Researching family history at Frome Library

We wanted to share a little about the local, social and family history resources at Frome Library. Some require library membership while others are available to everyone able to make a visit. We’ll go on to share some of the Frome societies and groups that we benefit from, and in future we would like to feature those local to our surrounding towns and villages.

Over the next few weeks, we’d like to use our own research, in family and local history, to show how we make use of these resources. We might share some of the frustrations and obstacles we regularly encounter too, and some of the ways we work our way through. We’d really like contributions from you as well, so please get in touch with us on friendsoffromelibrary@gmail.com if you’ve unearthed a branch of your ancestors, researched your house or workplace, or discovered other social histories of Frome.

Most of all, we’d like to hear from you - whether you’re used to researching online, still deciding how to begin, or possibly daunted by the amount of choice. Maybe you’re confident accessing archival material, or, like us, get endless pleasure from seeking out an ancestor’s crumbling headstone in a remote churchyard.

Our first post will describe what we have learned about Lottie Giddings, a young woman who lived and worked here in Frome in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Lottie is memorialised through a plaque at the Frome Wesley Methodist Church.

Although a work in progress, researching Lottie’s life has led to our making local connections and surfacing questions as relevant today as during Lottie’s life. Most of all, it has reinforced our sense of history as a rich resource through which we might make a little more sense of the present. If you are a descendent or friend of the Giddings family, we’d love to hear from you.

Finally, a plug for some of the ways in which people in Frome give their time, knowledge and skill to enrich our historical appreciation:

Resources at Frome library

Our library, like all Somerset libraries, offers free to members the Ancestry Library Edition of one of the most popular family history platforms. You can only access this in the library, but it’s a brilliant way to begin and easier still if you’re able to bring your own laptop along to use. We’ve also found the Access to Research really useful, with over 8000 research journals available, again within the library.

The extensive Local History section is located upstairs (lift access also available).

Frome’s local history groups and societies ‍ ‍

Frome Family History Group meets upstairs at the Cheese & Grain on the last Tuesday of each month (except August and December), talks starting at 7.30pm and lasting about one hour - entrance fee is £4 plus a small raffle! Their website is: romefamilyhistorygroup.co.uk for more information.

Frome Library’s History Group – free to all, the first Wednesday of every month, 11am – 12 noon, just come along and join in! Check Frome Library’s Facebook page for more details.

Frome Museum – a good friend of Friends of Frome Library! We feel incredibly lucky to have our wonderful museum just a short walk from the library, as well as a beautiful website and fully searchable catalogue. They also have a cabinet within the library (located upstairs), showcasing selected artefacts from their current exhibitions. https://frome-museum.org/

Frome Research – a free resource for everyone who would like to find out more about the history of Frome, its people and its surroundings. https://fromeresearch.co.uk/

Frome Society for Local Study – an amazing resource including the Yearbooks and other publications, as well as dedicated events and trips. https://fromesociety.wordpress.com/

Frome Festival – always packed with history talks, walks and good company, although book early. https://fromefestival.co.uk/

Local/regional Archives

These include Somerset Archives, Bristol Archives and Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre – all require a little planning and some trekking, but well worth it for the family researcher.

Thank you for reading.

Sue, Marilyn and Julie.

‍Friends of Frome Library (FOFL) Committee member, Sue Leather, is also the Programme Secretary for the Frome Family History Group. Sue has researched the histories of people, houses, and communities professionally and for many years. Marilyn Hunt, FOFL Committee member, is an experienced family history researcher with strong links to Scotland, in particular the Isle of Skye, and is part of Frome Library’s History Group. Julie Wintrup is FOFL’s Secretary, and a keen family history researcher, currently discovering the way local archives can be used to deepen and contextualise local and family research. We can be reached on friendsoffromelibrary@gmail.com