Photo Gallery
The Photo Gallery keeps on growing as additional photos being added all the time. For those of you with Ruardean connections we now have a picture of the Ladies Skittle Team to compliment the photo we've had for some time of the Mens Team. There is only one name to identify on the photo of the ladies so lets hope some one can tell us who it is. Also, you can see some interesting newspaper clipping which have been recently added. Take a look at the' Latest Additions' in the Photo Gallery
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Message Board
Thanks to all of you who have helped out with answers. As usual Slowhands is doing a sterling job in putting a lot of census details and general information about the Forest on the board which is there for reference for all and can be searched.

For those of you who use RSS Newsreaders you can be kept right up to date with postings on the Forest of Dean Message Board by adding the following URL to your subscribe list:
feed://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=rss

Alternatively, just head your browser to the home page of the FOD Genealogy Pages, as I've scripted the RSS feed to come directly onto that page and it updates automatically soon after a new message has been posted.
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Surname Interests
This Research Register has been made available so that you can quickly find out who is researching a particular surname together with the location they lived. We've now gone past 400 submissions and is a good place to find researchers who have a common interest.
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History in the Forest
The Hale Family of Nailbridge are kindly making available to us a fascinating story of the 'Early Days' of their family. Sam Hale is currently typing it up and he has already completed one part of the story which I can tell you makes wonderful reading for anybody who has an interest in the Forest.

Quote from Sam Hale:
"A short history written up for my late grandfather on the family and Hale and Co. and on Northern United Colliery, which goes back to Aaron Hale of Ruardean in 1670, he was a collier and not until Cornelius Hale was born in 1800 did the family move just down the road to Nailbridge where he set up his Blacksmiths in 1830. It is amazing to think that the business which developed on this site is still going today and still in the family. In 2007 it will be 80 years since the name Hale and Co was registered. One interesting fact is that my great great grandfather, John Hale, the blacksmith recalled fixing the chains on one of the dancing bears that were killed in Ruardean in the 1890s."
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Additions
If you would like to see additional items or have ideas for the FOD Genealogy Pages that would help in your research, please let me know and I will see if I can accommodate them.
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Enjoy