Sneak peak at British Library Newspaper project

A look at the British Library Newspaper Project behind the scenes, from AlJazeera Television - with thanks to Brightsolid via Twitter:



Can't wait for the release, which will be soon via www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Chris

Unlock the Past cruise - shore seminars

Hi folks,

As part of the Unlock the Past Scottish and Irish genealogy cruisearound New Zealand and eastern Australia, our talks team will be also be doing several shore based talks at various port stops, and also before and after the cruise.

Full details of the programme can be found at www.unlockthepast.com.au/events/history-and-genealogy-cruise-november-2011-scottish-irish-theme/cruise-shore-seminars, but the following are my scheduled commitments on the tour, and details of other speakers and talks:

Auckland
Saturday 19 November at Whare Wānanga, Central City Library 10am-4pm

10.15am - Chris Paton - Irish resources online
1pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
3.45pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish land records
Additional talks from Rosemary Kopittke (11.15: FindmyPast) and Shauna Hicks (1.45: Google your family tree: tips and tricks), and Seonaid Lewis offers a tour of Central Auckland Research Centre at midday


Auckland
Monday 21 November at Whare Wānanga, Central City Library 9am-1pm

I won't be speaking at this, but talks from Dr Perry McIntyre (10.30: Beginning Irish Research) and Dr Richard Reid (12:00 Emigrant Journey to 19th Century Australia/New Zealand), and Seonaid Lewis offers a tour of Central Auckland Research Centre at 9am

Tauranga

Wednesday 23 November - at Arataki Community Centre, Zambuk Way, Arataki (near Bayfair Shopping Centre)

Provisional programme:
9.30am - Chris Paton - Irish resources online

10.15am - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
Additional talks from Rosemary Kopittke (11.15: Findmypast), Shauna Hicks (11.45: Google your family tree: tips and tricks), Dr Perry McIntyre (1.15: Irish Parish Registers) and Dr Richard Reid (2.00: Key Irish documents)


Napier (Hawkes Bay)
Thursday 24 November - at Stoneycroft, Omahu Rd, Hastings

3.30pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
Also a talk from Jan Gow (4.15: Hitting the Ground Running: Preparing for a research trip)

Wellington
Friday 25 November - at Conference Room, Archives NZ, 10 Mulgrave St. Wellington

1.00pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
1.45pm - Chris Paton - Irish resources online
Also a talk from Rosemary Kopittke (3.00: Findmypast)

Akaroa (near Christchurch)
Sunday 27 November - at Little River Rugby Club Rooms, Little River Domain, Little River

Provisional programme
1.30pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
3.15pm - Chris Paton - Irish resources online
Also a talk from Helen Smith (2.15: Help! I’m Stuck - Breaking Down Brick Walls)

Port Chalmers (Dunedin)
Monday 28 November - Dunningham Suite, 4th Floor, Dunedin Public Library, Moray Place,

Dunedin
1.30pm - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
2.15pm - Chris Paton - Irish resources online
Also a talk from Rosemary Kopittke (Findmypast)


Burnie
Friday 2 December - time, venue and cost to be advised

Provisional programme

Chris Paton - Irish resources online
Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
Also a talk from Rosemary Kopittke (3.15: Findmypast)

Melbourne
Saturday 3 December - venue to be advised (probably in Melbourne CBD)

Indicative program only - subject to change
Sorry folks - day off for me as I will be meeting up with family
But talks from Dr Perry McIntyre (10.00: Beginning Irish Research), Dr Richard Reid (10.45: Key Irish documents), Rosemary Kopittke (11.30: Findmypast), Jan Gow (1.15: ScotlandsPeople), Dr Perry McIntyre (2.00: Get to know Ireland: what is a province, county, townland, parish, poor law union etc.), Dr Richard Reid (2.30: Emigrant Journey to 19th Century Australia/New Zealand)

Sydney
Monday 5 December at State Records NSW seminar room 10am-4pm

Provisional program
10.00am - Chris Paton - Discover Scottish church records
10.45am - Chris Paton - Irish resources online
1.45pm - Chris Paton - Scottish censuses 1841-1939
Also talks from Rosemary Kopittke (2.30: Findmypast) and additional talks TBC, 11.30: Irish convict or military topic, and 1.15: 1942-War comes to Australia: Darwin bombed, Sydney attacked

The full programme along with booking information is available at the link above - hopefully see you at some point down under!

Chris

Fact, Fiction and Fairy Stories in the Borders

On November 19th, Fred Kennington will be giving a talk entitled Fact, Fiction and Fairy Stories in the Borders at the Anglo-Scottish Family History Society.

For more details see www.anglo-scots.mlfhs.org.uk/#Meetings

(With thanks to Borders Family History Society's blog)

Chris

Times Digital Archive to extend coverage

The Times Digital Archive (available in most public libraries) is to extend its coverage from 1785-1985 up to 2006, and provide a new user interface. Full details are available at http://gale.cengage.co.uk/times-digital-archive/times-digital-archive-17852006.aspx, whilst another page at http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Catalogue/Overview/index/1101 implies that here might be an annual update - "the archive will continue to grow by one year each year".

Watch this space!

(With thanks to @HelenEDTovey on Twitter)

Chris

Maxwell Ancestry update

Maxwell Ancestry (www.maxwellancestry.com) have made the following publications available for sale:

1851 Kirkcowan
1851 Mochrum
Tinwald Marriages 1832-54
Lauder Burials 1827-1838

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris

Find My Past TV show - tralier

Find My Past - the trailer - starts this Thursday at 9pm on Yesterday channel.



(With thanks to @findmypast)

Chris

Lanarkshire military and family history day

Lanarkshire Family History Society (www.lanarkshirefhs.org.uk) has announced details of an event in November:

GATHERING THEIR MEMORIES

The National Trust of Scotland's DAVID LIVINGSTONE CENTRE and LANARKSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY are proud to host a

Military and Family History Day

on Saturday 19th November 10:00am - 4:00pm at The David Livingstone Centre Blantyre

Admission Free

Family History Advice/Help Desks
Family/Local History Bookstall
Military Medals and Memorabilia Display
Military Information Desk
Display of Ex-Military Land Rover Vehicles

Programme of Talks £2
Donation gives entry to all talks.
(Donations going to the Erskine Hospital)

10:30 Starting Your Family Tree
Ian McNeill

12:00 Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Campbell Thomson

13:30 War Memorials in Lanarkshire & Cameronian War Diaries
Allan Colthart

15:00 The Battlefields & Cemeteries of France & Flanders
Joseph O'Raw

To book a place at the Talks and for further information:
phone David Livingstone Centre on 0844-493-2207

(With thanks to Lanarkshire FHS via Facebook)

Chris

WW2 European POW escapes

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has uploaded over 10,000 cards from the National Archives' WO208 series, which outlines servicemen's attempts to escape or evade capture in Central Europe during the Second World War.

The announcements is available on its blog at www.findmypast.co.uk/content/news/escapers-evaders.html and the collection fully searchable at www.findmypast.co.uk/search/military/wwii/wwii-escapers/.

(With thanks to FindmyPast)

Chris

Burns Monument Centre offers ScotlandsPeople

The Kilmarnock based Burns Monument Centre (www.burnsmonumentcentre.co.uk) is now offering unrestricted access to the ScotlandsPeople databases for £15 a day, and will also be providing access to digitised kirk session records from November 10th.

I attended the centre before its official opening a couple of years back and at that point it was hoped that there would be access to the same computer system that is available at the ScotlandsPeople Centre. In fact, the agreement now in force will be for access to the external website i.e. www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk - this means that you will have access to the Roman Catholic records also (I think I'm right in saying they are not yet available at the centre), but at the same time there will be online closure periods - 100 years for births, 75 for marriages and £50 for deaths - which is not the case in Edinburgh.

The kirk session records that have been digitised for Scotland up to 1901, and which have already been made available at several archives in Scotland, will be available at the Burns Monument Centre from November 10th, following a launch event on the 9th. The event is free, but ticket only - though I believe it is now fully booked.

(With thanks to the Burns Monument Centre)

Chris

Find My Past - the TV show starts next week

The television series Find My Past starts next week, and being sponsored by Brightsolid, the FindmyPast website (www.findmypast.co.uk) now has a page outlining details of each episode atwww.findmypast.co.uk/content/find-my-past-tv/about.html?utm_source=TW&utm_content=131011&utm_campaign=fmptvtw

There are ten episodes, to be fronted by Chris Hollins:

EP1: Dunkirk
EP2: Titanic
EP3: Battle of Britain
EP4: Bounty
EP5: D-Day
EP6: Ripper
EP7: Shot at Dawn
EP8: Suffragettes
EP9: Tay Bridge
EP10: Royal Scandal

The show starts 9pm Thursday 20th on the Yesterday channel.

Chris