Thursday, 4 July 2013

New TV series coming soon - Museum Secrets, on Yesterday

From television channel Yesterday, a new series that might be of interest from early August:

Museum Secrets, new & exclusive to Yesterday, Fridays at 9pm from 2nd August

Museum Secrets explores the world’s most extraordinary museums to uncover some remarkable objects. Moscow’s State Historical Museum, London’s National Maritime Museum and the Chateau of Versailles are in a select group renowned for their incredibly rich collections, stunning architecture, and the prominent roles they have played in the history of world art, culture and achievement.

Each episode of this eight part series focuses on a different museum and profiles key artefacts from their perspective collections. World-renowned historians, experts and curators tell the fascinating stories behind these objects and uncover their inspiration, spirituality, interpretation, mystery, science, discovery, protection and preservation.

As the stories are revealed viewers are taken beyond the public galleries and into hidden places visitors are rarely allowed to see, with the use of cutting edge research and technology to investigate the unknown.

Museum and Episode Guide:

National Maritime Museum, London – Friday 2nd August

The National Maritime Museum collection allows visitors to trace the origins of British sea power, its accomplishments in the age of empire, and its consequences in the world today.

This museum celebrates Great Britain’s proud sea-faring heritage and its naval heroes; most famous of all is Admiral Horatio Nelson. He was shot and killed during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and for decades many stories circulated about who the man who pulled the trigger. One claim from a Frenchman was he shot Nelson from the rigging of a French ship. Could a sniper really have targeted Nelson in all the smoke and chaos of the battle?


Israel Museum, Jerusalem – Friday 9th August

Visited by a million people every year, the Israel Museum features the most extensive collection of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world.

This museum has the only physical evidence in the world of a crucifixion. It is a small heel bone, pierced by a nail, from the tomb of a man called Yohanan from the 1st Century AD. Who was Yohanan and how does his heel bone reveal what crucifixion was really like?


Uffizi, Florence – Friday 16th August

Visited by 1.5 million people every year, the Uffizi is one of the oldest art museums in the western world, boasting paintings and sculpture by the greatest masters of the Renaissance.

Inside the Uffizi is a portrait of The Duke of Urbino, a prominent Renaissance nobleman and long considered one of the greatest allies of Lorenzo di Medici, ruler of Florence. That was until a long lost letter found in Urbino’s family archives, which reveals the truth behind one of the most famous political plots in history, The Pazzi Conspiracy. What did the letter reveal about a murder so famous it inspired the popular video game, Assassin’s Creed?


State Historical Museum, Moscow – Friday 23rd August

Moscow’s State Historical Museum tells the story of Russia and its people from the Stone Age to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Within the walls of this museum are Russia’s treasures which may hold the answers to their secretive past. One of the mysteries answered in this episode is why Vladmir Lenin, the leader of the Russian Revolution, drove the ultimate symbol of wealth and class, a Rolls Royce, when he vowed to create a classless state and to be a “man of the people”.


The Smithsonian, Washington DC – Friday 30th August

Established in 1846 by a scientist named James Smithson, The Smithsonian is the largest museum and research complex in the world, with over 10 million visitors every year and nearly 137 million specimens and artefacts.

The museum houses thousands of aviation and space artefacts, including a fighter plane owned by one of America’s greatest villains. Squadrons of Japanese Zero fighter planes were responsible for the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour that left thousands of Americans dead. With the help of aviation historian Osamu Tagaya, and Zero pilot Warren Pietsch, the secrets of a great American nemesis is investigated.


Chateau of Versailles, Paris – Friday 6th September

What was once a royal palace is now a museum of French culture and history attracting three million visitors every year.

Before the French Revolution, King Louis the Sixteenth and his wife Marie Antoinette enjoyed the luxury lifestyle of living at Versailles. By 1789, with the country in turmoil Marie Antoinette had become a magnet for the hatred of the masses due to their life of excess. This episode uncovers some surprising truths from Marie Antoinette’s encrypted letters and the secret passageways at Versailles.


Palacio Real, Madrid – Friday 13th September

Both a museum and the official palace of the Spanish royal family, the Palacio Real features armour, artworks and treasures that were once the private possessions of Spain’s kings and queens.

Everyone thinks the foundation of Spanish wealth was silver and gold from the New World. In truth it was another element, one found deep beneath the ground in rural Spain that was the crucial ingredient in Spain’s Golden Age. This episode explores this mysterious element and how it shaped the country’s destiny.


Bardo Museum, Tunisia – Friday 20th September

Established within a 19th Century palace, the museum features thousands of artefacts from excavations carried out throughout Tunisia, that date from the nation’s Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Inside this museum there is evidence that when Rome ruled Tunisia, North Africans enjoyed Roman style entertainment. The most popular and violent were the gladiatorial games. In Hollywood depictions, these games take place before a bloodthirsty crowd and it appears the only outcome for the loser is death. But what was a Gladiator’s life and death really like?

(With thanks to Emily Jones, at Yesterday's Factual Department)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Latest Genhound additions

Genhound (www.genhound.co.uk) has added the following collections to its site, including its first American resource, the Michigan University Yearbooks, listing students, staff and fraternity members from 1865 and 1866:

Times Newspaper Index, 1800 PtC, 1800-1800, added 03/7/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=956

Scottish Deeds Index Vol30 PtD, 1690-1690, added 02/7/2013, search at:
http://www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=955

Times Newspaper Index, 1800 PtB, 1800-1800, added 01/7/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=954

Michigan University Students & Staff 1865-6, 1865-1866, added 29/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=953

Sussex Tax List 1524-5 PtC, 1524-1525, added 28/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=952

Scottish Deeds Index Vol30 PtC, 1690-1690, added 26/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=951

Times Newspaper Index, 1800 PtA, 1800-1800, added 24/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=950

Michigan University Societies 1866, 1866-1866, added 22/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=949

Sussex Tax List 1524-5 PtB, 1524-1525, added 20/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=948

Sussex Tax List 1524-5 PtA, 1524-1525, added 18/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=947

Michigan University Students & Staff 1864-5, 1864-1865, added 15/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=946

Scottish Deeds Index Vol30 PtB, 1690-1690, added 14/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=945

Scottish Deeds Index Vol30 PtA, 1690-1690, added 12/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=944

Michigan University Societies 1865, 1865-1865, added 10/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=943

Michigan University Army List 1865, 1846-1865, added 07/6/2013, search at:
www.genhound.co.uk/search_doc.php?id=942

(With thanks to Genhound)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Heredis family tree software offer

Just received this from Audrey Cavalier at Heredis (www.heredis.com):

We would like to inform you that we have launched promotions for all versions of the Heredis genealogy software and some of the offers may interest your readers.

MEGA DEAL: Heredis software for $10!

For 4 DAYS ONLY, from Wednesday, July 3, 2013 to Sunday, July 7, 2013 inclusive, Heredis for PC at $10 instead of $ 39.90 available in http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-pc/ and Heredis for Mac at $10.99 instead of $ 59.99 available in http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-mac/ or in the App Store: http://appstore.com/mac/heredis/.

Last update: improvement of the Gedcom import/export. If genealogists have created a file with another genealogy program, it is easy to transfer in the Heredis program. The file will be converted automatically in the Heredis version. All data will be open.

COMMENT - in proper money, US$10 is currently about £6.56. I've used the new Heredis, and quite like it - it's the programme I use on my iPad as a ready reckoner to twig who is who in my tree at a glance. For just over £6, this seems to be quite a good offer, so may well be worth having a look if you need some family tree software.

(With thanks to Audrey Cavalier)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Sunday Post added to British Newspaper Archive

The British Newspaper Archive has added Scottish title the Sunday Post from 1915-1950 to its site at www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk - I think it is a complete run, but there may well be gaps. Keep an eye out for Oor Wullie and The Broons!

The site locates it in the Glasgow, Lanarkshire category, but from what I can see it was actually founded and published in Dundee by DC Thompson in 1914 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Post).

Also newly added are issues of the Paisley Herald and Renfrewshire Advertiser from 1870

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Tuesday, 2 July 2013

TNA podcast - British military recruitment after national service

The latest podcast from the National Archives at Kew is entitled Join up and see the world! British military recruitment after national service. It's a talk from Peter Johnston and is just over 40 minutes long.

Download from iTunes for free or listen via http://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php/join-up-and-see-the-world-british-military-recruitment-after-national-service/

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Further Jewish collections added to Ancestry

More Jewish collections are now accessible via Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), including additional datasets from JewishGen:
  • New York, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Remittances for Russian Jews, 1916-1917 (98)
  • New York, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Remittances for Polish Jews, 1915-1918 (2396)
  • New York, U.S., Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Remittances for Romanian Jews, 1917-1918 (149)
  • Lithuania, Jews Saved by Passports From the Japanese Diplomat Chiune Sugihara, 1940 (2140)
  • Germany, Women in Flossenbürg Branch Camps (Hans Brenner Book Lists), 1944-1945 (15842)
  • Kisvárda, Hungary, Records Before Deportation, 1944 (3516)
  • Germany, Dachau Inmates, Possessions Upon Entry, 1933-1945 (2839)
  • Germany, Deaths in Mühldorf, Nov 1944 - April 1945 (1857)
  • Łódź, Poland, Vital Records of Jews in the Łódź Ghetto, 1939-1944 (61502)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

FIBIS 2014 conference - provisional programme

The Families in British India Society, aka FIBIS, has announced a provisional programme for its three day conference from Friday May 14th - Sunday May 16th 2014.

The full programme is accessible at www.new.fibis.org/archives/972.

(With thanks to @fibiswebmaster)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Cyndi's List and MyGenShare court actions announcement

News announcement concerning the recent court actions involving Cyndi's List and MyGenShare:

SALT LAKE CITY, July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/

Cyndi's List and MyGenShare have successfully mediated a resolution of their pending legal actions and corrected any misunderstandings on mutually agreeable terms.

Cyndi's List filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington captioned Cyndi's List and Cynthia Howells v. MyGenShare.com, LLC and Barry Ewell, Case No. 3:12-cv-06074-RBL alleging copyright infringement, unfair trade practices, tortious interference, and unjust enrichment (the "Litigation"). MyGenShare denied the allegations by Cyndi's List and any "wrongdoing" and brought a counterclaim for defamation, tortious interference, and violation of the Washington Consumer Protection Act. Cyndi's List denied the allegations of MyGenShare and any "wrongdoing."

The parties have dismissed all claims with prejudice.

(Source: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/litigation-between-cyndis-list-and-mygenshare-dismissed-213982651.html)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

Monday, 1 July 2013

Hertfordshire parish records on FindmyPast

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

Two million new Hertfordshire parish records added to findmypast.co.uk

Leading family history website findmypast.co.uk has increased the size of the UK’s largest parish records collection with two million new Hertfordshire parish baptisms, marriages and burials dating from 1538-1990. Findmypast.co.uk has made the records available online for the first time, making it easier than ever to trace your ancestors further back through the centuries. Debra Chatfield, marketing manager at findmypast.co.uk, commented on the new release: “This collection of records is a wonderful treasure trove for anybody interested in looking into their family’s past in Hertfordshire. Publishing the records online for the first time will make it so much easier for people to find out if they have ancestors from Hertfordshire, as you can now search them alongside millions of other parish records from across the whole country”.

Full details of the records contained in this release are as follows:

803,113 baptisms 1538-1910
164,314 banns 1653-1928
164,314 marriages 1538-1928
605,940 burials 1538-1990

This collection also includes the parishes of Chipping and East Barnet and Totteridge which, since 1965, formed part of the London Borough of Barnet.

These records can be searched here (www.findmypast.co.uk/search/parish-records/baptisms?tab=1) and are brought to you as a result of a new partnership between findmypast.co.uk and Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. The records can be viewed with PayAsYouGo credits, a Britain Full or a World subscription.

The records are also available on all findmypast sites as part of a World subscription.

(With thanks to Myko Clelland)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!

July CWGC newsletter

The latest newsletter from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (July 2013) is available at http://newsletters.wizontheweb.co.uk/t/ViewEmail/r/7CADA5D272FAB28F2540EF23F30FEDED/F090797B09DF142E23B7CB3C95A53812

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!