"Humour in Genealogy", from our very own Chris Broom, HELD OVER ZOOM. 

This talk was postponed from 15th June and replaced the talk originally scheduled for this evening.

Our very own Chris Broom presented our first online talk on "Humour in Genealogy" — in the nature of an experiment in these unusual times. 

Chris took us through some remarkable records of baptisms, marriages, deaths and even censuses — as well as Wills, diaries, newspapers and Court records — that he has encountered during his researches.  They show how humour, whether unintentional or deliberate, can pop up anywhere, despite registration and legal papers being a supposedly serious business. 

Sometimes, too, a sense of the bizarre of a very different past is apparent only through our eyes, with the politics and standards of our present.  We are privy, for example, to the "domestic" discord between a suffragette and her husband reflected on a 1911 census form — how that "silliness" played out "off the page" one can only surmise.

A small taste of Chris's excellent examples follow.

on the mother's supposed trade (this on the very "Page 1th" of the Register)

a husband's⬇︎lament ...

A most entertaining and enlightening view of a "serious" subject.

Unfortunately, Chris had to take his subject "at a run" as, for technical reasons (subsequently solved), he was constrained to a 40-minute session.

		Whose that fellow? "our Chris"

 report written by Steve Stocks

❋⚭+ 

The time of the talk remains unchanged and there will be no charge for attending.  You will be able to see the slides used by Chris to support his presentation and, as usual, there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the talk.  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide ‘virtual’ refreshments, so will be leaving you to make your own arrangements for tea/coffee and biscuits (or something stronger if you prefer!).

If you are a paid-up Member who would like to attend the talk, could you please confirm your interest to Chris Broom (email CBroom1@aol.com) by Friday, 10th July — and also advise whether you require guidance on how to download the ZOOM software/application to your personal computer or tablet.  An e-mail invitation to join the meeting on 20^th July will then be sent out at 7 p.m. that evening – 30 minutes before the presentation begins.

☞  If you are a lapsed or potential new member, please note that at a recent Committee meeting it was agreed to put forward a proposal to the AGM (whenever that might take place) that those who paid for 2020 membership would have their membership extended until December 2021 with no further payment required.  The Group has also paid for a series of internet talks by Sarah Doig entitled "Little History of Suffolk" which are available for all members to enjoy, and the Group is planning to continue to hold talks, maybe by Zoom for the moment.  Also, paid-up members have free access to FindMyPast from their home computers, courtesy of Suffolk Libraries — so, all these benefits will accrue to you, as well as letting you sit in on Chris's talk.  Please visit our Membership page for details on how to (re)join.

A native of Hackney, London, Chris Broom moved to Suffolk in 2013, having retired from his primary career 12 months earlier. He then spent five years studying with the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Canterbury, to gain professional qualifications in genealogy.  Chris now runs a family-history research and education business, 'Chance Encounters', as well as being an active committee member of Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group. As the title suggests, his talk "Humour in Genealogy" uses a number of light-hearted examples to demonstrate the advantages of scrutinising original documents in family-history research, many of which contain additional information not included in online records.