Lea Valley u3a

Leaders: Mary and Laurence Cole

The group aims to assist members to research their own Family History by getting to know the various resources which are available to members of the public.

For several years, we have met as a group approximately once a month to discuss problems with tracing our ancestors and to plan visits to local archives etc. We make use of the expertise and experience within the group, and regularly use the LVu3a projector to link to online sites to help people break through their ‘brick walls’.

Meetings take place on the first Monday morning in each month, (except for August and Bank Holiday Mondays) at the Hoddesdon Methodist Church Hall, Middlefield Rd., Hoddesdon, EN11 9ED. There is normally ample car parking space at the Hall.

To ensure sufficient money is to hand to pay for the hall hire, there is a fixed annual group membership fee, which is currently £15 per person (2019).

Recent News (January 2022)

During the Covid crisis we kept monthly meetings going on Zoom, we are now meeting back at the Hoddesdon Methodist Church, (subject to further restrictions).  We have been observing safety rules with masks, hand sanitiser and good ventilation.

We have had a variety of topics for our meetings:  talking about treasured family artifacts, using Ancestry DNA; ...  as well as assisting each other with difficulties encountered in our family history research.  In some ways Zoom helped us see internet sites more clearly than on the projected screen at the church, but we have all looked forward to getting back together in person.

In November we assisted at the Lowewood Museum Family History Open Day and compiled our own exhibition related to some of our member's family history from the first and second world war.  We also provided a help desk for members of the public at Lowewood, which kept Mike, Laurence and Mary very busy!

In December, we were able to hold our usual Christmas meeting, and after talking with each other on the topic  “I wish my ancestor had told me that..” we had our traditional Christmas nibbles.

In this new year, all family historians are looking forward to the release of the 1921 census, and to have the opportunity to find out more about our ancestors of a century ago.

We hope that before long we will be able to get back to organising some visits and excursions.

For more information please e-mail us via :- lvu3a@live.co.uk

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