Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course in November

It's still a couple of months away, but here are the details of my next forthcoming Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) course, starting 4 November 2019:

This is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with research in the Old Parochial Registers of the Church of Scotland and in using major websites for Scottish research. This course discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or missing; for example, records of parish and town administration, occupations, land transfer and taxation. Using these records involves several different locations. You will learn how to check online finding aids and how to find the most effective way to obtain records that may be online, in print, on CD or microfilm. This is the second course on Scottish research. If you have not taken Scottish Research Online please check its description.

Lesson Headings:

* Kirk Sessions records and parish poor
* Burgh records and town poor
* Occupations, taxation and early lists
* Land transfer and the value of sasines
* Land, inheritance and estates

Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. See How the Courses Work.

STUDENTS SAID: "well structured chats with opportunities for questions as well"

Relevant Countries: Scotland
Course Length: 5 Weeks
Start Date: 4 Nov 2018
Cost: £49.99


The following video also gives a bit more of a flavour about what to expect:

(Available also at https://youtu.be/1vX6GZtwZJ0)

For further details, and to sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302.

I'll hopefully see you there!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

RootsTech London adds further keynote speaker

Following criticism recently of the announced keynote panel for Rootstech (https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/08/rootstech-london-announces-keynote.html), there has been a further announcement from the organisers:

LONDON (9 September 2019), RootsTech London 2019, the world’s largest family history convention, is pleased to announce Kadeena Cox, Paralympics double gold medalist, as the featured keynote speaker on Friday, 25 October 2019, at Excel London. Boasting 150+ classes, one-on-one coaching corners, and an exhibition hall filled with the latest in genealogy and technology, RootsTech London is the perfect place to discover and celebrate family stories. RootsTech London 2019 runs 24–26 October 2019. Find out more at RootsTech.org/London.

Kadeena Cox is an accomplished professional Paralympic athlete. She is perhaps best known for being the first British athlete in 32 years to take gold in two sports at the same Paralympic games. Cox has competed in a variety of sports since an early age. In 2014, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) but did not let that stop her from achieving excellence in her life. She went on to win two gold medals and a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics. Cox has broken records, won world titles, and represented her country well in her notable accomplishments as a professional athlete.

“We are thrilled to have Kadeena at RootsTech. Her inspiring story of determination, perseverance, and drive for success will be a fitting message for the RootsTech audience,” said Jen Allen, event director. “RootsTech is all about celebrating stories, and there aren’t many stories more inspiring than Kadeena’s. Winning two gold medals in the Paralympics in different sports and overcoming some of the challenges she’s dealt with is simply incredible. We can’t wait to hear from her on stage.”

Cox will join previously announced keynote speakers and performers Donny Osmond, Dan Snow, Steve Rockwood, and Tre Amici, with Dr. Nick Barratt hosting as emcee.

Classes

RootsTech London 2019 will offer 150+ classes and activities for families and individuals with a variety of interests and skills. Select classes will be broadcast online. Learn more or register for the event at RootsTech.org. Passes start at only £49.

(With thanks to RootsTech News via email - for details of RootsTech London, 24-26 October 2019, visit https://www.rootstech.org/london)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry releases Pembrokeshire and Bristol records

Ancestry has added several new collections for Pembrokeshire and Bristol.

Pembrokeshire, Wales, Electoral Registers, 1740-1978
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/pembrokeshireelectoral/
Source: Electoral rolls for Pembrokeshire, Wales. Archifdy Sir Benfro - Pembrokeshire Archives, Haverfordwest, embrokeshire, Wales.

Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/bristolparish/
Source: Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishop Transcripts, Bristol Record Office, Bristol, England.

Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1918
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/bristolbaptisms/
Source: Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishop Transcripts, Bristol Record Office, Bristol, England.

Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/bristolmarriages/
Source: Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishop Transcripts, Bristol Record Office, Bristol, England.

Bristol, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1994
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/bristolburials/
Source: Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishop Transcripts, Bristol Record Office, Bristol, England.

Have fun!

Update: Just found a listing for my grandfather Ernest Graham in 1970 in the Pembroke records. He was killed in an accident just two years later in Milford Haven, before I ever got a chance to meet him. C'est la vie...

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage Education resource launches

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

We’re thrilled to introduce MyHeritage Education (https://education.myheritage.com): a new online resource center for enhancing your understanding of MyHeritage’s tools, products and services, and to help you make the most of your family history research.

At MyHeritage, we’re always striving to improve the user experience and to make genealogy research easy and intuitive. MyHeritage Education takes you step-by-step through the different MyHeritage features, providing you with a seamless understanding of the different tools available as you explore your family history on MyHeritage. It includes a wealth of educational materials that will help you learn about every facet of MyHeritage: articles, how-to videos, and webinars covering a wide variety of topics, including plenty of tips for everyone from beginner family history enthusiasts to seasoned genealogists.

MyHeritage Education is currently available in English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, and Norwegian, and we will be adding new languages in the future. It is open to everyone and is free of charge. We will be adding new content to the site on a regular basis, so if there’s anything that you’d like to learn about, just let us know!

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FindmyPast clarifies source info for Scottish Catholic records

Yesterday I blogged that FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) had updated its Scottish Catholic collections, but that no source information was present. With Catholic records also available on ScotlandsPeople, I was unclear if this was a further release from some other source, or the same collection, or an extension of material from the same source. Following my blog post I contacted FindmyPast and had an interesting exchange, where I was initially advised that if I looked at the transcripts, it would tell me that the source was the Bishops Conference of Scotland, of which the Scottish Catholic Archives is an agency. I replied that not having a current subscription, such info is not immediately accessible, and suggested that the main search pages should perhaps be updated instead.

I've just noticed that FindmyPast has now seemingly taken note of my suggestion, and has now updated the pages to reflect the source info, as follows:

Discover more about these records

This extensive collection of Roman Catholic marriages in Scotland consists of marriages from all eight Scottish dioceses: Aberdeen, Argyll & The Isles, Dunkeld, Galloway, Glasgow, Motherwell, St Andrews & Edinburgh, and Paisley. However, the collection is not exhaustive and does contain gaps. The following counties are missing from the records: Shetland, Berwickshire, Kincross, and Clackmannan. You can access greater detail about the parishes available in the Scottish Roman Catholic records in the Scotland Roman Catholic parish list available in the Useful links and resources section.

The sacramental records are provided by The Scottish Catholic Archives. Records begin as early as 1736 and continue until 1942. Due to data protection restrictions, we will only publish records which are more than 75 years old. Record keeping was the responsibility of the parish priest; therefore, the amount of detail recorded and the standard of registers can vary between parishes.

In 1538, the Roman Catholic Church was disestablished as the state religion in Scotland. This was the beginning of centuries of persecution and discrimination against Catholics. The practice of the Catholic faith was banned, and Catholics were excluded from public life. However, in spite of these restrictions, many retained their Catholic faith and practices. In 1694, Bishop Thomas Nicolson was appointed the first vicar-apostolic of Scotland by Pope Innocent X. The Bishop laid new foundations for the Catholic Church in Scotland. In 1793, The Relief Act lifted the restrictions on Catholic worship in chapels and granted permission for Catholics to own and inherit land. Full Catholic emancipation culminated in 1829 with the removal of the remaining restrictions against Catholics, such as taking a seat in Westminster. 

That's a bit more like it! Individual parishes are selectable from the relevant drop down menu option.

(With thanks to FindmyPast)

Update: there is a stil an error in there - the Scottish Reformation was in 1560, not 1538! Have emailed them again...

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

More Scottish Catholic records added to FindmyPast

The latest releases from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms
Over 236,000 additional records covering 146 parishes have been added to our collection of Scottish Catholic baptisms. Each result includes both a transcript and an image of the original document that will reveal a combination of your ancestor’s birth date, baptism date, baptism place and parents' names. Images may also reveal the names of godparents or sponsors as well as additional comments.

Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Marriages
A further 129,000 Scottish Catholic marriages are also available to search. These transcripts and images reveal when and where your ancestor was married as well as the names of their spouse and father. Images will often reveal additional details such as the names of witnesses and couple’s residences.

Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Burials
Discover where your Catholic ancestors were laid to rest with over 16,000 additional burial records. All of this week’s Scottish Catholic additions are exclusive to Findmypast and cover 124 parishes across the country. As well as birth year, death date, burial date and location, images may reveal their marital status, cause of death or additional comments.

Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Congregational Records
Last but not least, a further 114,000 congregational records are now available to search. Covering all eight Scottish Catholic dioceses, this collection includes registers of confirmations and communion recipients, as well as parish lists, seat rentals, and lists of people who converted to Catholicism.

Yorkshire School Logs
Discover your Yorkshire ancestors who attended or were teachers in schools between 1862 and 1959. This new and exclusive collection of more than 137,000 transcripts allows you to explore their school records to find the year and the school they attended.

International records update – Portugal
Explore your Portuguese roots with three indexes to more than 570,000 transcripts of baptisms, marriages and deaths.

British & Irish newspaper update
This week sees 100,598 brand new pages joining The Archive, with updates to 14 of our existing titles, as well as five new titles joining our collection. Four new Scottish titles are now available to search; the Ayrshire Post, the Wishaw Press, the Irvine Herald and the North British Agriculturalist. This bi-weekly specialty title described itself as a ‘magazine of farming, gardening, forestry and rural economy.’ Rounding off our new publications for this week is another specialist title – Holmes’ Brewing Trade Gazette. This curious journal, published by one Joseph Holmes, a brewer’s chemist from Leeds, was a ‘monthly journal dedicated to the interests of Brewers, Publicans, Wine & Spirit Merchants.’

Further information and links at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/here-is-whats-new-this-findmypast-friday

COMMENT: I've no idea what the source is for the Scottish Catholic records - have asked, and will update if I get a response.

Update: Just received a response saying "You can see the source at the bottom left of the transcription page. One I have found shows as © Catholic National Endowment Trust Charity No. SCO 16650 (known as The Bishops' Conference of Scotland). So check that section please."

The thing is, you can only actually access the transcription page if you have a subscription. I currently don't. I've suggested they perhaps indicate it on their search page!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage Live lectures will be streamed

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

We are just a couple of days away from an exciting weekend in Amsterdam, and we are thrilled to announce that we will live stream the genealogy and DNA lecture tracks online throughout the conference!

The live stream will be available on the MyHeritage LIVE website (https://live2019.myheritage.com) and on the MyHeritage Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/myheritage), so please tune in from 9:00 a.m. Amsterdam time on September 7th. If you need help calculating the time difference to your local time zone, you can use https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/.

Make sure to visit the conference website to see the full schedule.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Family history research orders for Christmas

Having decided to finish a temporary job I was doing a bit sooner than initially planned, I am now back to working full time again as a genealogist - and just in time for Christmas!

If you are interested in having a family history researched for a friend or relative as a Christmas present, do drop me a note. The details of my research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk, and bear in mind that it would be best to try to have any research completed by late November/first week December at the latest, if requiring printed and bound copies. If you would like to find out more, please do drop me a note, and I would be happy to discuss any requirements.

I am also contemplating a visit or two to Belfast in the next couple of months to carry out research at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, so can happily factor in requests for there also.

NB: if not seeking research for a Christmas present, but still seeking research to be carried out, do drop me a note! Just please bear in mind that if it is not urgent, Christmas research orders may by necessity take priority (for obvious reasons!).

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Irish Newspaper Archive adds Cork Evening Echo

From the Irish Newspaper Archives (www.irishnewsarchive.com):

The world's oldest and largest Irish Newspaper Archives continues to grow. We have updated the archive with the following new content:

Cork Evening Echo 1896 - 1959

The first tranche of the Evening Echo has now been released 1896 - 1959 with 1960 - 1970 following this September 2019.

Original Newspaper Format:
Editor: P.J. Kelly
Proprietor: Thomas Crosbie(1892-) Thomas Crosbie(1893 -)
Publisher: Patrick Corcoban(Thomas Crosbie & Co 1900)
Printer: Patrick Corcoban(Thomas Crosbie & Co 1900)
Size: 59cm (1896); 63cm (1900)
Price: 1/2d (1900); 2d
Frequency: daily
Illustration: b/w (pink paper)
Departments: b/m/d, local and national and world news, sport, markets, parliament, law intelligence, law sessions
Orientation: conservative nationalist; Fine Gael; Catholic

Comments:
This was a "sister paper" to the Cork Examiner, and it was also governed by the Crosbie family.
An Evening Echo (almost certainly unrelated) was also started in Dublin in Dec 1892.

There's a subscription discount if you use the following codes:

Enjoy!

(With thanks to Andrew Martin)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tree charts now available on DNA Painter

From DNA Painter (www.dnapainter.com):

I'm pleased to announce that trees are now available at DNA Painter for all registered users. A tree on DNA Painter is an attractive single-page summary of one person's direct ancestors that you can search and optionally share:

- Build a simple tree manually or import a GEDCOM file and choose a person from it
- Search by name or location
- Use DNA Filters to visualize the inheritance path for X, Y and mitochondrial DNA
- Tree, fan chart and text views (mobile users will see just tree and text)
- Keep track of your genetic family tree
- Store notes for each ancestor (e.g. possible surnames just beyond your brick walls!)
- Calculate how complete your tree is, and visualize any instances of pedigree collapse
- Keep your tree private, or optionally generate a secret web address as an attractive, user-friendly summary of your direct line to share with DNA matches or family members

If you'd like to see an example, check my tree out here:
https://dnapainter.com/tree/view/6f627445b38875bb/tree
(no login required)

I hope you find it useful. I would welcome all feedback.

Integration with chromosome maps will be coming later this year.

Thanks!

(With thanks to Jonny Perl)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.