Records added to and updated on Ancestry

New additions to Ancestry in Britain (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Norfolk, England, Register of Electors, 1813-1952
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9860
Source: England, Norfolk Register of Electors, 1844-1952. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

Further information on the collection is available at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/England,_Norfolk_Register_of_Electors_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)


Web: UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1838-2014
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70845
Source: The central database for UK burials and cremations. Deceased Online.

This is a third party index to the Deceased Online collections available at www.deceasedonline.com with records for the following areas:

Blackburn & Darwen
Aberdeenshire
Nottingham City
Lincoln City
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Eltham Crematorium
Wiltshire County Council


Other new and recently updated collections which might be of interest for those who emigrated from Britain and Ireland:

Tasmania, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1834-1837, 1841-1887
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60754
Source: Port Officers' Reports of Ships arrivals in Hobart 1834-1837. Series CSO92.Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office, LINC Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Cargo, passenger and crew lists – relating to ships clearances 1841-1887. Series CUS36.Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office, LINC Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

California, Private Land Claim Dockets, 1852-1858
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61191
Source: California Private Land Claims Dockets. NARA microform publication T910. 117 Rolls. NAI: 6857840. Records of the Bureau of Land Management, 1685-2006, Record Group 49. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

Argentina, National Census, 1869 (Argentina, censo nacional, 1869)
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=9769
Source: Argentina National Census, 1869. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
Furtherinformation on this collection is available at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Argentina_National_Census,_1869_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)
(NB: There'a a few Jones, MacDonald and Murphy entries!)


Finally, some recently updated collections from the United States:

• North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930
• Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970
• Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008
• Arizona, Naturalization Records, 1909-1991
• U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985
• Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1964
• Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, 1943-1944, and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947
• U.S., Civil War and Later Wars Index to Remarried Widow Pension Applications, 1848-1934

Details on these can be accessed via http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/recent-collections

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

November events at PRONI in Belfast

The following events will be taking place at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk) in Belfast in November. For further details click on the following links:

Western Front Association 2016 monthly program and Conference ‘The Year of The Somme: 1916 in perspective’
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/western-front-association-201617-program

The history of Mew Island Lighthouse optic & it's restoration
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/history-mew-island-lighthouse-optic-its-restoration

Launch of Presbyterian Children’s Society exhibition
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/launch-presbyterian-childrens-society-exhibition

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Your Family History issue 175 on sale

The latest issue of Your Family History (Nov 2016, issue 175) has a few contributions from yours truly. The main articleis this month's cover feature, Researching Family Crises, looking at situations surrounding our ancestors' most basic vital events, when the chips were down, and additional records that may be available as a consequence. In addition, I also have an article looking at the new Irish BMD records offerings on www.irishgenealogy.ie, and a Q&A response later in the magazine.

Other features in this month's magazine include a piece from Andrew Chapman on a London cholera outbreak, a research guide to Pembrokeshire, the social history of fever, the occupation of sea captain, the treatment of mental illness at Bedlam, Sue Wilkes' piece on the secrecy of some Catholic services, regular case features, news, reviews, and much more.

For further details visit http://subscribe.yourfamilyhistorymag.co.uk/latest-issue/, whilst the magazine itself is now available to buy in all good newsagents.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Forces War Records Dedication Wall launched

From Forces War Records (www.forces-war-records.co.uk):

Forces War Records Dedication Wall goes live today

Forces War Records, the specialist military genealogy website, has created a wall of remembrance, which goes live today, in time for November 11th. Unlike other dedication walls, posts can be shared via social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, directly from their submission. Visitors are also able to search for their ancestor's military record direct from the post.

Here’s how it works:

Upload a photograph
Write a short dedication
Share via social pages
Search the site for relevant records

Take a look at https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/dedication-wall

A free commemorative download will also be given to Forces War Records’ 1.5 million members during remembrance week, which you can access at https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/premium

(With thanks to Neil White)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Irish Family History Centre talks podcasts

Two podcasts have been made available by the Irish Family History Centre in Dublin, as part of the Summer Talks in the National Library of Ireland 2016 programme:

Dan Bradley: Ancient DNA and Irish Origins
https://soundcloud.com/eneclann/dan-bradley-ancient-dna-and-irish-origins

Instead of extrapolating the past from modern genetic variation, it is now possible to directly analyse whole genomes from the past using ancient DNA analysis of archaeological bones. Work on ancient Irish genomes in Trinity College is giving new information on from where and when our ancestors came to this island thousands of years ago and also tells us something about their genetic character and how it compares to that of our modern peoples.


Joe Buggy: Ten free websites for U.S. genealogy research
https://irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/article/summer-talks-in-the-national-library-of-ireland-2016-joe-buggy-ten-free-websites-for-us-genealogy-research

Every genealogist loves free access to records and genealogy information. Most people begin with Familysearch and Cyndi's List when doing research in the Unites States. But where can you turn to after using those sites? This talk outlines ten free websites that professional genealogist Joe Buggy regularly uses. These websites will help you locate digitised newspapers, death and burial information, useful maps and a wide variety of other records and sources.

(With thanks to the Irish Family History Centre)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

My next Scotland 1750-1850 course commences Nov 9th

The next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course from Pharos Tutors (www.pharostutors.com), taught by yours truly, starts on November 9th. The five week course goes beyond the basics of Scottish family history research to take a look at records and legal sets ups beyond the territory covered on websites such as ScotlandsPeople - I cover a vast amount from kirk session registers, burgh and occupational records, to land records and the various records and processes surrounding inheritance.

The following is a short video introduction describing what you can expect from the five week programme, inclusing how the course itself is structured:

(The video is also available at https://youtu.be/1vX6GZtwZJ0)

For further information about the course, including how to sign up, please visit http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. The price is £49.99

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Ancestry releases details of Scottish witches

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released a special Scottish collection just in time for Hallowe'en.

Scotland, Names of Witches, 1658
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61099
Source: Names of Witches in Scotland. Wellcome Library, London, England.

About Scotland, Names of Witches, 1658

The passing of the Scottish Witchcraft Act in 1563 made witchcraft, or consulting with witches, capital crimes in Scotland. It is estimated that between three and five thousand women were publicly accused of being witches in 16th and 17th century Scotland, a much higher number than neighbouring England. Some men were also accused of witchcraft during this period, however, the number of women persecuted was far larger.

The outbreak of witch-hunting in the years 1658-1662, the period in which this list of names was created, is generally agreed to represent the high water mark of Scottish persecution.

Within this collection, you will be able to find details of the accused's name and resident town.

(Image: Wellcome Library)

There is a bit more on the book's release on Scottish Legal news at http://www.scottishlegal.com/2016/10/27/book-listing-those-accused-of-witchcraft-in-17th-century-scotland-digitised/

And if that isn't enough on the Scottish witchcraft front for you, don't forget to check out the University of Edinburgh's Survey of Scottish Witchcraft website at http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/. This site is a database resource for the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting in Scotland, with the names of some 4000 accused witches, and references to case notes in kirk sesison records and other sources.

UPDATE: I've just discovered there were two witches from Largs, North Ayrshire (where I now live), listed in the book - a Margaret Jamieson and a Janet Holmes:

Happy Hallowe'en...!

UPDATE: A wider list of Largs women accused of being witches, and years tried:

Clerk, Agnes (1662)
Crauford, Jonet (1662)
Dumbar, Jean (1662)
Erskine, Sarah (1650)
Holmes, Jonnet (1658)
Jamesonne, Margaret (1658)
Knox, Maig (1622)
Losk, Jonet (1683)
Maillshead, Isobel (1650)
Montgomerie, Maal (1650)
Scott, Marjory (1662)
Sheddon, John (1650)
Small, Cristian (1662)
Small, Maal (1650)
Whyte, Jonet (1662)

(Source: Survey of Scottish Witchcraft http://webdb.ucs.ed.ac.uk/witches/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main)

Original records on Margaret Jameson and Janet Holmes' trials are held at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. Must take a look next time I am up!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Forces War Records Remembrance Special ezine

Forces War Records has released a special 'Remembrance Special' themed ezine, downloadable as a PDF document. 

The magazine is 18 pages long with features on the First and Second World Wars, including items on the 'unknown warrior' as commemorated around the world, and photos depicting acts of commemoration and more. It also includes a page detailing relevant collections on the Forces War Records website

To download the free magazine, visit on its website at https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/premium.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

TNA podcast - Traces Through Time tool from TNA

The latest podcast from the National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) is entitled Traces through Time: a new tool for finding linked records across our collections, a 28 minute talk from Sonia Ranade. Here's the blurb:

This talk introduces ‘Traces through Time’, a project by The National Archives which combines historical data sets and the latest technology to help researchers find linked records across our collections. Starting with service records from the First World War, the project has so far identified and published over half a million links. This work enables new insights from archival records and allows people’s stories to emerge from the data.

Dr Sonia Ranade is the Principal Investigator on the ‘Traces through Time’ project. She has a background in Information Science and, since joining The National Archives in 1998, has worked to improve access to our unique collections.

To listen to the podcast or download it, please visit http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/traces-time-new-tool-finding-linked-records-across-collections/, or download for free from iTunes.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Two Belfast history books back in print

From the Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com), news of two books about Belfast back in print:

**Early Belfast: The origins and growth of an Ulster town to 1750**

Early Belfast: The origins and growth of an Ulster town to 1750 charts the town's remarkable growth from site to city, from the first mentions of it as long ago as the 7th century through to the 13th
century Anglo-Norman settlement and Gaelic revival, to the Plantation town of the 17th and 18th centuries.

For more information please visit http://www.booksireland.org.uk/store/all-departments/early-belfast-the-origins-and-growth-of-an-ulster-town-to-1750


**An unlikely success story: The Belfast shipbuilding industry, 1880-1935**

By the start of the twentieth century Belfast had become one of the main centres of the British shipbuilding industry. But shipbuilding in Belfast was a most unlikely success story in that the cities
prosperity was created by a strange mixture of entrepreneurial ability, timing and technical expertise. An unlikely success story: The Belfast shipbuilding industry, 1880-1935 offers the first history
of the Belfast shipbuilding industry and the tens of thousands affected by its growth.

For more information please visit http://www.booksireland.org.uk/store/all-departments/unlikely-success-story-british-shipbuilding-industry-1880-1935

Chris


For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

ScotlandsPeople Centre closed Tuesday

Following the recent relaunch of the ScotlandsPeople website (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk), things have not been going so well for the National Records of Scotland with regard to both the online version of the site, and the equivalent system that it hosts at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh, and elsewhere across the country. The latest is a power failure in Edinburgh this morning, which has forced the closure of the centre, which has now just announced the following statement:

Monday 24 October: As you may know, we’ve closed our ScotlandsPeople search rooms today following technical difficulties.

We're sorry for the inconvenience, but the search rooms will now also be closed tomorrow, Tuesday 25 October.

The SFHS (Scottish Family History Service) network and some other users are also affected. We’re working hard to resolve the problems and restore services and will continue to provide updates here and at our Twitter account, @scotlandspeople. Our online services and the historical and legal search rooms remain unaffected.

We'll have a further update for customers as soon as possible tomorrow.

The centre announced a few days ago a fairly hefty list of issues it is trying to address for the new website (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/scotlandspeople-responds-to-technical.html). Having used the service in Glasgow last week, I encountered a few further problems. An image I requested to be rescanned last Tuesday has still not been done almost a week later, and I have had a few issues with locating index entries for some records. When I called the centre today at 12.30pm I was informed by a recorded message that phone queries will be taken only between 9am and 12pm Mondays to Fridays now. I have read many comments from fellow genies in Scotland over the last few days all experiencing the same exasperating failures of service.

This really isn't good enough, especially for those travelling from afar to connect to their Scottish roots.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Ancestry adds RIC pension records & Belfast Newsletter update

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released an important new collection of records cioncerning pension payments to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary from 1873-1925. The following are the details:

Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions, 1873-1925
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60916

Source: Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions PMG 48. The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, England.

The Royal Irish Constabulary was an eighty-percent Irish Catholic police force which, between 1814 and 1922, employed some eighty-five thousand men. This collection comprises the records of pension payments to retired officers, their widows and children.

This Collection:

For each record, details given include, where available:

Full names of officers
Rank
County
Date of authority
Date of commencement
Pension per annum
Where paid

For deceased officers it provides the names of their widows and children, and how much they each received in allowances each month or a quarter. Some volumes contain records of five offices’ payment details for three consecutive years on a single page. Other volumes record widows’ and children’s payment details for a year, with three families on each page. It also records the officer's date of death in his/her yearly payment details section.

NB: Ancestry also has an index already available for RIC members, in the form of its Ireland, The Royal Irish Constabulary 1816-1921 collection at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=6087


Also updated is the Belfast Newsletter indexes to intimations columns, which are now extended to 1828-1877. The indexes are accessible at the following collection, with browsable images available for for earlier and later periods also:

Belfast, Northern Ireland, The Belfast Newsletter (Birth, Marriage and Death Notices), 1738-1925
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2193


Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Thanks to readers for sponsoring my wife's runs!

A huge thank you to all who sponsored my wife Claire for her two half-marathons recently in Glasgow and Manchester, which she ran to try to raise money for two local causes here in Largs, North Ayrshire - namely 1st Largs Boys Brigade's minibus appeal and Douglas Park Nursery. Claire set herself a goal to raise £299, but in fact went well past that, raising an impressive £676 from both online donations at JustGiving and through offline donations! The money will be divided equally between both causes.

If you would still like to help both causes, her Just Giving page is at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/claire-paton. The following pics show her on both runs, and pictured with her brother Shane who also ran the two half-marathons.

Thanks again folks! :)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

ScotlandsPeople responds to technical issues on new site

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added a detailed update list outlining its response to a range of technical issues which have been detected since the new version of the website was recently launched. It's quite a list, and they certainly have their work cut out for them, but amongst the list are details of some features which people have asked to be reinstated from the old version of the site, which the body is currently looking into.

To read the update, visit https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/technical-help/known-technical-issues

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Bath and Somerset records added to Deceased Online

From Deceased Online (www.deceasedonline.com):

Bath and North East Somerset: records for first three sites now available on Deceased Online

Over the next few weeks, all records for eight cemeteries and a crematorium managed by Bath and North East Somerset Council in south west England will be added to www.deceasedonline.com

Immediately available are over 120,000 individual records for two cemeteries near Bath city centre together with Haycombe Crematorium located on the south west edge of the city.

The two burial sites are Twerton Cemetery in Bellots Road and St James Cemetery (formerly Lyncombe, Widcombe and St James), with records that date back to 1861. Haycombe Crematorium records date from its opening in 1961.

As well as digital scans of registers, the records available on Deceased Online also include grave details, indicating all those buried in each grave, and section maps for both cemeteries indicating the section of the cemetery where each grave is located.

Over the next few weeks, records for another five cemeteries managed by Bath and North East Somerset Council will be added to Deceased Online.

The historic city of Bath is a world heritage site and famously dates back to Roman times. Its spa heritage became extremely fashionable in the 18th century with Beau Nash presiding over Bath's rich culture, and Jane Austen lived in the city in the early 19th century. Emma Jolly's latest blog looks at some of the records now available for Bath and North East Somerset.

Other south west England records available on Deceased Online include Blandford Forum (Dorset), Cullompton (Devon), Wiltshire Council, and records from The National Archives collection for many sites.

(With thanks to Deceased Online)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

National Records of Scotland annual report 2015-2016

The National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) has published its annual report for 2015-2016 at https://t.co/L1ouHE3ZwC (it's a downloadable PDF document).

Some interesting facts from the document:

• The ScotlandsPeople Centre and Historical Search Room had 23,400 visitors.
• 47,656 offical extracts of records were purchased.
• 1.1 million people accessed the online ScotlandsPeople website
• 3.5 million new index entries were made available - the site now has 108 million indexed entries.
• 82,152 pieces underwent conservation, inclusing old parish registers and the Upper Clyde Shipbuilding photographic archive.
• Further work has been done to make Church of Scotland kirk session and presbytery registers more user friendly.
• The privately held records of the Dukes of Argyll, from the 15th to 20th centries, have now been catalogued and added to the National Register of Archives for Scotland under NRAS1209.
• The records catalogue of the Admiralty Court from 1557-1830 have been added to the online catalogue.
• The catalogues of the first arrangement of unextracted processes for the Court of Session from 1619-1868 have been added to the online catalogue.
• 2015 saw thre 150th anniversary of the Association of Registrars of Scotland.

It's an interesting read, at 90 pages in length - have fun!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Irish Newspaper Archive site maintenance

From Irish Newspaper Archive (www.irishnewsarchive.com):

Hi All,
On the 19th.October.2016 (9:00 am ) till the 21st.October.2016 (24:00 pm ) we are carrying out essential maintenance to our servers. Unfortunately the website will not be accessible between 12:00 - 13:00 on the 19th.Oct.2016. However we do not anticipate that the site will be unavailable outside of the above times and customer access should not be affected. However if you experince access issues or service speed issues we apologies in advance.

Details:
As our archive content grows in size are servers must also grow and due to the increased amount of content added this year and the anticipated additional content to come online shortly we need more server space!!

What to Expect:
While the website should remain accessible throughout the majority of the time during the essential maintenance we do have a planned down time between 12:00 - 13:00 on the 19th.Oct.2016.Access during the above times will may be interrupted.

Essential Maintenance Dates: 19th.October.2016 (9:00 pm ) - 21st.October.2016 (24:00 pm)
We are here at all times to answer any questions that you may have in regard to our planned essential maintenance. To keep up to date with further maintenance or content updates please follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

ScotlandsPeople restrictions on Scottish Catholic records

Take note if you are planning to do research into the Scottish Roman Catholic records available on ScotlandsPeople. Something I had not noticed until I tried to use them today is that the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) has placed restrictions on the Catholic register indexes that are accessible on the ScotlandsPeople database at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh and at other genealogy centres.

Until recently, it was possible to access the following collections on ScotlandsPeople at the centres:

1703-1992 baptisms and births
1736-1934 marriages and banns
1742-1955 deaths and burials
Other events

Today at the Glasgow Genealogy Centre, I got the following via the ScotlandsPeople database:

1703-1916 baptisms and births
1703-1941 marriages and banns
1703-1966 deaths and burials
1703-1916 other events


Clearly the year ranges all starting in 1703 are nonsense - and the end points now match the closure periods as respected by the statutory birth, marriage and death records collections on the online version of the website.

Just to make things more bewildering, the new online version of ScotlandsPeople at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk does provide access to the Catholic indexes beyond these closure period dates - but not to images of the actual records, which can only be viewed for the earlier records. For the most recent records, there is no option to purchase an 'offical extract', as with the statutory records (most likely because these are not NRS records, but registers sourced from the Scottish Catholic Archives) - you just can't view them at all.

So if you are planning to visit Edinburgh, or any of the other genealogy centres offering access to ScotlandsPeople for a daily fee of £15, be advised that the online website is currently now the only place where you will get access to indexes of the more recent records.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Ancestry releases new UK military records collections

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released five new UK military collections:

UK, Military Deserters, 1812-1927
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60961
Source: UK Police Gazettes, Luminary Trading.

UK, Royal Air Force Muster Roll, 1918
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60999
Source: AIR 1/819/204/4/1316 and AIR 10/232-237. The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England.

UK, British Jewry Roll of Honour, 1914-1918
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61082
Source: Reverend Michael Adler, Caxton Publishing Company.

UK, Naval and Military Courts Martial Registers, 1806-1930
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60780
Source: The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England.
Admiralty: Courts Martial Registers
Judge Advocate General's Office: Field General Courts Martial and Military Courts, Registers
Judge Advocate General's Office: District Courts Martial Registers, Home and Abroad
Judge Advocate General's Office: General Courts Martial Registers, Confirmed at Home.

UK, British Army Lists, 1882-1962
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60721
Source: The Official Army List. The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England.

Rather annoyingly, these are indexes only, with the images available on a separate subscription website, Fold3.com - despite not being listed as third party indexes on Ancestry.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

City of York and District FHS research centre event

The City of York and District Family History Society is providing free access to its research room in The Raylor Centre, James Street, York, on Saturday, October 29, from 10am to 4pm. Resources will be free to use, with volunteers on hand to assist.

For further details please contact yorkfamilyhistory@btopenworld.com or 01904 412204.

(With thanks to Anne Outterson by email and The York Press at http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/14805907.Want_to_trace_your_family_history__Try_this_event_in_York___/)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Scottish and Canadian additions to FindmyPast

Latest additions to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.com):

Scotland Monumental Inscriptions Index
OVER 227 THOUSAND RECORDS An index of covering 209 burial grounds across 14 Scottish counties including the Isle of Skye. Discover your ancestor's burial place and age at death.

Scotland Deeds Index 1769
OVER 1,000 RECORDS Trace your Scottish ancestors through deeds registered at the Court of Session. The records will show the type of deed, the date it was recorded and the two parties named in the original court document.

Scotland, Paternity Decrees 1750-1922
OVER 25,000 RECORDS Was your ancestor involved in a paternity dispute that appeared before Scotland's Sheriff Court? Explore these decrees to discover illegitimate ancestors and break down brick walls.

Scotland Pre-1841 Censuses and Population Lists
OVER 3,500 RECORDS Learn about your Scottish family in the years prior to the 1841 census. Search early census fragments and parish lists from Jedburgh, Greenlaw, Ladykirk, Melrose, Applegarth, and Sibbaldbie.

Ontario Birth Index 1860-1920
OVER 1.7 MILLION RECORDS Find out when your Ontario ancestors were born, where they were born and the names of their parents. These records provide a valuable link to the previous generation and images may include the parents' occupations, marriage place and home address.

New Brunswick Birth and Baptism Index 1769-1899
OVER 25,500 RECORDS Explore this index of civil registration records to find out where and when your ancestor was born and uncover the information you need to obtain an official birth certificate.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

TNA podcast - Blindness in Victorian Britain

A podcast I missed from a month back from the English based National Archives website (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) is Blindness in Victorian Britain, a 43 minute long talk by Heather Tilley.

The podcast can be downloaded from, or listened to, at http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/blindness-victorian-britain/. It can also be downloaded from iTunes.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

TheGenealogist launches over 220 million US records

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

TheGenealogist are launching over 220 million US records

We are expanding our international records with the release of:

* 90 million Social Security Death records 1935-2014

* 1940 Census Images containing 132 million records with searchable transcripts linked to the Enumeration Maps

* Irish immigration records for 604,596 persons arriving in New York 1846-1851

Many people hit a brick wall where an ancestor seems to disappear from all the records in the U.K. It could be that they have gone abroad for a period or emigrated for good. If your elusive ancestor went to the United States of America, TheGenealogist’s expanded international records can help.

Social Security Death Records

The U.S. Social Security Death Index is a database of over 90 million death records. These give information of those who died from 1936 whose death has been reported to the Social Security Administration.

The data includes: Given name and surname; Date of birth; Month and year of death (or full date of death for accounts active in 2000 or later); Social Security number; State or territory where the Social Security number was issued; Last place of residence while the person was alive (ZIP code).

1940 Census

The American census is searchable by first name, surname, age, state, county, street address and place of birth (allowing us to find Brits enumerated in the American census). The records give details of over 132 million individuals with a transcription along with the actual image of the schedule. Where available, the record is also linked to the Enumeration Index Map for the area so that you can see exactly which street your ancestor lived on. Our transcripts also have the added benefit of street addresses included, allowing you to search for a street rather than an individual.

The 1940 Census transcripts on TheGenealogist are not the same as those found elsewhere online; apart from the linked maps and street addresses, we have also audited the images discovering many that haven't been transcribed previously elsewhere. These are also being added to our records.

We believe that experienced researchers will welcome this release, knowing that having alternative transcripts to those already available gives the family historian a better chance of finding people whose names have been difficult to read or have contained errors in the other databases.

New York Immigration Records

The New York Port Arrival 1846-1851 series gives the family historian access to useful information about immigrants from Ireland to the United States during the era of the Irish Potato Famine, identifying 604,596 persons who arrived in the Port of New York and giving the name of the ships on which they arrived. Approximately 70 percent of the passengers listed were natives of Ireland, with the rest being nationals of 32 countries that included Canada, Brazil, Saint Croix, Russia, Morocco, the United States and various European countries. Information contained in these records include name, age, town of last residence, destination, passenger arrival date, and codes for the passenger's gender, occupation, literacy, native country, transit status, travel compartment, passenger port of embarkation, and the identification number for the ship manifest.

These new records join TheGenealogist’s growing collection of other U.S.A. data sets such as the WWII PoW records, Early Settlers and Emigrants to America, Passenger Lists, American Wills, Almanacs and Directories.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Weavers with attitude...

I posted a fair few news items online yesterday, but as it's a but quieter today, here's an item from my other blog, first posted six years ago. (Apologies for any rude words which may be perceived...!)

Weavers with Attitude

One of my favourite historic records found to date is the following from the records of the Weavers Incorporation of Perth in 1703, proving that many Scots three hundred years ago had the same healthy attitude towards authority as their descendants do today!

Perth the ffourth day of August 1703

Whilk day the master court of the weavers of Perth being convened in the c[h]urch all in ane voice inlays and fynes John Huttsone weaver in Perth in fforty shill[ing]s for his abusing the present Deacon and any other of the laite Deacons[,] abusing and miscalling the said Deacon Archibald[,] and several times Called the s[ai]d Deacons Raskells and villainds and often times commanded them to kiss his airs and thairfore he is fyned in other ffourty shilling[s]

Perth is where my Paton weaver ancestors hailed from - which may explain my own healthy attitude to authority at times! :)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

TNA podcast - The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution

The latest podcast from the National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) is entitled Never Forget: The Holocaust and Nazi Persecution, a 38 minute long talk from Ela Kaczmarska and Lauren Willmott, describ3ed as follows:

In this talk – held as part of Holocaust Memorial Day – record specialists Ela Kaczmarska and Lauren Willmott shed light on the atrocities committed during this dark period of history and the millions of victims who were persecuted by the Nazis’ fascist ideology.

To download or listen to the podcast visit http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/never-forget-holocaust-nazi-persecution/. It is also available for free via iTunes.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Latest Unlock the Past books now available in Canada

My latest book is amongst four new Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au) titles now available in Canada from Global Genealogy (www.globalgenealogy.com):

A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy
By Chris Paton, 2016
CAN $18

Chris Paton takes you through the key record sets that will help you get underway with your family history research. He introduces you to the family history societies and archives that can assist your efforts, and provide a little context to the ancestral landscape within which your ancestors once lived, and into which you will soon be immersed. Along the way he will point out some of the major differences in record types to be found in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. In each chapter Chris also provides a steer towards further books which can further develop your skills as you become more experienced with the subject matter, making this an invaluable introduction.

More information about this book at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/england/resources/2590289.htm


Harnessing the Facebook Generation: Ideas for involving Young People in family History & Heritage
By Janet Few, 2016
CAN $16.50

This is a book for grown-ups who want to inspire their descendants and other young people, with a love of history and heritage. It is a thought-provoking look at how we can encourage the next generation of family historians and why we might want to do so. Suggestions cover activities, outings, toys, games, books and ways of exploiting the internet in order to motivate and enthuse young people, even toddlers.

More information about this book at http://globalgenealogy.com/genealogy-general/resources/2590263.htm


Family History on the Cheap - Second Edition (Australian Perspective)
By S. Hicks, 2016
CAN $17

This second, revised and updated edition examines a broad range of topics including family sources, whether someone has already researched the family, when to use professional researchers, how and where to obtain discounts, what sites are free, how to plan and organise your research, making the most of Google, and using social media for family history research, numerous tips and tricks for how to get the most from research trips to archives, libraries, family history and local historical societies, visits to relatives, social networking sites, commercial websites and of course, Google. You will quickly recoup its purchase price many times over with the money and time savings outlined throughout the book.

More information about this book at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/other-countries/resources/2590003.htm


Death Certificates and Archaic Medical Terms - Second Edition
(Australian perspective)
By H. Smith, 2016
CAN $17

The author examines the history and evolution of death certificates. When did they start? What is on them? What were the legal requirements? What does it mean when a death is certified? Why aren't all deaths certified? It also gives meanings to a number of archaic terms found on death certificates such as cachexia, breakbone fever, byssinosis, coeliac passion, dipsomania, inanition and Potter's Rot. This second edition has been fully updated and expanded, and is double the size of the first, with hundreds more archaic medical terms included.

More information about this book at http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/other-countries/resources/2590181.htm


Don't forget that Unlock the Past books can also be purchased a wee bit further south in the United States from Martha Mercer's Maia's Books store. Martha only lists a small number of books from the publisher on her website at www.maiasbooks.com, but she does hold stock of most of them - drop her an email or call and she can give you details on costs and postage etc. For a full list of my own UTP titles, please visit the books section of this blog at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

New railway museum to open in Northern Ireland next year

A wee bit of news from my home patch in Northern Ireland. The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, based in Whitehead, County Antrim, is to open its new £3.1 million museum by April of next year.

For further details of the new facility, read the Carrickfergus Times story at www.carrickfergustimes.co.uk/news/3-1m-museum-to-open-in-whitehead-next-year-1-7619957, and visit the society's website at www.steamtrainsireland.com.

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

ScotlandsPlaces records now free to access

Major news from Scotland, in that the records collections on ScotlandsPlaces (www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk) have now been made available free of charge. In the past the site hosted a mixture of records, some of which were free to access (as was the case when the site was originally launched), and others which required a subscription of £15 +VAT, i.e. £18 (the only records collection I ever saw in the UK which advertised its sub on that basis!), although transcripts of some of those records were free to access. The sources for the collections are the National Records of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (now part of Historic Environment Scotland).

The records that are now completely free on the site are:

Historical Tax Rolls

Carriage Tax, 1785-1798, (20 volumes)
Cart Tax, 1785-1798, (14 volumes)
Clock and Watch Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Consolidated Schedules of Assessed Taxes, 1798-1799 (32 volumes)
Dog Tax, 1797-1798, (2 volumes)
Farm Horse Tax, 1797-1798, (13 volumes)
Female Servant Tax, 1785-1792, (28 volumes)
Hearth Tax, 1691-1695, (43 volumes)
Horse Tax, 1785-1798, (33 volumes)
Inhabited House Tax, 1778-1798 (64 volumes)
Land Tax, 1645-1831, (129 volumes)
Male Servant Tax, 1777-1798, (27 volumes)
Poll Tax, 1694-1698, (88 volumes)
Shop Tax, 1785-1789, (8 volumes)
Window Tax, 1748-1798, (218 volumes)


Ordnance Survey Name Books

Aberdeenshire, 1865-1878, (91 volumes)Argyll, 1868-1878, (81 volumes)
Ayrshire, 1855-1857, (64 volumes)
Banffshire, 1867-1869, (28 volumes)
Berwickshire, 1856-1858, (41 volumes)
Buteshire, 1855-1864, (7 volumes)
Caithness, 1871-1873, (15 volumes)
Clackmannanshire, 1861-1862, (7 volumes)
Dumfriesshire, 1848-1858, (55 volumes)
Dunbartonshire, 1860, (18 volumes)
East Lothian, 1853-1854, (55 volumes)
Fife and Kinross-shire, 1853-1855, (135 volumes)
Forfarshire (Angus), 1857-1861, (84 volumes)
Inverness-shire, 1876-1878, (86 volumes)
Kincardineshire, 1863, (20 volumes)
Kircudbrightshire, 1848-1851, (159 volumes)
Lanarkshire, 1858-1861, (50 volumes)
Midlothian, 1852-1853, (135 volumes)
Morayshire, 1868-1871, (23 volumes)
Nairnshire, 1869, (7 volumes)
Orkney, 1878-1880, (26 volumes)
Peeblesshire, 1856-1858, (47 volumes)
Perthshire, 1856-1858, (79 volumes)
Renfrewshire, 1856-1857, (21 volumes)
Ross and Cromarty, 1848-1852, (187 volumes)
Roxburghshire, 1858-1860, (42 volumes)
Selkirkshire, 1858, (15 volumes)
Shetland, 1877-1878, (26 volumes)
Stirlingshire, ca 1864, (27 volumes)
Sutherland, 1871-1875, (35 volumes)
West Lothian, 1855-1859, (69 volumes)
Wigtownshire, 1845-1849, (88 volumes)


RCAHMS Archives

Alexander Curle diaries, 1908-1953 (14 volumes)
Inventories, 1909-1992 (30 volumes)


Burgh registers

Aberdeenshire Burgh Registers, 1398-1511 (8 volumes)


Official Reports

Medical Officer of Health Reports, 1891
Land Ownership Commission Reports, 1872-1873


Published Gazetteers and Atlases

Hay Shennan, County and Parish Boundaries, 1892
An Atlas of Scottish History to 1707


Hydrographic Surveys

Bathmetrical Surveys of Scottish Lochs, 1898-1909


Archaeological and architectural sites, and historical maps and plans

1st edition 6-inch series1st edition 25-inch series
2nd and later edition 6-inch series
2nd and later edition 25-inch series

The ScotlandsPlaces team are still looking for volunteer transcribers to help with deciphering some of the collections from their older script forms, so if interested, do drop them a note!

Have fun! :)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

TalkingScot discussion forum

I've not been on the site in a few years, but I have just noticed that the TalkingScot discussion forum is still going strong online at www.talkingscot.com.

It has various useful threads discussing Scottish genealogical subjects and more, and I believe it is still free to access.

If you have never visited, why not pop in and have a look?!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Tracing Oxfordshire ancestors course at the Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists in London (www.sog.org.uk) is running a short seminar/course on Saturday 29th October 2016, from 10:30 - 13:00, priced at £20 per person, the them of Oxfordshire based ancestry. Here's the blurb:

Tracing Ancestors in Oxfordshire

This course will give you an overview of researching Oxfordshire ancestors, showing you the wealth of information available online and in local archives, including new and more obscure sources. You’ll also find out about some of the projects undertaken by local genealogists and family historians and how these might help you with your own research.

with Sue Honore and Jessica Feinstein

To book, please visit www.sog.org.uk/books-courses/events-courses/tracing-ancestors-in-oxfordshire.

(With thanks to Wendy Archer from Oxfordshire FHS)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Australian National Archives preservation facility relocation

From the National Archives in Australia (www.naa.gov.au), news of some forthcoming disruption with regard to its preservation facility in Canberra:

40 million items on the move

The relocation of records to the new National Archives Preservation Facility in Canberra is an exciting evolution for the Archives. The architecturally designed, environmentally sustainable building has storage for approximately 25 per cent of our extensive collection.

It will house 104 kilometres of paper records, more than nine kilometres of audio-visual records and a digital archive, ensuring the preservation and conservation of our irreplaceable collection continues into the future.

There will be disruption to access to the Canberra-based collection from 30 October 2016 to 1 July 2017, as we relocate 15 million records from multiple repositories and rehouse them in the National Archives Preservation Facility.

While we are unable to retrieve all affected records, we have identified high-use records that will continue to be available in the Canberra Reading Room. You can also view digitised records online. Please note that access to records in our state and territory offic
es will not be affected.

For further details visit www.naa.gov.au/collection/managing-collection/securing-national-archives-holdings/napf/index.aspx

(With thanks to the NAA newsletter at http://email.synergymail.com.au/t/ViewEmail/r/3A46784C4B82B2422540EF23F30FEDED/A1D5F02068EAF9FB3EDEEDC46EB9B960)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

PRONI talk on Steelboys rescheduled

From PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) in Belfast:

Armagh Talk Date Cancelled: Talk by Eoin Magennis on Steelboys and Disturbances in County Armagh moved to Wednesday 9th November.

We very much regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Armagh County lunchtime talk by Eoin Magennis - ‘Steelboys, Oakboys and Bad Boys: Disturbances in County Armagh 1750-1800’ - arranged first for Wednesday 12th October 2016, has now been re-scheduled for lunchtime (1-2pm) Wednesday 9th November 2016.

All of the bookings for the 12th October talk have been transferred to 9th November, though we appreciate that the rescheduled date may not be convenient for some of those currently booked for the talk.

The talk will be a fascinating journey into the underworld of agrarian crime and riot in Armagh two hundred and fifty years ago.

Kindest regards

PRONI

(With thanks to PRONI)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Dorset records and UK medical directories join Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following collection for Dorset, England:

Dorset, England, Poor Law Apprenticeship Records, 1623-1898
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61226

Several medically related directories are also now available on the site, as sourced from the Wellcome Library:

UK & Ireland, Medical Directories, 1845-1942
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61053

UK, Dentist Registers, 1879-1942
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61101

UK, The Midwives Roll, 1904-1959
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61102

UK, Medical and Dental Students Registers, 1882-1937
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61100

UK, Roll of the Indian Medical Service, 1615 -1930
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61103


Recently updated English and Welsh collections include:

• Radnorshire, Wales, Marriages, 1813-1838
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1910
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1910
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1910
• Dorset, England, Poor Law Apprenticeship Records, 1623-1898
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812

Details are available via http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/recent-collections

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

FamilySearch commences new Discovery Centre build in Utah

From FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org):

Salt Lake City, Utah (October 10, 2016)--The popular Family History Library in downtown Salt Lake City has begun construction on its new Family History Discovery Center. When complete, the main floor attraction will create family history experiences for patrons of all ages. The project is on a fast track to be completed in February 2017. Admission will be free to the public.

"We have been excited for quite some time to start construction on the new discovery center," said Tamra Stansfield, manager of the Family History Library. "Our guests, particularly those who are completely new to family history, will be able to enjoy fun, personal discoveries through interactive technological experiences with their family's history."

Stansfield said the new center will make the library another unique and exciting destination for locals, families, and youth groups, as well as for tourists of all ages visiting Utah or Temple Square from around the world.

The Family History Library is the flagship facility in a network of over 4,900 family history centers worldwide managed by FamilySearch International, a nonprofit subsidiary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fun, engaging activities designed for the discovery center are part of an organizational effort to introduce more people to the many fun facets of personal and family discovery.

FamilySearch is learning that if individuals and families have fun, personalized, quick successes and experiences with their family’s history, they will continue to be more involved at different levels throughout their lives. It also deepens appreciation for family connections across multiple generations.

The new discovery center will create a fun environment for families to discuss their family history together in inviting, unexpected ways. Youth particularly will enjoy the life-size touch-screen computer monitors for some of the interactive stations. In addition, there will be an enclosed space for parents with smaller children that will allow them to explore their family history while also being able to observe their children play.

A fun green-screen feature will let guests choose from a variety of themed backgrounds to create a lasting photo memory of their visit to the discovery center.

The new transformations are designed to offer unique interactive and immersive discovery experiences for visitors of all ages while still offering the vast collections and expertise the library is known for among family history enthusiasts and researchers.

When the new discovery center opens, "We expect to find the next generation of dedicated family historians at play in our library," said Stansfield.

Many of the interactive features in the new discovery center will use a patron's family history in the FamilySearch.org Family Tree to create custom learning experiences at a variety of stations. Stansfield suggests individuals and families take the time now during construction to create a free account at FamilySearch.org from home and begin building their family tree, adding favorite family stories and photos together. A developed family tree will enhance their experience when the discovery center opens in 2017.

The Family History Library's staff and other typical services and historic record collections will continue to be accessible during the construction of the discovery center.

The prototype discovery center currently located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City will be closed to the public once the new center is opened in 2017 but will continue to operate as a FamilySearch development lab, where future experiences can be created and tested. A smaller discovery center was opened earlier this year in Seattle, Washington.

If you would like to follow the new center's construction progress, a time-lapse camera link is available online at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGng78LVGBHHVfJMBnaK5aMcVM4plnHpk.

Find this news release and more artist's renderings of the new discovery center online at http://media.familysearch.org/family-history-library-begins-construction-of-new-discovery-center/.

(With thanks to FamilySearch News via email)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.