Family History Fair in Filton this weekend (Free entry)
September 6th, 2017
Bristol and Avon Family History Society: ‘OPEN THE DOOR ON YOUR FAMILY HISTORY HERITAGE’
Attention all family history enthusiasts and those thinking about starting on their research. On the occasion of the national Heritage Doors Open Weekend, the Bristol & Avon Family History Society will be holding its Family History Fair on this Saturday 9th September at British Aerospace Welfare Association (BAWA) Leisure Centre, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol BS34 7RG.
The day will be an opportunity for anyone who needs help or advice on family history matters to have face-to-face sessions with local experts and representatives of Bristol & Avon Family History Society [including the Sodbury Vale Group] and other societies including Devon, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset & Dorset, Weston-super-Mare & District, and Wiltshire. Over 30 exhibitors have signed up to attend.
Representatives from Bath Archives and the Somerset Heritage Centre will be on hand to give advice. A number of local history societies and museums will also be attending to allow visitors to gather more information on the work and living conditions that their ancestors may have experienced. New and second-hand books, postcards, maps, family history CDs, software and accessories will be available from a range of commercial exhibitors while Bristol & Avon FHS itself will have many of its own publications at reduced prices for the day.
There will be a free introductory talk on ‘Starting your F.H. Research’. This will be aimed at those who want to get started on researching their families. It will start at 10.45 a.m. and attendees will be given free informative handouts, magazines and other useful research and recording tools.
There will also be four other talks during the day on the subjects of:
‘Giving Your Research The WhoDoYouThinkYouAre? Experience’ by Sarah Williams, Editor of the magazine of the same name. This will be at 10.30 a.m.
‘The Know Your Place West of England Historic Mapping Project’ by Peter Insole, the lead officer of the original project which started in Bristol but which now covers historic Glos, Somerset and Wilts as well as Bristol and Bath. The talk will be tailored to how the mapping system can be used in family history research. This will be at 1.30 p.m.
‘Researching Adoption’ by Dr. Penny Walters, professional genealogist. This will be at 12.15 p.m. Penny outlines useful processes for this area of research from her own experiences.
and ‘Don’t Throw that out! The Delights of Ephemera’ by Dr. Jane Howells of the British Association for Local History. Jane discusses why you should not necessarily ‘throw things out when they may be of value in your research’. This will be at 2.15 p.m..
There will be a raffle for prizes which include subscriptions to commercial websites and publications, data CDs, books and storage materials.
Doors open at 10.00 a.m. and admission is FREE. This gives access to the fair and entrance to all talks. The Fair closes at 4.00 p.m. There is ample free parking and good public transport to the location. A range of refreshments will be available or you can bring your own. If you have an interest in, or a question about, your family’s history this is an event you cannot afford to miss. For more information, a full list of exhibitors and details of the talks please visit the B&A FHS website: www.bafhs.org.uk
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