Happy 30th Birthday to Family Tree magazine!

Two important things happening tomorrow on October 1st - 1) my brother gets to be the same age as me for 5 days - and 2) Family Tree magazine celebrates its 30th birthday! Happy birthday to both - and here's the press release from Family Tree!

Britain’s oldest family history newstrade magazine celebrates its 30th birthday

Britain’s first popular magazine for family historians is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special souvenir edition.

Family Tree started life on a dining room table in Cambridgeshire in 1984 and is now read by thousands around the globe.

It remains the UK’s only independent newstrade magazine for a hobby that it has helped to nurture and support from its earliest days.

Originally called Family Tree Magazine, it was the brainchild of family historian Michael Armstrong and his wife Mary. They recognised the need for a national, ‘glossy’ genealogy magazine for the rapidly growing hobby.

Helen Tovey, editor of Family Tree, said: “Readers’ letters from our earliest days reveal that family historians were delighted to have a hobby magazine. It unified them and gave them a voice and a place to share their discoveries and knowledge in the pre-internet age.

“Thirty years on and we’re proud of our heritage. We’re still a small, independent publisher owned by the same family, trusted and respected in our field.

“Our strengths lie in our roots and our friendly, forward-thinking outlook, as we embrace all the advances the digital age brings for genealogists.”

She added: “For our readers, we’re still the place to go to share and discover family history stories, learn new research skills and keep up to date with the very latest developments in the world of family history. Our branches reach around the world, with a loyal following in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada as well as the UK.

“As we mark our 30th anniversary, we’d love to thank all our readers, subscribers, contributors and advertisers for their much-valued support. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

The November souvenir issue goes on sale in the UK and on digital platforms on Wednesday, 1 October.

It features special anniversary giveaways, 30-minute ideas for quick family-history fixes, genealogy software reviews, a timeline to the First World War on the Home Front, advice on how best to collaborate with fellow researchers, plus all the regular favourites such as dating old photos, Dear Tom, Diane Lindsay, Q&As, diary dates, news and reviews. Published by owners ABM Publishing Ltd, it is on sale in the UK until 30 October in WH Smiths, supermarkets and independent newsagents.

Find out more at www.family-tree.co.uk

Issue 1

(With thanks to Karen Clare)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

National Records of Scotland website expansion

Almost three and a half years ago the National Archives of Scotland and the General Register Office for Scotland merged to form a single body, the National Records of Scotland. Despite the merger, both institutions retained their respective websites, with only a limited portal website for the National Records of Scotland being established at www.nrscotland.gov.uk.

Today sees a major expansion of this NRS website, which will soon completely replace its predecessors at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk and www.nas.gov.uk. From today the GROS website will no longer be updated with any new content, and the catalogues and other content from the NAS site will soon also be made accessible via the National Records site.

(With thanks to Anne Slater at the NRS)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

No changes to access of Scottish adoption records

I blogged a couple of days ago that a major change is now being implemented in England and Wales concerning access to adoption records now being granted to the relatives of those who were adopted - see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/relatives-of-adopted-adults-now-able-to.html. The press release was issued by the Department of Education for England and Wales, but I was unclear as to whether the same changes were being implemented in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

As such, I contacted the National Records of Scotland to seek clarification, and they have just replied that this is unfortunately not a change coming to Scotland, at least for the foreseeable future. The NRS has an adoption unit, and its detailed guidance on who can access the adoption records here is available online at http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/adoption-records. The conditions are very stringent as the situation stands just now, and any changes will likely only be forthcoming if the Scottish Parliament looks at the issue in due course. I suspect it will likely be the same situation in Northern Ireland.

(With thanks to the National Records of Scotland)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Post-1996 English and Welsh probate records database online

The Probate Service for England and Wales has added a searchable database online for post-1996 wills and grants of probate, to complement its soldiers wills offerings already available. The database is at https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills.

There is a basic search facility (surname and year of death) and an advanced search capability (surname, first name, year, month and date of death, year, month and date of probate). If an entry is found from the search a full copy will cost £10 to access.

It's useful if you have to find an English or Welsh will - but be warned, it is the blandest looking website I have ever seen, a proper government issue, austerity inspired, let's-not-waste-money-on-any-paint, soul destroying affair... :)

(With thanks to @GeoffatGSGS and @CensusDetective)

UPDATE: Thanks to Jane Taubman for getting in touch to say that in emailing the service operators with some thoughts, they replied to her with the following added gem: "The service will eventually include all records dating back to 1858 within the coming months"

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

850 Scottish centenarians alive in 2013

The National Records of Scotland has revealed that in 2013 there were 850 centenarians alive in Scotland, a rise of 60% from 530 in 2003. There were 18 male centenarians for every 100 female centenarians.

The full story is at http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2014/number-of-centenarians-in-scotland-continues-to-increase

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Yorkshire parish records on FindmyPast

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has released nearly a million parish records from North Yorkshire County Record Office, Doncaster Archives and Local Studies, East Riding Archives and Local Studies Service, Teesside Archives and Sheffield Archives and Local Studies, as well as over 3 million parish records and Bishop’s Transcripts from the Borthwick Institute for Archives (University of York), which cover the whole of Yorkshire including West Yorkshire.

The records are accessible via http://www.findmypast.co.uk/yorkshire-parish-records.

(With thanks to Alex Cox)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

More on Scottish Valuation Roll from 1875

A quick note from Ken Nisbet of the Scottish Genealogy Society (www.scotsgenealogy.com), concerning the 1875 Valuation Roll on ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk):

Hi Chris, as you are aware the 1875 valuation rolls index is free to use. As you know the index does not tell you who owned the property if your relative was a tenant, a good way to do this is to go to the box marked Place and put the name of the street or farm name etc. in, this will tell you who owned the property

For example I know my relatives lived at Broomhill in the Parish of Cawdor Nairnshire. I got to the county, put in Nairnshire, then parish Cawdor, and Place Broomhill. It states there are 5 entries. I then click to access the index and it tells me that Earl Cawdor owned all the properties and the the names of the tenants including my relative Charles Macarthur who rented the farm.

(With thanks to Ken)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Indian Infantry First World War diaries now online

The National Archives in England has added 171 First World War diaries from the Indian Infantry units, for download at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/.

The records are also available for the online crowdsouring transcription project Operation War Diary at http://www.operationwardiary.org/

For further details visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/962.htm.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Durham Records Online update - and Durham records on FamilySearch

New records on Durham Records Online (http://www.durhamrecordsonline.com) :

Gateshead Wesleyan Methodist Circuit baptisms 1837-1883
6,373 baptisms on the Gateshead Wesleyan Methodist Circuit from July 1837 to August 1883.

Gateshead burials 1769-1812
9,993 burials at Gateshead St. Mary, covering 1769-1812. This includes the detail-rich period of 1798-1812 where all sorts of parentage answers can be found, even in burials! These are from a combination of the parish register and the Bishop's Transcript, for maximum detail.

Auckland St. Helen baptisms 1813-1814: details added
We recently discovered that in 1813, in addition to the standard baptism register at Auckland St. Helen, there is another baptism register that continues the Barrington-style entries (i.e. mother's maiden surname, parents' nativity, and child's birth date and birth order) to just past the middle of 1814. (Normally these stop at the end of 1812.) This 2nd register also contains 8 baptisms that are not in the standard register. We have now updated our 107 existing 1813-1814 baptisms to include the details from the 2nd register, and added the 8 missing baptisms, with an explanatory note.

Thornley marriages 1865-1915 updated with occupations, witnesses, abodes
985 existing marriages at Thornley (by Kelloe) in Easington district, from Feb 1865 to May 1915, were updated, gaining the occupations of the fathers and grooms, abodes and witnesses, and correcting errors. We also added 10 marriages to finish out 1915.

Coming Soon:

• Gosforth baptisms, burials, & marriages 1762-1846
• Benfieldside Cemetery burials 1920-1981
• Penshaw baptisms, marriages, & burials 1841-1865
• Hartlepool St James baptisms & marriages
• Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1900-1904
• updates to existing Wingate Grange baptisms

In the queue: several South Shields Presbyterian churches, Morpeth, Felling, Longhorsley, Hart Cemetery MIs, South Shields St Hilda baptisms 1836+, Newcastle All Saints baptisms 1835-36, Hexham Whitley Chapel baptisms & burials 1843-1888, Birtley St Joseph Catholic marriages 1846-1899, Durham St. Cuthbert RC baptisms 1841-1885

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

NB: If you have Durham based ancestry, FamilySearch has just added additional records from the diocese - see John Reid's blog post at http://www.anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.ca/2014/09/durham-diocese-records-at-familysearch.html for further details.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

At a glance - PRONI's October/November talks schedule

From the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.proni.gov.uk) in Belfast:

LUNCHTIME TALK: Overview of The Londonderry Papers, Lorraine Bourke
When: 1st October, 1pm
Where: Newtownards Visitor Information Centre

LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES: ‘Exploring Family History’ – Industrialists and Workers, Dr Janice Holmes, Open University in Ireland
When: 2nd October, 1pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: How to undertake War Grave Research – War Graves in Belfast, Nigel Henderson
When: 6 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES: ‘Exploring Family History’ – Police, Lawyers and Criminals, Dr Barry Sheehan, Open University in Ireland.
When: 9th October, 1pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: ‘Peers, Politicians and Polemicists: The People Within the Londonderry Papers at PRONI’ Lorraine Bourke & ‘Lady Londonderry and the Great War,’ Brett Irwin
When: 9th October, 1pm
Where: Newtownards Visitor Information Centre

THE ROAD TO WAR LECTURE SERIES: Militarism in Ireland, 1912–18, Professor David Fitzpatrick, Trinity College, Dublin
When: 9 October, 7pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: How to undertake War Grave Research – War Graves in Northern Ireland, Nigel Henderson
When: 13 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: ‘Serving Belfast, municipal services since 1613’, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 14 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Ulster Protestant Gaelic Tradition, by Diarmaid Ó Doibhlin
When: 15 October 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES: ‘Exploring Family History’ – Churches and Churchgoers, Dr Janice Holmes, Open University in Ireland
When: 16th October, 1pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: An Unrepentant Romantic - Remembering Richard Hayward by Paul Clements
When: 17 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Building the City Hall, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 21 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Influence of Irish on English as we speak it, by Joe Ó Labhraí
When: 22 October 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES: ‘Exploring Family History’ – Shops and Shoppers, Dr Janice Holmes, Open University in Ireland
When: 23rd October 1pm
Where: PRONI

THE ROAD TO WAR LECTURE SERIES: 'If the nation is to be saved women must help in the saving’: Women and War in Ireland, 1914-18, Dr Senia Paseta, University of Oxford
Thursday 23 October, 7pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Signature Events at Belfast City Hall, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 28 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES: ‘Exploring Family History’ – Doctors and Patients, Dr Janice Holmes, Open University in Ireland
When: 30th October 1pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Councils and Corporations, Ian Montgomery, PRONI
When: 4 November, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: History of the Irish Language, by Mícheál Ó Máirtín
When: 5 November 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

BOOK LAUNCH: ‘The First World War Diaries of Emma Duffin, Belfast Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse.’ By Trevor Parkhill
When: 11th November
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Our Shared Musical Heritage, by Brian Mullen
When: 12 November 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

East of England Family History Show "Echoes of the Past"

From S&N Genealogy Ltd:

Following the success of last year’s inaugural East of England Family History Show "Echoes of the Past" the event is now bigger than ever and will be held at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln on Sunday 26th October 2014.

The event offers the opportunity for visitors to research their family history, find central records and learn more about the archives of the area. Exhibitors include family history societies, genealogists, heritage groups and local publishers. Workshops and talks will be held throughout the day including Military Research, Researching Online, Lincolnshire Family History and The Garton Archive.

The Echoes of the Past event will be held at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln on Sunday 26th October 2014 from 10am to 4pm. Entry is £4 per person with free parking.

TheGenealogist and S&N Genealogy is proud to sponsor ‘Echoes of the Past’ Show for the second year running and will be providing specialist help, talks and advice on the day and both companies will have products and special offers available to visitors.

The day will also feature the popular free talk ‘Breaking down your family history brick walls’ by Mark Bayley who regularly presents to packed audiences at the Who Do You Think You Are? Show at London Olympia.

‘Echoes of the Past’ will also feature the Lincolnshire Family History Society, Lincolnshire Archives, Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society, Suffolk Family History, professional Genealogists and the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. Many commercial companies to help you research your family history will also be in attendance.

Nigel Bayley, Managing Director of TheGenealogist comments: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with ‘Echoes of the Past’ in their second year in Lincolnshire. It promises to be a great event for anyone interested in family history in the Lincolnshire area and we look forward to helping the organisers continue to establish this as the premier genealogy event for the area.”

For more information on attending the Echoes of the Past show as an exhibitor, please contact Sarah Carter, Event Co-ordinator, at Lincolnshire Media. sarah.carter@lincolnshiremedia.co.uk or telephone 01522 820000

(With thanks to David Osborne)

UPDATE: Further details, including a list of exhibitors, is at http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Echoes-past/story-21092878-detail/story.html

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Relatives of adopted adults now able to trace family tree

From the Department of Education for England and Wales:

Relatives of adopted adults now able to trace family tree

From: Department for Education and Edward Timpson MP
First published: 25 September 2014
Part of: Improving the adoption system and services for looked-after children and Children and young people

Children, grandchildren and other relatives of adopted adults can now trace back through their ancestors’ lives.

Children, grandchildren and other relatives of adopted adults can now trace back through their ancestors’ lives - helping them to unearth their family history, discover more about their medical background and reach out to long-lost relatives under new rules introduced today.

Previously, only the person adopted and their birth relatives were able to used specialised adoption agencies to help shed light on their family history and make contact with their biological family members.

The new rules will extend this right to all relatives of adopted adults, from children and grandchildren to partners and adoptive relatives, allowing greater openness in adoption while ensuring adopted people have the right to a private, family life.

For example, those who have lost a parent to cancer or a heart problem will be able to discover whether their grandparents or other birth relatives suffered from the same condition, given them the chance to seek advice and support.

Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson, who has 2 adopted brothers, said:

It’s right that descendants and other relatives of adopted adults are able to access important information, such as medical records or genetic health conditions, which could impact upon how they live their life today.

They should also be able to find out about important events from their past, as well as make contact with family members if they wish.

This positive change will help thousands of people discover their place in history, while keeping important safeguards in place to protect the right to a private family life for those who were adopted.

Julia Feast OBE, from the British Association for Fostering and Adoption (BAAF) said:

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering is delighted that the government’s consultation about extending intermediary services to descendants of adopted people has now been published.

We are very pleased that the government has extended the rights of descendants and other relatives to access an intermediary service whilst ensuring that the adopted person’s rights are not overlooked and will be at the centre of the decision making.

Today’s announcement (25 September 2014) is just the latest milestone in the government’s plan to overhaul support for adopted families.

We have announced plans to introduce a £19.3 million fund to help adopted children settle into their new families by accessing crucial support services as and when they need it, and have extended entitlements so that adopted children have access to priority school admissions, the pupil premium, and eligibility for free early education for 2-year-olds.

In addition, we have also published the Adoption Passport which sets out in 1 place all the rights and entitlements of adoptive parents, alongside new online maps which allow potential adopters to find out more information about services in their area. We have also set up First4Adoption, the government funded information service for people interested in adopting a child.

Notes to Editor:

The government has today published new rules to make provision for intermediary services to facilitate contact between ‘persons with a prescribed relationship’ and the birth relatives of a person adopted before 30 December 2005.

The regulations will define ‘persons with a prescribed relationship’ as anyone related to an adopted person by blood (including half-blood), marriage or civil partnership or by virtue of the adoption. This will include all relatives of the adopted person, including but not limited to the children and grandchildren of adopted persons.

The regulations will ensure that that the consent of the adopted person is obtained before contact or information sharing is facilitated between persons with a prescribed relationship and birth relatives, other than:

• where a person with a prescribed relationship seeks non-identifying medical information from birth relatives of the adopted person and this can be shared by the intermediary agency without sharing identifying information
• where a person with a prescribed relationship wishes to make contact with a birth relative and the adopted person cannot be found, despite all reasonable steps having been taken
• where the adopted person has died or lacks capacity

The ‘Intermediary services for relatives of adopted people’ consultation is now available.

The new rules will come into force by November 2014.

NB: I am unclear if this is a UK wide initiative or one that just applies to England and Wales - will see if I can clarify! (See http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/no-changes-to-access-of-scottish.html for update)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

New English record sets added to Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following record sets for England:

Wells, Somerset, England, Bishop's Transcripts, 1594-1736
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9146
Source: Original data: E. Dwelly, ed. Dwelly's Parish Records. Vol. I. Herne Bay, England: E. Dwelly, 1913.

Birmingham, England, Rate Books, 1831-1913
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=4954
Source: Rate Books. Textual records. Library of Birmingham, Birmingham, England.

London, England, King's Bench and Fleet Prison Discharge Books and Prisoner Lists, 1734-1862
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9158
Source: Series PRIS 10. The National Archives, Kew, England.

London, England, Marshalsea Prison Commitment and Discharge Books, 1811-1842
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9159
Source: Series PRIS 11. The National Archives, Kew, England

Full details via the links.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

RootsIreland moves to subscription model

The RootsIreland website (www.rootsireland.ie) has moved from a pay-per-view credits based model to a new subscription model. Where before the records were 5 Euros each, and cheaper if multiple credit blocks were purchased, these are now only available only via one of several new subscription tiers.

A subscription service is something that many have been calling for over a very long time, the site's previous pricing policy having been ridiculously over the top for the transcripts that were available - particularly as new services such as the General Register Office of Northern Ireland's Geni service at https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/ had threatened to seriously undercut the costs at £2 per record.

The move to a subscription service is a welcome development on the one hand for those only starting out, though it does cause an issue for those who may have already carried out a great deal of research and who may only wish to look up the occasional record. The following are the new subscription tiers:

• 1 month subscription at £20 (up to 1000 record views in 1 month)
• 6 month subscription at £98 (up to 7000 record views in 6 months)
• 12 month subscription at £177 (up to 15000 record views in 12 months)

If you already have credits on the site, you will now no longer be able to use them to look up records - instead, you will be asked to buy a subscription and to have a discount applied to that based on the credits you hold. I have 15 credits on my account at present, for example, which I am told will allow me a discount of £1.85 from a subscription package.

The very odd free search credits facility that used to be on the site remains in place until you make your first subscription purchase. This has actually placed me in a bit of a dilemma, as the free search facility is something that does occasionally come in handy, without the need to purchase full records. If I upgrade, I will lose this (I have almost 3000 free search credits available), so I may need to consider setting up a separate account should I wish to see transcriptions - it may be academic anyway, as the site states that its pay-per-view facility will soon be closed down, though no time scale is offered on that. A facility to purchase a single record at a time would still be desirable, but I suspect not forthcoming.

There are several other minor changes on the site, which I still need to explore further, and a slight revamp to the home page. Records will remain available on the site for 2 years after purchase. On the down side, searches now need to be performed in more restricted search year ranges. This now makes searches almost as frustrating as those on the GRONI site, which does the same needless thing. Another frustration appears to be that you need to use first names in searches now, where before you could leave that blank. If moving to a subscription model, why should that suddenly have become an issue, it will only make searching harder?

The draconian terms and conditions previously outlined on the site in terms of usage have been updated, but still remain draconian for professional or corporate use. The site's FAQ section states "If you work for an organisation or company that carries out research for third parties using our records, you must not use a personal subscription. You can contact us to find out fees for corporate or professional access to the service."

Overall, however, the subscription model is something that should have happened a long time ago, and is a very welcome development. Whilst the subscription tiers are perhaps a little expensive, there is certainly much more value for money here. But as is so often the case with RootsIreland, what the left hand giveth, the right hand taketh away, and the new restrictions on searching are likely to prove unpopular.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Explore the records of Inverness District Asylum

As part of World Mental Health Day on 10th October 2014, the records of the 130 year old Craig Dunain Hospital (Inverness District Asylum), will be on display as part of an exhibition at the Highland Archive Centre on Bught Road Inverness, between 2pm and 4pm.

Further details from www.highlandarchives.org.uk.

(With thanks to Highland Archive centre's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/highlandarchives)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Newry and Mourne branch of NIFHS gets under way

From the Facebook page of the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org):

Well they’ve done it! Our fledgling new Branch not only have a Facebook page at Newry & Mourne Family History Group (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Newry-Mourne-Family-History-Group/540717932606866), but have also arranged their first meeting for this week. If you have family interests in the area please like their page & if you live near Newry, please go along to the meeting to support them.

The meeting is being held at Ballybot House, a former linen mill in Newry city centre at 7.30pm on Thursday 25th September.
(The full address is: 28 Cornmarket, Newry, BT35 8BG).
You’ll be very welcome.

(With thanks to NIFHS)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

ScotlandsPeople adds 1875 Valuation Roll

From the ScotlandsPeople Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ScotlandsPeople):

We are delighted to announce the Release of Valuation Rolls 1875 on the ScotlandsPeople website.

The index is FREE to search for the first time, until the 31st December. The Valuation Rolls are an excellent companion to the census, and are a useful aid for locating where and how your ancestors lived.

To access the indexes and images visit www.ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk.

Incidentally, for more on the valuation rolls, which were recorded annually from 1855 until the early 1980s, and which name principle tenants and landlords/feudal superiors, my Unlock the Past book Discover Scottish Land Records is now available in Britain via My History at http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Discover-Scottish-Land-Records-UTP0283.html#SID=876. Normally priced at £8, the company is currenly offering a special 25% discount, meaning that until midday on Thursday 26th September, it will costs just £6.

Several other Scottish, British and Australian titles are also available via http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Unlock-the-Past-Booklets.html#SID=876.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

FindmyPast - Scottish census source citation corrections update

I've just received a note from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) that the source citations for the Scottish censuses from 1841-1901, which I flagged up with them in May of this year as being totally nonsensical and completely unfit for purpose on the new version of the website, are finally being addressed (see http://feedback.findmypast.co.uk/forums/222583-ideas-and-improvements/suggestions/5898380-reinstate-original-census-source-information-on-sc). The note simply states "Started - Launching Soon".

Watch this space!

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Scavenger required in Lurgan

PRONI's Document of the Month is an 1846 advertisement for a scavenger in the town of Lurgan, County Armagh. The job? To clear away horse manure from the streets! For more, visit http://www.proni.gov.uk/news_details.htm?newsRef=3240.

(NB: The document itself is only available as a thumbnail - it would be good to be able to read the actual document at a better resolution!)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Bristol and Avon Family History Society Open Day

The Bristol and Avon Family History Society Open Day takes place this coming Saturday 27th September - see http://www.bafhs.org.uk/events/icalrepeat.detail/2014/09/27/1631/-/bristol-a-avon-fhs-open-day.

Apparently the event only takes lace every two years, so if in the Bristol area, pop along - it takes place at my old university, the University of the West of England, in the Frenchay campus at Coldharbour Lane, from 10am-4pm.

(With thanks to Tina Kelly, http://www.thornburyroots.co.uk).

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

First World War injured servicemen lists on TheGenealogist

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

Find records of injured First World War servicemen online for the first time

Over 1.3 million records from daily and weekly First World War casualty lists have been released online by TheGenealogist. This vast collection of unique records cover all ranks to help you discover more about your injured ancestor’s wartime service.

The new records include career soldiers, volunteer Pals battalions, war poets and even a future Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. The collection covers both those who died of their wounds and those who recovered and returned to the front.

The records are a great resource for finding out what happened to an ancestor during The First World War. Details include:- the name of the injured serviceman, his regiment and rank, the date he was registered as a ‘casualty’ and often his home town or place of enlistment.

These records also work with TheGenealogist’s unique ‘SmartSearch’ feature, which allows you to link to the comprehensive range of other military records available on TheGenealogist. Many of the wounded servicemen received medals for their actions and with a few mouse clicks you can discover whether your ancestor received any commendations, such as in the Military Medals records available online on TheGenealogist.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist comments: ”The sheer number of records in this latest release show how brutal The First World War was. Record keeping at the time must have been a real challenge, but thanks to TheGenealogist’s SmartSearch technology, when you find a casualty record, you can instantly see if other records, such as medals, appear on the site.”

The new 1.3 million records of the wounded are available as part of a Diamond Subscription.

To find out more about the ‘First World War Wounded Collection’ see the dedicated page on www.TheGenealogist.co.uk/ww1-wounded. There you will find photographs, stories, statistics and a free search facility.

(With thanks to David Osborne)

COMMENT: The source information for the entries merely state "Daily Casualty Lists", with no indication as to where these are held or originally published, which seems something of an oversight. Currently seeking clarification.

UPDATE: "The First World War Wounded records are from daily lists published by the War Office and also published on a daily basis by The Times and other newspapers of the time."

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

PRONI's autumn talks schedule in Belfast

At a Glance... the autumn talks schedule from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.proni.gov.uk):

THE ROAD TO WAR LECTURE SERIES: Ireland’s Entry Into War, 1914: Acceptance or Refusal?, Dr Catriona Pennell, University of Exeter
When: 25 September, 7pm
Where: Ulster Museum Lecture Theatre

LUNCHTIME TALK: How to undertake War Grave Research – War Graves in Belfast, Nigel Henderson
When: 6 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI
********PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE DATE HAS CHANGED FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY ISSUED*************

THE ROAD TO WAR LECTURE SERIES: Militarism in Ireland, 1912–18, Professor David Fitzpatrick, Trinity College, Dublin
When: 9 October, 7pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: How to undertake War Grave Research – War Graves in Northern Ireland, Nigel Henderson
When: 13 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI
********PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE DATE HAS CHANGED FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY ISSUED*************

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: ‘Serving Belfast, municipal services since 1613’, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 14 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Ulster Protestant Gaelic Tradition, by Diarmaid Ó Doibhlin
When: 15 October 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

LUNCHTIME TALK: An Unrepentant Romantic - Remembering Richard Hayward by Paul Clements
When: 17 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Building the City Hall, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 21 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Influence of Irish on English as we speak it, by Joe Ó Labhraí
When: 22 October 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

THE ROAD TO WAR LECTURE SERIES: 'If the nation is to be saved women must help in the saving’: Women and War in Ireland, 1914-18, Dr Senia Paseta, University of Oxford
Thursday 23 October, 7pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Signature Events at Belfast City Hall, Robert Corbett, Belfast City Council
When: 28 October, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

BELFAST CORPORATION LECTURE SERIES: Councils and Corporations, Ian Montgomery, PRONI
When: 4 November, 1pm – 2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: History of the Irish Language, by Mícheál Ó Máirtín
When: 5 November 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

IRISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LECTURE SERIES: Our Shared Musical Heritage, by Brian Mullen
When: 12 November 2014, 1-2pm
Where: PRONI

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

English and Welsh school registers and log books on FindmyPast

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has launched a new collection, National School Admission Registers and Log-books 1870-1914, with records from schools in England and Wales. The company is working with 26 archives and schools south of the border, and this first batch includes material from 1500 schools included.

The collection is directly accessible at http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/national-school-admission-registers-and-log-books-1870-1914

From the site:

"Currently there are 2,562,402 records available to search from thirteen counties in England and Wales: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Devon, Glamorganshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Surrey and Wiltshire, and also Westminster. Updates to these records, adding further counties, will be published in 2015."

The list of schools included at present is available at http://www.findmypast.co.uk/articles/britain-national-school-admission-registers-and-log-books-school-list?_ga=1.63228585.748980542.1411385021

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

The First World War Uncovered - IWM Duxford event

From the Imperial War Museum at Duxford (http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford):

The First World War Uncovered
Saturday 27 September
10am to 4.30pm
Marshall Auditorium, AirSpace

Discovering Douglas Haig, the origins of the First World War, the career of Phillipe Petain and medicine in the Great War

The First World War Uncovered looks at different aspects of the Great War with authoritative and engaging speakers.

Professor Gary Sheffield presents two fascinating lectures. In Douglas Haig Reassessed he looks at the controversial military commander who is seen by some as a great leader, while others view him as a callous, unthinking butcher.

In this lecture, Professor Gary Sheffield, author of the most recent biography of Haig, weighs up the evidence and argues that while both extremes of opinion are wrong, Haig deserves a great deal of credit for the Allied victory in the First World War.

In his second lecture, Not Sleepwalking: The Origins of the First World War Revisited, Professor Gary Sheffield argues that the currently fashionable view that no state can be blamed for causing the war, that Europe ‘sleepwalked’ into a devastating conflict, is wrong. The origins of the war rest with the leaders of Germany and Austria-Hungary, who took conscious decisions in the summer of 1914 which led to the ensuing Armageddon.

Jonathan Krause is a Lecturer in Strategic Studies at the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell. He discusses Philippe Petain who, in 1914, was a 58 year old Colonel and just two years away from retirement after a long and middling career. The next four years would turn Petain into a household name.

Rising quickly to the rank of General, Petain would be rocketed to fame upon taking control of the Battle of Verdun in the early, desperate days of that ten-month-long struggle. Petain’s popularity with his soldiers, who appreciated his caring, attentive command style, led to his becoming Commander-in-Chief of French forces in the aftermath of the disastrous Nivelle Offensive and resulting mutiny.

Jonathan Krause will introduce you to Petain, both as a commander and as a human being, to better contextualise his influence on the conduct of the First World War.

Andrew Spooner presents a talk about medicine in the First World War. He will cover everything from trench diseases, such as trench fever and trench foot, to injuries sustained in action. He will explain how casualties were evacuated from the trenches to the rear lines and then finally back to the Voluntary Aid Detachment hospitals in Britain.

Andrew will have a range of original First World War medical artefacts on display and will use these artefacts, alongside original images, to demonstrate how various injuries were treated.

Places for The First World War Uncovered Special Interest Day must be booked in advance and can be booked online at iwm.org.uk

Ticket prices (including admission to all IWM Duxford exhibitions):
Adult (16-59 years) £21.50
Child (under 16 years) £4
Senior (60 years and over) £17.20
Student (in possession of a valid student card) £17.20
Unemployed (with proof of entitlement) £17.20
Disabled Adult (proof of disability allowance required) £17.20
Disabled Senior (proof of disability allowance required) £15.05
Disabled Student (proof of disability allowance required ) £15.05
Disabled child (proof of disability allowance required) £4
Carer (one per disabled visitor) £4
Supporter (Duxford Aviation Society Member, Friend of Duxford, IWM Friend, IWM Volunteer) £4

(With thanks to Esther Blaine)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Devon Family History Society AGM

A quick note from Devon Family History Society:

Annual Conference - In which they served: finding your family in wartime

Programme details, Speakers and Exhibitors, plus online booking available via
www.devonfhs.org.uk/agm.htm

Drop-in sessions to speak to Exhibitors, but excluding talks, are available from 2pm.

(With thanks to Maureen Selley) 

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Scottish Military Research Group pre-WW1 guide

The Scottish Military Research Group (http://www.scottishmilitaryresearch.co.uk) has placed a free research guide online for pre-First World War military service.

To access the guide visit https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=31471A884E56A78D!138&ithint=file%2cpdf&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AHJWf4wDd038UYA

(With thanks to David McNay)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair

From Cambridgeshire FHS:

If you’ve ever thought about researching your ancestry, expert advice will be on hand at the Cambridgeshire Family History Society Fair on 25 October. Speakers will teach you how to find your Cambridgeshire ancestors and then show you how you can turn your research into an interesting story for your family and friends. You will also hear about the Imperial War Museum Duxford’s collection of Second World War images as well as learning how to date old photographs from looking at clues given in pictures.

Exhibitors from family and local history societies will be attending, as well as organisations offering everything that you need to help you with your research. Whether your ancestors are from Cambridgeshire, or beyond, our experienced volunteers will be available for one-to-one sessions to give advice about getting started and what to do if you get stuck. There will also be free access to the main genealogy websites throughout the day. Share ideas and practical tips with your fellow family historians and, for a small charge, we’ll even provide soup and a roll for lunch while you chat!

The fair is taking place at Girton Glebe School, Girton. Doors open 10am-4pm. Parking and entry is free (£2 to attend each talk). The Citi 6 bus stops outside the school.

See www.cfhs.org.uk or http://on.fb.me/UdrbZ8 for further details or contact Lisa Newman, cambsfhs@hotmail.co.uk

(With thanks to Lisa Newman)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

My Unlock the Past books are now available in the UK

For the last few years I have been writing a series of books for the Australian based publisher Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au). I am now delighted to say that these books are being reprinted in the UK by genealogy supplies firm My History (www.my-history.co.uk). Not only are they priced more competitively now for the UK market, but the postage costs are also much more friendly from South Yorkshire.

The books are:

Discover Scottish Church Records £9
http://www.my-history.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=paton&PN=Discover-Scottish-Church-Records-UTP0281%2ehtml#SID=876

Irish Family History Resources Online £9
http://www.my-history.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=paton&PN=Irish-Family-History-Resources-Online-UTP0282%2ehtml#SID=876

Discover Scottish Land Records £8
http://www.my-history.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=paton&PN=Discover-Scottish-Land-Records-UTP0283%2ehtml#SID=876

British and Irish Newspapers £7
http://www.my-history.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=paton&PN=Discover-Scottish-Land-Records-UTP0285%2ehtml#SID=876

Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records £7
http://www.my-history.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?WD=paton&PN=Discover-Scottish-Land-Records-UTP0284%2ehtml#SID=876

Several titles from other authors are also available - see http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Unlock-the-Past-Booklets.html for the full list.

At the moment it appears that there is a 25% Deal of the Week offer happening, with my Discover Scottish Church Records book available for £6.75 (instead of £9), my Discover Scottish Land Records book at £6 (instead of £8), etc. The offer lasts until mid-day 26th September!

  

 

(NB: E-book editions are also available from www.gen-ebooks.com)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

TNA podcast - Naval policy of the Free Church of Scotland

The latest podcast from the National Archives in England is entitled The Naval Policy of the Free Church of Scotland. Yes, you read that right! It's a half hour talk by Alex Ritchie and can be listed to at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/naval-policy-free-church-scotland/ or downloaded for free via iTunes.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Meanwhile, in the rockstar world...!

The Scottish referendum was not the only huge vote taking place last week - in Canada, it was time for the third of John Reid's Rockstar Genealogist polls asking folk to vote for those who "give must attend presentations at family history conferences or as webinars; who, when you see a new family history article or publication by that person, makes it a must buy; who you hang on their every word on a blog, podcast or newsgroup, or follow avidly on Facebook or Twitter".

I'm delighted to say that I've appeared on a few of the lists - it transpires that I came second in Canada, fourth in Australia, eighth in Britain, and on a cumulative basis, I came joint first for genies based within the Commonwealth (defined here as England, Scotland, Wales, Australia and Canada), alongside Janet Few. So crikey, thanks to all who voted!  The full lists are available on John's blog at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.co.uk/.

As for that other poll - well, the team I was playing for came second. It was an extraordinary campaign, the greatest democratic exercise in Scottish history, and I was thoroughly honoured to play my part within it. I've written an update about this on my other blog at http://walkingineternity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/scotland-says-no-for-now.html, and my roll within it, but suffice to say it was most definitely a life-changing event, the story of which has not just ended but really only begun. But for now, it's back to full-time business again as a genie...! :)

(With thanks to John Reid)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Free access to Ancestry this weekend

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) is offering free access to its UK records collections this weekend, until midnight on Sunday.

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Historic week for Scotland and the UK

As I am sure that you are undoubtedly aware, the Scottish independence referendum is happening this Thursday. Because of this I have not been posting much genealogy news on this blog over the last few days, as I have been out campaigning, and will continue to do so until the day itself. On Thursday I will then be volunteering as a polling agent at three poll stations in my local area, and after 10pm, when the ballot has closed, I will be at the main North Ayrshire count throughout the early hours of the morning, keeping an eye on proceedings as one of many agents registered for the Yes side (for independence). On Friday, whatever the result, I will then be sleeping! This means that whilst I will try to post when I can, this week may be a bit thin for news from me, but I'll try to put anything up if I get it.

For those interested in the campaign currently going on here, one of the huge joys about it has been how peaceful and civil it has been, and yet at the same time fiercely passionate. Some 97% of the adult Scottish population has been formally registered on the electoral roll, which is just astonishing, and the issue is all that is being talked about on the streets and in the pubs - this country has never been so democratically engaged in any discussion, certainly not in my lifetime. The polls are veering wildy from Yes at 54% to No at 53% - in truth, it really is on a knife edge somewhere in the middle with so many factors not taken into account when compared to normal elections (for example, thousands have registered to vote for the first time since the Poll Tax of the 1980s, whilst 16 and 17 years olds are set to vote for the first time in any British election). There has been a lot of fun - on Saturday, for example, there was a good friendly rivalry between our Yes stand and the Better Together stand (the No campaign to independence), both of us located side by side on the Main Street of Largs, as we tried to make our case and even convert each other's supporters with our arguments - occasionally returning badges to the other team if we succeeded! On Saturday there I even met Peter Mullan, an actor from one of my favourite films of recent years, Sunshine on Leith, who popped by our stall (see below), whilst a couple of weeks ago I was out canvassing the Main Street here in Largs with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. These are not normal times!

Whatever the result at the end of this whole process, whether an independent Scotland or a continued United Kingdom, this blog will continue to provide genealogy news from across the British Isles, and occasionally beyond our shores, as has been the case for the last few years - so hopefully, as of next week, it will be back to business as usual. If I'm still standing, of course...! :)

Finally, no comments please on the merits for or against the issue on this blog - I'm just explaining my temporary absence!

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

British Newspaper Archive update

New additions to the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk):

Aberdeen Journal – 1881, 1886
Arbroath Herald and Advertiser for the Montrose Burghs – 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921
Bedfordshire Times and Independent – 1906, 1910, 1935, 1950
Bradford Daily Telegraph – 1868, 1870
Bucks Herald – 1930, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1947, 1948, 1949
Chester Chronicle – 1870
Coventry Herald – 1888, 1910, 1911
Daily Herald – 1918
Daily Mirror – 1914
Daily Record – 1916
Dumfries and Galloway Standard – 1859, 1915, 1918
Dundee Advertiser – 1841, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1879,
Durham County Advertiser – 1855, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – 1892
Falkirk Herald – 1853, 1854, 1855, 1865
Gloucester Journal – 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1813, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1859, 1860, 1863, 1874, 1875, 1879, 1880, 1906, 1939
Grantham Journal – 1936
Hartlepool Mail – 1880, 1897, 1940, 1941, 1942
Hastings and St Leonards Observer – 1943
Illustrated Times – 1870
Lake’s Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser – 1858, 1859, 1860, 1865, 1866, 1869, 1870
Lancashire Evening Post – 1930, 1931, 1941, 1943, 1945
Leamington Spa Courier – 1921, 1923, 1924
Liverpool Daily Post – 1870
London Evening Standard – 1870
Motherwell Times – 1917, 1918, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954
Northern Whig – 1868
Portsmouth Evening News – 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941
Royal Cornwall Gazette – 1801, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811
Southern Reporter – 1937, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1944
Staffordshire Advertiser – 1812, 1816
Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial & General Advertiser – 1856
Surrey Comet – 1858
Surrey Mirror – 1903, 1908, 1916, 1917, 1925, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1936
Sussex Agricultural Express – 1889, 1938, 1940
Tamworth Herald – 1889, 1899
Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser – 1852, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1908, 1911, 1924, 1929
Watford Observer – 1863, 1866
West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser – 1903
Western Daily Press – 1905, 1906
Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald – 1921, 1923
Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer – 1914, 1915

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

More Blackburn records added to Deceased Online

From Deceased Online (www.deceasedonline.com):

All burial records for Blackburn with Darwen now available on Deceased Online

All burial and cremation records for the large South Lancashire local authority area of Blackburn with Darwen have been added to www.deceasedonline.com

The new collection includes nearly 350,000 individual burial and cremation records comprising nearly 1 million data items including:

• digital scans of original burial and cremation registers
• details of all interments in each grave
• maps indicating the cemetery section location for each grave

Blackburn and Darwen was a thriving industrial area, world-renowned for cotton and textile production as well as engineering, brewing, mining and other industries throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries.

(With thanks to Deceased Online)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

'Rockstar genealogists' poll

John Reid's third annual 'Rockstar Genealogists' poll is now under way on his Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections blog, where he again invites readers to vote for those who "give must attend presentations at family history conferences or as webinars; who, when you see a new family history article or publication by that person, makes it a must buy; who you hang on their every word on a blog, podcast or newsgroup, or follow avidly on Facebook or Twitter".

For full details visit http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/rockstar-genealogist-reminder.html

(With thanks to John Reid)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Crime Museum talk at Bletchley Park

From Bletchley Park (www.bletchleypark.org.uk):

The Curator of the Metropolitan Police's notorious Crime Museum is to give a rare talk at Bletchley Park. Formerly known as the Black Museum, this macabre museum is felt to be too disturbing to allow in anyone but police officers. On Sunday 19 October at 2pm, Bletchley Park Presents Gary Ayton as part of its prestigious 2014 lecture series. Tickets are £20 per person and include admission to Bletchley Park's galleries and exhibitions.

Further details at https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/calendar/d.rhtm/781619-Bletchley-Park-Presents---Gary-Ayton.html

(With thanks to Bletchley Park)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

PRONI opening for European Heritage Open Days

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.proni.gov.uk) is open this coming weekend as part of the European Heritage Open Days, offering a full service in particular on Saturday. Here's the blurb:

PRONI is open on Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September 2014

Saturday
We are open 9am to 4.45pm and will be operating a full service.

Sunday
We will be opening at 9am to 4.45pm and operating a limited service.
(There will be no Document Productions on Sunday)

Both days will have behind the scenes tours and talks throughout it.

The Heritage Café at PRONI will be open on Saturday from 10am to 3pm.

PRONI's address is:
2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter,
Belfast BT3 9HQ
Phone: 028 9053 4800
Fax: 028 9053 4900
Email: proni@dcalni.gov.uk

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway indexes move

The Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway have their very handy indexes to collections from the archives now hosted on the main council site at http://info.dumgal.gov.uk/HistoricalIndexes/. Not sure when they moved, but the following resources can be found there:

Census
1851 Census

Burgh Records:
Dumfries Burgh
Chamberlains' Accounts 1793-1801
Dean of Guild Plans 1892-1974
Jail Books 1714-1810
Midsteeple Minutes 1703-1708
Police Criminal Album 1907-1920
Police Tax Books 1810-1818
Dumfries Court Indictment 1719-1720
Stent Rolls 1650-1794
Stent Rolls (cess on new properties) 1685-1794
Town Council Minutes 1727-1734

Lockerbie Burgh
Dean of Guild Plans 1900-1994

Moffat Burgh
Dean of Guild Plans 1869-1975

Customs and Excise:
Shipping Registers 1824-1920

Kirk Sessions and Presbytery:
Dumfries Kirk Session and Presbytery Minutes 1687-1838
Dumfries St Michaels Minutes 1169-8186 (?!)
Dumfries New Kirk [Greyfriars] Minutes 1784-1869
Dumfries Presbytery Minutes 1694-1700
Mouswald Minutes 1640-1659
Troqueer Minutes 1698-1771

Parish
Dumfries Poor Board Minutes 1871-1885

NB: the work is ongoing - If you are interested in volunteering get in touch with the Archive Centre at libarchive@dumgal.gov.uk

(With thanks to @Loreburne via Twitter)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks

Irish Lives Remembered Sept/Oct issue out

From Irish Lives Remembered (www.irishlivesremembered.com)

The September/October edition (25th issue) of Irish Lives Remembered Genealogy e-Magazine is now live and can be read/downloaded FREE of charge via www.irishlivesremembered.com or directly at http://bit.ly/1we2OIE

Topics of interest covered in our latest issue include:

Tracing your OFFALY Ancestors
· Irish Midlands Ancestry offers advice on tracing your Offaly/Laois ancestors
· Findmypast Ireland look at what records they hold for Offaly
· Offaly Libraries provides an overview of the key primary sources available in their local studies department
· Offaly History (Offaly Historical & Archaeological Society showcases their society’s work.

The Irish in Illinois
· Joe Buggy looks at tracing the Irish in Illinois
· Maureen Wlodarczyk looks at the life of Catherine O’Leary and her sons in Chicago
· Useful links to help research your Illinois ancestors

General News
· ACE Irish Genealogy Summer School at University College Cork announce their program for 2015
· Fiona Fitzsimons from Eneclann shares her research on Irish American Comedian, Stephen Colbert’s Laois roots
· Michael Merrigan writes about the commemoration of the Irish men and women who lost their lives in WWI
· Irish Ancestry Research Centre in Limerick praises the success of the Genealogy Event in Limerick
· Fly Leaf Press are offering a special discount to Irish Lives readers on their title ‘Tracing Your Sligo Ancestors’
· Back To Our Past invite you to their Genealogy & Family History 3 day event at the R.D.S, Dublin. See special coupon on page 5 which offers Irish Lives readers a €3 discount
· The Murphy family celebrates their Louth heritage with a family gathering
· Neil Watt from PRONI delves into the past of Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples (The Barefoot Baronet)
· Photo Historian, Jayne Shrimpton talks us through a 1895 image of the Browne family, Greenville, Waterford
· Findmypast adds Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers, Daily Mirror 1914, 1915, 1918 to British Newspaper Archives and publishes a handy guide to Tracing Your World War I Ancestors.
· Tony McCarthy remembers Tim Cadogan
· News, Events and Book store

The Irish in Australia
· Shauna Hicks traces the Irish in Australia (post 1901) through Immigration, Naturalization & Citizenship records

(With thanks to Eileen Munnelly)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks