I speak on a range of family history topics and I am always willing to consider specific requests. I have spoken to Family History Societies and the Society of Genealogists. The talks I am currently offering are shown below, along with a schedule of current bookings.
2024 Schedule:
10th January (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – Midland Ancestors: Kenilworth Group – Details to follow…
15th January (Monday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Bradford Family History Society – Details to follow…
7th February (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – Peterborough and District Family History Society – Details to follow…
12th February (Monday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Bristol and Avon Family History Society – Details to follow…
17th February (Saturday) – ONLINE – Charity Records and Pauper Ancestors: A Case Study – Society of Genealogists – Deatils to follow…
3rd April (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Charity Records and Pauper Ancestors: A Case Study – West Surrey Family History Socirty – Deatils to follow…
4th April (Thursday) – ONLINE – Chairmaker Ancestors: Woodland Craft to Factory Industry – Society of Genealogists – BOOK HERE
16th April (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Family History Society of Cheshire – Details to follow…
24th April (Wednesday) – IN PERSON – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – East of London Family History Society: Newham & Redbridge Branch – Details to follow…
9th May (Thursday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Wiltshire Family History Society: Swindon Branch – Details to follow…
13th May (Monday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Cleveland Family History Society – Details to follow…
14th May (Tuesday) – IN PERSON (Speaker Online) – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Buckinghamshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
15th May (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
22nd July (Monday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Northamptonshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
26th July (Friday) – ONLINE – Charity Records and Pauper Ancestors: A Case Study – Buckinghamshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
7th August (Wednesday) – IN PERSON – – Chairmaker Ancestors: Woodland Craft to Factory Industry – Buckinghamshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
4th September (Wednesday) – IN PERSON – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society: March Branch – Details to follow…
10th September (Tueasday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
1st November (Friday) 6pm GMT – ONLINE – Researching Your Buckinghamshire Ancestors – Legacy Family Tree Webinars – FREE: BOOK HERE
2nd November (Saturday) – ONLINE – Beyond the 1939 Register: Additional Records of National Registration (1939-1991) – Society of Genealogists – BOOK HERE
10th December (Tuesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Waltham Forest Family History Society – Deatils to follow…
2025 Schedule:
14th January (Tuesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Devon Family History Socirty – Details to follow…
21st January (Tuesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Shropshire Family History Society – Details to follow…
11th February (Tuesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Hampshire Genealogical Society – Fair Oak Group – Details to follow…
6th May (Tuesday) – ONLINE – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – West Surrey Family History Society – Details to follow…
3rd July (Thursday) – ONLINE – Charity Records and Pauper Ancestors: A Case Study – Folkestone & District Family History Society – Details to follow…
25th September (Thursday) – IN PERSON – Freedom of Information for Genealogy – Fenland Family History Society – Details to follow…
15th October (Wednesday) – ONLINE – Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study – Nottinghamshire Family History Society – Deatils to follow…
Talks Available:
Freedom of Information for Genealogy
Have you ever wondered if there might be more information out there about some of your ancestors? Have you ever considered what information might be held by public authorities? Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities. Some public bodies hold information that can be vital to family historians. This talk will look at how you go about requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act, along with case studies looking at the type of information that can be helpful to family historians. It will also address what you can do when things go wrong, such as when you believe a public body hasn’t handled your request correctly.
Apprenticeship Records: History and Sources with Case Study
Learn about the history of apprenticeship and the numerous sources available for family history research. Discover how these sources helped research a ‘brick wall’ ancestor.
Charity Records and Pauper Ancestors: A Case Study
So, your ancestors were paupers? Then this talk is for you! You may have heard the misconception that researching the lives of our pauper ancestors can be more challenging than those of their wealthy counterparts. You’ve heard that the poor are named much less in historical records, right? While this might be true of some records, there are numerous sources that can help shine a light on our pauper ancestors, including charity records.
Learn how the records of local charities, combined with numerous other sources, helped illuminate the lives of a “celebrated family of chimney sweepers, rat catchers and poachers for generations.” This case study tells the story of the Brooks family of Bledlow Ridge, Buckinghamshire who had “scarcely enough rags to keep out the winter cold” but whose lives are well documented. This talk will inspire you to seek out the many sources mentioned to help shine a light on your own pauper ancestors.
Chairmaker Ancestors: Woodland Craft to Factory Industry (Available from April 2024)
Focusing on chairmaking from the 18th century onwards, this talk will take you from beech woods to ‘bodgers’, from chair turners to chair manufacturers.
Chairmaking was a common industry in the Chiltern Hills due to the abundance of nearby beech woods and connections to both London and Oxford. Initially a woodland craft, chairmaking became popular in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in the early 19th century. By 1877, 4,700 chairs were being made every day in High Wycombe in over 150 factories and workshops. Learn about some of the sources available to research ancestors in the chairmaking industry with case studies highlighting the type of information that might be found.
Beyond the 1939 Register: Additional Records of National Registration (1939-1991) (Available from November 2024)
This talk will look at understanding the 1939 Register as part of a much wider set of records. The enumeration of 29th September 1939 is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to available records, but knowing what exists and how to access information is an entirely different matter. Maybe you have some family records that might help, such as national identity cards, ration books or medical cards? Discover how the registers were used by the Central National Registration Office and later by the NHS, from 1939 until 1991. Learn about the existence of additional records, the information that they contain, and how they might help you with locating family members between 1939-1991. Also, what information is contained in the redacted section of the 1939 Register? Book this talk to find out.
Please feel free to contact me directly, or use the contact form below.
© Richard Holt, Holt’s Family History Research 2023
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