Your Ancestors

16/11/2025

Have you found your ancestors in the census? Discover our complete guide to these crucial family history records:

16/11/2025

At our Aberdeen meeting on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, Karen Shaw will introduce William Smith — an Aberdeen-born artist and explorer whose remarkable life included connections with royalty, tall ships, and the Scottish Women’s Hospital.

Karen Shaw has had a long-standing interest in local history and genealogy and has spent the past decade volunteering and working on projects across the North East. With a background in secondary and higher education as a librarian, she also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Genealogy from the University of Strathclyde.

She recently launched her own website, Hame and Hearth, and has previously contributed articles to our Journal and given talks on her research. For the past five years, her focus has been on the men and women from the North East of Scotland who volunteered with the Scottish Women’s Hospital during the First World War — exploring who they were and how their lives unfolded before, during, and after the war.

Join us from 2 pm—4 pm on Saturday, 22nd November 2025 at the the Fountainhall (formerly Rubislaw) Centre, 1 Beaconsfield Place, Aberdeen AB15 4AB or online via Zoom.

Joining us from home? Please register in advance by logging in to our website and clicking:

https://www.anesfhs.org.uk/meetings-events/aberdeen-meetings/event/485-abd2025nov

This is an open meeting and everyone is welcome. If you're not a member of the Society and wish to join the online meeting, please email us at syllabus@anesfhs.org.uk to request an invitation link.

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

15 November 1847: Sir James Young Simpson announced his discovery of the anaesthetic properties of chloroform, which he had first used in a childbirth on 8 November. This announcement, publicised in The Scotsman newspaper, marked a significant moment in surgery and obstetrics, leading to the widespread adoption of chloroform for its pain-relieving properties. Resistance to its use in childbirth was met with Simpson's insistence on its use during regular labour, a stance ultimately validated when Queen Victoria used chloroform during the birth of Prince Leopold in 1853.

15/11/2025

15/11/2025

During World War II, a global trade blockade cut N**i Germany off from many imported goods; including the most famous soft drink in the world, Coca-Cola.

The German branch of Coca-Cola, unable to import the syrup and ingredients needed for production, faced a crisis. In 1940, its head of operations in Germany, Max Keith, came up with a creative solution.

Using whatever was available, he invented a new beverage made from apple scraps, whey, and beet sugar. He called it Fanta, short for Fantasie the German word for “imagination.”

Fanta was born out of necessity, not luxury. Wartime shortages forced Keith’s team to experiment with food by-products from the cheese and cider industries.

The result was a pale, fruit-flavored drink that looked and tasted very different from the bright orange version known today.

Its flavor varied depending on what ingredients were available. Despite the limitations, it quickly became popular across wartime Germany, where it served as both a refreshment and a substitute for Coca-Cola.

15/11/2025

15/11/2025

Greg Parke shared this colourised image of the city from many years back. Thanks for sharing Greg.

15/11/2025

Explore modern witchcraft in a new light and its connections to feminism and political movements throughout history. Followed by Q&A.

15/11/2025

Tickets are now available for New Pitsligo Public Hall - Greg Chapman’s Discovery of Witchcraft at New Pitsligo Public Hall, Fraserburgh on Sunday 19th April 2026. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!