PW_1_2022

Article

If the highlight of your holiday was a visit to a cemetery, then you must be a Genealogist! Denis Hunt , Secretary of South Wales Branch & Family History Group Chair Within Section UK there lurks a group of members who can be found in the darkest hours of night, sitting at their laptop with a mug of Horlicks. T he activities of these folk take them deep into the past , with the click of a button or the scroll of a mouse, highlighting an ancient document on the screen before them. We are a collective known as So, my friends, if you are wondering how to start your family research, the simplest way is by talking to living family relatives, especially Granny. Take notes, or even better, use a recorder. Perhaps record your own life history,

and gather family documents that might otherwise be destroyed. Make contact with the IPA Section UK Family History Group, via our Secretary Andy Wright at andy.wright606@btinternet.com and he will advise regarding joining us.

Genealogists, or more commonly, Family Historians. In mid-2020, during an on-line Coffee Morning, the kernel of an idea was formed when someone mentioned the subject of family history research. “Ah Yes” suggested a member, “We’ll form a Special Interest Group”. “Nah” came the reply, “no one will be interested”. Well, within two weeks several members had responded to the suggestion of such a Group, leading to official recognition of Section UK’s Family History Group, with a current membership of 115 on our Facebook page. The severe restrictions placed upon society through the pandemic, resulted in people searching for interests that could occupy their time and minds. For many, Family History was a subject they had tinkered with over many years, without any real commitment. Suddenly they began to realise that they no longer needed to travel across the country to research old Parish records, much of it was now available through many commercial research sites on the internet. The ability to take yourself back into the actual pages of an historic Parish record, dating back many many centuries, and read the original entries relating to the baptism, marriage or burial of your ancestors is for many, an emotional journey. Our group was formed to assist anyone within Section UK who has such an interest. Our members range from the inexperienced, right through to those who have been researching for many years, with substantial family trees reaching back many generations. For those who are in the early stages of their research, the opportunity to draw on the knowledge of more experienced colleagues is always available, either on-line or through individual mentoring. This has been enhanced with our own Group Facebook site, where members can request assistance when they reach a brick wall with their research, and also find useful search links and tips. We hold a monthly on-line meeting with speakers, both from within the Group and from external sources. These have included presentations on Commonwealth War Graves, the introduction of vaccinations for epidemics, the use of DNA tests in Family Research, and many other subjects. We have a quarterly Newsletter, containing many and varied subjects relating to our interest. Articles range from new ideas on Family Research, to quirky items such as: “The term Leave Feet First came from the tradition that if the deceased was carried out of the home head-first, they might look back and call another family member to follow them into the afterlife, so they were always carried out feet first”.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 67 No.1, 2022