Rowena Abbott
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rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Rowena Abbott
@rowena-abbott.bsky.social
170 followers 92 following 650 posts
Genealogist | Devon-focused British family history | Historical handwriting enthusiast | Based in Sweden

#palaeography #släktforskning #Devon
https://rowenagenealogy.com/
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rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Rowena Abbott @rowena-abbott.bsky.social · Aug 25
My business is now two months old! I'm really enjoying it.
I'd very much appreciate you helping me spread the word: My services include 18-19th century #palaeography, #Devon focused British research and preliminary Swedish #genealogy. Sub-contracts especially welcome.
More info: rowenagenealogy.com
Rowena Abbott Genealogy
Professional Transcription and Family History Services
rowenagenealogy.com
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
The last #AncestryHour before the festivities begin, so Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and merriment to everyone else! I'll be with my partner's family tomorrow for Julafton, then celebrating #Christmas Day, just the two of us, the day after. I'm so looking forward to it!
A Christmas tree dressed in red and gold.
December 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Day 6 of Santa's Lost Wardrobe shows #Santa is clearly ready to party in a glorious pale green robe edged with white fur and sewn with gold beads. Check out those fancy gold-trimmed boots!
#Christmas #FatherChristmas
A Christmas card depicting Santa Clausin pale green carrying a knapsack of toys and a small fir tree. The text reads 'Joyeux Noel'.
December 23, 2025 at 7:51 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
#Santa, the Early Years for Day 5 of Santa's Lost Wardrobe: a surprisingly slim figure in muted green and brown with a fur-lined blue hat.
#Christmas #FatherChristmas
A slim Santa Claus in muted green spots a couple of hares as he strides through the snow, sack on his back and tree propped on his shoulder.
December 22, 2025 at 6:25 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Well worth it. Effective learning with a relaxed group intrigued by deciphering old handwriting.
#Palaeography #FamilyHistory
manuscriptmondays.bsky.social Manuscript Mondays @manuscriptmondays.bsky.social · 3d
Unlock the past, one word at a time. Manuscript Mondays are monthly online Palaeography Classes - pay as you go, friendly, and open to all levels.

👉 Email [email protected] to reserve your place

#Palaeography #FamilyHistory #Archives #Manuscripts
December 22, 2025 at 9:06 AM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
A Merry Winter #Solstice to all!
Doubling as Day 4 of #Santa 's Lost Wardrobe: a pale green button-up overcoat with matching cape trimmed in red.
#Christmas
Father Christmas in pale green and carrying a small fir tree beside the words 'Happy Yule' on a background of holly.
December 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
For Day 3 of #Santa 's Lost Wardrobe, we have two charming ensembles in shades of purple, one matching theirs with a red fur-lined cap.
#Christmas
Two Victorian cards showing Santa Claus wearing a purple robe and standing in a snow forest.
December 20, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
ancestralenq.bsky.social
Historians in Buckfastleigh, Devon are mapping & documenting the locations of graves in the churchyard of the The Holy Trinity Church which burnt down in 1992 taking the parish records with it. 👇
BBC News - Group mapping graves for future generations
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Group mapping graves in Devon for future generations
Amateur historians in Buckfastleigh document the locations of graves in a local churchyard.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Day 2 of #Santa 's Lost Wardrobe. Keeping it natural with a robe of brown and a holly crown.
#Christmas #FatherChristmas
Victorian image of Santa Claus wearing a brown robe and crown of holly, carrying a sack of toys and a small fir tree.
December 19, 2025 at 6:20 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
For the final #GenHour before #Christmas , I present Santa in his previous, expanded wardrobe, today showcasing shades of blue.

(Forgive me, I don't know where to credit the image.)
Four historical pictures of Santa Claus from different countries, wearing blue
December 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
#GenHour
oneplacestudies.bsky.social Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 7d
Great news from FreeUKGenealogy! Donations were short of the amount sought, but with Gift Aid the total tops the target. So work on FreePRO can begin, with the scanning of probate calendars, the use of OCR to generate text, and the correction of errors by volunteers.

#Genealogy #OnePlaceStudies
Free UK Genealogy. Human transcription of family history data. FreeBMD. FreeReg. FreeCen. We did it. Thanks to incredible supporters like you who pledged their support, we raised £24,836 during the Big Give Christmas Challenge. With Gift Aid, we've actually surpassed our target, raising a total of £30,247.33 – and that means FreePRO is becoming a reality.
December 18, 2025 at 8:08 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Well #AncestryHour , how are you getting on with your wills? I've had seven arrive, one No Find (my fault), awaiting five more. So far, the most interesting thing is my 2x great-grandmother gave one of her grand-daughters a sewing machine while the other got a gold bracelet and necklet...
December 16, 2025 at 7:15 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
#GenHour
genealcymru.bsky.social Dai Davies of GenealCymru @genealcymru.bsky.social · 14d
Anyone notice that Ancestry has a year-end "wrapped" now too? Turns out I've looked at a couple records through the year (though I feel like this was a slow year for my Ancestry use) #Genealogy
Screenshot from Ancestry saying: "You dug deep and viewed 17, 914 records this year."
December 11, 2025 at 8:28 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Wills have begun to trickle in! Naturally, the first I opened was a No Find. I immediately wrote to them, in pompous righteousness, only to learn that I had in fact messed up - or rather, my sight had - and written '18' instead of '13'. Really regret putting off getting those glasses now... #GenHour
December 11, 2025 at 8:06 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Donate to Free UK Genealogy's FreePRO project and have your donation matched - only for the next nineteen hours! FreePRO aims to provide a free-to-search probate index (1854-1943).
#familyhistory #genealogy
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Help deliver a unique FreePROBATE search service – Big Give
Free UK Genealogy provides free online access to over 500 million family history records, so anyone can build their own …
donate.biggive.org
December 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Great talk by Susannah Coster via @sogorg.bsky.social today. She made tracing post office ancestors and their history interesting whilst also providing helpful resources and knowledge. #GenHour
December 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
TNA will be increasing certain fees on 2nd February next year, particularly requesting military service records.
#AncestryHour
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/t...
The National Archives Updates Service Fees - The National Archives
From 2 February 2026, The National Archives will increase fees for some services as we bring charges in line with current delivery costs. This is the first increase since 2019. The changes affect fees...
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
December 2, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
ancestralenq.bsky.social
A man's mission to identify hundreds of unmarked grave plots at New London Road nonconformist cemetery, Chelmsford, Essex. 👇
BBC News - Man's mission to locate graves at old Chelmsford cemetery - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Man's mission to locate graves at old Chelmsford cemetery
Plumber Mark Rogers is appealing for help as he attempts to map out the Chelmsford cemetery.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 30, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
familytreemag.bsky.social
Census enumerators either wrote like calligraphers or like they were being chased. There’s no middle ground. #genealogy #FamilyHistory
November 12, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
katestrasdin.bsky.social
Skimming across the ice #1870s style did not have to be a dull affair. Imagine this absolute cluster of colour whizzing by, on some frozen lake past. Movement was absolutely possible too, just check out YouTube for the proof via various makers #FIDMMuseum #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
An action filled photograph of a mannequin posed in an1870s winter ice skating ensemble consisting of layered skirts, a blue wide sleeved mantle with a shawl and warm hat/scarf tied at the neck
November 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
genealogrebecca.bsky.social
#GenHour #AncestryHour

I think (hope) everyone on here would get a kick out of this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_xV...
The Family Tree Is So Boring
YouTube video by Foil Arms and Hog
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
Waiting for those cheap cheap wills... Don't mess with me on this gov.uk! #AncestryHour
a black and white photo of a young boy with his hand on his chin .
ALT: a black and white photo of a young boy with his hand on his chin .
media.tenor.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:41 PM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
A teenage fashion fad I could totally get behind. Lead the way, kid!
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
socalleslie.bsky.social
CA endemic bird Yellow billed magpies, very limited range. Gorgeous, vocal and intelligent Corvids. I hung out with about 20 of them in the oak studded wine country of Paso Robles a few days ago. Always a treat. Lots of interactions with Acorn woodpeckers also, each doing their own thing. 🪶🌿
All four photos are a California endemic bird called a yellow billed magpie found nowhere else on earth.
November 9, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Rowena Abbott
fhsofcheshire.bsky.social
. @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social's #FridayRoundUp

New data sets for UK/Ireland from Ancestry

🚩𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤, 𝐆𝐚𝐨𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝟏𝟕𝟗𝟏-𝟏𝟖𝟕𝟖
🚩𝐔𝐊, 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟗-𝟓𝟗
🚩𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 𝟏𝟖𝟎𝟔-𝟑𝟏
🚩𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫,𝐖𝐖𝐈𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

Full list of ALL updates in sceenshot with #AltText as always
New at Ancestry - Suffolk, England, Gaol Records, 1791-1878; Providence, Rhode Island, Plymouth Union Church Records, 1750-1871; Providence, Rhode Island, Voter Lists, 1770-1848; UK, Military Service Records, 1939-1959; Ireland, Customs Officer Pension Index, 1806-1831; Westminster, England, World War II Records, 1939-1945; Canada, Orders in Council Exit Visas Including War Brides, 1942-1946.
November 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM
rowena-abbott.bsky.social
It's getting tense watching the wills price hike approach whilst I still haven't had time to even collate a list of what I need! #GenHour
November 6, 2025 at 8:30 PM