Who do you think you are? FREE ZOOM

We welcome everyone to this FREE ZOOM. To ensure your place, please email heirnet@gmail.com ASAP. It's also very helpful to have your email in plenty of time.

 STARCROSS HISTORY SOCIETY [SCHS] ZOOM MEETING [free] 

Wednesday:     20th January, 7.30-9.00 p.m.

Topic:     Who Do You Think You Are?  Family History Night 

Speaker:     Sue Bond, Devon Family History Society

Who do you think you are? Central to your identity and sense of belonging are the stories, narratives, memories and recollections that make up your personal history and that of your family. As a family historian through questioning and investigation you can discover and learn about your ancestors and their lives, often exciting, mysterious and fascinating.  You can deepen, widen and extend knowledge of your family’s history to bring to life the roots and branches of your family tree.

The Devon Family History Society [DFHS] helps you to become a family historian from the most tentative of starts. Whether you’re just starting out in family history or you’ve hit a brick wall and don’t know how to break through it, the DFHS will support you at every point in your enquiry. The DFHS empowers you to investigate as history detectives all aspects of your family history wherever you live and whatever your personal circumstances. 

Sue’s talk will introduce you to the delights and pleasure of being your own family historian.

Most kindly, Sue has said she is happy for people to send her questions beforehand as long as you say it is for the 20th January presentation. Please send your queries to:   research@devonfhs.org.uk

For more information about the Devon Family History Society and the  comprehensive support it provides, see http://www.devonfhs.org.uk 

TO JOIN THE 20th JANUARY 2021 SCHS ZOOM MEETING 

1. Please email heirnet@gmail.com asking to join the 20th January meeting.

n.b. There's a guide on how to use ZOOM at

https://starcrosshistory.blogspot.com/2020/10/how-to-zoom.html?m=1

2. On the evening  of  Tues 19th January we will send everyone who has asked to attend Wednesday evening’s  talk a ZOOM invitation link to join it.

• The meeting When you reply accepting the invitation to join the ZOOM meeting from 7.15 we will let you into it: the talk starts at 7.30 p.m.

• When the meeting begins please mute your microphones and switch off your videos.

This means we can all hear the speaker and see the full screen. Unmuted microphones result in a cacophony of noise that means the presentation is inaudible.

• After the presentation the speaker will be  happy to answer questions and discuss points you raise. To do this, please use the ZOOM raised hand icon to speak. 

• Unmuting microphones If selected, we can then unmute your microphone for you to ask questions and take part in the discussion 

• You can also type questions for the speaker into the Chat Box

3. Any problems – please email heirnet@gmail.com

COVERING OUR COSTS

We make no charge for the meeting because we believe that history should be FREE... but we have costs to cover, including the professional version of ZOOM, the speakers’ expenses and an honorarium for each speaker.

So, if you can, please give a donation via the PayPal button on the Starcross History Website. 

https://starcrosshistory.blogspot.com/p/donate.html

Thank you very much.

Jon Nichol, SCHS chair and Monica Lang, SCHS Treasurer and Projects Manager

Margaret Ellen Pye

Hi there 

I wonder if you can help please? 

My mum Margaret was brought up at “Starcross Hospital “ she was born in 1930 and herself and her siblings for some reason were taken there as their mother was unable to raise them . My mum lives in a residential home in Dawlish now , my mum talks about the nuns and living at number 2 , I’m not sure if that was a room or house on the grounds . Mum says she was schooled there as well . We have never had any photos of my mum Margaret as a child and wondered if there would be any records still that may contain some . Eventually her siblings were moved to other homes . Mum was called Margaret Ellen Pye 04/07/1930. 

I’d be so grateful if you could help please . 

Many thanks 

Heather Atkins 

James Barrett; Barratt, Barnet. INFORMATION PLEASE

Swan and Cygnet - Topsham Museum

 Topsham Museum

The Cygnet - star exhibit at Topsham Museum

Hello – To Whom It May Concern

I was advised by the Churchwarden, Tim Miles to contact the Starcross Local History Group in order to see if anyone there can offer any advice or help me in my quest to locate the last resting places of my Great great grandparents, particularly, James Barratt.

James and Susanna Barratt [name variations can include Barrett, Barnet etc] were married in Starcross in 1837 and proceeded to have a typical large family. They lived for a half century in various cottages in Church Street and New Road. James identified himself as a waterman or boatman in various census returns across the years.

While a number of their children remained in the area due to work or marriage, my Great grandmother, Elizabeth Gibbin[g]s went to London when her Exmouth husband joined the Guards in Exeter in the late 1870s [although you may be interested that I did find her returning to reside at No 7 New Road with a sister and her family in the 1939 ‘war’ census which you celebrate on your web site].

However, as a consequence of my researches at the Exeter Heritage Centre last week,  I discovered that both James and Susanna had sad and tragic ends to their lives. Susanna was the subject of a Devon Coroner inquest in 1895 when it was reported that she fell down the stairs of No. 9 New Road and broke her neck [she had been a lace maker and had lost her sight]. James, who family folklore claimed he sailed the boat that was in the form of a ‘cygnet’, was admitted to the Exminster Asylum and died within a few days in 1904 aged 89 years.

James bequeathed his name to three successive generations of our family and in view of his residence and work in the village for so many years I believe he must have been well known while alive. Despite help and advice from the Devon Archivist, the Starcross Churchwarden and various Parish Burial Records [Starcross, Kenton, Powerham and the Exminster Asylum burial records], contact with Teignbridge Council regarding the Dawlish and Teignmouth Civic Cemeteries, I am still finding James last resting place elusive [I know Susanna is buried somewhere in St. Paul’s in an unmarked grave].

Is there any advice or help that your group may give me to enable me to achieve my goal? Similarly, I did wonder if amongst any photos of ‘Old Starcross’ it might b possible to identify James on the river etc or his family in the village as no such picture is in the family’s possession.

Best Regards,

Les Gibbings

n.b.

I have been a member of the Devon Family History Society since the 1980s. My maternal Aunt & Uncle lived in Venn Bridge Farm until the early part of this century.
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Hi

I've put your request on the Starcross History web

Topsham Museum might have some info. They have all sorts of papers about Starcross.

Then of course there's the wonderful British Newspaper Archive

which is free to access at lots of public libraries and at the Devon Heritage Centre

- another place well worth a visit

regards

Monica Lang