The Powys Mailing List
(Hosted by RootsWeb)
The ancient name Powys is used here to describe the area covered by the three historic counties of Breconshire (BRE), Montgomeryshire (MGY) and Radnorshire (RAD).
From Wikipedia (which provides a map showing the approximate geographical area of Powys):
Powys is a local government principal area and a preserved county in Wales. It has an area of 5,196 km2, and covers the traditional counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and most of Brecknockshire.
It was created on April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and originally had Montgomery and Radnor and Brecknock as districts under it. On April 1, 1996, the districts were abolished, it became a unitary authority, with a minor border adjustment in the north-east (specifically the addition of the communities of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llansilin and Llangedwyn from Glyndwr district in Clwyd).
This area is named after the older Welsh Kingdom of Powys, which occupied the northern two thirds of the area, and came to an end when it was occupied by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd during the 1260s.
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- To provide administrative information about the Powys List for easy access by list subscribers.
- To host data and links which the list administrators consider helpful.
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A mailing list is simply an e-mail 'party line'. Every message that a list subscriber sends to the list is distributed by e-mail to all the other list subscribers. Subscribing to a mailing list is one of the best ways of connecting with people who share your interests
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The list is free. There are two ways of receiving list messages:
- Mail mode – members subscribed in mail mode receive each individual message sent to the Powys List as a separate e-mail.
- Digest mode – members subscribed in digest mode receive batches of Powys List messages in a single e-mail periodically (e.g. once or twice per day).
Subscribing (joining)
N.B. It is not possible to subscribe to both mail mode and digest mode from the same e-mail address.
- To join the Powys List in mail mode, send an e-mail to Powys-L-request@rootsweb.com with the single word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and in the body of the message. You will then be sent a 'confirmation e-mail' to check that your e-mail address is real, and you will then have to follow instructions in that e-mail in order to subscribe. If you subscribe but then do not get a 'confirmation e-mail' in response, have a look in your spam folder.
- To join the Powys List in digest mode, send an e-mail to Powys-D-request@rootsweb.com with the single word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and in the body of the message. You will then be sent a 'confirmation e-mail' to check that your e-mail address is real, and you will then have to follow instructions in that e-mail in order to subscribe. If you subscribe but then do not get a 'confirmation e-mail' in response, have a look in your spam folder.
Please note that by default, Digests arrive in the form of a plain text e-mail containing the batch of messages in the body of the e-mail. It is possible, on request, to change to an alternative format, where the digest e-mail carries its messages as attachments each of which has to be opened separately. To request this alternative format, send an e-mail to the list administrator at powys-admin@rootsweb.com.
Unsubscribing (leaving)
- To leave the Powys List, whether in mail mode or digest mode, send an e-mail to Powys-request@rootsweb.com with the single word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and in the body of the message.
The List Administrators have sole and complete control over who may subscribe, or remain subscribed, to the list.
IMPORTANT - RootsWeb.com, which hosts the Powys List, requires that before posting messages to the List, all subscribers must review the terms and conditions of RootsWeb's Acceptable Use Policy, which defines subscribers' rights, responsibilities, and benefits.
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To send a message to the list, compose an e-mail containing your message, add a relevant subject heading, and address your message to Powys@rootsweb.com. Use this address regardless of whether you are subscribed in mail mode or digest mode. For more guidance, check the Do's and Don'ts section, below.
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- The Powys List Archive contains every message that has appeared on the Powys List. You can search the archive for a specific message or you can browse through the archives, going from one message to another:
- It might also be worthwhile exploring the separate county list archives, especially for pre-2006 periods:
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Whilst the Powys List is the original and main list for Breconshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire there are also separate RootsWeb-hosted county lists for each of these counties, details of which can be seen on RootsWeb
The Powys List membership includes a number of 'resident' experienced researchers, who between them have considerable knowledge of the history and geography of the three counties covered by the List, as well as family history research methods. They take every opportunity to share that knowledge with others.
Members of the Powys List often ask for lookups in various resources, but a mailing list is not really the best medium for such requests. It is better to explore first the resources offered on the Mid-Wales Lookup Exchange.
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The Powys List is hosted by RootsWeb. It was established in 1997 by Malcolm Bebb who administered the list until 2005. The List is now administered jointly by Julie Preston and John Ball who periodically alternate their duties. You can always contact the current administrator via powys-admin@rootsweb.com.
Julie Preston lives in Michigan, USA. She has been researching her Welsh ancestry in Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire for many years, and has made numerous trips to Wales to conduct on-the-spot research, exploring ancestral homes, trekking round Welsh graveyards, and visiting the National Library of Wales. She is a great believer in adopting a hands-on approach to family history research. She is a member of several Welsh family history societies and has published articles in society journals. She has been subscribed to, and has been a regular contributor to, the relevant west Wales and mid Wales mailing lists since their inception. Julie is also coordinator of the Mid-Wales Lookup Exchange webpages.
John Ball lives in Breconshire, mid Wales, having moved to Wales over thirty years ago. He has been researching his own English and Manx ancestry since 1980. Although he has no known Welsh roots, for well over a decade he has taken an active interest in Wales, Welsh culture, and the special challenges presented by Welsh family history. Since retirement in 1995, he has developed an extensive website with a focus on Wales, its topography, and its local and family history. Like Julie, John has been subscribed to, and has been a regular contributor to, all the mid Wales mailing lists since their inception. He is a member of the family history societies relevant to his own ancestry and has had articles published in their society journals. He is also a member of the Powys Family History Society and a committee member of its Breconshire Branch. Some of his Images of Wales photographs have been published in British family history magazines. John is also responsible for maintaining the Breconshire pages of the GENUKI website.
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RootsWeb
GENUKI
Mid-Wales Lookup Exchange - http://home.clara.net/daibevan/LookupExch/MidLE.html
Powys Family History Society - http://www.rootsweb.com/~wlspfhs/
Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society - http://home.freeuk.net/montgensoc/
Welsh Family History Archive - http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/
Gareth Hicks's Help Page - http://home.clara.net/tirbach/hicks.html
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The Powys List is a friendly and relaxed list. Here are some ground rules and tips which, when adopted by list members, make participating in the list a real joy (and the list administrators' job a pleasure):
- Subject Lines - Always make the subject line meaningful, and if appropriate, indicate which county is involved by using the abbreviations BRE, MGY or RAD; e.g. BRE, Defynnog, Havard, 1819. A complete list of county name abbreviations (known as 'Chapman codes') is available here.
- Brevity - Keep your message as succinct as possible. Some listers don't bother to scroll down beyond the initial screen while others get bored very easily. One query at a time is best. If you are replying to a previous list message, only include those parts of the original message that are essential to your response. Too much clutter is distracting.
- Non-genealogy discussions. Get a feel for what is acceptable on the List. If you must indulge, add "OT" (off-topic) to the subject line and limit your contribution to just one message. The topic should then fade out naturally. Jokes and chain letters are not appropriate on a genealogy list.
- Banned topics - Absolutely NO political, religious, or racial opinions, or indeed anything that you wouldn't say to your dear sweet old grandma - unless your comment is in a factual historic context.
- Privacy - People who are, or might be, still alive should *not* be discussed on RootsWeb lists. In part, this is to protect their privacy, but also their security - the list archives are publicly accessible. Some mailing lists operate a "hundred year" rule similar to that for census information. We don't need to go that far as long as list members exercise common sense.
- Offensive remarks - If anyone upsets you on the list, take it up off list with one of the list administrators who will take whatever action is necessary. On-list verbal jousting is upsetting for onlookers and won't be tolerated.
- Humour - Light hearted remarks are great, but bear in mind that humour doesn't always travel so well across international borders. Jokes and chain letters are not appropriate on a genealogy list.
- Reply to the List - When you respond to someone's list message, always do so on-list so that other listers will know that the query has been answered. Responding on-list also enables others to learn from the responses. But make sure you delete the parts of the previous message not essential to your response. Too much clutter is distracting. Address your message to Powys@rootsweb.com regardless of whether you subscribed in mail or digest mode.
- Saying Thank-you - If someone helps you on the List, a thank-you is always appreciated. But don't then assume that the person who helped you will be keen to receive off-list ten pages of your family history with the request "What do you think?"!
- Reply or Reply-All - Depending on how your e-mail software is configured, bear in mind that clicking on Reply when responding to a list message may send it only to whoever sent it in, whereas Reply-All will send it to the list as well. It's safer to click Reply All and then delete the sender's address - who doesn't really need it twice. Before sending your message, try to get into the habit of checking who it is being sent to.
- Viruses - Please don't send messages about computer viruses to the list. If you need to tell someone, make it one of the list administrators, who can decide whether the List needs to know.
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The Powys List has been operating since 1998. The chart below gives a month-by-month breakdown of the number of messages posted on the list since it was conceived.
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[Last updated: 1 February 2009 - John Ball]
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