Every so often I get an e-mail from a genealogical hero, somebody whose dedication to their interest results in a fantastic resource being made accessible to all. Today that award goes to Dundee based Michael Dun. For some time Michael has been putting together a website resource on the privateers involved in the War of 1812 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812), fought between the British Empire and the USA.
Michael has now uploaded a truly remarkable research effort to his website, a list of those who sent payments back home following the 1795 Navy Act, during the reign of George III. This was "An Act to enable Petty Officers in the Navy, and Seamen, Non-Commissioned Officers of Marines, and Marines, serving in His Majesty’s Navy, to allot Part of their Pay for the Maintenance of their Wives and families", and the database has been created from subsequent records held in the Admiralty's Accountant General's Department collection at the National Archives at Kew (held under ADM 26).
Included in the database are the following:
Surname
Forename
Ships
When received
On whom drawn
Relation
To whom payable
Address
Remarks
TNA reference
The database, a work in progress, so far includes well over 9000 entries and can be accessed as a PDF document at www.1812privateers.org/ADM26/ADM26.pdf. A transcription of the Act of Parliament can also be accessed at www.1812privateers.org/ADM26/NAVY%20ACT%201795.pdf.
A truly magnificent effort, with records affecting people from across the British Isles. Do check out the rest of the site at http://www.1812privateers.org/ also, as there are many other useful records, including British POWS in the USA, and more.
(Many thanks to Michael)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Friday, 8 January 2010
Western Front Association talks in Scotland
The Western Front Association has announced its year long programme of talks for the UK in 2010, with many to be held in Dundee and Elgin.
For further details visit www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-current-events.html
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
For further details visit www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-current-events.html
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Murder Most Horrid - in Fife
A talk on the murder of Michael Brown in Fife 101 years ago is to be made tomorrow (January 9th) at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, at 10.00am. The following is from the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa website:
Murder Most Foul - The Complete Story by Robert Brown
Using old newspaper reports and other sources Robert Brown will reconstruct the murder he discovered of his cousin, Michael "Mickey" Brown, of whom he spoke briefly at a Great Moments session in December 2008. He will describe the murder, the investigation, the manhunt, capture and trial of the murderer, and the eventual carrying out of the sentence passed upon him in a duly-constituted Scottish court. It may not be as exciting as an episode of CSI or NCIS, but it has lots of twists and turns. This talk will honour the 101st anniversary of the murder in Fife; a murder so foul that it captivated the attention of the people in Fife, Perth, and the Lothians for at least a year.
(With thanks to the Anglo-Celtic Connections blog)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Murder Most Foul - The Complete Story by Robert Brown
Using old newspaper reports and other sources Robert Brown will reconstruct the murder he discovered of his cousin, Michael "Mickey" Brown, of whom he spoke briefly at a Great Moments session in December 2008. He will describe the murder, the investigation, the manhunt, capture and trial of the murderer, and the eventual carrying out of the sentence passed upon him in a duly-constituted Scottish court. It may not be as exciting as an episode of CSI or NCIS, but it has lots of twists and turns. This talk will honour the 101st anniversary of the murder in Fife; a murder so foul that it captivated the attention of the people in Fife, Perth, and the Lothians for at least a year.
(With thanks to the Anglo-Celtic Connections blog)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
WorldVitalRecords - endless spamming
World Vital Records (www.worldvitalrecords.com) offers a great deal of useful material on its site, and I have on many occasions in the past plugged new British releases there, and will continue to do so when I make discoveries which I think will be of benefit for those carrying out their Scottish family history research.
However, I do not currently have a subscription with them, simply because at present I do not have a great deal of time to do much on my own family history research. The fact that I do not have a subscription is my decision, and I would humbly ask World Vital Records to stop e-mailing me constantly every day, in some cases, many times a day, to ask me to avail myself of their latest special offers, usually in the form of a massive discount on the last day of whatever promotion they are currently offering, which, just to add, seems to be every day at present.
A simple way to stop the spamming is to use the block sender facility on my Outlook Express, to prevent any of their newsletters from coming through. Alternatively, if World Vital Records could perhaps return to providing news on their newsletter, that would be a much preferable solution.
Honestly guys, harrassing potential subscribers simply alienates potential subscribers, and at present you are in a league of your own with the frequency of your efforts to do just that.
Please give it a rest.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
However, I do not currently have a subscription with them, simply because at present I do not have a great deal of time to do much on my own family history research. The fact that I do not have a subscription is my decision, and I would humbly ask World Vital Records to stop e-mailing me constantly every day, in some cases, many times a day, to ask me to avail myself of their latest special offers, usually in the form of a massive discount on the last day of whatever promotion they are currently offering, which, just to add, seems to be every day at present.
A simple way to stop the spamming is to use the block sender facility on my Outlook Express, to prevent any of their newsletters from coming through. Alternatively, if World Vital Records could perhaps return to providing news on their newsletter, that would be a much preferable solution.
Honestly guys, harrassing potential subscribers simply alienates potential subscribers, and at present you are in a league of your own with the frequency of your efforts to do just that.
Please give it a rest.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Glasgow University Archives - update
Glasgow Univerity's Archive Services is closed for refurbishment until February, but some images of the work in progress have been uploaded at
www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/news/ourrefurbishment/.
Errrr - bit empty looking...! (Thanks to the university's library's blog)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/news/ourrefurbishment/.
Errrr - bit empty looking...! (Thanks to the university's library's blog)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
1939 Scottish national registration census records to be released
MAJOR news for all you wonderful, wonderful family historians out there!
I've just received word from the Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, that the GROS will now honour requests to view entries from the 1939 census for national registration purposes carried out at the start of the Second World War. This follows a Freedom of Information request in Scotland similar to that recently carried out by Guy Etchells in England for the equivalent records held down south (see my report http://scottishancestry.blogspot.com/2009/11/1939-nhs-census-to-be-made-available-in.html).
As with the ruling down south, information for those deceased will only be released. The following is the press release that Duncan has just kindly sent to me:
Family historians have been given access for the first time to information from the National Identity Register drawn up at the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1939, the National Registration Act ordered a register of everybody living in the UK – for the purpose of issuing identity cards, ration books and call-up papers. The register was compiled by the Registrar General of the time, James Kyd, and his successor still preserves the original register. It records personal information of great interest to family historians – name, address in 1939, marital status, age and occupation.
The register has been kept secret because the 1939 Act prohibited publication of the information but thanks to an application under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, that restriction has been reviewed and details about people who have since died are now being made available.
Welcoming the new release of information, Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism in the Scottish Government said:-
“Scotland has an unrivalled reputation for making information available to family historians. This release of information from the 1939 register will give a starting point for people who do not have a record of their recent family history. It is a good example of the way that the Scottish freedom of information legislation is unlocking records which have up to now been secret.”
So how do you make an application? Simple - send a request to the following address:
Extract Services
General Register Office for Scotland
New Register House
3 West Register Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YT
You will need to enclose a fee of £13 (cheque payable to the General Register Office of Scotland) and evidence of the death of the person who is the subject of the enquiry. For those who have died in Britain, a simple date of death will suffice as the GROS can easily corroborate that from its records, but if it is for a Scot who has died overseas, you should enclose proof of death from overseas. In return, an official extract from the register with the GROS seal will be despatched, including all the details on that individual as recorded in 1939.
It should be noted that this was not an official census, but a register drawn up for the purpose of issuing identity cards. Therefore a record supplied by the GROS will not show a household, just information for the individual in question.
Major credit to whoever the applicant was in Scotland!
(Many thanks to Duncan Macniven)
UPDATE: I've just received a mocked up sample cert from the GROS, and can confirm that the following details will likely be on the extracts - address, surname and other names, male or female, birth (day, month and year), single, married widowed or divorced, personal occupation:
(Image used with kind permission from the Registrar General for Scotland)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
I've just received word from the Registrar General for Scotland, Duncan Macniven, that the GROS will now honour requests to view entries from the 1939 census for national registration purposes carried out at the start of the Second World War. This follows a Freedom of Information request in Scotland similar to that recently carried out by Guy Etchells in England for the equivalent records held down south (see my report http://scottishancestry.blogspot.com/2009/11/1939-nhs-census-to-be-made-available-in.html).
As with the ruling down south, information for those deceased will only be released. The following is the press release that Duncan has just kindly sent to me:
Family historians have been given access for the first time to information from the National Identity Register drawn up at the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1939, the National Registration Act ordered a register of everybody living in the UK – for the purpose of issuing identity cards, ration books and call-up papers. The register was compiled by the Registrar General of the time, James Kyd, and his successor still preserves the original register. It records personal information of great interest to family historians – name, address in 1939, marital status, age and occupation.
The register has been kept secret because the 1939 Act prohibited publication of the information but thanks to an application under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, that restriction has been reviewed and details about people who have since died are now being made available.
Welcoming the new release of information, Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism in the Scottish Government said:-
“Scotland has an unrivalled reputation for making information available to family historians. This release of information from the 1939 register will give a starting point for people who do not have a record of their recent family history. It is a good example of the way that the Scottish freedom of information legislation is unlocking records which have up to now been secret.”
So how do you make an application? Simple - send a request to the following address:
Extract Services
General Register Office for Scotland
New Register House
3 West Register Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YT
You will need to enclose a fee of £13 (cheque payable to the General Register Office of Scotland) and evidence of the death of the person who is the subject of the enquiry. For those who have died in Britain, a simple date of death will suffice as the GROS can easily corroborate that from its records, but if it is for a Scot who has died overseas, you should enclose proof of death from overseas. In return, an official extract from the register with the GROS seal will be despatched, including all the details on that individual as recorded in 1939.
It should be noted that this was not an official census, but a register drawn up for the purpose of issuing identity cards. Therefore a record supplied by the GROS will not show a household, just information for the individual in question.
Major credit to whoever the applicant was in Scotland!
(Many thanks to Duncan Macniven)
UPDATE: I've just received a mocked up sample cert from the GROS, and can confirm that the following details will likely be on the extracts - address, surname and other names, male or female, birth (day, month and year), single, married widowed or divorced, personal occupation:
(Image used with kind permission from the Registrar General for Scotland)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
J. M. Barrie turns 150 this year...
From Visit Scotland:
2010 sees the 150th anniversary of the birth of JM Barrie, the creator of the immortal little boy who never grew up, Peter Pan. Through his creation of this character, Barrie ensured that his memory would also live forever.
There are many statues of Peter Pan around the world, most featuring him playing a set of pipes. Statues can be found in Kirriemuir - Scotland, Kensington Gardens - England, Camden - New Jersey, USA, Perth, Western Australia and in Toronto and St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
The 150th anniversary of JM Barrie’s birth will see a series of celebrations take place throughout Scotland, from new stage adaptions of the famous Peter Pan stories to smaller events focusing on the author’s life in Scotland. Barrie’s hometown of Kirriemuir will mark the anniversary with a series of events; including ‘The Ball of Kirriemuir’ and an original play entitled ‘Home to Neverland’. While more events will be announced in 2010.
Further info at www.cometoscotland.com/save-the-date/?item=8
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
2010 sees the 150th anniversary of the birth of JM Barrie, the creator of the immortal little boy who never grew up, Peter Pan. Through his creation of this character, Barrie ensured that his memory would also live forever.
There are many statues of Peter Pan around the world, most featuring him playing a set of pipes. Statues can be found in Kirriemuir - Scotland, Kensington Gardens - England, Camden - New Jersey, USA, Perth, Western Australia and in Toronto and St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
The 150th anniversary of JM Barrie’s birth will see a series of celebrations take place throughout Scotland, from new stage adaptions of the famous Peter Pan stories to smaller events focusing on the author’s life in Scotland. Barrie’s hometown of Kirriemuir will mark the anniversary with a series of events; including ‘The Ball of Kirriemuir’ and an original play entitled ‘Home to Neverland’. While more events will be announced in 2010.
Further info at www.cometoscotland.com/save-the-date/?item=8
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
CBE honour for National Archives at Kew chief
The Chief Executive of the National Archives at Kew, Natalie Anna Ceeney, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours List.
Congratulations to Natalie!
(With thanks to Roger Lewry of the FFHS)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Congratulations to Natalie!
(With thanks to Roger Lewry of the FFHS)
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
New publications from Aberdeen and NE Scotland FHS
A huge thanks to Aberdeen and NE Scotland FHS for the publications they sent through this morning for review in both Discover my Past Scotland and Discover my Past England magazines. The following are the new items from the society:
Letters from Regency Scotland (CD) £7.50 +p&p
200 letters concerning the Berry family from Kemnay mainly from 1810-1820, transcribed by Ruth Jennings and Nicola Mills, and memoir of Walter Berry 1754-1833. The Berry family originated from Somerset
The Kirkyard of Kinellar (MI book) £2.50 +p&p. Collated by Jean and Jim Shirer.
The Kirkyard of Kintore (MI book) £3 + p&p. Collated by ANEFHS.
Minor Burial Grounds of Lower Donside £3 + p&p. Collated by ANEFHS.
James Jopp: A Man of Compassion 1795-1872 - Relieving Officer and Registar of Births and Deaths for the City of London. (Book) £7.50 + p&p. By Peter Buckingham.
Beautifully illustrated account of the life of Jopp.
I'll review these in more detail in forthcoming issues of DMPS and DMPE, but the books can be purchased now from www.anesfhs.org.uk.
I am always on the look out for review material for family history items (books, CDs, software) for both magazines, so if you have a publication you would like to see featured, please do drop me a line at christopherpaton@tiscali.co.uk. I'm happy to review items either from a posted hard copy or from an e-mailed PDF copy, either full text or a representative sample, with concise summary and high resolution cover image.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Letters from Regency Scotland (CD) £7.50 +p&p
200 letters concerning the Berry family from Kemnay mainly from 1810-1820, transcribed by Ruth Jennings and Nicola Mills, and memoir of Walter Berry 1754-1833. The Berry family originated from Somerset
The Kirkyard of Kinellar (MI book) £2.50 +p&p. Collated by Jean and Jim Shirer.
The Kirkyard of Kintore (MI book) £3 + p&p. Collated by ANEFHS.
Minor Burial Grounds of Lower Donside £3 + p&p. Collated by ANEFHS.
James Jopp: A Man of Compassion 1795-1872 - Relieving Officer and Registar of Births and Deaths for the City of London. (Book) £7.50 + p&p. By Peter Buckingham.
Beautifully illustrated account of the life of Jopp.
I'll review these in more detail in forthcoming issues of DMPS and DMPE, but the books can be purchased now from www.anesfhs.org.uk.
I am always on the look out for review material for family history items (books, CDs, software) for both magazines, so if you have a publication you would like to see featured, please do drop me a line at christopherpaton@tiscali.co.uk. I'm happy to review items either from a posted hard copy or from an e-mailed PDF copy, either full text or a representative sample, with concise summary and high resolution cover image.
Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
National Library of Scotland workshops
Forthcoming wortkshops at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh:
Getting started at NLS
Learn how to get a readers' ticket, find your way around the Library and request materials from our collections.
Monday 11 January
14.00-15.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Discovering family history at NLS
Find out how we can help you with your family history research.
Tuesday 12 January
10.00-11.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Beyond Google
An introduction to Credo Reference and Oxford Reference Online
Learn how to access hundreds of quality reference books online.
Tuesday 19 January
14.00-15.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Chris
http://www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk/
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
Getting started at NLS
Learn how to get a readers' ticket, find your way around the Library and request materials from our collections.
Monday 11 January
14.00-15.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Discovering family history at NLS
Find out how we can help you with your family history research.
Tuesday 12 January
10.00-11.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Beyond Google
An introduction to Credo Reference and Oxford Reference Online
Learn how to access hundreds of quality reference books online.
Tuesday 19 January
14.00-15.30
Book online or phone 0131 623 3918.
Chris
http://www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk/
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton
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