Ustis a Great Month in Orkney
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SIB FOLK NEWSISSUE No 43 SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY GUST IS A GR AU EAT MONTH IN ORKNEY Pictures and montage John Sinclair 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No 43 September 07 ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTER Issue No 43 September 2007 From the chair CONTENTS Many thanks to those members who contacted me FRONT COVER following my appointment as chairperson of your August in Society. Over the past three months I have been Orkney Agricultural Shows, taking stock of how our organisation operates. Vintage Rally, The Society’s undoubted strength comes from the Riding of the commitment of its members. Marches, etc The summer months have again been very busy in the OFHS office and many members from all over PAGE 2 the world have been connected to relatives and past From the Chair generations of their families. PAGE 3 Annual Outing Another real strength for the Society is you were verbally telling the story. Show our office volunteers, committee members your continued support to John by putting PAGE 4 and our principal researcher George Gray. pen to paper. Syllabus 07-08 Their contribution has been highlighted We need to recognise and give thanks to all PAGE 5 in the positive responses received from our members who do so much in their own James Smellie the Canadian Homecomers and the many time to support the Society. visitors to the OFHS Office. The depth of At our last committee meeting we looked PAGES 6,7,8 their knowledge and the intricate linkages at how we communicate with members and In the Footsteps of between different families always amazes how we can encourage greater participation Washington Irving me. George’s memory and his recall in events and regular meetings. As a first PAGE 9 ability of his current and past searches step a draft 2007/08 syllabus is shown Kirkwall man are invaluable. Visitors benefit from this elsewhere in this newsletter. This will in Great Flood vast amount of local knowledge that these become part of the OFHS website and will volunteers have acquired as I recently continue to be updated. Hopefully this PAGES 10 & 11 witnessed when a gentleman enquired may be of assistance to members outwith Looking for Merrimans - what the benefits of joining the Society Orkney to plan any Orkney visit to coincide would be? He was asked what his Orkney with an OFHS event. PAGES12 & 13 connections were. On his reply, a volunteer More and more members communicate Our Orcanadians talked from memory on who his ancestors through E-mail and we also hope to use Find Their Roots were, where they lived and revealed in this medium to update members on Society great detail of other family members, etc. activities and other relevant information. PAGE 14 Creative Thinking I smiled as he replied, “You know more For Orkney based members an E-mail about my family than I do!” He filled out reminder a week before our meetings might PAGES 15,16,17 his membership form immediately. increase the number of active members in The Dinnisons I hope, like me, that you enjoyed our last the Society’s programmes. If you have not newsletter and its excellent coverage of given your E-mail address to the OFHS or PAGE 18 the Homecoming 2007. I have gauged have recently renewed or changed your E- A Sandwick Son the strong member appreciation of the mail address then please send your details Society’s newsletter - SIB Folk News. to [email protected] PAGE 19 Christening of It demonstrates, and is a credit to the Over the coming months we hope to bring Kirkwall Streets professionalism of our editor, John Sinclair. new speakers and interesting topics, His contribution is much appreciated and training opportunities for local members PAGE 20 his production of SFN is the envy of many and different activities to the Society. We Writing your other Societies in Scotland. It enables all will have two open meetings before our Family History members to learn about and to contribute Annual dinner event, which will be held in PAGES 21,22 to the Society’s activities and the building November, and members should book places John Sclater's up of Orkney’s family history. However, for this at the office or via the secretary at Draper Shop more members could submit more articles. [email protected] Check website PAGE 23 You must have a family story or snippet for further information. Your Ancestral Home of information that could be shared with others. In this way you can help other PAGE 24 Membership and members and inspire them to tell their Subscriptions story. You don’t have to be an experienced writer and many stories are best told as if Alan Clouston Issue No. 43 September 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 3 SOUTH RONALDSAY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS Elaine Sinclair reports on our annual outing Sunday, 17 June 2007, was the date of my first annual places and my group set off to the church and graveyard. outing with the Orkney Family History Society and I was Helen Manson provided a wonderful commentary on various not sure quite what to expect. places throughout our journey in South Ronaldsay. Whilst Around 2 dozen people joined the bus at the Bus Station we were at St Mary’s, Helen showed us the bier which had in Kirkwall on a grey, slightly rain-threatening morning, been used to carry the deceased for funerals and the oldest and we set off. I had not anticipated and was pleasantly memorial stone from the graveyard, dating from the 16th surprised by the marvellous on-board commentary from century, which had been taken into the back of the church to Hazel Goar about the properties and families who lived, or reduce wear. We wandered around the graveyard and Helen had lived, in them, on the road out from Kirkwall through provided information about some of the gravestones. Holm and Burray and on to South Ronaldsay, where we We then returned to Willie Mowatt’s Smithy to collect the were joined at St Margaret’s Hope by Helen and Stephen rest of our members and headed for Tomison’s Academy. Manson. Davina Brown and I had obtained permission from the local We went straight for tea or coffee and cakes and biscuits Council (the owners) for the group to visit the property and at the Cromarty Hall – breakfast for some of us! After Helen, having been a pupil whilst the building was still a enjoying our refreshments and admiring the Hall, we set school, gave an excellent presentation on the building as we off for Willie Mowatt’s Smithy on the main road leading went from room to room. south of the ‘Hope, where we split into 2 groups – one After a good lunch at the Cromarty Hall in the ‘Hope’, we set group visiting the Smithy whilst the other went to St off for St Peter’s Kirk where Helen, again, gave a wonderful Mary’s Church and cemetery at Burwick. I was in the presentation on the church’s history. After a short walk first group to visit the Smithy around the graveyard, the group (with the exception of and we thoroughly enjoyed H e l e n and Stephen Manson) set off back to Willie’s discourse, as well Kirkwall with Hazel pointing as having a “hands-on” out further properties and experience with some of family references on the his artefacts and helping way. to blow the bellows It was a marvellous trip for the furnace. There and day out and, for my were 3 outbuildings first trip, I think I picked containing items related a winner – for which a lot to the forge, agriculture, of the thanks must go to the household (pots for the Hazel Goar (organiser and ladies, according to Willie!) commentator) and Helen and the sea. Manson. When the second Elaine Sinclair group returned from Secretary St Mary’s, we swapped Member No. 1211 PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALAN CLOUSTON 4 NEWSLETTER OF THE ORKNEY FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Issue No. 43 September 2007 And we all got on MONTH DATE EVENT DESCRIPTION just fine Aug 2007 12th Orkney Vintage OFHS Stand with From Sandy Windwick Rally display of Family Member No 1732 History Materials Here’s some interesting sta- tistics culled from the 1901 Sep 2007 13th Monthly meeting Speaker and Census Returns for Kirk- subject tbc* wall & St Ola, Out of the to- Oct 2007 11th Monthly meeting Speaker and tal (4461) people enummer- subject tbc* ated, only 2023 (45.37%) were born in Kirkwall & St Ola. Nov 2007 8th Orkney Family Venue to be 1862 (41.74%) were born else- History Society confirmed* where in Orkney. 576 (12.91%) Annual Dinner came from elsewhere in the Dec 2007 No event world. It seems that Kirkwall Jan 2008 No event & St Ola was the place to be. It Feb 2008 14th Monthly Members’ night still is of course. meeting in Kirkwall Library Where Born No % And Archive Kirkwall 1716 38.48 Mar 2008 13th Monthly meeting Speaker and Subject tbc* St Ola 307 6.89 Apr 2008 10th Monthly meeting Speaker and Elsewhere Orkney 1862 41.75 Subject tbc* Scotland 403 9.04 May 2008 8th Annual Gen- Speaker and England 62 1.39 eral Meeting subject tbc* followed by Ireland 14 0.31 Monthly meeting Wales 6 0.13 Jun 2008 8th Orkney Family Date and or History Society location tbc* Shetland 65 1.46 15th Annual Outing India 4 0.09 Canada 1 .02 *tbc – to be confirmed U.S.A.