Scottish GENES

Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Fife Folk Museum volunteer appeal

From Fife Folk Museum (https://www.fifefolkmuseum.org):

FIFE FOLK MUSEUM – VOLUNTEER APPEAL

In readiness for reopening on Sat April 1st, the Trustees of Fife Folk Museum are launching an appeal for new volunteers to join the existing group.

Our main exhibition this year is ‘The History of The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’, in addition, there will be ‘A sense of place’ exhibition featuring the work of local artist Alan Watson we expect both to be of great interest hence our appeal.

Some of the tasks involve working with the public and some are "behind the scenes". For the Museum to be open to the public throughout the season from 1st April to 31st October. The main area where volunteers are needed is on the reception desk, meeting and greeting visitors to the Museum and coffee shop. Two volunteers are needed on duty for a three hour shift either a morning or afternoon session Wednesday to Sunday when the Museum is open. Also, your ideas for future exhibitions would be greatly welcomed. No special skills are required to become a volunteer other than reliability, an interest in the Museum and its exhibits and the ability to communicate with the public. Training is given on a variety of tasks to suit each volunteer. There are regular buses to Ceres from Leven, Cupar, St Andrews and the surrounding area.
Why volunteer?

Volunteering can add to your skills and experience, help you gain confidence, meet new people and give a feeling of satisfaction working as a team towards a common goal. Volunteering can help you feel a part of something outside of your circle of friends and family and enable you to make a real difference to your community.
Contact Us!

We are always keen to welcome new volunteers. If you think this sounds like the right volunteering opportunity for you, please contact us by email, info@fifefolkmuseum.org, the contact form on the web site or phone us on 01334 828180 to make arrangements to call in for a chat. We'd love to meet you and have you join our team!

Further details at https://www.fifefolkmuseum.org/about/volunteers/

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

National Library of Ireland launches redesigned website

The National Library of Ireland has given its website a complete overhaul, which means you'll need to reoirentate yourself on how to navigate the site. As with the National Archives of Ireland site's recent redevelopment, it clearly seems to be a case of having resdesigned the website with a tablet and phone market in mind, there are lots of overly large images and text, with more scrolling now involved on the front pages ("Mobile responsiveness: In order to better cater to the needs and wishes of our visitors, the website is fully tailored to browsing on desktop and mobile devices" - sigh!). However, it does now look more modern, and the whole site is now fully bililingual between English and Irish (Gaeilge).

Here are some quick steers on the layout:

The main website is accessed at https://www.nli.ie.

The Catalogues page is accessible at https://www.nli.ie/collections/using-our-collections/search-help, and the Sources catalogue (for post-1990 catalogued manuscripts) is still independently accessible via http://sources.nli.ie. As before, the main catalogue also includes digitised materials, and is relatively straightforward to use.

General Collections are described at https://www.nli.ie/collections, with digital collections acessible at https://www.nli.ie/collections/our-collections/newspapers.

One of the most useful resources on the previous version of the site was its Newsplan Project and database and Newspaper catalogue. It now looks like these need to be accessed in a different way, via https://www.nli.ie/collections/our-collections/newspapers. To search for a newspaper in an area, type in the name of the area, do the search, then filter down using the 'Newspapers' tag found under 'Narrow Search' to the right of screen. Titles from a particular area will then be presented as a series of catalogued entries, with accession information. At the end of an entry for a particular newspaper is a link marked 'Get more information: Newsplan: Report of the Newsplan Project in Ireland. Revised edition (1998)', which then takes you to a digitised version of the report from 1998, rather than just a database search for other titles in an area. You can also access the report directly at https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000042992. This is a bit of a pain in the neck, to be honest, but at least the information is still accessible.

The Family History section of the site is at https://www.nli.ie/family-history. The Getting Started section at https://www.nli.ie/family-history/getting-started offers free chart and worksheet template, but the info on useful genealogy collections is sourced from the Further Research section at https://www.nli.ie/family-history/further-research, covering various topics from Civil Records (very nicely including a link to GRONI in the north!) to Military Records.

A useful list of eResources is also available at https://www.nli.ie/collections/our-collections/e-resources.

Overall, it's not too much of a revolution, it's just that the text and pics are all now MUCH BIGGER IF YOU'RE ON A PC!!!! The change to access the newspaper information is a bit unfortunate, but we'll survive...!

A press release on the launch is available at https://www.nli.ie/news-stories/news/nli-launches-new-website

(With thanks to Claire Bradley via Twitter at @cbgenealogy)

Chris

Ancestry releases Storymaker Studio tool for app

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

LEHI, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, announced today the launch of Storymaker Studio, a new feature in the Ancestry app that easily allows users to create bite-sized stories from their family history and share them within the Ancestry community and on their personal social media channels. Now with Storymaker Studio it’s easier than ever to turn those stories, combined with personal family memories and heirlooms, into engaging, shareable content.

Storymaker Studio is a centralized, one-stop destination to curate facts, images, records and memories and tell the stories of your family history. With this new tool, members can upload and enhance photos and images, record and upload audio files (for the first time on Ancestry), integrate photos with audio, and publish their Ancestry Stories to their trees, on their personal social channels and within the Ancestry community. We all have a storyteller inside us but with Storymaker Studio you can become the storymaker for your family’s history.

“Historical records and family trees are the cornerstone of genealogy research, showing moments of times and the relationships between people in several generations of a family,” said Ancestry Corporate Genealogist Crista Cowan. “Yet all of us know they are so much more than that. They capture love stories, triumphs, struggles and bravery - the stories of our family and heritage. They are the blueprint of what makes us, us.”

To get started using Storymaker Studio, users can download or update the Ancestry mobile app and choose a story prompt. From there, they can easily add images, historical records and audio recordings to tell the story of their family and then publish to the Ancestry community, save to their tree, or share to their social media channels.

Storymaker Studio is currently free with the Ancestry mobile app. Check out the storymaker studio at https://www.ancestry.com/storymaker and share your story on Ancestry and social media using #MyAncestryStory.

(Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230302005125/en/Ancestry%C2%AE-Launches-Storymaker-Studio)

Chris

Ancestry to digitise UK Second World War records

From Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

New in 2023

This year we are excited to announce that Ancestry has been awarded the rights to digitize and publish more than 3 million UK Ministry of Defense Service Records that will be made available only on Ancestry between 2024-2029. This will be the largest project around a particular set of records The National Archives has ever awarded to a partner. The digitization of these valuable records will enable people to access never-before-seen documents from World War II online.

In addition, we will utilize our proprietary AI handwriting recognition technology to process the 1931 Census of Canada as soon as available, and expand our collection of Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index to new states on a monthly basis. We’ll also be adding new collections of Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran church records within the U.S. and additional military and occupational records from the UK and Ireland.

(Source: https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/blog/celebrating-40-years-of-family-history-discoveries---ancestry-co)

Chris

Thursday, 2 March 2023

RootsTech 2023 opens for business

From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org):

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, (2 March 2023)—RootsTech 2023 by FamilySearch, the world’s largest family celebration and genealogy event opens today! The event kicks off this morning at 9:00 MDT at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and online at RootsTech.org and runs through Saturday, March 4. See what’s happening each day of this fun, inspiring, free 3-day event, and create your personalized on-demand playlist of content you would like to watch throughout the year. Hundreds of thousands of connections have already been made.

Now in its 13^th year, the in-person RootsTech event took a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the online portion of the event grew to more than 3 million participants. This year RootsTech 2023 has returned, bigger and better than ever with both an in-person and online presence that will reach attendees in more than 235 countries and territories with localized content in nearly a dozen languages.

Free Online Viewing

The virtual RootsTech conference is available for free on the RootsTech site and has both live-streamed sessions (starting today!) and on-demand content. Virtual attendees can chat with vendors, relatives, professional genealogists, and other RootsTech attendees—and even enjoy a virtual Expo Hall.

In-person Event

The in-person RootsTech event at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah includes some unique classes and experiences that will not be livestreamed or recorded. Attendees can receive in-person help, walk through the Expo Hall to enjoy live demos, and experience the keynote sessions in person. Join us, if you can, to see what surprises are in store! Passes for the live event are at RootsTech.org.

Virtual Conference Guide | In-Person Conference Guide

Here’s what’s happening in person and online between today and Saturday, March 4, at RootsTech 2023.

RootsTech 2023 Keynote Addresses

Always a big draw, the RootsTech keynote speakers bring not only star power but deeply meaningful family stories to waiting audiences. This year the RootsTech 2023 Main Stage will welcome:

Jordin Sparks—Grammy nominated, multi-platinum singer/songwriter and actress, and the winner of the sixth season of American Idol.
Sean Astin—Award-winning actor, producer, and director best known for his role as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Me Ra Koh—Famed photographer featured on Oprah, Live with Kelly & Ryan, and other popular television shows, best-selling author, Disney Channel host, and one of the first 2 women photographers to be Sony-sponsored.
Steve Rockwood—President and CEO of FamilySearch International will also address the worldwide RootsTech audience focusing on the RootsTech 2023 theme of “Uniting.”
Actor, comedian, and television host Kirby Heyborne will serve as the RootsTech Main Stage emcee.

RootsTech 2023 Class Sessions

RootsTech prides itself as a learning platform geared toward helping people everywhere and at every skill level to connect with their family, past and present. RootsTech organizers have gathered experts from across the world who will present more than 200 classes at the in-person conference, and an additional 300+ that will be streamed online or available on-demand for free. The range of topics is truly staggering, varying broadly from basic research and reading records in unfamiliar languages, to DNA and the latest advances in machine learning to help you discover your ancestors in the world’s historical documents. Everyone looking to connect with their family from beginners to experts will find loads of content suited to their tastes.

Classes presented this year will add to the hundreds of classes already available for free from previous RootsTech conferences. To search this vast, free library of family history learning, visit FamilySearch.org/RootsTech/library.

RootsTech 2023 Expo Hall

The heartbeat of RootsTech 2023 is the massive Expo Hall where more than 125 vendors, including sponsors Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Storied, will offer exhibits for face-to-face and hands-on learning. Anyone is welcome to visit the Expo Hall for free during all 3 days of the in-person event. There is also a virtual expo hall experience featuring more than 30 vendors for online attendees at RootsTech.org.

New this year in the Expo Hall is the RootsTech 2023 Central Park, an oasis of green space in the middle of the exhibit hall where attendees can connect, rest, and engage in stimulating conversation with thousands of like-minded individuals. Fun activities that unite communities with food, music, and the arts will also be available in and around the Central Park space.

Innovation and Tech Forum 2023

RootsTech began as a showcase for genealogical technology and a catalyst for innovation. RootsTech 2023 continues that tradition with the Innovation and Tech Forum 2023, a RootsTech Main Stage event hosted by historian, author, broadcaster and professional genealogist, Nick Barett, and featuring Vlada Bortnik, CEO of MarcoPolo, makers of the popular MarcoPolo video chat app. The Innovation and Tech Forum includes a panel discussion with industry leaders highlighting the latest in family history technology. It takes place Thursday, March 2, at 1:30 PM and will be live streamed on RootsTech.org.

Relatives at RootsTech

Back by popular demand is Relatives at RootsTech 2023, a unique virtual experience that connects attendees worldwide with dozens, if not hundreds, or even thousands, of their living cousins. RootsTech compares the family trees of millions of RootsTech 2023 attendees in person and online to find connections. Then it makes those connections available to registered attendees along with information about how attendees are related and how to contact one another through the FamilySearch.org messaging platform. Relatives at RootsTech for 2023 has been live for more than 2 weeks and will remain active through the end of March. For more information, visit RootsTech.org.

Family Discovery Day 2023

Family Discovery Day is, itself, an event worth experiencing at RootsTech 2023. Family Discovery Day 2023 is a free, fun, in-person event for the entire family offering activities and experiences that can help you and your family unite as you learn more about your family. No registration is required for the in-person or online Family Discovery Day.

What Is RootsTech?

RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, we have hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit our on-demand learning library or make plans to join us for our next virtual or in-person conference event.

Find and share this announcement in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

(Original press release at https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/rootstech-2023-opens-today-with-worldwide-interest)

Chris

World Book Day interview

Just a quick plug for World Book Day, and a few questions I was asked in a short interview by Pen and Sword about my most recent published book, which is Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records (my Belfast book will be out soon!). You can read the interview at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/blog/world-book-day-chris-paton/

The book itself can be bought in the UK at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Ancestors-Through-Land-Records-Paperback/p/19283, and in the US via https://www.penandswordbooks.com/9781526780218/tracing-your-irish-ancestors-through-land-records/.

Enjoy!

Chris

Ancestry's fortieth birthday

This week has seen Ancestry (www.ancestry.com) turn 40 years of age, which is some achievement.

Whilst many of us will scoff at some of the poorly sourced trees available on the platform, and seek treatment for the 'shaky leaf syndrome' that constantly lures us to false horizons like a siren's song, just imagine a genealogy world today without Ancestry. The sheer volume of genealogical data, the preserved stories, the sheer power of its DNA platform (which has solved several brick wall issues for me personally, and raised a few surprises, including a second cousin I never knew of!), Ancestry was, and still is, a game changer for the family history world. Occasionally it gets it wrong, just as often it gets it right, and it will always remain a talking point between two genealogists!

Happy birthday Ancestry, it's a hugely significant milestone. But always remember that the data you share is there because of the folk who came before you, and that your continued existence will forever be determined by those willing to subscribe for access.

I look forward to continuing to share your successes over the next 40 years (ambitious!)!

Chris

Irish Lives Remembered issue 58 now available online

The latest edition of Irish Lives Remembered magazine is now freely available online. The following are the contents

Articles:

Jarlath MacNamara - Patrick Gilmore: Forgotten Musical Superstar and Peace Activist
Fiona Fitzsimons – Mary Lou McDonald: Republican Roots to Radicalization?
Eamonn P. Kelly – Áine: her Sacred Sanctuary and Enchanted Lake
Brigit McCone – The Irish in the Far East
Robert Flanagan Stieglitz – Great-great-grandfather Patrick Branegan: Civil War Veteran
Maurice Gleeson – Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree
Nathan Mannion – Peak Performance: Elizabeth LeBlond
Eamonn P. Kelly – The Flames of St. John and the Waters of Midsummer
Katharine Simms – Medieval Bardic Poetry As A Genealogical Source
The Four Courts Press Book Excerpt – The history and heritage of St James's Hospital Dublin by Davis Coakley & Mary Coakley (2018)
The Genealogical Publishing Company Book Excerpt – The People of Derry City 1921–Extracted from the Derry Almanac and Directory, by Brian Mitchell (2016)

Regular columns:

Heritage Highlight (spotlights local institutions and their archives)
Dear Genie (Our Genealogists help you with your research block)
Photodetective (Jayne Shrimpton analyses one of your family photos)
FMP Roundup (Jessie O’Hara lets us know of the new Irish genealogy records that have been added to Findmypast)

To access the magazine visit https://www.irishfamilyhistorycentre.com/product/irish-lives-remembered-issue-58-autumn-winter-23/

Chris

Wednesday, 1 March 2023

Kensington and Chelsea, London, Poor Law Records, 1695-1921

There were a few English releases on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) in the last month, but one that may be of interest to those with Scots and Irish connections down south is the following poor law records from Kensington and Chelsea:

Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, Poor Law Records, 1695-1921
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62488/
Source: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Local studies and archives.

About Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, Poor Law Records, 1695-1921

General collection information

This collection includes a variety of records from the Poor Law Unions in Kensington and Chelsea, England between the years of 1695 and 1921. Types of records available may include:

Pension records
Account books
Paternity affidavits
Creed registers
Applications for aid
Lists detailing contributions from donors
Correspondence from parishes

While all records are in English, record formats will vary greatly. Many are handwritten, but newer records may be printed.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

Name
Age
Birth date
Birthplace
Names and birthplaces of parents
Date and place of parents' marriage
Marital status
Marriage date and place
Spouse's name and birthplace
Date of event
Date of arrival
Date of departure
Names and relationships to next of kin
Information about types of aid received

For further details, click on the above link.

Chris

Forthcoming Scottish genealogy talks I'll be doing in March

I'll be giving the following talks to family history societies in Scotland this month:

7 MAR 2023, 7.30 p.m. (UK time) online via Zoom
Dunbartonshire Family History Society
Exploring the Scottish Census
https://www.scottishmemories.co.uk/uncategorized/main-page/

16 MAR 2023, 7.30 p.m. (UK time) online via Zoom
Renfrewshire Family History Society
Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis
https://renfrewshirefhs.co.uk/

Please note the latter for Renfrewshire FHS has a changed date from the previously announced 17 MAR - for the simple reason that I will now be doing my Gaelic Higher prelim on that date! (The currently advertised date of the 9^th for Dunbartonshire is also incorrect on its website, it will be the 7th)

I hope to see you there!

Chris

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Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Thursday, 2 March 2023

Wednesday, 1 March 2023