James Family - West Dean (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, October 25, 2013, 13:12 (4042 days ago) @ downunder

As kindly reminded today by Slowhands on another post, a website that can be very usefull in linking C20th Foresters to their home addresses is the FoD Council Cemeteries site. It carries details for Burials since the 1950s or so, often including their precise home addresses etc. Like other sites be warned it can "object" if given too much input detail, I suggest just enter the surname and browse thro the results offered, I do hope it helps you.
http://www.fdean.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=6707&tt=graphic

This FoD forum is not intended for searching possibly living relatives.
For your particular enquiry I wonder if you'll be best served by an open letter to the local newspapers using your local contact. This prior thread may help
http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=41195

That said, that thread relates to The Forester paper which was always printed (still is) in Cinderford, the same business produces the free Review. Although it ostensibly covers the whole Forest, I wonder if the Parkend area was even better served by the Lydney Observer which I'm less familiar with ?.

Historically speaking, as far as I'm aware the Dean Forest Guardian was the main Forest paper every Thursday from the 1870s until dividing into the Lydney Observer & the DF Mercury in the 1920s. The Mercury and Observer rejoined to become "The Forester" in 1990. I've just phoned The Forester's Cinderford office and they confirm that there is no longer a Lydney Observer - instead different editions of The Forester are produced each week. These all share a common central core but will have different coverpages with an emphasis to the town in which it's sold, namely Cinderford, Coleford, Newent and Lydney. Indeed, this is just as it was back in the old days, they confirm the Lydney Observer was produced by the same business and possibly even printed alongside the Mercury in Cinderford.

Therefore for anyone wishing to lookup old copies of the Lydney Observer, these are archived just the same as the DF Mercury, so first port of call should be Cinderford library and then the Cinderford Office if no luck in the library microfilms. However it's stressed that the original copies of these large old broadsheets are bound together so are very awkward to handle and photocopy, plus both space and staff time is limited at the Office. Also sadly some of the papers are in poor condition thro' age or just by having illicit clippings taken in past public visits.

Re using online newspaper archives such as the BNA site, this prior thread may help wrt the coverage of the various sites after WW2, although of course such sites may have increased their coverage since I last looked(yes, now upto 1950). The Gloucester Citizen and particularly Journal often covered the more "notable" family weddings, anniversaries and special occasions, and the Family Notices (BMD) columns of course, so they may also help your researches. All new signed-up "members" to the BNA site can get a few free downloads from that excellent site, and NO spam emails etc, before the site's free access search engine (itself quite informative) begins to ask for subscriptions.
http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=36879