A large Ordnance Survey map from 1903 covering where I live in Bristol hangs on the wall of my home office, where I have been doing most of my work over the past two years. I have always loved old maps, and Gill Blanchard’s article has inspired me to seek out maps for areas where my ancestors lived. In fact, I’m going to start attaching them to my family tree.
Our guide to uncovering street and house photographs online also ties in nicely with maps. Coming across an old photograph of a family home is the cherry on the cake!
I also really enjoyed Ruth Symes’ article on the weather and our ancestors. I remember at my grandmother’s funeral someone telling me about her visiting people by boat as a doctor during the 1953 floods in Suffolk, and I tell my children about my feet sticking in the tarmac during the heatwave of 1976. Extreme weather events affected our ancestors as they do us.
We also have a guide to the records of postal workers, many of which are online. Thousands were employed by the service in countless roles, so you may well find family connections.
Finally, we have upgraded our Android app for those who like to get this magazine digitally, making it even easier to read the magazine on a mobile device. Give it a try!
Contributors
Gill Blanchard
Gill is both a member of AGRA and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has worked on episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? See her tips on finding and using maps.
Ruth A Symes
Talking to a researcher at the Met Office got Ruth thinking about how weather affected our ancestors. She shares some of the amazing projects that are coming online.
Susannah Coster
Susannah is an archivist at The Postal Museum who specialises in helping visitors explore their family connections to the Post Office, discover the records available.