The Scottish GENES Blog (GEnealogy News and EventS): Top news stories and features concerning ancestral research in Scotland, Ireland, the rest of the UK, and their diasporas, from genealogist and family historian Chris Paton. Feel free to quote from this blog, but please credit Scottish GENES if you do. I'm on Mastodon @scottishgenes and Threads @scottishgenesblog - to contact me please email chrismpaton @ outlook.com. Cuimhnich air na daoine o'n d'thà inig thu!
There is seemingly not a lot of relevant new stuff coming from Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) these days, but a new UK collection does have some fairly recent records for those of us based here in Scotland and in Northern Ireland:
Records in the collection may include the following information:
Name
Street address
City
Country
Bear in mind a lot of folk will have been ex-directory in these years!
Chris
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
According to a site I can access showing the status of publications from my main publisher Pen and Sword, it looks like yesterday they ran off another print run of my recent book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, so if you have been unable to obtain a copy, hopefully that should be you now sorted!
Here's a bit of blurb about what to expect from the title:
Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet
Scotland is a land with a proud and centuries long history that far
pre-dates its membership of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Today
in the 21st century it is also a land that has done much to make its
historical records accessible, to help those with Caledonian ancestry
trace their roots back to earlier times and a world long past.
In Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Chris Paton
expertly guides the family historian through the many Scottish records
offerings available, but also cautions the reader that not every record
is online, providing detailed advice on how to use web based finding
aids to locate further material across the country and beyond. He also
examines social networking and the many DNA platforms that are currently
further revolutionising online Scottish research.
From the Scottish Government websites offering access to our most
important national records, to the holdings of local archives,
libraries, family history societies, and online vendors, Chris Paton
takes the reader across Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands,
through the Central Belt and the Lowlands, and across the diaspora, to
explore the various flavours of Scottishness that have bound us together
as a nation for so long.
I have recorded a short introduction video providing an oversight on what to expect, which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/6oMmlObbLq8, and which is also reproduced below for convenience:
And some reviews...!
An invaluable tome for the serious researcher and amateur
alike. If I had to choose one book to recommend to family historians
with Scottish links, this would be the one. Absolutely invaluable.
Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS, September 2020
Having read Chris Paton's other book about tracing Scottish
ancestors through church and state records, I was keen to add this book
to my collection as I live a long way from Scotland and internet
research is definitely the way to go for me. Having been encouraged to
take up the study of my northern ancestors again by the previous book,
this one has given me even more sources to follow. I found it useful to examine the shape of the Scottish population in
terms of common occupations and scattered pockets of Scottish migrants
in other parts of the world. The section detailing resources for each
different Scottish county is particularly helpful, enabling me to search
some indexes I was hitherto not aware of. As with the other book, I
found the most help in immersing myself in the Scottish records and
trying new avenues, resulting in pleasing strides forward on my family
tree. Thank you Chris Paton. Amazon Customer, Jayne
Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer whose practical
knowledge of researching Scottish records never ceases to amaze me – so I
had high expectations of his latest book, Tracing Your Scottish Family
History on the Internet: A Guide For Family Historians. I was not
disappointed – it's a superb book from a researcher who has numerous
books and countless magazine articles to his name. (He's also a
brilliant speaker, as anyone who attended my Genealogy in the Sunshine
conferences will know.)... Highly recommended, Tracing Your Scottish
Family History on the Internet is available as a conventional paperback
or as a Kindle e-book. Lost Cousins
The book is well laid out and explained, it’s just so simple to read and
really does help especially as ancestry research can often be
complicated at the best of times. Chris Paton writes these books so well
they really do help you do what it says on the cover, because I use
them for my own family research. The pictures in this book vary between
pictures of old relatives, sites to visit for specific research and
website images to help you along. I would definitely recommend these
books to others and I think they are so good I would give this copy a 5
star rating. UK Historian
I hope it helps!
Chris
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
In June 2019 I wrote on my previous news blog, Britsh GENES, that I had been absolutely stunned to discover, thanks to MyHeritage, that a headstone for my great grandfather Robert Currie, and for his son of the same name, existed at Riddrie Park Cemetery in Glasgow.
I was stunned for the simple reason that when I first started my family history research two decades ago I had contacted Glasgow City Council to enquire about where he was buried, and had been told that it was at the Eastern Necroprolis - I even met up with a council worker who took me to the spot, which had no headstone. An email from MyHeritage had suggested that they had a match on BillionGraves.com for Robert, and that the Council, and therefore I, had got it spectacularly wrong (See http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/06/finding-gravestone-that-doesnt-exist.html)
It had been my intention to take my father to the grave, but as he was ill at the time, this could not immediately happen. Covid then hit in early 2020, and a year ago, my father passed away, having contracted the virus on top of other medical complciations.
On Sunday I finally managed to make it to Riddrie Park Cemetery and paid my respects to both my great grandfather and great uncle, on behalf of myself and my father. Here's to ye lads...
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
A reminder that my 5 week long course Progressing Your Irish Research Online, taught through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com),
kicks off next week from April 4th 2022, with spaces still available! To book one a place please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=260.
Here is some further information about the course:
There is a common belief that if you have Irish ancestors then you should give up hope of finding out about them, because 'nothing survived the fire', referring to the destruction of Ireland's Public Record Office during the Civil War in 1922. The overall aim of this course is to point out that this is a nonsense, and that the glass is half full and not empty. Whilst there are certainly challenges to be overcome, a great deal can still be accomplished with the many resources now rapidly finding their way online.
This course will describe the many state created records and church records that can be used to research your Irish ancestry. It will provide a context to understand why they
were created, and by whom and point out exactly where to find them online, and how to use them effectively.
Lesson Headings:
Understanding Ireland's boundaries, key repositories and platforms
The vital records of Church and State
Documenting the people: Irish censuses and substitutes
Valuation records and inheritance
The Decade of Centenaries
Each lesson includes exercises and activities and a minimum of 1 one-hour chat per week.
Some reviews from students:
'I enjoyed all of the course,
the lessons, exercises and chat sessions were all very helpful. I found
Chris Paton ran the course and chat sessions brilliantly. I now feel
enthused to carry out more research.'
'The astonishing range of
information presented, the subsequent results within my own research and
the fun, friendly and knowledgeable way it was all delivered. Excellent
course and a tutor I would definitely want to study with again.'
'It
really opened my eyes to what Chris calls the half FULL glass of Irish
records, plus a glimpse of history and geography. Excellent.'
'It
was beneficial from the standpoints of both improving general knowledge
of Irish history, and illuminating the numerous and often unique
potential sources of genealogical/family history information against
that background.'
And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
SRS Online will grow to contain the complete Scottish Record Society collection in one easily-searchable database, allowing use of these important sources in a new way.
TannerRitchie Publishing, a leader in historical digital publishing, and the Scotish Record Society are pleased to announce SRS Online. This new database collection, built on TannerRitchie's trusted platform for historical sources, will bring all SRS's titles since its foundation together in a digital format for the first time. The entire database will be searchable with our advanced query structure, transforming historians' and researchers' ability to use these important works.
Remote learning is now a required feature for important library collections. SRS Online allows libraries to make an important collection available that was previous accessible only in hard copy. Purchase of access to SRS Online includes a year's institutional or personal membership to the Scottish Record Society, entitling you to also receive its annual hard-copy volumes and new publications, along with the other benefits of membership. Subscribing to SRS Online ensures the continued success of the Scottish Record Society as it continues publishing into a third century of existence.
A list of the publications from the Scottish Record Society is available online at the National Library of Scotland website, at the following links:
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
For those interested in land and property research in Scotland, a new public register is being launched from Friday 1st April 2022, entitled the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land.
The Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) is a RoS register, required by law, that will be available from 1 April 2022 and will be free to use...
RCI shows who controls the decisions of owners or tenants (for more than 20 years) of land and property in Scotland.
It may not be clear who makes the decisions about land and property. The land register and the sasines register may not show this information. This can make contacting the correct people difficult.
For example:
If
somebody wanted to contact an owner or tenant (for more than 20 years)
about a piece of land, they could try to find this information from
the land register or sasines register.
This will give details of
the owner or tenant (for more than 20 years) of the land but not details
of who can significantly influence or control their decision with that
land.
RCI will help by showing those that influence or make decisions about land and property, and their contact details.
The register launches on Friday, and there will be a grace period of a year before those who need to register could be subject to fines if they fail to do so.
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
The US based New England Historic Genealogical Society (www.americanancestors.org) is running a series of weekly Scottish themed seminars for Americans with Scottish ancestry from March 30th-April 27th. The following is a description of the five sessions, which will be given by Rhonda R. McClure and David Allen Lambert:
Scots have been migrating to and settling in America and Canada for
centuries. Today, there are an estimated 25 million Americans of
Scottish descent. Tracing your Scottish heritage is rewarding, but not
without its challenges. This five-session online seminar will provide
you with key historical context, strategies, and resources setting you
on the right path to trace your ancestry back several generations in
Scotland.
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Moray Council (www.moray.gov.uk) is resuming its inspection of headstones in cemeteries across the region from this month. From the Council's website, the following nformation has been made available:
The work ensures that cemeteries are safe places for visitors, staff and anyone working in them, following a pause in inspections during the covid-19 pandemic.
While responsibility for the overall safety within a cemetery lies with the Burial Authority (Moray Council), the owner of the memorial is responsible for maintaining the memorial in a safe condition.
Inspections should not prevent public access or use of the cemeteries, which will remain open throughout, and will be carried out with the greatest of respect and sensitivity.
Initial inspection assesses the condition of the memorial by carrying out a gentle ‘hand test’ to check for any movement. If the memorial headstone shows no signs of instability a record is made of the inspection having been carried out and the headstone recorded as safe.
If the memorial headstone is found to be unstable and imminently dangerous it will be made safe by the trained memorial safety team. The Council will try to notify the lair holder so they can decide to either leave the stone in its made safe position or to have it repaired at their cost by a suitably trained memorial mason.
Where a memorial is found to be unstable but not imminently dangerous, the Council will try to notify the lair holder by writing to them at the last known address. In these cases it may be necessary to place a discreet cordon in the area around the headstone for safety reasons. If no action is taken after a maximum period of 12 months, arrangements will be made to make the headstone safe. In the event that the Council cannot make contact with the lair holder every effort will be made to make the memorial safe, usually by trenching the headstone up to one third of its height if it is feasible to do so.
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
Historians from around the world are banding together in solidarity to raise funds for Ukraine with a unique 24-hour livestream event – History For Ukraine.
A host of famous faces will be speaking during the event, including Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb, Dr Fern Riddell, Prof. Kate Williams, Dr Janina Ramirez, and Earl Charles Spencer. They will be joined by professional historians and genealogists from around the world to stage a programme of informative talks and discussions on a huge variety of topics.
The event is supported by the National Archives, the Royal Historical Society, the Family History Federation, and the Society of Genealogists, along with over 200 volunteers and local history groups. History For Ukraine was the idea of genealogist Natalie Pithers, who describes the event as “a combination of Live Aid and Red Nose Day, but for history”. Natalie added: “The people of Ukraine can't afford for us to wait! They need this help right now, and this unique event provides the history community with an opportunity to come together and help in the best way they can”.
Attendees will be asked to make donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal via a special JustGiving page.
The event will take place on Saturday 26th to Sunday 27th March 2022.
The livestream will be broadcast online via social media platforms. More information about the event is available at https://historyforukraine.co/ and on Twitter @History4Ukraine.
(With thanks to Natalie Pithers)
Chris
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
From the registrars service at the Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock:
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the ScotlandsPeople Centre at the Burns Monument Centre will be closed week beginning 28th March 2022.
Please call again on Friday 1st April 2022 for bookings week commencing 4th April 2022.
Comment:
The centre was closed all last week and again this week, hopefully
things will be back to normal again for the 4th, and that the staff are
all well.
Chris
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
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