I have had an interesting amount of emails from members, and potential members, on top of a surprise email from a 2nd cousin once removed of mine, living in Scotland who found the society website and made contact through that. As predicted, our website is where most of our enquiries come from worldwide. In the majority of cases people are requesting information on their family so this is when encouragement is given for them to join our society and we can then share knowledge.

Brian Relf, our President, answers a lot of these enquiries along with Steve Chapman, our GOONS representative and Membership Interests, and occasionally I get involved.

I think that most of the Relf data that has been amassed over the years is held by us three and to this end discussions have begun on how we can compile a master index of this information, not always easy when we are all using different formats, but a good start has been made and data has begun to be exchanged between us, so we are hopeful that one day we will achieve our goal.

One set of data that Steve Chapman kindly sent me was his extracts from the 1901 census, very interesting they were too. Besides finding a lot of my Relf family listed as Rolfs, I found two branches, which had moved from the Benenden area of Kent, north up into the Gravesend area and another branch that had moved to Eastbourne in Sussex. Shame I did not find this out before we went to last year's reunion in Eastbourne!

Jenny Mayes, #152, who has recently joined our society, sent me a Family Tree Maker File of her Relf family which is yet another branch belonging to Cranbrook. Some of you belong to this branch and those of you who attend the annual reunion and AGM will remember it being one of the largest Relf trees we have and that it is a collection of Relf family trees stuck together and is now too large to copy. So the time has come to put it on computer, no mean task because of the size and also to try to check data again as much more information is now available compared with when some the originals were researched. I have made a start and it did not take too long to realise that it would take some time to complete, if ever, as information is being found and added all the time. I am using Family Tree Maker to collate this information, which is also used by our President. It would be nice to think that that most other members with computers are using this or similar programmes.

Perhaps you could tell us what you are using.

Only two lots of information have been passed to our archives this time, an A4 sheet sent to us by Rhoda Windiate-Blackmore, #006, listing Relfs who were paying Poor Rates in 1827 as well as other bits of information on Burwash.

Two A4 sheets sent in by Steve Chapman, #003, on descendents of John Relf born 1844, Brightling, Sussex and who died in 1921 in Reading, Berkshire. These include the Cricketing Relfs, the most famous being Albert Edward Relf, born Burwash 1874 and died 1937 Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire.

Now, for the first time, we are all just a few clicks away from bringing the complete indexes of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales from 1837 to 2000 into our own home. It will probably be on line by the time you are reading this www.1837online.com

Good hunting.

Chris Relf, #029

Society Archive News - from The Wolfpack Volume 12 Edition 1 (2003)

I have just added a group picture of the members who attended the last reunion, September 2002 at Eastbourne. There are more pictures of this occasion currently on our Society website www.relfsociety.org.

Shirley Barrow, #150, has sent me Hawkhurst, Kent, Churchyard records. They are mostly RELFs but do contain some RELPHs & RALPHs. Information contains name, date of death and location of burial. List has 55 entries 1883 - 1964

Peter Relf, #90, has sent me a mass of information on his family for entry into our archives for which we thank him very much. This includes copies of certificates, wills and census extracts. Information starts with marriage 8th November 1857 of William Relf, bachelor, Joiner, of Plaistow in Essex, son of Samuel Relf, a Millwright and Grace Black, spinster of Plaistow and daughter of James Black a Carpenter. Children to this marriage Thomas Robert Relf born in August 1866 at 13 Canterbury Terrace, Kilburn, London.

Thomas Robert married Annie Crowhurst 12th October 1891 in London. Their sons, Ernest William Relf was born 31st October 1901 at 16 Canterbury Terrace, Kilburn, London and Albert Thomas Relf born Sept Qtr 1896, reg. district of Marylebone, London.

Peter has given me lots more information which has yet to be sorted out.

If any member has a connection to or further information on the above details then Peter & I would like to hear from you. Peter can be reached on cossackd8@telco4u.net.

Rhoda Windiate-Blackmore, #006, has sent me a list of RELFs taken from the Index of East Sussex Quarter Sessions records 1810-1854. 22 entries in all - RELF/RALPH/REALF/RELFE/RELPH variants all appear. List name, age, occupation, residence, year, ref. no. and victims only.

Chris Relf, #029 Project Coordinator

PROJECT & ARCHIVES REPORT - From The Wolfpack Volume 9 Edition 3

Not a lot to report this time - I have just received the following information which I will be passing into our society archives :-

Information on Relf families of Heathfield in Sussex England including some descendants of James Relf born Cir 1787 and his wife Kezia Collins. Various census entries on this family from 1841 up to 1891. Locations mentioned are: Street End, Parsin's Mill, Mugreed, Tinker's Folly, Sandy Cross, Old Half Moon and Taylor's Farm - all information contained in four A4 sheets.

It has also been very quiet with correspondence from members. It was good to hear from Ted Relf, member 131, who is now on email down in Australia and also from Margaret Relf, member 016, who is also now on email.

Which brings me onto the subject of our Web site, which can now be found on <www.relfsociety.org> this a temporary address before we launch our selves to the world.

This is our first attempt after Susan Harnwell, member 112, launched our Society details on the net in the first place. We have also received helpful input from Steve Chapman, member 003. Thanks to them both in giving us a good start.

We would like as many members as possible to look at this site and give us their feedback, please. We intend to use this Web site, not only to promote our Society, but also hope it will be used as general information for our members. We could generate contents of past issues of The Wolfpack as an example - we could put on photographs of our reunions. But before we go too far we would like to hear your ideas. Of course, The Wolfpack will remain the main stay of our Society and continue as before with, we hope, the Web site reaching a wider audience promoting our Society. Any Web site feedback should be sent to James Relf, 41a Lothair Road South, London N4 1EN; e mail <jamesrelf@relfsociety.org>

I look forward to seeing members at our forthcomingAGM / Reunion in September when I shall be happy to receive any Relf,Relph etc. related material for our archives.

Chris Relf, #29. Projects Co-ordinator

Links to Previous News Articles

2002 AGM and Reunion, held on September 13th & 14th 2002, Eastbourne, UK.
Read the Programme and Agenda here
2001 AGM and Reunion, held on September 8th 2001, Cranbrook, Kent, UK.
Read the Programme and Agenda here
2000 AGM and Reunion, held on September 9th 2000, Ashburnham Place, near Battle, East Sussex, UK.
Read the Programme and Agenda here

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E-mail to Chris Relf (Projects Co-ordinator)

Page last revised 24th April 2003.