Scottish deaths and English marriages added to FindmyPast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris

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

TheGenealogist adds to its 1921 census substitute

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

TheGenealogist adds more records to its new 1921 census substitute

With the 1921 census still some years away from public release, TheGenealogist has added to its 1921 census substitute. This resource covers a large number of county directories which have been transcribed to produce a searchable resource. This appears under Census Records as the 1921 Census Substitute on TheGenealogist and they encompass a period currently not served by a published census. With this release the total records are boosted to 1.75 million heads of household.

The fully transcribed, searchable records released today will allow researchers to:

* search on forename, surname and profession

* search by street, town and county

* look for a business name

* discover your ancestors’ addresses

* find professions listed

These 1921 directories cover Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicestershire & Rutland, Derby, Shropshire, Kent and add to those already released for Aberdeen, Bath, Berkshire, Bradford and Surrounding Districts, Bristol and Suburbs, Brixton and Clapham, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Channel Islands, Cheshire, Cumberland, Dorset, Durham, Hessle, Hull, Lincolnshire, London, London County Suburbs, Middlesbrough, Norfolk, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Westmorland, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire. If you have ancestors that you are tracing in the 1920s then this new release from TheGenealogist adds a fantastic name rich resource for you to use.

At a time when we are celebrating the 100 years of women getting the vote we have used this newly released records to find some people with suffragette connections.

See our article here: https://thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/1920s-census-substitute-reveals-the-suffragists-tea-room-836/

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

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

British India directories 1792-1948 added to FindmyPast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris

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

Ancestry adds London directories and East India Company records

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new collection of London directories and records of interest for India - here are the descriptions:

London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61265
Source: London Directories held by the London Metropolitan Archives, London, England. Images produced by permission of the City of London Corporation. The City of London gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB (email: ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk). Infringement of the above condition may result in legal action.

About London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943

This database is a collection of directories for London from 1736 to 1943. Various types of directories exist, including:

• Street: listing of residents, businesses, and tradesmen according to street address
• Commercial: includes businesses, but may also include private residences; generally an alphabetical listing of traders
• Trade: not just for businesses, but anyone with a recognized trade or profession; an alphabetical listing of trades and businesses
• Court: lists wealthy residents and government officials
• Post Office: listing of householder's names and addresses

UK, Registers of Employees of the East India Company and the India Office, 1746-1939
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61468
Source: The Wohl Library of the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, England, Registers of Employees of the East India company from 1707 to 1861 and the India Office from 1862 to 1947.

About These Records

The records list the employees, both civil and military, of the East India Company and later, the India Office. You may be able to find (where available):

• Name
• Military Rank
• Place of residence or military service
• Date of death
• Place of death
• Date of marriage
• Name of parents

Chris

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

Ancestry adds three new Fife based collections

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released three new collections from Fife, Scotland, and one from England:

Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, Dockyard Employee Books, 1892-1967
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61425
Rosyth Dockyard Employmee Books, Fife Library and Archives Services, Fife, Scotland

This collection includes records of individuals who were employed at Rosyth Dockyard located in Fife, Scotland. Details are also included of places and dates of employment at other dockyards around the country, which explains why dates found within the collection precede the construction of Rosyth Dockyard in 1909. It was built at the orders of the Royal Navy, looking to strengthen their presence along the Eastern seaboard at a time when Britain was engaged in a naval arms race with Germany.

The Rosyth Dockyard Employee Books can be found in Dunfermline Carnegie and Galleries.


Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, War Albums, 1899 - 1916
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61645
Kirkcaldy War Albums, Fife Library and Archives Services, Fife, Scotland.

This collection includes four volumes of men from the District of Kirkcaldy posing in military uniform during both the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and First World War (1914-1918).

The first volume is titled 'War Album Containing Portraits of Over Two Hundred Fife Men Serving in South Africa and Groups and Views Connected with the War'. There are also four volumes with portraits of local Fife men serving in the First World War.

The Kirkcaldy War Albums can be found in the Kirkcaldy Galleries.


Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, Directory and Yearbook, 1892
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61423
Source: Burntisland Trade Directory, Fife Library and Archives Services, Fife, Scotland.

Directories were first published around the beginning of the nineteenth century; they primarily only covered cities and larger towns. This directory covers the town of Burntisland, Fife, situated on the south-west coast of the County. The town of Burntisland is a sea-port and a Royal Burgh and traditional industries include fishing and coal.


And from England:

Buckinghamshire, England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, 1535-1812
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61538
Source: 'Electronic databases created from various publications of parish and probate 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.

TheGenealogist adds directories from 1921

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

TheGenealogist introduces a new census substitute for the year 1921

TheGenealogist has just released a new circa 1921 resource, covering 23 counties, with over one million records. These form part of the Trade, Residential & Telephone record sets on TheGenealogist covering a period currently not served by a census.

The fully transcribed, searchable records released today will allow researchers to:

● search on forename, surname and profession
● search by street, town and county
● look for a business name
● discover your ancestors’ addresses
● find professions listed

These 1921 directories cover the North, South, East and the West of England, the Channel Islands and as far up the country as Aberdeen. If you have ancestors who you are tracing in 1921, this new release from TheGenealogist adds a fantastic name rich resource to your family history research armoury.

Searching for householders within these 23 newly released county directories returns a good number of names from that time, including many that are still famous today. For example, in these new records we can find Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of Selfridge's department store; Jesse Boot, who was behind the chemist chain that still carries his name; Winnie-the-Pooh’s author A. A. Milne; J.M. Barrie, who created the characters of Peter Pan and Wendy; plus the celebrated economist, John Maynard Keynes. You can read more about finding them in the records in our featured article at: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2017/addressing-where-they-were-in-1921-571/

The areas covered in this release include:
● Aberdeen
● Bath
● Berkshire
● Bradford and Surrounding Districts
● Bristol and Suburberbs
● Brixton and Clapham
● Buckinghamshire
● Cambridgeshire
● Channel Islands
● Cheshire
● Cumberland
● Dorset
● Durham
● Hessle
● Hull
● Lincolnshire
● London
● London County Suburbs
● Middlesbrough
● Norfolk
● Northumberland
● Oxfordshire
● Somerset
● Suffolk
● Westmorland
● Wiltshire
● Worcestershire
● Yorkshire

We will be adding further counties in the coming months.

(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.

TheGenealogist adds medical and dental directories

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

We have just added over 100,000 records to our occupational collection that will allow you to find ancestors with a medical background. These records list all qualified Doctors/Dentists in the U.K. at the time, including their name, address, date of registration and qualifications.

These new releases include:

The Medical Directory 1848
The Medical Register 1861
The Medical Register 1873
The Medical Register 1875
The Medical Register 1891
The Medical Register 1903
The Dentists Register 1888
The Dentists Register 1937
The Royal College of Physicians List of Fellows 1908
St Thomas's Hospital List of Old Students, June 1936

The website has also added to its war memorials collection:

We have released a further 104 War Memorials, including 904 images and 11,998 names, bringing our total to over 375,000 individuals listed. This latest release includes memorials from Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire, as well as many Boer War Memorials.

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 York Colour Tithe Maps and Yorkshire Directories

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

TheGenealogist releases York Colour Tithe Maps and Yorkshire Directories.

TheGenealogist is very pleased to announce the release of the City of York and Ainsty Colour Tithe Maps, plus another significant batch of Yorkshire directories released in time for the Yorkshire Family History Show at York Racecourse.

To coincide with the return of one of the largest family history events in England, at the Knavesmire Exhibition Centre at the York Racecourse on the 24th of June and which is sponsored by TheGenealogist, today sees the release of a set of new records for York.

TheGenealogist has just added the colour tithe maps that cover the City of York and Ainsty to its National Tithe Records collection to compliment the gray scale maps and apportionment books that are already live. In addition it has released another 23 residential and commercial directory books to its ever expanding collection of Trade, Residential and Telephone Directories to help those with Yorkshire ancestors find their addresses.

The fully searchable records released online will allow researchers to:

● Find plots of land owned or occupied by ancestors in early Victorian York and Ainsty on colour maps

● See where your forebears lived, farmed or perhaps occupied a small cottage or a massive estate.

● Discover addresses of ancestors before, between and after the years covered by the census in the Trade, Residential and Telephone Directories. (1735-1937)

● Uncover details of the neighbourhood and understand communication links to other towns where your stray ancestor may have moved to.

TheGenealogist’s National Tithe Record Collection covers all counties of England and Wales and so can be used to find where your English and Welsh ancestors lived at the time that this great survey took place between 1837 and the mid 1850s. The Trade, Residential & Telephone directories also encompass the whole country and can be useful both as research tool and as a valuable insight into the lives of our ancestors. They are a useful resource for tracing ancestors, particularly if they had a distinctive trade and can be used as a census substitute for the years prior to 1841 or after 1911 and also to provide information on their whereabouts between census years.

For anyone with Yorkshire ancestors this new release from TheGenealogist adds colour to the story of where their family lived. To search these and the vast number of other records covering the country see more at https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk.

(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.

Thom's Irish Almanacs and Directories on Ancestry

I'm still catching up on some recent developments, but this seems a fairly significant one - a new collection on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), released in mid-March, called Ireland, City and Regional Directories, 1847-1946, available at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61314.

The collection consists of Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, and covers all of Ireland, north and south, both before and after partition, as well as Britain. Here's the blurb on Ancestry about the set:

Alexander Thom published the first Thom’s Irish Almanac and Official Directory in 1844. Over the next one hundred years, it grew to include a Dublin street directory, volumes listing the names, addresses, and occupations for residents of other towns and districts in the country, and a wide variety of happenings, institutions, businesses, and departments for Ireland and the UK, including the following:

* County fairs and markets in Ireland
* Parliamentarian directories
* Civil service and law directories for Great Britain
* Navy, army, and militia directories
* Colonial directories
* Universities, colleges, schools
* Churches and ecclesiastical directories
* County and borough directories
* Postal directory
* Peerages

Within the collection, you will be able to find names, places and dates of residence and often an occupation is given as well.

Well worth exploring.

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences May 15th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, 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.

Dorset records and UK medical directories join Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following collection for Dorset, England:

Dorset, England, Poor Law Apprenticeship Records, 1623-1898
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61226

Several medically related directories are also now available on the site, as sourced from the Wellcome Library:

UK & Ireland, Medical Directories, 1845-1942
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61053

UK, Dentist Registers, 1879-1942
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61101

UK, The Midwives Roll, 1904-1959
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61102

UK, Medical and Dental Students Registers, 1882-1937
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61100

UK, Roll of the Indian Medical Service, 1615 -1930
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61103


Recently updated English and Welsh collections include:

• Radnorshire, Wales, Marriages, 1813-1838
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1910
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1910
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1910
• Dorset, England, Poor Law Apprenticeship Records, 1623-1898
• Warwickshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812

Details are available via http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/recent-collections

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, 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.

5 week course from Northumberland and Durham Family History Society

Northumberland and Durham Family History Society (www.ndfhs.org.uk) is running a five week long family history course from September 14th - October 12th at its Library and Research Centre, Percy House, Newcastle, England. The price is £35.

From the society's website:

The aim of the course is to enable you to:

• learn how to extract information from the basic records;
• develop the skills to enable you to link one record to another to help advance your knowledge of your ancestors;
• understand how to record the information accrued through your research;
• build your family tree.

Dates:
14th September 2016 (Week 1)
Introduction to the course; Civil Registration

21st September 2016 (Week 2)
Parish Registers

28th September 2016 (Week 3)
Census Returns 1841-1911

5th October 2016 (Week 4)
Trade Directories, Electoral Registers, and Newspapers

12th October 2016 (Week 5)
Wills

Timetable:
10.30 am to 12.30 pm—Instruction as above
1.00 pm to 2.00 pm—Using the Society’s Percy House facilities with support
Course Fee: £35.00 payable by cheque to “NDFHS”


To make a booking:
Please contact The Librarian by email: librarian@ndfhs.org.uk by phone: 0191 261 2159 or 0191 284 1678

(With thanks to News Post leader at http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/society-offers-family-history-course-1-8094908)

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.

Directories, US POWs and Worcestershire baptisms join TheGenealogist

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

TheGenealogist releases British Telephone Directories, United States WW2 PoWs and more Worcestershire Baptism Transcripts

TheGenealogist has just launched a new collection of British telephone directories. Complementing the early UK Telephone Directory from 1899-1900 that is already available on TheGenealogist, this new release includes the 1907 Post Office National Directory which adds a resource for finding names and addresses before the 1911 census. This directory was published at a time when the telephone was becoming more important to our ancestors. The Post Office's first coin-operated call box had been installed at London’s Ludgate Circus just the year before, and Trunk (long distance) telephone charges were reduced to half-price for telephone calls made after 7pm and before 7am.

In addition, and at the same time, TheGenealogist has released the 1938 South Wales District Post Office Telephone Directory. The big contrast between this and the earlier directories are that so many more ordinary people had become telephone subscribers. For this reason the directories were by now split up into regions to cope with the large number of names and addresses.

* Containing names and address details for subscribers the telephone directories are a useful resource for discovering ancestors who had a phone
* Find private names and small businessmen’s addresses. If your ancestor worked as a fishmonger, butcher, ironmonger or bootmaker, then all these and more feature in the fascinating records.
* The difference between the turn of the century directories and the 1938 South Wales District Directory is marked by the number of new telephone subscribers, so making it possible to find many more ancestor’s names and addresses.

TheGenealogist has also just released online the United States WWII Prisoner of War records to compliment those that are already online for British and former Empire Prisoners of War of the Germans in WWI and WWII.

* These new records reveal the names of U.S. military as well as U.S. and some Allied civilians who were prisoners of war and internees
* Covering the years 1942 - 1947, Prisoners of both Germany and Japan are included in this collection
* The record for each prisoner provides
* Name
* Casualty status
* Rank
* Service number
* PoW camp
* Regiment, branch of service or civilian status
* Home town or place of enlistment
* Date reported
* Race
* State of residence


In another record release TheGenealogist have added over 37,450 individuals to their Baptism Transcripts for Worcestershire in partnership with Malvern Family History Society, expanding their coverage and bringing the total to over 2 million individuals. These records range from the years 1544 to 1891.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

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.

Irish updates and additions on Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has updated its Ireland, Civil Registration Marriages Index, 1845-1958 database at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2572, though there is no indication as to how.

In addition, two new third party indexes to online Irish based collections have been added to the site:

Web: Ireland, Wills of Irish Soldiers Who Died in the British Army, 1897-1922
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70789

This is effectively a third part index to the irish Soldiers Wills collection as found on the national Archives of Ireland's genealogy collections website at The National Archives of Ireland, at http://soldierswills.nationalarchives.ie/search/sw/home.jsp

Web: Ireland, Trade Directory, 1931
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70782

This is a collection originally found on Dr. Jane Lyons' From Ireland.net website at http://www.from-ireland.net/trade-directory/?pg=1

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/.

FindmyPast releases Britain, Directories & Almanacs

Just released by FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Britain, Directories & Almanacs

Britain, Directories & Almanacs allows you to explore 112 volumes of fascinating documents spanning three centuries. They include a wide variety of records ranging from trade directories and county guides to almanacs and general directories. Almanacs and directories are an excellent resource for anyone researching their family history and can provide unique insights into how your ancestors lived.

They can include topographical accounts of towns, social statistics and comprehensive guides of local areas as well as full listings of gentry, business owners, trades people, civil servants, church leaders, school teachers and much more! You can also uncover the history of your home and uncover previous proprietors.

Included in the collection is Colonial Office Lists from 1863 and 1870. They includes both lists of officers and those working within the civil establishment throughout the British Empire and can even provide geographical details and histories of regions such as Barbardos, the Cape of Good Hope, Dominica, Malta, Nova scotia, New South Wales and Trinidad.

The collection is formed from records held by the Anguline Research Archives, Gould Genealogy, Yorkshire Ancestors and Eneclann. There are also a significant number of Irish records taken from Dod's peerage, baronetage and knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, and Thom’s Official Directory for Great Britain & Ireland, 1914 – a directory for both Great Britain and Ireland which includes social and economic statistics for all countries involved.

Each record consists of a PDF image of the original document that can reveal where your ancestor lived, where they worked and whether they owned a business. A Transcript box will also be displayed to the left of the image that will clearly mark the title of the publication, where the publication is based and an image number to help you to explore the publication further.

A full list of the many sources that make up the collection is available on our dedicated search page (http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/britain-directories-and-almanacs).

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/.

Northern Ireland's PRONI archive uploads Your Family Tree lecture series to YouTube

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has added recordings of its recent lecture series entitled Your Family Tree to its dedicated YouTube channel. Details of the talks, with links to each on YouTube, are located at www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/proni-on-youtube/your_family_tree_lecture_series.htm.

The talks were as follows:

Part 1 - Getting Started by Janet Hancock
Part 2 - Using Street Directories by Des McCabe
Part 3 - Using Church Records by Valerie Adams
Part 4 - Tracing World War One Ancestors by Ian Montgomery
Part 5 - Using Education Records by Valerie Adams
Part 6 - Using Workhouse Records by Janet Hancock
Part 7 - Using Valuation Records by William MacAfee
Part 8 - Using Landed Estate Records by Stephen Scarth
Part 9 - Using Court, Prison and Coroners Records by Wesley Geddis
Part 10 - Using the General Register Office by Emma Elliott

The YouTube channel itself is accessible at https://www.youtube.com/user/PRONIonline

(With thanks to Claire Santry)

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.

New version of Canadian Directories database released by LAC

Library and Archives Canada has released a new version of its Canadian Directories database at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/directories-collection/Pages/search.aspx. The site contains directories for the Ontario cities of Hamilton, Kingston and London and for the counties of Southwestern Ontario.

For more on the announcement, visit the archive's dedicated blog at http://thediscoverblog.com/2015/01/29/canadian-directories-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.

South African directories 1813-1962 on Ancestry

Newly released on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), via the Worldwide subscription:

South Africa, City and Area Directories, 1813-1962
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=60717
Source: "Various sources"

Not a lot of detail on the site about this one!

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.

Devon records and Dublin directories on FindmyPast

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Findmypast releases over 1.7 million Devon parish records, over 250,000 Devon Wills and a ten years of Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland

Every Friday, leading family history website Findmypast reveals thousands of new records to explore over the weekend on its dedicated Findmypast Friday page. This week’s new additions include over 1.7 million new additions to our collection of Devonshire parish birth, marriage, banns and burial records, over 250,000 Devon Wills Index 1844-1900 records and Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland 1835-1845.

The Devon Wills Index 1163-1999 contains over 250,000 records proved by 30 courts. Many probate records for the county of Devon and the Diocese of Exeter were lost in 1942, when the Probate Registry was destroyed in the bombing during the Exeter Blitz of WWII. The index reveals where copies, transcripts, abstracts or extracts of original testamentary documents may be found and if they have survived. Each record includes a transcript of the original record that will list the testator’s names, the year of probate, place and any additional notes as well as court details, document form, source and reference code.

Over 705,000 new records have been added to our collection of Devon parish baptisms 1444-1915 in partnership with South West Heritage Trust and Parochial Church Council. Now containing over 2.2 million records, this collection comprises transcripts and colour images of baptisms, scanned from original registers held at the record offices in Devon. Along with the parish records from the Plymouth and West Devon area, which are already available separately on Findmypast, this now represents the most comprehensive collection of Devon parish records available anywhere.

Over 164,000 new records have been added Devon Parish Banns 1538-1915. Now totalling over 367,000 records, the Banns records usually list the full names of the bride and groom, their places of residence, the date of banns and the date of their marriage. Colour images scanned from the originals are included.

Over 308,585 records have been added to our collection of Devon parish marriages 1446-2001. There are over 1.8 million marriage records in the Devon registers. Many include the names of witnesses (often family members), the names and occupations of the bride’s and groom’s parents, the occupation of the groom, and the couple’s previous marital condition. Viewing the image of the original register may also reveal the signatures of your ancestors.

Over 549,000 records have been added to the Devon burial registers, 1320-1926. These transcripts and images cover burials for most of the Anglican parishes in the English county of Devon and contain over a million records. Containing over 1.6 million records and covering nearly 600 years of Devonshire history, the records can include useful biographical information such as the full name of the deceased, the date of their death and burial, their age at death, their place of residence and religious denomination.

Pettigrew & Oulton's Dublin Almanac & General Register of Ireland 1835-1845 has been added to our collection of Newspapers, Directories and Social History records. Pettigrew and Oulton’s was the first annual publication to include a street by street directory of Dublin. First published in 1834, the Almanac provided not simply a street directory but also an alphabetical list of inhabitants, grouped by profession. Pettigrew and Oulton’s was published until 1845. Now available on Findmypast, the index is fully searchable and contains over 6,000 search results.

(With thanks to Alex Cox)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Dublin street directories and English wills added to FindmyPast

As a consequence of the recent purchase of Origins.net by FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk), a major new collection for those with Dublin ancestry is now available on the site, in the form of Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, from 1845-1900. The collection is available at http://search.findmypast.com/search-world-Records/ireland-thoms-directory-1844-1900.

The full collection of directories from Origins is listed at www.origins.net/help/aboutio-irishdirs-coll.aspx, so expect to see further additions in due course.

Several more English wills databases have also been added from the Origins site:

• Oxfordshire Wills index 1516-1857
• York Peculiars Probate Index 1383-1883
• Somerset Medieval Will abstracts 1385-1558
• Hertfordshire Probate records index 1415-1858
• England & Wales Published Wills & Probate Indexes, 1300-1858
• Surrey, Prerogative Court of Canterbury will abstracts 1736-1794
• London & Middlesex Will Abstracts 1700-1704
• Lancashire Wills Proved at Richmond 1457-1812,
• London, Court of Husting will abstracts 1258-1688

Full details on these at http://blog.findmypast.com/2014/over-256000-new-wills-and-probate-records-as-well-as-over-86000-pages-of-irish-directories-and-social-history-records/

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

New Zealand directories 1866-1954

If your ancestors emigrated to New Zealand, Ancestry's newly uploaded New Zealand, City & Area Directories, 1866-1954 collection may help. It can be accessed directly at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1845

From the site:

The majority of this collection is comprised of the Wise's New Zealand Post Office Directory. Although unauthorized, it was a commercial endeavor sanctioned by the Post Office and published by Henry Wise & Co., Dunedin. It covered all of New Zealand and was the first national postal directory of householders published nearly every year or two years from 1872 to 1955.

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.