It’s Trafalgar Day Posted 21 October 2015 by Paul HowesOn October 21, 1805, just off Cape Trafalgar in South Western Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Lord Horatio NELSON defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain, sinking 22 ships for the loss of none. It was a seminal event in naval history and is celebrated by the Royal Navy to this day. Among other places there is an annual ceremony in Portsmouth aboard HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship, which is the oldest still-commissioned naval ship in the world. See picture left, courtesy of the Royal Navy. Before the battle, Nelson flew one of the most famous naval flag signals of all time: “England expects that every man will do his duty”, and they did! The British National Archives have a website featuring the names of those who served on the British fleet that day, here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors/. Nelson, who had previously lost both an arm and an eye in other battles, was shot by a French marksman and died later that day. Already a nationally-known hero (thanks, some would say, to a strong sense of self-promotion!) his body was preserved in a barrel of brandy and carried back to England. Rumour has it that sailors drank the brandy on the way home but the truth is not known. Anyway, the desire to honour the dead Admiral lead to the construction of many memorials, the most famous of which is Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square in London, though there are others in Montréal in Canada, Bridgetown in Barbados; Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, Nelson’s native county, and elsewhere. The surname Nelson is a name under study with the Guild, registered by David Nelson of Florida, who started his study over three years ago. His focus so far has been building trees for interesting Nelsons, for example, the Country music star, Willie Nelson. David relates that he has 150 trees on Ancestry.com in the hope that he will be able to join them up as he works back, but has had little luck so far! Do you have Nelsons or Neilsons in your study? You can contact David by clicking this link. This may be the start of an occasional series. If you are a Guild member reading this, does your study have a special day for remembering your name, like Trafalgar Day? Would you like us to publicize your study on that day? If so, send us an email by clicking this link.
2016 Conference Posted 28 September 2015 by Julie GoucherOne-Name Studies – Home and Away Hilton Metropole Hotel National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham B40 1PP The weekend is almost upon us! For everything you need to know prior to the Conference please see the full Joining Instructions. Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd April 2016 This Conference features an international feel, with presentations on research in Europe, India and the Caribbean. There is a wealth of talent amongst our members and a number of them are lecturers of international renown; we have made good use of this pool of expertise. Provisional Main Programme Friday 1st April 2016 15:00 onwards Registration 16:00 DNA Discussion with Debbie Kennett 20:00 Quiz Saturday 2nd April 2016 07:30 – 09:00 Breakfast 09:00 Welcome and Opening of the Conference – Guild President followed by the Annual General Meeting 11:00 – 12:00 Up the Cut – Derek R Harris An amusing and informative look at the canals of England and Wales. This is a talk with a twist, don’t miss it. 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch 13:30 – 14:30 Researching Ancestors who lived in British India, 1600-1947 – Peter Bailey Many families had members who lived and worked in British India; come and learn how to find out more about them. 14:45 – 15:45 Twiling your One-Name Study – Paul Brooks from Twile A demonstration of this fast developing method of presenting your family history and an opportunity to consider how this might be adapted to one-name studies. 16:00 – 17:00 Tracing your One-Name in Europe – Julie Goucher Julie’s own ‘one-name’ has strong roots in Italy and she is author of Discovering your European Ancestors, so she is well placed to give us idea about how we can track down individuals on continental Europe. 19:00 Reception 19:30 Conference Dinner Sunday 3rd April 2016 07:45 – 09:30 Breakfast 08:45 – 09:15 Ecumenical Service 09:30 – 10:30 Tracking my One-Name all over the world: the Eastlake family – Kim Baldacchino A case study from Kim’s one-name study, with plenty of suggestions as to how your findings can be illustrated. 11:00 – 12:00 One-Name Studies Round the World – Panel Suggestions of key sources for one-namers in a variety of non-UK countries. With contributions from Peter Towey, Julie Goucher and others. 12:00 – 13:30 Lunch Regional Rep Meeting 13:30 – 14:30 British Surnames – A Legacy of British Slave-ownership – Bob Cumberbatch The origins of Caribbean surnames and how to trace your one-name in that part of the world. Migration to and from the Caribbean and the abolition of slavery. 15:00 – 16:00 Following One-Name Around the World: tracking emigrants & immigrants – Janet Few Examples of sources that can be used to track down those who leave UK for other parts of the English-speaking world and case studies illustrating what can be discovered. The Venue: The venue, the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, B40 1PP is centrally placed, being within 1 mile of Birmingham International train station and airport and offers a shuttle service from the train station. For those arriving by car, it is situated off the M42 and close to the M6, M1 and M5 motorways. If you can tear yourself away from the family history, there is a heated swimming pool, fitness centre and spa. The Added Extras: We hope that the proximity of our conference to Who Do You Think You Are? Live, both in terms of the calendar and geography, will make a journey to Birmingham doubly worthwhile next April. There will be an opportunity to visit places of historical interest on the three days between the conference and Who Do You Think You Are? Live. Amongst other places, we will be visiting The Black Country Museum. Their website describes this attraction: “The story of the Black Country is distinctive because of the scale, drama, intensity and multiplicity of the industrial might that was unleashed. It first emerged in the 1830s, creating the first industrial landscape anywhere in the world. It is this that we rejoice in and want to share with you. Our award-winning corner of the West Midlands is now one of the finest and largest open-air museums in the United Kingdom. After very humble beginnings, a bright idea and 40 years of inspiration, this is twenty six acres worth exploring. Amazing as it may seem, we have created a ‘place’ – a real and lively place, where once there was nothing and nobody. With a village and charismatic residents to chat with. Trams to ride. Games to play. Things being made. Stories to hear. People – their triumphs to admire and troubles to be thankful that are not ours. Time to be well spent.“ Other outings available between 4 and 6 April include a Guided Bus Tour of Historic Birmingham and a visit to Sarehole Mill. If interested, please reserve your place by 1 March using the following link: Book Additional Outings. Booking details for the Conference: To book on this Conference, you can use our online booking form¹ in any of three ways: Book online and pay online via PayPal or credit card; For Guild members, book online and pay by direct bank transfer through your bank, quoting the reference number given on the form (this is the method which represents the least cost to the Guild); Fill in the booking form online, then print it and send it through the post with your cheque. Alternatively, you can download our flyer booking form, which can be printed, filled-in, and posted, with a cheque to: Alan Moorhouse, Guild Conference Booking 2016, Whites, 8 Strachans Close, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 3EB. For further details, contact the conference organiser, or telephone the Guild HelpDesk on 0800 011 2182. ¹Please note, when booking on a conference either by post or online, the Guild’s “Distance Selling” terms and conditions.
Media Release: The Greatest Reign Posted 9 September 2015 by Clifford KemballOn the 9th September 2015, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth became the longest-serving monarch in British History, moving past the 63 years and 216 days of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s reign. The Guild of One-Name Studies wishes to congratulate the Queen on this remarkable milestone in her reign. Longest serving British monarchs The ten longest serving British monarchs are: 1. Queen Elizabeth II. 6th February 1952 to present. As at 9th September 2015 – 63 years, 7 months and 3 days2. Queen Victoria. 20th June 1837 to 22nd January 1901 -63 years, 7 months, 2days3. King George III. 25th October 1760 to 29th January 1820 – 59 years, 3 months, 2 days4. King Henry III. 18th October 1216 to 16th November 1272 – 59 years, 29 days5. King Edward III. 25th January 1327 to 21 June 1377 – 50 years, 4 months, 25 days6. Queen Elizabeth I. 17th November 1558 to 24th March 1603 – 44 years, 4 months, 5 days7. King Henry VI. 1st September 1422 to 3rd October 1470 – 39 years, 1 month, 18 days8. King Aethered II the Unready. 18th March 978 to 23rd April 1016 – 38 years, 1 month, 5 days9. King Henry VIII. 21st April 1509 to 28th January 1537 – 37 years, 9 months, 7 days10. King Henry I. 3rd August 1100 to 2nd December 1135 – 35 years, 3 month, 28 days The Guild of One-Name Studies is the world’s leading organisation for one-name studies and details of all its facilities can be found at: www.guild-dev.org/about-the-guild/membership-benefits -where you can find out: more about undertaking a One-Name Study the benefits of joining the Guild of One-Name Studies, and the assistance members of the Guild can provide to anyone researching their family history on any of the 8,800-plus names currently being researched. On the Guild’s website you can search whether any of the Guild members are researching your family surnames. For example, at present, the Windsor surname is not registered with Guild as a surname study, but occurrences of the surname Windsor are recorded in the following Guild Indexes: Guild Indexes Marriage Index 1837-1911 154 Probate Index 19 Scottish Index 1 World Wide Marriages Index 24 BMD Vault 42 Go to the Guild’s Website today and see whether any of your family surnames are being researched by Guild members – if any of them are being researched there is a very good chance that they will be able to assist with your family research. Cliff Kemball, the Guild’s Publicity Manager, said today: The Guild of One-Name Studies would like to congratulate Her Majesty The Queen on becoming the longest reigning monarch in British History, and say a heartfelt thank you for all she has done during her reign.
The Guild Comes to Boston – September 24 & 25, 2015 Posted 24 August 2015 by Julie GoucherWe are 28 days away from the first Guild USA Seminar, co-hosted with the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) at their facility in Boston, Massachusetts. Whether you are a Guild member, an NEHGS member, or a genealogist interested in learning more about one-name studies and researching at NEHGS – this two-day seminar is for you. This is a chance to meet our Guild Chairman Paul Howes (one of the featured speakers), other one-name enthusiasts, and learn more about New England and Maritimes’ research and records. If you are local, the NEHGS facility is located in the Back Bay neighborhood and convenient to public transportation. If you are not local, we have an excellent reduced room rate at the Hotel Indigo that expires today so don’t wait to make your hotel reservations. Please see our flyer with the full program and additional information, as well as the registration and participant information forms. We look forward to seeing you in Boston next month. Guild USA Seminar Flyer 2015 Boston Seminar Guild USA Seminar Registration Form Participant Information Form