Well that's me now on my way to Who Do You Think You Are? Live at Olympia in London (Friday to Sunday, see www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk).
I'll be helping Robert Blatchford on stall 811, helping to sell the Family and Local History Handbook as well as the new CD omnibus edition of the first ten editions, with some very special offers. Robert's website at www.genealogical.co.uk has all the details. If you are coming along, I'm happy to offer some free advice on any queries you might have also.
If you are going, have a great time - and I'll maybe see you there!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
ScotlandsPeople Centre - extras
The ScotlandsPeople Centre has been fully open for several weeks now. The new research system not only allows access to the BMDs, OPRs and Scottish census records, but also wills and testaments and heraldry records. What you may not be aware of, however, is the fact that whilst seated at your terminal, you can also access a vast range of exterior based websites, including Ancestry.co.uk, FindmyPast, Family Search, SCRAN, the NAS catalogue, EDINA, and many, many others.
For websites that require a subscription - such as Ancestry and FindmyPast - you will need to have your own subscription paid for, and to log in with your own personal username and password. However, the flexibility for family history research in the centre with these sites available at your fingertips is dramatically enhanced compared to the previous set up with the old DIGROS system, which will soon be completely phased out from the centre (it is temporarily still in use in the Dundas Room).
Where before you could find a soldier's death cert, for example, you can now find the same record, cross refer it to the Soldiers Died in the Great War database on FindmyPast, check for a medal index card and service record at Ancestry, and see if a will exists for him in the Soldier's Wills collection as listed on the NAS catalogue - all within a couple of minutes.
Next time you are in, it may well be worth spending another ten minutes to explore the Useful Websites link on the left hand side of the screen - you may well be in for several major surprises!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
For websites that require a subscription - such as Ancestry and FindmyPast - you will need to have your own subscription paid for, and to log in with your own personal username and password. However, the flexibility for family history research in the centre with these sites available at your fingertips is dramatically enhanced compared to the previous set up with the old DIGROS system, which will soon be completely phased out from the centre (it is temporarily still in use in the Dundas Room).
Where before you could find a soldier's death cert, for example, you can now find the same record, cross refer it to the Soldiers Died in the Great War database on FindmyPast, check for a medal index card and service record at Ancestry, and see if a will exists for him in the Soldier's Wills collection as listed on the NAS catalogue - all within a couple of minutes.
Next time you are in, it may well be worth spending another ten minutes to explore the Useful Websites link on the left hand side of the screen - you may well be in for several major surprises!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Scottish Military Research Group to appear at SAFHS
A quick plug to announce that the newly established Scottish Military Research Group will be making its first appearance at the SAFHS conference at King's College Conference Centre, Aberdeen, on Saturday April 25th 2009. Whilst a new group, it actually encompasses two long standing online research projects, the Scottish War Memorial Project at http://www.scottishwarmemorials.co.uk/ and the Scottish War Graves Project at http://www.scottishwargraves.co.uk/, run by some very dedicated volunteers across the country and beyond. If you can help contribute to the work, they would love to hear from ye!
The group has some exciting plans, including some product releases in the near future which will be of great assistance to those with ancestral connections to the subject matter. The group's website is available at www.spanglefish.com/ScottishMilitaryResearchGroup.
Highly recommended...!
For more on the SAFHS conference, please visit www.safhs.org.uk/SAFHS_Conference.asp.
Chris
http://www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk/
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Friday, 20 February 2009
Congratulations to Harris!
The Isle of Harris has just voted to turn their island into Scotland's third national park, following on from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and the Cairngorms. The full story is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7899003.stm.
If you haven't been to Harris, you've somewhere beautiful still to visit. I fired a rocket there once for a TV programme, but it wasn't in anger...! (And if you're learning Gaelic, it's easier to understand them there than in Lewis! ha!).
Good luck to the Hearrachs!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
If you haven't been to Harris, you've somewhere beautiful still to visit. I fired a rocket there once for a TV programme, but it wasn't in anger...! (And if you're learning Gaelic, it's easier to understand them there than in Lewis! ha!).
Good luck to the Hearrachs!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
CSI: Utah?!!! Genealogy aims to help amnesia sufferer
Just read an interesting tale at Kimberley's Genealogy Blog. An attempt to use genealogy to help identify a sufferer of amnesia is currently underway in Richmond Hill, Georgia, in the US, where a man calling himself Benjamin Kyle was found badly beaten up. A Y-DNA test has been taken and genealogists are trying to find a match for a possible relative.
Is this the first instalment of an interesting new genealogical detective series - CSI: Utah..?!!! Fascinating stuff! More at http://genealogy.about.com/b/2009/02/17/using-genealogy-to-identify-an-amnesia-victim.htm , including links to the DNA project involved.
(PS: Utah has nothing to do with it, but it seems to be the only placename synonymous with genealogy!)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Is this the first instalment of an interesting new genealogical detective series - CSI: Utah..?!!! Fascinating stuff! More at http://genealogy.about.com/b/2009/02/17/using-genealogy-to-identify-an-amnesia-victim.htm , including links to the DNA project involved.
(PS: Utah has nothing to do with it, but it seems to be the only placename synonymous with genealogy!)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Ancestors issue 79 now on sale
The latest issue of Ancestors magazine is out and is a special dedicated to the 1911 English and Welsh census. You might think from a Scottish point of view that this is not relevant, but never mind the fact that many of our Scottish ancesors were also living in those countries, it was also Dundee based Brightsolid which digitised the returns at the National Archives 
at Kew! Penny Law has a fascinating account of exactly how they went about it - personally speaking, I find these documentary style articles as interesting as the findings we make within the hobby itself, and in this case, the process was a great deal more involved than simply shoving a book under a scanner.
Other articles include user guides to using the census, an account of how the census was actually carried out, useful supplementary sources for researching relatives around in 1911, First World War service records, and more.
There's all the regular features as well, including the news with a full synopsis for all the Who Do You Think You Are series, and the internet review column from yours truly. Available at newsagents for just £3.99. I think they missed a trick here - they could have gone the whole hog with the 1911 thing and just charged a shilling! (God loves a trier...!)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
at Kew! Penny Law has a fascinating account of exactly how they went about it - personally speaking, I find these documentary style articles as interesting as the findings we make within the hobby itself, and in this case, the process was a great deal more involved than simply shoving a book under a scanner.Other articles include user guides to using the census, an account of how the census was actually carried out, useful supplementary sources for researching relatives around in 1911, First World War service records, and more.
There's all the regular features as well, including the news with a full synopsis for all the Who Do You Think You Are series, and the internet review column from yours truly. Available at newsagents for just £3.99. I think they missed a trick here - they could have gone the whole hog with the 1911 thing and just charged a shilling! (God loves a trier...!)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Social and Economic Condition of the Highlands since 1800
The Electric Scotland website, which has for many years been placing interesting content online like the plague is in town (!), has another interesting publication currently being transcribed and uploaded to the site - The Social and Economic Condition of the Highlands of Scotland Since 1800, by A. J. Beaton (1906).
It's one man's vision of what needed to be done over a hundred years ago to improve the Highlands, and it is available at www.electricscotland.com/history/socialeconomic/index.htm.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
It's one man's vision of what needed to be done over a hundred years ago to improve the Highlands, and it is available at www.electricscotland.com/history/socialeconomic/index.htm.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Unions and Unionism, by Colin Kidd
Interesting review of "Unions and Unionism - Political Thought in Scotland, 1500–2000" by the University of Glasgow's Colin Kidd (Cambridge University Press) at www.workersliberty.org/story/2009/02/19/unionism-–-made-scotland. The book apparently argues that Scottish nationalism was always the ultimate form of unionism.
Only from academia...! If the book is as interesting as the review, though, it could be a good read. The preface, with additional info, is online at www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521706803&ss=fro.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Only from academia...! If the book is as interesting as the review, though, it could be a good read. The preface, with additional info, is online at www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521706803&ss=fro.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Ancestry reduces cost of 33 marker Y-DNA test
From Ancestry...
We are delighted to announce our Y-33 test has been reduced from $149 to only $79. Not only have we improved the price, we have been working hard at adding new features and improving the customer experience.
Anyone with DNA results can join the database for free and download their free report, find genetic cousins and learn about their ancient ancestry.
New Features:
Ancestry family tree integration - a new feature that allows a DNA participant to attach their DNA to the appropriate Paternal and Maternal lineages. Since DNA remains relatively unchanged when passed from generation to generation, when attached to a member’s tree, the DNA will be propagated up the paternal line (Y) and maternal line (mtDNA).
New User Interface - helps people understand their results and what they can do with them.
Fun facts - ever wonder what other R1b people liked to eat or watch on TV? Thanks to some multiple-choice questions displayed online for all DNA test users to answer, users can get a more in-depth knowledge of how they match with others in their haplogroup.
An article on how Ancestry's DNA test can assist with your family history research is available on the Scotland's Greatest Story website at www.scotlandsgreateststory.bravehost.com/DNA.html . The service itself is accessible at www.ancestryshop.co.uk/DNA.php.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
We are delighted to announce our Y-33 test has been reduced from $149 to only $79. Not only have we improved the price, we have been working hard at adding new features and improving the customer experience.
Anyone with DNA results can join the database for free and download their free report, find genetic cousins and learn about their ancient ancestry.
New Features:
Ancestry family tree integration - a new feature that allows a DNA participant to attach their DNA to the appropriate Paternal and Maternal lineages. Since DNA remains relatively unchanged when passed from generation to generation, when attached to a member’s tree, the DNA will be propagated up the paternal line (Y) and maternal line (mtDNA).
New User Interface - helps people understand their results and what they can do with them.
Fun facts - ever wonder what other R1b people liked to eat or watch on TV? Thanks to some multiple-choice questions displayed online for all DNA test users to answer, users can get a more in-depth knowledge of how they match with others in their haplogroup.
An article on how Ancestry's DNA test can assist with your family history research is available on the Scotland's Greatest Story website at www.scotlandsgreateststory.bravehost.com/DNA.html . The service itself is accessible at www.ancestryshop.co.uk/DNA.php.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Scottish Genealogy Society forum
The Edinburgh based Scottish Genealogy Society has been going since 1953, and has an impressive website at www.scotsgenealogy.com, which hosts a useful range of research guides, a shop, a family history index, and links to many topics relevant to Scottish genealogical research.
However, you may not be aware that the site also has its very own discussion forum at www.yabbers.com/phpbb/scotsgen.html, open to members and non-members alike.
Worth a visit...!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
However, you may not be aware that the site also has its very own discussion forum at www.yabbers.com/phpbb/scotsgen.html, open to members and non-members alike.
Worth a visit...!
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving
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