As Remembrance Day approaches, we hear about a Commonwealth War Graves Commission project to remember those who lost their life in the First and Second World Wars. Since 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has maintained a record of all those who died serving in British Imperial forces in the two World Wars. Those…
Category: Family History
The Lives of Two Sisters from Leeds who Emigrated to the United States in the 19th Century
This week we welcome guest author Justin Baer. Justin got in touch with us after researching some West Yorkshire people who made their lives in the 19th-century United States. An extract from his research can be read below, and you can access the full piece in our Local and Family History department at the Central…
Basinghall Telephone Exchange
This week’s post is a request from one of our customers – see the poster below for more information. You can contact us on 0113 37 86982 or via localandfamilyhistory@leeds.gov.uk and we can pass your message to the customer.
The 1921 census is now on Ancestry
Today we are rejoicing in Local and Family History because the 1921 census is available on Ancestry! Regular readers will know that you can use Ancestry for free at any Leeds Library as part of our digital offering. Here’s some reasons why you should be excited about the 1921 census too. It reflects changes in…
Great War Territorial Volunteer – Frederick Luff
The third and final post in Library and Digital Assistant Becky Bavill’s series exploring the lives and careers of some Leeds soldiers during World War I. You can see all the articles in this series by clicking here, or read the original article that sparked this research here. Fred Luff is mentioned in the diary…
Great War Territorial Volunteer – Eric Stowell
We welcome Library and Digital Assistant Becky Bavill back to the Secret Library Leeds this week, for another short biography of a Leeds soldier in World War I. Keep a look out for one more article in this series coming soon… Eric Stowell is mentioned in the diary of William Smith. I found two links…
Great War Territorial Volunteer – Percy Longfield
We welcome Library and Digital Assistant Becky Bavill this week on the Secret Library Leeds, who follows up her superb three-part investigation of a First World War diary with a short biography of another Leeds soldier of the time. Keep a look out for two more articles in this series coming soon… Percy Longfield is…
A mysterious diary from the Great War (Part 3 of 3)
We welcome Library and Digital Assistant Becky Bavill back to the Secret Library this week, for a brilliantly-researched story to mark Armed Forces Day on June 29. This is the third and final part of a three part series that has run throughout June, alongside a full programme of Leeds Libraries events. You can find…
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 