Canterbury Branch AGM
Chairman, David Wood, reported that Sandra Marvin (Publicity) and Audrey Quinn (Branch Librarian) were standing down from the Committee this evening after each having served 9 years. As they are on holiday a small presentation of thanks would be made at the May Meeting. Six exisisting members of the branch committee are standing again plus one new member. All were elected for the year 2019-20.
The Chairman thanked Joan Wood, Hon. Branch President for running the Tombola stall with the help of Shirley Dilnot, Gwen Empett for organising Refreshments with Marion Steiner and Ian Carter for the Help Desk. David thanked those who man the Help & Advice Sessions at the Cathedral Archives and said any other member willing to offer help would be most welcome to join the rota; please let the Secretary know. He then named each member of his committee reporting on the voluntary work they do on behalf of the branch and the Society. Finally, as Canterbury is the branch with the largest number of members attending meetings, he thanked members for turning out to meetings because without you there would be no branch.
Talk: Treasures of the Society of Genealogists
Sue Gibbons gave us a very detailed and informative talk on the many sources to be found at the Society of Genealogists (SoG), since its inception in 1911, which includes many resources which could take your family history back beyond the start of civil registration. The catalogue may be accessed on the Society of Genealogist's website.
During the talk, Sue gave us a quite a list of unique resources, which included copies of sale catalogues, deeds, rent rolls and letters. The Society also hold many records concerning occupations: teachers, railway workers, civil service documentation, soldiers, coastguards and customs and excise staff. Some records have come from The National Archives, in order to rationalise their holdings, and some are currently being re indexed by volunteers at the Society.
The documents are sometimes area specific, but dates can range from 1300 to 1800, as in the case of Chancery Proceedings, and include the following:
● The Charles Bernau Index: covering dates between 1350- 1800, this resource includes Chancery Proceedings.
● Coleman’s Catalogues:these are bound copies of sale catalogues 1839 - 1911. This has an index of almost 85,000 names and includes marriage settlements, rent rolls, wills, deeds and letters.
● The Great Card Index: 3 million cards containing data from the Norman Conquest to the Victorian era, includes records stretching across the British Empire. This is currently being re indexed.
● The Meryl Catty Heritage Index: contains nearly 20,000 records.
● A Topographical document collection: Boxes are divided by County, this includes deeds and Court Baron records and is currently being re-indexed.
● Special collections:Family history research by individual amateurs or professional researchers for clients. Includes research on descendants of the founder of a school, for example, or occupational resources and followers of a specific faith.
● Surname Document Collection: original documents and research notes - surnames indexed on the SoG site.
● Grants of Arms: letters patent issued by senior heralds.Genealogical and historical pedigrees.
● Training and occupational sources: includes records of the Civil Service, Teachers Registration, Apprentices of Great Britain 1710-1811 (images free on TNA website) these don’t include children apprenticed by a parish or charity.
● Original apprenticeship indentures 1641- 1888. School, College, University registers and histories, mainly boys grammar and public schools. Includes religious training colleges- some give later biographies and details of careers post schooling.
● British Civil Service: irreplaceable evidences of ages 1855 - 1939, includes events from 1752, covers postmen, prison warders. Indexed on Findmypast and on SoG website.
● Many records have been given to the SoG by the National Archives, these include records of births before civil registration, from abroad.
● Trinity House petitions: applications for charity by merchant seamen or their families 1780-1890, indexed on FMP and SoG.
● Index to members of the legal profession and records of soldiers from 1760 to 1913.
● Records of London and North East railway staff, and Coastguards and Customs and Excise staff.
● Some records of Emigrants and Immigrants including the British in India, the West Indies and some Polish Catholic Immigrants.
● The Library of the Jewish Genealogical Society is now housed in the Society of Genealogists.
● A collection of Berkshire Wills, Marriage Licenses for Norfolk and Suffolk, original books concerning local history, and a nationally important Collection of Directories.
Add to this list (which isn’t comprehensive), birth briefs which cover 96,000 surnames indexed on the SoG site, this is clearly a repository many of us need to be familiar with!
Report by Viv Carter