That thing where you're heading back to Australia!

I'm delighted to be able to announce that I am to be one of the key speakers for the Unlock the Past hosted event Family History Down Under, in Queensland, Australia in March 2021. Also announced so far as participating are Blaine Bettinger, Paul Milner, Judy Russell and Maurice Gleeson, with more speakers soon to be revealed, for what I am sure will be a superb and fun event! 

The last time I was down under was in 2017, and so I am very much looking forward to heading back - I'm sure we will have plenty to discuss! In the meantime, you can sign up to hear all the latest news about the events from its website at www.familyhistorydownunder.com.

I will hopefully see some of you there! Amd here's a wee intro video... (also at https://youtu.be/8mZGQHz0UKc)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Family History Down Under announced by Unlock the Past for 2021

From Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au):

ANNOUNCING A MAJOR WORLD-CLASS GENEALOGY CONFERENCE
Adelaide, South Australia, 3 December 2019

Unlock the Past is delighted to announce Family History Down Under (FHDU) to be held 22-26 March 2021 in one of Australia’s most exciting holiday destinations. This follows on from the highly successful DNA Down Under (August 2019), which attracted 1400 people in six cities across Australia, including 400 at the final three-day conference in Sydney.

The main conference will be over four days – Tuesday-Friday 23-26 March 2021. There will be three main tracks – DNA, British Isles and General/Methodology, plus a fourth track for sponsors and others. Other optional sessions will be offered, including workshops. There will also be a supporting exhibition. A pre-conference day on Monday 22 March 2021 is planned, including, amongst other things, tours to places of interest in the region.


VENUE

The Sunshine Coast Convention Centre and Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort Hotel, Twin Waters, Queensland, is our conference venue.

This is a superb facility at one of Australia’s premier holiday destinations.

• A large state-of-the art conference centre (opened May 2019)
• Stay on-site at the 361 room, 4 star, Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort Hotel — or other nearby hotels
• 7 minute drive from the Sunshine Coast airport and 75 minutes from Brisbane Airport
• Close to numerous tourist attractions, including the world famous Australia Zoo and much more.

Plenty to do before/after or, for your non-genie spouse/partner, during the conference.


PRESENTERS

We are delighted to announce two of seven FHDU headline speakers. The other five will be announced soon!

We invite expressions of interest in speaking, exhibiting and sponsoring the event.

Visit www.familyhistorydownunder.com and join the mailing list to be first to learn of key developments.

Blaine Bettinger — professional genealogist specialising in DNA evidence

Blaine, the best known and most sought after genetic genealogy speaker will be a prominent contributor to the DNA track. He is the author of “The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy” and a number of other books.

He launched DNA Central in 2018, a major membership resource site helping genealogy DNA test takers understand their DNA test results.


Paul Milner — British Isles expert

Paul is an internationally recognised speaker and author on British Isles research. He is the author of a number of books on English and Scottish genealogy with Unlock the Past and other publishers.

Paul has often spoken at events in Australia and on Unlock the Past genealogy cruises. He will be a key contributor to the British Isles track.


Mark the Date | 22-26 March 2021

Visit www.familyhistorydownunder.com and join the mailing list to be first to learn of key developments. We invite expressions of interest in speaking, exhibiting and sponsoring the event.


Unlock the Past

Unlock the Past is the event and publishing division of Gould Genealogy & History (established 1976). It is a collaborative venture involving an international team of expert speakers, writers, organisations and commercial partners to promote history and genealogy through innovative major events, genealogy cruises and publications.

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)


Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Latest FamilySearch additions

Added to FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) - the number of new indexed records in each collections is stated in brackets at the end of each listing:

Australia Australia, Victoria, Inward Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 (164,023)
Austria Austria, Vienna Population Cards, 1850-1896 (22,532)
Brazil Brazil, Bahia, Passenger Lists, 1855-1964 (1,166,675)
Germany Germany, Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1804-1877 (18,522)
South Africa South Africa, Netherdutch Reformed Church Registers (Pretoria Archive), 1838-1991 (846,630)
United States Kansas State Census, 1915 (50,854)
United States United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872 (51,238)
United States Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's (18,382)

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.

Digitisation of the Australian Joint Copying Project

I've picked up on the following from the National Library of Australia (https://www.nla.gov.au):

The microfilm produced by the Australian Joint Copying Project has long been a first stop for those researching local or family history. The 10,400 microfilm reels however have been difficult to access even for those living near libraries holding the microfilm let alone those in rural areas. The content itself can often be dense and difficult to locate relevant information.

The National Library of Australia has begun a new project to address these problems. Thanks to the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund the AJCP Online Project will digitise the 7.5 million records captured on the original AJCP microfilm, delivering them online free of charge to all.

All of the original paper handbooks and finding aids are now available and searchable online with added and enhanced content and indexing making it easier to locate the information you want.

The AJCP was a project to microfilm vast swathes of material held at the National Archives in England, and other institutions, that concerned its former colonies in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, with materials from 1560 to 1984. As the announcement notes, the work is ongoing and will be completed by mid 2020:

The AJCP is now available online for all Australians wherever they are. You can search and access the records in a variety of ways including the AJCP Portal, Trove, and the National Library of Australia Catalogue. The AJCP Online project concludes in June 2020 and will release new content each month.

The digitised records, and catalogued entries awaiting digitisation, can now be searched for and consulted freely online at https://www.nla.gov.au/content/australian-joint-copying-project.

The full announcement is at https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/blog/preservation/2019/06/06/australian-joint-copying-project-reimagined.

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.

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.

Scottish records added to FindmyPast, and family tree service update

The latest records on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Scotland, Shetland Newspaper Marriage & Anniversary Notices 1872-2018
Search over 47,000 marriage and anniversary notices printed in the Shetland Times between 1872 and 2018. Newspapers can an incredible resource when tracing your family tree, they reveal the daily lives of our ancestors, allowing you to further understand an ancestor's place within their local community.

Scotland Monumental Inscriptions
Almost 65,000 additional records covering Aberdeenshire, Caithness, Kincardineshire, Dumfries & Galloway and the Tay Valley area have been added to our collection of Scottish monumental inscriptions.

Queensland Soldier Portraits, 1914-1918
Come face to face with your Australian military ancestor in this collection of over 24,000 photographic portraits from the First World War. Each result is provided with a link to view a portrait of your ancestor in his military uniform published in The Queenslander newspaper between 1914 and 1918. Transcripts may also reveal your ancestor's service number and regiment.

Queensland, Hospital Registers
Explore over 58,000 assorted Queensland hospital records from hospitals across Queensland including Brisbane, Croydon, Dalby, Mackay, and Wallagarra. These records are a wonderful genealogy resource, and an essential search for anyone with Queensland ancestry.

International Records Update – Panama
Three new indexes containing just under half a million vital records from the Republic of Panama have recently joined our growing collections of international records.

British & Irish Newspapers
This week we have added over 112,300 new pages to the collection. We are delighted to see updates to over seventy of our existing titles, which cover locations across the British Isles and Ireland. As well as updating regional papers, there are updates to some of our specialist titles including sporting publication The Referee, and religious publication the Catholic Standard. Updates this week variously cover the years 1872, 1912 and 1959, with more extended additions joining the Fulham Chronicle. We also have two brand new titles this week, London newspaper the Harrow Observer, and Nottinghamshire title the Mansfield and Sutton Recorder. The Harrow Observer has pages covering much of the twentieth century, whilst the Mansfield and Sutton Recorder covers the late twentieth century.

Further details and links are at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/family-historygenealogy-ww1-recordsscottish-recordsaustralian-recordsp-2635533663.html.

FindmyPast has also announced an update to its family tree service provision. For more on this, visit Alona Tester's blog at https://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2019/04/important-changes-coming-to-findmypast-online-tree-settings-and-tree-hints/.

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.

Announcing DNA Down Under with Blaine Bettinger

From Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au):

Announcing DNA Down Under with Blaine Bettinger

Adelaide, South Australia, 5 March 2019 – Unlock the Past is delighted to announce DNA Down Under, a DNA themed roadshow to six Australian cities, culminating in a major 3-day conference in Sydney.

This is a world class conference and roadshow. Choose from 40 topics in three streams in Sydney over three days. The other five cities offer 10 topics each in two streams over a full day. There are topics at all levels, ranging from beginner to expert. Each city will have an exhibition of product and service suppliers, societies, DNA interest groups and organisations.

The presenters

Internationally renowned genealogist and DNA authority, Blaine Bettinger, heads a team of experts:

Blaine Bettinger (USA) – author of the best-selling The family tree guide to DNA testing and genetic genealogy and co-author of Genetic genealogy in practice
Fiona Brooker (New Zealand) – Professional genealogist – Memories in Time
Louise Coakley (QLD) – Professional genealogist – Genie1
Kerry Farmer (NSW) – Professional genealogist – Family History Research
Michelle Patient (New Zealand) – Professional genealogist – The Patient Genie
Helen Smith (QLD) – Professional genealogist – Dragon Genealogy

The locations:

Brisbane Wed 14 Aug (1 day)
Perth Sat 17 Aug (1 day)
Adelaide Tue 20 Aug (1 day)
Melbourne Fri 23 Aug (1 day)
Canberra Mon 26 Aug (1 day)
Sydney Thu-Sat 29-31 Aug (3 days)

About Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D. - www.thegeneticgenealogist.com - www.dna-central.com
Blaine is a professional genealogist specialising in DNA evidence. He is the author of the long-running blog The Genetic Genealogist, and frequently gives presentations and webinars to educate others about the use of DNA to explore their ancestry.

About Unlock the Past - www.unlockthepast.com.au
The event and publishing division of Gould Genealogy & History (established 1976). It is a collaborative venture involving an international team of expert speakers, writers, organisations and commercial partners to promote history and genealogy through innovative major events, genealogy cruises and a new publishing brand.

Further information
Alan Phillips (Unlock the Past)
p: +61 8 8263 2055
e: alan@unlockthepast.com.au
w: www.dnadownunder.com.au

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. 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.

FamilySearch updates Derbyshire and Northumberland collections

FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org) has updated two English parish records collections, and a UK military set:

United Kingdom Great Britain, War Office Registers, 1772-1935
Added 3,153 indexed records to an existing collection
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2366620

England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1537-1918
Added 305,850 indexed records to an existing collection
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1911752

England, Northumberland, Parish Registers, 1538-1950
Added 994,791 indexed records to an existing collection
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2353070

Also of potential interest are additions to an Australian record set:

Australia, South Australia, School Admission Registers, 1873-1985
Added 50,944 indexed records to an existing collection
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2862204

For details of additional records updates and releases, including several collections for the USA and Europe, visit https://media.familysearch.org/new-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-january-21-2019/.

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. 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.

Irish convict records talk at National Archives of Ireland

From the National Archives of Ireland (www.nationalarchives.ie) in Dublin:

Our evening lecture series for 2019 will begin with ‘Banished Beyond the Seas: NAI records of convict transportation to Australia, 1788-1868’, a talk to be given by Joan Kavanagh in our Reading Room on Thursday 31 January at 6pm.

All lectures are free, no booking is required and all are welcome to attend!

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. 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.

Three new projects for the World Archives Project

Latest additions to Ancestry's World Archives Project (https://www.ancestry.co.uk/community/wap/dashboard.aspx#active):

The Australia, Newspaper Vital Notices, 1841-2001 will be familiar as we have keyed similar newspaper projects in the past. There will be some image sets without records to index – we opted for fewer images/image set so the indexing didn’t become overwhelming. Questions can be asked on the message board or sent to worldarchivessupport@ancestry.com.

On to the Ukraine with the USHMM – Ukraine, Applications for ID for the Citizens of Stanislav, 1939-1945 records. These records are in Ukranian and can be difficult to read – for this reason this project is advanced. Questions can be asked on the message board or sent to worldarchivessupport@ancestry.com.

And finally we land in the UK with the West Midlands, England, Criminal Registers. Criminal records are always fun and these are even moreso as many have images. There are quite a few different record formats so reviewing the sample images will be helpful. Questions can be asked on the message board or sent to worldarchivessupport@ancestry.com.

Happy indexing!

(Original source: https://blogs.ancestry.com/worldarchivesproject/?p=2925)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Scottish deaths and English marriages added to FindmyPast

This week's releases on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

England, Clandestine Marriages
Did your ancestor have a clandestine or irregular marriage ceremony? Explore over 881,000 clandestine marriage records covering the years 1667 to 1775 to find out. Each result will provide you with a transcript along with an image of the original hand-written record. Records will reveal a combination of the couple's names, marital conditions, occupations and residences.

Britain, Directories & Almanacs
Over 329,000 additional records have been added to our collection of directories & almanacs. The new additions include English & Welsh publications spanning the years 1766 to 1919. Inside you will find the names, addresses and occupations of prominent people, tradesmen, people who held office, business owners and local civil servants.

Scotland, Lanarkshire Death & Burial Index 1642-1855
Discover your ancestor who died and was buried in the Scotland county of Lanarkshire. This index of more than 64,000 death and burial records covers 31 burial places across the county and spans the years of 1642 to 1855.

Queensland, Seamen 1882-1919
Discover your Australian ancestor in this index of Queensland seamen. From this index, you may learn the name of the ship your ancestor worked on. The registers this index was created from pertain to the years from 1882 to 1919.

New Zealand Birth, Marriage & Death Indexes
Over 62,000 additional transcripts of baptisms, marriages and burials have been added to our collection of New Zealand Indexes.

British & Irish Newspapers
This week we have added 131,666 new pages to The Archive. We have updated six of our existing titles, spanning England, Scotland and Ireland, including;

Liverpool Echo 1991-1993
Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal 1873-1904, 1906-1912, 1917, 1922, 1927
Evening Herald (Dublin) 1988
Scottish Referee 1894
Irish Independent - 1918-1919, 1986, 1988, 2002
Mid Sussex Times 1914-1918

Further details are available at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmtpast-friday-2596616084.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Unlock the Past announces 15th cruise - Singapore 2019

From Unlock the Past Cruises (www.unlockthepastcruises.com):

Announcing the 15th Unlock the Past cruise (Singapore 2019)

Adelaide, South Australia, 2 August 2018 – Unlock the Past Cruises announces its 15th cruise – an opportunity to discover more about your family history while in great company and visiting great destinations.

The Singapore cruise, 29 March to 13 April 2019 is a one-way relocation cruise from Sydney to Singapore on Royal Caribbean‘s Explorer of the Seas. The cruise will visit Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Darwin (2 days) during the 15 night cruise.

The conference program will feature 60 talks in a single stream in the main theatre and at least 10 hours of DNA and other workshops and one-on-one help sessions in a second theatre with an international team of 8-10 speakers. No talks will occur when in port.

The featured presenters on the cruise are:

* David Rencher (US) – David is Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch and a leading international expert on Ireland and England. He will be presenting an extended / in-depth series on Ireland and Irish research – 15 talks in all
* Dr Richard Reid (Australia) – Richard brings wide experience and expertise at national and international level of Australians at war, especially World War 1, and the Irish in Australia. More recently he has been working on emigration, especially UK Government assisted emigrants to Australia, 1832 to 1914

Other speakers are Caroline Gurney from England and Marg Doherty, Rob Hamilton, Eric & Rosemary Kopittke and Helen Smith from Australia.

For details, bookings and registration of interest go to www.unlockthepastcruises.com/singapore

Some comments on previous cruises:

A genealogy conference on the high seas? Not only do you get all the fun of a regular cruise, you have the opportunity to network with other family historians from all over the world. The best part: the lectures and educational presentations are offered by some of the leading speakers in the genealogy industry. And Unlock the Past Cruises has the best selection of destinations and speakers hands down! – Thomas MacEntee, United States, 4th cruise presenter

Only one thing beats a good genealogy conference, and that is a genealogy conference that offers a chance to see a bit of the world, to enjoy some top class entertainment, and above all else, meet many other people sharing a similar interest. It’s also the perfect family holiday, with plenty of fun activities for your partner and kids to get up to on board whilst you’re attending conference sessions! – Chris Paton, Scotland, 2nd, 4th and 8th cruise presenter

About Unlock the Past
Australian based Unlock the Past was established in 2009. It is the event and publishing division of Gould Genealogy & History which has served family and local historians since 1976. It is a collaborative venture involving an international team of expert speakers, writers, organisations and commercial partners to promote history and genealogy through innovative major events and a new publishing brand. It also maintains general and events directories online.

Further information
Alan Phillips
p: +61 8 8263 2055
e: alan@unlockthepast.com.au
w: www.unlockthepastcruises.com

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Lancashire records added to FindmyPast

The latest additions to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Lancashire Baptisms
Discover your ancestor in in over 1.1 million baptism register records from Lancashire. Learn when and where your ancestor's baptism took place, as well as your ancestor's parents' names. The registers span the years from 1538 to 1917 and cover 191 parishes across the county. View the full list of places included in our parish list, linked to in the Useful links and resources section.

Lancashire Banns & Marriages
Discover your ancestor in banns and marriage registers from the Lancashire Archives. The registers contains over 713,00 records, span the years 1538 to 1932 and cover 194 Lancashire parishes.

Lancashire Burials
Discover your ancestor in burial registers from Lancashire. Learn when and where your ancestor's burial took place, as well as your ancestor's age at the time of death. The registers, provided by Lancashire Archives, span the years from 1538 to 199, cover 123 parishes and contain over 712,000 records.

Lancashire Parish Registers Browse
Our new collections of Lancashire parish baptisms, marriages, banns and burials are also available to browse.

Illinois, Tazewell County, Obituary Card Index From The "Pekin Times" 1914-2007 Image Browse
Find your relative in over 90,000 obituary index cards taken from the Pekin Times, spanning the years from 1914 to 2007. This collection has been provided by FamilySearch.

Queensland, Inquests 1859-1897
Discover your ancestor in this index of over 14,000 records compiled from the inquest files created by the Justice Department for the period 1859 to 1897. Each result will provide you with a transcript including a combination of your ancestor's name, alias, and inquest year, any additional notes, their file number, reference and item ID.

Extra! Extra! Explore new additions to our newspaper collection
This week we have added 134,662 new pages to The Archive. We have updated five of our existing titles, covering the county of Kent and the city of Liverpool. We have also updated three of our Irish

This week's new additions include:

The years 1925, 1951, 1994-1995, 2001 have been added to the Evening Herald (Dublin)
1857 has been added to the Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser
The years 1968, 1978, 1981-1983 have been added to the Liverpool Echo
The years 1920 - 1921 have been added to the Freeman's Journal
The years 1912 and 1999 have been added to Irish Independent

Further details are available at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-july-2588351934.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Ancestry adds Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917

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

Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61648
Source: Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917. The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

About Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917

This collection contains a birth index for the Australian state of Victoria.

These birth records typically contain the following information:

Name of the child
Father's name
Mother's maiden name
Registration year
Registration number
URL link to the certificate

The following additional information may be found on the original document. Original documents may be ordered from the Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages by following the purchase link on the record page .

Sex
Date and place of birth
Full names of parents
Occupations of parents
Place of birth and age of parents
Marriage of parents (date and place)
Previous children of relationship (meaning older siblings)
Informant name and address
Witness details (earlier records only)
Registration officer name and signature
Registration date

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

British India directories 1792-1948 added to FindmyPast

The following collections have been added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

British in India, Directories 1792-1948 Browse
Browse through 75 assorted almanacs that offer a comprehensive view of life in British India. They contain lists of medical staff, veterinary staff, police, civil servants, and engineers working in India, as well as lists of debtors, charity members, and freemasons. You can also discover practical information for living in India, such as gardening calendars and advice for posting parcels and letters.

UK deaths 2007-2016
Search over 2.5 million transcripts to discover relatives who died in the United Kingdom. The collection covers England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Jersey and list the individual's name, date of death, and location of death.

1939 Register Map Search
You can now search the 1939 Register by address using our new map search feature. Simply enter the name of the street or location you wish to search to see a list of results for all the households in that area.

Queensland, Trustee files 1889-1929
Explore transcripts of trustee files created under the provisions of wills. This collection comprises trustee files created under the provisions of wills. The original records contain details on a range of topics, such as land ownership, rental properties, fund disbursement, relatives, school fees, and wage lists. The majority of the files included have a 75-year restricted access period.

United States Obituary Notices
Over 2.6 million additional records have been added to our collection of United States Obituary Notices. The entire collection now contains over 8.7 million records.

Further details and links at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2569709248.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Latest records additions to FindmyPast

New on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week:

England & Wales, Roman Catholic Records
Our unique Catholic Heritage Archive grows again this week with the release of more Roman Catholic records from England and Wales, dating as far back as 1575. Specifically, the collection includes 7 historical Catholic Record Society publications and a list of Roman Catholics from the County of York in 1604.

Staffordshire Registers & Records
This new record collection can help you discover details about the most important events in the lives of your Staffs ancestors. Currently, volumes of parish registers from 23 different county parishes are available to search and browse through.

Lancashire Registers & Records
A variety of historical publications from the Red Rose County are now available to search at Findmypast. Included in the 32-title collection are parish registers, court rolls, local histories and more.

Shropshire Registers & Records
Delve into 58 historical publications from Shropshire to discover more details about your ancestors' lives. Some of the records date as far back as the 14th century.

Queensland, Justices Of The Peace 1857-1957
We've bolstered our Queensland record collection with this list of judicial officers, created by the state's Supreme Court.

Queensland, Register Of Land Sold 1842-1859
Another new collection from Australia's Sunshine State comes in the form of land records from the mid 1800s.

Further details at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2565583385.html

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Ancestry adds marriages and deaths for Victoria, Australia

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added two new collections for Victoria, Australia:

Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1950
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61649
Source: The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

About Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1950

This collection contains a marriage index for the Australian state of Victoria.

These marriage records typically contain the following information:

Name of the bride
Name of the groom
Registration year
Registration number
URL link to the certificate

The following additional information may be found on the original document. Original documents may be ordered from the Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages by following the purchase link on the record page.

Date and place of marriage
Marriage rites
Bridegroom/Party 1 Usual occupation and residence
Bridegroom/Party 1 Conjugal status
Bridegroom/Party 1 Birthplace and date
Bridegroom/Party 1 Given name(s) and surnames of parents
Bride/Party 2 Usual occupation and residence
Bride/Party 2 Conjugal status
Bride/Party 2 Birthplace and date
Bride/Party 2 Given name(s) and surnames of parents
Signatures of parties
Full names and signatures of witnesses
Celebrant name and signature


Victoria, Australia, Death Index, 1836-1988
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61650
Source: The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

About Victoria, Australia, Death Index, 1836-1988

This collection contains a death index for the Australian state of Victoria.

These death records typically contain the following information:

Name of the deceased
Father's name
Mother's maiden name
Spouse's name
Registration year
Registration number
URL link to the certificate

The following additional information may be found on the original documents. Original documents may be ordered from the Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages by following the purchase link on the record page .

Date and place of death
Sex and age
Place of birth
Period of residency in Australia
Place of residence
Usual occupation (rank or profession in earlier records)
Marital status at death
Place of marriage
Age when married
Full name of spouse
Children's names and ages
Full names and occupations of parents
Cause of death and duration of last illness
Name of certifying medical practitioner or coroner
Date and place of disposal (burial, cremation etc)
Funeral Director
Name and religion of minister
Informant's name and address
Informant's relationship to deceased
Registration officer name and signature
Registration date

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Waterford records added to FindmyPast

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added the following seventeen databases for those with an interest in Waterford, Ireland, from 1662 to 2006:

• Freemen pre-1700 (1662-1700)
• Freemen (1700-2006)
• Freedom petitions (1824-1842)
• Burgess list (1879-1893)
• Langable rental (1832) – a langable was a term used for a rent roll
• Register of electors – Waterford city (1900)
• Register of electors – Centre Ward (1903)
• Rate books (1906-1907)
• Rate books – Centre Ward (1912)
• Rate books – South Ward (1912)
• Register of electors – Centre Ward (1913)
• Register of electors – Custom Ward (1913)
• City Council Members (1889-1895)
• Trade directories (1824-1910)
• Grave memorials/inscriptions
• Lismore estate papers emigration record database (1815-1905) 

The collection is available to search at https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/waterford-registers-and-records

Also released by FindmyPast this week:

New South Wales, Deceased Estate Files 1880-1923
Discover your ancestor in this index of over 137,000 deceased estate files from New South Wales. The records span the years between 1880 and 1923. Each result includes a transcript that may reveal a combination of your ancestor's date of death, duty date, locality and any additional remarks.

New Jersey Death Index 1901-1903 Image Browse
Explore over 1000 digital images of the New Jersey death index covering the years 1901 to 1903. This collection has been obtained through Reclaim the Records.

New Jersey Marriage Index 1901-1914 Image Browse
Explore over 7,000 digital images of the New Jersey marriage index covering the years 1901 to 1914. This collection has been obtained through Reclaim the Records.

Surrey Feet of Fines 1558-1760
Explore over 20,000 feet of fines records for Surrey created between 1558 and 1760. Feet of fines were documents of a fictitious suit of law created to obtain a secure transfer of land. The document recorded the final agreement (or concord), written in triplicate, between buyer and seller: two copies side by side and one copy across the bottom of the sheet (the foot of the fine). An indented or wavy line separated the three sections; one section was given to the seller, one to the buyer, and one (the foot) to the court. The idea behind this system was that forgeries could be identified by showing they didn't fit the three-piece jigsaw of the authentic, original foot of fine.

Cornwall Burials
Hundreds of new records have been added to our collection of Cornish burials. The collection now contains over 280,000 records covering more than two hundred parishes across the Cornish peninsula. The new additions cover Dissenter burials in Falmouth and Penryn between 1808 and 1926.

Further details and links at https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/findmypast-friday-2559353328.html.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

TheGenealogist adds names from 53 new War Memorials

From The Genealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist adds another 15,000 names from 53 new War Memorials

In time for Armistice day TheGenealogist has added to their War Memorial records on the website so that there are now over 383,000 fully searchable records.

This latest release includes war memorials from Worcestershire and South Yorkshire as well as some further monuments from Australia,Canada, London and various other British counties. A more unusual one added in this release is from Olds, in Alberta, Canada - the memorial is a Sherman tank!

Fully searchable by name, researchers can read transcriptions and see images of the dedications that commemorate soldiers who have fallen in the Boer War, WW1 and various other conflicts.

These new records are available as part of the Diamond Subscription at TheGenealogist.
Read our article on War Memorials that reveal WW1 heros, The neglected Sheffield soldier finally recognised, at: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2017/war-memorials-that-reveal-ww1-heroes-681/.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

NSW Colonial Secretary's Letters 1826-1856 join Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new Australian collection, indexed as part of its World Archives Project:

New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Letters, 1826-1856
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61481
Source: State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia.

The collection New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Letters, 1826-1856 consist mainly of copies of letters to the Principle Superintendent of Convicts and to the Land Board in relation to the assignment of convict servants. Letters and records of various events make up the majority of the collections: petitions by convicts for sentence mitigation, marriage permission requests, character memorials for potential settlers, land grant or lease applications, official visit reports, information about court cases, and lists of assigned servants. These files were organized by the Colonial Secretary, or Secretary to the Governor of New South Wales.

The colony of New South Wales is located on the south-east coast of Australia and became a state of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Prior to that date it was a British colony whose first settlement was a penal colony governed by Captain Arthur Phillip in 1788. During the time period of this collection, 1788 through 1856, 10 different governors were assigned to the colony, which existed in a steady state of anarchy until the appointment of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who cracked down on active rebellion leaders and built local infrastructure in the form of roads, wharves, churches, and public buildings. Mentioned in this collection is Governor William Bligh. An officer of the British Royal Navy, he had the reputation of a firm disciplinarian and was appointed the fourth governor of New South Wales in 1805 with the assignment to straighten out the colony and clean up the corrupt rum trade. He was deposed in 1808 by a group of settlers in what is known as the Rum Rebellion, and held captive until 1810.

Within these records you can find significant information about your ancestors if they lived or immigrated to New South Wales during this time period. If they requested to marry, resettle in New South Wales, or acquire a land grant these requests would have been processed by the colonial secretary or other administrative personnel. For more general information about Australian records and research see Searching for Roots Down Under by Janet Reakes in the Learning Center. This article provides a short history of the settlement of Australia, suggests other databases on the Ancestry.com site to search, and includes a brief summary of the kinds of records you can look for in order to further your research.

Information in this database:

Given name
Surname
Event date
Event description

This collection is only partially indexed but all of the images may be viewed using the browse.

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.