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Local studies and family history resources

Past into Present: Local and family history newsletter

We hope you will enjoy reading this newsletter and find it useful and informative. Many people in Calderdale are involved in researching local and family history or have an interest in reading about it. We hope this newsletter, which we aim to produce several times a year, will highlight some of the resources of the Library Service which you may not be aware of, as well as introducing groups active in the field and advertising events you might like to participate in.

If you have any queries, please contact us on 01422 392631 or e-mail: pauline.lancaster@calderdale.gov.uk.

Book recommendation

Pennine Perspectives: Aspects of the History of Midgley, by Members of the Midgley History Group

This book brings together essays written by members of Midgley History group.  Many topics are covered - from Prehistory in the area to Farming, Sports and Pastimes, and village trades.

It is well illustrated throughout with diagrams and photographs. There is also a fold out map showing an extract from the first edition Ordnance Survey, 1851, six inches to one mile; plus a full scale extract from J. F. Myers map 1834 -35 , scale one inch to thirty chains (around two and a half inches to one mile)

This book can be borrowed via any Calderdale Library or can be read as a reference book at the Central Reference Library.

Ancestry  (Library edition)

• British Army WW1 Medals Roll Index Cards 1914-1920
• British Army WW1 Service Records 1914-1920
• British Army WW1 Pension Records 1914-1920.

Free online access to Ancestry (Library edition) is available to library members from any Calderdale Library.

Family history books

A collection of Family and Local History books for loan is now on display in the Central Reference Library.  These can be borrowed in the usual way - simply take your selection to the issue desk on the ground floor.

This initiative is proving to be a success, with titles such as "How to Research local History" by Pamela Brooks and "The Beginner's Guide to Tracing your Roots" by Diane Marelli  being very popular.

DVD recommendation

The Town from Hell? Halifax in the 16th and 17th Century

This documentary DVD gives an enthralling look into life in Halifax during the 16th and 17th centuries.  It covers the Halifax Gibbet, Civil War and the Textile Industry. It can be borrowed for a week, free of charge, from all libraries.

Calderdale Family History Society

Due to the refurbishment of Brighouse Library, Calderdale Family History Society| will soon be moving, temporarily, to Sowerby Bridge Library.

Contact Sowerby Bridge Library for further details: 01422 831627.

Todmorden and Walsden

For a glimpse into the history of this township visit Todmorden and Walsden|.

This is a fully illustrated site with biographies, wills, anecdotes and profiles of people from the past. Included are histories of mills, churches, mines, hamlets and pubs, plus transcriptions of the 1841 and 1851 censuses.  It is well worth a visit.

The photograph at the top of this newsletter shows a ceiling in Somerset House, Halifax. This and other architectural photos from the H.P. Kendall collection can be viewed in the Central Reference Library.

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