February events at PRONI in Belfast

The following events are taking place at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), in Belfast, during the month of February:

February 2018

• Suffrage and Society: Then and Now – Reflections on the Representation of the People Act, 1918
• The Art and Science of Linen
• War, women and the gypsy caravan: the emergence of Belfast's first female police officers, 1914-43
• The contribution of the Indian Community through Trade, Migration and Cultural rites of passage
• Western Front Association 2018 program
• National Monuments and Buildings Record NI lecture series
• Association football & Irish-born player migration to Britain & the USA, 1888-1939
• Practical Workshop – Using family and local history resources online

For further details visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events.

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.

300 years of Ulster migration conference in 2018

From the Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com):

With Christmas now over why not plan the perfect Summer escape?

Running from 05-12 September 2018 Tracing your Irish Ancestors 2018 will mark the tercentenary of the 1718 migration and 300+ years of Irish migration with visits to sites and places synonymous with the migration of Ulster and Irish families to the New Worlds (North America, Australasia, South Africa etc).

Choose to research in the archives or visit some of Ireland’s most historic sites

During our 7 day conference you will be able to shape your own experiences by choosing to either research in the different archives in Belfast and Dublin or join our staff on daily excursions through Ireland's beautiful landscape to some of its most historic sites.

300+ years of Irish migration

Trips during our 2018 programme will see you embark on a guided through the Bann Valley, the area in Ulster most directly associated with the 1718 migration; walk on the walls and explore the historic port city of Derry~Londonderry, one of the finest examples of a walled city in Europe; uncover the stories of some of the earliest people to travel from Ulster to Australia at the Down Museum; visit the Ulster American Folk Park which is dedicated to the story of emigration from Ulster to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries; as well as delving deeper into the past with visits to the Hill of the O’Neill in Dungannon to learn about the 'Flight of the Earls' in 1607, when two of Ulster's leading lords left the island for Continental Europe, never to return and Barons Court, the magnificent seat of the Duke of Abercorn whose ancestors migrated from Scotland over 400 years ago.

These tours are also enlivened with visits to other renowned historical sites of interest across the island of Ireland as you will journey into pre-history to marvel at the UNESCO World Heritage site at Newgrange and look out onto the North Atlantic Ocean from the stones of the Giant’s Causeway.

You will also be able to visit Kilmainham Gaol, one of Dublin city’s most important monuments and visitor attractions and view the beautifully illustrated Book of Kells at Trinity College. All this and much much more!

Early Bird Offer

Avail now of our early bird registration offer of only £899.99 (GBP) ($1187 approx.), giving a saving of £50 on the full price of £949.99 (GBP).

Places can fill up fast so reserve your place now, with a deposit of only £299.99 (GBP) per person! Given the current low value of sterling (GBP) against other currencies now is a particularly good time for overseas visitors to purchase.

For more information please click here

Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History Course, 05-09 February 2018

Running from 05-09 February 2018 Tracing Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History Course will cover topics such as Irish land divisions; Nineteenth and early twentieth century census returns; Church records; Civil records; Griffith’s valuation; Tithe applotment books; wills and testamentary papers; and much more!

The knowledge you gain from our family history courses will help you get to grips with research techniques, archives and genealogical sources in Ireland; provide you with the information and skills to further explore your family history and help you find your elusive Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.

More information on the details of this course can be found here

North American Lecture Tour 2018

We hope our American friends can join us during our 2018 U.S. cecture tour. Beginning in Augusta, GA on 03 March and ending in Honolulu, HI on 20 March our lecture tour is a great way to learn more about your Irish and Scots-Irish roots.

Please feel free to share information about our lecture tour with your genealogical or historical society and friends on social media.

For a full list of tour dates click here

Chris

Needing a Christmas present for a family history obsessed love one (or for yourself)?! 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.

More Times of India notices added to FIBIS database

From the Families in British India Society (www.fibis.org) team:

Times of India arrival and departure notices 1858 have been uploaded to the FIBIS database website. The data consists of 5703 arrivals and 3049 departures, a total of 8752 new entries.

Our thanks go to David Edge and his wonderful team of volunteers!

The database entries are accessible at http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=985.

(With thanks to Valmay Young)

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.

Times of India 1900 arrival and departure notices on FIBIS

From the Families in British India Society (www.fibis.org):

Times of India arrival and departure notices 1900 have been extracted from the Times of India newspapers and uploaded to the FIBIS database website.

This data consists of 7,344 arrivals, 7,797 departures, a total of 15,531 new entries!

Our thanks go to David Edge and his wonderful team of volunteers!

The data is available at http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_components&id=985 - additional entries already there date back to 1868.

(With thanks to Valmay Young)

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. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Seven new book titles available from Unlock the Past

Australian based publisher Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au) has released several new titles which may be of interest, including a couple of my own which I have recently mentioned on this blog.

The new titles are as follows:

A Decade of Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923 - Chris Paton

Discover Protestant Nonconformity in England and Wales - Paul Blake

Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition) - Chris Paton

Google: The Genealogist's Friend - Helen V. Smith

Migration to New Zealand: A Guide for Family History Researchers (2nd ed) - Christine Clement

Resources for Researching your Family History Norfolk Island 1788-1814 - Cathy Dunn

The Genealogy Do-over Workbook - Thomas MacEntee

The books are currently available in Australia through Gould Genealogy at http://www.gould.com.au/Unlock-the-Past-guides-s/2576.htm or in ebook format at www.gen-ebooks.com.

British editions should be available soon via http://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Unlock-the-Past-Booklets.html and in Canada via http://globalgenealogy.com/admin/utp.htm

Note that on the gen-eBooks site you should be able to find PDF based preview samples of each title.

(With thanks to Unlock the Past)

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. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Review - Arrivals in Australia from 1788, by Kerry Farmer

It's been three months since the Unlock the Past (www.unlockthepast.com.au) run genealogy cruise that I worked on as a speaker (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/unlock-past-baltic-genealogy-cruise_94.html), and one thing I have utterly failed in so far since my return is to upload some reviews of some of the Unlock the Past guide books that fellow genies have written and published through the company. I picked up a few, and so I really should review them before anyone starts thinking of second editions! Without further ado then, here comes the first...

Arrivals in Australia from 1788, by Kerry Farmer
Australia - AU$32.00 Inc GST www.gould.com.au/Arrivals-in-Australia-from-1788-p/utp0292.htm
Canada - Can$32 http://globalgenealogy.com/countries/other-countries/resources/2590292.htm
UK - £16 www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/Arrivals-in-Australia-from-1788-UTP0292.html#SID=876

I attended some of Kerry's talks on a previous cruise last year, and she is definitely amongst my fave top ten genies as speakers - the impression I got was that what she doesn't know about the subjects she covers just isn't worth knowing! In this chunky guide book Kerry starts in the first chapter by providing a comprehensive introduction to depict the methods by which folk migrated to Australia - convicts are just a mere part of the story, with assisted passage an equally popular method of travel, not to mention those travelling for work, not least the military. She also discusses records of naturalisation, passports (compulsory from 1920 for all Ozzies to travel), and other resources, including records of births at sea en route down under. The next three chapters then focus specifically on the tales of convicts, ships' crew members and those in military service, before chapters 5 to 11 look at the individual colonies, and chapter 12 the Commonwealth of Australia. These chapters follow a similar structure, with discussion on immigration history, ships list, websites for research, and more.

A glossary is then followed by four appendices, two of which are particular fun, namely an Immigrants Guide transcribed from 1853 (first published in a Liverpool newspaper), detailing the clothes that immigrants should pack, and a copy of the Passengers Act of 1855, detailing how folk should be detailed aboard ship when sailing to their new lives. The remaining appendices provide a list of useful books and websites for research.

Kerry's book is fair size for a UTP guide book at 140 pages long, and is a wonderfully useful go to illustrated guide, one that I know will be of immense use in years to come. It has some nice touches, such as a graphic on page 15 depicting when each of the Australian colonies was founded - that's probably wee buns on the knowledge stakes to those based down under, but a Godsend for johnny foreigners like me still trying to work out which bit of Australia goes where and when! Thoroughly recommended.

Prices quoted and links above are to the print editions of the book available from suppliers in Australia, Canada and here in the UK. Ebook editions are also available via Gen-eBooks at www.gen-ebooks.com.

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 passports and Warwickshire parish registers added to FamilySearch

FamilySearch has just added 3 million US passport images, 1.9 million of them indexed, in a new collection, United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925, available via https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2185145.

Todd Knowles has written a short blog post explaining the collection at http://knowlescollection.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/united-states-passport-applications.html

John Reid is also blogging that Warwickshire parish records have been added at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1462403. His blog post is at http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/familysearch-adds-england-warwickshire.html.

(With thanks to Todd Knowles)

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/.