Bramhall U3A - Family History Group 1

My groups are open both to beginners in Family History and to those who have already made some progress but need an update on the resources available, or help with a specific problem. At each meeting we start off round the table to discuss aims & tactics, then gather at the computer to hunt for information for everybody in turn. I make photocopies of any key Ancestry returns for each participant and encourage them to follow up leads on their own at home or in the library. Meetings are on at least two Wednesday afternoons each month from 2pm to 4pm. The dates are flexible and decided amongst ourselves so that every member can get to one meeting per month. To ensure there are no more than six participants at a time I hold extra meetings if necessary.

We continue to have 10 members enrolled but several have had health problems this year and have had to miss some meetings. We have continued to explore numerous online sources for family records, gravestones, military history and newspaper reports. The Northern Ireland group have made progress using the specific websites that are relevant. Those who have ventured to have DNA analysis were intrigued by the results. Not only a country of origin but even a precise region might be identified, eg Caithness in the far north of Scotland. The connections with new relatives are very rewarding and can help to add fresh information to family trees. For the first time seven of us visited the Stockport Central Library Heritage department to hear about the maps, records and literature available there, with helpful staff on hand to give assistance - especially when using the microfilm readers to search parish registers. New recruits are always welcome to join us.

This document last modified Saturday September 11, 2021
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Summary	Family History 1
Venue	Activity held at the co-ordinators house, Wednesday afternoons 2-4pm
Contact	Mary Hambleton - Telephone details are in the paper copy of the newsletter
Email	groups@bramhallu3a.org.uk with 'U3A Family History 1 Enquiry' as the subject