The Waddelow Society’s 12th AGM
Held at the Little Downham Village Centre

The weather was mainly dry with a cold wind and it was a very grey day

We met at the Anchor at mid-day and although there were so many of us we were quickly served with a very good lunch. We then assembled at the Village Hall for the meeting, which was well attended with 47 members and friends present.

The Chairman, Rev. Jonathan Calvert, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone from far and near expressing his pleasure that so many were able to attend. He gave a special welcome to first time members and also to Valerie and Roger who had come over from Spain especially for the meeting

Apologies were received from Walter French, Ian Snowden and Susan Ward. Jonathan invited members to sign a book to record their attendance at the meeting. The minutes of the AGM 2000 were read and adopted

The financial report was given by Susan, the Treasurer, who reported that the income from subscriptions was £392.05p. Outgoings were £358.35p giving a surplus of £33.70p, Susan thanked Mr. Bruce Frost for examining the accounts and producing a statement. It was the last time he was able to give this service and it was hoped that someone could be found who was able and willing to step into the breach. Members who had not done so already were invited to pay their subscriptions.

Then followed the Secretary’s remarks. Ethel said that in spite of floods, snow, foot and mouth disease and the hassle of the election date as well as our own individual problems we had all managed to meet again. She thanked everyone for their loyal support, which was proof that the pursuit of family history was worthwhile. We have become a very happy family and enjoy our annual get together.

The Officers who were willing to stand for another year they were elected en bloc.

Dora announced that there was some doubt about future availability of sweatshirts and we would be informed later. She had brought along the memorabilia collection, which was on display.

Susan gave details of floppy discs and CD-ROM’s available and would be happy to talk to anyone interested in buying them.

Valerie Parsons spoke of the cost of ink cartridges as the magazine was now being produced on a computer printer. Had Susan investigated prices? Susan had found that W.H.Smith was the cheapest

The final item on the programme was an interesting talk given by Mrs. Judy Ball, Secretary of the Little Downham Society. She told of how the Society was formed and about its aims. The fee for one year’s membership is £3. They have speakers at each meeting on such topics as Archaeology, Ely Cathedral, antiques, wartime experiences etc. The Society is interested in conservation, We were told of Pingle Wood within the village. In the 13^th century the Bishop’s Palace where the Bishop would spend his holidays was built in the village. According to Domesday Book the population in 1088 was 185 people.

Little Downham means "Settlement on a Hill". The Society is interested in all aspects of village life. Mrs. Ball also spoke of the Feoffees Trust, which aided the elderly people of the village. The church had recently undergone restoration work and some changes had taken place within the church. The first service was held on Palm Sunday

There are many activities in keeping with village life. There is a thriving day centre as well as a Nursing Home and sheltered accommodation for the elderly.

Finally everyone was invited to move around and talk to people if only to ask why they were there, pay subscriptions and of course enjoy Claud’s very welcome cup of tea.

But in spite of all these and our own individual problems, here we are again! Your continued loyal support is very much appreciated and it is proof of the fact that we find that the pursuit of our family history is worthwhile and that you enjoy it. We have melded into a very happy family and enjoy our annual get together.

THE MAGAZINE

We re now in our twelfth year and this year sees the completion of our third volume of the magazine. Our first magazines were produced on an early word processor and I’ll read you a criticism of the magazine in its early stages. It was published in the Journal of One-Name Studies, affectionately known as the GOONS.

I’d like to read just the flattering bits but I’ll let you have it in full – warts an’ all,

"Waddelow Society Magazine, Volume 1, Nos 1-3, Spring, Summer and Autumn 1989. Published quarterly by Mrs. E M Taylor, 12 Little Aston Hall, Aldridge Road, Little Aston, Sutton Coldfield B74 3BH.

"These first three issues of The Waddelow Society Magazine look extremely attractive. The A4 format allows for generous and clear family trees and the reproduction of documents I liked the provision of a Contents page and the use of coloured pages to indicate material relating to one branch of the family. However the Editor should have included her name and address in Numbers 2 & 3"

There is sufficient room to give lists of Waddelows in St., Catherine’s House indexes and parish registers for keen researchers, without boring the less family history oriented readers who are well catered for with up-to-date family news, photographs, illustrations and newspaper cuttings, all part of the one name family ‘archive’.

However there are one or two points which on closer inspection reveal a lack of proof reading. In the first issue, page 11, the family tree which appears to be computer generated, includes an amazing gentleman who fathered a family over a period of 15 years prior to his birth in 1742. Also for the purpose of clarity dates are best expressed showing the month in words, since a date given as three numbers can prove very confusing. The order in the USA is month, day, year and NOT day, month and year as in the UK.

Nevertheless, this is a very pleasant Journal which provides a useful forum for Waddelow research and I m sure it will prosper".

Each of the three volumes is marked with a different front cover each of which is an improvement on the one before as we progressed to a PC with colour.

The final step of progress is with the present issue, which is entirely the work of Susan, who, in spite of heavy commitments has produced an excellent copy. Her computer skills leave me way behind and I’m very grateful to her. She is much quicker than I am. I am still dealing with correspondence and have several projects in mind. We appreciate all your contributions to the magazine.

THE PHOTOCOPIER

I still conserve the use of he photocopier to a few small jobs. As I have said before, this machine is under a death sentence and we are told that if it goes wrong again it can’t be repaired as parts can no longer be obtained. So now it’s a case of "Steady on, Ethel. Can copying be done in any other way?" The recent magazine has been produced by Susan on her computer printer and has the added attraction of colour being added to the pages. The question is what will the cost be compared with the photocopier, which costs us one penny per copy. I bought two ink cartridges recently, a black one and a colour one, which cost £59.98. I see no way in which we can measure how many copies we get from cartridges

ACCOUNTS

We are always very grateful to Bruce Frost and the Littleport Society for their interest and support and we are indebted to Bruce for providing our annual financial statement. We’re now looking for someone who can examine our accounts and provide a statement. If you feel you can help in this way or can recommend someone who might be able to do it, we would like to hear from you.

THE INTERNET

We are finding the Internet very useful in making contact with others who are interested in Waddelows, Wadlows and other variants. Stan has done a of work with a Wadlow family who have joined us to-day. Janet Ormeshaw found our web site and she and Stan have collaborated in an attempt to compile her family tree and find there is a link with John Woodilow and Rose Geary who married in 1773 at Grimston. This family tree appeared in Volume No 1, Issue No.4. Numerous emails have gone backwards and forwards. We are pleased to have Janet and her family here to day.

So we are grateful for progress so far and my thanks go to all those who have contributed in so many ways to our success, and we are looking forward to a bright future for the Society.

Since the meeting took place Roger Parsons has agreed to deal with our accounts and provide an end of year statement. It has been pointed out to us that W H Smith sells printer cartridges at low prices.

Send mail to susan@fwaterhouse.freeserve.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Waddelow Society
Last modified: January 11, 2002