Sib Folk News September 2000 Issue 15
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Sib Folk News September 2000 Issue 15 The Newsletter of the Orkney Family History Society An interior view of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall from a sketch by the Editor k Chairman's Report Welcome to Sib Folk News No 15. We are always a lot of memories exchanged have several new members to welcome to which would make interesting reading. the society, especially our first from South There are over 400 of us now and I would Africa. She is Mrs. Middleton from Sandton like to plead with you to think about writing S. A., member no. 492. We may soon have a small article about yourself or your family, people from other countries interested as the or just write a letter for us all to enjoy. treasurer and others are making contact with people via email. At the moment we have The next series of meetings starts on 14th over 400 paid-up members. September when we meet in Evie for the first time. This will be in the recently We are still functioning in 8 Broad Street opened Woodwick Gallery when Orkney's with difficulty. The committee has viewed Heritage Officer will be our speaker. On premises nearby which are marginally better 12th October the meeting is in the Royal but the wheels of officialdom turn slowly. Hotel. Nancy Scott will speak about the However, the volunteers are undeterred and Westray Heritage Centre. There should be press on faithfully. George Gray, with help lots of Westray exiles at that meeting. We from Irene Miller, has completed the list of are also looking forward to the Annual records held in the office. It is hoped that Dinner on 9th November which we hope to this list will be available in some form, have in the restaurant in the Hospitality perhaps in the next magazine. Department of the Orkney College. The summer months have been quite busy I close with best wishes to all the "family" for the society. Many visitors have been to of O F H S and also to the many other the office over the months. In June twenty family history societies who receive our seven people enjoyed a great day in Hoy. magazine in return for theirs. July is usually set aside for graveyard recording but the weather was not the most suitable this year. Members are free to carry on with this project whenever they wish. In In This Issue August, the day after the County Show, the O F H S had a stall at the Orkney Vintage Chairman's Report 2 Rally held in the Orkney Auction Mart. From the Editor 3 Some Orcadians who visited us confessed to Letter to the Editor 4 having been unaware of the existence of the Correspondence & Queries 5 society so lots of membership forms were Westray Roots 10 given out. We have the opportunity to take Old Maps 11 a similar display to the Pickaquoy Centre on The Ticonderoga Voyage 12 16th and 17th September. Summer Outing 2000 15 Graveyard Puzzle 15 The editor would like more material to print One Name Study 16 in YOUR magazine. Visitors from "foreign Errata 17 pairts" have such interesting stories to tell. Crossword 17 After our public meetings in Orkney there Committee Photograph 20 2 From the Editor The Blood of the Vikings A Genetic Survey UK readers may have noticed in the press that the BBC, in conjunction with University College London, are running a project to sample the DNA from a random selection of men living in particular sites around Britain. Orkney is one of the sites, presumably because Vikings settled in the islands and their descendants may still be there. Hello, Sib Folk, Welcome to another edition of our Being born in Westray from a Rendall newsletter. I use the term 'newsletter' in family who appear to have been on the preference to 'journal' as I like to think island for at least two centuries or more, and bearing a name which is first of it as an informal, sometimes chatty, th sometimes formal medium in which we recorded in Orkney in the 13 century, I can communicate easily with each other. volunteered. I have been told that the This does not mean that we should response for volunteers was great and tolerate slovenly writing. that I may be selected in phase two of the project. It would be very interesting I have had some serious correspondence to know whether I am of true Viking with several members about the stock or a crossbreed produced by the BEATTON article in SFN 14 and I have invading Scots. If any reader is selected apologized to David Blair, the author, would they let me know? for the typing and formatting errors contained therein. (See the Errata note This edition contains many suggestions elsewhere) I fully agree with Brian from members, especially Robert Smith, the Shetland archivist, that a Marwick, for articles in future editions. genealogical society should publish only These are suggestions for members, to the most accurate information. respond to and not just the Editor. However, I think we have to draw a line While I, as editor, must improve my between what is current local news and editing and proof reading, authors have true genealogical information. There are other media for current news and the responsibility of checking the weather. For those of us on the Internet accuracy of their work. Everything sign on www.orcadian.co.uk for the should be checked again and again, if latest news from Orkney. our newsletter is to be seen as a quality genealogical production. One member was 'thrilled' to read SFN 14 and in SFN is now available on the Internet. particular the Beatton article, the Mike Clouston, of Ramsgate, Kent (37) contents of which he was very has transcribed all editions, text only, of knowledgeable. SFN onto his web page which is :- http://web. ukonline. co.uk/orcadian We are very grateful to Mike for this piece of work. 3 A Letter from Robert Marwick to the Editor Dear Editor, Orcadian to sell them. That advert brought in 300 orders and a few more hundreds have There is no doubt that family history been sold since then. When information research in Orkney was given a great boost about the book appeared on the Internet it when the OFHS was set up. Many was picked up by the grandchildren and enthusiasts, who had been working away on great grandchildren of people who had their own before that, soon learned to emigrated from Rousay, Egilsay or Wyre a appreciate the help they could obtain from hundred years earlier. They were thirsting co-operating with other enthusiasts who for information about their Orcadian were often pursuing the same lines of ancestry and I was happy to supply them enquiry as themselves. Through Sib Folk with it. Many of them bought my book as News new sources of information became well. available and beginners profited from the lessons already learnt by more experienced My experience has shown that there are lots searchers. The result has been a tremendous and lots of people out there who would be increase in the number of those engaged in delighted to see some of the material Orkney this interesting pastime and in the volume of researchers have tucked away in folders and research that has been done in recent years. computer files and would be happy to pay for it. I published mine as a book, but it does All this is good news. The bad news is that not have to be a book. What about using Sib very little of this work is being published. Folk News to publish pieces of your work? I You, Mr. Editor, and I seem to be the only am sure that you, Mr. Editor, would be people who have published anything. There delighted to get it. If someone's material is are people in Sanday and Westray, to name too bulky for a magazine article but too little just two parishes, who have now for a book, then what about a booklet? accumulated masses of material, none of Anyone with a computer can produce a which has been published. I wonder why professional looking booklet - an easy and this is so? Is it because they think so few cheap way of publishing. people would be sufficiently interested to buy a copy of their work that the cost of Let me address myself directly to the printing would not be recovered? That is Orcadian researchers. What are you waiting what I thought when I was being pressed by for? Till you have finished your research? relatives and friends to publish the results of The truth is you will never finish it. It my researches into Rousay families. When I somehow just goes on and on and if you enquired about copyright clearance I was wait till you think you have finished, the rest told I could print 100 copies. I pondered of us out here will never see the fruit of your long but could not think of 100 people who labours. After doing all that work you surely would be interested enough to buy them. want others to see it. I urge you all to go ahead and publish. In the end I decided to take the plunge by printing the 100 copies under the title Yours sincerely, Rousay Roots and to rely on an advert in the 4 Members' Correspondence and Queries From Jim Lancaster, 2) Transcripts of talks given at OFHS of Bury, Lancashire (20) meetings.