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Topics - Trancesgirl

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1
Wiltshire / Fire at Great Bedwyn 1599
« on: Monday 31 March 14 21:48 BST (UK)  »
I wonder if anyone could shed some light on the above.  A recent will was transcribed and the testator left a sum of money "for those afflicted by the fire at Great Bedwyn".  I have made a quick google search but nothing seems to come up.  I have checked the WSHC local studies page for Great Bedwyn and nothing significant is mentioned there either.  I haven't yet seen the parish records so maybe something was added there since the church were to oversee the distribution of the money.


2
The Lighter Side / Research help Please - Topp of Market or west Lavington
« on: Wednesday 15 January 14 10:11 GMT (UK)  »
Can anyone help

I am trying to find out more about my mother's first husband -

Si(y)dney Thomas Topp who married Hazel Henly in Worton, Wiltshire in 1939.  They had 5 children before Sidney died of TB in Salisbury in 1945.  Sidney's death and marriage certificates suggest he was born around 1914 but I cannot trace a birth anywhere in the UK.

The marriage certificate names his father as George Topp.  However the newspaper article about the wedding states "the bride laid her bouquet on the grave of the groom's parents Joseph and Mary Topp.  The couple had died not long before the wedding 12 hours apart.

Joseph had a brother George who married much later than Sidney's birth in 1933.  I have checked to see if the lady he married may have had Sidney registered under her maiden name but still no birth found.

Sidney's army records show his next of kin to be recorded originally as Joseph and Mary Topp and after his marriage Hazel Topp (nee Henly) my mum although these records have not actually been seen as not being directly related they won't allow me access. 

Sidney is buried in the churchyard at Market Lavington as are Joseph and Mary.

Rumour has it that Sidney was born in London and was illegitimate (Mary and Joseph were in Wansdworth, London from 1901-1911.  When they returned to Wiltshire is uncertain.  There are other children listed on the census having been born in London up until 1909 however registration of birth took place in the Devizes Register Office.  If Mary and Joseph are Sidney's parents then Mary would have been would have been 44 and Joseph 48 so not impossible if Sydney was indeed born in 1914.  If George is the father as per marriage certificate then he would have been

It seems the whole family is a bit of a mystery when it comes to registers and census.  Of course Sidney could have been adopted before it was a legal requirement to go through courts etc.

I am hoping that the release of the 1921 census may shed some light on the matter but that is a few years off yet.

If anyone has any ideas of how to go forward on this all suggestions will be most gratefully acknowledged.

If there is a family member out there that may have information would certainly love to hear from you as I can give you details about Sidney's family after his death



3
For Sale / Wanted / Events / Donations of material wanted for Wiltshire
« on: Wednesday 08 January 14 09:52 GMT (UK)  »
I am admin for the Wiltshire OPC Project - I am going to be cheeky to ask if anyone has any photographs, transcriptions, postcards or books, church pamphlets etc anything they think would be of use to the local or family historian would they consider sharing with us.

We are unfunded and cannot purchase material and neither do we ask for donations to use our website.

If anyone wishes to help please send me a PM.

If you are selling items of a Wiltshire interest and they are reasonable enough I may be able to fund purchase from my own pocket




4
You were all so brilliant in identifying some images thought to be of Wiltshire places but all proved to be Somerset or Gloucester - now I am posting a few of the images of people from Devizes that we would like to identify - most have been purchased off e-bay and we would like to reunite phot with proven relatives wherever possible.


5
Hi can anyone help with identifying a whole batch of individual photographs and postcard views.

We have purchased several items of soldiers, people and places and have some ideas but names to faces would be helpful

I will publish a few to rootschat but there is a whole gallery which can be found here https://picasaweb.google.com/101345661794517075914/WiltshireYourHelpIsRequired

We would be grateful for any help with identifying anything on this page

I attach a few of those that we are really struggling with.  The church may not be Wiltshire as it was in a batch of Wiltshire and Cheddar Caves images.  The Postcard of Stanton - we would like to know which Stanton it is (no information on card apart from Stanton, Wiltshire printed).  The Street scene again was with the Wiltshire/Cheddar batch

Thanks for any assistance you can give 


6
The Common Room / OPC Projects Nationwide
« on: Saturday 28 December 13 11:14 GMT (UK)  »
I am administrator for the Wiltshire OPC project.  The original project was the idea of a group of Genealogists from the County of Cornwall who had a concept of providing genealogy material for each county online in one place.  The information was to be gathered by individual volunteers who would adopt a parish of their own and build on that information.  This information can then be used for free by others. 

Several projects nationwide have been started most of which follow the Cornwall concept while others have expanded the idea. 

The Wiltshire project has had problems in past years where the original co-ordinator left the project and the mantle was taken up by a new co-ordinator.  She rebuilt the site and struggled to hold down a full time job and co-ordinate the site.  Enter myself who took over as administrator leaving the co-ordinator to deal with the technical side of things. 

The co-ordinator at the outset was and still is an amateur web-designer and has learnt to cope with the site being hacked and offline whilst rebuilt for a few months.  Since its last regeneration technically things have gone well.

The project now has some 60 volunteers having adopted many parishes between them.  Some have a lot of content others have little since our policy is that we all work in our time and at our own pace. 

We do not profess to being 100% accurate hence we have a clearly sited notice that any information  published has not been verified and that original sources should always be consulted especially if being used for professional research assignments or for educational purposes.  We provide a guide to these items.  Wherever possible we try to check but staffing levels and no funds mean that we cannot always do this.

In recent weeks the Wiltshire project in particular has been "attacked" by a professional individual who appears to have appointed himself as the Wiltshire County Genealogy Police. 

We appreciate criticism good or bad but would wish that to be directed at us via our website rather than on public forums such as this.

We find it difficult to get volunteers to help us as it is without people advertising our project to assist individuals "as useful as oil on water".  And advertising comparisons to our hard worked documents with his own (of which comparison for bmds etc are done with the aid of Family Search which any seasoned researcher should know includes items from the old IGI that were published by family historians themselves and many errors occurred. 

Our project transcripts are sourced from mainly the parish records at the WSHC either from fiche copies or as in our Salisbury Cathedral records from photograph images of the original registers held in the Cathedral itself.

Everyone I know is allowed an opinion.  But is it right to deride in public something which is trying to help others.  Our project now has in the region of 1600 regular registered users.  (You do not need to register to view records but need to register if contacting an OPC).  Since February 2012 the web site has had a total of 119270 hits.  Quite impressive for a site dubbed as "useful as Oil on Water".

If anyone would like more information about setting up an OPC project for their own county or would like to volunteer for the Wiltshire Project please get in touch either through the Wiltshire Web Site or a private message on here

7
Northumberland / Which Registrar's office please
« on: Monday 02 February 09 16:55 GMT (UK)  »
Can anyone out there tell me where i would send an application for a birth certificate that was registered in the Castle Ward registration district.  I do not want to use Southport as I find using the local register office is normally quicker and sometimes the registrar will supply further information relating to the certificate.  The subjext was resident at Newburn or Leamington at the time of registration.

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