An author researching the lives of the Bilbrough family, residents of Beech Grove Terrace in Woodhouse, Leeds, contacted us recently with a very specific interpretation request that needs the assistance of our readers… One of the Bilbroughs in the family I am researching wrote some of his diary entries in a form of shorthand. I…
Category: Family History
The kitten that makes you rethink your existence
This week on the blog we hear from guest author Struan Yallup, who brings us the tale of how a tragic accident shines a light on remarriage in Victorian Leeds – and on why you were born. This story isn’t actually about a cat. The story only happened because of a cat. This story is…
Family History Fact Checking – Part 4
This week’s article is the final part of Becky’s quest to discover the facts about Peaches Cottage in Middleton. Read parts one, two and three before starting this article. Welcome back to the last part in our series of articles about family history fact checking, using Peaches Cottage Middleton as a starting point. Previously I have been…
Family History Fact Checking – Part 2
This is the second part of a four part series. Read part one here. The purpose of this series of articles is to demonstrate how you can use the resources of the Local and Family History department to conduct a fact checking exercise. Family historians will frequently encounter assertions, facts and descriptions that seem completely…
Family History Fact Checking – Part 1
This week we welcome back Becky from the Local and Family History Library who tells us about a recent enquiry and how she went about solving it. The enquiry came from a customer keen to track down a photo of a home that their family used to inhabit: I am trying to find a photograph…
For Evermore – Stories of the Fallen
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…
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 Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 