Topics this issue include;
11. A 'Warning' 12. ...and finally!
|
| 1. Thanks. In my last (January/February 2005) eNewsletter, I included the sad news that my Mother-in-law, Phyllis
Mary Smith (nee Powditch) had died, in her 96th year.
Since sending out that email, Ang, together with Phyllis's 3 other daughters (as well as myself), have
been overwhelmed with, and grateful for, all the emails, letters and cards that we received following
the death of our wonderful mother and exceptional friend, and we all want to say a very big
Thank You for all of your very lovely words, kind comments and condolences, all of which were very
much appreciated. Thank you once again.
|
| 2. Welcome I'd like to welcome to this edition of the Powditch eNewsletters, the following who have contacted me
since the last issue;-
a. Nathan Powditch from Cardiff (South Wales), who is a son of Michael, grandson of the late Doug
Powditch, and great nephew of my late mother-in-law, Phyllis.
b. Richard Andrew Wake; 'cousin'. Does anyone recognise the name, or know who he is? as
unfortunately he didn't advise an email address when he filled in an on-line request for an eNewsletter
form, so I have been unable to make any contact with him. Furthermore, I don't have anyone of that
surname amongst all of my research material, so I just don't know where he fits in to the family tree!!
Any details etc would be most gratefully received.
c. Peter Kile, who is one of the 2 sons of Lorraine Marie Jouvelet (Melbourne, Australia) and who is
connected to the Powditch family through a Jouvelet/Powditch marriage.
d. Tenielle Curtiss, who is one of the daughters of Jennifer Jouvelet (Melbourne, Australia) and who is
connected to the Powditch family through a Jouvelet/Powditch marriage.
e. Geoff Dendle, who shares the same Great Grandparents as myself (on the Jones side of my late
Mother's family)
f. Notty Hornblower, who is a Powditch descendant through her mother, Mary Milner (nee Powditch).
Notty's great grandfather was the William Powditch who was born in Wells-next-the-Sea in 1849. By
1874 he had moved to Derby with the (L.M.S) Railways, whilst in 1877 (at Derby) he married, and
with his wife Mary, created the Derby branch of Powditchs.
|
| 3. Website update Since my last eNewsletter (No.20), changes to the website, have included;-
 the whole of the Powditch website has been now rated by the "SafeSurf Wave" as being suitable for all ages (from children to adults), and as such, a 'SafeSurf' logo has been added to the index (home) page of www.powditch.plus.com/ (For details of their classification, requirements etc, please have a look at their own website, which is accessible from www.safesurf.com/ ) a recent change of background colour to the homepage (www.powditch.plus.com/ ) plus a few cosmetic changes to the homepage layout, the Webstats page has been amended to reflect the web-usage for the months of January, February, March and April 2005, the Morston pages have been amended to remove the reference to what was referred to as a 'forthcoming' page (which now isn't going be added), and also to include links to Restaurants and other eateries, as well as places to visit, in and around Morston. with the exception of the homepage of the Chile section (to which I have recently added a 2005 photograph of a Powditch headstone), all other pages within that section are now 'password protected'. Furthermore, in order to access all of the non- homepage section, a request has to be emailed to me with full details, including the reason(s) for accessing the pages within that section. The latter has been designed to be a temporary measure (in view of my comments within the last eNewsletter [q.v.]) and I do hope to remove the blocking access as soon as possible (the reason for the password protection is to decipher the number of persons accessing the Chilean section, and also to ascertain their relationship - if any - to that branch of the family, although I would state that since introducing the need for a password, I have not receievd any requests for the latter, nor has the Chilean section of the website had any visitors!!! within the past week, I have added a new section to the site, and that relates to my own (Algar) branch of the family (www.powditch.plus.com/MyFamily/index.htm ) For the moment, the bulk of the new section is based on photographs of my ancestors (including one fascinating reproduced photo which was taken just before 1866. q.v. www.powditch.plus.com/MyFamily/Austin/01605a00.jpg ). More (written) details about my personal ancestry will be added in the future.I do have plans to add further new sections to the website, although for the moment I am concentrating
on ensuring that all pages are as up to date as possible, and I also want to ensure that all of the
information I have here re William Powditch (of Northumberland, Australia and New Zealand) is
added to the site within the next few months. I do hope, therefore, that you will bear with me should
some of the pages not be amended until I've finished the WmP section.
I did recently apply to the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) for an 'audit' of my website in
order to ensure that the layout, print face and other attributes would all be easily accessible and
useable by blind or partially-sighted web-surfers.
Whilst they initially advised that an audit would cost out at £700 for a 10-page website, and £2500 for
a 30-page site, with charges for pages in excess of 30 being by negotiation, since recontacting
them, they have readvised me that the RNIB actually have a free advisory service which can assist
regarding layouts, requirements for same etc, so I will be examing the latter in the near future. In the
meantime I will continue to make the website as user-friendly as possible, and if you have any
comments or suggestions re any part of the site, I do hope that you'll let me know? I'd also really
appreciate it if you could let me know whether (or not) you've had any 'problems' with any links, or
with pages not opening - including your seeing Code 404 [page not found] messages! I'd also be
very happy to hear from you with any comments, suggestions for additional pages, changes, or
layouts etc.
|
| 4. Guestbook Entries Nearly every week I receive emails from around the world, which ask me to add details to the
Guestbook section of the website. I would advise that all such emails are carefully scrutinised by me
before I contemplate adding any details, and to date I have discovered that there is a high
percentage of Guestbook entry requests which have no bearing whatsoever to either the Powditch
family in particular, or to the website in general. Because of the latter, I have not added either names
or comments where the sender has been found to be 'false'.
Whilst this may appear to be rather autocratic on my part, I would say that over 90% of the comments
come from somewhere called 'atlantide' (which could either be in Russia or in Italy), and that the so
called 'guests' are not genuine. Because of the latter, I check all senders' names on several search
engines (Google and others), and invariably discover that most websites have added these
"visitors' " details to their own guestbooks without (apparently) verifying the existence of the persons
concerned.
To give one example, the following is representative of the majority of Guestbook entry requests;-
FirstName: Frenk
LastName: Frenk
Your Email Address: Frenk<at>hotmail.com
City: atlantide
Country: atlantide
Comments: Your are the best! I like your website from http: // www. stranieriinitalia. org/
Powditch Connection: http: // www. stranieriinitalia. org/
(Please note that I have ensured that the person's email address and website details do not appear
as links from this eNewsletter)
Further to the above, it became rather obvious that there are a lot of 'bogus' emailers 'out there', for
when I sent emails to each and every request re either an entry in my Guestbook, or for an
eNewsletter, each and every email was bounced back to me, with the message that the recipient's
mailbox was non-existent! Hopefully, my 'autocracy' in this matter is therefore fully justified.
Having said the above, where I have received genuine entries for inclusion in the Guestbook, and/or
requests for eNewsletters (via request forms), and have actioned each accordingly.
|
| 5. Continuing Problems! Regrettably, throughout January, and up til the beginning of April, I'd had major problems with my
main computer, which had necessitated it having to be totally rebuilt - which meant that apart from the
saved programs and files, everything else has had to be replaced. Unfortunately, despite the rebuild,
I've still been experiencing major problems, which could mean that the computer might have to be
stripped down once again. Hopefully things will be back to normal (whatever that is?!) in the not-too-
distant future, although as our household life has changed dramatically with Ang's Mum's recent death,
I do hope that you will forgive me for any delays in amending sections of the Powditch website etc. I
will be amending what I can, when I can, but understandably there may be some delays.
|
| 6. Family Trees This section was removed from the website on 10 January, and has received some restructuring.
Regrettably the amendments and new page layouts are taking far longer than expected, but I will
gradually be adding information over the coming months.
Should you have any specific questions you wish to ask in the meantime, please email me at
 and I will endeavour to provide you with an answer. |
| 7. Questionnaires Apologies for this reminder, but I am still waiting for a number of duly-completed Questionnaires I'd
included with my Christmas 2004 Card and Newsletter etc, to be returned to me.
If you have lost your copy and would like me to send another copy to you, just email me at
and I'll send you a copy by return. Since my reminder in the January 2005 e|Newsletter, I have had about another 10 completed
Questionnaires returned, but I still hope to receive replies to those not yet returned, especially as
some of the questions relate to the Powditch Archive after my death, as well as the frequency and
format of future Powditch Gatherings.
I'd really appreciate receiving your completed Questionnaire(s), especially as I am hoping to be
putting together a second Powditch Gathering (in Norfolk).
|
| 8. Reminder. The 'Reminder' which used to be reproduced within eNewsletters and on the annual snail-mail
Newsletter, has now been added to the end of the homepage of the Powditch website
(www.powditch.plus.com/ ), especially as a large percentage of the Powditch family and those
with Powditch connections, now have internet connections.
|
| 9. Chilean section of the website; The facts and current situation. Following my concerns and comments in eNewsletter No.20 (q.v) regarding the Chilean section of the
Powditch website, and the vociferous and defamatory remarks I had received from one person, I just
want to say how gratified I was to receive such a large number of emails from Powditchs and their
descendants (throughout the world) with words of support and glowing compliments for my Powditch-
ing, and for the continuance not only of my research, but also for the continuance of the Powditch
website (in its entirety).
Whilst I assure you that I will continue to add more family history (of all branches) both now and in the
future, I would advise that towards the bottom of the homepage of the Powditch website
(www.powditch.plus.com/ ), there is wording under the heading of 'Reminder', which relates to my "
'policy' regarding information held by me and relating to individual members of the Powditch family,
and to those connected to the family through marriage etc"., the fourth paragraph of which, states;-
"Further to the above, and because much Powditch information is currently contained on and within
the Powditch website, it is only right of me to state that with the exception of the Chilean section of
the site - which had been researched by members of that branch of the family in earlier
generations - all other information has either been personally researched by myself only, or by
myself with others, or solely by others, and that all such research, information and details
(including that for the Chilean section) have only been reproduced on the website with
permissions having previously been sought and granted".
Thank you ever so much for your support; I really appreciate it.
|
| 10. Lists, Digests and Forums. Since these sections were added to the website on 23 June 2003, no messages (other than those I
added to get things started) have ever been posted by any Powditch or non-Powditch.
Approximately 3 months ago, I added the following words to the homepage of www.powditch.plus.com/
(PLEASE NOTE: these items will be deleted at the end of April 2005 due to their
not having been used by anyone to date)
and it is therefore with great 'sorrow' - and due to their continuing lack of usage (by anyone) - that I
have asked the listmaster at RootsWeb to remove all said Lists, Digests and Forums re the surname
of Powditch.
Having said all of that, the Guest Book, Latest News and all other pages which are on my website,
and which are frequently used, and updated whenever possible, have proved to have been of far
greater use than any of the pages now being deleted, and have helped to reunite many family and
non-family members, answer questions, and much more besides; so those pages will be greatly
expanded wherever possible.
I do hope and trust that you will find the above acceptable.
|
| 11. A 'Warning' To everyone.
The following 'article' has been extracted from the on-line Company "Decision Finance"s enewsletter
<newsletter@decision-finance.com> and as it concerns everyone who receives emails, I thought
that I'd better include its transcript, especially as identity fraud is on the increase.
'Phishing' is an attempt by fraudsters to 'fish' for your banking details. 'Phishing' attempts usually
appear as an email purporting to be from your bank. Within the email you are usually encouraged to
click a link to a fraudulent log on page designed to capture your details. Criminals across the Internet
are creating forgeries of legitimate emails and Web sites and then attempting to steal your personal
information with them.
If you receive a suspicious looking, unsolicited email claiming to be from your bank or credit card
provider, do not reply to it and do not click on any of the links contained in the email. If you suspect a
message may not be authentic, call the company or log onto the Web site by typing the Web address
directly into your web browser’s address bar. Links in emails can be faked, so typing the address
directly into your browser will ensure you get to the right site.
If you are unsure of a Web address, use a search engine such as Yahoo! or Google to verify it.
Always look for the secure site symbol, usually a lock, in the lower right hand corner of your browser
when submitting your personal information. All Experian order forms will have the secure site symbol
displayed.
Q. What should I do if I get a suspicious looking email?
A. If in doubt, delete it. This caution should apply to all unexpected emails with links or attachments.
Q. The email seems genuine and is asking me to confirm my bank account details.
A. Do not click any links in the email, call your bank to discuss the email, they will be able to confirm
if any of your details need correcting.
Q. What should I do if I believe I've been a victim of a 'phishing' fraud?
A. You should call your bank immediately so that they can investigate and change your security
numbers.
Identity fraud is on the rise, criminals steal victims' identities in order to take over their credit accounts
or to open new accounts in their names. Shredding personal documents and keeping any pin
numbers and security details safe is vital. Recognised Credit Rating Companies' allow you to make
sure your credit file is up to date and that they hold correct information about credit accounts that you
have opened. (For further details about the latter, check what's available through a Google, or similar
search)
(N.B. The comments and suggestions mentioned above are those of the on-line Company "Decision
Finance", and in no way reflect comments, suggestions or opinions of myself, even though I do have
great concerns re many email 'scams' doing the rounds at the moment).
|
| 12. .....and finally! Ang is looking forward to the day when the kitchen worktops will be usable once again. Why? well, a
couple of months ago I decided to sort out all of the files, folders, boxes and loose pages etc that I'd
gathered over the past 20+ years, and to put them all into a better order.
Having bought lots of new, yellow, lever-arch folders, I emptied all of the old binders (which are now
sitting on our son's bed!) and gradually sorted out documents etc into piles, with the intention of then
putting everything into polypockets etc.
To date, the piles are still on the kitchen worktops, although I do promise Ang that 'soon' everything will
have been sorted out, and that all the files will be returned to my study (honest!) More about the
situation will be revealed in the next eNewsletter.
|
I hope that you and your family are all keeping well, and I look forward to hearing from you sometime,
especially re your thoughts and comments re the above topics.
John
|
P.S. Can you help?
I'd also be most grateful for any details you may know about re births, marriages, deaths, illnesses,
change of addresses, achievements, discovery of family papers/documents on or about the Powditch
family etc, or anything else. Also, if you know of any family members who are now 'on-line' and who
have an e-mail address, I'd be grateful for their details.
|
