New Zealand legalises same sex marriage

New Zealand has become the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalise same sex marriage. Civil partnerships have existed in the country since 2005, but this now grants completely equal status between heterosexual and same sex marriages. Scotland has just finished a consultation on the issue, and may well be the first country to follow suit in the very near future.

The following video shows the moment when the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill was made into law in New Zealand after its 3rd reading. Watch what happens after - a great parliamentary moment! (about 1 min 22 secs in)

(With thanks to @stephenfry and @lovesaflower78 - original story at www2.macleans.ca/2013/04/17/new-zealand-house-of-commons-bursts-into-song-after-legalizing-same-sex-marriage/)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

MyHeritage releases Family Tree Builder 7.0

News from MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

MyHeritage releases Family Tree Builder 7.0

Major new release of world’s most popular free family history software now syncs with online and mobile, and opens new channels for the discovery of historical records.

Family Tree Builder 7.0, is free genealogy software that combines innovative technology with easy-to-use features. The millions of family history enthusiasts and genealogists worldwide using Family Tree Builder to explore, document and showcase their roots, can now synchronize their family tree between different devices and enjoy sophisticated ways of making new discoveries via the cloud. Family Tree Builder 7.0 is available as a free download from www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder.

Using the new software, users can now optionally synchronize their entire family history between their computer and their online family tree on MyHeritage. This connection of genealogy software to the cloud enables users to access their family history anytime and anywhere. It also enables users to benefit from the renowned network effects of MyHeritage’s huge user community, with advanced matching technologies that automatically search millions of user-contributed family trees from around the world and a database of billions of historical records, to help users make breakthrough discoveries.

New features:

Synchronization - All family tree information is synchronized, including photos, videos, audio files, notes, sources, citations and other information, except private information such as DNA markers which never leaves the user’s computer. The family history data can now be privately and securely viewed, edited and expanded from any device - the user’s computer, the user’s online family site on MyHeritage – or via the free MyHeritage mobile apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. The new sync system also provides a backup of the users’ precious data.

Integrated Record Matching technology - Whereas previous versions of Family Tree Builder already enjoyed Smart Matching™ technology, which brought matches from the millions of user-contributed family trees on MyHeritage, new version 7.0 is the first to enjoy the company’s successful Record Matching technology. Record Matching is a discovery-finder and a time-saver. It automatically researches every individual in the user’s family tree and looks for matching historical records with high accuracy. All historical records found are consolidated in one convenient report, which the user can then go over systematically. Record Matching is the world’s first and only technology capable of automatically finding newspaper articles about one’s ancestors.

Additional language capabilities - Family Tree Builder 7.0 has been rewritten to support Unicode, which means that data can be entered in any language and saved accurately as entered. The software has been expanded from 37 to 40 languages, by adding support for the first time for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese and Korean, as MyHeritage expands its global network into the Far East.

The full range of features in Family Tree Builder is ideal for beginners and professionals alike, and includes photo albums, automatic face detection technology for photo tagging, beautiful family tree charts, poster printing, reports and statistics, interactive maps, support for DNA, automatic consistency checks and much more. The software is based on the Freemium model. It can be downloaded and used for free for building an unlimited-sized tree on one’s computer. Premium features of the software can be unlocked for a one-time purchase and affordable subscriptions are available for online family sites of unlimited capacity and access to premium content.

Family Tree Builder 7.0 is available for Windows. The compan
y is working on adding support also for Mac OS X and this will be available starting with the next version of the software.

For more information visit http://blog.myheritage.com/2013/04/new-release-family-tree-builder-7-0/

(With thanks to Laurence Harris)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Free Derbyshire and Tameside burial records

On the back of the Trafford burial and cremation records announcement earlier from Deceased Online (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/trafford-burial-and-cremation-records.html) I've just had an email from reader David Woods in Glasgow, which is well worth sharing:

Hi Chris,

It may be interesting to readers to note that free access to burial records for neighbouring areas are available.

High Peak Council, Derbyshire have full burial records for Glossop, Hope and Thomsett cemeteries. Data is available as date order, grave order and surname order downloads.

www.highpeak.gov.uk/hp/council-services/parks-and-open-spaces/cemeteries

Tameside, Greater Manchester have a searchable database over 175,000 burial and cremation records from Tameside MBC cemeteries - Ashton (Hurst), Audenshaw, Denton, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Hyde, Mottram and Mossley.

www.tameside.gov.uk/bereavement#t6

Duly shared!

(With thanks to David)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Titanic - by the men who built her

Regular readers of this blog will know how ridiculously bored I get with the concept of celebrity, and all the stories of the great and the good that somehow we are supposed to be interested in, in a country where the biggest growth industry is now simply fame, in all its devalued glory.

So when the recent Titanic commemorations happened, and everyone jumped on the bandwagon, for me it was a case of grin and bear it. Why was I so bored about it? Quite simply because the celebrations/commemorations were about the tragedy at sea, and the loss of passengers, and 3D versions of films, and so on - as it always is when the anniversary pops up.

The thing is, I have a very personal connection to the Titanic. My great great grandfather, Cochrane Watton, worked on the ship in Belfast, along with his brother William, and many, many other shipyard workers in Belfast. So it was a great thrill that I found this earlier on the PRONI website - a link to a wee two minute video made by the BBC, based on a poem written by a shipyard worker at the time, and telling the story of the Ulstermen who built the thing. The video is available at www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/22115736 - and this time it's something I can relate to.

(With thanks to PRONI at http://www.proni.gov.uk/news_details.htm?newsRef=2587)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

More London records on Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released two new collections for London

London, England, Selected Poor Law Removal and Settlement Records, 1828-1930

This database contains Poor Law records relating to settlement and removals for the unions of Bethnal Green, Hackney, Poplar, Shoreditch, and Stepney.

Full details at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2651


London, England, Overseer Returns, 1863-1894

These documents list parish residents who have claimed the right to vote.

Full details at http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2464

Both collections are sourced from London Metropolitan Archives.

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Trafford burial and cremation records online

From Deceased Online (www.deceasedonline.com):

Trafford is 2nd council in Greater Manchester to add records to Deceased Online

Burial and cremation records for Trafford Council in the south of Greater Manchester are being added to the specialist database website, www.deceasedonline.com

All records for two of the Council's five cemeteries are immediately available. Hale (aka Altrincham) Cemetery opened in December 1894 and Stretford Cemetery opened in February 1885

The records comprise scans of burial registers, grave details and cemetery maps indicating section locations of graves. Click here for more information.

Section maps (left) and register scans now available for Stretford and Hale (Altrincham) cemeteries.

Records for the remaining three cemeteries and Altrincham Crematorium in Trafford will be available on Deceased Online over the next few weeks

Trafford is the 2nd council area within Greater Manchester with records on Deceased Online. All records for Bolton Council - comprising 7 cemeteries and a crematorium - can be accessed immediately.

(With thanks to Richard at Deceased Online)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

ScotlandsPeople updates indexes

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added indexes to the statutory birth, marriage and death records for the year 2012. The collection now spans 1855-2012, but there are closure periods to view the full records that the indexes connect to online - 100 years for births, 75 for marriages and 50 for deaths. Using the later indexes, however, offers an opportunity to order up official certified extracts for more recent events.

The latest ScotlandsPeople newsletter is available at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/Content/Help/index.aspx?r=2203

(With thanks to @brightsolid_op)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

FamilySearch site revamped

The FamilySearch website at www.familysearch.org has been revamped, with several new features, including new Photos and Stories and FamilyTree building facilities, and a new tablet friendly look.

The press release is available at http://view.familysearch.ldschurch.org/?j=fe531074736201747310&m=fe6315707166057a711d&ls=fdf31c737263027475147374&l=fe611770746d007e7d16&s=fe2413767760037a771676&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe26167872660674761577&r=0

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

US Family Tree magazine Top 40 blogs

A big thanks to the US based Family Tree magazine (http://familytreemagazine.com) for including British GENES in its Top 40 Genealogy Blogs list, within the 'Heritage Help' category. Very honoured!

The full list is available at http://familytreemagazine.com/article/Top-40-Genealogy-Blogs-2013 - some great offerings to explore, have a play!

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.

Forthcoming genealogy courses in Rye and Chatham

Courses happening imminently from Celia Heritage:

Five Week Evening Class in Rye: Building Your Family Tree

Professional genealogist Celia Heritage is running a five week family history class in Rye, East Sussex every Tuesday at 7.30 pm beginning 23 April. Celia will look not just at how to start, but at the tips and pitfalls of searching, at some of the lesser known sources you can use and also how to surmount those family history brick walls. This course is suitable for beginners and for those with some years' experience behind them. Celia is a regular lecturer for the Society of Genealogists in London and at the Who Do You Think You Are show at Olympia.

The course costs £69 and includes a year’s support service for your own research. Missed sessions may be made up by prior arrangement ~ ask for details. Places must be booked in advance. Early booking recommended as numbers are limited.

For booking or further details telephone 01797 344376 or visit
http://heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk/courses.htm


TRACING YOUR ANCESTORS THROUGH DEATH RECORDS
Saturday 11 May 2013
10:30 - 16:45
Chatham University Campus ME4 4UF
Cost: £37

One day family history course with professional genealogist Celia Heritage
Of all the sources that family historians use, death records are among the most enlightening for the researcher and frequently bring our ancestors to life to a far greater extent than any other records. They often reveal personal information that is just not to be found elsewhere and which will help you see your ancestor in a much more accurate light. Yet these sources are surprisingly underused by many researchers.

We will look in detail at all types of death records, from the familiar to the less well known and not only how to get the most from them but how to use them as springboards to discovering other sources too. We will also consider the causes of death given on death certificates and how to interpret them, discover why death records can be hard to trace, and what you can do to locate those that just don’t seem to be there. Although aimed at students with some experience in family history, this course is also a good kick starter for complete beginners.

Places must be booked in advance. Contact Celia on 01797 344376 or go to http://heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk/courses.htm

(With thanks to Celia)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.