30pm promptly. Attendees will have free entry to the Museum and four galleries from 10.00am. There will be an opportunity to purchase at a special discounted rate of £12.50 (usually £26.00) a ticket which will give entry to other attractions on site. Further detailsregarding the pre booking of these tickets will be circulated nearer the time. If you or your society representative plan to spend an additional day in Portsmouth you may like to consider this. 

The Royal Marine Hotel which is located close to the site offers competitive rates.

Thank You
 
Philippa McCray
Administrator
Federation of Family History Societies
PO Box 8857
Lutterworth
LE17 9BJ

Email:[email protected]
Tel: 01455 203133
www.ffhs.org.uk

From Steve Benson  

Dear All,

There is a petition on line to make historic BMD registers available. The organiser Guy Etchells is asking us to seek support from our membership.

Have a look at the petition and see what you think.

It needs a lot more signatures if it is going to succeed - only 5729 have signed up as at today. It needs at least 100,000 before 25/03/15 to cause any Parliamentary action.
Would you like to help ?
Steve Benson

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/62779


Petition to open historic registers

Responsible department: Home Office

We ask that historic birth marriage & death registers be open to public inspection at county record offices or the National Archives

Until 1973 registers of BMD held at superintendent registrar’s offices were open to public inspection 
Today’s technology available allows the registers to be digitized and made available as facsimile copies protecting the original from damage

Commercial concerns are willing to scan the registers and make them available online under licence at no cost to the public purse 

A new accurate index of BMDs could be compiled by volunteers thereby complying with the 1836 legislation for the first time in 177 years.

The benefits include taking pressure off Superintendent Registrars and the GRO enabling them to concentrate on the core task of recording & administering current registrations. 

Revenue would be created for the County Record Offices or the National Archives swelling the government coffers. All at no cost to the taxpayer or government.

Number of signatures:
5,729

Created by: Guy Etchells
Closing: 25/03/2015 09:15

Life on the Home Front in North West England

In this unique DVD to mark the centenary of the First World War, the North West Film Archive opens its vaults to share compelling footage of life on the home front in North West England.

From industrial toil in the years leading up to the outbreak of war, to key events during the hostilities - join BAFTA nominated actor Maxine Peake on this fascinating journey into the past. 

Drawing on rare archive footage we feature amongst others, the Accrington Pals, the Lancashire Fusiliers and the Cheshire Regiment as they prepare for active service on the Western Front.

We discover the early days of aviation, and German Prisoners of War being marched through the streets of Lancashire. From troop inspections in Preston and Blackpool, to the subsequent victory parades in Whalley and Haslingden and the unveiling of war memorials from Egremont to Altrincham.

Presenting evocative footage filmed across the North West a century ago - don’t miss this special opportunity to experience how we lived our lives during one of the darkest periods of our history.
65 minutes, with subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Available at the MLFHS Family History Online Bookshop -  http://tinyurl.com/WW1DVD

Cost - £10

England’s Ordnance Survey began in 1791 in an effort to produce detailed maps of areas in southern England for military uses. Though it took the better part of a century, the Survey eventually mapped the entire country, and the maps were published between 1805 and 1874.

In the meantime, the rapid expansion of railroads and urbanization had changed the face of the country, and maps were being put to greater civilian uses. New surveys led to new maps, including the Revised New Series Map, which took advantage of new printing techniques and colour. 

You can search for places or browse these maps here:http://ancstry.me/1ghuUPB

Getting to grips with World War 1

Where: Lancashire Infantry Museum 
When: Saturday 21st June 
10am – 4pm 

What part did your ancestors play in the First World War? 
How did the war affect your community? 
How has the war been remembered? 
Would you like to know more about family medals or souvenirs from the war? 
Don’t know where to begin? 

Whether you are a seasoned campaigner or a new recruit, this event is designed to help you to find out more about the war and how it affected your family and community. Experts from Preston’s museums, archives and historical societies will be on hand to show you how you can use their resources to understand the war and its effects. Guides to family history and local sources can help you get started on researching the war or advise on more detailed study. A representative from the Heritage Lottery Fund will talk about how to access funding for WW1-related community projects. If you have any items dating from WW1 and would like to know more, bring them along for some guidance (not valuations). 

Organisations represented include: Lancashire Infantry Museum, Lancashire Community History Team, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Lancashire Archives, UCLan, Preston Historical Society, Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society, Preston Remembers, Museum of Lancashire. 

Manchester Library Rebirth
 
Visitors to the newly refurbished Manchester Central Library at St Peters Square, M2 5DP are greeted with state-of-the-art facilities in a totally transformed environment.
 
The library building was first opened in 1934 and presents an imposing classical façade. A four-year, £50 million renovation and extension scheme was completed in March. This has resulted in a complex that caters for all ages and makes far more efficient use of space. Whereas 70% of the old library was off-limits to the public, that figure in now reversed so that 70% is open for public use.
 
The extensive range of materials that you can consult include many to grasp the attention of family historians. A guide to the family history resources awaiting you includes advice on where to start and links to other relevant sites, as well as details of the types of information that can be accessed within the library itself.
 
Open six days a week, the new facilities are doing much to attract a new generation of library users. Readers familiar with the previous arrangements are astonished at the scale of the improvements made.
 
If you live in the Manchester area or your family came from there, why not go along and see for yourself?

Website :- http://www.manchester.gov.uk/centrallibrary

An introduction to Title Deeds with Dr Alan Crosby 
 
 The Friends of Lancashire Archives are organizing a workshop ‘An Introduction to Title Deeds’ with Dr Alan Crosby on 4 August at Lancashire Archives. 
 
Dr Crosby will give an insight into this complex area providing background information on the legal terminology surrounding title deeds before analysing real examples from the archives. This is an ideal opportunity for both local and family historians who wish to further their research skills. 

Programme 
1.00 – 2.15 To have and to hold: an extremely rapid introduction 
 to the arcane mysteries of English land law 1150-1750 
2.15 – 2.45 Tea and coffee 
2.45 – 4.00 Practical examples and workshop session: looking at the documents 
 Fee: Friends of Lancashire Archives Members £10 Non-members £10.50 
========================================================

Library of the Society of Friends - Online Quaker Records

http://www.quaker.org.uk/search-catalogue

What’s included in the catalogue?Archive collectionThe online catalogue currently holds:

• archives of Britain Yearly Meeting committees, although those of Friends Service Council and Friends Emergency and War Victims Relief Committee await completion
• archives of the former London and Middlesex General Meeting and its constituent monthly and local meetings
• archives of some Quaker organisations that are not part of Britain Yearly Meeting, for example, Friends Ambulance Unit and Friends Temperance and Moral Welfare Union
• over 1,000 manuscript collections and personal papers of Quakers and Quaker families, such as the diaries of Elizabeth Fry