Fold3 adds UK militia attestation papers 1803-1915

From Fold3 (www.fold3.com):

New UK Military Records on Fold3

Our UK military records are expanding! We’ve recently added a new collection, “UK, Militia Attestation Papers, 1806-1915”. These records or attestation forms were filled out at the time of recruitment, and in most cases, annotated to the date of discharge. They form a record of military service for soldiers who fought in conflicts during that time period.

The collection is arranged alphabetically under regiments and in order of seniority.

Attestation Papers contain wonderful details for researching specific soldiers. They list parish, town, and county of birth, address at the time of enlistment, age, and trade or job. The papers also include a physical description including a place to list any distinctive characteristics or scars. The files list military service rendered and whether a soldier was wounded or received medals or decorations. They also list the name and address of next of kin.

Here are a few examples of what you might learn in this collection. John Hart from Wales served in the Royal Monmouthshire Engineers. His papers reveal that he didn’t show up for training in 1891 and was liable to serve for an additional year. In 1894, he was discharged by purchase, in other words, he obtained a discharge by payment.

The Attestation Papers for Robert Eastburn from Leeds record that his superiors deemed him unlikely to be an effective militiaman with defective intelligence and insubordination. He was discharged in 1906.

James Allison from Paisley, Scotland, was just 17-years-old when he joined the 26th Foot (Scottish Rifles) in 1875. His service record shows military service for 20 years before being discharged in 1895.

This collection of Attestation Papers provides a glimpse into the history of militias and multiple conflicts in the United Kingdom. If you are researching ancestors that served for the United Kingdom during this time, be sure to check out the collection on Fold3 today!

COMMENT: I find Fold3's user interface to be fairly uninspiring, with searches involving a lot of faffing about. Ancestry has a basic index to this collection entitled Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Militia Attestation Papers, 1800-1915, available at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61643/.

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

There are some new indexed records added to FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) this week concerning England and Ireland, and one UK collection:

Ireland, The Treble Almanac 1812 (FMP) - 3rd Party Index
14,074 new indexed records

England, Herefordshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1583-1898
2,263 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Herefordshire Bishop's Transcripts, 1583-1898
1,369 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Northumberland, Parish Registers, 1538-1950
557,993 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Oxfordshire Parish Registers 1538-1904
474 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Oxfordshire Parish Registers 1538-1904
1,471 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Yorkshire Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1613-1887
2,074 added indexed records to an existing collection

England, Yorkshire Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1613-1887
815 added indexed records to an existing collection

United Kingdom, Waterloo Roll Call 1815
3,999 new indexed records

For direct links, and other overseas records releases this week, visit https://media.familysearch.org/new-free-historical-records-on-familysearch-week-of-30-december-2019/

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.

Free access to Ancestry's British military records

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Find out how your ancestors played their part in the war

From serving in the military to looking after our land, there were so many ways our ancestors served in wartime Britain. Discover your family’s contributions this Remembrance Day with free access to wartime records until Monday.*

*Access to the records in the featured collections will be free until 11 Nov 2019 at 23:59 GMT. To view these records you will need to register for free with Ancestry.co.uk with your name and email address. We will then send you a username and password to access the records. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.co.uk paid membership. To see a full list of the records in the featured collections please click here.

You can also access the records at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/free-access

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. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New branding for UK National Archives

The UK's National Archive (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), based in Kew, England, has changed its brand identity for the first time in 16 years. Here's the announcement:

To mark our commitment to wider public engagement, we have refreshed our brand to introduce a new visual identity created by multi-disciplinary designers HemingwayDesign.

Caroline Ottaway-Searle, Director of Public Engagement at The National Archives, said: ‘Widening our audiences is a key part of The National Archives’ strategy, Archives for Everyone. To reinforce this we are introducing a new visual identity which works impactfully across channels. We chose to work with HemingwayDesign because they demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to our ambition to open up access to the archives.’

Wayne Hemingway, partner at HemingwayDesign, said: ‘Design is about improving things that matter in life and The National Archives definitely matters! It’s a national organisation of real social, historical and cultural importance; fascinating and complex. Our creative response to this was to create a new identity which is intentionally simple to allow for the content of the archives to speak for itself.’

The new identity draws upon a flexible grid system inspired by grids seen across the archival system from record slips and boxes of documents to the architecture on site at Kew – and three core typefaces which can be varied across media. The logo ‘mark’, a box with lettering within, is akin to the official ‘stamp’ marking items in The National Archives collection. The new identity can now be seen in the header and footer across most of our website, including our newly published strategy, Archives for Everyone 2019-23.

The original announcement is at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/the-national-archives-rebrands-for-the-first-time-in-16-years/. Not sure what I think of it really!

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.

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.

Government papers releases in Britain and Ireland

It's that time of the year when governments reveal their historic secrets. The following is a round up of relevant announcements from across the UK and Ireland:

In the UK...

Scottish Cabinet papers released Files from 2003 now open to public.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2019/scottish-cabinet-papers-released-files-from-2003-now-open-to-public

PRONI Annual Releases: Records released in December 2018
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/proni-annual-releases#toc-1

Prime Minister’s Papers from 1994 released
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/prime-ministers-papers-from-1994-released/

And in Ireland...

Move to begin in 2019 to release State papers after 20 years
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/move-to-begin-in-2019-to-release-state-papers-after-20-years-1.3742288

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.

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.

Free access to Ancestry's UK and Irish records this weekend

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

FREE ACCESS TO ALL UK AND IRISH RECORDS 6-9 JULY

Discover a deeper past–starting today!

For 4 days starting today, we’re really opening up our site, giving you access to all our UK and Irish records, absolutely free.

And with the 1939 Register now available on Ancestry, now is the time to build a bridge from living memory to the deeper past.

*Access to the records in the featured collections will start on 6 July and be free until 9 July 2018 at 23:59 BST. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.co.uk paid membership. To see a full list of the records in the featured collections please click here.

Have fun!

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 offers free access to Ireland, UK and Commonwealth records

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

What better way to bring your family closer together than our Easter Free Access weekend?

From 30 March to 2 April, you’ll be able to search millions of UK, Ireland and Commonwealth records – all completely free*. Start in Britain then head off to Australia, Canada, or wherever, and spend four full days finding long-lost family all over the Commonwealth.

Enjoy FREE Access to millions more records including these highlights:

NEW Historical Photographs and Prints
Explore more than 40,000 images, capturing defining moments in history and displays of everyday life.

Birth, marriage and death indexes
Find family among the vital indexes covering England and Wales as far back as 1837.

Commonwealth records
Get access to everything from Australian Electoral Rolls to Canadian Census records.

Plus much more

* Access to the records in the featured collections will start on 30 March and will be free until 2 April 2018 at 23:59 BST. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using a paid Ancestry.co.uk membership

(Note that you will need to register for a free account if you do not have one)

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.

Free access to Ancestry's UK and Irish records

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), a free weekend's access to UK and Irish records:

FREE ACCESS 23-25 FEBRUARY*
Banish those winter blues – make the most of free access to Ancestry

Starting this Friday, we're giving you free access* to all our UK and Irish records for three whole days.*

*Access to the records in the featured collections will start on 23 February 2018 and will be free until 25 February 2018 at 23:59 GMT. To view these records you will need to register for free with Ancestry.co.uk with your name and email address. We will then send you a username and password to access the records. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.co.uk paid membership.

To see a full list of the records in the featured collections please visit https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/group/uk_irish_records.

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.

National Archives launches Suffrage 100 portal

The National Archives in England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) has launched a new platform to commemorate the securing of the right to vote for some women a century ago. From the site:

100 years of women’s suffrage

2018 marks 100 years since some women were given the vote in parliamentary elections and 90 years since women got to vote on equal terms to men. The National Archives has a world-renowned collection of documents relating to the 20th century women’s suffrage movement. The wealth of records come from a range of government departments and illustrate the huge impact suffrage campaigns had across government.

Suffrage 100 is part of the nationwide Vote 100 campaign

To view the new platform visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/suffrage-100

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.

Free access to Ancestry's UK military records

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) is offering free access to its UK military holdings over this weekend, via http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/free-access - here is the blurb:

Our military history is on our minds at the moment, with the Passchendaele centenary and the new Dunkirk film. Don't miss this chance to track down your ancestors who served their country in WWII, WWI and earlier conflicts. From 21-24 July, get access to millions of records and find the military men and women in your family—all completely free.

*Access to the records in the featured collections will be free from 00:01 BST 21 July until 23:59 BST 24 July, 2017. To view these records you will need to register for free with Ancestry.co.uk with your name and email address. We will then send you a username and password to access the records. After the free access period ends, you will only be able to view the records in the featured collections using an Ancestry.co.uk paid membership. To see a full list of the records in the featured collections please click here (i.e. http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/group/uk_military_collections).

Good hunting!

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.

Who Do You Think You Are? series 14 participants announced

The participants of the next UK series of Who Do You Think You Are? have been announced as follows, with their transmission slots on BBC1 at 9pm, commencing on July 6th with veteran actor Charles Dance:

Charles Dance (July 6th)
Craig Revel Horwood (July 13th)
Clare Balding (July 20th)
Adil Ray (July 27th)
Emma Willia (August 3rd)
Lisa Hammond (TBA)
Noel Clarke (TBA)
Lula (TBA)
Fearne Cotton (TBA)
Ruby Wax (TBA)

The schedule may change in due course.

For further details, please visit Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine's coverage at http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/news/who-do-you-think-you-are-2017-celebrities-revealed.

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.

Family Tree magazine - family history survey

Let's have a wee natter! 😃

How do you feel about the family history scene just now? How healthy is the family history world, what activities, products, events, etc work for the family historian, and what doesn't? What would you like to see change in the near future - and what should stay the same?

For several years now I have been writing for the UK's longest running genealogy magazine, Family Tree (https://www.family-tree.co.uk), and yesterday I was contacted by the team and asked if I could perhaps fill out a short survey being sent out to various folk who work in the industry. I was more than happy to do so, but in discussion with the editor, Helen, I suggested it might be a conversation that readers of this blog might also wish to participate in. I'm glad to say that the offer has been taken up!

Whether you're an active family historian, a relative newbie, or someone who works in the variety of areas connected to the ancestral world, please take a few moments if you can to contribute to Family Tree's survey at the following link: https://www.research.net/r/Y78QM8H.

As Helen suggests, this is an opportunity to "mull over the future of family history and think of ways we can continue it as the fab hobby it is". In due course, I'll ask Helen to comment on some of the findings, and we'll publish some of your comments on this blog!  

Let us know what you think - and please do share the link to anyone you know who might be willing to add their thoughts!

(With thanks to Helen Tovey)

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.

Ancestry adds Canadian Fenian Raids bounty applications

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new Canadian dataset which may be of interest to those with an interest in Ireland's 19th century overseas attempts to repeal the union with Britain by force:

Canada, Fenian Raids Bounty Applications, 1866-1871
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61221
Source: Fenian Raids Bounty Applications, 1866-1871. Record Group 9. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

From the site:

About Canada, Fenian Raids Bounty Applications, 1866-1871

This database consists of bounty applications for veterans having served during the Fenian Raids of 1866 to 1871 in Canada.

Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian Brotherhood, Irish nationalists based in the United States, launched raids against Canada in an effort to force the British government to withdraw from Ireland. The raids took place at Campobello Island, New Brunswick; Ridgeway, Ontario; along the Quebec/US border at Eccles Hill and Huntingdon; and in 1871, an attempt was made to invade the province of Manitoba. To combat the Fenian threat, the Canadian Militia in both Ontario and Quebec was called out on several occasions, often for only a few days at a time. The Fenian scare was so widespread in British North America that the Nova Scotia Militia was also called out from time to time, although no raid took place in the colony.

Decades later, the federal government decided that all those who participated in the defence of Canada during the Fenian raids (and who were still living) would be provided a grant or bounty of $100 upon application under the terms of the Fenian Raid Volunteer Bounty Act (1912).

This database consists of lists of names, applications (2 sided), both allowed and disallowed, for the bounty as well as some records relating to pensions for those who were wounded, taken ill or killed while on active duty.

Application details available may include:

Name of Veteran
Muster Date
Muster Place
Discharge Date
Battalion

To see subsequent pages for possible statements by witnesses and comrades: press the arrow right to go to the next page.

Browse lists of names for Nova Scotia claims which are also included in Vol’s 28-38.

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.

Recent UK additions and updates to FamilySearch

Still catching up from some recent news. The following collections on FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org) are shown as being most recently launched or updated on FamilySearch - all are either English or UK collections:

• England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1984 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Essex, Bishop's Transcripts, 1779-1892 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Northumberland, Non-conformist Records, 1708-1982 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Northumberland, Parish Registers, 1538-1950 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Manchester, Parish Registers, 1603-1910 (28 Apr 2017)
• England, Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, Miscellaneous Records, 969-2007 (20 Apr 2017)
• England, Durham Diocese, Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1692-1900 (11 Apr 2017)
• British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries (16 Mar 2017)
• England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 (03 Mar 2017)
• United Kingdom, Royal Hospital Chelsea: Discharge Documents of Pensioners 1760-1887 (WO 122) (01 Mar 2017)
• England, Derbyshire, Church of England Parish Registers, 1537-1918 (28 Feb 2017)
• England, Lancashire, Oldham Cemetery Registers, 1797-2004 (13 Jan 2017)

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.

TheGenealogist adds 1920s UK passenger lists

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

New Passenger Lists go online for the 1920s era

TheGenealogist has just released four and a half million BT27 records for the 1920s. These Outbound Passenger Lists are part of the growing immigration and emigration record sets on TheGenealogist and contain the historical records of passengers who departed by sea from U.K. ports in the years between 1920 and 1929.

With the addition of this decade of records, the already strong Immigration, Emigration, Naturalisation and passenger list resources on TheGenealogist have been significantly expanded.

The fully searchable records released today will allow researchers to:

● Identify potential family members travelling together with SmartSearch. TheGenealogist’s unique system can recognise family members together on the same voyage. In this case it will display a family icon which allows you to view the entire family with one click.

● Find people travelling to America, Canada, India, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere in the Passenger lists of people leaving from the United Kingdom by sea.

● See images of the original documents which were kept by the Board of Trade's Commercial and Statistical Department and its successors.

● Discover the ages, last address and where the passenger intended to make their permanent residence.

● These fully indexed records enable family historians to search by name, year, country of departure, country of arrival, port of embarkation and port of destination.


Those with ancestors who travelled out of Britain will welcome this fascinating new release from TheGenealogist that adds to their Immigration and Emigration records which already includes passenger lists from as far back as 1896 and the valuable Naturalisation and Denization records.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

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.

UK archives and libraries security precautions

In the aftermath of the terrorist outrage in Manchester, England, on Monday, a quick note on security upgrades now in place at institutions across the country.

The National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) has tweeted the following:

We’ve increased our security at General and New Register House today – please bear with us as our team works to keep you safe.

Also in Edinburgh, the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk) Maps Collections department (@natlibscotmaps) has similarly tweeted the following:

Increased security at present means that large bags (backpacks, cases, etc) aren't allowed in our buildings. Thanks for your understanding.

The National Archives at Kew has also shared the following (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/additional-security-measures-at-the-national-archives/):

In response to the horrific terrorist attack in Manchester the government terrorist threat level has been raised to Critical, meaning that an attack is expected imminently.

The National Archives will open as normal and will operate a full service, however additional security measures will be in place. Visitors are asked to remain vigilant and report any concerns or suspicious activity to a security officer or member of staff.

Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the victims, the injured, and everyone affected by the attack.

I have yet to see if any other institutions have similar precautions enacted, but I think if planning a trip to any archive or library at present anywhere in the UK, it might be worth checking if any additional security requirements have been put in place that might affect your visit.

Chris

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