New monumental inscriptions publication from ANESFHS

Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society has a new monumental inscriptions publication out, entitled The Kirkyards of Monquhitter and St. Luke's Cuminestown. The book is £4.40 plus p&p.

You can order the book from the society at https://anesfhs.org/publications/anesfhs-titles.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Eriskay Historical Society secures funds for Ionad Eilean na h-Òige project

From Comann Eachdraidh Eirisgeidh (Eriskay Historical Society) in the Western Isles:

We are proud to announce that Ionad Eilean nan h-Òige has been awarded £340,895 in funding from the second round of SSEN Transmission's Regional Community Benefit Fund.

A share of £2.37 million has been awarded to 14 projects out of 189 applications from community organisations across the north of Scotland. 

This funding will support Phase 3 of our Ionad Eilean na h-Òige project, the final phase of our redevelopment of the old Eriskay School.

Phase 3 will deliver the heart of the overall project, and compliment the wellbeing accommodation suited currently under construction. 

Phase 3 includes:

• A new museum within the old Eriskay School building
• A welcoming tearoom/café
• Community rooms
• A temporary exhibition space for themed exhibitions, local & visiting artists etc
• Community library
• An archive room
• Office hire space
• Gym/Greenhouse

This is a fantastic result and a real testament to the strength of the community, the project and the collective effort behind the application. It reflects the commitment, collaboration and belief shown by so many in our community.

This support enables us to leave a positive lasting legacy in partnership with SSEN Transmission, preserving Eriskay’s heritage while creating sustainable facilities for future generations.

If you would like to donate towards our project, please click on the link on our website https://www.eriskayheritage.scot/support-us

Thank you all for your continued support with our community led project.  

(Source: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064550927205)

Comment: I met some of the folk from this Eriskay group last year, they're a friendly bunch, and it will be great to see the centre when he work is complete. I might just have to go back for another visit!

Mealaibh ur naidheachd a chàirdean!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Latest North Irish Roots journal has a sporting theme

The latest North Irish Roots journal (Vol. 36 No. 2, 2025) from the North of Ireland Family History Society (https://www.nifhs.org) is now available for members, this time with a sporting theme. Amongst this edition's content there are several articles on tracing sporting ancestors, including within the areas of rugby, hockey, and golf.

For further details on the journal and other membership benefits please visit https://www.nifhs.org/research-centre-resources/resources/north-irish-roots-jstor/

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Forthcoming talks for the Wales-Ireland-Scotland-England (WISE) Family History Society

I will be doing a couple of events for the Wales-Ireland-Scotland-England Family History Society (W.I.S.E. FHS; https://wise-fhs.org) later this month. 

On Saturday May 24th I will be doing a talk entitled Discover Your Scottish Ancestors for the group at 1.30pm MDT (8.30pm UK), with details at https://wise-fhs.org/event/w-i-s-e-pre-seminar-meeting-with-chris-paton/. 

This will be followed the following Saturday by a seminar with three topics, being Scottish Kirk Session Records, Scottish Marriage Records: Instantly Buckled for Life, and Understanding Scottish Inheritance Records. The seminar starts at 9.00am MDT (4.00pm UK), and you can find further details on this at https://wise-fhs.org/event/w-i-s-e-annual-seminar-with-chris-paton/. 

I am looking forward to both events immensely, and I hope that you can join us! 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Thanks to the three Ayrshire family history societies!

I had the pleasure of speaking at the joint meeting of the Ayrshire family history societies last Thursday in Troon, at Portland Church hall, in what I believe was the first such joint meeting since the pandemic. I was actually told that my recent blog post at the end of last year on whether Scotland's family history community was beginning to suffer from 'Long Zoom' was a factor in it being established (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/11/is-scotlands-family-history-community.html), so glad to have helped if that was true! It was a packed hall, with folk having travelled from Largs, Kilmarnock, Troon, and throughout the county and beyond.

Ayrshire today is split into three administrative council areas, North, East and South, and the three Ayrshire societies are located in each, being Troon @ Ayrshire FHS (https://www.troonayrshirefhs.org.uk), East Ayrshire FHS (https://eastayrshirefhs.co.uk), and North Ayrshire FHS (http://www.northayrshirefhs.org.uk), which used to be the Largs and North Ayrshire FHS. All can help with research in their specific parts of the county, and alongside the resources that casn be found from Ayrshire's joint archive service at https://www.ayrshirearchives.org.uk.

The talk that I gave was a deliberately simplified introduction to how DNA can be useful in helping out with family history research. There was a simple introduction to what DNA is, and the sorts of tests available, with the majority of the talk highlighting three examples from my own family tree in Scotland and Ireland of just how DNA matches can help to unblock brick walls in research. The purpose was to simply show that DNA can be an important thing to test, and that it is best to do so sooner than later, particularly with elderly relatives, even if you don't quite know how to understand all the technical gubbins behind it at first - that will come, in time!

A huge thanks to all who came along, and to the societies for organising it, I hope it is the first of many more annual events to come! This year I have been able to give a few in-person talks, after several years of online pergatory, and whilst Zoom can be convenient, and reach members beyond Scotland and Ireland, it simply cannot replicate the sense of community that in-person events can help to foster on societies' own doorsteps. 

And I sincerely hope whoever laid out the food spread after the sesion will seriously consider catering for weddings and other events - it was magnificent, I'm not sure I've ever seen such an amazing feast at a society event!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Friday at the OGS conference in Toronto

So Friday turned out to be a bad day for Scotland, the nature of the defeat being more epic than I could ever have dreamed possible. 

No, I'm not talking about the 5-1 thrashing inflicted on us by Germany, I'm talking about my participation in the game of Genealogy Jeopardy at the OGS Conference in Toronto, Canada, where I showed that I was definitely in the same league as the national footie squad when it comes to competitive sport... 

We kicked of the quiz at 8.45pm, at which point, thanks to jetlag, I had been up for 18 hours (I awoke just before 3am local time, and I'm allowed to make excuses!), and it all went gloriously downhill from there! The worst moment was when I was asked to provide a question for an answer something along the lines of "A genealogy term represented by GPS, which does not stand for Global Positioning System", and I just froze, with audience members commenting "Oh come on!", as I dreamt of Scotland's single goal in Munich, and realising far too late that rather heroically I also had nothing left in the tank! (The answer was Genealogical Proof Standard, the failure to answer of which is a capital offence in the genealogical world, and in three other worlds in the known universe). The winner was genealogist Mags Gaulden, who also gave an entertaining plenary session earlier on the seven words you can never use in genealogy, who soundly thrashed myself and my fellow defeatee, athough not quite as defeated by me, local genie Janice Nickerson. Ah, sure, it was good craic, and it'll be grand next time....!

 

Earlier in the day I gave a two-hour workshop session, Sharing Your Family History Online, which was great fun with those in attendance, after which I visited the marketplace, where I managed to catch up with a few friends - not least the epic Mr Paul Milner, with whom I once sailed the high seas. I briefly touched base with the APG stand also, but will do a proper visit around all the stalls hopefully later today.

It's now early Saturday morning, and I'm shortly to give a plenary session after breakfast on Reimagining Genealogy, followed later by a talk on the newest developments in Scottish genealogy. 

At least on these I am fairly sure I won't have to worrry about goal difference...!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Aberdeenshire memorial inscriptions records removed from Ancestry

Well, it's happened again. At the end of March I announced that Ancestry had been forced to remove a database of Isle of Man civil registration indexes which it had crawled from another user's wesbite and added to their platform without any given consent, a move which was labelled as "apparent data theft" by the data creator (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2024/03/ancestry-pulls-isle-of-man-civil.html). 

Now Ancestry has removed its Aberdeen and North-East Scotland, Index to Memorial Inscription Booklets, 1500-2021 database (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2024/03/ancestry-adds-aberdeenshire-memorial.html), appropriated from content created by the Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society, again without any given consent.

It seems that Ancestry is adding these collections to its site as part of an initiative called Ancestry Web Records. On its guide at https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Finding-Records-Online-with-Ancestry-Web-Records it notes the following:

Libraries, governments, genealogical societies, universities, and genealogists have made a wealth of information available online. Ancestry® web records makes it easy to find records from many of these places. We summarize information from free web records and provide links to the original sites.
 
Guiding principles of web records

• Access to web records is free. No one needs to subscribe or register with Ancestry to view these records.
• Web records are attributed to the content publishers.
• They're easily available. Prominent links make it easy to access the source website.

The site also adds the following for content creators:

We follow web standards for restricting crawling (robots.txt files). If a website has a robots.txt file that prohibits crawling the genealogical records, we don't search those records. If records from your website are included and you'd like them removed, please send a request to websearch@an​cestry​​.com.

In essence, Ancestry is sweeping the web for data that it can add to its site. It's not charging for such data, and it is linking back to the original content creators, but one has to ask whether this is being done for charitable reasons, or for other purposes. There can be many positive reasons for hosting such material - and indeed, in the past, Ancestry has created third party indexes to records available on other platforms, with their agreement, which you can often see with Web: written as a prefix to the collection title. But to just arbitrarily take content that others have created without seeking permission first does seem to me to be something that may potentially break trust with many people and organisations, and potentially earn itself a few Darwin Awards along the way. 

Records from the Isle of Man and Aberdeenshire collected on such a basis have already been removed over the last month as soon as the collection creators have learned about their appropriation. What else has been appropriated in the same way? Maybe Ancestry should think again about such a practice?

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Join me May 8th for my Scottish Research Resources Before 1800 talk for Ontario Genealogical Society

On May 8th 2024 I will be giving an online talk via Zoom to the Onatrio Genealogical Society's Scottish SIG (Special Interest Group), entitled Scottish Research Resources Before 1800. The session will be held from 10.00-11.00 a.m. Ontario time, so from 3.00 p.m. in Scotland - registration is free.

For further details, and to register, please visit https://scottishsig.ogs.on.ca/events/scottish-sig-scottish-research-resources-before-1800-chris-paton/.

I hope to maybe see you there!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS adds Tollcross Cemetery records to website

From Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society (www.gwsfhs.org.uk), news that may be of interest to members with family buried at Tollcross Cemetery:

Photographs and transcriptions of inscriptions on monuments in the Tollcross Cemetery, Shettleston are now available to view on our website www.gwsfhs.org.uk.

According to the Glasgow City Council, the first burial at Tollcross Cemetery 114 Corbett Street was 1897. There are some earlier dates on a few of the grave stones but they may just be recording information of folks buried elsewhere.

In 2013, we photographed over 2,081 grave stones that were face up and recordable. There were quite a few that were face down and far too heavy for us to get upright.   Many were illegible due to vandalism and severe weather.   The Old Churchyard is also within these grounds in the walled area where the Old Church also stood. We have also recorded that section.

We have name indexed all 7,890 persons mentioned in the inscriptions (married women are indexed by both their maiden and married surnames).

Previously we sold a CD of these photographs and transcriptions (since withdrawn from sale).

Access to this data is a benefit of membership of our society.

(With thanks to Murray Archer)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

North of Ireland Family History Society Spring School 2024 Programme

From the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org):

SPRING SCHOOL 2024 PROGRAMME
North of Ireland Family History Society Spring School 2024
A series of in person and online classes - all FREE!
All times given are London time.
https://www.nifhs.org/courses/

Look-Up Live (NIFHS Volunteers)
Wednesday 17 April 2024 at 7.00pm. FREE (on zoom)
This is not a formal talk but an opportunity for you to find out about some of the items that the Society holds in its research library. Come along and ask us a question - you may even get a look-up done during the session!
Email education.zoom@nifhs.org for the zoom link, specifying Look-Up Live.

DNA Questions and Answers (NIFHS DNA Team)
Wednesday 1 May 2024 at 7.00pm. FREE (on zoom)
An evening devoted to all your DNA questions.
Email education.zoom@nifhs.org for the zoom link, specifying DNA Questions and Answers.

Starting out on WikiTree (Anne Johnston)
Friday 24 May 2024 at 7.00pm. FREE (on zoom)
If you aren’t sure how to make a start on WikiTree this talk will show you clearly and simply how to add a profile to WikiTree. Learn how to do the basics and your tree will grow person by person!
Email education.zoom@nifhs.org for the zoom link, specifying Starting out on WikiTree.

Research Lock-In (Society Volunteers)
Wednesday 29 May 2024 at 7.00pm-midnight. (In person at Research Centre)
If you want to make use of the incredible resources in our Society research library then this is the night for you! We’ll be there from 7pm to help you with your research. The rules of the night are that we ‘lock’ the door at 8pm to new entrants and once you leave you you can’t come back in again. Can you last to midnight?
Email education.zoom@nifhs.org, specifying Research Lock-In to register and secure your place.

Growing Your Family Tree (Martin McDowell)
Wednesday 26 June 2024 at 7.00pm. FREE (on zoom)
This class will provide some simple tips and tricks for people not yet too far down the research path.
Come along and hear about some ideas that may help you break through some brickwalls.
Email education.zoom@nifhs.org for the zoom link, specifying Growing Your Family Tree.

(With thanks to Linda Kilby)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Two new publications from Moray and Nairn Family History Society

Moray & Nairn Family History Society (http://www.morayandnairnfhs.co.uk) has published two new publications:

Burghead War Memorial & Burghead Cemetery Burial Register 1869-1883 & 1896-1944
Available from Moray & Nairn FHS at only £8 each, p&p extra.
Email publications@morayandnairnfhs.co.uk

1855 Deaths as Reported in Nairn Newspapers 1845-1854
Available from Moray & Nairn FHS at only £5 each, p&p extra.
Email publications@morayandnairnfhs.co.uk

 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Exploring Family History events at PRONI, Belfast, 19-23 February 2024

So it's all happening in Belfast this month!

Exploring Family History 2024
19th February to 23rd February at PRONI
Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
North of Ireland Family History Society
ABC Family History Association

Help and Information Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm

• How can a family history society help you on your quest to tell the stories of your ancestors?
• How can you find relevant records and resources?
• How can DNA enhance your research?
• All this and more - ask us questions, get advice and even buy a DNA kit at a special price of £40.

Guided behind the scenes tour of PRONI Tuesday 20th Feb 2.15pm, and Wednesday 21st Feb at 2.15pm

Your opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at PRONI.
Spaces are limited so book now at PRONI Tour and Document Display Tickets

Daily Talks - all free! Book here Exploring Family History 2024

ABC Family History Association - Finding Connections Tuesday 20th Feb 11am-12pm
Joy Smith will explain what membership of ABC Family History Association can mean for you and
how it can enrich your family history experience.

Introduction to NIFHS Sources Tuesday 20th Feb 1-2pm
Andrew Kane will explain what unique records are held by the North of Ireland Family History
Society and how the society can help you with your family history research.

Understanding DNA Wednesday 21st Feb 1-2pm
DNA is an excellent addition to your family history toolbox. Martin McDowell will explain how you
can benefit by comparing your DNA with others who also have ancestors from Northern Ireland.

The Really Useful Talk Thursday 22nd Feb 1-2pm
Steve Manning from the Family History Federation will be explaining how the federation works to
promote family history and the work of societies across the British Isles.

NIFHS Projects Friday 23rd Feb 1-2pm
Members of the North of Ireland Family History Society will be explaining about their local
transcription and DNA projects and how both can benefit the wider family history community both
locally and around the world 

 (With thanks to Linda at NIFHS!)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Irish Mini Seminar with Ulster Historical Foundation in Wishart, Queensland

From the Genealogical Society of Queensland (www.gsq.org.au):

Irish Mini Seminar with Ulster Historical Foundation
15 FEB 2024 at 9:00 AM AEST
In person at the Genealogical Society of Qld Inc. resource rooms, 25 Stackpole Street, Wishart, or via Zoom

Program

• Using landed estate records: tracing families in the 18th & 19th century.
• Using the Registry of Deeds: an important source for 18th century research.
• Newspapers as a source for Irish research.
• The Ulster Plantation and sources for finding 17th century families in Ireland (not just Ulster).
• All sesssions will be recorded and available for one month after the event to registered attendees.

Bookings & payment
GSQ/QFHS Members $50
Non-members $60
Book online at: www.gsq.org.au/events/
Payment may be made by:
Credit card (online, by phoning GSQ) 07 3349 6072 or at GSQ Cash (at GSQ)
Bank transfer (note details at time of ordering) OR Cheque by post: GSQ, PO Box 1467, Carindale, QLD 4152

For further details visit https://www.gsq.org.au/event/ulster-historical-foundation-irish-mini-seminar/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish family event in Wellington

An event being held by the NZSG's Lower North Island Irish Interest Group in New Zealand which may be of interest!

Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish family:  

1-2 March 2024 Wellington (New Zealand)

Join experts Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Ulster Historical Foundation to learn how to get the most out of Irish resources and records, gain strategies for breaking down brick walls, and grasp important historical context that may help fill in gaps in your research.

On Friday there's an opening reception with introductory presentations and on Saturday a full-day seminar. Come along to both, or just one of the days. There'll be something for those just beginning their Irish research and for more experienced researchers.

NZ $75 two day ticket - early bird price until 31 December

For details and booking: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/events/landing/10974

(With thanks to Maggie Gaffney)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS research centre and library in Partick

Following my post last week asking if Scotland's family history communities are developing 'Long Zoom' (http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/11/is-scotlands-family-history-community.html), i.e. a fear of returning to in-person meetings alongside the convenience of holding meetings via Zoom for overseas attendees, I had an interesting response from Murray Archer, minutes secretary of the Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS, who outlined several factors making it difficult for a return to in-person gatherings. These include the escalated costs to hire venues in the last few years, diminishing numbers of attendees, and pandemic induced concerns. But one thing Murray also mentioned was that members of the society, and indeed the public, are always welcome to visit the society's research centre and library premises in Partick to carry out research, or indeed, to just pop in for a cup of tea! 

You can find details of the society research centre's opening hours at https://www.gwsfhs.org.uk/about/research-centre/, and remember that the centre is also now an affiliate centre for FamilySearch (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/05/familysearch-access-at-glasgow-and-west.html).

(With thanks to Murray Archer)

Chris 

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ulster Historical Foundation Australian Tour - Queensland

I have been asked by Queensland Family History Society (www.qfhs.org.au) to share the following event news for those carrying out Irish research in Australia:

Ulster Historical Foundation Australian Tour - Queensland
Fri, 16 Feb 2024 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM AEST

Venue: Kedron-Wavell Services Club,21 Kittyhawk Drive Chermside, QLD 4032 Australia

Advance your knowledge of Irish research at this very special morning featuring guests from the Ulster Historical Foundation. This event is your gateway to tracing your roots, connecting with your ancestors, and embracing your unique heritage.

We have an early bird special which ends 10pm Brisbane time 11 December.

The talks are:

• Introduction to Irish and Scots-Irish Family History Research
• The importance of gravestone inscriptions and funerary monuments in Irish research
• Irish education and school records: the records of the National Education system
• Getting the most out of Griffith’s Valuation

Speakers:

Fintan Mullan is the Executive Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation. A pioneer in the creation of online resources for Irish research Fintan has maintained the Foundation’s prominence in digital database developments for Irish genealogy. He has also managed the production of over 100 publications, including the popular Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors, and has lectured extensively on Irish history and genealogy in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Gillian Hunt is the Research Officer with the Ulster Historical Foundation and is responsible for managing the Foundation's many genealogical activities. Gillian also carries out research for clients and is a hugely experienced user of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the General Register Office. She regularly teaches courses and gives talks on family history in the rest of Ireland.

For further details, and the link to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/ulster-historical-foundation-australian-tour-queensland-tickets-747878965117?aff=oddtdtcreator

(With thanks to Alex Daw)

Chris 

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS Journal explores Glaswegian immigrants

A quick shout out to editor Karen Hunter and her team for the latest Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society Journal, with this edition (no. 128) focussing on the various groups of immigrants who have made their way to Glasgow over the years. 

There's a superb article on the "GlaswegAsian Gems" by Dr Saqib Razzaq, something I particularly enjoyed having previously lived near to the gurdwara in Anderson and the mosque near Tradeston, with other articles looking at Holocaust refugees, Russian immigrants, Canadian war brides, and much more.

Copies of the journal are available as a benefit of membership of the society - details at www.gwsfhs.org.uk.

And don't forget that there are many family history societies across Scotland, with details for most available at https://safhs.org.uk, the website of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies.

Chis   

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Lists of Roman Catholics in early 18th century Scotland

A few years ago I bought the entire collection of the Scottish Genealogy Society’s journal, The Scottish Genealogist, and from time to time I take a batch of them and read through. Many of the articles are quite dated on the technology front (the journal started in 1954!), as is the language used, but one of the real joys is the amount of knowledge locked away within them about resources which are just not noted in any books that I have come across elsewhere on research sources.

One article from the December 1991 issue (Vol. 38, No. 4), for example, is entitled Catholic Records, which is uncredited, but which over the course of three pages lists which records of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland contain letters and documents naming Roman Catholics (‘papists’) living within various Scottish parishes in the early 1700s. The records are catalogued under CH1/2/5 and CH1/2/29-34.

The article provides specific references for individual parishes and presbyteries in which lists of Catholics are identified. The same information can be gleaned today for these collections using the modern NRS catalogue (http://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/welcome.aspx), by placing CH1/2/5 in the Reference box, and clicking search, which in this case generates 5 results:

    CH1/2/5/1, Church Papers, 1701-1705
    CH1/2/5/2, Church Papers, 1700-1705
    CH1/2/5/3, Church Papers, 1702-1706
    CH1/2/5/4, Church Papers, 1706-1707
    CH1/2/5/5, Church Papers, 1700-1706

However, each of these references, when clicked on for more detail, provides further details of five bound manuscript volumes, with further references to holdings contained within them given in considerably more detail, but also for parishes where none were recorded (not identified in the article).

If I do a further search on the second reference above, CH1/2/5/2, the following additional details are included, amongst the many items collected, for lists of Catholics found or not found:

MSS bound – Part Two

    149-154. Lists of Papists within the Presbytery of Edinburgh in various years 1700-1704.
    155. List of Papists in Aberdeen, 1705.
    156. List of Papists in Urr, 1705.
    157. List of Papists in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright above the Water of Dee.
    158. List of Papists in the Sheriffdom of Dumfries. 1705.
    159. List of Papists in the Regality of Terregles and Kirkcungeon. 1705.
    161. Names of the few papists in Kincardineshire. 1705.
    162. List of papists in Morayshire. 1705.
    163-164. Declarations by Town Clerk and Sheriff of Selkirk. [No papists] 1705.
    165. No. papists in Atholl. 1705.
    166. No. papists in Dunbar. 1705.
    167. Names of papists in Musselburgh. 1705.
    168. Names of papists in Leith. 1705.
    169. Names of papists in Dalkeith.
    170. List of papists in Canongate. 1705.
    171. List of papists in Forfar. 1705.
    172. List of papists in Linton. 1705.
    173. Names of papists in Glasgow. 7 March 1705.
    174. Names of papists in Cupar. 5 March 1705.
    175. List of papists in Edinburgh. 9 Feb. 1705.

And there are of course others found within the general references quoted above.

The journal discussed here is, if of interest, available from the Scottish Genealogy Society’s shop at https://shop.scotsgenealogy.com/acatalog/shop.html as a downloadable PDF document, priced at just £1.

I’ll occasionally flag up a few more gems from time to time, as and when I find them!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

ISBGFH's Salt Lake City based British Institute in October includes Scottish and Irish tracts

I'm posting this on behalf of my good friends at the International Society of British Genealogy and Family History (www.isbgfh.com), for those who may be interested in its week long study programme, the British Institute, in October in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, including tracts on both Scotland and Ireland:

British Institute 2023
In Person in Salt Lake City, Utah
9 - 13 October 2023

The International Society for British Genealogy and Family History is proud to bring you British Institute 2023, in person in Salt Lake City, Utah. Join us for a week filled with exceptional genealogy education from world class instructors.

• If you are not able to join us in Salt Lake City, Utah, course recordings and syllabi are available to purchase. The recordings and syllabi will be available after the in-person event concludes.
• If you plan to join us in Salt Lake City, Utah, in person, you are also able to purchase recordings of any of the other courses.
• Members: When registering for British Institute, please be sure to use the email addressed you used when joining ISBGFH.
• When registering, please carefully read the registration ticket types (on the Registration page) and choose the appropriate category. For example, if you are a member, and will be joining us in-person in Salt Lake City, but would also like to purchase an additional course recording, you would choose the ticket type category 'Member, 2 Courses, One Course In-Person, One Course Recording'.

ISBGFH 2023 Courses

Course 1: Once More unto the Breach: English Research - Sponsored by Family Search, Presented by Kori Robbins, AG® & Dan Poffenberger, AG®

Join us as we explore the most effective ways to further your knowledge of family history research in England at the FamilySearch Library. We'll quickly cover the basics and then dive deep into sources, resources, methods, and strategies. Expect hands-on sessions that allow attendees to learn while using Library resources.

Course 2: Irish Law and Government Documents
Presented by David E. Rencher, AG®, CG®, FUGA, FIGRS & Rick Sayre, CG®, CGLSM, FUGA

Join instructors David E. Rencher and Rick Sayre for an exciting course of instruction digging into the law and government documents of Ireland! This updated course from 2016 includes seven new sessions and updated information to the prior course, including a master bibliography.

Course 3: Scottish Research: The Fundamentals and Beyond
Presented by Paul Milner, FUGA, MDiv.

Scottish laws, regulations and records are different than those for the rest of the British Isles, and certainly different than in the United States. Yet there are enough similarities to create confusion for the unwary. In this course, we will address the fundamentals of all the major record groups, examining where to find and how to search the indexes and exploring what is and is not available online. 

Course 4: The Genealogist's Guide to the Technology Galaxy - Sponsored by MyHeritage. Presented by Thomas MacEntee

As you work through your genealogy research projects, do you sometimes have trouble managing technology? Perhaps you don’t know how to start your journey or the best route to take? What about the tools you need for your online research trip? Confused as to what works best and what should be avoided?

For further details on the institute's programmes, and to register, please visit https://www.isbgfh.com/BRITISH-INSTITUTE.

Have fun! 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

My presentations for The Villages Genealogical Society on Wed 23rd August 2023

Next Wednesday 23rd August I'll be giving two online presentations to The Villages Genealogical Society (https://vgsfl.org) in Florida:

Wednesday, August 23
VGS General Monthly Meeting  (VGS Monthly Meeting)
10:00 am (Florida time, Eastern)
ZOOM Meeting Only 

Guest Speaker:  Chris Paton

1st Presentation:  Genealogy Without Borders
As family historians, we can be tempted to try to tell the stories of our ancestors solely from the resources in the areas where they once lived, overlooking an important part of our ancestral stories which is the plight of those family members who left our shores. As part of a wider worldwide diaspora, Chris will show how many emigrant family members provided him with clues to their stories overseas, often with records that plugged the missing gaps in research for family members back home.
 
2nd Presentation:  British and Irish Newspapers
Records of births, marriages and deaths provide a fantastic starting point for identifying our ancestors' names and where they lived, but in terms of trying to uderstand how those ancestors once lived, there is no better resource to plunder than a good newspaper. Over the last two centuries in particular, newspapers have recorded the daily events that have shaped our forebears' lives, and in many cases have identified specific tales about them, as well as notices and advertisements directly concerning them and their contemporary communities.
 
Speaker's Bio:
Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer 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, he 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.
 
To attend this Zoom only meeting:  please register in advance by clicking HERE.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

I hope that you can join us!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.