Durham Records Online additions

New offerings at Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Tanfield's "lost register” 1577-1719
Researchers are often disappointed to learn that the earliest parish register of Tanfield St. Margaret, up to 1719, has been lost or destroyed. Fortunately, some extracts of the first register were recorded in a manuscript compiled by Sir Cuthbert Sharp (1781-1849), a distinguished antiquarian and friend of Robert Surtees, with whom he collaborated on that mammoth work on Durham's history, "The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham". Prominent Durham families and their pedigrees were included in that book, which may explain why Sharp collected noteworthy extracts from a number of selected parish registers. This small book, titled "Manuscript Library of Sir C. Sharp", is one of a collection known as Sharp MS22, held in Durham Cathedral's Library. On page 54 of the manuscript, under the heading of Tanfield, appears this statement: "The early register in a most lamentable condition has been drowned”.

One of our team recently transcribed the 271 extracts from Sharp's manuscript, consisting of 146 baptisms, 31 marriages and 94 burials between the years 1577 and 1719. The second register, which we have had online for years, begins in 1720.

Tynemouth baptisms 1833-1849
9,737 baptisms at Christ Church, Tynemouth, Northumberland, covering 1833-1849.

Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1940-1947
8,898 burials from the beginning of 1940 to 24 March 1947 at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery in Bishopwearmouth, district of Sunderland.

Coming Soon:
Egglescliffe baptisms, marriages, burials 1539-1751
Hamsterley Baptist Chapel baptisms 1768-1837 and 1859-1869, marriages 1840-1908, burials 1785-1965
Hartlepool St. Hilda baptisms 1839-1859
Sunderland Cemetery 1918-1924

Further down the road: more Sunderland Cemetery, Mere Knolls Cemetery 1905-1909, Rothbury, Sherburn Hospital, Ovingham, Newcastle St. John, Ferryhill, Newcastle All Sts baptisms 1800-1804, Slaley, Hartlepool St. Hilda baptisms 1860-1863, early Durham St. Margaret, early Witton-le-Wear

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Durham Records Online update

New additions to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Auckland St. Andrew burials 1559-1653
4,152 burials at Auckland St. Andrew, also known as South Church, from the beginning of the register in 1559 to the end of 1653. This register is one of the oldest in the county.

Durham St. Mary the Less (South Bailey) marriages 1560-1797
477 marriages at St. Mary the Less, also known as St. Mary in the South Bailey, in the city of Durham, from the start of the register in 1560 to the end of 1797. We now have marriages here from 1560 to mid-1837.

Bishopwearmouth: Sans Street Methodist (Sunderland circuit) baptisms 1797-1837
320 baptisms at the Wesleyan Methodist chapel on Sans Street in Bishopwearmouth (Sunderland), from the first birth recorded in the register (1797) to the end of the register in Oct 1837.

Newcastle, All Saints parish,
We have added 2 more years of baptisms at the most recent end of the spectrum (we already had 1813-1834 online), started working on the earlier baptisms, and completed the most detailed period of burials. These are all from the Bishop's Transcript, with some checking against the film of the original register.
1,848 baptisms covering 1835-1836
1,263 baptisms covering 1798-1800
1,960 burials covering the detail-rich period of 1798-1812

Coming Soon:
Heighington marriages 1570-1700
Durham Diocese marriage bonds 1831-1837
Tynemouth baptisms 1833-1838
Newcastle St. Ann baptisms & burials
Seaham Harbour St. John marriage updates (adding the missing occupations, abodes, etc.)
South Shields St. Paul Presbyterian baptisms 1809-1968
Jarrow, Ellison Street Presbyterian baptisms 1857-1968

(With thanks to Durham Ancestors Online)

Chris

For details on my range of genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Latest releases from Durham Records Online

New records from Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Durham St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic baptisms 1841-1885 & marriages 1841-1884
At St. Cuthbert's Roman Catholic church in the city of Durham:
4,677 baptisms from 1 Jan 1841 to 30 July 1885
854 marriages 1841-1884 inclusive

Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1910-1914
7,883 burials at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland district, covering 1910-1914. Abodes mentioned, besides street addresses in Bishopwearmouth, included Ballast Hills, Deptford, Fulwell, Grangetown, Monkwearmouth, Newcastle, South Hylton, South Shields, Southwick, and Wallsend.

Monk Hesleden baptisms 1837-1857 updated
Updated 982 baptisms for the years 1837-1857 at Monk Hesleden St. Mary in Easington district, adding father's occupations where they had been omitted earlier. A handful of records in 1838-1842 also gained birth dates.

Coming Soon:
South Shields St. Paul Presbyterian baptisms 1809-1968
Jarrow, Ellison Street Presbyterian baptisms 1857-1968
Seaham Harbour St. John marriage updates (adding the missing occupations, abodes, etc.)

In the queue: 
Longhorsley, South Shields St Hilda baptisms 1836+, Newcastle All Saints baptisms 1835-36, Rothbury, Hexham Whitley Chapel baptisms & burials 1843-1888, Whittonstall, Birtley St Joseph Catholic marriages 1846-1899, Sunderland Methodist baptisms, Hartlepool St. Hilda baptisms

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

For details on my range of genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Durham Records Online update

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

Benfieldside (Consett/Blackhill) Cemetery 1920-1981
15,146 burials at Benfieldside Cemetery, also known as Blackhill Cemetery or Consett Cemetery, on Durham Road in Blackhill next to Consett, in Lanchester district, from early May 1920 (where we left off last April) to mid-November 1981.

West Hartlepool St. James baptisms 1923-1952, marriages 1906-1956
At West Hartlepool St. James in Hartlepool district

Seaham & Murton marriages updated with details
We have updated all of the marriages at the following churches in Easington district, adding ages, marital status, occupations of grooms and fathers, abodes, and witnesses.

Seaham St. Mary the Virgin, 1838-1967, and we added 2 marriages we missed earlier
Seaham, Parkside Methodist Church, 1976-1996. We also added 20 marriages here for 1963-1976, which completes this collection.
Seaham Harbour, Wesleyan Methodist Church [Tempest Place]
Murton, Albion Street Methodist Church, 1922-1955
Murton Colliery Methodist Church, 1902-1941

Wingate Grange 1851-1862 baptisms updated with occupations & abodes
We have updated 960 baptisms at Wingate Grange from 1851 to 1862 inclusive with abodes and father's occupations. We also found 3 missed baptisms and made a few corrections, mostly minor spelling tweaks.

Coming Soon:
Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1855-1867
Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1900-1909
Morpeth baptisms & burials 1813-1840, marriages 1813-1836
updates to South Hetton Holy Trinity marriages 1863-1930 (adding abodes, occupations, witnesses)
Dinsdale baptisms 1556-1812, marriages 1564-1768, burials 1562-1768


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

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

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

Durham Records Online update

From Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Penshaw baptisms 1841-1865, burials 1841-1865 and marriages 1 July 1837 through 1865

Gosforth baptisms & burials 1762-1812 & 1840-1846, marriages 1762-1812

Felling baptisms 1866-1871, marriages 1867-1877

Auckland St. Helen burials 1813-1814 updated

North-Easterners aboard H.M.S. Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar

Coming Soon:
Benfieldside Cemetery burials 1920-1981
Bishopwearmouth Cemetery burials 1900-1904
Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1855-1867
Hartlepool St James baptisms & marriages
updates to existing Wingate Grange baptisms

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

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

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

Durham Records Online update - and Durham records on FamilySearch

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

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

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

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

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

Coming Soon:

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

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

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

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

Chris

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

Durham Records Online additions

The latest additions to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Gateshead baptisms 1769-1812
9,517 baptisms at Gateshead St. Mary, covering 1769 through 1812, which includes the detail-rich period of 1798-1812 where all sorts of parentage answers can be found! Burials for this same period will follow in about a week. These are from a combination of the parish register and the Bishop's Transcript, for maximum detail.

Winston burials 1573-1761
834 burials at Winston St. Andrew in Teesdale district, from the beginning of the first register in Dec 1573 to the end of 1761, so we now have a continuous run of burials here for 1573-1845.

There are no burials recorded (or the register did not survive) between March 1619 and May 1627. There are also none shown in 1610, 1645, 1652, and 1753.

Wingate Grange marriages 1842-1907 updated with occupations, witnesses, abodes
999 existing marriages at Wingate Grange in Easington district, covering 1842- Jan 1907, were updated, gaining the occupations of the fathers and grooms, abodes and witnesses, and correcting errors. We also added 37 marriages to finish out 1907.

Coming Soon:
Gosforth baptisms, burials, & marriages 1762-1846
Benfieldside Cemetery burials 1920-1981
Gateshead burials 1769-1812
Hartlepool St James baptisms & marriages
Thornley by Kelloe marriages will be updated with full details

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

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

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

Durham Records Online additions

The following records ave been added to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com)

Blaydon Cemetery burials 1906-1983 (unconsecrated section)
4,844 burials in the unconsecrated section of Blaydon Cemetery at Blaydon in Gateshead district, from 13 Dec 1906 to 10 Sep 1987.

Stranton All Saints marriages 1898-1927
2,495 marriages at Stranton All Saints in Hartlepool district, from Jan 1898 to early Oct 1927.

Ponteland records 1762-1812
At Ponteland St. Mary the Virgin, in the Castle Ward district of Northumberland, from a combination of the parish register and the Bishop's Transcript:

Heworth marriages 1837-1844 plus witnesses added 1813-1837
At Heworth St. Mary in Gateshead district:
274 marriages, filling a gap we had from 1 Jul 1837 through 17 Feb 1844. We now have a continuous block of marriages at Heworth from 1813 through 1908.
1,825 witnesses added to our existing 889 marriages at Heworth from 1 Jan 1813 to 1 July 1837. Now all of our Heworth marriages are complete with witnesses.


Coming Soon:

• Hurworth baptisms, marriages, and burials 1770-1812
• Trimdon marriages 1837-1852
• Merrington marriages 1837-1863
• Stockton St. Thomas burials 1859-1869
• Egglescliffe baptisms & burials 1752-1851, marriages 1752-1812 and 1837-1851
• St. John Lee baptisms & burials 1837-1858
• In the queue: Hart Cemetery, Gateshead Wesleyan Methodists, Gosforth 1762-1846, several South Shields Presbyterian churches, Hartlepool St James, Easington pre-1798, Stockton Holy Trinity, Stockton Friends Burial Ground, Penshaw

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And FindmyPast - please reinstate the original Scottish census citations on your new site.

Durham Records Online update

What's New at Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Stanley Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1923-1937
2,316 baptisms on the Stanley Primitive Methodist Circuit in Lanchester district from July 1923 to mid-March 1937.

Many towns did not have Methodist churches, so the Primitive Methodist preacher rode around his local circuit, baptizing children as he went, sometimes in chapels, sometimes in homes. The registers are not kept in strictly chronological order. This set includes these books:

Book 10: 1924-1928
Book 11: 1928-1931
Book 12: 1933-1937
Book 17: 1923-1930
Book 18: 1930-1936

Circuits often covered a fairly large geographical area. In this data set, residences mentioned include Annfield Plain, Beamish, Blackhouse, Burnhope, Catchgate, Co-operative Villas, Craghead, East Stanley, Edmondsley, Grange Villa, Greencroft, High Hold, Holmside, New Kyo, Oxhill, Pelton, Pelton Lane Ends, Shield Row, South Moor, South Pontop, Stanley, Tanfield Lea, Tantobie, Twizell, and West Pelton.


Gosforth baptisms & burials 1813-1839, marriages 1813-1836
At Gosforth St. Nicholas in the Castle Ward district in the county of Northumberland – just beyond Newcastle and across the River Tyne from Gateshead in County Durham:

2,255 baptisms covering 1813-1839
1,767 burials covering 1813-1839
791 marriages covering 1813-1836


Tynemouth baptisms 1827-1832
3,941 baptisms at Christ Church in Tynemouth parish, Northumberland, covering 1827-1832.This extends our Tynemouth coverage from 1813 forward.


Earsdon burials 1837-1844 enhanced with more information
A few months ago, we discovered that the Earsdon parish register contained far more information than the Bishop's Transcript did for baptisms and burials, starting in 1837, and in March we updated our Earsdon baptisms accordingly with the new information. We have now updated our existing 1,581 burials covering 1837-1844 at Earsdon St. Alban (and its subsidiary chapel at Blyth) in Tynemouth district. Generally, the following information was added:

for a child: the name and occupation of the father, the name and maiden surname of the mother, the death date
for a married woman: her maiden surname, husband's name and occupation, her death date
for an adult male: his occupation and death date
Sometimes the cause of death was listed if it was unusual or dramatic, such as drowning. We also corrected several minor spelling errors in names or place names.


Viewing Your Purchases
Have you ever accidentally deleted a record that was emailed to you from our site? No problem! Just log in and click My Account (in the upper right-hand corner of the window), then click the My Orders tab. This will bring up a list of all your orders, with the most recent orders at the top. You can re-sort the list by other fields, such as Name (surname) or Category (record type, such as Baptism). Click the View button to the right of any record to review it at no cost. There is also a Hide button, which you can use to hide any records that you don't want to see anymore (perhaps they do not pertain to your family, or you are done researching that branch and want to reduce list clutter.) You can also email a record to yourself with a single click. If a catastrophe has occurred and you have lost all of your records purchased from this site, there is an option at the top of the page to email yourself all of your records in a single email.


Coming Soon:

• Hurworth
• Blaydon Cemetery unconsecrated section 1906-1980s
• Coniscliffe
• Stranton All Saints

Further down the pike: records from St. John Lee, South Shields St John, Hart Cemetery, Gateshead Wesleyan Methodists, earlier Ponteland & Gosforth records, Egglescliffe, South Shields Presbyterian churches, Hartlepool St James

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And FindmyPast - please reinstate the original Scottish census citations on your new site.

Durhams Records Online additions

The latest releases from Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

South Shields St. John Presbyterian baptisms 1742-1857
2,264 baptisms at St. John's Presbyterian church (and previous meeting places of this congregation) in South Shields, from the start of the register in 1742 to the end of June 1857. These are the earliest known records for this congregation, which was the oldest Presbyterian congregation in South Shields, and one of the oldest in Northern England.

Durham Wesleyan Methodist Circuit baptisms 1841-1856, 1860-1870
1,939 baptisms on the Durham Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, covering 1841-1856 and 1860-1870. This is the first addition we have made to this collection since Oct 2008. These filled all of the gaps we had, so we now have continuous coverage of this circuit from 1815 to 1957. Unfortunately, the baptism register between Apr 1837 and August 1841 did not survive, or if it did, its location is unknown and it has not been filmed by the Durham Record Office.

Hartlepool Methodist baptisms
Baptisms at three Methodist churches in Hartlepool and West Hartlepool:

• 2,345 baptisms at Brougham Street Primitive Methodist Church from 1834 to Sep 1897. This church was demolished in 1965.
• 398 baptisms at the Wesley Chapel covering 1855 to Feb 1874. This chapel was on Brunswick Street in West Hartlepool, dedicated on 28 May 1855. The congregation quickly outgrew the premises, and a new site was chosen in 1871, on the corner of Raby Rd. and Victoria Rd. The new church, which became known as the Big Wesley, was dedicated on 21 Jan 1873. It closed in 1973, but is still standing today.
• 397 baptisms covering Sep 1855 to Oct 1868 at the Wesley Reform Chapel in West Hartlepool, which opened on 8 June 1851 but no longer exists. The records for this church, at the Teesside Archives, call this location Cambridge Place, but one announcement of its opening says it was on Church Street and that another Reform chapel had also opened in Hartlepool in 1851, but the address is not given.

Stella burials 1852-1956
1,562 burials at Stella St. Cuthbert in Gateshead district from the beginning of 1852 to early 1956.

Hartlepool St. Paul marriages 1906-1935
2,189 marriages at West Hartlepool St. Paul from March 1906 to the end of April 1935. These are fully-detailed civil-registration-era marriages and include the witnesses. This gives us a continuous run of almost 50 years of marriages at this church since the parish of St. Paul was spun off from Stranton All Saints in Nov 1885.

Hartlepool St. Luke marriages 1934-1937
99 marriages at West Hartlepool St. Luke from Sep 1934 to the end of 1937. These are fully-detailed civil-registration-era marriages and include the witnesses.

Earsdon baptisms 1837-1844 enhanced with more information
Updated our existing 1,241 baptisms covering 1837-1844 at Earsdon St. Alban (and its subsidiary chapel at Blyth) in Tynemouth district. Most baptisms gained the following information: mother's maiden surname, the birth places of both parents, and the child's birth date. Starting in Oct 1838, the name of the parish in which the parents married is also included in most of these baptisms. We also corrected a few minor spelling errors in names.
If you purchased a baptism at Earsdon in this period, you should review it to see if any information was added or changed. Log in, click My Account, then click the My Orders tab to see your purchases. If a significant change, such as a name or date, was made, you have already been emailed.

Coming Soon:

• Hurworth pre-1813 baptisms & burials
• Benfieldside (aka Blackhill or Consett) Cemetery burials 1862-1920
• Forest & Frith burials 1852-1901
• Heighington baptisms & burials 1822-1847
• Tynemouth baptisms 1827-32

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

Time to find your inner Irish...! All the best online Irish genealogy resources can be found through my book Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet - in print and ebook formats. "Very useful, makes me wish I was Irish!" - Saint Patrick, patron saint.

Durham Records Online additions

New records added to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Gateshead baptisms 1828-1840, burials 1825-1836, marriage witnesses 1827-1834
We also added 2,065 witnesses to our existing 931 marriages at Gateshead in 1827-1834 and corrected some errors, mostly minor spelling adjustments. If you have purchased a marriage at Gateshead in this period, we recommend you take another look at it to see if anything has been changed, and to get the witnesses.

Gateshead burials 1837-1840; maps & images of Gateshead in the past
1,453 burials at Gateshead St. Mary covering 1837-1840, bringing our burial collection to the same ending year as our baptism collection. These are from the Bishop's Transcript.

Hurworth baptisms & burials 1841-1885
At Hurworth All Saints in Darlington district, from the Bishop's Transcript: 1,883 baptisms from April 1841 where we had left off before, to the end of 1885
1,280 burials covering 1842-1885

Houghton-le-Spring baptisms 1825-1841 updated with occupations
Added 5,777 father's occupations to baptisms at Houghton-le-Spring between 1825 and 1841 inclusive, and corrected minor errors. We have always regretted not including occupations in these baptisms when they were transcribed many years ago, so we are glad to have completed this task. Now all of our Houghton-le-Spring baptisms accurately reflect the full contents of the parish register.

Coming Soon:
Durham Wesleyan Methodist Circuit baptisms 1841-1870
South Shields St. John Presbyterian baptisms 1744-1857
Hurworth pre-1813 baptisms & burials
Benfieldside (aka Blackhill or Consett) Cemetery burials 1862-1920
Forest & Frith burials 1852-1901
Stella burials 1852-1956

(With thanks to DRO)

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scottish Research Online, which commences Feb 27th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.

Durham Records Online update

New records from Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Durham Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1856-1879
5,362 baptisms on the Durham Primitive Methodist Circuit from Feb 1856 to August 1879. We now have a complete set of baptisms on this circuit from the first register in 1841 to 1960 – almost 120 years of Primitive Methodist baptisms in the area surrounding the city of Durham.

West Hartlepool St. Oswald baptisms & marriages 1895-1932
At West Hartlepool St. Oswald:
4,194 baptisms from the beginning of the first register of this church in March 1892 to mid-Sept 1931
849 marriages from the first marriage at this church in 1904 to the end of August 1932
The parish of St. Oswald's was carved out of the parish of Christ Church, first as a chapelry in 1892 and then as its own parish in 1904. Marriages were not performed there until 1904.

West Hartlepool St. Aidan baptisms 1890-1905, marriages 1891-1909
1,591 baptisms and 500 marriages at West Hartlepool St. Aidan, which was carved out of the parishes of Seaton Carew Holy Trinity and Stranton All Saints in late 1890. These records are from the first baptism and marriage register; the baptisms run from Oct 1890 to June 1905, and the marriages run from April 1891 to Sept 1909.

Earsdon baptisms & burials 1762-1772
963 baptisms and 745 burials at Earsdon St. Alban in Tynemouth district, Northumberland, covering 1762-1772, from a combination of the Bishop's Transcript and the parish register.

Houghton-le-Spring marriage witnesses 1830-1837
Added 1,162 witnesses to our existing 566 marriages at Houghton-le-Spring St. Michael & All Angels for 1830-1837, and corrected some errors, mostly minor spelling adjustments. If you have purchased a marriage at Houghton-le-Spring in this period, we recommend you take another look at it to see if anything has been changed, and to get the witnesses. You can review your purchased records by logging into Durham Records Online and clicking My Account, then click the My Orders tab. If you purchased a record in which a significant error has been corrected, such as a change in name or date, the corrected record has been emailed to you.

Middleton-in-Teesdale marriage witnesses added 1817-1851
Added 2,250 witnesses to our existing 914 marriages spanning 1817-1851 at Middleton-in-Teesdale St. Mary the Virgin, and added one marriage we had missed the first time. Abodes were added where they had been missing and minor corrections were made. If you have purchased a marriage at Middleton-in-Teesdale in this period, we recommend you take another look at it to see if anything has been added or changed, and to get the witnesses. You can review your purchased records by logging into Durham Records Online and clicking My Account, then the My Orders tab. If you purchased a record in which a significant error has been corrected, such as a change in name or date, the corrected record has been emailed to you.
All of the marriages after mid-1837 are fully-detailed civil-registration-era marriages, at a price far lower than what you would pay at a registry office…

South Hetton baptisms 1849-1852 updated with occupations, abodes
We have updated 389 baptisms at South Hetton Holy Trinity from 1849 to 1852 inclusive with the abodes and father's occupations, and made a few corrections. If a major change, such as a name change, was made to a record you purchased, an email has already been sent to you with the correction. Otherwise, if you have purchased a baptism at this church in this period, you should review it to get the father's occupation and abode. Log in, click My Account, then click the My Orders tab to see your purchases.

Coming Soon:
South Shields St. Hilda burials 1798-1812
Durham Wesleyan Methodist Circuit baptisms 1841-1856
Gateshead baptisms & burials 1827-1840
South Shields St. John Presbyterian baptisms 1744-1857
Blaydon cemetery burials 1873-1998
Stella St. Cuthbert burials 1873-1906

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

My latest book, Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, is now available from http://www.gould.com.au (print) and http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html (ebook), whilst Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet is available at http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-History-on-the-Internet/p/3889/.

Durham Records Online additions

New releases on Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Newcastle All Saints baptisms 1827-1830
3,488 baptisms at All Saints church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, covering 1827-1830, from the Bishop's Transcript with some checking against the original register.

Earsdon baptisms & burials 1773-1812
4,516 baptisms and 3,526 burials at Earsdon St. Alban in Tynemouth district in the county of Northumberland, covering 1777-1812, from the Bishop's Transcript with extensive checking against the original register. This includes the detail-rich period, which at Earsdon started a bit earlier than usual.

Evenwood Cemetery 1871-1998
4,510 burials at Evenwood Cemetery, which opened on the north edge of Evenwood (in Auckland district) in 1871 to handle burials for the nearby parishes.

Baptisms at Hetton-le-Hole St. Nicholas in Houghton-le-Spring district
959 baptisms covering 1838-1842.

Haverton Hill baptisms & burials 1866-1872
206 baptisms and 137 burials at Haverton Hill St. John the Baptist in Stockton district, from the Bishop's Transcript. This little parish was carved out of Billingham in 1862, but the registers don't start until 1866.

Coming Soon:

• Newcastle All Saints baptisms 1831-1834
• Durham Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1856-1874
• Ryton Cemetery burials 1884-1998
• Sunderland: Spring Garden Lane Presbyterian Chapel baptisms 1813-1837
• Hexham marriages 1837-1842
• Earsdon baptisms and burials 1762-1772
• Ryton Cemetery burials 1884-1939
• Blaydon cemetery burials 1873-1998
• Stella St. Cuthbert burials 1873-1906

(With thanks to Holly Cochran)

Chris

My latest book, Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, is now available from http://www.gould.com.au (print) and http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html (ebook), whilst Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet is available at http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-History-on-the-Internet/p/3889/. My next Pharos Scottish course, Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs, starts Nov 13th - see http://pharostutors.com.

Durham Records Online additions

New additions to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Sunderland: Flag Lane Chapel Primitive Methodist baptisms 1823-1837
231 baptisms at the Flag Lane Chapel, a Primitive Methodist Circuit chapel in Sunderland, covering 1823 to May 1837.

Sunderland Old Meeting House/Cornmarket Chapel baptisms 1802-1837
443 baptisms at the Old Meeting House on High Street, also called Cornmarket Chapel, a Congregational chapel in Sunderland, from May 1802, where our previous transcription left off, to 7 June 1837.

Monkwearmouth Scotch Church (Presbyterian) baptisms 1778-1837
1,261 baptisms at the Scotch Church, a Presbyterian church in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland district, covering 1778-1837.

Newcastle St. Nicholas baptisms 1813-1855, burials 1813-1853
At St. Nicholas in Newcastle-upon-Tyne:
6,458 baptisms covering 1813-1855
3,174 burials covering 1813 to Sep 1853 when the church's burial ground was closed, plus one burial in 1859 that must have been accepted into an existing family grave or vault

Coming Soon:
Newcastle St. Nicholas marriages 1813-1837
Waterhouses Cemetery burials 1881-1992
Evenwood Cemetery burials 1871-1998
Ryton Cemetery burials 1884-1939
Durham Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1841-1856
Earsdon records before 1813
Newcastle All Saints records for the 1820s-1830s

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

My latest book, Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, is now available from http://www.gould.com.au (print) and http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html (ebook), whilst Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet is available at http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-History-on-the-Internet/p/3889/. My next Pharos Scottish course, Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs, starts Nov 13th - see http://pharostutors.com.

Durham Records Online additions

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

Bishopton baptisms, marriages, burials 1649-1851
A nice package of records from Bishopton in Stockton district:
2,236 baptisms covering 1649-1851
1,531 burials covering 1654-1851
377 marriages covering 1653-1751, 1783-1812, and 1838-1851. We already had the 1813-1837 marriages online. Unfortunately the marriage register covering 1752-1783 did not survive.

Barnard Castle baptisms & burials 1762-1797
3,581 baptisms and 3,375 burials at Barnard Castle St. Mary in Teesdale district, covering 1762-1797, from a combination of the Bishop's Transcript and the parish register. We now have Barnard Castle baptisms and burials from 1762 through the end of 1846.

Penshaw baptisms & burials 1837-1840
415 baptisms and 263 burials at Penshaw All Saints in Houghton-le-Spring district, covering 1837-1840.

Marriage bonds 1795-1799 updated with full details
Replaced the index to marriage bonds in the years 1795-1799 with full details, so those 2,858 records are now instantly available, including 2 new bonds we missed the first time around.

Coming Soon:
Waterhouses Cemetery burials 1881-1992
Evenwood Cemetery burials 1871-1998
Durham Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1841-1856
Sunderland Corn Market Independent chapel baptisms 1803-1837
Sunderland Primitive Methodist Connexion (Flag Lane Chapel) baptisms 1823-1837
Newcastle St. Nicholas baptisms, burials, and marriages post-1812
Monkwearmouth: Scotch Presbyterian Church on Bridge Road aka North Bridge Street, baptisms 1778-1799

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

My wife Claire is planning to swim from the Scottish island of Cumbrae to the town of Largs on September 14th to raise money for local charity Gillian's Saltire Appeal, providing respite for families affected by cancer (Claire's mum and sister in Ireland have previously come through cancer, whilst my mum, based in England, currently has bladder cancer). Her Just Giving sponsorship page, with further details, is at http://www.justgiving.com/Claire-Paton1. If you can help to sponsor her, even by a wee amount, we'd be very grateful - many thanks!

Durham Records Online - revamp and new data

Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com) has been completely redesigned with the following features (abridged from the news release on email):

• Top-mounted menu creates more screen width for your search results: All of the menu items that used to be displayed vertically along the left side of the screen are now concealed in a short row of drop-down menus across the top of the page. Note that "Home” is at the bottom of the About menu, and also in the footer of every page.
• Always-accessible menus and buttons: The entire top area with the menus stays on the page all the time and the contents below scroll under it. The buttons for New Search, Edit Search, Last Results, and View Cart are a little higher and to the right of where they were before, but are also in the always-accessible zone.
• All login-related information is in one place: The login boxes are now in the upper right-hand corner, and when you log in, this area changes to show your user name, credit count, and links to My Account, Buy Credits, and Log Out (actions that are available only when you are logged in).
• Everything about your account is now accessed from the My Account page
• Print a record without the logo, menu, color, etc.: When you view a record, there is now a "Printer-friendly version” link that will redisplay the record on a white background with no colors or pictures, for easy printing.
• New contact form on the Customer Support page.
• Navigation in footer: A new footer on every page has links to these pages: Home, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Policies, and Customer Support
• The "Literature” section is now called "Local History Library” and has been converted to use WordPress for visual consistency, better navigation, and to make it much easier for us to add articles. When you click on Local History Library in the new top menu, you will be taken to a page that displays the table of contents – all the articles in the Library. A collection of customer-donated wills from Durham and Northumberland are in the Library.
• Mobile-friendly: The screen now reformats itself for smaller screens such as tablets, Kindles, and phones so buttons and menus don't overlap each other.

The following new data is also available:

Silksworth burials 1872-1904
2,490 burials at Silksworth St. Matthew's in Sunderland district, from the beginning of the parish register in August 1872 to the end of 1904.

Cockfield burials 1868-1913
468 burials at Cockfield St. Mary in Teesdale district, covering 1868 through Sept 1884, and 1,074 burials at the new Cockfield Cemetery from its opening in Feb 1883 to August 1913. The first 2 years of burials at the new cemetery are duplicated in the Cockfield parish register, but some details differ, so we have included both versions.

Marriage bonds 1790-1794 updated with full details
Replaced the index to marriage bonds in the years 1790-1794 with full details, so those 2,131 records are now instantly available. Marriage bonds cover the entire Diocese of Durham i.e. Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire.


Coming Soon:

• Monkwearmouth: Scotch Presbyterian Church on Bridge Road aka North Bridge Street, baptisms 1778-1799
• Waterhouses Cemetery burials 1881-1992
• Evenwood Cemetery burials 1871-1998
• Sunderland Corn Market Independent chapel baptisms 1803-1837
• Sunderland Primitive Methodist Connexion (Flag Lane Chapel) baptisms 1823-1837
• Bishopton baptisms 1649-1851, burials 1654-1851, marriages 1653-1812 & 1838-1851
• Hexham marriages 1837-1841
• Newcastle St. Nicholas baptisms, burials, and marriages post-1812
• Ponteland marriages & burials pre-1813

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Durham Records Online additions

New additions to Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Bishopwearmouth baptisms 1821-1828
2,979 baptisms at Bishopwearmouth St. Michael & All Angels in Sunderland district, covering 1821-1828, but also including numerous baptisms that were recorded years after the child’s birth.

Monkwearmouth All Saints baptisms 1847-1874
2,262 baptisms at Monkwearmouth All Saints from the start of the first register in October 1847 to the end of 1874. All Saints parish was created out of Monkwearmouth St. Peter’s in 1847.

Longbenton baptisms 1813-1830, marriages & burials 1813-1829
At Longbenton St. Bartholemew in the Tynemouth district of Northumberland, across the river from Gateshead:
2,682 baptisms covering 1813-1830
570 marriage covering 1813-1829
1,621 burials covering 1813-1829
These are from the Bishop’s Transcript with some checking against the parish register.

Pre-1753 Hart baptism & burial dates modified
We went through our early baptisms and burials at Hart St. Mary Magdalene, comparing to the register, and, for dates between 1 Jan and 25 Mar in the years 1577 to 1752 inclusive, changed the date, where necessary, to be consistent with today’s dating scheme; that is, changed to the following year.

Files in the processing queue, not necessarily to be released in this order:

Hartlepool North Cemetery 1920-1991
Sunderland baptisms 1821-23 and 1831-1834
Stranton Grange Cemetery 1920-1929
Lumley baptisms & burials 1861-1867
Hexham baptisms, marriages, and burials 1837-1858
further down the road: Hartlepool St. James and St. Oswald, Newcastle All Saints, Earsdon pre-1813, Newcastle St Nicholas, Barnard Castle pre-1798, Haverton Hill, Ponteland

(With thanks to Holly Cochran)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My next Pharos Scottish course, Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, starts May 15th - see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-oprs-starts.html. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Durham Records Online update

What's New at Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Shotley Bridge Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1878-1924
3,146 baptisms performed on the Shotley Bridge Primitive Methodist circuit between 1878 and 1924 inclusive, completing our transcription of registers 6 and 7.

Sacriston baptisms 1866-1875
565 baptisms at Sacriston St. Peter in Chester-le-Street district, from the Bishop’s Transcript of the first register in 1866 to the end of 1875.

South Shields St. Stephen baptisms 1846-1848
115 baptisms at South Shields St. Stephen, from the beginning of the register in Oct 1846 to the end of 1848, from the Bishop’s Transcript.

Pittington marriages 1834-1905 updated
Added 3,398 witnesses plus minor corrections (and a few major ones) to our existing 1,614 marriages in the years 1834-1905 at Pittington St. Lawrence in Durham district, and added 17 marriages that had been missed in the initial transcription of the register.

Earsdon marriages 1836-1844
431 marriages at Earsdon St. Alban in the Tynemouth district of Northumberland, from May 1836 where we left off last time, to the end of 1844. Note this includes both the older, terser marriage format, and later, civil-registration-era fully-detailed marriages.

Chester-le-Street burial index updated 1750-1799
Replaced the Chester-le-Street burial index for 1750-1799 with full entries so those 8,726 burials are now instantly available, including 8 new burials that we missed the first time around.

Etherley baptisms & burials 1834-1862
906 baptisms and 564 burials at Etherley St. Cuthbert in Auckland district, from the Bishop’s Transcript.

Files in the processing queue, not necessarily to be released in this order:

• Shotley Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1908-1943
• Pittington baptisms 1852-1876
• Earsdon baptisms, marriages, and burials pre-1813
• Hartlepool North Cemetery 1881-1901
• Monkwearmouth Venerable Bede baptisms 1877-1885
• Gateshead St. James baptisms 1865-1879
• Lumley baptisms & burials 1861-1867
• Hexham baptisms, marriages, and burials 1837-1858

Further down the road: records from Hartlepool St. James and St. Oswald, Newcastle All Saints, Longbenton

(With thanks to Holly Cochran)

Chris

Pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, through Pen and Sword (30 April 2013), or purchase early at Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013 in London. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Durham Records Online update

What's New at Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Ryhope burials 1879-1937
2,902 burials at Ryhope St. Paul in Sunderland district, covering 1879-1937, joining the burials we already had here for 1828-1878.

Hartlepool North Cemetery burials 1856-1880
10,396 burials at Hartlepool North Cemetery, also known as Hart Lane Cemetery, from the opening of the cemetery in May 1856 to the end of 1880.

1851 census of Heworth
Added 8,867 people from the 1851 census of the civil parish of Heworth in Gateshead district, completing piece number 2401. This covers Heworth, Bill Quay, Felling, and Windy Nook.

Kelloe marriage witnesses 1813-1837
Added 272 witnesses to our existing 132 marriages at Kelloe St. Helen in Easington district, covering 1 Jan 1813 to July 1837.

Chester-le-Street burial index updated with full details for 1583-1749
Replaced the Chester-le-Street burial index for 1583-1749 with full entries so those 8,079 burials are now instantly available, including 18 new burials that we missed the first time around. The following periods are missing from the register:
29 Dec 1664 to 1 Mar 1674
16 Sep 1678 to 27 Mar 1708

Files in the processing queue, not necessarily to be released in this order:
Etherley baptisms & burials 1834-1862
Shotley Primitive Methodist Circuit baptisms 1878-1924
Earsdon marriages 1837-1844
Earsdon baptisms, marriages, and burials pre-1813
Hartlepool North Cemetery 1881-1901
Monkwearmouth Venerable Bede baptisms 1877-1885
Gateshead St. James baptisms 1865-1879
Lumley baptisms & burials 1861-1867
Sacriston baptisms 1866-1875

Further down the road: records from Hexham, Hartlepool St. James and St. Oswald, Newcastle All Saints, Longbenton

(With thanks to Durham Records Online)

Chris

Pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, through Pen and Sword (30 April 2013), or purchase early at Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013 in London. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Durham Records Online update

New from Durham Records Online (www.durhamrecordsonline.com):

Earsdon baptisms & burials 1813-1844
A large package of 5,481 baptisms and 4,687 burials from the parish of Earsdon St. Alban in the Tynemouth district of Northumberland, from the beginning of 1813 to the end of 1844, from the Bishop’s Transcript of the parish registers. These registers include events recorded at the chapel of ease at Blyth, which had existed since 1751 and was replaced in 1859 by the current church dedicated to St. Cuthbert.

Earsdon marriages 1813-1836
900 marriages at Earsdon from the beginning of 1813 to the beginning of May 1836, from the Bishop’s Transcripts.

Chester-le-Street marriage index updated with full details for 1800-1851
Replaced the Chester-le-Street marriage index for 1800-1851 with full entries so those 2,732 marriages are now instantly available, including 1 new marriage we missed the first time around.

Kelloe marriage witnesses 1837-1858 + new 1858 marriages
Added 2,086 witnesses to our existing 992 marriages at Kelloe St. Helen in Easington district, covering July 1837 to March 1858. Added 7 marriages we had missed in that period, made numerous minor corrections to occupations and names, and added 39 new marriages to take us to the end of 1858. If a significant error was corrected in a record you purchased, it will be emailed to you. We recommend that all purchasers of Kelloe marriages in this period log in and click My Previous Orders and review those marriages for changes. One global change was that the original transcriber recorded “coalminer” whenever he saw “pitman”; we have now returned all occupations to their original wording.

Sunderland marriage witnesses 1818-1819
Added 644 witnesses to marriages at Sunderland Holy Trinity for 1818-1819, and added one marriage we had missed the first time around.

Files in the processing queue, not necessarily to be released in this order:
Earsdon marriages 1837-1844
Earsdon baptisms, marriages, and burials pre-1813
West Hartlepool North Cemetery 1856-1869
Stranton Grange cemetery 1912-1919
Tynemouth baptisms 1818-1826
Etherley baptisms & burials 1834-1862
Monkwearmouth Venerable Bede baptisms 1877-1885
Gateshead St. James baptisms 1865-1879
Lumley baptisms & burials 1861-1867
Sacriston baptisms 1866-1875

Further down the road:
Records from Hexham, Hartlepool St. James, Newcastle All Saints

(With thanks to Holly Cochran)

Chris

Having a Christmas present crisis?! Check out my range of genealogy books at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html - perfect for the family historian's Christmas stocking...! Also now out - new Kindle edition of Tracing Your Family History on the Internet, from http://tinyurl.com/d3vqtz5