The GENES Blog Facebook page update

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

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

Chris

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

Videos of Irish Farming Life

I've just stumbled across an absolutely brilliant Facebook page, entitled Videos of Irish Farming Life, available at https://www.facebook.com/Irishfarmingvideos. It carries videos demonstrating traditional farming techniques in Ireland, as recorded by John Thompson in Garvagh, which can also be purchased on DVD from www.thompsontrading.co.uk/farming.

I've learned more about flax scutching (part of the linen manufacturing process) in five minutes from this site than I have from years of reading about it! Well worth subscribing to.

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. 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.

PRONI is now on Facebook

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is now on Facebook!

To follow Northern Ireland's national archive, visit https://www.facebook.com/publicrecordofficeni.

Don't forget also that The GENES Blog is also on Facebook - you'll find it under thre site's previous name at https://www.facebook.com/BritishGENES/!

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102.
For details on my Scottish & Irish genealogy guide books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.
For my genealogy research service, please visit http://www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk.

North of Ireland Family History Society short courses

News of a series of courses from the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org):

The programme of courses for autumn 2016 offered by the North of Ireland Family History Society is now available for booking at http://www.nifhs.org/resources/courses/. All will be delivered at the Society's Research Centre in Newtownabbey and they are for members and non-members. The topics and dates are:

October 1st – “The Advantages of Y-DNA” – 1 Saturday afternoon
October 3rd – “You’ve taken the DNA Test, what next? – Understanding Family Finder” – 3 Monday evenings
October 4th – “Writing up Your Family History” – 1 Tuesday morning & afternoon
October 8th – “Dublin Archives & Visit to Dublin” – 1 Saturday afternoon PLUS trip to be arranged
October 8th – “You’ve taken the DNA Test, what next? – Understanding Family Finder” – 3 Saturday afternoons
October 11th – “Life in Ulster in the 1830s” – 1 Tuesday morning
October 18th – “A Beginners’ Guide to Facebook” – 1 Tuesday morning
October 25th – “The Plantation of Ulster – Name
s & Places” – 1 Tuesday morning
October 29th – “Memory Box” – a creative craft class” – 1 Saturday morning and afternoon
November 5th – “A Beginners’ Guide to Facebook” – 1 Saturday afternoon
November 9th – “A Beginners’ Guide to Word” – 1 Wednesday afternoon
November 15th – “Land Records & Maps” – 1 Tuesday morning and afternoon
November 16th – “Manipulating Images in Word” – 1 Wednesday afternoon
November 19th – “Researching Military Ancestors” – 2 Saturday afternoon
November 23rd – “A Beginners’ Guide to PowerPoint” – 1 Wednesday afternoon

Further information via the website.

(With thanks to Michael McKeag)

Chris

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

UK Press Online discount code

The UK Press Online website (www.ukpressonline.co.uk), which offers  digitised access to many well known historic UK based tabloid newspapers, as well as titles such as Church Times and others, is offering a discount by which you can gain access 15 days on its collection for the price of 5 days.

To receive this, you need to visit the company's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UKPressOnline-Newspaper-Archives-150661478288962/?fref=ts to receive the relevant code, and take it from there!

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/.

Geneabloggers Facebook page

Those who keep genealogy themed blogs may be aware of Chicago based Thomas MacEntee's Geneabloggers site (http://geneabloggers.com), listing a range of blogs from across the world (including this one!). Well now Thomas has set up a closed Facebook group for genealogy bloggers at https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneabloggers/.

You need to be approved to participate, but Thomas hopes the page will help bloggers share resources, tips, how-tos and more - essentially it's an all for one and one for all self-help facility. Great idea!

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.

Remember Old Cardiff Facebook page

The Wales Online website has an interesting feature about a photographic nostalgia project on Cardiff - read Martin Wells interview with Evelyn Clarke, from the Remember Old Cardiff Facebook project, at www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/remember-old-cardiff-nostalgia-pictures-4871168

The project itself is accessible at www.facebook.com/RememberOldCardiff.

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...!

Family History Centre at Highland Archives on Facebook

A quick plug for genie chum Chris Halliday, now working as a family history leader at the Family History Centre at Highland Archives. The centre now has a new Facebook page up and running at
www.facebook.com/FamilyHistoryCentreAtHighlandArchives which Chris and the team will be regularly posting updates to.

Highland Archive itself has a separate Facebook page at www.facebook.com/highlandarchives (although in the same building, the archive and family history service are separate bodies within the building).

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...!

Dublin 1916 - Then and Now

Thanks to FindmyPast Ireland's Facebook page for the following - a new facebook page has been set up comparing the Dublin of 1916, the year of the Easter Rising, and now. It can be accessed at www.facebook.com/pages/Dublin-1916-Then-Now/199211606823958 - well worth a look.

Chris

Check out my Scotland's Greatest Story research service www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

Ancestry sale speculation continues

The speculation that Ancestry.com is on the point of selling up is continuing, with an article in today's Times newspaper discussing the possible move, along with discussion of Ancestry's projected revenue this year of US$460 million (see www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/technology/article3441447.ece, though access is by subscription only). According to the paper there are many potential bidders, with Facebook amongst those interested, and that "Sale speculation pushed Ancestry.com’s share price up by 22 per cent to $26.31 in New York last week, although the company has declined to comment on the possibility that it might be sold."

In fact, it is worth pointing out that neither Ancestry, Facebook nor any other bidder has actually confirmed that any of this is actually true! The only point that seems to be holding up just now is that Ancestry has hired Qatalyst Partners to look into the option of selling the company. So until anybody actually confirms anything, speculation that Facebook is about to take control of our ancestry is simply that. But if it is true, it may well keep the markets happy, but I suspect the user base may have a few things to say...

Is Ancestry about to sell up? Watch this space...!

(With thanks to Bob Blatchford)

Chris

Check out my Scotland's Greatest Story research service www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
New book: It's Perthshire 1866 - there's been a murder... www.thehistorypress.co.uk/products/The-Mount-Stewart-Murder.aspx (from June 12th 2012)

British GENES Facebook page

Getting ready for 2012 now! Following my recent blogicide with Scottish GENES in favour of my British GENES blog, I have also now set up a new Facebook page for British GENES at  www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

As with the Scottish GENES blog I will also be committing Facebook-icide soon with the old Scottish GENES Facebook page so please do sign up to the new British GENES Facebook page for continuous updates.

Onwards and upwards!

Chris