West Sussex Libraries Family History Newsletter Winter 2018

West Sussex County Council. www.westsussex.gov.uk

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West Sussex Libraries Family History Newsletter

Winter 2018

Tree with multi-coloured leaves

Welcome to the last newsletter for 2018! This time, as well as our regular features - changes to Ancestry and findmypast, book reviews and forthcoming events - we have features on a couple of helpful websites: the National Library of Scotland and the National Maritime Museum.

Here's hoping you all have a great Christmas and make lots of fascinating family discoveries! 

Table of Contents

  • What’s new in Ancestry and findmypast
  • New books on Family History
  • Family History events in 2019
  • Featured website: National Library of Scotland
  • Featured website: National Maritime Museum

Ancestry Find My Past

What's new in Ancestry and findmypast

Ancestry

  • Cambridgeshire - Juror Books 1823-1883 (those qualified to serve as a juror in the county of Cambridgeshire), Electoral Registers, Burgess Rolls and Poll Books 1722-1966
  • Aberdeenshire - Electoral Registers 1832-1976
  • New Zealand, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920 - This database contains New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel files for all known New Zealanders who served in the First World War.

findmypast

  • 1939 Register update - Over 37,000 additional 'open' records have been added to the 1939 Register
  • Royal Air Force Lists 1919-1945 - Search the Royal Air Force Lists from 1919-1922 and 1938-1945. The lists contain over 62,000 names and include the women's branches of the military including the WRENs, WAAF and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service.

Free access to these and other online resources is available on any library computer if you are a library member.


Our uninivited guests

New books on Family History

Our uninvited guests, the secret lives of Britain's country houses 1939-1945 (2018) Julie Summers

'Our Uninvited Guests' perfectly captures the period of the Blitz during the Second World War when thousands of families were faced with the heart-wrenching decision to leave all they knew behind, in order to forge a new life where Hitler's Luftwaffe could not reach them.

Ordinary heroes

Ordinary heroes, the story of civilian volunteers in the First World War (2018) Sally White

This work focuses on the staggering achievements of hundreds of thousands of civilian volunteers and charity workers, the majority of them women, during the Great War, both at home and abroad. It fills a gap in our knowledge and understanding of the conflict and its broader impact.

 

British widows

British widows of the First World War, the forgotten legion (2018) Andrea Hetherington

'Widows of the Great War' is the first major account of the experience of women who had to cope with the death of their husbands during the conflict and then rebuild their lives.

Sussex at war

Sussex at War 1939-45 (2018) Clifford Mewett

From the Dunkirk evacuation, Sussex became a front-line county and a likely invasion area if the Germans launched their feared attack. This book takes an in-depth look at the fortification of the county and the plight of the evacuees who were hurriedly moved from London to escape the threat of the capital being bombed, and who were then re-evacuated when German air attacks caused much damage and loss of life.

Petworth House 2

Those that are never seen...below stairs at Petworth House (2018) Peter Jerome

Memories of life below stairs at Petworth House in the early part of the twentieth century. Find out about the daily lives of the housekeeper, butler and maids – a very interesting book especially if you had relatives who were in service in a country house.

 


Family History events

Family History events in 2019

We will be back in 2019 with our range of talks and workshops. We are planning a new title to add to the series 'How to start your Family History' to debut in Worthing Library in January.

Keep an eye on the What’s On pages for this and other events around the county.

West Sussex Record Office will also be running talks and workshops during 2019. Details for the Talks on Tuesdays in the first part of the year are already available on their website, with the Coffee Time Workshops to follow soon.


Ancient map

Featured website: National Library of Scotland

Find out where your ancestors may have lived. Use the National Library of Scotland website to access historic maps. You will find various digitised Ordnance Survey maps for the whole country - not just Scotland - from the 1840s to the 1960s, as well as a selection of town plans. It’s free to use!


Nat Maritime

Featured website: National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum has digitised the British Merchant Navy crew lists for 1915 and made them available online for free. You can search by name of the crew member or the name of the ship. In many cases the original image can show information including nationality, home address, previous ship, in what capacity they were engaged and wages paid.