Wednesday 16 October 2024

Ancestry adds Londonderry Freemen Records, 1673-1945

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added another collection from Northern Ireland:

Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Freemen Records, 1673-1945
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63087/

Source: Freemen Records. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/freemen-records Accessed: Oct. 2022.

About Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Freemen Records, 1673-1945

This is an image-only collection and contains records of the “Freemen of the City” in Londonderry between 1675 and 1945. The collection is comprised of the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), Extract Books (1675-1840), and Freemen Index (1793-1862). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Freemen was the only organisation allowed to conduct business and own property within Londonderry.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Occupation
  • Residence
  • Date granted “Freedom of the City” (admittance to the Freemen)
  • Date granted “ticket of freedom” (permission to conduct business without being a Freeman)
  • Name of sponsor, or “master” they were apprenticed to
  • Involvement in business transactions, complaints, etc.
  • Names of associates and family members

Detailed records from sixteenth and seventeenth century Ireland are scarce, so this collection can be invaluable in documenting your Irish ancestors. If you are unsure where to begin your search, start by locating your ancestor’s name in the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), an index organised alphabetically by the first letter of the surname. The Register will provide a year and entry number beside your ancestor’s name. Use the year to find the appropriate Freemen Index book, then the entry number (written on the left hand side) to find your ancestor’s entry.

It’s worth searching this collection for your ancestor’s name, even if they lived outside of Londonderry. The Londonderry Freemen became a semi-hereditary organisation over time, and its members often resided outside of the city. You may also find your ancestor’s name amongst complaints against “strangers and foreigners” who conducted business in Londonderry but were not Freemen. 

For further details, visit the link above. Note that the records can be browsed as well as searched.

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 DNA's ethnicity update makes me a different type of Scot!

There's been a curious update to Ancestry's ethnicity profiling on its DNA platform. Before the update I was shown as being 84% Scottish, with a subgroup of Northern Ireland and Southwest Scotland, which comprised of three groups - Western Northern Ireland, Fermanagh and Southwest Tyrone, and Eastern Northern Ireland and Southwestern Scotland. That did reflect my Scottish ancestry to quite a good extent, with most of my "Scottish" identity coming from Plantation stock in Ulster (Scots who migrated to Ulster from 1609), although it neglected the Gaelic quarter of my identity that is in fact Highland Scottish, from Invernessshire, Perthshire and Easter Ross.   


Switching now to the new ethnicity reading, and the Ulster Plantations have seemingly never happened. I am now shown as 80% Highland Scottish, and 20% Irish, from Ulster and Northern Ireland. Whilst I am delighted that my Highland ancestry has finally been realised, I wasn't expecting the other three quarters of my Scottish ethnicity to be swallowed up in a single area that seems to draw the Highland line from Glasgow to Dunbar!!!

And just for the craic, my wife, whose family has exclusively been drawn from Kilkenny and Tipperary in Ireland for the last 200 years, is now shown as having ancestry from all four provinces in Ireland, as well as now being 9% Scottish. Errr... no!

I was thinking Ancestry may have repeated the mistake it made a few years ago when everyone was suddenly Scottish for a few glorious weeks, but from the comments I have seen on social media it looks like a lot of people are equally confused by their new ethnicity statements.

Take one very important point to heart - the ethnicity reading should not be too closely worried about - the far more useful thing to take from Ancestry's tests is the possibility of matches with distant cousins who share DNA with you.

But fair play to you if you have shares in a kilt company just now, I suspect you'll be getting a few more enquiries from folk once again wishing to trade in their lederhosen ...!!!

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.

Sunday 13 October 2024

Scottish Indexes conference on November 23rd

Graham and Emma Maxwell will be hosting their next Scottish Indexes conference, the twenty-sixth conference, on November 23rd 2024, with registration now open.

The following speakers have already been confirmed:

  • 'Housing the Miners' by Kay Williams 
  • 'Town and Gown – St Andrews University Archive' by Sarah Rodriguez.
  • ‘Historic Scotland in the archives: Using Historic Environment Scotland Archives to explore historic sites around Scotland’ by Joseph Waterfield.
  • 'Using the internet & PRONI for Northern Irish research' by Chris Paton.
  • 'Beyond ScotlandsPeople: Breaking Down Brick Walls in Scottish Research' by Alison Spring.

For further details, and to register, please visit https://www.scottishindexes.com/conference.aspx.

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 historic Jamaican parish records

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added the following records this week:

Jamaica Baptisms, 1664-1880

This week's first new set consists of 404,465 Jamaican baptism records, which cover churches across the island between 1664 and 1880.

Jamaica Marriages, 1664-1880

We've also bolstered our Jamaican marriage records - there are 89,180 transcriptions for you to discover. These new records also cover from 1664 to 1880.

Jamaica Burials, 1664-1880

If your ancestor was buried in Jamaica between 1664 and 1880, their name may appear within these 196,146 brand-new burial records.

For further details on this and other releases, please visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/jamaica-baptisms-burials-marriages-daily-express.

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.

British Newspaper Archive passes 85 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has just passed 85 million pages of content, with the current total at time of writing being 85,001,400 pages. 

Unfortunately there are only a few scraps of Scottish and Irish content added in the last 30 days:

Kirkintilloch Herald
1961

Falkirk Herald
1996

Motherwell Times
1990

Derry Journal
1998-1999

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.

Saturday 12 October 2024

PRONI workshop in Belfast on October 23rd

For those in Belfast:

PRONI - Getting started workshop at Whiterock Library
 
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM (United Kingdom Time)
Whiterock Library • Belfast BT12 7FW  

Are you thinking of starting your family history, or local history research?

We are delighted to be on tour at Whiterock Library to hold an onsite workshop.

This workshop has been designed to help you get started using PRONI's own online services and other online resources.

It is also a chance for you to ask your questions directly to PRONI staff!

To sign up visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/proni-getting-started-workshop-at-whiterock-library-tickets-1044876191817

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.

Internet Archive is currently offline following hack

The Internet Archive at https://archive.org has been down since at least Thursday, with the following message displayed:

Temporarily Offline

Internet Archive services are temporarily offline.

Please check our official accounts, including Twitter/X, Bluesky or Mastodon for the latest information.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Hopefully it shouldn't be to long before it is back up again.

UPDATE: The Internet Archive was hacked a few days ago. See https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2024/10/10/internet-hacked-wayback-machine-down-31-million-passwords-stolen/

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.

Monday 30 September 2024

TheGenealogist completes project to link census entries to maps

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

TheGenealogist Unveils 1841 Census on its Innovative Map Explorer
Discover over 18.4 million individuals on historical maps

Leading genealogy research website TheGenealogist has announced the integration of the 1841 census into its cutting-edge MapExplorerTM tool. This significant addition allows family historians and researchers to delve deeper into their ancestral past with unprecedented geographical context.

Key Highlights:
●    The 1841 census, the first modern census of England, Scotland and Wales, is now on TheGenealogist's MapExplorer.
●    Locate your ancestors to the parish, street or even house they lived in
●    Over 18.4 million individuals are recorded in the 1841 census and you can now explore their neighbourhoods
●    Users can visualise their ancestors' locations on historical maps, providing a unique perspective on family history

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Development at TheGenealogist, stated, "We're proud to announce the completion of our project to "map the census". Never before could you pin down your ancestors through each year, from 1841 all the way to the 1939 register. This visual approach to genealogy brings the past to life in ways never before possible."

Found in these records is Surgeon Nurse Eliza Roberts, the forgotten hero of the Crimea, read her story here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/eliza-roberts-a-forgotten-pioneer-in-nursing-7666/

To celebrate this release, for a limited time you can claim a Diamond Subscription for just £99.45, a saving of £40. You can claim this offer here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBCEN924

Offer expires 30th December 2024.

Comment: The Scottish component of the MapExplorer tool is for the 1841-1901 censuses. The Scottish 1911-1921 censuses are only available on ScotlandsPeople, whilst the 1939 National Identity Register for Scotland is only available from the NRS.

(With thanks to Paul Bayley)

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.

Saturday 28 September 2024

Ancestry adds index to UK professional boxers 1900-1979

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added another third party index to its database, this time documenting professional boxers:

Web: United Kingdom, Index of Professional Boxers, 1900-1979
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70956/
Source: boxinghistory.org.uk. https://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/alist.html Accessed: Jan 2024.

The site that it leads to, www.boxinghistory.org.uk, is the work of boxing historian Miles Templeton.

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.

Friday 27 September 2024

British Newspaper Archive passes 84 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has just passed 84 million pages of content, with 84,006,438 pages at the time of writing.

The following are the latest additions for Scotland and Ireland over the last 30 days - it's not a lot:

Scotland

Kirkintilloch Herald
1961

Falkirk Herald
1993-1994, 1996-1997

Motherwell Times
1990

Carluke and Lanark Gazette
1987, 1992, 1994

Galloway Gazette
1996-1998

Milngavie and Bearsden Herald
1903

Brechin Advertiser
1993

Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties' Advertiser
1964


Ireland

Belfast News-Letter
1997, 2001

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.