Woking Centre
Trinity Church, Brewery Road, Woking, GU21 4LH
For map click hereCo-ordinator Chris Leech
Email: woking@wsfhs.orgSecond Thursday in month
Generally the doors will open at 7.45pm and the meeting will start at 8.00pm.
2022
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 11 Aug | No Meeting | ||
| Thu | 8 Sep | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | The Book that changed my Life | Julian Pooley |
| Thu | 13 Oct | No Meeting | ||
| Sat | 5 Nov | 3.00 pm for 3.30 pm | My ancestor was a liar: ignorance, half-truths or wilful deceit? | AGM - Dave Annal |
| Thu | 10 Nov | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | What I've found in the 1921 Census | Informal Meeting |
| Thu | 8 Dec | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | Woking at Work | David Rose |
2023
| Date | Time | Title | Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 12 Jan | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | 'To the Manor Born'. An introduction to Manorial Records for family historians. | Jane Lewis |
| Thu | 9 Feb | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | Beggars, Rogues and Vagabonds | Cheryl Butler |
| Thu | 9 Mar | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | Getting the best from the FindMyPast website. | John Hanson |
| Thu | 13 Apr | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | How do I do it? | Informal Meeting |
| Thu | 11 May | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | Institutions in the Censuses | Kathy Chater |
| Thu | 8 Jun | 7.50 pm for 8.20 pm | 'The Girl behind the Man behind the Gun'. (QMAAC 1917-1921) | Viv Bennett |
| Thu | 13 Jul | No Meeting | ||
| Thu | 10 Aug | No Meeting | ||
Forthcoming Meetings
August 11 2022
No MeetingSeptember 8
Julian Pooley - The Book that changed my LifeThis talk tells the story of how the purchase of an anonymous pocket diary in a London bookshop led Julian Pooley to discover extensive and previously unknown archives of John Nichols (1745-1826). Nichols was one of Georgian London's most prominent printers and a leading antiquary whose History and Antiquities of the Town and County of Leicester 4 vols (1795-1815) transformed the way that English local history was written and illustrated. For three generations he and his family edited and printed the Gentleman's Magazine. The vast archive of family and business papers which he and his successors accumulated inspired his granddaughter to form her own collection of autograph letters, augmented by exchange with other collectors and by purchases in the London and Paris salerooms.
October 13
No MeetingNovember 5
AGM - Dave Annal - My ancestor was a liar: ignorance, half-truths or wilful deceit?Sifting through the evidence to find the truth (or what passes for the truth in the world of genealogy) is a skill that all serious family historians need to develop. The information left by our ancestors is all-too-frequently misleading, inaccurate or just plain wrong! As we become more experienced we find that they had any number of reasons to be economical with the truth.
Of course, sometimes our ancestors simply didn't know the answer to the questions thrown at them by the clerks, registrars and enumerators. Using real examples, this talk will look at some of the reasons why our ancestors might have lied and offer suggestions on how to recognise their varying degrees of ignorance, half-truths and wilful deception.
November 10
Informal Meeting - What I've found in the 1921 CensusCome and tell us what you have discovered. Were people where you expected to find them - or not? Were there any unexpected people living with your ancestors? Have you uncovered any family secrets?
December 8
David Rose - Woking at WorkLocal historian and writer David Rose's illustrated talk, Woking at Work, begins with a look at local agriculture in days gone by and also its important garden nurserymen. Then on to more industrial firms such as the Woking Electric Supply Company, printers Unwins, the Leitner Accumulator Supply Company, aircraft and motorcycle manufacturer Martinsyde Ltd, and the more well-known Sorbo Rubber Co, GQ Parachutes and James Walker & Co. In addition there is a look at shops, railway workers and the construction work of Woking in more modern times right up to the latest high-rise buildings
January 12 2023
Jane Lewis - 'To the Manor Born'. An introduction to Manorial Records for family historians.This talk introduces us to the manorial system, how that system worked, the documents it generated and how these records can be used by the local and family historian. It also touches on other records relating to land transfers and how they can augment our family history reseach. Jane plans to give us family historians the confidence to explore these records more fully
February 9
Cheryl Butler - Beggars, Rogues and VagabondsAs Henry VIII put it, the rich should not help those who ‘live by the graft of begging slothfully’. Beggars could be whipped, vagabonds have their heads shaved and vagrants be put in the stocks. Official beggars were given a badge and a bag in which to collect alms. In this talk we meet the itinerant poor, the disreputable poor, the sick and ailing poor and the deserving poor.
March 9
John Hanson - Getting the best from the FindMyPast website.This will be a 'hybrid' meeting. We will be meeting in person but John will be giving his talk via Zoom.
April 13
Informal Meeting - How do I do it?An opportunity to learn from each other.
May 11
Kathy Chater - Institutions in the CensusesAn ancestor may seem to disappear between censuses. There are a number of reasons for this and one of the most common is that the individual was in some kind of institution on the relevant night. Discover possibilities - and get other tips for searching the censuses.
June 8
Viv Bennett - 'The Girl behind the Man behind the Gun'. (QMAAC 1917-1921)The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) from 9 April 1918, was the women's corps of the British Army during and immediately after the First World War.