I was passing by my local library this weekend, in St Helier, when I spotted that they were having a Local History Fayre. I couldn’t resist heading up the stairs to find out more!
There were workshops happening to help you trace your family tree and free talks on a variety of local books, Journalism in Jersey, plus another one on the Jersey Archive.
I particularly found interesting the different stands that had been set up. Ranging over various aspects of island life from local old postcards, to the subject of World War I, The German Occupation and Jersey Buses. There was even a table from the northern most Channel Island of Alderney and, needless to say, those stalls specially tailored to help in tracing Jersey ancestors .
As you would expect, from an event held in Jersey and billed as a Local History Fayre, there were a number of representatives from the main repositories of Jersey family history documents and resources. I was pleased to see that the Jersey Archive was represented by none other than its Head of Archives and Collections, Linda Romeril.
On the Société Jersiaise stand was the friendly face of Anna Baghiani, the Lord Coutanche Library’s Assistant & Education Officer. Anna had been of great help to me when I was carrying out some Jersey history research in this learned society’s collections in the past.
The Channel Islands Family History Society was there with a table of helpful books and a member willing to give help to anyone looking to enquire into their Channel Island family history.
Also present were stalls for local historians promoting their latest book.
I have to admit that I enjoyed my all too brief visit to Jersey Library this weekend, made all the more pleasant by bumping into an old friend and local history researcher who was doing some work in the reference section while there.
I do hope that this Local History Fayre will return again soon!
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Books on Channel Island Ancestors
Pen & Sword books have the following editions of Marie-Louise Backhurst’s very comprehensive book on Tracing Your Channel Island Ancestors for sale. If you have ancestors from any of the Channel Isles then, in my opinion, you couldn’t do better than taking a look at this volume!
Check out the different editions with these links:
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