It is a cold Saturday in February and people of all ages have descended on London’s Olympia to find out who they are. The building boasts an abundance of stalls, experts and societies ready to help them in this quest, and visitors who want to map out their newly discovered lineage on a traditional (or digital!) family tree have certainly come to the right place. But don’t be fooled – there is much more to this event than surveying census records and digging through burial registers.
My interest is piqued by the photograph exhibition in the Gallery. The various contributors have provided a diverse collection of images of their ancestors, and the captions are enormously helpful for putting the pictures in context. Amongst those who feature in these snapshots of the past are a female Salvation Army officer who was forbidden to marry the soldier she loved (but married him in 1911 anyway) and a twelve-year-old boy who might well have been one of the very first trick cyclists. So many of these stories would have been lost if nobody had taken the time to remember them.
As a lover of art, I am also impressed by the Drawing on the Past exhibition, where old letters and postcards have been artistically layered over the top of treasured photographs. (After viewing this display, I immediately enter a competition to win a ‘Scanning and Editing Old Photos’ online course!) The ground floor of the building is where the exhibitors market their services and products, and I am tempted by the wealth of books, magazines and gifts, all begging to be bought. One stand is selling jewellery made out of farthings, while another specialises in beautiful journals where a record of the present can be gifted to future generations. Other exhibitors are there to offer advice and assistance, and some want me to discover who I am more than I do! Without even asking, I am informed that there were just four people with my surname living in the UK in 1881.
But the highlight of my day is Dr Turi King’s Richard III workshop. Her lecture is genuinely fascinating – and surprises me by being funny too. The audience laugh out loud when Dr King debunks the myths and fabrications that were reported in the press. And no, we are told, we cannot have our DNA tested to see if we are direct descendants of Richard III! The images we are shown of the skeleton itself, with its twisted spine and multitude of horrific injuries, are incredible, and I cannot imagine how thrilling it must have been to literally unearth this piece of history. Of course, I frequently return to The History Press stand throughout the day. Some people want to purchase books, some want to write them, and others are just happy to chat. It is a joy to talk to these visitors, who clearly love history as much as we do.
Written by Jennifer Briancourt, Editor at The History Press
Further reading for Genealogists and Family Historians:
- Understanding Documents for Genealogy & Local History by Bruce Durie (2013)
- Welsh Genealogy by Bruce Durie (2012)
- Scottish Genealogy by Bruce Durie (2012)
- The Surnames Handbook by Debbie Kennett (2012)
- Ancestors in the Attic by Karen Foy (2012)
- Family History: Digging Deeper by Simon Fowler (2012)
- DNA and Social Networking by Debbie Kennett (2011)
- Ancestral Trails by Mark D Herber (2005)
- The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers by Cecil R. Humphrey-Smith (2002)