X is for…….. Posted 27 April 2017 by Julie GoucherRecord from the Surrey History Centre – marriage of Samuel Harris (Holt) to Sarah Diggins 1787 Frensham Surrey England There is something very exciting about seeing a document that one of your ancestors saw, signed and perhaps touched. The image shown here on the left is of my several times Great Grandfather marrying in Frensham, Surrey England in 1787. What is interesting to me is that it shows Samuel marrying, using the maiden name of his mother, which was Harris. Samuel was illegitimate and was the subject of a Bastardy Bond as the parish tried to chase down his father to extract money for the child’s upkeep. Samuel’s mother was rather shrewd. She baptised Samuel with the father’s surname which was Holt. She also used the surname of Holt for the Bastardy Bond. His mother subsequently married another man, but Samuel retained the surname of his mother. Following the lines downwards until I reached the birth of my Great Grandmother, who had the surname of Harris purely by fate, it was my Great Grandmother, whose knee I sat on as a little girl and the moment I saw her name on a census return, herself as a little girl I was hooked on my family history. The moral of this post is to say we need to examine everything we read in documents, because sometimes, things are not as they appear……and the link to X…? Samuel signed his marriage record with X as he could not write. The surnames of Diggins, Harris and Holt are not registered with the Guild, but one of our members does have an interest in the surname of Harris. If you search the Guild website, using the search box on the top right for the surname of Harris you can contact the Guild member who is researching the surname.
The Guild and The College of Arms Posted 27 April 2017 by Julie GoucherBadge of the York Herald. Image courtesy of the College of Arms. The Guild of One-Name Studies has been mentioned in the College of Arms April newsletter. In the newsletter, which can be read here is the announcement from the College on the appointment of Peter O’Donoghue as the Patron of the Guild. The newsletter also goes on to say that Peter has been featured in a recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? USA and was at WDYTYA? Live earlier this month discussing the Danny Dyer episode.
W is for Wiki Posted 27 April 2017 by Peggy ChapmanWhat is the Guild wiki? It is a members benefit and members will need to be logged in to view the wiki pages. It represents the collective knowledge of many Guild members on topics ranging from surnames, to conducting a one-name study, to resources by country, to genealogy software, well, almost anything you can think of relevant to a one-name study. Before you ask a question, try searching the wiki first and you may get the answer you are seeking, or a link to an external resource. Certainly if you are new to a one-name study, you will see all the pillars of wisdom described and different ways of managing your study. Where do you find the wiki? It is the first topic under the Resources tab on the home page of the Guild website. The contents of the wiki are displayed in several ways, and you can choose a traditional Table of Contents or you can choose other ways to search, such as, alphabetically or most popular wiki pages. See the screenshot below for an examples. The website and wiki editors team have completed the migration from the older system and if you have not visited the wiki recently, now is the time to do so. Some sections have been revised, updated or if no longer relevant, may have been deleted or assigned to another area of the wiki. Do you have a topic that you are particularly interested in? For example, you have looked at the wiki content for mapping. Mapping is an area where new developments are occurring rapidly and if new content is added, you would like to know. At the very bottom of a wiki section, you will see “Notify me of changes”. Click on this and you should get notified if new content is added. Do you have information that doesn’t seem to be included on the wiki and is a source useful for one-namers? You can add content to the wiki, but first ensure it is not duplicate information, is not breaking copyright laws ( no cutting and pasting of others’ information) and familiarise yourself with how to edit, and the layout of the wiki. If in doubt, you can always email the Wiki Coordinator – the email contact is provided on the first page of the wiki.
V is for Volunteering Posted 26 April 2017 by Peggy ChapmanEverything that you see, or hear, or do, in the Guild of One-Name Studies is prepared, maintained or facilitated by an individual volunteer or a group of volunteers. It is how the Guild runs and a total of hours donated by these volunteers would be staggering. Just take a moment to think of how many volunteers have interacted with you during your membership: it began with processing your application to join and ensuring your details were posted to the register; your first of many contacts from a regional representative; the website that is developed, maintained and enhanced for ease of communication and sharing of information; forums, Facebook, Twitter; the assistance and information when you first set up a DNA project; an annual conference; seminars in your region; the new webinar strategy; the website project and the Family Search option; the setup of stands to promote and educate and those who staff the stands, and of course, the Committee that takes on the administration of the Guild. So many of you have given of your time over the years, and benefit from the experience and engagement that comes from participating in these roles. For the first time, I recently volunteered on the stand at WDYTYA in Birmingham. I was impressed by the knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication of the volunteers. This is a great way to keep connected as well as to share what you know and to learn from your colleagues. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. In every organisation, there are some volunteers who have to take on too much. If the work is shared, it makes everyone’s job easier to manage. Do you think that you have to be in the UK to volunteer? I am on a team where the members are from Australia, Ireland, Canada, USA, and the UK. Do you want to help but you’re not sure what you can do? The screenshot below shows where you can get some information on volunteering for specific roles. See the job descriptions and check out the Volunteer Opportunities. But also remember the many other activities that do not require an ongoing commitment: marriage challenges; event assistance; seminar organising; writing an article for the Journal; submitting information for the indexes. There will be an opportunity that meets yours interests and skills!