Chertsey Street, Guildford Circa 1901

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Julie Goucher

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Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 57

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Julie Goucher


Today is week 57 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week’s Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week’s prompt is – Life Chapters

  • Is your life divided into chapters?
  • How has that happened? Has it naturally evolved?
  • Can you easily reflect where one chapter ends and another begins?
    • Are there any surprises?
  • Are those Chapters determined by people and / or places / or significant events?
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Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 56

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Julie Goucher


Today is week 56 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week’s Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week’s prompt is – Clubs and Societies

  • Do you belong to any?
  • Do you have to belong to any?
  • Are there any you belonged to and now don’t?
  • What made you join them (and perhaps leave)?
  • What were they about?
  • Do you have membership details of organisations that family members belonged to?
  • What does it mean to belong to group / society / organisation?
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Russell & Bromley – High Street Guildford circa 1941

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Julie Goucher

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Scotland’s Future – The People have Spoken

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Julie Goucher

Scotland's Future: Your Guide to an…Yesterday was an important day in the history of Scotland, and the rest of the United Kingdom.

After a campaign of around two years, the people of Scotland took to the polling booths to vote on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom or not. Scots living outside of Scotland were not able to vote and non Scots living in Scotland were.
The world I am sure watched. We had various Politicians and former Politicians speaking out – Prime Minister Abbot from Australia, and Former US President Bill Clinton all said what they thought, they of course didn’t get a vote.
That task was left to the people of Scotland, including Mrs G senior.
The picture I have shown here is the policy booklet. It is a very hefty book, one now sits on my bookshelf as I used it for some writing fairly recently. The entire e-book can be downloaded from HERE. There is also a Referendum site HERE.
A few weeks ago, Mrs G senior mentioned that she was fed up with the Scotland debate, and even muttered that she might not vote. I was horrified and asked if she really knew what the vote was all about. There was a pause and a degree of hesitation. After a few moments she spoke and made the comment that whilst she was English, she has lived more than half her life in Scotland and did actually feel Scottish therefore  she really should vote shouldn’t she?
I encouraged her to vote, to exercise the right that many of her ancestors didn’t get to do. Voting is something that is democratic process and makes us as women equal amongst men. In some cultures and Countries there is no democracy. I don’t know if she voted or not, but the people of Scotland have spoken, in fact I read via Sky News online 

“A turnout of 86% is one of the highest in the democratic world for any election or any referendum in history – this has been a triumph for the democratic process and for participation in politics.”

The polling booths were open until 10pm last night and the vote counting and checking would have gone on well into the night. I awoke this morning and read the outcome of the vote and as I type this the final figures are not in, but the majority have spoken and made the decision to remain part of the United Kingdom.

What this means for Alex Salmond the Scottish MP who lead the debate I don’t know. There are promises of more autonomy from London. Decisions about Scotland being made in Scotland, by Scottish ministers. The “Say No” campaign had the slogan, “better together” and depending which side of the debate you were on will depend whether you agree on the sentiment of slogan.

From a historical and logistical purpose just what would have happened had the vote been yes?

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The In-Depth Genealogist – Digital Magazine – Issue 20 – OUT NOW!

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Julie Goucher

The next issue of the digital magazine is available NOW!

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You can read my Introduction post HERE and you can follow the column by visiting The In-Depth Genealogist website and subscribing via email or via twitter and Facebook.

You can read this month’s edition of Across the Pond HERE

Happy reading & researching!

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Book of Me, Written by You, Prompt 55

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Julie Goucher


Today is week 55 of what is going to be a 15 month project. Each Saturday, at around 12.30 am UK time I will release the prompt for that week’s Book of Me, Written by You.

If you are new here, welcome! The details, background flyer and Face Book link to the Book of Me can be found HERE.

This week’s prompt is – Movies

  • What is your feel good movie?
  • Can you remember the first time you went to the cinema?
    • What did you see?
    • Can you remember the price?
    • Who did you go with?
    • Recall those magical movie moments?
  • What is your favourite movie or favourite genre?
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    11th September 2001

    Posted on September 11, 2014 by Julie Goucher
    Image from
    carisasource.unblog.fr

    In the middle of August 2001 I was contacted by the friend of a friend. The email started

    “Hello, You don’t know me, but I was passed your email address and details from a friend, who is in turn friends with a friend of yours. Anyway, I was hoping that you would be able to undertake some genealogical research for me……”

    Over the coming weeks, we exchanged several emails, sharing snippets of our lives that were separated by the Atlantic. I delved into the genealogical research they required, shared my thoughts and wrote an email on 8th September 2001 which said that you need to follow the evidence. I suggested a plan and said I was heading to the National Archives in Kew the following week and to let me know as soon as possible if they wanted me to follow the evidence for them.
    On the day of the 11th September 2001 I got myself ready to work. I had to undertake a visit to a branch that was due to have an inspection from the local division of the Department of Health. Nothing dreadful, a routine visit and where there was no usual pharmacist on duty through a vacancy or holiday it was usual for area staff to attend.
    The branch in question was located in a medical consortium, which is quite unusual in England, but they do exist. Effectively a group of medical practices, buy land or the building and share general facilities. The waiting room for use of all patients of the several medical practices. In the waiting room was a television for the comfort of patients and this was usually tuned to a news channel or something that was likely not to be controversial.
    I was just about to leave, the official business concluded. We heard a series of gasps from the waiting room and turned to see what the problem was. We of course was greeted with the news of the dreadful events of 11th September 2001.
    Everyone stopped what they were doing. It was absolutely silent as the news unfolded. We stood there in absolute horror, and disbelief. I ensured the staff were okay and after about forty minutes left and made my way home, listening to the radio in the car and then to Sky News once I was home.
    I checked my email and there was nothing from my new friend in the US. I did the usual domestics, got dinner ready, sorted my work schedule for the for the next day and my period of annual leave. I wrote a long email to my boss, who had been on leave, giving him an update. Where all our stores operationally stood, the ones that might have issues, the rescue plans that I had put into place as a precaution and many other snippets, that he just needed to be aware of, all the while listening  and watching the news.
    I never heard again from my new friend and about three weeks later I heard via the friend of a friend that my new email buddy had lost their life in the dreadful events of that day.
    Today is a sad day, not just for America but for the world. People from across the globe lost their lives or had their lives changed that day.  It is fair to say, that from that day the world changed, for everyone, forever.  Everyone will recall what they did on 11th Sept 2001, in the same way as what they were doing when they heard the news that Princess Diana had died, or JFK.
    So today I will light a candle as I have done every year since those dreadful and tragic events.
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    One Note >>>Evernote

    Posted on September 10, 2014 by Julie Goucher

    Over the last year or so I have written about One-Note & Evernote several times.

    Evernote icon

    I have openly stated that I loved One-Note. Well the love affair is ending. It started several months ago, when an upgrade occurred. Suddenly it no longer looked or felt as comfortable as it once did. I persevered because it might all work out. I had that deep sense of dread at the pit of my tummy as I realised that I was fooling myself. It was time to move on.
    Yesterday I had a serious computer issue and as a result I had to reinstall Office, which also meant my OneNote files. Having got myself all sorted out and organised I realised that OneNote looked different. Not all my notebooks show, and what does show is not in the right order.Even moving them into the correct order doesn’t change the way it, or I feel.  All the material is there I think but for some reason it is different.

    I am irritated beyond belief.

    Whereas, on the other hand Evernote was downloaded and as soon as I logged in, everything looked exactly as it had done. Really it’s a no brainer isn’t it?

    So I guess I need to tidy up Evernote and start going through OneNote and transferring the material across. I am sure there is a export and import method, but this technological driven genealogist likes to do something’s the old fashion way!

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    Guildford Coat of Arms Circa 1915

    Posted on September 10, 2014 by Julie Goucher
    Published as part of the Ja Ja Series

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