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Monday 28 October 2019

Rootstech London 2019

You may have been aware that Rootstech came to London for the first time at the end of last week.  Rootstech is arguably the biggest of the Family History Conferences.  It took place at the London Excel centre on 24th to 26th October.

I was lucky and given the OK by my husband to attend on all three days as I had won a 3 day free pass.  I didn't enjoy the travelling; getting a train at about 7am and not getting home until 7 was very tiring.....yes, back to commuting during peak times.

A friend was there too but we didn't see much of each other as she was partly volunteering on the Guild of One Named Studies and we were often in different talks.

I attended 14 lectures by experienced researchers; I had a 1:1 with a professional researcher to try and solve Peter's Irish brickwall and a 1:1 with an experienced volunteer on the Society of Genealogist's stand for my Scottish brickwall.  I am afraid we didn't break down either of them but I have plenty of further resource links to go through now.  I saw a demonstration on an update to Family Historian, my family history software, and looking forward to it's release after Christmas.  I sat through several demonstrations on stands on Ancestry, FMP and Family Search.  I got freebies - bags, notebooks and pencils.  There were special prices, a chance to print big fan charts for free, cyber cafe's for researching whilst there, books and many, many exhibitors on a range of products, information and websites about family history.  I also chatted with people interested in the same topics as me and spoke to people from around the world....all sharing the same passion.  You had to pay for a pass to get to the lectures but the exhibition hall was free.  I'd go again if it comes, here's hoping it was successful and they want to return.

Thursday 13 June 2019

Zachariah Weston 1857-1933

Zachariah was my great great uncle. He was born 1 March1857 in Etchingham and died in 1933.   His parents were Samuel Weston (1806-1894) and Sarah Newick (1818-1897)  He married Emily Jane Kemp in 1887  Zachariah and Emily Jane had 9 chldren of which 7 were still living in 1911.  

He was a railway platelayer in 1881 and lived with his parents in Garners Cottages, Etchingham.  In 1891 he was living with his wife and family at Churchh House Cottages, Etchingham and was still a platelayer.  In 1901 he was living at Hammerden Cottage, Stonegate, Ticehurst and was still a platelayer.  In 1911 he was a raiway labourer but that could still have been a platelayer.  He was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers during World War 1..  

Plate layers were trackmen. Some early railway lines were of wood, capped with metal plates to protect the wood from wear. The men who laid the track were therefore called "platelayers". The name stuck, even though that form of construction soon went out of favour.

The upkeep of the rails, sleepers, plates and permanent way are vital to the safe running of trains A plate layer would be responsible for all aspects of track maintenance such as replacing worn out rails or rotten sleepers, packing to ensure a level track, weeding and clearance of the drains etc. There was little available to them in the way of mechanical assistance in those days and it often involving arduous and uncomfortable work. They were usually assigned to each mile or two miles of track, with a platelayers' hut as shelter and working base. These were generally a single room, immediately adjacent to the running lines, equipped with a table, chairs, and a simple heating stove.

The status and pay of a platelayer, fixing and maintaining the track day in day out, was far lower that the engineman driving the train passed him.

Etchingham station building dates from 1851, when both the station and the first section of the Hastings line opened.

Monday 14 January 2019

Certificate surprises

I decided to ask for BMD certificates for my birthday and Christmas presents.  I didn't really expect any surprises from the Death certificates but I was wrong!!  Firstly I had a death certificate for my Grandad, Frank Horace Weston.  No surprises there but it did confirm his cause of death.  Secondly a death certificate for my Great Great Grandad, William Eldridge, who had died when only 24 in 1868  Cause of death was "want of iron in blood"; anaemia, as we would say now.  Both of these were on my maternal side.   Finally a death certificate on my paternal side for my great grandad, Thomas White, who died aged 69 in 1923 of aortic aneurism and cardiac muscle failure.  The surprise was the name of the informant as I had believed she had been disowned when she had an illegitimate child.

My final certificate was a marriage certificate for 1840 of my great, great, great grandparents on my maternal side.  How disappointing to find no father's names listed on the certificate.  Perhaps I can take some comfort that at least it didn't list them as "not known".  Who were they?