Compare Genetic Groups to your DNA Matches on MyHeritage

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

New: View the Genetic Groups of Your DNA Matches

We’re excited to announce an addition to DNA Matches on MyHeritage — you can now compare your Genetic Groups to those of your DNA Matches.

In late December 2020, we introduced Genetic Groups, an enhancement to our Ethnicity Estimate which increases the resolution of MyHeritage DNA’s ethnicity breakdown to 2,114 geographic regions. Since then, we’ve been working to improve the feature and add new components requested by users, and in January 2021 we released the first set of user interface improvements.

Comparing the shared genetic characteristics of your DNA Matches is very useful and can help you figure out how you might be related. Previously, on the Review DNA Match page, you were able to view the Ethnicity Estimate of your DNA Matches and see which ethnicities you share. Now, you can drill down even further and see which Genetic Groups they belong to, and which ones you have in common.

Comparing your Shared Ethnicities and Genetic Groups

Previously on the Review Match page, there was a Shared Ethnicities component that displayed your DNA Match’s Ethnicity Estimate with your Shared Ethnicities highlighted. Shared Ethnicities are regions where you and your DNA Match may have common ancestral origins, and identifying them may give you some clues about shared ancestors.

With the new update, this section of the page now allows you to compare your Genetic Groups results in addition to your Ethnicity Estimates. We have organized the new component so that beneath the comparison between your DNA Match’s Ethnicity Estimate and your own, you’ll find a list of Genetic Groups to which you and your DNA Match belong. Ethnicities and Genetic Groups listed in bold are the ones you have in common with the match you are currently reviewing.

For more on this new feature, read the full blog post at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/03/new-view-the-genetic-groups-of-your-dna-matches/

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish museums and attractions to start phased reopening from end of April

The sleeping giant that is Scotland is to begin a phased reawakening from the end of April. 

Historic Environment Scotland will start to reopen its attractions from April 30th, including Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle, whilst the National Museum of Scotland, and other museums, will start to reopen a few days earlier from April 26th. Various Covid safety restrictions will be in place, as will pre-booking systems initially.

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-56565402

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

British Newspaper Archive approaches 42 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) is approaching 42 million pages, with the total now at 41,976,390 pages.

The following titles and/or updated years of coverage have been added in the last 30 days:

Wolverhampton Express and Star
1898-1899, 1901, 1905, 1909-1912

Reading Standard
1891-1895, 1897-1911, 1913-1961

Warrington Examiner
1880, 1889

Widnes Examiner
1880, 1897, 1911

The News (London)
1805, 1807, 1809-1835

St. Helens Examiner
1881-1882, 1898

Weymouth Telegram
1893-1896, 1899, 1901

Potteries Examiner
1880

Blandford Weekly News
1885, 1887, 1890-1892

Herts and Essex Observer
1939-1979

Settmakers' and Stoneworkers' Journal
1891-1913, 1915-1933

Northern Weekly Gazette
1896, 1899

Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express
1919-1923, 1925, 1927-1940

Colne Valley Guardian
1898-1906

Dewsbury Chronicle and West Riding Advertiser
1882, 1894-1895

Swansea Journal and South Wales Liberal
1895, 1901-1902

Bargoed Journal
1904

Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star
1888, 1890-1891

Alliance News
1865, 1877-1883, 1885-1889

Gravesend Journal
1864-1892

Northern Guardian (Hartlepool)
1891-1895, 1897-1898

Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser
1892, 1895-1896, 1898-1909, 1912-1918

North Cumberland Reformer
1890-1891, 1893, 1898

South Eastern Gazette
1816, 1915-1918

Indian Statesman
1875

Belfast Weekly Telegraph
1873-1893, 1895-1922

Cashel Gazette and Weekly Advertiser
1865-1866, 1868-1887, 1889-1893

Evening Irish Times
1880-1895

Y Tyst
1881-1883, 1885-1889

Southport Visiter
1910, 1912

Evening News (Dublin)
1859-1862

Bassett's Chronicle
1863-1884

Drogheda Conservative
1889, 1897-1908

Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
1888

Mayo Examiner and West of Ireland Agricultural and Commercial Reporter and Advertiser
1868-1882, 1884, 1886-1903

Fermanagh Times
1881-1886, 1888, 1891-1900

General Advertiser for Dublin, and all Ireland
1837-1841, 1846-1852, 1856-1866, 1874, 1885, 1897-1923

Ulster Football and Cycling News
1888-1896

Bankrupt & Insolvent Calendar
1846, 1850-1866

Ripon Observer
1890-1895, 1898-1914

Bridgend Chronicle, Cowbridge, Llantrisant, and Maesteg Advertiser
1880-1883, 1885-1888, 1890-1891, 1894

Formby Times
1895, 1900-1906, 1908-1909, 1911, 1919-1922, 1930, 1933-1939, 1943-1951, 1967-1974

Neath Guardian
1927-1964

Harborne Herald
1877, 1879, 1883-1891, 1893-1895, 1897-1899

Hastings & St. Leonards Times
1877-1896, 1898-1899

Torquay Times, and South Devon Advertiser
1911, 1921-1933

Haslingden Gazette
1913

Nelson Chronicle, Colne Observer and Clitheroe Division News
1890-1891, 1894, 1903-1904

Liverpool Daily Post
1901

Weekly Dispatch (London)
1940

Faversham Times and Mercury and North-East Kent Journal
1864

South Wales Daily Telegram
1870-1874, 1876-1887, 1889, 1891

Y Llan
1881, 1884-1909

Seren Cymru
1875, 1877-1883

Pontypridd District Herald
1880, 1891-1894 

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog

Albuquerque Genealogical Society's A Day Of Celtic Genealogy on April 10th

I'll be giving a talk at The Albuquerque Genealogical Society's A Day Of Celtic Genealogy by Five International Experts event on April 10th 2021. 

 

From the society's event page, a summary of the talks that will be happening on the day:

A Day Of Celtic Genealogy by Five International Experts
Come join us for presentations from some of the most recognized authorities on Irish and UK research!
April 10, 2021 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MST

Talks:

To find my soul a home: Evidence in marriage for Irish family history - Fiona Fitzsimons
9:00 to 10:00 AM MST

This talk explores how marriages were made in Ireland, from courtship, to reading the banns, negotiating the dowry, the marriage ceremony and consummation. If any step was omitted, it undermined the legal basis of the marriage.  What evidence survives, and what does it tell us about love and marriage in the past?  Applies to Irish, English in Ireland, Ulster-Scots.


The Irish Dreamtime: The earliest Irish historical tradition - Dr. James Mallory
10:30 to 11:30 AM MST

Dr. Mallory will review some of the more salient points of his book on the Irish Dreamtime, especially concerning the relationship between the earliest Irish traditional history and archaeology.  The mediaeval Irish claimed to possess one of the earliest historical records in the world extending back to nearly 3000 BC. He will also briefly discuss the creative process that was involved in constructing the traditional history and provide an example of problems trying to anchor the places and events of Irish tradition in the archaeological landscape. Finally, he will discuss the value of inheriting an Irish Dreamtime.


Discover Your Scottish Ancestors - Chris Paton
1:00 to 2:00 PM MST

“Wha’s like us? Damn few, an’ they’re a’ deid!” Although Scotland is currently part of Great Britain, its historic records and traditions are very different compared to the rest of the UK, with many institutions remaining independent from England at the time of the Union in 1707. These include the Presbyterian based state church, the legal system (Scots Law), the education system, and considerably more.


Finding the Correct Place: Maps and Gazetteers for Scottish Research - Paul Milner
2:30 to 3:30 PM MST

Learn the important history of map making and see examples of many different types of maps available, many now online and how they can be used to assist in your Scottish research, plus learn about the different gazetteers that will assist in finding the correct location.


Spit and You Shall Find: Autosomal and X-DNA Identifies a Charming Scoundrel - Karen Stanbary
4:00 to 5:00 PM MST

Karen describes her methodology to identify the biological father of her own dad’s maternal grandmother who was “adopted” in 1882. The bio father turns out to be quite the charming scoundrel. Newspaper articles about various scandals pepper the talk with humor and keep the audience engaged. The case study demonstrates the following elements leading to a conclusion that meets the genealogical proof standard.

(NB: the event is in the US's Mountain Standard Time - I'll be speaking at 8pm UK time)

For more information on the speakers and the society, and to register, please visit the event page at https://abqgen.org/celtic-genealogy/.

I look forward to seeing ye there!

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Struggles for Liberty: African American Revolutionaries in the Atlantic World

From the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk):

The National Library of Scotland has launched an online learning resource — Struggles for Liberty: African American Revolutionaries in the Atlantic World. It shares the lifelong fight for social justice of African American freedom fighters, some of whom campaigned in Britain and Ireland in the 19th century.

Struggles for Liberty takes its name from the phrase 'struggles in the cause of liberty', written by Lewis Henry Douglass (eldest son of Frederick Douglass) of his mother, Anna Murray Douglass's tireless, heroic antislavery and social justice activism. The resource is structured by theme: the 'Story of the Slave'; the History of Black Abolition; the US Civil War; African American activists in Scotland; and the Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family. It also includes interactive maps and downloadable learning activities for teachers, including activities mapped to the Curriculum for Excellence.

Curator of US and Commonwealth Collections, Dora Petherbridge said:

'Struggles for Liberty brings together library and archive collections to tell the stories of 19th-century African American activists through their own words. Containing extracts of the autobiographies, histories, narratives, speeches, letters and essays of anti-slavery campaigners and social justice activists, we hope this resource gives insight into the repeatedly silenced story of enslaved people.

'To the day he died Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, human rights activist and author, was immovable in his lifelong conviction: 'nothing of justice, liberty, or humanity can come to us except through tears and blood'. Struggles for Liberty tells of the great individual and collective accomplishments of Frederick Douglass and other Black activists such as Ellen Craft and Moses Roper, who travelled Britain and Ireland in the 19th century fighting white supremacy and campaigning for the abolition of slavery.'

Dr Walter O. Evans, who in 2018 loaned items to the Library for the first ever public display of his Frederick Douglass family collection, said:

'I was very pleased to loan my Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family Collection to the National Library of Scotland. I have very fond memories of my times in Edinburgh and was delighted that the first public exhibition of the collection was in Scotland, a country that was so very important to Frederick Douglass. Scotland played a crucial role in Douglass's life, placing him on an international stage and helping to forge his word-renowned activism as an antislavery freedom-fighter and social justice campaigner as well as an inspirational author, orator, and philosopher. I am impressed with the Struggles for Liberty online learning resource, complete with its wide variety of historic materials and curriculum-specific learning activities. I understand the importance of access to source materials and believe that Struggles for Liberty will serve as an indispensable and easily accessible resource for students, teachers, and for those looking to learn more about the Douglass family and other 19th-century African American freedom fighters.'

Struggles for Liberty features writings authored by prominent African American reformers, freedom fighters and campaigners including Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), Maria W. Stewart (1803–1879), Nathaniel Turner (1800–1831), Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), David Walker (1796–1830) and Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931). Their histories are told through books, letters, photographs and other original documents held at the National Library, in the Walter O. Evans Collection (now at Yale), and in other US library and archive collections.

The resource was created in collaboration with collector Dr Walter O. Evans, and academic partners in the US and the UK, particularly with the Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded, University of Edinburgh project, Our Bondage and Our Freedom. 

To access the project pages visit https://digital.nls.uk/learning/struggles-for-liberty/

(Original news release at https://www.nls.uk/news/press/2021/03/new-digital-learning-resource)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scotland 1750-1850 genealogy course from Pharos starts May 3rd 2021

The first Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course run this year kicks off in a few weeks time from May 3rd 2021, for a further five week run. If you're looking for a way to learn a little bit more each week about your favourite subject, why not sign up?!  

Here's the description:

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 (OPRs) 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 available online or offline. 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 at https://www.pharostutors.com/howcourseswork.php.)

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

Relevant Countries: Scotland
Course Length: 5 Weeks
Start Date: 3 May 2020
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.

Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers has been designed as a follow on course from the Scottish Research Online course, although it can certainly be signed up for if you already have the same level of knowledge as given from the earlier course.

If you have missed the first run of Scottish Research Online this year, the next will run start from August 30th 2021. You can find more about this course, and sign up for it, at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. 

And the second run of my new Progressing Your Irish Research Online course starts again on November 15th 2021 - further details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=260. The first run for this course from April 5th is already fully booked, so best to book early if you are interested!

I'll hopefully see you online soon!

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tessa Spencer's Kirk Session Records on ScotlandsPeople talk now online

The National Records of Scotland's Tessa Spencer's talk about Kirk Session Records on ScotlandsPeople is now available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/HPf4be0R6JM, and presented below for convenience:

A handout from the talk, which was presented as part of last week's Scottish Indexes 9 conference, is available on the team's Past Conferences page at https://www.scottishindexes.com/pastconferences.aspx, along with notes and information from other presentations given at that event, as well as from previous Scottish Indexes conferences.

Note that the next Scottish Indexes conference is scheduled for May 22nd 2021, with further details to be announced soon by the team at www.scottishindexes.com.

(With thanks to Scottish Indexes and Tessa Spencer)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Cork records added and updated on RootsIreland

From the Irish Family History Foundation (www.rootsireland.ie):

New Cork Records Added
Plus Final Reminder of 25% Discount on Annual Subscriptions

We are pleased to announce that Mallow Heritage Centre has added over 3,300 Roman Catholic parish records to its database at www.corknortheast.rootsireland.ie and these are as follows:

    Castlemagner Baptisms: 1900-1920
    Castlemagner Marriages: 1898-1926

The marriages for the following RC parishes have been updated from 1922 to 1941, except where noted

    Ballyclough
    Ballyhea
    Doneraile
    Fermoy
    Kildorrery
    Mallow
    Meelin
    Milford
    Newmarket
    Cloyne 1899-1930

For an up to date list of sources for Cork and to search these records, go to https://www.rootsireland.ie/corknortheast/online-sources.php and login or subscribe as required.

Final Reminder: 25% Discount on Annual Subscriptions is available until 31st March 2021, midnight Irish time.

To avail of the offer click here

(With thanks to RootsIreland)

Chris 

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

University of Strathclyde genealogy team seeks Teaching Fellow

The University of Strathclyde's Centre of Lifeling Learning is seeking to appoint a Teaching Fellow to its core team on a part -time basis. The following are the basics.

Teaching Fellow in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies

The Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL), part of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences delivers a market-leading, fully online, Masters programme in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies (GPHS). As a result of sustained growth, it is seeking to appoint a Teaching Fellow to support the KE Fellow & Course Leader, to teach online and lead on the delivery of pathways within the Masters programme.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a thriving programme and Centre which wishes to build upon its global reputation for study in this field. The Masters programme is one of the largest fully online postgraduate offerings (around 220 students) within the University and this role is crucial for its further growth and development. The post would suit someone with relevant research/teaching experience ideally in an academic or academic-related role who can also bring a commercially-focused and proactive approach. Candidates should have a PhD (or equivalent professional experience). Knowledge of online learning and teaching would be an advantage as well as an understanding of the HE-sector, particularly postgraduate study. This post will be based within CLL but agile working arrangements can be discussed.  

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Tahitia McCabe, Genealogical Studies Tahitia.mccabe@strath.ac.uk.

Formal interviews for this post are likely to be held on 06/05/2021.

For further details on the role, including salary brackets, visit here.

(With thanks to Tahitia McCabe)

Chris 

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Family History Down Under 23-26 March 2021

Family History Down Under 2021 (https://www.familyhistorydownunder.com/2021/home) kicks off tomorrow (March 23rd), with a four day programme of packed talks from speakers around the world. You can subscribe to watch events over the four days, but also have access to the recordings until July 31st, so plenty of time to digest its offerings!

From the site:

Family History Down Under 2021
23 - 26 March
Are you fascinated with your family history? Are you excited to learn about it from the world's best experts? Are you passionate about passing on your story for the next generation? Yes? We thought so.
‍Our aim is to give you the knowledge to discover more family connections, pass your story on for future generations, and preserve the chain of history. Welcome to Family History Down Under 2021.

Discover an exciting program
We’re bringing you a program of 24 talks in four tracks over four days. All these and a further 50 talks will be available as recordings until the 31 July 2021.
Choose (book) any / all of four tracks: DNA Research, Researching Abroad, Australia & New Zealand and Methodology & General.

For further details, and to sign up, visit https://www.familyhistorydownunder.com/2021/home

(With thanks to Alan Phillips)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FindmyPast access through the National Library of Scotland

If you live at an address in Scotland, you can gain access to a free library edition of FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) if you register for access to the National Library of Scotland's licensed digital collections (see https://auth.nls.uk/eresources/). This will allow you access to many of the site's UK holdings, as well as its digitised newspapers, at no cost. From the NLS site:

Findmypast is a searchable online archive of over 2 billion records - birth, marriage and death records, parish records, censuses, migration records and military collections. It includes records from Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and the United States. This resource has a concurrent user limit of 10 - please try again later if you cannot get access.  Note: Findmypast is no longer supported in IE9 or IE10 and if you continue to access in a non-supported browser you may experience problems with the website.

Some county library services also offer similar access, so check with their sites too!

There are many other useful freebies from the NLS also via its licensed digital collections - access to the 19th century newspaper collection, The Times, The Scotsman Digital Archive 1817-1950, JSTOR, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, SCRAN, Who's Who & Who Was Who, the UK Parliamentary Papers site, and much more.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

News gleanings from Scottish Indexes 9 conference

Thanks to everyone who dropped into the Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference yesterday to listen to my talk There's Been a Murder - the Mount Stewart Murder of 1866, which seems to have been well received - I don't think I've ever had so much positive feedback for a talk! If you're interested in learning more about the murder, my book The Mount Stewart Murder is available at The History Press via https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-mount-stewart-murder/9780752460208/. 

Thanks to Emma and Graham for putting together another great event, and the couple have already announced that the next conference, Scottish Indexes Conference X, will take place on May 22nd. Well worth tuning in for - heck, Star Wars only got as far as Episode 9...!

Some gleaning from yesterday's conference:

- Dr. Irene O'Brien mentioned that the proposed records indexes from Glasgow City Archives have been slightly delayed in going online, but she did also provide some further information about how they will appear online - and one other MASSIVE bit of good news along with that, in that the catalogue for Glasgow City Archives will finally be going online in the very near future! It is proposed that the databases going online will be tied into the catalogue in some way - we're talking poor law indexes, episcopal church records, police records, and a lot more - the delay is in working out how that will be facilitated. The databases will be wonderful, but the catalogue is by far the bigger story, because with a catalogue you can find out if records exist in the first place, and that's often the bigger battle!

- Michelle Leonard mentioned that applications for military service records from the Ministry of Defence are now taking well over a year to be honoured due to the Covid disruptions, well beyond the normal six month period of the past. The service is available at https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records.

- Audrey Collins mentioned that the UK's National Archives website (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) in London will be adding a new census page/portal at some point in the near future.

- Emma Maxwell mentioned that Tessa Spencer's talk describing the new kirk session records release will be hosted on the Scottish Indexes website shortly. I'll post a note when this happens.

On another point, a student on one of my Pharos courses has pointed out that the Saved Searches menu item from the top of the ScotlandsPeople home page (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has seemingly disappeared. In fact, if you click on the Saved Images tab, you will now find it as a menu option in there! It's just part of the redecorating of the site to facilitate the new Virtual Volumes platform addition.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Revised talks schedule for tomorrow's Scottish Indexes conference

Due to ScotlandsPeople's release of Scottish kirk session records this week, Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has announced a revised programme for tomorrow's (Saturdays's) 9th Scottish Indexes Conference (20th March 2021), with a new talk from archivist Tessa Spencer about the new records set. The talks will be run twice in the day to cater for worldwide time zones. 

First Session

07.00  Introduction
07.15  'Kirk Session Records ion ScotlandsPeople' by Tessa Spencer
08.00  'Family History at the Mitchell' by Dr. Irene O' Brien
09.00  'There's Been a Murder - The Mount Stewart Murder of 1866' by Chris Paton
10.00  'Beware the Babbet Bapper and Other Cautionary Tales' by Kate Keter
11.00  'Scottish Records in the National Archives' by Audrey Collins
12.00  Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell
13.00  'Researching Kincardineshire Ancestors' by Emma Jolly
14.00  'DNA Match Lists, Shared Matches & Testing Sites Basics' by Michelle Leonard

Second Session

15.00  Introduction
15.15  'Kirk Session Records ion ScotlandsPeople' by Tessa Spencer
16.00  'Family History at the Mitchell' by Dr. Irene O' Brien
17.00  'There's Been a Murder - The Mount Stewart Murder of 1866' by Chris Paton
18.00  'Beware the Babbet Bapper and Other Cautionary Tales' by Kate Keter
19.00  'Scottish Records in the National Archives' by Audrey Collins
20.00  Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell
21.00  'Researching Kincardineshire Ancestors' by Emma Jolly
22.00  'DNA Match Lists, Shared Matches & Testing Sites Basics' by Michelle Leonard

The conference is free to attend, but you can donate to Scottish Indexes to help with costs. To access the event visit the team's Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/groups/scottishindexes, or visit www.scottishindexes.com.

I'm looking forward to sharing the story of Scotland's longest unsolved cold case by a modern police force, the victim being my three times great grandmother, and to chipping in with colleagues in the Q&As, as well as to listening to some great presentations. I'll hopefully see ye there! 

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Carrickfergus Churchyards talk now available online

Last month Dr William Roulston of the Ulster Historical Foundation gave a superb talk online about the churchyards of my home town of Carrickfergus. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has now madethe talk available online. You can find it at https://youtu.be/kQpr8dnTGzk and presented below for convenience.

(At 14 minutes and 40 seconds in you'll see Joymount (2nd) Presbyterian Church, where my parents married in 1969, and where I attended the Boys Brigade for 2 years before switching to a different company in the town's North Street based First Presbyterian Church, also mentioned later in the talk. Joymount Church is located at the end of Robinson's Row, where my grandmother lived until she passed away in 1978, and where I briefly lived from 1979-1981!) 

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

More about Scotland's kirk session registers

Following the superb announcement on Tuesday that ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added the first tranche of historic records from Scotland's kirk sessions (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2021/03/brace-yourselves-scotlandspeople-adds.html), I have written a brief guide to what the records are, and what to expect from them, for Who Do You Think You Are? magazine's website. You can freely access the article at https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/religious/kirk-session-records-scotland/.

Don't forget that my free article on the history of the Church of Scotland and the many offshoots that emerged from it can be found at http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/p/kirk-history.html.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

My new Progressing Your Irish Research Online course

Hi folks,

My new 5 week long Progressing Your Scottish Research Online course through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com) kicks off on April 5th 2021, and I have been absolutely stunned at the take up so far - thanks to all who have signed up, I am very much looking forward to getting started with it! 

There are still three spaces available before we reach capacity on this run, but I am delighted to announce that we now have a second run date for it this year, commencing on November 15th 2021. To book one of the final slots on the forthcoming run, or the run later in the year, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=260.

Here is some further information about the course:

There is a common belief that if you have Irish ancestors then you should give up hope of finding out about them, because 'nothing survived the fire', referring to the destruction of Ireland's Public Record Office during the Civil War in 1922. The overall aim of this course is to point out that this is a nonsense, and that the glass is half full and not empty. Whilst there are certainly challenges to be overcome, a great deal can still be accomplished with the many resources now rapidly finding their way online.

This course will describe the many state created records and church records that can be used to research your Irish ancestry. It will provide a context to understand why they were created, and by whom and point out exactly where to find them online, and how to use them effectively.

Lesson Headings:

• Understanding Ireland's boundaries, key repositories and platforms
• The vital records of Church and State
• Documenting the people: Irish censuses and substitutes
• Valuation records and inheritance
• The Decade of Centenaries

Each lesson includes exercises and activities and a minimum of 1 one-hour chat per week.

And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!

(Also available at https://youtu.be/aonRMQEnIFw)

I hope to see you there! 

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Brace yourselves - ScotlandsPeople adds kirk session records!

Having seemingly promised their arrival since what feels like the Reformation of 1560, it's finally happened - ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added the kirk session records for the Church of Scotland and dissenting Presbyterian church branches to its platform. 

Each parish in Scotland had its own kirk session, the lowest of the church courts which was comprised of the minister, elders and heritors, who not only officiated on cases of kirk discipline, but also maintained the daily affairs of the parish. Also available are some records for the higher church courts of the presbytery and the synod. Records are a gold mine for ancestry, often listing members who were displined for breaches of the kirk's rules, such as blasphemy, antenuptial fornication, and working on the Sabbath, as well as lisitng people in receipt of poor relief. One record for a five times great grandfather of mine in Perthshire even noted his conviction by the session for dirty dancing ('promiscuous dancing')!

The images have been made freely available to view in a new section of the site named Virtual Volumes (after the computer system in use at the NRS Historic Search Room), but to download any page will cost 50p, or 2 credits. A full guide on how to use the records is available at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/using-virtual-volumes. From the site:

Virtual Volumes currently contains more than 6,000 volumes from the courts of the Church of Scotland and other Presbyterian churches. The records are mainly those of kirk sessions, presbyteries and synods between 1560 and 1870. To see what is available for a parish, presbytery or synod, use the volume search page or the place search. NRS is grateful to the Church of Scotland for their participation and support in this endeavour.

There are challenges to overcome when using the records, particularly the further back in time you go, with handwriting and old forms of vocuabulary, not least of which the use of the Scots language. But whilst the 1921 census will be fun to see when it appears later this year, this is the undoubtedly the biggest release we'll see from ScotlandsPeople in many years.Well done to all who succeeded in getting them to us online!

Have fun!

NB: I discuss the use of kirk session records extensively  in my book Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records, available from Pen and Sword at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848, which may help users to understand them and their incredible potential further. You can also read a short history of the Kirk and the many splinter groups from it in my article at the top of this blog entitled Kirk History, available directly at http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/p/kirk-history.html.

UPDATE: ScotlandsPeople's own announcement on the records is available at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/news-article-virtual-volumes-records-released

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Changes to English and Welsh marriage registration law set to take effect in May

Several changes are due to come into effect from May 4th 2021 in England and Wales with regard to the registration of marriage, following the implementation of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths Act 2019. 

One of the changes addresses a longstanding deficit south of the border in finally permitting the names of both parents for each spouse to be recorded on a wedding certificate - something which has always been the case in Scotland since registration started here in 1855, but never before faciliated in English and Welsh registration history since it started in 1837. Until now, mother's names in England and Wales were not recorded on marriage certificates.

There are are other changes being implemented with regards to the duties of English and Welsh clergy in registering marriages. These are summarised in HM Passport Office's Clergy Newsletter Issue 10 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963794/Clergy_Newsletter_10th_Edition_Feb_2021_V1.pdf) as follows:

What won’t change:
• You will still be required to ensure couples meet the requirements to marry in your building.
• You will still be required to ensure couples complete the relevant preliminaries, i.e.:  the calling of banns, issue of common or special licence or,where required, the prior attendance of the couple at the relevant register officeto give their notices of marriage in the correct timescale.
• You will still be required to conduct pre-marriage checks and confirm that the details contained on the marriage document or marriage schedule are correct before the marriage proceeds.
• The marriage will still be performed by Church of England or Church in Wales rites.
• You will still use registration ink to complete the marriage schedule.

What will change:
• You will be required to create a marriage document or obtain the marriage schedule prior to the date of marriage.
• You will no longer complete the formal register for the marriages you solemnize (There will still be a register kept by you for the records of your church).
• You will no longer issue the legal marriage certificates.
• The completed marriage document or marriage schedule must be returned to the register office for the registration to take place in the electronic marriage register before a certificate can be issued.
• You will no longer need to complete quarterly returns for marriages which take place in your building.
• You will no longer be responsible for corrections in marriage registers. After the changes are introduced, all corrections to marriage entries will be carried out by the registration officersor GRO.
• The electronic register will also allow for the names of parents of the couple (mother / father / parent) to be included in the marriage entry instead of only their fathers’ names as is currently the case.

The Church Times has further coverage of this at https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/5-march/news/uk/mothers-to-be-named-on-marriage-certificates.

The act also extends provisions for civil partnerships between two people not of the same sex. It can be read in full at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/12/contents/enacted. (NB: Changes to civil partnership law in Scotland were enacted on July 20th 2020 - see https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2020/15/enacted)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

BIFHSGO 2021 Virtual Conference - Irish Lines and Female Finds

Frm the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (https://bifhsgo.ca): 

BIFHSGO 2021 Virtual Conference
19–26 September 2021

Irish Lines and Female Finds: Exploring Irish records, female ancestors and genetic genealogy

Speakers: Mia Bennett / Gerard Corcoran / Martin Curley / Brian Donovan / Dr. Janet Few / Mags Gaulden / Dr. Edmund Gilbert / Maurice Gleeson / Roz McCutcheon / Mark McGowan / Chris Paton / Gena Philibert-Ortega / Dr. Jim Ryan / Kyla Ubbink

The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is pleased to announce its 26th annual family history conference, to be held virtually from 19 to 26 September 2021. Fourteendistinguished international speakers, all experts in their own fields, are featured in 15 presentations over 8 days.

The themes of Irish records, female ancestors and genetic genealogy will be integrated into a range of presentations, including new Irish records, finding female ancestors in archives, the Irish diaspora, DNA in Irish ancestors, researching marginalized women, Irish famine orphans in Canada, and much more.

This year’s conference will also feature a virtual Gathering Place (formerly the Marketplace), where you may make contact with organizations offering products to help your research.

Whether you are brand new to genealogy or a seasoned family historian, this information-filled event will offer opportunities to further your research skills and will inspire you to continue your family history journey. Wherever you are in the world, if you have a good internet connection, you can register and attend our virtual conference.

“We hope you will be as excited by the topics chosen as we are, and that you will come away with great new research paths to explore,” said BIFHSGO President Duncan Monkhouse.

The C$45 conference registration fee includes access to all 15 presentations as well as access to the presentation videos and handouts for two weeks after the conference concludes. Visit our websitefor a full speaker lineup and program details and follow us on FacebookandTwitter.

Register now for BIFHSGO’s virtual conference!

To register, visit https://bifhsgo2021.ca. 

(NB: The full conference programme is outlined at https://bifhsgo2021.ca/program/)

COMMENT: It's been a wee while since I last spoke at a BIFHSGO event, so I am looking forward to this immensely! The following are details of the talk I will be giving on Saturday 25th September 2021:

12:00 – 13:30 Church and State: Ireland’s Vital Records (All levels) with Chris Paton

In this session Chris will explore how to locate ancestors in Ireland using the civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths from 1845 and 1864 onwards, both online and in Ireland itself, as held at both the GROI in Roscommon and the GRONI in Belfast. It will examine what the records contain, how they may assist with research, and how they may be located online and offline via the platforms of the respective General Register Offices and government platforms, north and south. Chris will then look at the various church denominations in Ireland, how they were structured, and the types of records they kept. He will explain how to locate surviving material, to equally identify what has not survived (and why), and to understand where Protestant and Catholic Ireland occasionally overlapped, with the role of the Church of Ireland as the state church. Where gaps in such records exist, Chris will discuss how other sources may be able to provide alternative information to plug those gaps, including resources in Britain.

Should be fun!

(With thanks to Susan Courage)

Chris 

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry adds seven new National Archives of Ireland collections

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has released the following seven Irish collections as sourced from the National Archives of Ireland (www.nationalarchives.ie) in Dublin:

Ireland, Exchequer Court of Equity Bill Books, 1674-1850   
688,470 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62071 

This collection includes records from the Bill Books of Exchequer in Ireland relating to individuals involved in court proceedings between the years 1674-1850. The Exchequer Court of Equity was at the very centre of Ireland's legal system and from the mid-17th century held jurisdiction over financial disputes such as titles of land, debts and wills. Surviving records consist mainly of bill books which detai case participants and proceedings.


Ireland, Court of Chancery Records, 1633-1851   
841,316 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62070

This collection includes records from the Court of Chancery in Ireland relating to individuals involved in court proceedings between the years 1633-1851. As one of the four older 'Superior' courts in Ireland, the Courts of Chancery were at the very centre of Ireland's legal system. Surviving records consist mainly of bill books with some other records including an Index to Pleadings and records of Pleadings themselves.


Ireland, Church of Ireland Search Forms for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1731-1870
13,624 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62061

The Church of Ireland was decreed the State Church in Ireland in 1536 by an Act of the Irish Parliament. After that date, the parishes of the Church of Ireland became an administration focal point for matters of probate and matrimonial jurisdiction.
Historically, each parish in Ireland kept its own records and, since the Church of Ireland was the established church, these parish records were considered state records. In 1876 a law was passed requiring that Church of Ireland parish registers be sent to the Public Record Office (now the National Archives) in Dublin for safekeeping. This law was amended in 1878 to allow parishes with good storage to retain their records, so not all parish records were sent to Dublin. In addition, some ministers made copies of their records before sending the originals away. Therefore, many Church of Ireland records remain, even though the registers sent to Dublin were lost in 1922 in the fire at the Public Record Office. However, prior to this date, there are surviving records of requests for searches carried out within the records and these are included in this collection.
Church of Ireland parish registers list christenings, marriages, and burials. The amount of information recorded varies from parish to parish and from minister to minister.


Ireland, Catholic Qualification and Convert Rolls, 1701-1845
32,134 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62057

This collection is made up of both qualification and convert rolls. Convert rolls, as the name suggests, details the names of individuals who renounced the Catholic church in favour of the official state church, the Church of Ireland. Converting in this period was the only way to fully escape the sentences and penalties handed out to Catholics and other non-conformists. The Qualification rolls include names of those who took an oath of allegiance to the King. Taking this oath 'qualified' the person to recover some (but not all) rights denied to non-members of the established church. However, those taking the Oath were not required to convert.


Ireland, Poor Law and Board of Guardian Records, 1839-1920   
1,738,323 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62013

The Irish Poor Law Act of 1838 followed very closely the English Poor Law Act of 1834 and divided the country up into Poor Law Unions, centred on a workhouse, which became the main vehicle of assistance to the poor. Each Union elected a Board of Guardians, which was then responsible for care of the poor across all of the individual parishes.

Many people who had fallen on hard times or were born into poverty received help through these Poor Laws, including the elderly, orphaned, abandoned, unemployed, and sick. Aid came as more than just money; the poor could also be provided food, clothing, and work. Children from poor families might be placed in apprenticeships or sent to schools and other institutions. Conditions in workhouses were often extremely hard meaning sickness and, sadly death, was common amongst those who were admitted.
This collection includes workhouse records relating to the North Dublin Union, South Dublin Union, and Rathdown Union (part of counties Dublin and Wicklow). It also includes records relating to Balrothery Union (part of county Dublin), Bawnboy Union (part of county Cavan), and Dromore West Union.


Ireland, Census Search Forms, 1841-1851
127,288 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62026

This collection includes records of census search forms for Ireland for the years 1841 and 1851. In 1908, the Old Age Pensions Act was introduced in Ireland for those aged 70 and over. Proof of age was essential in receiving the pension and, since civil registration was not introduced in Ireland until 1864, applicants did not have their own documentation to use as proof. As a result, they sent off forms to the Public Record Office which held the 1841 and 1851 census records with names and dates for them to confirm so that they could be entitled to the pension. These surviving census search forms are even more valuable given the 1922 fire at the Public Record Office and destruction of the majority of those census records.


Ireland, Valuation Records, 1824-1856   
1,740,993 records
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62024

This collection comprises records from books relating to the Griffith's Valuation of property in Ireland which took place between 1848 and 1864. These books, including General Notes, Field Books, House Books, Tenure Books and Quarto books contain the information underpinning the conclusions drawn up by Griffith's Valuation or the Primary Valuation. They are an extremely important resource, with comprehensive detailed and descriptive notes on land and property across Ireland in the mid-19th century.  

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Free access to Irish records on MyHeritage

To commemorate this year's St. Patrick's Day, MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) is offering free access to its Irish collections from March 11th-18th.  

The full list of available records can be gleaned from https://www.myheritage.com/research/catalog?location=Ireland, whilst MyHeritage has a blog post announcing the promotion at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/02/search-all-irish-records-for-free-this-st-patricks-day/.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

England's High Court orders change to census guidance

Although the Scottish decennial census has been postponed until 2022 (http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/07/coronavirus-moves-scotlands-next-census.html), the English, Welsh and Northern Irish equivalents will continue this year, with their census day fixed for March 21st. 

Despite the precedent from many previous exercises of holding the census on a particular day, many folk have already filled in their forms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (https://census.gov.uk). However, following a legal challenge, the Office for National Statistics has now been instructed by the High Court in England to change the guidance that has been issued to those filling out the form on the question of how to answer "What is your sex?"

You'll find the full story in the Guardian at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/09/guidance-on-sex-question-in-uk-census-must-be-changed-high-court-rules.

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

George Square Memorial Benches

Following the horrendous vandalism carried out in Glasgow's George Square at the weekend, the following has been issued by Glasgow City Council:

George Square Memorial Benches

 

We’ve had cleansing and parks teams in George Square since Sunday night, clearing debris and assessing the damage to furniture and plants.

 

The lack of care and respect shown to a place and facilities that all Glaswegians should be able to enjoy is disturbing – but destroying memorials placed by grieving families and friends is, frankly, deplorable.

We believe we have been able to recover any memorial plaques from smashed benches and are now starting the job of contacting families, where we are able. The memorials will be restored; however it is not yet known how much this will cost.

 

Please see details of those memorials below. If anyone is able to locate the families or provide details, please get in touch with us through private message at our Glasgow City Council Help page.

 

Plaque One:

In Loving Memory of

JACQUELINE MORTON

In our hearts you are always there

 

Plaque Two:

In Loving Memory of

ROBERT and JANE SHEARER

and Their Son ROBERT

Who All Loved Glasgow

 

Plaque Three:

Donated by the Netherlands Ambassador

JAN HERMAN van ROIJEN

on the occasion of his visit to the City of Glasgow

on 18/19th September 1997

 

Plaque Four:

In memory of

JOANNA WESTON

1994 - 2004

Sadly missed by all at H.O.S.

 

Plaque Five:

Dedicated To The Memory Of

JOHN HAMILTON

Died 22.4.1994

Donated by His Loving Wife And Family

Rest Awhile

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage Adds Lithuanian-Jewish Historical Records in Coordination with LitvakSIG

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

MyHeritage Adds Lithuanian-Jewish Historical Records in Coordination with LitvakSIG

Tel Aviv, Israel and Lehi, Utah, March 9, 2021 — MyHeritage, the leading global service for discovering your past and empowering your future, and LitvakSIG, a U.S. non-profit organization providing the primary online resource for Lithuanian-Jewish genealogy research worldwide, jointly announced today the publication of an important compilation of Lithuanian-Jewish historical records by MyHeritage. The records in this collection were originally translated and indexed by LitvakSIG, and represent almost the entire corpus of LitvakSIG's work over more than twenty years. These records have now been added to MyHeritage's historical record database.

The Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG, 1795-1940 collection consists of several million historical records and covers the era from the Russian Empire (1795 to World War I) to the period of independent Lithuania (1919–1940). The majority of records are from places in present-day Lithuania. However, due to various geopolitical changes during the time period covered, the records are not limited to the modern boundaries of Lithuania; they also cover areas located in present-day Poland, Belarus, or other neighboring countries. The records in this compilation include vital records, census records, tax and voter lists, conscription lists, household registers, directories, emigration lists, and more.

These records have tremendous genealogical value, and together with MyHeritage’s search and matching technologies, which overcome language barriers and provide matches to family trees in English, Russian, and Hebrew, among other languages, will open a new frontier of discovery for individuals who are researching their Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. MyHeritage is home to a treasure trove of Jewish historical records. In addition, the company’s collections include millions of pages from passenger and immigration lists documenting the wave of emigration from Europe to North America, South America, and Israel in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

“This year we are increasing our efforts to expand the Jewish genealogy resources on MyHeritage,” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Adding this collection from LitvakSIG provides a valuable resource for anyone of Lithuanian-Jewish origin. On a personal level, some of my own ancestors appear in this collection, including my paternal grandmother and her siblings from the small Lithuanian town of Valkininkai (Olkieniki), making this addition especially meaningful for me and my family.”  

“We are excited to make the bulk of LitvakSIG’s translated historical records available to millions of MyHeritage users,” said Jill Anderson, President of LitvakSIG. “By allowing this collection to be searchable on the MyHeritage platform, LitvakSIG is fulfilling its mission to promote widely Lithuanian-Jewish (Litvak) genealogical research. This arrangement will enable LitvakSIG to accelerate the pace of publishing new records, which will be added to the collection on MyHeritage in the future.”"

The Lithuanian-Jewish Records from LitvakSIG collection is available on MyHeritage. Searching the collection is free. A subscription is required to view the full records and to access Record Matches.  

To access the collection visit https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10951/lithuanian-jewish-records-from-litvaksig-1795-1940

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.