British Newspaper Archive's 3rd anniversary

The British Newspaper Archive at www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk celebrates three years online on Saturday November 29th 2014. Digitising content from the British Library's extensive newspapers collection and making it keyword searchable is its ambition, and to date it now has some 301 titles represented online from across Britain and Ireland, with plenty more to come. Content from the project is also available via its sister sites FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) and Genes Reunited (www.genesreunited.co.uk). The digitisation project is planned to last for some ten years, so it is almost a third of the way through its projected aims. The site has provided a write up on its story so far at http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2014/11/28/the-british-newspaper-archive-is-3-years-old/.

So how does it measure up? I must admit to having a bit of a love-hate relationship with the site. Whilst it is undoubtedly one of the most useful resources online for family history research - or at least, will be - its information in informing users as to what is actually available is fairly appalling. For each newspaper title available, the site will only tell you what the planned year range will be with regards to its availability once it has been completed, not what is actually online at present. So for example, if we have a mythical title - say the Daily Shug - the site might tell you in its listings that it is the "Daily Shug 1835-1950". What it won't tell you is that at the present time, of that 1835-1950 coverage, there might only be coverage from 1842-1848 available at present. This means that when doing a search, you have absolutely no idea how complete your enquiry is - you may think you are searching complete coverage, when in fact you are only accessing part of it. I also find the way that it uploads new content deeply frustrating - a few years of this title here, a year or two of that one there - rather than taking a title and just going through it all in one go. There may be reasons in some cases as to why that may be, but the lack of any information about when a title's digitisation is to be resumed is just not available. It's frustrating as hell.

It is for these reason that I only occasionally dabble into it for personal research, as I would much rather wait until the collections I am interested in are more complete, than constantly have to keep wasting time searching the same databases over and over again. Nevertheless, newspapers are the great resource waiting to be tapped into, so the fact that the project is happening is certainly a godsend for family historians (particularly those a little more patient and forgiving than myself!).

For more information on how to access British and Irish newspapers both online and offline in archives across the two islands, my guide British and Irish Newspapers provides some useful guidance, and can be purchased from vendors in the UK, Canada and Australia - for full details please see my books section at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.


Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

PRONI book event and Preservation Week

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast (www.proni.gov.uk)

Ulster and the First World War, Jonathan Bardon OBE.
When: Wednesday 3rd December 2014 starting at 1pm
Where: PRONI
PRONI are delighted to host renowned author and historian Jonathan Bardon to give a lecture on the topic of his new publication. There will be copies of his book on sale after the lecture.
Admission is FREE – Please contact the PRONI to book your place through PRONI@dcalni.gov.uk or call (02890 534800)

PRESERVATION WEEK
When: Monday 8th to Friday 12th December.
Where: PRONI
During Preservation Week, many of our Preservation & Collections Management staff will be dedicating their time to the vital work that goes on behind the scenes
During the week we will be posting articles on our website about preservation, reprographics, preventative conservation, digital preservation and emergency planning. We hope to have lots of photos (and maybe some videos!) to show you just what we get up to behind the scenes.

Please note there will be a limited service during Preservation Week. There will be NO Document Production but the Public Search Room, including Self-Service Microfilm area, will be operating as normal.

Also - there is a change in opening hours during December. PRONI will close at 4.45pm on the following Thursday evenings: 4th, 11th and 18th December 2014 and 8th January 2015.

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

FindmyPast adds Scottish OPR indexes

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added two Scottish databases to its site, Scotland Births & Baptisms 1564-1950 and Scotland Marriages 1561-1910. These are the LDS databases already made available on the Family Search website (http://familysearch.org) and Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), and two of the most important Scottish genealogy databases online, providing indexes to the Scottish old parochial registers/old parish records, aka the OPRs. Although not a hundred per cent complete or accurate (there are errors and missing entries which browsing the original records occasionally throws up) the parent search facility is one of the most useful exercises that the births and baptisms LDS database facilitates, often allowing you to trace a couple and their family from parish to parish across time.

Test search:
I have just tried a test parent search on the FamilySearch presentation of the births and baptisms database (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1771030) for the children of my great great grandparents William Hay Paton and Janet Rogers. Using those terms only within the fields for the parents names, six children were dutifully returned, with their entries picking up on the surname variants of Roger and Rodger for Janet.

By doing the same search on Ancestry (http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60143), and unchecking the 'exact' boxes under the surnames, variants are also picked up, as on FamilySearch, with the first six entries in the records list returned being the children sought. In fact, Ancestry goes one better - it picks up a seventh child, Margaret, with the mother's surname recorded as Rogie (an older Perthshire variant of the name).

By contrast, however, when I tried the same search on FindmyPast, I received no returns at all when just using the same search terms in the parent name fields - William Hay Paton and Janet Rogers. By changing the mum's surname to Roger I got one return, by changing it to Rodger I got 5, and by changing it yet again to Rogie, Margaret was picked up. In other words, the search fields for parents do not recognise surname variants - the names as transcribed must be typed in exactly.

The fact that this cannot be done so effectively on FindmyPast's presentation is deeply disappointing, with its database the least successful of the three sites, and with Ancestry surprisingly even trumping FamilySearch on its own database. I'll be sticking with FamilySearch and Ancestry for my index searching.

* Also now available on the FindmyPast site are a gazetteer for England and Wales from 1895, and another 1.3 million Irish newspaper pages, as sourced from the British Newspaper Archive/British Library.

UPDATE: Thanks to Len Hutton for also flagging up that the batch number facility on FindmyPast's two LDS Scottish collections don't work. I've checked it myself, and it is useless.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Perth burial registers and UK Methodist ministers index on Ancestry

Ancestry has made two third party database collections available online, one Scottish, one for the UK.

The Scottish collection is Perth, Scotland, Burgh Burial Index, 1794-1855, available via http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9737. The original source for this is Perth and Kinross Archives, which hosts the database at http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/3887/Perth-burgh-burial-registers-1794-1855.

It just so happens that I have some notes on what this register contains, as a fair few members of my family were buried in Perth, so the following may be of use if doing a search.

The burial registers are a fantastic pre-registration resource, often listing relatives, causes of death, dates of death and burial, as well as cost of the coffin or cloth used. The original burial ground in Perth was Greyfriars, but in the late 1840s Wellshill took over - there was a brief period in which burials continued in both cemeteries, before Greyfriars was finally closed for burials. From 1870 Wellshill burials took place in both the old Wellshill cemetery and the two new parochial cemeteries, and in the 20th Century the grounds expanded again to include the new Jeanfield Cemetery.

From 1886 the registers are unindexed, but the registers can still be viewed at the A. K. Bell Library. The following are the accession numbers for the twelve indexed registers from 1794 to 1886, and a summary of the info they contain. Each volume has a fully comprehensive name index:

PE1/20/1: burials in Greyfriars from 1794 - 1824
Listing name of deceased, related partner or father, date of death, date of burial, age at time of death, and cause of death.

PE1/20/2: burials in Greyfriars from 1824 - 1844
Listing same as previous.

PE1/20/3A: burials in Greyfriars from 1844 - 1847
Listing name of deceased, related partner or father, occupation, birthplace, residence at time of death, age at time of death, date of death, date of burial, cause of death, method of burial, cost, and whether the grave had to be dug deeper at an additional cost.

PE1/20/3B: burials in Greyfriars from 1847 - 1848
Listing same as previous

PE1/20/3C: burials in Greyfriars from 1848 - 1849
Listing same as previous

PE1/20/3D: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1849 - 1855
Listing name of deceased, related partner or father, occupation, where born, residence at time of death, age at time of death, cause, date of death, date of burial, cemetery in which buried, method of burial and cost.


NB: The Perth and Kinross database, and its Ancestry clone, only goes as far as 1855, but in fact the series continues as follows, with the records available for consultation in the archive:

PE1/20/4: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1855 - 1863
Listing name of deceased, date of death, date (and time) of burial, cemetery in which buried, method of burial and cost.
(With civil death registration having commenced in 1855, these registers are the least useful, concentrating mainly on the burial details)

PE1/20/5: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1863 - 1867
Listing name of deceased, date of burial (and time), cemetery in which buried, method of burial and cost.

PE1/20/6: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1967 - 1870
Listing same as previous.

PE1/20/7: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1870 - 1876
Listing name of deceased, date of burial (and time), cemetery in which buried, method of burial and cost.
(Wellshill entries are subdivided into those for the old Wellshill ground, ie. "Wellshill", or the new parochial ground, ie."parochial").

PE1/20/8: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1876 - 1882
Listing name of deceased, date of burial (and time), residence at time of death, cemetery in which buried, method of burial and cost.
(Wellshill entries are subdivided into those for the old Wellshill ground, ie. "Wellshill", or the new parochial ground, ie."parochial").

PE1/20/9: burials in Greyfriars and Wellshill from 1882 - 1886
Listing name of deceased, status at time of death, residence at time of death, age at death, date of death, cemetry in which buried, method of transportation for the deceased's body to the grave, date of burial (and time), cost and lair number.

From 1886 the registers are unindexed, but the registers can still be viewed at the A. K. Bell Library.

The other web based database now on Ancestry is UK, Methodist Ministers Death Index, 1800-1963 at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9744 - this has been sourced from The University of Manchester Library.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

English and Welsh asylum records online at Ancestry

Three new collections concerning English and Welsh asylums and patients are now on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

England & Wales, Criminal Lunacy Warrant and Entry Books, 1882-1898
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9162
Source: The National Archives HO 145

England, Criminal Lunatic Asylum Registers, 1820-1843
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9163
Source: The National Archives HO 20

UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9051
Source: The National Archives MH 94

NB: Despite the title of the last collection, I think these registers actually refer only to England and Wales, rather than the United Kingdom.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Lincoln burial records on Deceased Online

From Deceased Online (www.deceasedonline.com):

The historic Lincoln is the second city in the English Midlands to add records to www.deceasedonline.com.

Immediately available are all records for the five cemeteries and crematorium managed by City of Lincoln Council.

The new collection, which dates back to 1856, comprises:

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

Lincoln is an ancient English city with a rich and colourful history. As one of only four locations with original copies of Magna Carta, 2015 is a special year where a new 'Magna Carta Vault' at the city's castle will help commemorate the 800th anniversary signing of the world famous charter.

Read Emma Jolly's latest blog about the City of Lincoln records on Deceased Online at http://deceasedonlineblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/lincoln-collection.html

Other councils in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands with records on Deceased Online include Gainsborough, Nottingham City, Newark, Kettering, Corby and Rushden. Also, The National Archives headstone transcriptions for Lincoln and Stamford

Coming soon.....records for a Northern Scottish region and memorial inscriptions for a large Lancashire town

(With thanks to Deceased Online)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

My Heritage and RootsMagic partnership over search technologies

Having only just announced on Monday that Calico Pie's Family Historian software package is to adopt My Heritage's search technologies (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/familyhistorian-to-integrate-my.html), it seems that My Heritage has also now partnered with Roots Magic to do the same thing.

The full announcement is at http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141125006490/en/RootsMagic-Adds-MyHeritage-Matching-Technologies-Powerful-Automatic#.VHYMudKKU6Z

(With thanks to Laurence Harris)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

National Genealogy Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia

I've been asked to give the following conference a plug, in case anyone from the UK might be interested in attending - so here goes!

NATIONAL GENEALOGY CONFERENCE
JULY 17—19, 2015
At historic Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

KEYNOTE SPEAKER DAVE OBEE
One of Canada’s most prominent authorities on Genealogy, Dave will provide excellent information and guidance for genealogists of all levels of experience.
Come be a part of this inaugural event!

GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR ANY GENEALOGIST!
Conference topics and activities will include:

• DNA testing in Genealogy
• History of immigration into Nova Scotia
• Recording family history through photography, digital filing and citing sources
• Best practices for beginner & intermediate genealogists
• Tour of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
• Visit to the Titanic Graveyard

Conference information and registration coming soon
Questions? Contact Heidi Wilker at heidi.wilker@visiontravel.ca or call 905-457-2092

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Society of Genealogists responds to London Probate Service search room closure

The following response to the Probate Service's announcement that it is to close its London based search room imminently (see my earlier post at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/english-welsh-wills-to-go-online-but.html) has been received from the Society of Genealogists:

Genealogists will be aware that an online index of wills from 1996 to the present has been available since October 2014. However this index has severe limitations. The search functionality is very limited – particularly when searching for a common name or if you do not have an indication of the year of death.

The Society of Genealogists has already told the Court Service that adding a place or address search (as is noted in earlier printed and fiche indexes) could help enormously when trying to identify someone with a common name. There will be genealogists who will be interested in obtaining all wills for people with a particular surname in common from all years. Limiting the search to a year of death makes such broad searches very impractical. This it would be better to have a wider date search range than just one year of death

Other members have pointed out that it is very disappointing to discover that the search engine provided for wills from 1996 does not include the same level of information as the existing calendars. Specifically, all versions of the calendars from 1858 to date include the address of the deceased, whether searched in the annual calendar books (for grants dated 1858-1992), on microfiche (1993-5) or on the Probateman computer database (1996-present). If a search is to be made for someone with a relatively common name and the exact date of death is not known, your new search engine will not provide any way of positively identifying the correct person.

The Courts Service have been asked whether there any plan to add the address of the deceased to the list of search results at a later date? If not it was asked whether any assurance could be given that the London search room will remain open so that a manual search can still be made? Otherwise, the online search will not be fit for purpose as it will not enable a searcher to order the correct copy.

Clearly the Court Service does not intend keep the search room open. We do not know if the Court Service will take our suggestions on board when providing an online to wills back to 1858. It is evidently not sensible to introduce a new and essentially untried online ordering system while at the same time withdrawing the personal service and search room at the Principal Probate Registry at the Royal Courts of Justice. The Society will be represented at the user meeting in December and will report back accordingly.

(With thanks to Else Churchill)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

English & Welsh wills to go online - but London Probate Service search room to close

The following is an announcement from HM Courts & Tribunal Service - if ever there was an instance of good news and bad news combined this is probably it....

London Probate Search Facility

As of Friday 12th December, the Probate Service will make available our records from 1858 to the present and the records of some soldiers who died on active military service between 1860 and 1982 (predominantly those who died in the First World War) for searching online.

You can search, order and receive copies direct from your own computer without waiting for the Probate Registry to send them to you.

You can search and if there is a match you will be informed straightaway. You can then decide if you wish to pay £10 and order the documents.

You can pay by credit or debit card.

You will be informed by an email when the documents are available for downloading on your computer.

This is a change in the way the Probate Service deliver our copies and search service and therefore from Friday 12th December the London Probate Service will cease to provide a copy ordering function as this will now be available online. The facility will remain open for collection of orders made before the 12th December but will close permanently from Friday 19th December.

The Probate Service has over the last few weeks received feedback from users on the changes we are making and ahead of the 12th December would like to extend and invitation to a Search facility users meeting to be held on Tuesday 2nd December between 1-2pm in the search facility.

If you want to attend the meeting or provide us with any feedback on the changes then please email Probate.records@hmcts.gsi.uk  (UPDATE: This is bouncing as an address - should possibly be Probate.records@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk)

For more information please go to:- www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

COMMENT: I've noticed from online chatter through LinkedIn and other sources that there has been a fair bit of faffing about by the Probate Service in London over recent months in terms of its search room provision, but I'm not sure anybody quite saw the permanent closure of the search room as being on the cards. The online database is good news for those not in London wishing to make an online search - though how accurate the database is has still to be tested - but for those who regularly use the search room for genealogical purposes, this will be quite a shock. The meeting on Tuesday 2nd December may well be the only chance to cause enough of a ruckus to make them think again - assuming this is isn't just some corporate PR session designed to tell you why you're wrong and it's right, the decision having already been signed, sealed and delivered.

(With thanks to Diana Bouglas and Philip Gloyn)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

FamilyHistorian to integrate My Heritage search technology

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com), news of a collaboration with the Family Historian (www.family-historian.co.uk) software programme:

TEL AVIV, Israel & LONDON, UK – November 24, 2014: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, and Calico Pie Limited, London-based publishers of genealogy software, today jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies will be integrated into Family Historian, Calico Pie’s popular desktop genealogy program. This will enable users to benefit from automated discoveries sourced from millions of family trees and billions of global historical records on MyHeritage.
Family Historian incorporates comprehensive features designed to make family history friendly for beginners and experts alike. The new version 6 of Family Historian, scheduled for release on December 9th 2014, will feature MyHeritage matching. Some matches will be free to view while others will require a MyHeritage subscription.

MyHeritage helps millions of families worldwide discover and preserve their unique history effortlessly on its services across Web, mobile and desktop. Its flagship technologies Smart Matching™ and Record Matching match family trees with other family trees and relevant historical records. This allows users to discover new stories about their ancestors, discover relatives and connect with family members they have not known before. With a high accuracy rate of 97%, these technologies make fascinating family history discoveries automatically.

“We’re delighted to enhance the latest release of Family Historian with the best matching technologies in the industry,” said Simon Orde, Managing Director of Calico Pie. “With the seamless integration of MyHeritage technologies, Family Historian is set to deliver unprecedented value to users interested in exploring their past.”

“We’re excited to provide our matching technologies to a top-notch product like Family Historian”, said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “Our technologies have been used successfully on MyHeritage by millions of people. They have helped people make life-changing discoveries and have enriched their lives. We are now proud to make these technologies available also to partners, and Family Historian will be among the first to include them, to be followed by many more.”

MyHeritage matching technologies are also being integrated by leading Dutch genealogy software Aldfaer and the online genealogy services of Coret Genealogie in the Netherlands.

COMMENT: This is an understandably good move for MyHeritage, but to me, the thing I actually want to see from FamilyHistorian is an easy sync facility with a tree hosted on both a PC and an iPad. FamilyHistorian was by far my favourite software programme until Family Tree Maker created a facility to sync its tree online to the Ancestry website and via its app on iPad, with one simple click, making it considerably more useful, and trumping FamilyHistorian in the process.

One feature I don't like or use on FTM, however, is its integration with Ancestry for searches, something I still prefer to do manually. I suspect I will feel the same about this MyHeritage collaboration, if it is attempting to do the same thing with its site. As long as it remains an option that can be ignored or used as a user decides, then what harm? But if it becomes a facility that tries to force me to use MyHeritage, I would have an issue. Online records sites provide data, and on that basis I am happy to go to them as and when I need to - but I never want to be in a position where they start telling me how to do my research and trying to control my research experience. I suspect I understand my needs and aims on that front considerably better than any online supplier ever will!

(With thanks to Laurence Harris)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

TNA podcast - Transgender Diplomat at the Court of George III, 1763-1777

The latest podcast from the National Archives at Kew, England, is entitled The Chevalier d’Eon: Transgender Diplomat at the Court of George III, 1763-1777, and is a 46 minute talk by Dr Jonathan Conline.

It can be accessed at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/chevalier-deon-transgender-diplomat-court-george-iii-1763-1777/ or downloaded fro free from iTunes.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

New South Wales Quarter Sessions court records online

Ancestry has released a new database of interest to those whose ancestors may have travelled to Australia. The New South Wales, Australia, Court Records, 1830-1945 database is available at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=5325 the Courts of General and Quarter Sessions (known as Quarter Sessions) records having been sourced from the State Records Authority of NSW.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Latest FindmyPast records include Griffith's Valuation maps and plans

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added the following records collections today to its site:

This week, we've added new records from Ireland, the UK and the United States, including:

• Griffith's Survey Maps & Plans for Ireland, 1847-1864
• Over 4,000 additional British Prison Ship (Hulk) Registers, 1811-1843
• National School Admission Registers for Anglesey and Plymouth & West Devon in England
• Births, marriages and deaths from District of Columbia, USA

Further details available via the site.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Society of Genealogists events in December

From the Society of Genealogists (www.sog.org.uk) in London:

The following Society of Genealogists Events will take place in December. To book a place online, visit our website at: www.sog.org.uk/books-courses/events-courses/

Sat 6 Dec 10:30-17:00 Family Historian Software for Beginners and Refreshers
An overview of this popular and useful family history software package - the only major one now written in the UK (please note this course is NOT a general discussion on family history software packages). Bring your software user questions along! Suitable for Beginners and Refreshers

A full-day course with John Hanson, Cost 35.00


Sat 13 Dec 10:300-17:00 How to get the Most from Family Pictures
This full-day course is a visual Power Point presentation that provides an in-depth guide to dating, analysing and understanding all types of family portraits, from inherited paintings, drawings and silhouettes, to Victorian studio photographs and 20th century snapshots. Accurate dating is essential when trying to identify and discover more about unlabelled family pictures and the course demonstrates how to establish an accurate time frame, using a variety of techniques and research tools. It also discusses the portrait tradition and considers the historical context in which artworks and, later, photographs were commissioned: what did these special pictures mean to our ancestors and how should we interpret them?

A full-day course with Jayne Shrimpton, Cost 35.00 (please note this course is re-scheduled from its original date of 13 September).

(With thanks to Lori Weinstein)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Petition to save Imperial War Museum

A petition has been launched online to help save the Imperial War Museum (www.iwm.org.uk), which is being forced to find savings to stop an annual £4 million deficit due to funding cuts to be implemented as part of the UK Government's austerity agenda. The museum's services at London, Manchester and Duxford are all likely to be affected.

Here's the initial part of the petition:

One hundred years after the outbreak of the First World War, the Imperial War Museum is under threat.

The Museum is facing an annual deficit of £4m because of cuts in government funding.

It has drawn up proposals to:

• close its unique library and dispose of the majority of its collection

• cut important education services

• cut 60-80 jobs

• close the widely emulated ‘Explore History’ facility in London.

The Museum’s library gives ordinary people access to research materials on all aspects of British and Commonwealth involvement in conflict since 1914.

Prospect trade union believes the world's leading authority on conflict will be irreparably damaged by the £4m deficit.

It has launched this petition to help ensure that the Imperial War Museum continues to provide for, and encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and ‘wartime experience'.


For more information, to sign the petition and/or make a donation to the museum, visit https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-george-osborne-mp-urgently-reverse-current-and-future-cuts-to-the-uk-imperial-war-museum-s-annual-operating-grant-in-aid-so-that-it-can-maintain-services-and-preserve-its-standing-as-an-international-centre-for-study-research-and-education.

There's also more on the cuts in a Financial Times story at www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2c1d49f8-6bfa-11e4-b939-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JLAmfmbV.

(With thanks to @wdytyamagazine via Twitter)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

New publications from Aberdeenshire & NE Scotland FHS

I've had a note from Aberdeenshire and North East Scotland Family History Society (http://anesfhs.org.uk) about some new publications now available from them:

Monumental Inscriptions:
Fraserburgh Kirkton (Old Ground) - £3.00 (plus £1.17 postage)
Logie Buchan with Newburgh Holyrood - £3.00 (plus 73p postage)

Also available:
The Middletons of Birse by Michael Brown - £9.00 (enquire about postage)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

NRS relocates Extant OPRs guide to new website

One of the most useful research guides that the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) provides is a guide to the coverage for its Church of Scotland register collections, which it provides on a dedicated page called Extant OPRs. It tells you when looking for records from a parish what still survives by way of baptismal, marriage and burial records for the Kirk, the records for which were called in upon the creation of the General Register Office for Scotland (in two stages, in 1855 and 1885), they being noted as state records. A series of appendices also notes the following:

Appendix 1: kirk session records (our reference CH2) containing pre-1855 birth, death and marriage entries

Appendix 2: kirk session and other material found in the Old Parish Registers

Appendix 3: miscellaneous records containing entries from non-conformist churches relevant to the Old Parish Registers

For a few years this guide has been accessible via the ScotlandsPeople website (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) under the Help & Resources tab. However, for a long time, there was a major issue with this guide in that unless it was viewed using Internet Explorer as the web browser, the numbers allocated to the parishes did not line up on the site to the list of the holdings available alongside. If using Firefox or Chrome, for example, everything displayed on the page was offset by a line, making it quite confusing for folk who weren't too familiar with Scottish geography to know that something may have been wrong when consulting the resource.

Thankfully, as part of its drive to make the www.nrscotland.gov.uk platform the key web platform for its NAS and GROS services, the Extant OPRs guide has now been relocated to a new address at www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parish-registers/list-of-old-parish-registers, and now works fine with any browser. As before, it is still also accessible from the ScotlandsPeople page, again, from the Help & Resources tab. In addition, the guide, previously compiled in 1975, has been revised, though at present I am not sure how extensive the revisions may be. The various files remain accessible in PDF format, which can be downloaded to your computer.

From what I can see, all other resources remain available as they were on the ScotlandsPeople site, but this definitely gets a big thumbs up as one of the most useful resources available on the site, and now presented in a much clearer and user friendly way.

Well worth bookmarking the page!

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

TNA podcast - The civil service in the First World War

The latest podcast from the National Archives at Kew, England, is entitled The civil service in the First World War.

It's an hour long talk from the archive's family history specialist Audrey Collins, and can be listened to at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/civil-service-first-world-war/ or downloaded for free from iTunes.

Well worth listening to, Audrey's always good value!

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

The Genealogy Radio Show from Ireland

Something you may wish to tune into is the Genealogy Radio Show from Cork based genealogist Lorna Moloney. Available via http://rcb.ie/shows/thegenealogyradioshow/ it's now on its 12th episode, and there's a fair amount covered in the editions so far, with interviews with many of the great and the good in Irish genealogy, including Brian Donovan, Eileen O' Duill, and John Hamrock, and lost of tips and tricks to help you on your way.

Even if you're not into Irish genealogy, the theme tune itself is worth tuning in for - it being a glorious Irish rendition of Dougie McLean's Caledonia, Scotland's unofficial national anthem. The words and music for this song, I'm led to believe, were found by Dougie alongside the Dead Sea scrolls as a gift from God to give thanks to the people of Scotland for being just so d*mned brilliant. Before anyone asks what the connection with Ireland is, the word 'Scotland' comes from the 'Scotti', the name the Romans gave to the Irish colonists who colonised Argyll a gazillion years back, and anyway that's not the point, just tune in! :)

Definitely one to bookmark!

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Devon records and Dublin directories on FindmyPast

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Findmypast releases over 1.7 million Devon parish records, over 250,000 Devon Wills and a ten years of Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland

Every Friday, leading family history website Findmypast reveals thousands of new records to explore over the weekend on its dedicated Findmypast Friday page. This week’s new additions include over 1.7 million new additions to our collection of Devonshire parish birth, marriage, banns and burial records, over 250,000 Devon Wills Index 1844-1900 records and Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland 1835-1845.

The Devon Wills Index 1163-1999 contains over 250,000 records proved by 30 courts. Many probate records for the county of Devon and the Diocese of Exeter were lost in 1942, when the Probate Registry was destroyed in the bombing during the Exeter Blitz of WWII. The index reveals where copies, transcripts, abstracts or extracts of original testamentary documents may be found and if they have survived. Each record includes a transcript of the original record that will list the testator’s names, the year of probate, place and any additional notes as well as court details, document form, source and reference code.

Over 705,000 new records have been added to our collection of Devon parish baptisms 1444-1915 in partnership with South West Heritage Trust and Parochial Church Council. Now containing over 2.2 million records, this collection comprises transcripts and colour images of baptisms, scanned from original registers held at the record offices in Devon. Along with the parish records from the Plymouth and West Devon area, which are already available separately on Findmypast, this now represents the most comprehensive collection of Devon parish records available anywhere.

Over 164,000 new records have been added Devon Parish Banns 1538-1915. Now totalling over 367,000 records, the Banns records usually list the full names of the bride and groom, their places of residence, the date of banns and the date of their marriage. Colour images scanned from the originals are included.

Over 308,585 records have been added to our collection of Devon parish marriages 1446-2001. There are over 1.8 million marriage records in the Devon registers. Many include the names of witnesses (often family members), the names and occupations of the bride’s and groom’s parents, the occupation of the groom, and the couple’s previous marital condition. Viewing the image of the original register may also reveal the signatures of your ancestors.

Over 549,000 records have been added to the Devon burial registers, 1320-1926. These transcripts and images cover burials for most of the Anglican parishes in the English county of Devon and contain over a million records. Containing over 1.6 million records and covering nearly 600 years of Devonshire history, the records can include useful biographical information such as the full name of the deceased, the date of their death and burial, their age at death, their place of residence and religious denomination.

Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland 1835-1845 has been added to our collection of Newspapers, Directories and Social History records. Pettigrew and Oulton’s was the first annual publication to include a street by street directory of Dublin. First published in 1834, the Almanac provided not simply a street directory but also an alphabetical list of inhabitants, grouped by profession. Pettigrew and Oulton’s was published until 1845. Now available on Findmypast, the index is fully searchable and contains over 6,000 search results.

(With thanks to Alex Cox)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

More on National Records of Scotland buildings review

Further to my post earlier today announcing news of a meeting to discuss the possible future of the National Records of Scotland buildings (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/are-nrs-buildings-going-up-for-sale.html), the Chief Executive of the NRS, Tim Ellis, has kindly emailed me with the following statement to help clarify the situation:

NRS Estates Review

National Records of Scotland (NRS) has recently embarked on an Estates Review, in line with the requirement of all Government bodies and departments to ensure their estate portfolio remains fit for purpose and cost-effective. Given the significance and heritage of a number of NRS’s buildings, it might be helpful to provide some further background and an update on where we are.

Earlier this year NRS engaged the consultants DTZ to undertake a review of our estate and provide us with a set of options that could inform the future estates strategy for the organisation; one that will help us to work effectively together as a joined up organisation at the same time as supporting us in delivering high quality services to customers and meeting anticipated future archival and records storage requirements.

Importantly, this is not about quick-fixes or short term arrangements, but about putting us in the right place for the coming years and decades. We recognise the important role we have as the guardians of some of Scotland’s most treasured possessions and information and are committed to making sure that we do that job well at the same time as improving our services to customers.

Based on the initial report and information provided by DTZ, we have now arrived at a short-list of options that are now being taken forward through the formal Treasury Green Book Appraisal. The results of this should be available later this year, from which we will derive the future NRS estates strategy in the New Year. However, we recognise that it’s not simply a mathematical exercise and that there are a number of sensitivities which may make reaching a final decision on the direction of travel more challenging, as some options could involve releasing one or more of our historic buildings in the centre of Edinburgh.

Once we have identified a preferred strategy there will still be many issues to consider and address relating to timescales, funding and affordability, and the logistical aspects of any re-location. These will all need to be worked through over the next few months.


The NRS has also tweeted an update via @NatRecordsScot:

NRS like all Govt bods need to review estate periodically. No decision yet on GRH/NRH or any buildings (1 of 2)

Work over next months to understand options, implications potential, for records, staff, users (2 of 2)


COMMENT: As mentioned in my previous post on this, I personally don't have a problem should the NRS decide to sell off its buildings. Wonderful as they are architecturally and historically, to me they are just bricks and mortar (and in the Historical Search Room, wood!), and fall far short of their equivalents in the rest of the UK in providing a modern day service, in particular the service provision failings that I have previously listed on this blog and discussed with them in person. If new premises are decided upon - and at the moment this is simply a review - and those premises can provide a better service for users of the archive, whether genealogists, historians or legal practitioners, I'll be the first to cheer them on. A possible move would inevitably cause disruption, but the same was true of PRONI in Belfast just a few years ago, and the difference with that service now compared to what it previously was is the difference between night and day. That was worth the pain, the same would undoubtedly be true if the NRS does decide to go down the same route.

However, there are clearly several things I would wish to see if this is to be the case. For one thing, the archive is nothing without its archivists and registrars, as much as it is without its holdings, and no amount of cost saving should impinge on this - the retention of their expertise is above all other things crucial. I would also hope that a new facility, if that is the route pursued, would remain as central and as easily accessible to those of us on the other side of the country who are not within an easy commuting distance. And any money that comes from a potential sale I would hope would be fully input back into the new service. What many users of the NRS want is a better service, not a cheaper run service simply for the sake of making savings. On that final point, if the NRS does decided to go down this route, a public consultation would certainly be welcome to allow users to feed into the development process.

I'll bring an update on any developments when I hear it.

(With grateful thanks to both Tim Ellis and the NRS for their updates). 

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

PRONI - Preservation Week

PRONI (www.proni.gov.uk) has previously announced that it is holding a 'Preservation week' in Belfast from December 8th-12th 2014, which will means some limited service provision, including a lack of document productions for the week.

I've just noticed that the archive has a page on this now at www.proni.gov.uk/index/exhibitions_talks_and_events/preservation_week.htm providing a tantalising glimpse at some of he behind the scenes facilities at the archive. In particular it notes that

Each day during Preservation Week we will be posting articles on our website about preservation, reprographics, preventative conservation, digital preservation and emergency planning.

We hope to have lots of photos (and maybe some videos!) to show you just what we get up to behind the scenes.

So whilst the access to documents for a week may be briefly curtailed, a glimpse at exactly how the archive works will be more than worth the sacrifice!

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Guide to Irish titles added to British Newspaper Archive

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has been adding some Irish titles to its site over the last few months, with some seventeen titles now represented. It has put a page up summarising its new Irish content at http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2014/11/12/17-irish-newspaper-titles-added-to-the-british-newspaper-archive/.

Whilst it is good to see them finally getting around to Ireland, the coverage of the titles on offer is actually very patchy, with most titles seemingly having the odd few years of coverage available from here and there, so it may be some time before they become a genuinely useful addition to the site. More coverage is promised, but don't forget that the Irish Newspaper Archive also exists at www.irishnewsarchive.com with some very substantial holdings.

For details on how to access both British and Irish newspapers online and offline in archives across the two islands and beyond, don't forget that you can purchase my recent Unlock the Past book, British and Irish Newspapers. Full details on how to obtain this from the UK, Australia, and very soon, Canada, please see my Books section at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Are NRS buildings going up for sale?

I've been hearing over the last week that staff at the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) in Edinburgh are being advised that a meeting is apparently to be held there later this month to discuss the possibility that some of their assets, namely buildings such as New Register House and General Register House, may be put up for sale to raise money for the UK Treasury. This is apparently in line with UK Government thinking outlined in a Treasury Green Book, and its April 2013 supplementary entitled Value for money and the valuation of public sector assets, available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-book-supplementary-guidance-asset-valuation.

There are apparently a few options being potentially considered by the NRS - to maintain the status quo with regards to its asset holdings, to perhaps sell off some of their assets and retain others, or to sell them all off completely, and then perhaps take up residence in the future at a rented purpose built, or already existent, premises to deliver NRS services from there.

Interestingly, at an archive conference in Dundee last year I jokingly suggested to a high ranking NRS member that I would personally be happy to see the present buildings of the NRS knocked down and something more purpose built erected there instead. I have commented before that I find many of the NRS provisions antiquated and not really as fit for purpose as its equivalents in London and Belfast (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/comparing-uks-three-national-archives.html). The serious response I got was that the NRS had in fact previously looked into the option of selling off its buildings, but had decided against it at that stage.

If the buildings are to be sold off and something more purpose built erected, that would actually be a great thing in my view. But if it is decided that the buildings are to be sold off and the money sent to the UK Treasury, and not reinvested in an alternative facility here, how will such new premises, if decided upon, be funded? I don't often get political on this blog, but if that is indeed the case, that sounds to me a bit like asset stripping.

Definitely one to keep an eye on...

UPDATE: Just read a tweet that says that as NRS is a Scottish Government asset, money could not go to UK Treasury. That's what I thought also - would be good to have some clarification from the NRS.

UPDATE: NRS has kindly responded - see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/more-on-national-records-of-scotland.html

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

The Parish of Dunkeld - oh what a terrible parish!

I obtained a free CD last weekend with several traditional Scots music songs on it, which led me to buy an album by a band called Silly Wizards - and to then discover a fantastic traditional song based on a true story, The Parish of Dunkeld, which recalled how the parishioners hanged their own minister. A wee bit of digging though, soon discovered that it wasn't in Dunkeld that the story in fact happened...!

To find out more, pop over to my other wee blog at http://walkingineternity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/oh-what-parish-terrible-parish-hanged.html

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Plans to reduce John Gray Centre opening hours

East Lothian Council has launched a consultation about the prosed reduction of hours for the Archives and Local History Service at the John Gray Centre in Haddington. In particular, it looks like it may well be curtains for the facility's Saturday opening hours. To view the consultation see https://eastlothianconsultations.co.uk/policy-partnerships/john-gray-centre-archives-and-local-history-servic/consult_view - the consultation is open until December 1st 2014.

As part of a visit with the Scottish Genealogy Network I recently attended the facility, which is a superb hub for family history research in East Lothian. Our report from the day's visit is available at http://scottishgenealogynetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/visit-to-john-gray-centre-in-haddington.html.

(With thanks to Kirsty Wilkinson via the Scottish Genealogy Network's Linked In page)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Polygamous marriage in the early Mormon Church

The New York Times has an article identifying the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has posted an essay online confirming that its founder, Joseph Smith, practiced polygamous marriage, with up to 40 wives. The Times article is at www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/us/its-official-mormon-founder-had-up-to-40-wives.html.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, aka the LDS Church, aka the Mormons, is one of the main worldwide drivers of generating family history content provision, through its Family History Library set up and its online FamilySearch website at https://familysearch.org. Its members have a theological requirement to research their ancestry, for reasons including posthumous or 'vicarious' baptism, and the permanent 'sealing' of relationships from their point of view in the afterlife.

Personally speaking, I'm not at all interested in whether Joseph Smith did or did not practice polygamous marriage. What I do find interesting, however, from a family history perspective, is the discussion about the practice of polygamous marriage in the early church, which was practised from 1841-1890. As many from the British Isles migrated to the US to help found the church, it may be an issue of interest to those here with Mormon connections and/or ancestry. The article, entitled Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, is freely available to read online at https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo.

(With thanks to Thomas MacEntee via Facebook)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Latest Irish Lives Remembered magazine has Fermanagh focus

From Irish Lives Remembered magazine (www.irishlivesremembered.com):

Irish Lives Remembered - Genealogy Magazine Nov/Dec 2014

The November/December edition (26th 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/1u6UhIR

Topics of interest covered in our latest issue include:
· Fiona Fitzsimons from Eneclann shares her research on Princess Charlene of Monaco’s Irish Family History (Part 1 – The Fagans of Feltrim)
· Brid Nowlan covers Seattle Mayor, Ed Murray's Irish heritage trail - From
Ireland to Elma

Tracing your FERMANAGH Ancestors (16 pages)
· An Introduction to County Fermanagh
· Researching Fermanagh Ancestry with Irish World
· Findmypast Ireland Fermanagh records
· Fermanagh Genealogy Centre & Fermanagh Family History Society
· Fermanagh Gold forum on Roots Web
· PRONI - Meet the Ancestors through Fermanagh Weekly Papers
· Enniskillen born Lizzy Emerson emigrates to New Zealand

The Irish in CONNECTICUT
· Joe Buggy looks at tracing the Irish in Illinois
· Maureen Wlodarczyk researches The Irish Regiment - The Ninth Connecticut Volunteers

General News
· ACE Irish Genealogy Summer School at University College Cork schedule of speakers for 2015
· Flyleaf Press acquired by Ancestor Network
· Irish Ancestry Research Centre, Limerick recent graduates receive Genealogy Diploma at U.C.C.
· Fly Leaf Press are offering a special discount to Irish Lives readers on their title ‘Tracing Your Roscommon Ancestors’
· Merriman Research & Training latest projects, Dromona 800 & George Boole 200
· Photo Historian, Jayne Shrimpton talks us through a 1913 image of Irish Tenor, John McCormack and family on route to New York
· A new destination for emigrants from north west Ireland to Australia 1830-1850
· Findmypast Fridays - thousands of new records every Friday
· News, Events and Book store

(With thanks to Eileen Munnelly)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

National Records of Scotland - November talks

Forthcoming talks from the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) in Edinburgh:

12 November 2014, 2 – 3 pm
Tristram Clarke, Leaving it all: Scottish soldiers' wills and appeals against military service in World War 1
Exploring two unique series of records in the National Records of Scotland. More information and booking for the Tristram Clarke talk on the history festival website.

14 November 2014, 3 - 4 pm
Jenni Calder, Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Waverley’
A reworking of the classic novel 200 years after its publication

‘Authors in the Dome’ series in the Previously…Scotland’s History Festival. More information and booking for the Jenni Calder talk on the history festival website.

17 November 2014, 2 – 3 pm
Iain Ferguson, Uncover your past: An introduction to the ScotlandsPeople Centre
Learn about using the unique family history resources in the National Records of Scotland. More inforation and booking for the Iain Ferguson talk on the history festival website.

20 November 2014, 2 - 3 pm
Ian Johnston, Shipyard at War
Revealing a unique photographic record of warships built on the Clyde during the First World War, held in the National Records of Scotland

Further details at www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/visit-us/events-talks-and-visits.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

The Fallen of Hamilton, Scotland, 1914-1916 - new book

I've been asked to share the following news of a new publication from Lanarkshire Family History Society (www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk):

THE FALLEN OF HAMILTON, SCOTLAND IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1916

Lanarkshire Family History Society has published a book commemorating the men of Hamilton who died in World War One, including those born in the town, or who enlisted or lived there.

Researched and compiled by a team of volunteers led by Society member Lindsay Freeland, the book carries information on almost twelve hundred men. Initially, less than 500 had been identified on local war memorials, but over two and a half years of research and writing, the team found more and more names - many of them recorded on lesser-known memorials in churches, schools or Masonic lodges, on rolls of honour, in newspaper articles and cemetery records.

The men came from a variety of backgrounds, and served in what must be virtually every branch of the armed services of the Great War. They joined Scottish, English, Irish and Welsh regiments, as well as forces from other countries of the British Empire. Others served in the air and at sea, and many were in service regiments like the Machine Gun Corps, Military Railway and Royal Artillery. There was even a Hamilton man in the South Persia Rifles Brigade.

The entry for each man carries as much information as could be found, usually including regiment and service number; date and circumstances of death; place (and sometimes date) of birth, along with names of parents or other family members and where buried or commemorated, both locally and in the battlefields of Europe or elsewhere. There are some photographs, and – where available – information about the man’s education and occupation prior to enlisting.

The book contains poignant stories of sacrifice, including the three Clark brothers, Allan, John and Robert, army officers killed in the final two years of the War. The sons of the Chief Constable of Hamilton and his wife, all had either graduated from or were studying at Glasgow University. John and Robert died in France, while Allan was killed fighting Bulgarian forces in Greece. Former miner, Lance Corporal James Russell, died in a Barrack Hospital in Freiburg, Germany, while a prisoner of war. 2nd Lieutenant Andrew Robertson Dick was killed in action in the Ypres Salient, Belgium in July 1918, almost exactly two years after his brother, Private William Dick, was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. And Captain John Pettigrew, the son of a Hamilton blacksmith, was attached to the South Persia Rifles. He died at Shiraz, Persia (now Iran) in the final month of the war, and was buried in Tehran War Cemetery.

“The Fallen of Hamilton, Scotland in the Great War 1914-1918” is priced at £10, plus P&P, and a donation will be made to the Erskine charity for each copy sold. It is available to buy on the Lanarkshire Family History Society website www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk in the Publications section.

(With thanks to Liz Irving)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Caernarfonshire and York parish registers on Ancestry

Two collections added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) which may be of interest:

Caernarfonshire, Wales, Lleyn and Eifionydd Church Registers and Gravestone Inscriptions, 1600-1902
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9139
This database contains information extracted from gravestones from several churchyards throughout the hundred of Lleyn and the commot of Eifionydd in Wales.

York, Yorkshire, England, St. Michael le Belfrey Parish Register, 1565-1653
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9143
The parish of St. Michael le Belfrey is located in the City of York next to York Minster. This database contains the parish registers of St. Michael le Belfrey from 1565 to 1653.

Full details on the collections and their sources via the links.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Explore Your Archive week

This week sees Explore Your Archive week, with events at archives across the UK from Monday 10th to Saturday 16th November.

I've already blogged about what is happening in Northern Ireland through PRONI at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/proni-talks-and-explore-your-archives.html, but for details of events happening elsewhere visit www.exploreyourarchive.org. There's also an announcement about it from England's National Archives at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/972.htm.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

BIFHSGO launches YouTube channel

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (http://bifhsgo.ca) has launched a YouTube channel, with the first lecture available to view on it being 'Ignored But Not Forgotten: Canada's English Immigrants', by Lucille Campey.

John Reid has all the details on his Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections blog at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/lucille-campey-inaugurates-bifhsgo.html.

(With thanks to John)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Happy 5th Birthday to TROVE!

Congratulations to the National Library of Australia's TROVE project (http://trove.nla.gov.au), which celebrates five years of online existence today. If you have Australian connections, you'll find free to access newspapers and much more on the site, one of the country's most important online resources.

Happy Birthday TROVE!

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Surname Society announcement

News of a new group called The Surname Society (http://surname-society.org)

The founder members are delighted to announce the launch of The Surname Society - the online society for individuals, groups and associations with an interest in surname studies, regardless of their location in the world, the surname they are studying, or their level of research expertise.

Focussing on single surname studies, the society meets the needs of researchers in the world of family history and genealogy as it evolves in the 21st century. The Surname Society’s vision is to connect like-minded people by providing facilities which enable members to share knowledge, data and good practice with others. The society allows members to register both worldwide and limited studies and is entirely online. Collaboration is facilitated and encouraged as it is the core ethos of The Surname Society.

Surname researchers collect data relating to all name bearers, either on a global or restricted basis. The society does not mandate study methods and members are encouraged to develop their own approach to the investigation of their surname to advance their knowledge and expertise in areas such as etymology, DNA, name collection and family reconstruction. The Surname Society will help and advise inexperienced members on ways to conduct their study and how to avoid the pitfalls which can occur!

A truly global organisation from the outset, the committee members are located around the world from Australia to England, Spain and Canada and in the first week since its announcement to those who completed the online questionnaire, the society has almost one hundred new and enthusiastic members.

The cost of membership to The Surname Society is just £5 per annum with no hidden extras. You can register as many names as you want on either a restricted or worldwide basis, collaborate with others, share in the educational opportunities offered and a plethora of resources in the Members’ area of the website including a fascinating quarterly e-newsletter and the School of Surnames, with many other developments in the pipeline in due course.

So, what are you waiting for? Take a look at the website and if you are interested, join!

For more information visit http://surname-society.org, email info@surname-society.org
and/or follow us on Twitter: @surnamesoc

COMMENT: I'm not a one namer, so I don't really know what the difference is between the proposed offerings of this group and the already established Guild of One Name Studies (http://one-name.org) - but if you are interested in starting a surname study, there are now different options to explore.

(With thanks to the Surname Society)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Unhappy bunnies in Dublin over civil registration indexes fiasco

It seems that there are a few unhappy bunnies in Dublin just now over the recent fiasco concerning the online provision of up to date indexes for civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths - the records that sort of appeared and disappeared at the same time very recently. The Minister for Heritage, Heather Humphreys, is quoted in the Irish Times as apparently having had a go at the Data Protection Commissioner for comments made to the press in the aftermath of the decision to have the records removed from the Irish Genealogy site (www.irishgenealogy.ie). For all the juicy gossip, see www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/humphreys-riled-by-comments-on-data-security-1.1994305.

Crucially, the commissioner has now agreed to limit the available data to records for births more than 100 years old, marriages more than 75 years old and deaths more than 50 years old, replicating the provision to that of the online Geni website for Northern Ireland (http://geni.nidirect.gov.uk), although it also provides images of the registers within those closure periods. Amendments to the necessary legislation are currently going through the Irish parliament.

(With thanks to Joe Buggy @townlandorigin)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Dictionary of the Scots Language revamp

I noticed earlier today that the Dictionary of the Scots Language (Dictionar o the Scots Leid) website has recently had a revamp at www.dsl.ac.uk.

The site is one of the real workhorses of Scottish history research, allowing you in a single database to look up Scots words from two sources - the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, for words from the 12th century-1700 (Older Scots), and The Scottish National Dictionary for more recent vocabulary (Modern Scots) from 1700-2005. The Scots tongue, although related to English, is a historically separate Germanic language with many regional dialects across Scotland (and closely linked historically with Northumbrian dialects in England), and which was also taken over to Ireland in the Plantations, where its local variant today is known as 'Ulster Scots' or 'Ullans' (Ulster Lallans). In the part of East Antrim where I was raised I was regularly chastised as a boy for being a wee hallion! It is a completely different language to the various tongues of Gaelic found in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Earlier today I had a query from a student asking what the words 'dyet' and 'compear' mean, two very common words often found in kirk session records and other documentary sources. A 'dyet' or 'diet' is a session of a court, whilst 'to compear' means 'to appear in court as a party to a cause' i.e. as a witness. The DSL is the first port of call in such situations, and is completely free to access. You'll also find a history of the language on the site, well worth a read.

One of my all time favourite finds in this dictionary was an explanation for the word 'football' which kept popping up in some 18th century weaver's incorporation records from Perth that I was transcribing. Several entries noted those wishing to join the incorporation being asked to pay both for their entry money and their 'football'. I had no idea why Perth was so apparently sport conscious, but it soon turned out that they weren't. A football was in fact 'a sum of money paid by a married entrant member of a merchant guild on behalf of his wife to allow her to share in the benefits of the common fund'.

If you're pre-1855 with your research and now heading deeper into the juicy Scottish stuff, make sure you bookmark the DSL!"

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

My Scottish themed Unlock the Past books now available in Canada from Global Genealogy

Following my recent announcement that my Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au) published genealogy books are now directly available in the UK from Yorkshire based vendor and publisher My History (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/my-unlock-past-books-are-now-available.html), I'm delighted to announce that Global Genealogy (www.globalgenealogy.com) in Canada is also now offering the same service, publishing local copies of the same works, and thereby negating the need for expensive postal charges from Australia. The Scottish titles are already available, with many other Unlock the Past guides from other authors coming soon, covering various other subjects and regions - a full list will be available soon at http://globalgenealogy.com/admin/ggh.htm.

The company is now publishing the following of my titles:

Discover Scottish Church Records  Can$19.95
http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590281.htm

Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records  Can$19.95
http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590284.htm

Discover Scottish Land Records  Can$19.95
http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590283.htm


Also available, by Rosemary Kopittke, is another handy Scottish themed Unlock the Past guide:
ScotlandsPeople: The Place to Launch Your Scottish Research (shipping from Nov 17th)
http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/scotland/resources/2590104.htm Can$17.95

If you're looking a little light reading material for the Christmas break, or for a Christmas prezzie, rumour has it Santa recommends them! :)

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

TNA podcast - Inventions that didn't change the world

The latest podcast from the National Archive at Kew, England, is entitled Inventions that didn’t change the world: a history of Victorian curiosities. It is a 45 minute talk by Julie Halls, and can be accessed for free at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/inventions-didnt-change-world-history-victorian-curiosities/ or downloaded from iTunes.

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Waterford civil birth records added to RootsIreland

The following civil birth records have been added to RootsIreland (www.rootsireland.ie)

Waterford Urban 1 1864--1911
Waterford Urban 2 1864--1912
Ballymacarberry 1864--1912
Cappoquin 1864--1911
Clashmore 1864--1911
Rathgormack 1864--1912
Ringville 1864--1912
Seskinane 1864--1912
St Mary's 1864--1912
Templemichael 1864--1911
Whitechurch 1864--1911
Kilsheelan 1864--1916
Kilmeaden 1864--1912
Ballyduff 1864--1912
Dungarvan 1864--1911
Woodstown 1864--1912
Portlaw 1864--1912
Tramore 1864--1911
Ardmore 1864--1911
Lismore 1864--1911
Tallow 1864--1911
Bonmahon 1864--1911
Kilmacthomas 1864--1912

(With thanks to RootsIreland)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Records online course starts on November 5th, and runs for 5 weeks, priced at £45.99. Spaces are still available - see http://pharostutors.com/coursedescriptions.php#302

Pembrokeshire records join Deceased Online

From DeceasedOnline (www.deceasedonline.com):

Pembrokeshire joins Deceased Online

All records managed by Pembrokeshire County Council (in Welsh language, Cyngor Sir Penfro) in SW Wales are now available on www.deceasedonline.com.

Pembrokeshire is one of the most beautiful and historic of the 22 Principal Areas in Wales and the Council records include 11 cemeteries and the crematorium it manages.
The new collection's records date back to the 1860s and comprise:

• computerised digital records for each location
• digital scans of cremation registers until 1999
• details of all grave occupants in each cemetery
• maps indicating the section in each cemetery for all graves

Emma Jolly has blogged about the collection at http://deceasedonlineblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/pembrokeshire.html

Comment: This is the second time I have found a relative's record on the site, though on this occasion it is of a very close relative indeed - my maternal grandfather, Ernest Graham.

Ernie died in an industrial accident on an oil container on the Amoco terminal at Pembroke Dock in October 1972, on what was supposed to be his day off - at the last moment he was asked to cover for a fellow worker who didn't turn up. The scaffolding on which he and his colleagues were working then collapsed shortly after, with himself and one other worker killed as a result. I knew Ernie had been cremated but did not know where - it turns out that it was at Parc Gwyn Crematorium three days after his death. As the record is so recent, some of the information on the register has been unfortunately redacted for Data Protection Act reasons, namely the person who applied for the cremation, and the signatory on the certificate. However, his residential address is given as a hotel in Pembroke, where we know he lived for some 18 years - something which contrasts with his death record which gives his address as somewhere in Cumbria. So although the applicant's name is not given on the cremation register, it seems that it was not the same informant who initially told the registrar about his death (I have a fair idea of who it might have been).

This is one of those records that although of use for family history, also crosses into closer biographical territory. My mother, living in Helensburgh at the time, was in touch with Ernie at that point after having lost contact for a few years (he and my grandmother had divorced in the mid 1950s). They were arranging to meet up so that he could meet me (I was still a very wee wean at that point!), he not having done so at that point, and I know my father went to Pembroke to help with sorting out his affairs and estate after he died. It's been a sad morning finding this record, particularly as the first anniversary of my mum's own death is now just a couple of weeks away, but glad to have been able to see it.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Records online course starts on November 5th, and runs for 5 weeks, priced at £45.99. Spaces are still available - see http://pharostutors.com/coursedescriptions.php#302