From: "Maggie Perkins" > The following is available for a short trial period and will, I'm > sure, be of interest to many of you. > > http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/palci07?id=trial&db=BNCN > > Maggie.> Thanks for posting that. I was aware that the British Newspaper Library are digitising their collection, but I wasn't sure how far they'd got. It's extraordinary the things you can learn about your ancestors from old newspapers, as I am always telling people when I lecture on the topic. I found on the website above an item about a great-uncle of mine, Thomas Henry Stockdill, who entered a vocal contest at Bradford, Yorks, in 1873 and was runner-up in the comic song section. The report even gave the name of the song he sang - "The Milkman of Fairweather Green", which sounds ever so slightly rude to me. I wonder if it was about milkmen and local housewives? Now that is what I really call family history trivia! -- Roy Stockdill Professional genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE

Hello Roy, You wrote > > I found on the website above an item about a great-uncle of mine, > Thomas Henry Stockdill, who entered a vocal contest at Bradford, Yorks, > in 1873 and was runner-up in the comic song section. The report even > gave the name of the song he sang - "The Milkman of Fairweather > Green", which sounds ever so slightly rude to me. I wonder if it was about > milkmen and local housewives? > > Now that is what I really call family history trivia! I too when searching my Yorkshire John Poskitts came across a singer. An opera singer appearing in a Show in London - I found this quite surprising. Another John Poskitt, a carter, was fined 1/- at the Hull Police Court on the 29th March 1867. This was for leaving his horse and cart without anyone in charge. No yellow lines in the road or speed cameras then but things don't really change! Difficult at the moment to know if these Johns are mine. there are some more 400 or so similar yet to look at! Maggie