The Alabaster Society

The Family History Society
of the Alabaster Family

 
Introduction

by Laraine Hake, Hon. Secretary

This is the site for you if you have an interest in the family name of Alabaster. We have information on more than 3,000 Alabasters, from the present day back to the 15th century, which we are willing to share. We have more than 150 members (households) from England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Thailand, Argentina, and Hong Kong.
The Alabaster Society was formed in 1993, following Gatherings held in 1990 and 1992 in Hadleigh, Suffolk, of more than 100 of the descendants of Thomas Alabaster (c1522-1592), who was a leading member of the community in Hadleigh. Indeed, our family is unusual in that all Alabasters in the UK are descended from Thomas, his son John, grandson Thomas, and great-grandson also called John.

Note for Editors: if you wish to quote from these pages you are welcome to do so, but please include our web address www.alabaster.org.uk for the further information of your readers.

The Guildhall, Hadleigh 

A brass (pictured right), dedicated to Thomas Alabaster, can be seen in St. Mary`s Church, Hadleigh. The brass of his son John is pictured below. A closer view of the inscriptions can be seen on the Hadleigh page.

Every three years a Gathering of members is held, usually during April, either in the Guildhall or the Old School House in Hadleigh. The Old School was built in 1853 on the site of the former Alabaster School, which was, according to the local historian, the late W.A.B. Jones, the first effective elementary or non-grammar school. It was established under the will of John Alabaster, 1637. There are eight major branches of the Alabaster family, and so far all have been represented at each Gathering. Details of the last Gathering are on this site.

Each time we have been able to welcome members from far flung parts of the world, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA, who have been able to join in for the first time.

The Society`s journal, The Alabaster Chronicle, is sent to members twice a year. Nearly all the earlier back numbers can be accessed through the Chronicles link.

The Society is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS), whose website is at http://www.ffhs.org.uk/  Should your enquiries ever take you away from the Alabaster family, we can heartily recommend this site as a useful port of call.

The Society is also a member of the Guild of One Name Studies http://www.one-name.org/

Anyone can join The Alabaster Society. The subscription year starts on 1st September, and for the year 2007-8 is £8.00 per household (UK and overseas).
For details of whom to ask if you have a question, how to contact us, how to join the Society, or how to make a donation, please click the Contact us link in the main navigation panel (top left and at the bottom of each page).

We hope you enjoy visiting this site, which is in a permanent state of being "under construction", as new information is constantly added, and other pages are brought up-to-date. As larger computer screens are more commonplace now than when the website was started, we have adjusted all the pages to make them easier to read on larger, as well as smaller, screens. Unfortunately, this means that pages take a little longer to load. Most information about Alabasters past and present is to be found through the Chronicles link.

So where to start? We suggest reading The Alabasters in Hadleigh (Chronicle No 10) from a talk given to the Society by the late distinguished historian, W. A. B. Jones, in which he explains the activities of the Alabasters in this town from the 16th century, and how they secured the Guildhall (pictured above) for the town.

While you are navigating the site, try using the facility to look for one of your own ancestors. What you find might surprise you! The search box also appears at the top and bottom left on every page, below the main navigation menu.

Constitution of the Alabaster Society. 

1. The name of the Society will be "The Alabaster Society" hereinafter referred to as the "Society".

2. The society's objects shall be to promote and foster friendship and contact between all Alabaster descendants and all those who have any link or interest in the name.

3. The society will issue a periodic newsletter or journal, The Alabaster Chronicle, to include both recent news and items of interest and where relevant, updates to family "trees" etc.

4. The General Meeting of the Society shall normally held during the tri-annual Gathering of members.

5. The officers of the Society shall be a Secretary and Treasurer, both of whom to be nominated and elected at the General Meeting.

6. A non-executive committee of up to five members shall also be nominated and elected at the General Meeting.

7. The committee shall meet in person at least once a year. Matters requiring a decision to be made out of that cycle shall be communicated by e-mail or telephone and a consensus sought.

8. The annual reports of the officers of the Society will be presented through the Chronicle, the accounts requiring prior audit.

9. The Society will arrange "Gatherings" for members to meet each other to assist in the exchange of information and increase awareness of the family's history.

10. All moneys collected shall be for the furtherance of the Society. No individual shall profit from these moneys, but out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the Society may be paid at the discretion of the Committee. All subscriptions and fees shall be paid direct to the Treasurer who shall keep an accurate record of all transactions.

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