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Powditch Newsletter - September 2003
No. 5
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You are here: home > News > eNewsletter for September 2003
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Welcome to the September 2003 Newsletter, and to what has happened during the past month.
A special welcome to Rex Powditch to the monthly e-Newsletters, and a question as to what
has happened to Natalie Vicary, who although she was mentioned in the July e-Newsletter, appears
to have changed her e-mail address, so I've now lost contact with her! If anyone therefore knows
Natalie Vicary's new e-mail address, I'd be very pleased to hear from them.
Besides the usual topics, this month's e-newsletter includes a questionnaire regarding the inclusion
(or not) of e-mail addresses on the web-site, and it can be replied to by your answering either 'Yes' or
'No', and then after giving your opinion on the matter, can be sent to me just by pressing the submit
button. (Yes, it's as easy as that!) Although I don't expect to include such a 'questionnaire' on every
future issue, I am hoping that by including one on this e-newsletter, I can get a good and swift response
The pace of the POWDITCH GET-TOGETHER IN 2004 (mentioned in the last 3 months'
e-Newsletters) is hotting up, with a possible date having tentatively been proposed, but still to be
agreed. Hopefully by the time that the October e-Newsletter is issued, I should have a firm date for the
event.
Since the August Newsletter was issued;-
There has been a very large increase of the use of the web-site since the end of August 2003.
Indeed, whilst the figure of visits at the end of August stood at 1400, this has increased substantially,
and as at 26 September (whilst writing this newsletter), the web-site has had over 2200 visits (an
increase of 800 persons in one month!). Besides the majority who came from the UK, Australia,
New Zealand, and the USA, many others have been shown to have accessed the site from as far away
as Argentina, Canada, Chile, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. Very gratifying (to me) that each
visitor has averaged 14 pages viewed on his or her visit. Thank you very much for your interest, and I
hope that future information will continue to enthrall you!
A question that I was asked by Kris Wingen (USA) as to "How many are on my mailing list for the
newsletter" actually saw me sitting down and trying to work this out, for although I do have a list, I had
never counted how many names were on it!
Although I am in the process of sending Kris the numbers, I thought that you also might like to share
in the knowledge. For instance, at the moment, out of a total mailing list database of some 137
families (17 Australia; 1 Canada; 4 Chile; 7 New Zealand; 1 Norway; 3 USA; 104 UK), I have 56 of
them receiving my monthly e-Newsletters. (Do you realise that I'd never been asked that before,
and I've been really surprised at what a high number of contacts have e-mail facilities.)
Actually, taking the above a little further, of all of my 173 'contacts', there are 111 individuals
surnamed Powditch; 40 individuals who are a direct descendant of the surname, and 22 individuals
who are either not related or who have a tenuous link (and I am one of the latter! as my relationship to
the Powditch family, is that Ang's mother's maiden surname was Powditch!).
Thanks Kris for asking the question. It's amazing that the Powditch surname has survived at all,
over the centuries when you see how few of them are about!! and it's even more amazing when you
discover that it's only since the mid 1800s (i.e. the last 150 or so years) that there's been any real
growth in the family (now, that's a subject for a future page on the site; a graph showing the number of
families in each part or full century.)
Re-designed and/or 'Changed' pages on the web-site, include;-
 The "Guest Book" facility was, without any 'warning' by Globalquest (an external link), withdrawn, apparently due to 'lack of use'. Unfortunately, due to no warning having been given, although I had a list of those who had signed the Guest Book, I didn't have any record of what they had written! Because of this situation, I have now created a 'Feedback Form' (reached by clicking on "Please Sign my Guest Book") which now not only allows for me to update Guest Book entries, but will also allow Visitors to the Powditch web-site, to request such items as Newsletters, joining my Mailing List, etc, as well as for them to provide information as to their specific interests in the web-site. Items as to where 'our' Visitors' live, how they are related to the Powditch family, as well as for their requesting information, adding comments, suggestions, etc, and asking questions, have also been added to the 'Feedback Form'. What's more, through all Visitors' (and that includes yourself) entering details into the 'Feedback Form', - which will be directly administered by me (hopefully for the better!), rather than by a third party - I hope to ensure that it will allow me to be more 'in touch' with Visitors' "needs". NEW items added during August, were;-
George Allen, alias Powditch, who on Monday, 23 April 1770 was hanged for stealing !!This is a most interesting (true) story regarding a young man who fell foul of the law through his petty
thieving, and who, when possibly he could have been transported to a penal colony for his crimes,
instead treated a Judge with such contempt that he was sentenced instead to hang.
The 'leaflet' that was written about his life of crime, his trial and about the events which followed him
all the way to the gallows, leaves nothing out, and must have been written very soon after the sentence
had been carried out. I hope that you will be as fascinated by the story of George Allen, alias Powditch
as I have been. The new pages can be accessed either from the index page at
Powditch Wills and Administrations (in the UK) before 1858, accessible either from the index page at
or directly from the link;
Items due to be added as soon as I've finished them, include;-
more Village details etc for the Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Suffolk pages.Hopefully you have already noticed that several of the web-pages have already undergone some
layout changes. I hope that you have found that the changes have been for the better, although I would
really like to know whether (in your opinion) any particular pages need to be changed, or 'tweaked' in
any way, to improve them even further.
I would also like to know whether you are getting any Code 404 (Page Not Found) messages.
I especially need to know about the Code 404 messages so that I can correct the respective page(s)
for your future viewing. (Click here to send me an e-mail re any of the above)
Questionnaire etc
As you will already (hopefully) appreciate, I do not release information such as addresses,
telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to anyone else without your express permission. I am
aware however, that some members of the Powditch family would like to get in touch by e-mail with
other family members.
Anyone who signed the 'old style' Guest Book on the Powditch web-site prior to 15 September,
actually provided the means to be contacted by others, by the inclusion of their e-mail address under
the 'Mail Me' header. Whilst getting in touch (or being contacted by others) was obviously a matter of
choice for the individuals concerned, it had been my intention that my new Guest Book facility will not,
either now, or in the future, show any e-mail addresses of anyone signing or leaving comments there.
Having said the above, I would however like to raise the following.
I have noted whilst 'surfing the web' and whilst visiting other Family History web-sites, that many of
them actually include a page of names and contact e-mail 'addresses' so that individuals can get in
touch with one another. Whilst this can be a great means of getting in touch with other family members
etc, I would almost certainly appreciate your response/reply to the suggestion as to whether (or not)
you would like me to create a web-page with such information. I can assure you that whatever is the
majority viewpoint on the subject, I will follow your requirements/instructions.
If you should wish to to include such a page, then the following is an example as to what could appear
e.g.
Abraham London Oxford, UK ablon@somewhere.org
Pauline Powditch Auckland, NZ paulinep@thefamily.net
William Powditch Norwich, UK willpower@thoughtprovoking.co.uk
etc, etc
Could you please answer the following questions,
and then click on the submit button to send me your replies
Are you in favour of having a page of names, towns/countries and e-mail addresses
included on the Powditch web-site?
Yes No
Whether you answered Yes or No, please can you give your reason(s) in the following box
(I will advise the response in the next e-Newsletter)
Thanks, and all the best for now,
John
P.S. Although the e-Newsletter is a totally free update regarding 'happenings/changes' to the web-site,
if there should be any particular reason you do not wish to continue receiving a copy of it, perhaps you
could e-mail me and let me know? 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.
P.P.S. The web-site won't be updated for the next 9 days (approx) due to other commitments.
I hope to recommence updating pages however, on approx' 6 October 2003.
Thanks for your patience!
J
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Please remember
Items updated on the web-site are highlighted with ! !
whilst any New items are highlighted by the letters, NEW .
but these 'messages' only appear on the Home page of the web-site, at
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