New digitised Northern Irish church records at PRONI from autumn 2018

The following church record sets from Northern Ireland have been digitised by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) last year and this year (2017/2018), with permission of the Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church and the Congregational Church. This completes PRONI's Church Records digitisation efforts for this year, with most of the collections not previously available at the archive in any format.

For the most part they will be accessible from the autumn in a digitised format via the onsite catalogue at the PRONI archive's premises in Belfast only, and not online. There are some closure periods in play for some of the registers - most notably all the new Methodist baptism records sadly - but most of the rest have an overlap with the commencement of the civil registration period in Ireland (April 1845 onwards for civil marriages, Jan 1864 onwards for baptisms).

Here is the list, with the catalogue accession numbers in brackets after the church name:

Church of Ireland Records (2017/2018 Batch)

Christ Church, Deriaghy, Lisburn, Co. Antrim (CR1/1)
Burials 1873-1913

Knockbreda Parish Church, Belfast. Co. Antrim (CR1/24)
Graveyard Book c.1763-2014

Craigs Parish Church, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim (CR1/55)
Baptisms 1839-1925 (records from 1864-1925 are closed)
Marriages 1841-1925
Burials 1841-1944
Vestry minutes 1874-1904
Register of Vestrymen 1870-1910

St Matthews Parish Church, Shankill, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/65)
Baptisms 1893-1905
Marriages 1897-1916
Burials 1887-1917
Vestry minutes 1858-1900
Confirmation register 1893-1930 (records from 1893-1930 are closed)

Dromore Cathedral , Dromore, Co. Down (CR1/119)
Church Warden Books 1801-1836

Christ Church, Lisburn, Co. Antrim (CR1/123)
Baptisms 1849-1909
Marriages 1874-1907

Magheragall Parish Church, Lisburn, Co. Antrim (CR1/124)
Baptisms 1775-1850
Marriages 1772-1845 **
Burials 1772-1858 **
Vestry Minutes 1771-1870 **
** for marriages 1772-1845, burials 1772-1842 consult combined Baptism, Marriage & Burial Registers in CR1/124/1. For Vestry Minutes 1771-1870 consult Baptism, Marriage, Burial & Vestry Register in CR1/124/1/1

St. Mark's Parish Church, Ballysillan, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/125)
Baptisms 1856-1890
Marriages 1860-1906
Vestry Minutes 1870-1914

St. James Parish Church, Dunaghy, Cullybackey, Co. Antrim (CR1/126)
Baptisms 1824-2001** (records from 1877-2001 are closed)
Burials 1906-2001**
Vestry Minutes 1794-1906
Register of Vestrymen 1870-1995
** Please note for Baptisms 1824-1826 consult Vestry Minutes in CR1/126/4/1/1 (Baptisms 1827-1886 not received). For Burials please consult CR1/127/3/1, records of Killagan Parish Church

Killagan Parish Church, Cullybackey, Co.Antrim (CR1/127)
Baptisms 1880-2001 (records from 1880-2001 are closed)
Marriages 1845-1935 (records from 1845-1935 are closed)
Burials 1894-1939

St. Columba's Parish Church, Kings Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/128)
Baptisms 1890-1945 (records from 1890-1945 are closed)
Marriages 1896-1917


Methodist Church Records (2017/2018 batch)

Dungannon Methodist Church, Co. Tyrone (CR6/23)
Baptisms 1830-1943 (records from 1830-1943 are closed)
Marriages 1865-1900

Primitive Wesleyan Methodist, Moy & Dungannon, Co. Tyrone (CR6/25)
Baptisms 1874-1997 (records from 1874-1997 are closed)

Stewartstown Methodist Church, Co. Tyrone (CR6/25)
Baptisms 1868-1911
Marriages 1869-1921

Carrickfergus Methodist Church, Co. Antrim (CR6/26)
Baptisms 1826-2015 (records from 1826-2015)
Marriages 1864-1916


Congregational Church Records (2017/2018 batch)

Albert Bridge Congregational Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR7/14)
Marriages 1878-1900

(With thanks to David Huddleston at PRONI)


Previously digitised collections, made available this time last year, are also accessible on site, and detailed as follows:

Church of Ireland Records

St. Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry (CR1/113)
Baptisms 1642 – 1983 (records from 1905 – 1983 are closed)
Marriages 1826 – 1830, 1843 – 1904
Burials 1829 – 1955 (records from 1874 – 1955 are closed)
Vestry Books 1741 – 1793
Vestry Minutes 1823 – 1935

Derryloran Parish, Co. Tyrone (CR1/114)
Baptisms 1797 – 1995 (records from 1913 – 1995 are closed)
Marriages 1832 – 2000 (records from 1930 – 2000 are closed)
Burials 1855 – 1878

St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/115)
Baptisms 1745 – 1911
Marriages 1745 – 1914
Burials 1745 – 1809

Drumcree Parish Church, Portadown, Co. Armagh (CR1/116)
Baptisms 1784 – 1930 (records from 1906 – 1930 are closed)
Marriages 1784 – 1930 (records from 1926 – 1930 are closed)
Burials 1784 – 2013

St. Andrew’s Parish Church, Hope Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/117)
Baptisms 1886 – 1933 (records from 1903 – 1933 are closed)
Marriages 1870 – 1889

St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church, Donegall Pass, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/118)
Baptisms 1847 – 1872
Marriages 1862 – 1872
Burials Not Received
Register of Vestrymen 1870 – 1932
Select Vestry Minutes 1900 – 1911

Dromore Cathedral, Dromore, Co. Down (CR1/119)
Baptisms 1784 – 1846
Marriages 1784 – 1845
Burials 1784 – 1853

St. Luke’s Parish Church, Mullaglass, Co. Armagh (CR1/120)
Baptisms 1852 – 1865
Marriages 1845 – 1880
Burials 1853 – 1865
Preachers 1860 – 1865
Vestry Minutes 1870 – 1911
Register of Vestrymen 1890 – 1902
Roll of Subscribers 1877 – 1913

St. George’s Parish Church, High Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR1/121)
Baptisms 1817 – 1870
Marriages 1817 – 1875
Burials Not Received
Minutes of Congregational Committee 1837 - 1840
Rector’s Notebook 1837 – 1843

St. Patrick’s Parish Church, Ballymacarret, Belfast, Co. Down (CR1/122)
Baptisms 1827 – 1883
Marriages 1827 – 1874
Burials Not Received
Minutes of general Vestry Meetings 1850 – 1980 (Closed)
Select Vestry Minutes 1891 – 1913


Methodist Church Records

Ballymacarrett Methodist Church (later known as Newtownards Road Methodist Church and now East Belfast Mission) (CR6/18)
Stewards Book 1871 – 1884

Hyde Park Methodist Church, Parish of Grange, Mallusk, Co. Antrim (CR6/19)
Marriages 1840 – 1931

Ligoniel Methodist Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR6/20)
Baptisms 1870 – 1908

Frederick Street Methodist Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR6/21)
Baptisms 1841 – 1877
Marriages 1840 – 1873

Salem Methodist New Connexion Church, York Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim (CR6/22)
Baptisms 1829 – 1904
Marriages 1836 - 1844

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.

FamilySearch extends microfilm loans deadline by a week

FamilySearch is extending its microfilm lending period by an additional week, before permanently pulling them from distribution. From the FamilySearch news site:

UPDATE: FamilySearch Digital Records Access Replacing Microfilm

Salt Lake City, Utah (30 August 2017), Thursday, September 7, 2017, marks the closing of an 80-year era of historic records access to usher in a new, digital model. FamilySearch is discontinuing its microfilm circulation services in concert with its commitment to make billions of the world’s historic records readily accessible digitally online. (See FamilySearch Digital Records Access Replacing Microfilm). As its remaining microfilms are digitized, FamilySearch has provided additional information to users of its historic microfilm program. Find and share this news announcement easily online in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

FamilySearch, a global leader in historic records preservation and access, began microfilming historic records in 1938. Advancements in technology have enabled it to be more efficient, making an unbelievable tide of digital images of historic records accessible much quicker online and to a far greater customer base.

FamilySearch released a list of helpful facts and tips to help patrons better navigate the transition from microfilm to digital.

QUICK FACTS AND TIPS

• Patrons can still order microfilms online until Thursday, September 7, 2017.
• After film ordering ends, if customers need access to a particular film yet to be digitized, they can express interest to have it added to the priority digitization list by contacting FamilySearch Support (Toll Free: 1-866-406-1830). 
• All of the microfilm rented by patrons in the past 5 years have now been digitized by FamilySearch—over 1.5 million microfilms (ca. 1.5 billion images).
• The remaining microfilms are being digitally scanned at a rate of 1,000 films per day and are projected to be complete by 2020.
• New digital images are available as they are scanned in the FamilySearch.org Catalog.
• Films currently on loan in family history centers and affiliate libraries are automatically granted extended loan status.
• Affiliate libraries now have access to nearly all of the restricted image collections as family history centers.
• Visitors to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City will still be able to order needed microfilms to use during their research visits. 
•  

HOW TO FIND DIGITAL IMAGES ON FAMILYSEARCH
Digital image collections can be accessed today in 3 places on FamilySearch.org, all under Search.

• Catalog. Includes a description of all the microfilms and digital images in the FamilySearch collection. This is where all of FamilySearch's digitized microfilm and new digital images from its global camera operations are being published. A camera icon appears in the Catalog adjacent to a microfilm listing when it is available digitally.
• Records includes collections that have been indexed by name or published with additional waypoints to help browse the unindexed images.
• Books include digital copies of books from the Family History Library and other libraries, including many books that were previously copied to microfilm. 
•  

For additional help, see Finding Digital Images of Records on FamilySearch.org, or watch this how-to video “Where are the digitized records on FamilySearch?”

“FamilySearch is committed to meeting customers’ needs as much as possible during this transition to digital access,” said Diane Loosle, FamilySearch’s Director of Patron Services. “We really appreciate the wonderful feedback we have received since the initial announcement. It is helping us better facilitate customer experiences during this next phase.”

Loosle said FamilySearch's over 5,000 family history centers will continue to provide access to relevant technology, premium subscription services, and digital records, including restricted content not available at home. Centers have the option to return microfilm that is available online or otherwise not needed. As more images are published online, centers may reevaluate whether to retain microfilm holdings.

See Frequently Asked Questions: Digital Access Replacing Microfilms for more information.

(With thanks to FamilySearch)

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.

Canadian Expeditionary Force service files digitisation update

Library and Archives Canada (www.bac-lac.gc.ca) has announced an update on its project to digitise its service files for the Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers who served in the First World War. many of the soldiers were recent immigrants from Britain and Ireland, my grandmother's cousin Robert Currie amongst them.

The archive has now digitised some 217,062 of 640,000 files, with more work ongoing. The archive is essentially doing them in alphabetical order.

For more information, visit the archive's dedicated blog at http://thediscoverblog.com/2015/11/16/digitization-of-the-canadian-expeditionary-force-personnel-service-files-update-of-november-2015/.

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/.

Lincoln born Jamaican planter and slave owner papers digitised

Beinecke Library has digitised diaries and papers of Thomas Thistlewood, a Jamaican planter and slave owner, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1721. From the library's blog (http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/thomas-thistlewood-papers), the following is the material that has been digitised:

The papers consist of diaries, weather journals, commonplace books, reading notes and other material documenting the life, work, and intellectual interests of the Jamaican planter and slaveowner Thomas Thistlewood. Thistlewood's 37 diaries contain daily entries dating between 1750 and 1786. Topics include Thistlewood's work as an overseer, and later owner, of slaves, including his methods of assigning work, alloting provisions, and discipline; his personal and sexual relationships with several, including his lengthy relationship with Phibbah; and slave rebellions and rumors of rebellions, including Tacky's Revolt (1760). Thirty-four annual weather journals containing daily summaries, including precipitation measurements. Diaries from 1764 through 1767 also contain separate lists of daily Fahrenheit temperatures and rainfall amounts.

To access the material, visit http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Search/Results?lookfor=OSB_MSS_176&type=CallNumber&sort=title

(With thanks to Cyndi Ingle)

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/.

US National Archives digitisation priorities

The US National Archives has an interesting blog post online in which it has announced its priorities in terms of digitisation projects for the foreseeable future. The list includes a huge amount that will be of interest to folk on this side of the pond as much as in the US, such as seamen's records, military records, naturalisation documents, and much more.

The blog post is available at http://narations.blogs.archives.gov/2015/10/02/announcing-naras-digitization-priorities/ - well worth a read.

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/.

Roman Catholic records from Salford diocese are being digitised

The Catholic Family History blog has a report on a current project to digitise the Roman Catholic parish registers from the diocese of Salford in England (which includes Manchester), including all baptism, confirmation, marriage and death registers as deposited at Lancashire County Record Office. The cut off point will be the mid 20th century, and the project will also include some registers still held at parish level. Many of the records have already been digitised, with work continuing on the rest, and there are plans to create indexes.

The full story is available at https://catholicfhs.wordpress.com/2015/08/29/salford-diocese-parish-registers-project/, with a direct link to the project also available at www.sdaregisters.co.uk.

(With thanks to Lawrence Gregory at the Catholic Family History blog)

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.

National Archives of Ireland needs to step up a gear with its online catalogue

I've just had a look at the additions to the National Archives of Ireland's online catalogue (www.nationalarchives.ie/research/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-the-online-catalogue/2015-updates/). There's some fairly tedious government material from 2014 and 2015, but some resources that may be of interest to family historians include the following:

• Galway District Probate Registry 1988 (2013/103)
• Galway District Probate Registry 1989 (2013/104)
• Galway District Probate Registry 1990 (2013/105)
• County Carlow Finance Compensation Files (FIN/COMP/2/1) (197 files)
• County Donegal Finance Compensation Files (FIN/COMP/2/5) (840 files)

The latter two entries on compensation files relate to the post Irish Civil War Compensation Act of 1923.

Unfortunately that is about as detailed as the catalogued entries get, on what is one of the world's least friendly online archive catalogues. If you compare the online catalogue from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland at http://apps.proni.gov.uk/DCAL_PRONI_eCatNI_IE/SearchPage.aspx with that from the National Archives of Ireland at www.nationalarchives.ie/search-the-archives/ you are looking at the difference between the light provided in daytime and the lack of it at night.

When I look at the PRONI catalogue from my home here in Scotland I can ascertain a great deal of information that allows me to judge whether it is worth a visit over to Belfast. For example, on one occasion last year I discovered a PRONI catalogue entry mentioning that the archive held a copy of a school log book once kept by my four times great grandfather John Montgomery from Islandmagee. I hopped straight onto a ferry the following day to see it, and was stunned to find a lot of genealogical information scribbled within it, concerning John, a sister I never knew about, and John's land holdings in Islandmagee - that, plus of course details of many pupils who he taught, including several of my relatives. I was able to do so because I was able to get the heads up from the PRONI catalogue.

Some Irish records have been helpfully catalogued on platforms such as RASCAL (www.rascal.ac.uk) and the Irish Archive Resource (www.iar.ie). But the National Archives of Ireland, whilst having some success in recent years on the digitised collections on its genealogy site at www.genealogy.nationalarchives.ie, really needs to up its game on its online catalogue provision. I have no doubt that the archive has a tonne of material waiting to be plundered concerning both my family from the north and in Dublin, as well as for my wife's family in Kilkenny and Tipperary - but I am not going to just fly to Dublin and hope that I can find it whilst there. Time is money for such trips, and I need to be able to plan what I want to see in advance, something I can adequately do in advance of visits to Belfast, Edinburgh, London, but sadly, as yet, not Dublin.

How many other people would similarly consider consulting the NAI's collections if they could only see what it actually holds? Personally, I would be much happier if NAI held back on the digitisation efforts now for a bit, and started to put some more effort into its cataloguing programme.

Chris

The latest British GENES podcast is available at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/podcasts.html. For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Digital Past conference in February 2015

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is organising a two day conference entitled Digital Past, from February 11th-12th 2015, at
Brangwyn Hall, The Guildhall, Swansea.

The conference will showcase innovative digital technologies and techniques for data capture, interpretation and dissemination of the heritage of Wales, the UK and beyond.

For further details visit http://heritageofwalesnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/digital-past-2015.html

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

The Irish Catholic registers digitisation that never happened

My recent blog posts on Ancestry's release of Irish parish registers has brought a response from reader Stuart McGee. He contacted the National Library of Ireland (www.nli.ie) in May of last year to ask what had become of its tender, announced in October 2010, to digitise the Roman Catholic parish registers for Ireland held on microfilm at the institution, with the intention to make them available online. The tender is accessible here, with sample images and an 18 page tender brief outlining what was required of the successful applicant. In this document the library described the collection as follows:

There are 520 reels of 35mm microfilm that represent the parish records from approximately 1,200 Parishes and some 24 Dioceses.

The original 35mm negatives are available and will be used to generate a clean positive format surrogate for digitisation purposes. The standard of original microfilming was variable as it was mainly done in the 1950-70’s.

Each film will be a 35mm positive microfilm. The case will be marked with the unique microfilm number – the P number e.g. P9156. A given reel may contain several registers. There is a lead in sheet/frame separating registers within a reel. The lead in sheet identifies the Diocese, Parish, Dates Range(s), and Events (e.g. Baptisms & Marriages) for the register which follows it.

Sadly, it never happened. Here's the response Stuart gained last year:

There were/are no preferred suppliers. It was with regret that we had to cancel the competition.

The decision was due to insufficient resources in the National Library of Ireland, with which to manage/coordinate the projects envisaged.  

At present there are no plans to resurrect the project.

Over three years on, perhaps it is time to try again? Before big scary Ancestry decides to move in further anyway... (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/armageddon-ancestry-and-ireland.html).

(With thanks to Stuart McGee)

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.