Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers Course starts April 8th

The next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers family history course from Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com) commences in just two weeks time on April 8th 2024.

The following short video introduces the course:

 

(Also available at https://youtu.be/1aGSA-mEiQY)

And the following is the course description, and how to sign up if interested!

Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers

This is an intermediate level course in Scottish family history for those who are going back beyond 1850. You should have some experience with research in the Old Parish Registers (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland and in using major websites for Scottish research.

This course discusses sources that fill the gap when the OPRs are uninformative or missing, such as the kirk session and presbytery courts records generated by the Kirk (Church of Scotland), as well as the records of dissenting and seceding Presbyterian congregations. From the forerunners of Scotlands modern towns and cities are the administrative records of the burghs, and the trades incorporations and merchant guilds, as well as other professions, which can enhance our understanding of our ancestors lives. And in the final two lessons the course turns up a notch and tackles two areas where the Scottish records, as generated through the feudal system, are truly unique, namely the various registers of land records known as sasines, and the separate legal processes in Scotland for the inheritance of both moveable and heritable estate.

Whilst some of the records discussed in the course are available online, many are available only in the archives, or in private hands, and a strong focus of this course will be in how to successfully employ the relevant catalogues and finding aids to locate such treasures.

Whilst not compulsory, it is strongly recommended that you complete the Pharos course Scottish Research Online before studying Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, as it will be assumed that you are already familiar with the more basic resources available online for Scottish ancestral research.

Lesson Headings:

    * Kirk Sessions records and parish poor
    * Burgh records and town poor
    * Occupations, taxation and early lists
    * Land transfer and the value of sasines
    * Land, inheritance and estates
 

Each lesson includes exercises and activities; a minimum of 1 one-hour chat session per week. (See How the Courses Work at https://www.pharostutors.com/howcourseswork.php.)

Relevant Countries: Scotland
Course Length: 5 Weeks
Start Date: 8 April 2024
Cost: £58

Student feedback:

"The exercises helped you to explore new lesson concepts right away. Especially by directing students to apply new research aids to their own work."

"Very clear explanations of terminology and legal processes Really helpful exercises and comprenesive list of useful catalogues and other references Chat sessions very helpful and engaging."

"This being the second genealogy course I have taken, and the second with Pharos, I found these were detailed foundation courses which will permit me to search better and with less effort in my future research work."

"Great subject-matter and excellent tutor/written materials. It could not have been better."

For further details, and to sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-the-old-parish-registers.

I'll hopefully see you online there!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry identifies Ulster-Scots DNA communities

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has made an interesting update to its DNA communities, further pinpointing where in Ulster your ancestral DNA may hail from.

In my results I now have the following breakdown:

Scotland 84%

- Northern Ireland & Southwest Scotland

• Western Northern Ireland
• Fermanagh & Southwestern Tyrone
• Eastern Northern Ireland & Southwestern Scotland

When examining my father's results the communities are even more promising:

Scotland 91%

- Northern Ireland & Southwest Scotland

• Western Northern Ireland
• Fermanagh & Southwestern Tyrone

And for my mother's brother:

Scotland 77%

- Northern Ireland & Southwest Scotland.

• Eastern Northern Ireland & Southwestern Scotland
• Antrim & Eastern Londonderry/Derry
• Central & Southwestern Antrim

Incidentally, all of the above are part of a wider Scotland category, although our mainland Scottish side has as yet to be broken down into communities (something which LivingDNA has successfully picked up on already). So we're looking here at immigrant Scottish DNA to Ireland, mainly from the Plantations and post-Plantations period, and it is remarkably accurate in the breakdown, from what I have so far managed to research. 

For all three of us the remainder of our DNA is from the Ireland community, with me at 16%, my father at 9%, and my uncle at 23%. None of our Irish profiles have been broken down further at this stage, although I know my uncle's and mother's lines include Catholic ancestors from Dublin. 

Very useful, and I look forward to seeing future community developments with my ancestry from Scotland itself, predominantly my father's Highland connections!

** Incidentally, I hosted a talk last night for Family Tree magazine with the wonderful Laura House from Ancestry - she confirmed to me that Ancestry will soon be increasing the potential number of DNA groups that we can create on our profiles, a MUCH needed development! 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Ancestry adds Aberdeenshire memorial inscription booklets index

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following collection:

Aberdeen and North-East Scotland, Index to Memorial Inscription Booklets, 1500-2021

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63013/

This collection contains burial records from Aberdeen and North-East Scotland between the years 1500 and 2021. Most records are in English.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Burial date
• Burial place
• Burial location
• Birth date

Burial records often contain important vital information that can be used to confirm when and where your ancestor died. Keep in mind that while some records may include the date of death, the dates referenced in most burial records will be the date of burial, not the exact death date. However, the date of burial is often very close to the death date as most burials occur within about a week of a person's death.

If you know the location where your ancestor died, it may be useful to search both where they died and their burial location.

Collection in context

The records in this collection were created by Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society for the purpose of preserving an index of memorial inscriptions. The burial records are a secondary historical source that are housed by the Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society website.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

FindmyPast adds new Scottish records

Added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week, sourced mainly from Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com):

Scotland, Mental Health Institutions Registers & Admissions

A new set of 220,7317 Scottish mental health institutional records, spanning 1858 to 1921.

Scotland, Court & Criminal Database

A million Scottish court database transcriptions added to this existing collection, from the Court of Session, Crown Counsel Procedure Books, and the Scottish Prison Records Index.

Scotland, Poor Law & Poor Lists

Registers have been added from Wigtownshire and the Scottish Borders, 7906 new records.

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/scottish-poor-law-mental-health-institution

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Next Saturday's Scottish Indexes conferences talks schedules now available

The next Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference takes place on Saturday 23rd March, with the following talks to be given:

• 'The Orkney Archive Service' by Lucy Gibbon, Archivist at Orkney Library and Archive
• 'Survival Sex, Poverty and Desperation: Prostitution in Aberdeen 1840-1870' by Dr. Dee Hoole
• 'Understanding Scottish Inheritance Records' by genealogist Chris Paton
• 'The John Gray Centre: East Lothian's Heritage Hub' by Dr. Hanita Ritchie
• 'Making the most of Scottish High Court records' by genealogist Emma Maxwell
• 'Researching Hudson Bay Company Ancestors' by Christine Woodcock
• Scottish Genealogy Q&A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell

The schedules for the talks, which will be run twice during the day to cater for a worldwide audience, are now available on the wesbite at https://www.scottishindexes.com/conference.aspx

I look forward to hopefully answering some of your questions there after my talk and in the Q&A sessions!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Stone of Destiny to be housed in Perth Museum, which opens Saturday 30th March

The new Perth Museum (https://perthmuseum.co.uk) is to open on Saturday 30th March. From the website:

The new Perth Museum will open its doors on Saturday 30 March 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment project. This world-class cultural and heritage attraction will highlight the fascinating objects and stories that put Perth and Kinross at the centre of Scotland’s story.

At its heart will sit the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, one of Scotland and the UK’s most significant historical objects. Returning to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years, the Stone will be the centrepiece of the new Museum and will be free for all to view.

Alongside the Stone, the new Museum will display Perth & Kinross’s Recognised Collections of National Significance as well as iconic loans and exhibitions from the UK and abroad.

The Museum will be housed in a heritage Edwardian building that once served as a gathering place hosting everything from markets and concerts, to political conferences and wrestling matches. This historic venue has been transformed into a major visitor attraction by award- winning architects Mecanoo. The Museum will also feature a café, shop, and learning and events spaces.

For further details visit https://perthmuseum.co.uk/about-the-museum/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

TheGenealogist adds Irish probate records and County Tipperary parish records

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

Over 3 Million New Irish Records Released for St Patrick’s Day

Get ready to paint the town green this St. Patrick's Day with a bumper release from TheGenealogist! They have just announced the release of 1,769,007 individuals to their Irish Catholic Parish Record Collection and 1,263,399 Irish Wills for their subscribers.

For the many family historians with Irish ancestors, these latest records will be a welcome addition to the celebrations of this day that is so close to the hearts of the Irish.

In this latest release from County Tipperary transcripts for over 80 parishes have been added: A full list of the coverage may be found here: https://thegenealogist.co.uk/coverage/parish-records/ireland/#tipperary

Also making up the releases in the “St Patrick’s Day Parade” are these records of Irish wills:

• Dublin Will and Grant Books 1272-1858,Calendar of Wills and Administrations 1858-1922,
• Irish Will Indexes 1484-1858, Prerogative and Diocesan Copies of Wills and Indexes 1596-1858,  
• Will Registers 1858-1900 and Soldiers’ Wills 1914-1918

To go with these records, read TheGenealogist’s article: A Long Way from Tipperary:
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/a-long-way-from-tipperary-7187/


Save Over £74 on our Diamond Personal Premium Package
To celebrate this latest release, TheGenealogist is offering its Diamond Personal Premium Package for only £109.95, a saving of over £74.
This offer includes a lifetime discount! Your subscription will renew at the same discounted price every year you stay with us.
To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBIPR324
This offer expires at the end of 8th June 2024

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

FindmyPast adds Irish 18th century religious censuses, and enhances Belfast and Ulster directories collection

FindmyPast has added the following 18th century Irish religious censuses, as sourced from transcriptions by Tenison Groves held at PRONI , as well as an update to its Belfast directories collection:

Ireland, 1766 Religious Census

This week's biggest new set consists of 20,505 transcriptions from the 1766 Religious Census. Although the original documents were lost when Ireland's Public Records Office was destroyed in 1922, these extensive transcripts were recorded by antiquarian and genealogist Tenison Groves prior to the fire.

From these records, you may be able to learn the name of the head of the household, the year, their religion, the parish and the county. The information recorded varies widely, because different enumerators recorded different details.

NB: Note that the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland platform provides free access to a substantially greater version of this 1766 census at https://virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census

 
Ireland, Census of Protestant Householders 1740

Secondly, we've also added transcriptions of a census that was taken of Protestant householders in 1740. The 15,957 records within this new set are from parishes in the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down and Tyrone.

Also created by Tenison Groves, these transcriptions contain details like a name, year, barony, parish and county.


Ireland, 1775 Dissenters' Petitions

This week's third and final new set is a collection of historic petition records. It contains approximately 4,000 names, of people who protested the Church of Ireland's sacramental tests in 1775. The petitions consist of dissenters' names categorized by parish, congregation, town, neighbourhood, or, in one case, barony.

Occasionally, members of the Established Church also signed the petitions. The lists typically specify whether signatories were dissenters or Established Church members. In cases where no denomination is indicated, the list contained names of both dissenters and Established Church members without differentiation.

While available for all Northern Ireland counties except Fermanagh, these records are most extensive for areas in Counties Antrim and Down.


Belfast & Ulster Directories

In addition to the three brand new Irish record sets, we've also made a significant update to an existing Irish collection. We added 951,127 Belfast and Ulster directory records, with both transcriptions and original images available for you to explore.

These new additions span 1831 to 1900, and contain over 900,000 names. With almost 70 years of history covered, they offer a detailed glimpse into what the North of Ireland was like in the 19th century.

Comment: There's no source cited for the additional directory records, but the year range suggests that these too may be from PRONI.  

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/protestant-householders-dissenters-petitions

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

MyHeritage grants free access to Irish records this weekend

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has made its Irish collections free to access for St. Patrick's Day:

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re happy to announce that we’re making all 14 million Irish historical records available for free from March 14 to 18, 2024! 

Search all Irish records for free

Whether you’re decked out in green, savoring a traditional Irish dish, or just immersed in the vibrant culture and storied past of Ireland, this is a perfect opportunity to explore your Irish roots. Millions worldwide claim Irish roots, showing how far and wide the Irish diaspora stretches. Perhaps you will discover stories of endurance, migration, or interesting new details about the daily lives of your Irish ancestors.

Among our treasure trove of records, some of the most valuable Irish historical collections include:

• 1901 Ireland Census: A snapshot of life at the turn of the century, providing invaluable information on household members, occupations, and living conditions. The 1901 census is the earliest complete Irish census still in existence; most of the previous censuses were destroyed.
• 1911 Ireland Census: Offering a detailed view of Irish society ten years later, allowing comparisons and insights into changes over time.
• Ireland Marriages, 1619-1898: A compilation of Irish marriage records, essential for tracing lineage and family connections.

These collections, as well as many others, can help to paint a picture of your ancestors’ lives, their communities, and the historical context of their lives. Whether you’re an experienced genealogist or just starting to scratch the surface of your family history, this free access period is an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into your Irish roots.

Search through our Irish records today and discover the stories of your ancestors this St. Patrick’s Day.

(Source: https://blog.myheritage.com/2024/03/celebrate-st-patricks-day-with-free-access-to-14-million-irish-records-on-myheritage/) 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Scottish Jewish Archives Open Day

News of the forthcoming Scottish Jewish Archives (www.sjac.org.uk) Open Day:

Scottish Jewish Archives Centre April Open Day
Garnethill Synagogue, 129 Hill Street, Glasgow, G3 6UB
Sunday 14th April 2.30pm-4.30pm

Booking is essential. This is a free event but donations are always welcome!

This offers visitors the chance to see the displays of the Archives Centre which tell the story of the history of the Jewish community in Scotland. There will also be the opportunity to view the A listed heritage Garnethill Synagogue where the Archives Centre is based.

To book visit https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/57268?fbclid=IwAR3sFyUq74-9LqdDQZokHmi2x8Prj-xNRUC32OV1O6Q02B5A1izSP3-XyGg

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK 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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.