Akehurst Family History Society

The 2024 meeting was at the Umbrella Centre, Canterbury, Kent, on the weekend of 28-29 September 2024.

We kicked off with coffee/tea, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. The Get Together was opened by David Evans, Chairman of the Akehurst F.H.S., followed by an introduction to the display by Morwenna Akehurst. This was followed by a refreshments break.

"Trees, Branches, Twigs, and Leaves" – Introduction: Share your tree and discuss any challenges.

Lunch break – options include a local café or bring your own.

Following lunch, there was a presentation by Peter Ewart on "When in Need: Records of the Parish Overseer." The panel session – "How Can We Help?" Bring your problem, and let's see if we can find a solution together.

David Akehurst gave a presentation on "Archiving Your Family History." This was followed by the group photograph. We wrapped up the day and met for dinner at the local Italian restaurant.

Sunday, 29 September 2024

This was an early start with a church service at the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral, followed by coffee/tea upon arrival, alongside displays of trees, branches, twigs, and leaves.

The biennial meeting of the Akehurst F.H.S. included planning for the 2025 and 2026 Get Togethers. Over coffee, we had time to chat, look at the family trees on display, and add any new branches, photos, etc.

We then addressed the "Brick Walls" – discussing the brick walls submitted during the ‘roll call’ at the Get Together.

We then closed the meeting and all went into Canterbury to the Kent Museum of Freemasonry, where Richard Wingate and Peter Hazlewood gave a presentation on the world's oldest secular fraternal organization, originating from medieval stonemason guilds.

Following lunch break, we continued with the "Brick Walls" – a continuation of addressing the brick walls submitted during the ‘roll call’. We finally had a chance to tackle the trees.

Bringing the weekend to a close, we took another group photograph, and the meeting came to a close, with the door closed for another year.

We all met up for a final dinner for the next two years.