Forthcoming webinars about FamilySearch

FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org) is offering the following webinars for those wishing to become more familiar with the platform and its applications:

Tues., June 4, 10:00 a.m. MT

Using the FamilySearch Catalog Effectively (Beginner)

Tues., June 11, 10:00 a.m. MT

Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki (Beginner)

Tues., June 18, 10:00 a.m. MT

Using the FamilySearch Mobile Apps (Beginner)

Tues., June 25, 10:00 a.m. MT

Discovering the FamilySearch Community (Beginner)

For further details, and links, visit https://media.familysearch.org/free-family-history-library-classes-and-webinars-for-june-2019/?cid=bl-press-8313

NB: MT = Mountain Time, one of the USA's time zones - currently seven hours behind the UK and Ireland. 

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Cardiganshire parish records added to FindmyPast

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

Scotland, Dumfriesshire Death & Burial Index
Explore your Scottish ancestry with over 39,000 death and burial records from Dumfriesshire. Many of the burial records include additional details about your ancestor such as, their last address, parents' names and birth date.

Pennsylvania, Register of Mine Accidents
Discover whether your mining ancestor was involved in a mining accident in Pennsylvania. Within this collection of more than 163,000 records, you will find large numbers of immigrants which is indicated by their nationality along with vital information about the accident itself and whether it was fatal.

Cardiganshire Baptisms
Over 74,000 additional records from across 45 parishes have been added to our collection of Cardiganshire Baptisms.

Cardiganshire Marriages and Banns
Over 65,000 additional records from across 45 parishes have been added to our collection of Cardiganshire Marriages and Banns.

Cardiganshire Burials
Over 81,000 additional records from across 45 parishes have been added to our collection of Cardiganshire Marriages and Banns.

International records – Italy
Celebrate Italy's Festival of the Republic on June 2nd by unearthing your Italian roots. Three indexes containing over 3.1 million births, marriages and deaths are now available to search and explore on Findmypast. These indexes span the years 1806 to 1900 and will generate hints against your Findmypast family tree.

British & Irish Newspaper Update
This week we have added 95,674 pages to our collection of historical British & Irish Newspapers. We are delighted to have two brand new titles joining us this week – West Midlands title the Sandwell Evening Mail and Field, which describes itself as 'the country gentleman's newspaper. We are also pleased to welcome updates to eleven of our existing titles, with updates to five of our Irish titles, as well as titles from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and London. Details of these updates are included at the end of this blog post.


For further details, and links, visit https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2638513354.html

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Welsh probate documents now searchable on Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has recently added the following collection:

Wales, Wills and Probate, 1513-1858
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/waleswills/
Source: Wills proved in the Welsh Ecclesiastical courts before 1858, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru: The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales.


About Wales, Wills and Probate, 1513-1858

Historical Context

Wills before 1858 were generally proved in the church courts, of which there was a hierarchy extending from an individual parish up to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The ministers of some parishes had a right to prove the wills of those of their parishioners who had property solely in their parish - known as a peculiar jurisdiction. This could be 'inhibited' by the Dean or Bishop at certain times.

The more important churches within the dioceses, and the cathedrals, often held their own courts. Courts of Dean and Chapters, and of the Prebends, of Cathedrals are numerous - their jurisdictions were over the places from which their revenues derived. In addition, Rural Deans supervised a group of parishes (normally not less than 12, and not including peculiars), and in some parts of the country had authority to prove wills within that area.

A larger number of parishes was headed by an archdeacon, and there would be one or more archdeaconries in a diocese, headed by a Bishop. The archdeaconry courts would normally grant probate for persons with property in their area of jurisdiction. The bishop's court (or consistory court) would grant probate for any person having property in more than one archdeaconry within the diocese. The dioceses in the south of England with the Channel Islands and Wales, formed the Province of Canterbury, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury was the head. His Prerogative Court of Canterbury proved the wills of those with property in more than one diocese or peculiar in the Province. In the north of England, the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of York acted in the same way for northern dioceses.

Canterbury claimed overall jurisdiction in probate matters when persons had property in both Provinces or had died abroad. (However, this did not always happen in practice.)

Wills in England and Wales

Wills could be written for males beginning at age 14 and females at age 12. In 1837 the age was changed to 21 for both men and women, although in the case of women, these were primarily unmarried or widowed women, since a woman’s property by law was the property of her husband until 1882.

What can I find in these records?

There were seven dioceses or their equivalents in Wales. The following list shows the areas of probate jurisdiction and the dates of the wills included in the collection:

Diocese of Bangor: Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire, most of Merioneth, parts of Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire Original wills 1576-1858 (majority dated 1635-1648, 1660-1858) Copy wills 1790, 1851-1858

Archdeaconry of Brecon: Breconshire, most of Radnorshire, and some parishes in Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire and Herefordshire Original wills 1557-1857 (mainly 1609-1653, 1660-1857) Copy wills 1543-1858 (mainly 1570-1589, 1694-1858)

Diocese of Chester: four parishes in Flintshire and Holt in Denbighshire. Original wills 1521-1858 (mainly 1557-1650, 1660-1858)

Peculiar of Hawarden: parish of Hawarden Original wills 1554-1858 (mainly 1554-1641, 1660-1858)

Diocese of Llandaff: Monmouthshire and Glamorgan (except for Gower) Original 1568-1857 Copy wills 1695-1844

Diocese of St Asaph: most of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Montgomeryshire, and parts of Merioneth, Caernarfonshire and Shropshire Original 1557-1858 (mainly 1583-1649, 1660-1857) Copy wills 1548-1709 (mainly 1565-1648, 1660-1669, 1684-1709)

Diocese of St David’s: Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and part of Glamorgan (Gower) Original 1556-1858 (mainly 1564-1653, 1660-1858) Copy wills 1703-1858 (mainly 1703-1731, 1814-1858)

You may be able to find the following information (where available):

Name
Date will was proved
Place will was proved

Parts of this description have been taken from the National Library of Wales website. You can find out more about their collections on this page.


Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Staffordshire Record Office opening hours consultation

From Staffordshire Record Office (https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Heritage-and-archives/homepage.aspx):

Staffordshire Record Office opening hours consultation

We need your views on proposed opening hours

In recent years demand for access to archives through personal visits to the Staffordshire Record Office searchroom has fallen from a peak of 9,409 visits in 2005/06 to 3,804 in 2017/18.

By contrast online use of the service has grown from 168,199 visitor sessions in 2005/06 to 964,353 visitor sessions in 2017/18. During consultation in 2015 the Archive and Heritage Service set out a new vision to increase online access and widen engagement activities. The Service is committed to delivering savings to meet the Medium Term Financial Strategy for Staffordshire County Council.

We currently open 37 hours per week, as follows:

Tuesday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Wednesday: 9.00 – 7.00 (10 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: 9.30 – 4.30 (7 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (4 hours)

We have monitored use of the current opening hours and found that:
Saturdays are not well used for public services but our events on Saturdays are well attended
Wednesdays are the busiest day of the week, but the evenings are not well used
The first and last hours of each day are the quietest
Mornings are generally busier than afternoons

From Monday 15 July 2019 opening hours will be reduced from the current 37 hours per week, to 25 hours per week. We would like to hear your views as to how these hours are allocated through the week. We are putting forward three options on which we would like your views, each of which has a slightly different focus. Please also feel free to suggest an alternative option, with the provison that the opening hours do not exceed 25 hours per week, as these are the resources available for the service.

Important note: whichever option is chosen and implemented, our existing volunteer groups will be unaffected by the changes, as their supervision and document production are not primarily dependent upon the duty staff in the reading room.

Options for the future

Option A (25 hours per week)
This option maintains opening on four weekdays, plus one Saturday per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Wednesday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Thursday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Friday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

Option B (25 hours per week)
This option concentrates opening on the three busiest weekdays, plus one Saturday per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Wednesday: 10.00 – 6.00 (8 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

Option C (25 hours per week)
This option concentrates opening on three weekdays, with a consecutive Saturday once per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9.00 - 6.00 (9 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: 9.30 – 4.30 (7 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

To leave feedback and to vote on the consultation proposals, visit the archive's consultation page at https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Heritage-and-archives/Staffordshire-Record-Office-opening-hours-consultation.aspx

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Latest British Connections edition now available for ISBGFH members

The latest edition of British Connections (Vol 20, issue 2), for members of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History, is now available.

In the current issue I have contributed two articles, one on Irish poor law records, the other on the Irish Registry of Deeds. There are also articles from Christine Woodock, Paul Black, Irene O'Brien, Sylvia Tracy Doolos, Beryl Evans and Maurice Gleeson, covering topics such as English, Welsh and Scottish poor law records, the Scottish, Welsh and Irish naming patterns, DNA, and the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage.

To sign up to the society, and to access the digital magazine, visit https://isbgfh.org

(With thanks to Christine Woodcock)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestor Network wins National Library of Ireland genealogy service contract

From Ireland's Ancestor Network (https://www.ancestornetwork.ie):

National Library of Ireland Genealogy Service 2019
Dublin, Wednesday, 29 May 2019

Ancestor Network Ltd has been awarded the contract to support and assist the genealogy advisory service at the National Library of Ireland in 2019, following a public tender competition.

This is the 8th consecutive year that the National Library of Ireland has selected Ancestor Network to provide this unique genealogy advisory service. It is also the tenth anniversary of the founding of Ancestor Network Ltd in May 2009.

Starting from today, our professional genealogists will assist visitors from Monday to Wednesday, 9:30am to 5:00pm and Thursday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:45pm. Our professional genealogists will advise and assist visitors about family history sources available at the National Library, other repositories, and online internet sources.

Aiden Feerick, Ancestor Network’s Project Manager stated: “Our team of genealogists work with experienced National Library staff members to provide an open and friendly walk-in service. We strive to assist every visitor in finding some information about their individual families.”

John Hamrock of Ancestor Network stated: “We are very pleased to have been selected by the National Library for 2019, particularly on the tenth anniversary of the founding of Ancestor Network. This appointment, along with our recent initiatives such as establishing a branch office in Northern Ireland, our recent book launches of counties Tipperary and Leitrim research guides, and our strategic alliance with a US based genealogical research platform will serve to continue our steady growth in the years ahead.”

Ciara Kerrigan, Assistant Keeper, National Library of Ireland added,
“We are delighted to be working with the excellent team of genealogy experts at Ancestor Network for the eighth year running. People interested in undertaking family history research make up a big part of our overseas and local visitors, and developing the NLI further as a venue for research, culture, learning and tourism is an important objective of our redevelopment programme – “Re-imagining the National Library’ – which is well underway.”

(With thanks to @AncestorNetwork - original release at https://www.ancestornetwork.ie/national-library-of-ireland-genealogy-service-2019/)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Beyond 2022 - Virtually recreating the Irish PRO archive

This is not a new video, it was launched over a year ago, but having seen it again on Twitter this morning, I thought it worth sharing. In 1922, The Irish Public Record Office was devastated in the Civil War, with many valuable records from centuries past utterly destroyed. Not everything was lost however, and many surrogate copies of records destroyed in the calamity have survived.

The Beyond 2022 project (https://beyond2022.ie/) seeks to create a virtual PRO online in time for the centenary, gathering all know surviving material and surrogates and making them available in a digitally reconstructed building. It and is something I am sure many of us with Irish ancestry cannot wait for! Here's the video, also available at https://youtu.be/CXuExly6dl4

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TheGenealogist adds Islington Lloyd George Domesday Survey records

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

TheGenealogist announces the release of Islington Lloyd George Domesday Survey records. These cover land owners and occupiers in 1910-1915 with over 70,000 individuals recorded, joining the previously released data books and their associated maps for other parts of London.

This new release is the latest stage of TheGenealogist’s vast ongoing project to digitise over 94,500 Field Books, each having hundreds of pages, and linking them to large scale IR121 annotated OS maps which are now viewable in TheGenealogist’s powerful Map Explorer tool.

The records have been sourced from The National Archives and were compiled by the Valuation Office in a period that stretched from 1910-1915 in response to the Lloyd George government passing the People’s Budget 1909/1910.

This new release covers records made of property ownership and occupation in Barnsbury, Canonbury, Charterhouse, Clerkenwell, Finsbury, Glasshouse Yard, Highbury East, Highbury West, Lower Holloway, Myddelton, Old Street, Pentonville, Saint Mary, Saint Peter, Saint Sepulchre, Thornhill, Upper Holloway, Upper Holloway East and Upper Holloway West.

Family historians can use these records to:
● Find ancestors who owned or occupied property in the Islington area of London
● See the outlines of their houses on large scale maps from the time
● Fade between historic and modern maps to see how the environment has changed
● Check details of properties in the neighbourhood, by clicking the red pins
● Locate an address from your research down to a specific house on the map
● Search by name, parish and street to uncover ancestors’ property in 1910-1915

Complementing the maps on TheGenealogist’s Map Explorer are the accompanying Field Books which provide detailed information relative to the valuation of each property, including the valuation assessment number, map reference, owner, occupier, situation, description and extent.

For family historians looking for ancestors’ homes just before the First World War in the Islington area of London this record set is invaluable.

Read TheGenealogist’s article: Lloyd George Domesday Survey maps reveal an Islington Theatre and Dr Crippen’s house.
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2019/lloyd-george-domesday-survey-maps-reveal-an-islington-theatre-and-dr-crippens-house-1109/

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Donny Osmond to speak at RootsTech London

From RootsTech (www.rootstech.org):

Salt Lake City, Utah (May 29, 2019)--RootsTech, the world’s largest genealogy conference is coming to London and is pleased to announce Donny Osmond as a featured speaker. The 2019 conference will be held at ExCeL London October 24-26, 2019. Osmond will address RootsTech attendees on Saturday, October 26, at 11:00 a.m. (Find and share this announcement online in the RootsTech Newsroom).

Osmond’s successful career as an entertainer has spanned five decades. He is known internationally for his talent as a singer, songwriter, actor, television series host, and as a best-selling author.

“I’m really looking forward to RootsTech London,” said Osmond. “The United Kingdom is like a second home to me. Much of my own ancestry is British, so I feel a particular affinity to this country and the people who call it home. I’ve enjoyed performing in the UK throughout my career. Family and family stories are also very important to me. I’m excited to speak about my heritage at this exciting event.”

Family has always been an integral part of Osmond’s life and career. He joined his older brothers singing on The Andy Williams Show at the age of five. By the time he reached adolescence he had become a teenage heartthrob. With his brothers, he released beloved songs such as “Puppy Love,” “Sweet and Innocent,” and “Go Away Little Girl.”

At 18 he became one of the youngest variety television show hosts in history with his younger sister, Marie, on The Osmonds which aired in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on Sunday afternoons and on ABC in the United States as Donny and Marie from 1976 to 1979.

In the late '80s Osmond added two more popular singles to his list of hits, “Soldier of Love” and “Sacred Emotion,” both ranking high on billboard charts.

Donny Osmond will keynote and perform at RootsTech London 2019Throughout the '90s Osmond spent much of his time participating in musical theater and was wildly successful in his role as Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, performing the role over 2,000 times. Later, in 2006, he played the villain Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He also provided rich vocals for songs in two well-known animated films. He sang “No One Has to Be Alone” in Universal's The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Waters. and “I’ll Make a Man out of You” in Disney’s Mulan.

Osmond has been performing with his younger sister Marie in Las Vegas since 2008. Their show, originally scheduled for just six weeks, is now in its 10th year, with the final show now scheduled for late 2019. During the last decade, their show has received multiple awards, such as Best Show, Best Singer, Best Band, and Best Dancers.

In 2009, Osmond won the 9th season of the American television series Dancing with the Stars with dancing partner, Kym Johnson. More recently, American audiences were astounded to discover that Donny was the talent behind the masked peacock, a fan favorite, on the first season of the American television show, The Masked Singer.

Throughout his illustrious career, Osmond has been surrounded by his family. These relationships, past, present, and future, continue to be important to him. So much so, that he has a section on his website, Donny.com, dedicated to family and family history. He enjoys finding common ancestors and linking his family tree with people from around the world. Are you related to Donny Osmond? Find out by creating an account on FamilySearch Family Tree mobile app, and don’t pass up the opportunity to see him in person at RootsTech London 2019! Register today at RootsTech.org/london.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tracing WW1 Belgian refugees in the UK workshop

There's a free workshop entitled Tracing the Belgian Refugees being run by the First World War Network for Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers, on Friday May 31st 2019, from 12.30-16.30, at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Here's the blurb:

Are you interested in the history of Belgian refugees in the UK during the First World War? Have you been involved in researching them in your local area? Maybe you have family stories or objects that you'd like to share?

Come along to the third of our UK workshops, where you will have the opportunity to meet other people in your area who are interested in this history.

Hear interesting talks, share sources and artefacts, enjoy the opportunity to network over lunch, and meet the project team who will tell you all about how you can use the database to input your findings.

We are working with the Imperial War Museum on an exhibition on refugees opening in 2020, and are looking for the following:

1. Letters and diaries that tell the story as it was happening, including transcriptions/translations

2. Objects that people took with them (especially if there was a story as to why they brought what they did).

3. Objects/supplies/resources that people were given on arrival.

4. Paperwork, forms, passes

5. Later written memoirs

6. Photographs

If you have something that fits the bill and would be happy to bring it along we would be delighted to see it.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

To sign up for a free place, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-tracing-the-belgian-refugees-tickets-54645637573

(With thanks to @FWWBRefugees on Twitter)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Rare footage found of Queen Victoria in Ireland

I'm no fan of royalty, but this is quite historic and well worth sharing. Rare film footage has been discovered of the British Queen Victoria just shortly before her death on a visit to Ireland, which shows the monarch in considerable detail - and she's wearing shades!

For more on the story, and to see the footage, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/48427315/queen-victoria-as-you-ve-never-seen-her-before.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

GEDMatch site now requires opt-in for law enforcement use

This is quite a biggie that I missed earlier in the week. GEDMatch (https://www.gedmatch.com), which offers a facility to match your DNA results with those of potential cousins, has changed its terms and conditions to protect the right of privacy to a user's data, by requiring users to give consent for law enforcement agencies to use their results to help solve crimes - something for which there has been a lot of criticism in recent months with the big DNA platforms. You'll find more on the story at Judy G. Russell's blog at https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/05/19/gedmatch-reverses-course/.

I have just signed in to my account, and have been presented with a page noting the revised T&Cs, which I must accept as having been read to continue to gain access (I can accept the terms, reject them, or have a think about it, with no access granted until I do accept). The major change involves the new four categories of data now available on the site, described as follows:

There are 4 classes of DNA data on this Site: 'Private', 'Research', 'Public + opt-in' and 'Public + opt-out'. You may be asked to select which category you want to be in when you upload your DNA data. If you ever want to change the category, use the pencil icon link next to the kit number on your home page.

'Private' DNA data is not available for comparisons with other people. It may be usable in some utilities that do not depend on comparisons with other DNA.

'Public + opt-in' DNA data is available for comparison to any Raw Data in the GEDmatch database using the various tools provided for that purpose.

'Public + opt-out' DNA data is available for comparison to any Raw Data in the GEDmatch database, except DNA kits identified as being uploaded for Law Enforcement purposes.

Comparison results, including your kit number, name (or alias), and email will be displayed for 'Public' kits that share DNA with the kit being used to make the comparison, except that kits identified as being uploaded for Law Enforcement purposes will only be matched with kits that have 'opted-in'..

'Research' DNA data is available for one-to-one comparison to other Public or Research DNA. It is not shown in other people's 'one-to-many' results lists. The Raw Data that you uploaded is not made available.

I have accepted the terms, and am now in 'opt-out' mode by default until I decide otherwise. As Judy notes in her article, "The new system fully conforms to all legal definitions of informed consent".

I noticed this morning a tweet from Debbie Kennett, stating "In the first 48 hours since everyone in GEDmatch was opted out just 10,000 people people opted back in", linking to an article at https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/05/forensic-genealogy-where-does-cold-case-breakthrough-technique-go-after-gedmatch-announcement.

(With thanks to Judy G. Russell and @DebbieKennett)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Free access to Fold3 military records until May 28th

From Ancestry's military records site, Fold3.com:

Free Access. All Records.

To honor Memorial Day, we're proud to offer free access* to everything on Fold3 — now through Tuesday.

Explore more than 530 million records. See how your family served our country and uncover unique personal details you won’t find anywhere else.


*Access to all records on Fold3 will be free until May 28, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using a paid Fold3 membership.

Visit https://go.fold3.com/freeaccess to see the records.

NB: Access includes British records and those for Commonwealth countries.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast

Forthcoming events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):Forthcoming events at PRONI

International Council on Archives Workshop
5 June, 11am - 4pm
Practical workshop on essential skills, online resources and a tour or the public spaces.

J.C. Beckett Annual Memorial Lecture
6 June, 7pm
The Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies are hosting Dr Diane Urquhart on “Like diamonds, gambling and picture-fancying, a luxury of the rich’?: Ireland’s divorcing minority, 1701-1922.

International Archives Day: Behind the scenes tour of PRONI
10 June, 11am & 2pm
Guided ‘Behind-the-scenes’ tour of PRONI and meet the staff sessions.

State Papers Ireland
11 June, 11am
Join us for a workshop on early records relating to Ireland. The State Papers Ireland digitised manuscripts are a key resource for researching the history of Ireland between 1509 and 1782. This subscription resource, which is available free of charge at PRONI, includes correspondence, reports, memoranda and parliamentary drafts from ambassadors, civil servants and provincial administrators.

'In Her Words' Exhibition
On display until 28 June
Visit PRONI’s current atrium exhibition exploring women in the archives; 'In Her Words'.

Ulster Scottish Connections: Marking 800 years of PRONI's Oldest Document
12 June, 2pm - 4.30pm
An afternoon event exploring the background to PRONI’s oldest document dated 12 June 1219, a papal bull within the Abercorn Papers.

Prisons, Asylums, Workhouses: Institutions in Ireland Conference State Papers Ireland
13-14 June
Conference exploring three centuries of institutional life in Ireland and the voices and spaces of the marginalised in Irish society.

Beyond the Somme: Brigadier Frank Crozier and the Welsh Bantam Brigade
13 June, 6.30pm
Mike Taylor is the guest speaker for The monthly meeting of the Antrim and Down branch of the Western Front Association.

Women in the Archives, Archive Roadshow
20 June, 1pm
Afternoon event aimed at women in minority communities. Attendees are invited to bring an archival document.

D.A. Chart Seminar on Maps 2019
26 June, 12.30pm
Inaugural seminar, named in memory of PRONI’s first ever Deputy Keeper. ‘Our Place on the World Map, 1000-1600’ by Dr Glynn Kelso.

PRONI Workshop: Getting Started
28 June, 11am - 1pm
Introductory workshop on essential skills for researching family and local history.

Further details at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-events-programme

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

British Newspaper Archive passes 32 million pages

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has passed 32 million pages.

The following titles have been added in the last 30 days:

Sandwell Evening Mail
1986

Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette
1989, 1992, 1999

Mansfield & Sutton Recorder
1985-1987, 1990, 1992-1993, 1995, 1999

Reading Evening Post
1970, 1980-1981, 1985, 1991-1992, 1999

Sunday Independent (Dublin)
1959, 1974

New Ross Standard
1987

Middlesex County Times
1937

Rugby Advertiser
1897, 1912-1913

Kerryman
1992

Drogheda Independent
2003-2004

Irish Independent
1987, 1998

Football Post (Nottingham)
1950-1972, 1974-1979

Harrow Leader
1994-1997

Ealing Leader
1993-1995, 1997

Hayes & Harlington Gazette
1993-1997

Buckinghamshire Examiner
1981, 1983

Harefield Gazette
1991-1992, 1994-1997

Kingston Informer
1991-1992, 1995, 1997

Amersham Advertiser
1986, 1993-1997

Staines & Ashford News
1993-1998

Cheddar Valley Gazette
1957-1980

Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald
1874, 1879, 1889, 1891, 1899-1912

Course of the Exchange
1825-1894, 1896-1908

Pinner Observer
1991, 1994, 1996-1997

Kington Times
1915-1959

Bridgwater Journal
1986-1988, 1991

Crawley News
1992-1993, 1995-1997

Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer
1888-1892, 1894-1951, 1953-1959

Protestant Watchman and Lurgan Gazette
1861-1867

Ulster Examiner and Northern Star
1868-1881

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

British medical and military records added to FindmyPast

Just added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.com):

Britain, Physicians and Surgeons, 1830-1923
Search for your English ancestry in thousands of pages from the Calendar of The Royal College of Surgeons in England and Members of The Royal College of Physicians. Containing over 31,000 names, these publications will provide you with your ancestor's residence and years of appointment.

Prisoners of War 1715-1945
Over 876,000 additional records created by the International Committee of the Red Cross during the First World War have been added to our collection of Prisoner of War records. Between 1914 and 1918, all belligerent countries involved provided lists of prisoners to the ICRC, which created an index card for each prisoner and detainee.

British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers' Medical Records
Over 85,000 additional records have also been added to our collection of First World War Soldiers' Medical Records. Including both transcripts and images of original documents, these records will enable you to discover when and where your ancestor was wounded, the nature of their disease or wound, the medical facility they were sent to and the dates of their treatment as well as details pertaining to their military career.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Browse
Browse through more than 85,000 additional records from The National Archives related to births, marriages, and deaths of British civilians and members of the armed forces. The records include individuals who were working or travelling abroad or who were serving their countries overseas. The details found in each record will depend on the original source.

Canada, Ontario, Oddfellows Life Insurance Applications images
Images have now been added to the index of Ontario, Oddfellows Life Insurance Applications we published last week.

International Records Update – Germany
Over 57 German million births, baptisms, marriages and burials are now available to search and explore on Findmypast. Consisting of three new indexes covering the years 1558 to 1958, these new additions will generate hints against your Findmypast family tree. The new German collections now available on Findmypast include:

Germany Birth and Baptism Index 1558-1898
Germany Death and Burial Index 1582-1958
Germany Marriage Index 1558-1929

British & Irish Newspaper Update
This week we have added 57,277 new pages to our collection of historical British & Irish newspapers. We are excited to welcome specialist sporting title – the Football Post (Nottingham) – to our collection, with 1069 issues added so far. We have also updated five of our existing titles, including three of our London titles – the Harrow Leader, the Ealing Leader and the Hayes & Harlington Gazette – as well as the Reading Evening Post and the Buckinghamshire Examiner.

Links and further details at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/british-armymilitary-recordsarmy-ancestorsgerman-genealogyeuropean-rec-2637795508.html

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FamilySearch Celebrates 20 Years Online

From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org):

FamilySearch Celebrates 20 Years Online

FamilySearch.org Homepage as it appeared in 1999.Salt Lake City, Utah, (23 May 2019)-- Twenty years ago, global nonprofit FamilySearch launched an innovative new website, a free internet genealogy service. Two decades later, FamilySearch is a leader in the rising tide of popular ancestry-related services online. During that time, FamilySearch has expanded and evolved its free mix of online offerings, holding true to its purpose to provide economical access to the world’s genealogical records and create fun family history discoveries for everyone.

On May 24, 1999, FamilySearch.org took the online genealogy world by storm, offering free access to hundreds of millions of historical records online—a treasure for those seeking to make family history connections. For perspective, online broadcast news, e-trading, and downloadable music services were the rage at the time. Google, ranked 93rd of top websites, was still an up-and-coming service that was attempting to redefine the role of a search engine by indexing the web to make results junk free and more consumer relevant.

At FamilySearch.org, searching historical records for new discoveries continues to be a big interest for site visitors. Millions of new customers grace its portal each year, looking for new family connections. And for good reason. The site now boasts over 7 billion searchable names and over 3 billion searchable images of historical records. And it adds more than 300 million new historical records and images yearly from archives worldwide.

The website has expanded its free offerings since its grand opening two decades ago. Patrons have added 1.4 billion ancestors to the site's robust, collaborative family tree. And the tree is integrated with two powerful mobile apps. You can preserve family photos and create audio files that help tell your family’s stories. The website also features an impressive inventory of very useful help services, like how to make sense of DNA test results, and it’s all still free.

Randy Bryson, now retired, was a FamilySearch IT director when the site was launched in 1999. He fondly recalls the big day. He said that the site was so wildly successful that it constituted 10 percent of all internet traffic at the time and was a top 10 website based on the amount of data it was hosting (20 terabytes). “Traffic on the site was so extreme at the time of the launch that we had to limit user access to 30 minutes at a time,” said Bryson. “The amazing thing was that people didn’t go away. When they were timed out, they would just log right back in to finish their search.”

Today the site is nimble and quick. Bryson said he was moved by the amazing gratitude of the site’s users. “It was very overwhelming, emotional, and gratifying” to see people able to easily access records of their ancestors conveniently online from their homes.

Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch CEO, is not surprised by the continued popularity of the website. He said, “When individuals discover more about their family history or make new family connections, it changes them. They see and treat each other differently.” Rockwood said that future services under development on the website will create more of these fun discovery experiences worldwide for site visitors.

FamilySearch.org continues to enjoy impressive growth today, adding over 50,000 new subscribers weekly and hundreds of millions of new family photos, documents, stories, and historical records yearly from contributors and archives around the world.

See what has changed and make new family connections in your family tree for free at FamilySearch.org.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage offers free access to military records

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

Next week marks Memorial Day in the U.S., a day to honor fallen soldiers who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Memorial Day has many traditions, including spending time with family and sharing memories of relatives who served in the military. Do you have relatives who served their country? Have you discovered new information about their military history?

To help you learn more about your heroic ancestors and the sacrifices they made in service of their country, we’re offering free access to all of our military records in SuperSearch™, over 47 million records. The collections can be searched for FREE from May 22–28, 2019.

Search our military records for free at www.myheritage.com/military-records for fascinating new information about your ancestors and relatives who served in the military. Let us know what you discover.

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Wexford Catholic records added to RootsIreland

From RootsIreland (www.rootsireland.ie):

New records for County Wexford

Just over 3,300 baptismal and marriage records from Adamstown Roman Catholic Parish, Co. Wexford, have been uploaded to our Wexford database at www.wexford.rootsireland.ie. For more details, please visit this link: http://www.rootsireland.ie/2019/05/new-wexford-records-added/

For a full list of sources for Co Wexford please click here

To search these records, go to wexford.rootsireland.ie. Login and Subscribe if required.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

ScotlandsPeople adds Valuation Roll for 1940

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added the 1940 Valuation Roll for Scotland to its site. Here's the blurb:

National Records of Scotland have published valuation rolls from 1940 on our online research service, ScotlandsPeople, adding more than 60,000 new digital images.

You can now search over 2.8 million new indexed names and addresses for owners, tenants and occupiers of properties throughout Scotland.

Valuation rolls were created to help with collection of taxes, recording details of buildings, properties and their value, and the names of their owners and tenants.

They are a valuable tool for local history research and can be used to add foliage to your family tree by searching for people and properties between census years.

(Original story at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/news-valuation-rolls-1940-go-online)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New BBC Scotland series - The Generation Frame

The Generation Frame is a new four part series starting at 8pm on Monday 20th May 2019 on the BBC Scotland channel (this is a new channel recently set up for Scotland, separate to BBC1 and BBC2).

Here's the blurb:

Episode 1
The Generation Frame Series 1
Episode 1 of 4

What can the past tell you about who you are and where you live? Two families investigate their family histories to tell a personal story of Scotland.

For more on the series, a preview clip, and for BBC iPlayer catch ups after transmission, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005cdn

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

The GENES Blog Facebook page update

I should have got round to this earlier, but I have finally changed the address of the Facebook page accompanying The GENES Blog, so that it now says... errr, The GENES Blog!

You will find it at https://www.facebook.com/TheGENESBlog/ - the latest news, and a few wee extras from time to time!

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

TheGenealogist adds nautical records

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

TheGenealogist is expanding its occupational records with over 300,000 records of Masters and Apprentices included in a nautical set of apprenticeship records.

These BT 150 records from The National Archives comprise of an index that had been compiled by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen and its predecessor. It consists of apprentices indentured in the Merchant Navy between 1824-1910.

Family historians can use these records to:
Find ancestors who had learned the trade of a professional merchant seaman
Discover the age of an ancestor at the time that he went to sea and his year of birth
Find the name of the company and the port that he was registered as an apprentice
In some cases also learn the name of the ship that your ancestor sailed on

The index was begun as a result of an Act of the UK parliament in 1823 which introduced a law that required the Masters of British merchant ships of over 80 tons to carry a given number of indentured apprentices on their vessels. The law required that these apprentice seamen’s names were to be enrolled with the local Customs Officer.

By the middle of the 1830s, however, these provisions were extended by the Merchant Seamen Act 1835 which now made it necessary that the indentures were officially registered. In London, this was done with the General Register and Record Office of Seamen; while in “outports” (other ports around the country), the registration was made with the local Customs officers who were under orders to submit quarterly lists to the Registrar General.

Compulsory apprenticeship was abolished in 1849, though the system of registration was maintained by the authorities and the index continued to be kept. The books have now been transcribed by TheGenealogist and include colour images of the original registers to add a fascinating resource to their broad range of records which can be used to build an ancestor’s story.

Read TheGenealogist’s article for tales of apprentices who rose to take command of the Cutty Sark, some more successfully than others:
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2019/merchant-seamen-apprentices-to-captains-of-the-cutty-sark-1104/

(Pic: Alhigh Ship boarding by gang plank on river Tyne)

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

County Armagh Anglican confirmations added to RootsIreland

From RootsIreland (www.rootsireland.ie):

New records for County Armagh

Armagh Ancestry have added over 9,000 Church of Ireland Confirmations to their database at www.armagh.rootsireland.ie. For more details, please visit this link:
http://www.rootsireland.ie/2019/05/new-armagh-records/

To search these records, go to armagh.rootsireland.ie, choose Census Substitutes and select the Source 'Armagh Confirmations CI'. Login and Subscribe if required.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scotland set to win Eurovision song contest!

Only kidding! I meant to say there are a few more Scottish records on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week - here goes:

United States Directories & Almanacs
Over 151,000 new records have been added to the collection. The new additions consist of city directories covering Ohio as well as directories covering the Washington, District of Columbia. The directories in this collection stretch across the 1700s to the 1900s and will enable you to discover your ancestor's address and occupation or explore the history of your home address. These directories are also a good substitute for the 1890 Census for the United States that was lost to fire.

Scotland, Shetland Newspaper Birth Index 1872-1990
Reveal your Scottish ancestry with this collection of more than 29,000 birth announcements from Shetland newspapers. Newspaper announcements are an excellent source for family history and may include your ancestor's birth place and parents' names. Newspapers can reveal valuable clues about the daily lives of our ancestors, allowing you to further understand their place within the local community.

Scotland, Occupations & Professions
Explore this index of more than 10,000 occupational and trade records from across Scotland to learn more about the working lives of your ancestors. Within the collection, you will find veterinary surgeons, photographers, police officers, watchmakers, and more. Many records will also include additional details such as addresses, physical descriptions, employer names or other facts.

This is a growing collection on Findmypast and we will continue to add more sources and records. We used the following sources to create this index:

Clock & Watchmakers of the Scottish Highlands & Islands
List of Students of Veterinary Colleges, recognised by Government, Who Have Passed Examinations, & Obtained The Certificate of the Highland & Agricultural Society, 1874, Edinburgh with Supplements
Photographers of Central Scotland
Photographers of Edinburgh and The Lothians
Photographers of Lanarkshire
Photographers of North Eastern Scotland
Photographers of Northern Scotland
Photographers of Western Scotland
The Edinburgh Police Register 1815-1859, P. Ruthven-Murray, Edinburgh, published 1991

Ontario - Oddfellows Life Insurance Applications (1875-1929)
Celebrate Victoria Day with new life insurance with The Independent Order of Oddfellows between 1875 and 1929. Consisting of more than 31,000 transcripts created by the Ontario Genealogical Society, these records will reveal the policy holders birth date, residence, policy number and date. The images that accompany this index will be added to the site next week.

British & Irish Newspaper Update
This week we have added 96,930 new pages to The Archive. We are delighted to welcome a brand new Somerset title to our collection this week – the Cheddar Valley Gazette. We also have extensive updates to five of our London titles, and updates to the Reading Evening Post and the Amersham Advertiser.

International Records Update – Norway
Three new indexes containing over 9.1 million Norwegian baptisms, marriages and burials are now available to search as part of our new collection of European records. The Indexes span nearly 300 years of Norwegian history (1634 to 1927) and will generate new hints against your Findmypast family tree.

Further details and links at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-may-17th-2637306089.html

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Queensland Licensed Victuallers Index 1900-1903

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following Australia collections:

Queensland, Australia, Licensed Victuallers Index, 1900-1903
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/qslvictuallersindex/
Source: Licensed Victuallers Index. Queensland State Archives

About Queensland, Australia, Licensed Victuallers Index, 1900-1903

The names of holders of victuallers’ licenses (publicans) were printed in the Queensland Government Gazette from 1900 to 1914 on an annual basis. This index covers the period from 1900 to 1903 and includes names, districts, and hotel names.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ulster Historical Foundation announces course dates

The Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com) has announced dates for its Irish Genealogy Essentials course:

Irish Genealogy Essentials - New Dates for 2019/20

The most comprehensive Irish family history focused genealogy course offered in the U.K. and Ireland, Irish Genealogy Essentials embraces the unique nature of Irish genealogical research.

It is ideal if you:

• Have no experience with genealogy or family history research
• Have some experience with genealogical research, but want to develop your skills and knowledge further
• Consider yourself a more experienced genealogical researcher who wants to learn new techniques and lesser known sources.

The knowledge you gain from Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History Course will help you get to grips with research techniques, archives and genealogical sources in Ireland; provide you with the information and skills to further explore your family history and help you find your elusive Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.

The next genealogy courses are scheduled for:

04-08 November 2019
10-14 February 2020

For more information or to register for this course visit https://www.ancestryireland.com/irish-genealogy-essentials/

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Who Do You Think You Are wins BAFTA award

The 15th UK series of Who Do You Think You Are? has won a BAFTA Television award for the Features category. Congratulations to all involved.

You can see the award being accepted at https://youtu.be/0l9p2J3HnGU, or below:

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish vaccination records

From 1864-1948, it was compulsory in Scotland to have a child vaccinated within six months of its birth, but only rarely may you come across a record of this vaccination on ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk).

For more on Scottish vaccination, the records generated, and how you may find them, read the post on the subject at my other wee blog at https://scotlandsgreateststory.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/vaccination-records.

 
Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

SAFHS website refreshed

I've just noticed that the website of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies at www.safhs.org.uk has had a bit of a refresh. You'll find contact details for most mainland Scottish societies on the site, as well as details of projects and other resources. Well worth bookmarking.

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Staffordshire BMD indexes added to Ancestry

Just added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Staffordshire, England, Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1837-2017
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/staffordshirebmds/
Source: Indexes of births, civil marriages and death records for the administrative area of Staffordshire, Staffordshire County Council, Stafford, Staffordshire.

About Staffordshire, England, Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1837-2017

Country wide civil registration of births, marriages and deaths commenced on 1 July 1837 in England and Wales. Registration took place at local civil registrar offices which in turn reported to the Registrar General at the General Register Office (GRO) in London. This national index to vital records is an essential source of genealogical information for family historians. This collection comprises indexes of civil registrations from Staffordshire, excluding the City of Stoke-on-Trent, reported quarterly to the General Register Office (GRO) in London. This index spans the years between 1837 and 2017.

The indexes for the three events are divided into volumes by year and names are listed alphabetically. Once an entry in one of the indexes is found, you are then able to use that information to order of copy of a death, marriage, or birth certificate from the GRO. Information that can be obtained from the birth marriage and death index includes, where available:

Name
Maiden name of mother
Date of event
Death Age
Place of Marriage
Gender
Registration district (each county in England and Wales was divided up into registration districts; jurisdictions are organized and appear as they existed at the time the record was created)
Reference

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.