Blake Newsletter, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2015

Blake Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 1, 2015

Table of Contents

1.   Returning to Genealogy

2.   Family Tree Reconstruction

3.   The Surname Society

4.   Blake yDNA Study

5.   Lecture

1.   Returning to Genealogy

When I first absented myself from genealogy in August I did not contemplate that my return would be so long coming. I intend to begin blogging once again by the end of January although perhaps earlier but I must now get back into a schedule which provides for the time to do my blogging. My back problems are much improved but I acquired a different insight whilst I was recovering. Although I enjoy genealogy, I do not want to return to doing that on the somewhat full time basis that I was involved in before my fall. I do want to get all the wills transcribed and published but my desire to do so in a rapid fashion is diminishing. I do want to get into family tree reconstruction and this desire has increased during the time spent away from the computer. I hope that everyone had a most pleasant holiday season, ours was a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.

2.   Family Tree Reconstruction

I continue very interested in Family Tree Reconstruction and I am also continuing to look at Cornwall and the Blake families there. I have not done any work on this since August so will begin fresh in the New Year. I am assisted in that regard with the incredibly valuable work of the On Line Parish Clerks scheme for Cornwall and their online database. http://www.cornwall-opc.org/

3.   The Surname Society

I continue involved in The Surname Society as the Newsletter Editor and the next issue will be 1^st February 2015. Included in this issue will be an article on Palaeography and Wills with the Blake wills being used as an example by me. We have 204 members from around the world and grow a little more each day/week. There are 678 names registered with us and I have registered Blake but only those with roots in Hampshire, England. Anyone is welcomed to join and register their particular surname interest and in a limited fashion if you so desire. We did consider having it free but would then have had to ask for donations to support the website and needed software. At £5 per year it is fairly inexpensive and provides another place to advertise one's research. 

4.   Blake yDNA study

No particular news on the Blake yDNA study and I continue to be quite interested in Family Finder as a way to include people who have joined our study who have either a female Blake line or are descendant of a female Blake line having thus a yDNA in another line. I do think that autosomal (Family Finder) DNA is probably more of the future of DNA studies although yDNA continues to be the best means of matching your Blake line back in time. 

5.   Lecture

I will be giving a lecture (my last!) to the local Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society here in Ottawa, Canada 24 January 2015. The topic will be one name studies and one place studies and how to use these sites to aid you in your genealogical studies.

Elizabeth Kipp (kippeeb@rogers.com)

Continuing Break

I am continuing to take a break from genealogy. I have relocated my working area to permit me to have more area in which to spread out my work in terms of books being open for long period, charting by hand and just sitting and reading quietly on genealogy. I intend to spend less time on my computer and get back to doing some other interesting items that have passed me by this past ten years like reading and knitting.

However, I will continue with the Blake and Pincombe one name studies at the Guild but also want to do some work on my other surnames which I have registered with The Surname Society. My only real commitments are three newsletters - the Blake Newsletter published quarterly Jan, Apr, Jul and Oct, my Canada East newsletter published June and December and The Surname Scribbler (The Surname Society Newsletter) published Feb, May, Aug and Nov.

Although I did take back Canada East representative at the Guild of one name studies it will be the same as the way I took it on originally and that was only until someone else wants to take it on. Canada East is much too large an area to even consider being able to manage all of it.

I hope to return to blogging in the New Year and in the meantime Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I have agreed to speak at the January meeting of the OGS Ottawa Branch on Surname Studies (and I will also mention Place Studies because of my own good luck with thoroughly learning about Bishops Nympton and Upper Clatford). Knowing one's village of ancestry in terms of the people who live there can give one a much better picture of one's own ancestors - where they lived, what they did and all their sibling lines coming down from the beginning of the Parish Registers and if land ownership was involved then back into the Manor Books to learn even more.