Scottish GENES: July 2021

Thursday 29 July 2021

FindmyPast launches National Scottish Record Collection

Brace yourself for a major Scottish release from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Explore 450 years of Scottish family milestones with millions of new parish registers

We've published over 10 million new baptism, marriage and burial records, creating the largest collection of Scottish family history records available online.

This Findmypast Friday, we've added a vast new collection of 'Old Parish Registers' to the site in collaboration with local archives and organisations across Scotland. Read on for all the details on this major new records release.

Scotland, Parish Births & Baptisms 1564-1929

This is the most comprehensive collection of Scottish birth and baptism records online, transcribed and compiled from a wide range of primary sources.

The incredible new collection features the vital details of Scots from all walks of life, including some of the country’s most famous sons and daughters.

You’ll find records for Robert Burns, Alexander Graham Bell, Scipio Kennedy and many more.

Scotland, Parish Marriages & Banns 1561-1893

Millions of new regular, irregular and cross-border marriage records are now online, some for the very first time.

Rare “irregular marriages” occurred during Kirk Sessions, were not officially recorded in parish registers and were conducted without a ceremony.

Names, dates, locations, the names of parents, spouses, children and other biographical details such as occupations, residences and more were painstakingly transcribed and then digitally converted thanks to the hard work of hundreds of Scottish family historians.

Scotland, Parish Deaths & Burials 1564-2017

Is your ancestor’s final resting place in Scotland? Find out in millions of new records, published in partnership with local societies, archives and volunteers including:

    The Scottish Genealogy Society
    Fife Family History Society
    The Highland Family History Society
    Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society
    Renfrewshire Family History Society
    Lothians Family History Society
    Lanarkshire Family History Society
    Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society
    West Lothian Family History Society

The collection also includes 20th-century records (most online Scottish parish collections stop at 1855) that provide vital details of more recent relatives, helping you to trace your family tree back from there.

For details of the links and other records visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/scottish-old-parish-registers

And the press release:

Dundee, July 29th 2021

Leading UK family history website, Findmypast, has today announced the publication of a vast new online collection of “Old Parish Registers” in collaboration with local archives and organizations across Scotland.

Dating back to 1561 and spanning 450 years of Scottish history, the new collection contains more than 10.7 million historical documents chronicling baptisms, marriages, burials and more. This vast new online resource will allow family historians across the globe to uncover rare details of their ancestor’s lives and the stories behind major life events.

When combined with Findmypast’s existing collection of Scottish records and historical newspapers, today’s release firmly establishes Findmypast as the home of the largest collection of Scottish family history records available anywhere online, enabling users to explore their Scottish family tree in greater depth and detail than ever before.

This groundbreaking new resource is the result of Findmypast’s close collaboration with local family history societies, archives and volunteers from across the country. It brings together a wide variety of important historical records, many of which were previously inaccessible to public and are now fully searchable in new ways for the first time.

This includes records that not only reveal vital information on Scottish ancestors, but also provide valuable insights into parish life, including;

* Records of non-conformist churches including the Episcopal, Free Church, United Free Church and more, fully indexed and searchable for the very first time
* Newly published 20th century records (current online collections stop at 1855) that provide vital details of more recent ancestors, allowing users to uncover the details of previous generations and trace their family tree back from there
* Rare “Irregular Marriages” from Kirk Sessions (those not officially recorded by the parish registers and conducted without a ceremony)

COMMENT: It was great to hear from actors Brian Cox and Colin McFarlane, and the University of Strathclyde's Tahitia McCabe, at FindmyPast's official launch of this new collection this evening, a substantial release of parish material that includes records from many new denominations, and with coverage beyond 1855. A list of areas covered is available at https://www.findmypast.com/articles/scotland-parish-records-place-lists, although the denominations included are not detailed, which would certainly be a useful enhancement (details of denomination are included in the results though!).

Myko explained in the launch that FindmyPast has released some 200 million Scottish records since 2019. You might want to bookmark the site if you have Scottish connections!

Congrats to all at FMP and the many societies involved for a very useful release, which will substantially enhance our ability to carry out Scottish research.

And if you're interested in finding out more about the history of the various denominations, and how to find and use their records, my book Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records is 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

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.

Wednesday 28 July 2021

British Newspaper Archives pass 44 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has just passed another milestone, with some 44,073,418 pages now digitised.

The following have been added in the last 30 days:

Tailor & Cutter
1866-1868, 1879-1897, 1899, 1903, 1909-1914

Empire News & The Umpire
1893, 1898-1906, 1908-1910

Sporting Chronicle
1891, 1904

Boxing
1913

Leicester Evening Mail
1911-1913, 1915-1918, 1920-1926

Southall Gazette
1978, 1980

Newcastle Guardian and Silverdale, Chesterton and Audley Chronicle
1881-1895, 1898-1906, 1908-1909

Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser
1953-1977

Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
1974-1975

Westminster & Pimlico News
1950-1973, 1978-1980

Fulham Chronicle
1950-1972, 1976-1978

Morning Herald (London)
1834, 1845, 1853, 1863

Lyttelton Times
1878

Eastern Counties' Times
1898, 1900, 1909, 1916, 1931

Teignmouth Post and Gazette
1905, 1908, 1910-1911

Waterford Star
1893-1898, 1907, 1914

South Wales Argus
1892-1893, 1899

Brockley News, New Cross and Hatcham Review
1890, 1892-1931

East Kent Times and Mail
1950

Hull Daily News
1854, 1890-1895, 1910, 1912

Hampshire Observer and Basingstoke News
1903-1916

South Wales Weekly Argus and Monmouthshire Advertiser
1902, 1906-1909, 1912-1914

Ben Brierley's Journal
1882

Socialist (Edinburgh)
1902-1919, 1921-1924

English Chronicle and Whitehall Evening Post
1801-1802, 1804, 1807, 1809-1843

Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette
1917

Swansea Journal and South Wales Liberal
1893-1894

Swansea and Glamorgan Herald
1886-1888, 1890

Porcupine
1800-1801

Runcorn Examiner
1892

Universe
1846-1848

London Telegraph
1824-1825

Town Talk
1858-1859

Radical
1831, 1836

Planet
1837-1844

Reformer
1831

Ballot
1831-1832

Political Letter
1831

People's Paper
1852-1858

Patriot
1858-1866

People's Hue and Cry or Weekly Police Register
1834

Satirist; or, the Censor of the Times
1845

Coleshill Chronicle
1951

British Press
1823

Chris

NRS issues request for tenders to index the 1921 Scottish census

The National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) has today issued a request for tenders for the creation of indexes for the 1921 Scottish census.

A notice entitled Creation of Transcriptions (Electronic Indexes) of the Historic 1921 Scotland’s Census Handwritten Records, is available on the Public Contracts Scotland website at www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk. From the notice:

National Records of Scotland are seeking to appoint a Service Provider to:

a) Deliver transcription of the 1921 Census images.

b) Deliver a quality assurance methodology to ensure the transcription meets NRS required level of accuracy (accuracy level of the data transcribed is required to be at least 98%. This means that a minimum of 98% of the characters captured into the final version of the dataset accurately match the handwritten characters on the images).

c) Provide ICT infrastructure (software, hardware, and database for storing images and transcribed data to facilitate the transcription and quality assurance).

d) Ensure a sufficient level of security is applied to ensure project material is protected from accidental or deliberate loss, theft or damage. and

f) Deliver management arrangements to deliver these requirements.

The contract to be awarded is initially set at 12 months, but may be extended:

II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 12
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
Two optional six months extensions at the sole discretion of the Purchaser.

The deadline for applications is 27 AUG 2021. (The full notice is at www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUL422377; registration is required to view)

Interestingly, this follows on from another request made by the NRS earlier this year, entitled 1921 Census - Transcription of Historical Handwritten Records (see https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR409164)

II.2.4) Description of the procurement
National Records of Scotland are undertaking a Request for Information (RFI) to provide NRS with a better understanding of the potential options and initiatives/developments within the market that are available to carry out transcription of historical handwritten records.
The RFI document is available from the Public Contracts Scotland Website.
The deadline for raising any questions in relation to the RFI is noon GMT on 18 March 2021, with the deadline for responding to the RFI being noon GMT on 26 March 2021

This may help to set in context the delays of the census being released until late next year, as previously reported at http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2021/06/scottish-1921-census-release-delayed.html.

Chris

Saturday 24 July 2021

Aberdeen and North East Scotland FHS - temporary closure of premises

The Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society (www.anesfhs.org.uk) has just tweeted that it is closing its premises temporarily in Aberdeen because of Covid:

We have decided to close the Society's premises as a precaution after a Covid contact alert. Our Research Centre is being kept sanitised according to protocols, and will reopen for all volunteers and visitors on Tuesday 3rd August 2021.

(With thanks to @anesfhs)

Chris

Marriage by habit and repute, Tametsi and Ne Temere

A question occurred to me this morning about Scottish marriage forms, which set me off digging again! I knew that marriage by habit and repute continued until 2006 in Scotland as a legal means to be married, but I wondered why it had ever been accepted as a form of irregular marriage in civil law in the first place?

It turns out that it is connected with the abolition of the rules of 'clandestinity' in the Roman Catholic Church in 1563. In Catholic times in Scotland, prior to the Reformation, marriage by habit and repute was an acceptable form of marriage, the issue of its clandestinity not being an impediment to its validity. The doctrine that eventually removed clandestinity as an acceptable (if not frowned upon) condition of a marriage was known as the Tametsi decree, a ruling of the Counter-Reformation Council of Trent. As a consequence, a modernised form of marriage ceremony emerged, requiring parental consent, witnesses and the participation of the priest for a marriage to be valid under Canon Law.

In Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church's rule had ended three years earlier, as a consequence of the Reformation of 1560. Thus the Council of Trent's Tametsi decree was not binding in the newly emerging Presbyterian form of the country. Marriage by habit and repute therefore continued as an acceptable form of marriage (but still frowned upon by the Kirk!) for another four and half centuries, before its eventual abolition by the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006.

In Catholic countries, including Ireland, Tametsi continued until 1908, at which point it was superceded by the Ne Temere decree, which added further conditions such as the need for registration (and which itself continued until the advent of Matrimonia Mixta in 1970).

Ne Temere is often popularly cited as being the reason why the children of mixed marriages (i.e. one party not being Catholic) were required to be raised in the Roman Catholic faith, but this requirement in fact dated back to the 18th century. However, as a consequence of the decree, dispensation was required from the officiating priest for a non-Catholic to marry a Catholic, and as a condition of that, the requirement to baptise any children in the Catholic faith was heavily enforced.

You can read a bit more about the basics of Tametsi at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tametsi#Canonical_form_of_marriage and on Ne Temere at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_Temere.

An interesting paper by the University of Swansea's Raymond M. Lee, entitled Intermarriage, Conflict, and Social Control in Ireland: The Decree "Ne Temere" was published in the Economic and Social Review in 1985, and can be read online at http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/68771/v17n11985_2.pdf.

Chris

Friday 23 July 2021

The Hidden Branch - the place for young genealogists

A quick plug for The Hidden Branch, 'the place for young genealogists' (https://thehiddenbranch.com), which describes itself as advocating "for Gen Z researchers (born from 1995 to 2010) in the field of genealogy".

The group was formed recently by three young genealogists, Daniel, Emily and Tyler, seeking to network with likeminded folk around the world, with ten folk now listed on their website's team page, including Joshua in Edinburgh, and others in England, Canada, the USA, and Australia.

The team have just started their own regular podcast (https://thehiddenbranch.com/podcast/) and blog (https://thehiddenbranch.com/blog-2/), as well as their own Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thehiddenbranch. They are also on Twitter @TheHiddenBranch, and on Instagram (www.instagram.com/thehiddenbranch).

It's an enthusiastic initiative, best of luck to all involved! And if you're enthusiastic about family history, they definitely want to hear from ye!

Chris

Preparing for war: TNA to receive Second World War service records

I've just received a copy of the August 2021 edition of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine (www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com), and there's a huge development covered in two parts by the publication with regards to the military records of the Second World War. The headline news is that the great migration of some 9.7 million service records has commenced from the Ministry of Defence in Glasgow to the National Archives at Kew, England (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk), in a process that is estimated will take up to seven years to complete. According to TNA, further details will be announced "in the coming weeks".

You can read more of the development in a letter by Anthony Bevis to the magazine, and in this issue's main news story, which also focusses on the current delays being experienced by those seeking to access post-WW1 service records (which can normally be done for £30) from the MoD.

And if you're interested, there is also a review from yours truly on David Dobson's great new book, Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond...!

Chris

FindmyPast updates Scottish deaths and burials database

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has updated the following collection:

Scotland, Modern and Civil Deaths & Burials 1855-2021
Do you have relatives that died in Scotland? Search over 62,000 new additions to discover the details of their death, burial, residence, occupation and next of kin in this growing national collection.

The Newark Herald (1873-1949) has also been added to its newspaper collection, with updates also for several other titles from Scotland and in the UK.

NB: There is an event next week previewing a big new Scottish release on the FindmyPast site - more soon!

Chris

Oral History of Port Glasgow Women presentations

This might be of interest to those with an interest in the women of Port Glasgow's shipbuilding community:

Fieldwork & Creative Engagement: Oral History of Port Glasgow Women
Thursday, 12 August 2021, 14:00-16:30.
Online, via Zoom.
Free, but ticketed via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/157935676861

Our two presentations are rooted in the lived experience of women in the shipbuilding communities of Port Glasgow, recordings of which are held in our collection. Through our presenters' fieldwork - undertaken almost 30 years apart - we see the importance of fieldwork, the collection and preservation of oral history recordings. It is from this perspective we will explore the value in creative reuse of archive recordings.

After the presentations we shall have a short break, followed by a chaired question-and-answer session with our presenters. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in the chat facility during the papers and the break.

This session is open to anyone who wishes to attend and those with a particular interest in collecting, researching, or creating with oral history recordings. Please register for the event via the link to Eventbrite (above). Joining instructions will be sent with your ticket.

Speakers:

Dr Hugh Hagan, Head of Public Records Act Implementation at the National Records of Scotland, is passionate about the shipbuilding communities of Port Glasgow and Greenock on the lower reaches of the River Clyde, particularly in the inter-war period. These towns, being removed by some distance from the large and diverse economy of Glasgow, depended entirely on shipbuilding and they developed a very particular sense of community. This was the subject of his PhD research at the School of Scottish Studies in the 1990s and he will draw on that research, specifically the role of women in these communities, in his talk.

Martine Robertson and Hannah Wood, of GaelGal Productions, were undertaking studies at the Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh, when they attended a lecture by Hugh Hagan about his Port Glasgow work. They were galvanised to revisit this fieldwork, recording new material with the family of Cassie Graham, one of Hugh's contributors. They have also been inspired to take these stories to centre stage, lifting the voices and experience of women of the Port Glasgow community and using these recordings in their creative practice. The presentation at this event is but one postcard-sized venture into their ongoing creative piece, What A Voice.

For more information and to register for the event, please follow the link to book on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/157935676861. If you have any questions, please contact scottish.studies.archives@ed.ac.uk

(With thanks to Kirsty M Stewart / Ciorstag Stiùbhart, New College Collections Curator and Archivist, School of Scottish Studies Library and University Collections, University of Edinburgh)

Chris

Thursday 22 July 2021

Discover Scottish Family History talk for Capital District Genealogical Society

A quick heads up on a talk that I will be giving for New York state based Capital District Genealogical Society this coming Saturday 24th July 2021. Here are the details:

July 24, 2021 Meeting; Discover Scottish Family History
(1pm New York time)

Presentation

“Wha’s like us? Damn few, an’ they’re aw’ deid!” Although Scotland is currently part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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.

In this session, Ayrshire based family historian Chris Paton outlines the records needed to explore your Scottish ancestry, noting where to find them online and offline, and exploring how they can help to trace your forebears back through time. He’ll discuss church records, civil registration records, censuses, land records, inheritances processes, and along the way flag up some of Scotland’s more interesting historic traditions to help researchers better understand their Caledonian heritage.

Speaker

Originally from Northern Ireland, Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer today based in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he runs the Scotland’s Greatest Story research service at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk. As well as contributing to many of the UK’s best known family history magazines, Chris also writes for his own Scottish GENES news blog at www.scottishgenes.blogspot.com, and regularly gives talks to family history societies across the UK and worldwide. His recent publications include Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd edition), and Sharing Your Family History Online.

For further details and to register, please visit https://www.capitaldistrictgenealogicalsociety.org/meetings_and_events.html.

I hope to maybe see you there!

Chris

Tuesday 20 July 2021

NIFHS's DNA Summer School returns this summer

News from the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org) about its returning DNA Summer School:

NIFHS DNA Summer School 2021
Monday 6th – Friday 10th September

The Classes
This September sees the return of our very popular DNA Summer School, a bit later this year due to circumstances. This time it is being held via Zoom which will give people an opportunity to attend irrespective of where they live.

Classes will last for around 90 minutes – usually a one-hour talk followed by questions and answers. The focus of this summer school is to enhance knowledge of DNA research and to make the whole subject more understandable. All four types of DNA will be covered (X, Y, Mitochondrial and Autosomal) and classes will provide practical advice to enable concepts to be understood and new skills to be learned. There will be a focus on making progress on DNA research within Ireland. However these classes are suitable for anyone irrespective of where their family originated. The classes are £10 each. However if you wish to attend all 10 classes a discount is available and a booking can be made at a cost of £80.

The Advantages of Y-DNA
The Advantages of MT-DNA
The Leeds Method
Using X Matches in your DNA Research
The DNA Family Matching Tool
Achieving Success with DNA
Ballycarry and Islandmagee DNA Projects
Using the Chromosome Browser effectively
Ethnicity Estimates
Using DNA Painter

All 10 Classes for £80

For further details please visit www.nifhs.org/courses/

(With thanks to Martin McDermott)

Chris

Monday 19 July 2021

Two new exhibitions at the National Library of Scotland

There are two new exhibitions commencing at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh (www.nls.uk):

Petticoats and Pinnacles: Scotland's pioneering mountain women

This exhibition reveals how women have overcome physical and social barriers to spend time in the mountains — not only as climbers but as writers, artists and leaders.

This exhibition will run from 10 July 2021 to 28 May 2022.

Further details at https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/petticoats-and-pinnacles/

The Eye of a Stranger: Henrietta Liston's travels

This exhibition tells the story of Henrietta Liston's travels in the Ottoman Empire. Henrietta and her husband, the Scottish diplomat Robert Liston, lived at the British Embassy in Constantinople (Istanbul) between the years 1812 and 1820.

The exhibition will run from 10 July to 6 November 2021.

Further details at https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/henrietta-liston/

For information about visiting the NLS please visit https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/visit/

Chris

Saturday 17 July 2021

National Library of Scotland appoints new Chief Executive

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

New Chief Executive appointed at the National Library of Scotland

The National Library of Scotland has appointed Amina Shah as its new Chief Executive and National Librarian. Ms Shah is known at the Library having served as Trustee, and brings a wealth of leadership experience from both public and academic libraries to the Chief Executive role.

Ms Shah joins the Library from the University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums and was previously Director of Programme at the Scottish Book Trust – a role that was instrumental in promoting literacy and a diverse reading and writing community in Scotland.

Chair of the National Library, Simon Learoyd said:

'I am delighted that our new Chief Executive will be Amina Shah.

'In a large and very strong field of candidates, Amina impressed us all with her obvious passion for the Library and everything it represents and aspires to be. Amina is massively ambitious for the Library and its place in wider Scottish society. She brings a huge amount of experience of Scottish culture and leadership in the library sector in particular. I have every confidence that she will be a great Chief Executive of the Library taking us into our centenary year in 2025.'

A former CEO of the Scottish Library and Information Council, Ms Shah led on the development of Scotland's first National Strategy for Public Libraries. With more than 25 years' experience in the sector, she has a strong interest in diversity and inclusion and the role libraries, literature and culture play in empowering individuals and communities.

Ms Shah said:

'It is a great honour and privilege to have this opportunity to lead the Library in the next chapter of its story. I am excited to get to work with the team, the Board and the people of Scotland to shape and share our incredible collections and to use them to support our recovery from the educational, cultural and economic inequalities brought about by the pandemic.

'Scotland has always been a nation of bards and blethers, and I believe there is no better way for us to understand ourselves, each other and the world around us, than to capture the stories of today, treasure them for the future and share them widely within our communities and across the world.'

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said:

'I welcome the appointment of Amina Shah as Chief Executive of the National Library. Its collections are internationally renowned, and the Library is constantly finding new ways to engage the people of Scotland and beyond with innovative and entertaining content.

'Ms Shah has a strong track record in ensuring people from all walks of life benefit from literature and culture, and her leadership will ensure the Library continues its progression to become a place that everyone can call 'their' library.'

Ms Shah will take up her post as Chief Executive and National Librarian on 4 October. The current National Librarian, Dr John Scally, retires on 1 October.

The NLS has also issued a news story about the appointment at https://www.nls.uk/news/latest-news/

(Source: https://www.nls.uk/news/media/chief-executive-appointed/)

Chris

Friday 16 July 2021

TheGenealogist's 'Lloyd George Domesday Survey' passes 1 million property records

This announcement from TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk) specifically concerns England, but may be of interest if your family moved south, and is certainly a huge milestone for the collection concerned:

TheGenealogist reaches over 1 million 1910s Property Records TheGenealogist has now added a total of over 1 million individuals to its unique Lloyd George Domesday Survey recordset with the addition this week of 85,959 individuals from the 1910s property tax records for the Borough of Haringey. Covering the areas of Hornsey Central, Hornsey East, Hornsey West, as well as Tottenham A, Tottenham B, Tottenham C and Wood Green this week’s release is made up of maps and field books that name property owners and occupiers in a exclusive online resource that gives family history researchers the ability to discover where an ancestor lived in the 1910-1915 period.

When combined with other records such as the 1911 Census, the IR58 Valuation Office records give researchers additional information about their ancestors' home, land, outbuildings and property. While these records may be searched from the Master Search or main search page of TheGenealogist, they have also been added to TheGenealogist’s powerful Map Explorer™ so that the family historian can see how the landscape where their ancestor lived or worked changed as the years have passed.

All of the contemporary OS maps are linked to field books that reveal descriptions of the property, as well as listing the names of owners and occupiers. This release makes it possible to precisely locate where an ancestor lived on a number of large scale, hand annotated maps for this part of London. These map the exact plots of properties at the time of the survey and are layered over various georeferenced historical maps and modern base maps on the Map Explorer™. Only available online from TheGenealogist, these records enable the researcher to thoroughly investigate a place in which an ancestor lived even if the streets have undergone massive change in the intervening years.

There are further details on the most recent update to this collection at https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/haringey-land-valuation-records-uncovers-the-modest-house-that-gave-its-name-to-a-famous-football-stadium-1429/.

COMMENT: A parallel record set from 1910-1915 that you may not be familiar with in Scotland - and which are certainly not the easiest to use! - are the Inland Revenue Survey Maps and Field Books. These were compiled as part of a valuation exercise carried out in Scotland by the Valuation Office - for further details see https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/inland-revenue-survey-maps-and-field-books.

In many cases you can see plans of buildings as they existed at this point, as well as other useful details about the properties, including on ownership and leases, but it is probably fair to say that this is one collection that you may certainly require some assistance with at the NRS in Edinburgh - but they may certainly be worth the effort!

Chris

Ivor Normand of ANESFHS interviewed on Journeys Into Genealogy podcast

Ivor Normand of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society (www.anesfhs.org.uk) has been interviewed by genealogist Emma Cox for her Journeys Into Genealogy podcast (https://emmacox.co.uk/journeys-into-genealogy-podcast/), which is now available online. Here's the blurb:

A conversation with Ivor Normand of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society

Have you considered joining a family history society? Ivor Normand is Chairman of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society. He explains how people can benefit through joining a family history society and what records/information are available and gives some hints and tips on researching your ancestors in Scotland.

You can find Ivor's interview at https://emmacox.libsyn.com/a-conversation-with-ivor-normand-of-the-aberdeen-and-north-east-scotland-family-history-society.

Chris

FindmyPast - stay tuned for a big Scottish release!

There is not a lot of Irish or Scottish content in this week's release on FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk), with parish records primarily from Pembrokeshire, and Catholic records from Southwark, but there is a little nuggest to take note of at the end of the release at https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/southwark-catholic-records:

Scottish heritage? You won’t want to miss a major release of new records in the coming weeks. These resources could transform your Scottish family research so stay tuned for all the details.

I have a wee inkling of what some of that is - suffice to say that something Scottish and wicked this way comes!

Chris

Tuesday 13 July 2021

Scottish Indexes 12 conference set for September 4th 2021

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has announced that its twelfth online conference will take place on Saturday 4th September 2021, with registration now open at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8916261116143/WN_akQ_wGz1Suy83AjHr34jhQ.

At our conference in September, Margaret Fox, formerly an archivist at the National Records of Scotland, will take an in-depth look at kirk sessions and cases that worked their way up to the Synod.

Genealogist Michelle Leonard will help us get to grips with DNA Painter. Myko Clelland will join us from Findmypast and Tessa Spencer will join us from the National Records of Scotland.

Further details are usually announced on the main website closer to the event, including a schedule for the day.

For the handouts from the previous conference held on Saturday past, visit the company's Facebook Group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/scottishindexes.

Chris

Monday 12 July 2021

State Library of Victoria uploads An Teachdaire Gàidhealach from 1857

If your ancestor was a Gael from Scotland who made their way to Hobart in Tasmania, you may be interested to know that a run of the limited ten edition set of the Hobart-based newspaper, An Teachdaire Gàidhealach, from Feb-Nov 1857, has been digitised and made freely available to view online by the State Library of Victoria.

The publication is written entirely in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and includes news from Scotland. From the catalogue entry at the library (http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?vid=MAIN&docid=SLV_VOYAGER1043587) it looks like the title was reactivated again in 1981, with a further run until 1990, but this is the first limited run from 1857 only, which is out of copyright.

You can access the title freely at https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE5999133.

(With thanks to @Caledonia_Aus via Twitter)

Chris

MyHeritage reaffirms commitment to not license or sell genetic data to third parties

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has announced an update to its privacy policy for users, strengthening its protections over the ownership of genetic data. The following is the announcement just issued by email:

Earlier this year, prior to MyHeritage’s acquisition by leading private equity firm Francisco Partners, we issued a press release in which we promised to expand MyHeritage's strong privacy framework for the benefit of our users.

The current updates to our Privacy Policy fulfill this promise. The highlight of the updates is the unequivocal commitment not to license or sell genetic data to any third party. This is highly unique among the larger genealogy and consumer DNA industry and is a testament to the commitment that both MyHeritage and Francisco Partners share to privacy and consumers.

The updated privacy policy is available to read at https://www.myheritage.com/privacy-policy, and states its key privacy principles as follows:

Our Key Privacy Principles

MyHeritage was founded in 2003 and has enjoyed the trust of its users for 18 years. MyHeritage cares deeply about the privacy of its users and the privacy of their data and its top priority is to honor their trust.

MyHeritage has never sold or licensed personal data (like customer names, email addresses, residence addresses and family trees) and will never do so in the future.

MYHERITAGE HAS NEVER SOLD OR LICENSED GENETIC DATA OR HEALTH DATA, AND WILL NEVER DO SO IN THE FUTURE.

MyHeritage will never provide data to insurance companies under any circumstances. MyHeritage prohibits law enforcement use of its DNA Services.

Users can delete their data from MyHeritage at any time. Deletion is permanent and irreversible.

If anything material ever changes in this privacy policy, we will notify you by email.

(With thanks to MyHeritage via email)

Chris

Sunday 11 July 2021

Resources to help whilst awaiting the 1921 Scottish census!

If you are frustrated at having to wait a little longer for the 1921 Scottish census to be released, the latest issue of Family Tree magazine (August 2021) contains an article by yours truly entitled Key 20th Century Scottish Resources, in which I detail many of records from the last century which you may have overlooked or not used to their full potential.

Also in this issue are articles on FamilySearch by Alison Spring, 19th C Royal Naval records by Dave Annal, DNA advice from Karen Evans and Michelle Leonard, and much more.

For further details, and to buy a copy, visit https://www.family-tree.co.uk/store/back-issues/family-tree-magazine/family-tree-magazine-august-2021-issue-189-1/. Also available in very friendly newsagents!

Chris

Scottish Research Online course returns August 30th

The next five week long Scottish Research Online course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd kicks off on August 30th 2021. Originally written by Canadian based Sherry Irvine, but regularly updated and taught now by yours truly for the last ten years, it shows how to get the very best out of various online resources for Scottish ancestral research. Here's the full blurb!

Scottish Research Online (102)
Tutor: Chris Paton

Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major family history records collections for accessibility online, and continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections. This course, originally created by genealogist Sherry Irvine, and now taught and regularly updated by Scottish based genealogist Chris Paton, describes the major sites and record types that you will encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results. Most importantly it will inspire you to actively pursue your interest in Scottish genealogy and take it to the next level.

Lesson Headings:

Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen
Essential Maps and Gazetteers
Civil Registration and Census Research
Searching in Church of Scotland Registers
Scottish Wills and Inventories
Bonus lesson - Take It From Here

Note: it is recommended but not required that students in this course sign up for the basic search option, 30 units/seven days, at ScotlandsPeople (cost is £7.50 for 30 credits)

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

STUDENTS SAID: "I particularly liked the fact that the course didn't just focus on the well-known BMD resources available, but on a much wider range of websites, including many which give extremely useful background information on the geography and history of the localities where our ancestors lived."

"a very knowledgeable Instructor"

Relevant Countries: Scotland

Course Length: 5 Weeks
Start Date: 30 Aug 2021
Cost: £49.99

For a wee video introduction to the course, see below or visit https://youtu.be/ssdYLlGtoHw

To sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102

I'll hopefully see you there!

And don't forget that the follow-up course Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers kicks off again for a five week run on 1 NOV 2021 (see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302), whilst my new Irish course, entitled Progressing Your Irish Research Online, returns again also on 15 NOV 2021 (see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=260)

As my mother used to say - we'll soon get ye learnt! :)

Chris

Saturday 10 July 2021

What is Ancestry's largest 'British' records collection?

Just what is the largest 'British' records collection on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk)?

In terms of records specifically drawn from across the UK, it may surprise you to know that the largest collection holds 278,407,890 records, including some records from the Republic of Ireland prior to Partition in 1921 - but it may not be a collection that you have often considered.

So here it is, and the relevant blurb from the site!

British Phone Books, 1880-1984
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1025/
Source: British phone books 1880-1984 from the collection held by BT Archives. Images reproduced by courtesy of BT Archives, London, England.

About British Phone Books, 1880-1984

This collection contains British phone books published between 1880, the year after the public telephone service was introduced to the UK, and 1984, from the historic phone book collection held by BT Archives. The database currently contains 1780 phone books and provides near full county coverage for England as well as containing substantial records for Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

About Phone Books:

The largest section of the phone book, and generally the most significant for family historians, is the alphabetical listings or directory. The alphabetical listings typically contain the following details:

    Surname of person (usually the head of household) or name of business
    Address
    Exchange (up to 1968)
    Telephone Number

Phone books also contain an introduction of useful local and operational information. Located at the front of the book these pages may contain lists of abbreviations used, contact information for important government agencies, instructions on how to make long distance calls, explanations of the exchanges and their coverage, or other necessary information in order to use the phone book and telephone equipment. The introduction is not searchable and can only be seen by using the browse function.

Advertisements for local businesses occasionally appear at the tops and bottoms of the alphabetical listings pages, as well as on full separate pages designated as such. Advertisements cannot be searched independently but can be seen by selecting the image of the phone book following searching for a name in close alphabetical proximity or by using the browse function.

Why use Phone Books?

Phone books are very useful for pinpointing individuals in a particular place and time. While censuses were only conducted once every ten years, phone books were published around every one to two years, creating in essence, an almost year by year record of individuals' geographic locations and movements. This makes it possible to locate many individuals in between census years and especially to find family members during years in which censuses are not currently available to the public. For reference, the latest viewable UK census is 1901, and will remain so until early 2012 when the 1911 census can be released.

Phone books are also very telling of an individual's economic and social status since telephone ownership is a prerequisite to an individual's inclusion within this collection. Early subscribers to the telephone service were typically large businesses or the well-to-do. Telephone ownership gradually increased, reflected by a corresponding growth in the size and number of phone books, and from the second quarter of the twentieth century became more commonly adopted by domestic subscribers.

While the alphabetical listings in the phone book will likely be of most interest to researchers, if your ancestor owned a business the advertisement section might also be of interest. There you may learn the location of and type of goods and services sold or offered by the business. This may lead you to additional research in occupational records.

BT actively supports the preservation of Britain's communications heritage. BT has published its commitment in its Heritage Policy (see www.bt.com/archives) and its Connected Earth initiative enables the exploration of communications past, present and future both online (at www.connected-earth.com) and via a network of partner museums around the UK.

COMMENT: The phone books are perhaps as important a collection as trade directories for research in terms of filling in the gaps between censuses and going beyond them, but they can be seriously hard work to use. The Ancestry search page advises "Please note that in order to search these records you are required to provide a name and country/county." - you can probably add "and say a prayer" to that requirement!

Personally speaking, I rarely bother searching by name using the database, unless it is a very rare surname, as there are often far too many responses. The best bet is to try to navigate the records using the Browse This Collection section to the right of the page, where you can narrow by year range, year, and then individually browse through the titles of individual directories. Coverage varies across the UK, but Scotland and Ireland (Scotland 1896 and Dublin 1880 are the earliest) are well represented, along with England and Wales - especially London.

Well worth a look!

Chris

Wednesday 7 July 2021

RootsTech in 2022 to be a virtual event again

From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org):

RootsTech Connect 2022 Aims to Repeat Success

RootsTech 2022 Announces Dates FamilySearch today announced that RootsTech Connect 2022 will take place on March 3–5, 2022, as a fully virtual family history event. After welcoming over one million visitors from over 240 countries to its 2021 online event, RootsTech Connect 2021 was the largest in the history of RootsTech, and spectacular proof of humanity’s interest globally in discovering our roots and connecting to each other. Building on its success, RootsTech Connect 2022 will remain completely virtual and free. Registration will open in September 2021.

“We were humbled with the response to an all-virtual RootsTech, and so grateful to all of our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and attendees who participated,” said Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch International CEO. “We heard from thousands of people from all over the globe that the 2021 online experience allowed them to participate for the first time and enjoy the power of learning and connecting virtually. And it created an expansive online archive for learning that is now available for free all year long. It’s an incredible resource, and we are excited about what we’re planning for 2022.”

RootsTech Events Online and In-person

The in-person events anticipated for London this fall and Salt Lake City in 2022 will not take place. For future events (2023 and beyond), RootsTech plans on offering a hybrid online and in-person model with content that is expanded and accessed throughout the year. Rockwood said the in-person events are part of the RootsTech experience and will be reevaluated each year as RootsTech continues to seek the best opportunities to expand connections with audiences worldwide.

For the full press release visit https://media.familysearch.org/rootstech-connect-2022-aims-to-repeat-success/. Registration will open in September.

Chris

New URL address for PRONI?!

I'm currently preparing material for my Irish classes in the forthcoming ISBGFH hosted British Institute in October (see www.isbgfh.com/BRITISH-INSTITUTE), and I've just noticed something on the website for the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, which is a little bizarre to say the least!

The main URL for the site has long been www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni - which still works - but I have just noticed that it is immediately defaulting to a different address - www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni. It seems to only be the front page, other URLs I have noted in the past on the site seem to be fine.

Sooo.... when did PRONI become a 'campaign', rather than a national archive?! What's the campaign's aim? Who are the good guys campaigning on this valiant crusade? Who are the bad guys getting in the way?!!

I've no idea how long this has been the case, but I really hope this is just a blip - until then, vive le campaign!!!

Chris

Monday 5 July 2021

Scottish Crannog Centre Trust seeks funds to rebuild

On June 12th 2021, a devastating fire totally destroyed the Scottish Crannog Centre at Loch Tay (see www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-57452498). Now the Scottish Crannog Centre Trust is seeking funds to help rebuild:

Help the Scottish Crannog Centre build towards a new future!

The Scottish Crannog Centre suffered a devastating fire in June 2021, and the iconic and much loved Crannog roundhouse was destroyed. The Crannog Centre is now raising funds towards a new development, and a new and exciting future for the museum.

To read about the project's plans to rebuild, and/or to make a donation, please visit https://justgiving.com/campaign/crannog

Good luck to all involved!

Chris

Scottish Indexes Conference XI takes place this Saturday 10th July 2021

The eleventh Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference takes place this coming Saturday 10th July, with the following great programme of speakers and sessions:

First session (UK times)

07.00
Introduction

07.15
‘Sharing Shetland Surnames’ by Susan Cooper & Alan Beattie, representing the Shetland Family History Society.

08.00
‘Tracing Scottish Women’ - by Kirsty Wilkinson, genealogist and author of ‘Finding Your Scottish Ancestors: Techniques for Solving Genealogy Problems’.

09.00
‘Member's Story: Diana Rae’ by Jennifer Jolly.

10.00
‘Tracing Scottish Ancestors before 1855’ by genealogist Alison Spring.

11.00
‘The Stones of Seafield: exploring monumental inscriptions in Edinburgh's Seafield Cemetery’ by Emma Jolly, writer and genealogist at emmajolly.co.uk.

12.00
Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell.

13.00
‘Merchant and Trades House Records’ by Dr Irene O'Brien, senior archivist at Glasgow City Archives.

14.00
‘Overcoming Brickwalls: Case Studies' by Emma Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes.

Second session (UK times)

15.00
Introduction

15.15
‘Sharing Shetland Surnames’ by Susan Cooper & Alan Beattie, representing the Shetland Family History Society.

16.00
‘Tracing Scottish Women’ - by Kirsty Wilkinson, genealogist and author of ‘Finding Your Scottish Ancestors: Techniques for Solving Genealogy Problems’.

17.00
‘Member's Story: Diana Rae’ by Jennifer Jolly.

18.00
‘Tracing Scottish Ancestors before 1855’ by genealogist Alison Spring.

19.00
‘The Stones of Seafield: exploring monumental inscriptions in Edinburgh's Seafield Cemetery’ by Emma Jolly, writer and genealogist at emmajolly.co.uk.

20.00
Genealogy Q & A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell.

21.00
‘Merchant and Trades House Records’ by Dr Irene O'Brien, senior archivist at Glasgow City Archives.

22.00
‘Overcoming Brickwalls: Case Studies' by Emma Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes.

For equivalent times worldwide please visit www.scottishindexes.com.

COMMENT: It looks to be another great programme! Although I'm not doing a talk in this event, I will hopefully pop in and participate in the first Q&A panel session, so hopefully see you there!

Chris

MyHeritage allows users to confirm or reject Theory of Family Relativity matches

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

You asked, we delivered. I’m excited to tell you about an important feature update we just released: you can now confirm or reject a Theory of Family Relativity™ on MyHeritage. This functionality was widely requested by our DNA users, and we are delighted to make it available.

Our Theory of Family Relativity™ feature incorporates genealogical information from all our historical records and family tree profiles to offer theories on how your DNA Matches might be related to you. While the theories presented are often accurate, sometimes, they are incorrect. Before now, there was no way to confirm or reject a theory. Now there is! This new functionality will allow MyHeritage users to systematically review their theories and mark the ones they’ve already looked at so they can focus on new ones.

By the way, we also recently introduced a new filter to the DNA Match pages: Genetic Groups. You can now filter your DNA Match list according to the Genetic Groups your matches belong to.

The addition of both of these features will make it easier than ever for MyHeritage DNA users to focus on the DNA Matches most important to them so they can move forward with their research.

For further details visit https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/07/new-theory-of-family-relativity-confirm-or-reject-theories/

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

Sunday 4 July 2021

FamilyTreeDNA announces updates and new features

From FamilyTreeDNA (www.familytreedna.com), via email:

We are excited to announce the release of several updates to the platform and to your reports! These improvements are just the beginning of a continued effort to help you discover more about yourself and your ancestry.

Thanks for allowing us to join you on your journey of discovery!

Family Finder Updates
The new Family Finder Matches page includes improvements to our matching algorithm, predicted relationship ranges, and X-chromosome matching. The new design allows you to better navigate your matches, and we’ve added more options for sorting, filtering, and searching your match list, including ways to find matches with shared Family Trees.
Further details at https://blog.familytreedna.com/updates-to-family-finder-matching-and-chromosome-painter/

Y-DNA Updates
The new Y-DNA Matches page provides the ability to easily view a breakdown of the number of matches per marker level as well as your matches’ earliest known paternal ancestor’s countries of origin. The new design allows you to better navigate your match list and includes more ways to sort, filter, and search your matches.
Further details at https://blog.familytreedna.com/improvements-to-the-y-dna-matches-page/

New Help Center
We’ve released a brand new learning center that will be referred to as the Help Center. We’ve also added links throughout the platform and your reports that will take you directly to Help Center pages that are specific to the report or page you are viewing. The goal of the new Help Center is to help you find answers to your questions faster. The full migration of the Learning Center to the new Help Center will complete in the 3rd quarter of the year.
Further details at https://blog.familytreedna.com/the-new-familytreedna-help-center/

Website Performance & Usability
We’ve improved match load times and have also made big improvements to the website’s usability. These usability updates include tons of new tooltips throughout the platform and direct links to specific Help Center topics throughout the platform.

New Feature Coming Soon — Chromosome Painter
Later in July, we’ll be releasing the new Chromosome Painter feature for Family Finder! The Chromosome Painter is another way to explore your myOrigins results. It paints segments of your genome with colors that represent the populations in your results. The Chromosome Painter goes beyond telling you your percentages by revealing from where each DNA segment in your ancestry originates.

Chris

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