Ancestry launches new English and Welsh birth index

A new index to births in England and Wales from 1916 to 2005 is now available online at www.ancestry.co.uk. It is fully searchable, meaning patrons no longer have to trawl through pages of index images to search for a specific name, though these are still available.

MAJOR points to Ancestry for this, hopefully it will be expanded and added to with marriage and death entries in the near future! It's amazing that Ancestry seems able to achieve what the GRO at Southport can't...

UPDATE: There is in fact a separate database for 1837 to 1915 as well. FreeBMD were responsible for this part of the project, with Ancestry for the latter. Marriages and deaths are now confirmed by Ancestry to be following soon.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

The Riot Act in Glasgow

Today saw the 90th anniversary of the last ever reading of the Riot Act in Britain, which happened at Glasgow's George Square on a day that became known as "Bloody Friday". The issue leading to the riots was worker's rights on Clydeside, and by the time the authorities had dealt with the strike some 19 policemen and 34 strikers were injured.

For more on the story visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7859192.stm.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Famous Scots exhibition - Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly's family origins are explored as part of the new Famous Scots exhibition at the ScotlandsPeople Centre. The exhibition was officially opened on January 23rd by Minister for Europe External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP.

A full write up is now available at the National Archives of Scotland and ScotlandsPeople Centre websites, at www.nas.gov.uk/about/090126.asp and www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/scotlands-people-centre/famous-scots.html .

(Thanks to Tristram Clarke and Pete Wadley at NAS)

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Proposed changes to 30 year rule at The National Archives

Changes are being proposed to the rule that sees many government documents released after 30 years by the National Archives, in a bid to produce "effective and open government". If successful, the same documents may be made available after a closure period of just 15 years.

For more on the story, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7857370.stm.

(With thanks to Alison Spring at the LDS family history centre in Glasgow)

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Your Family Tree 74

Your Family Tree issue 74 (March 2009) is on sale from February 2nd, and contains the usual mix of fascinating articles and tips. As well as features on 100 money saving tips, period dress, bastardy records, finding ancestors in Munster and the 1911 census, yours truly has also contributed an article on the need for proof within research, and online directories. (Since going to press, there have been some developments in this field, including the first online availability of some Scottish directories through Ancestry.co.uk).

Scottish content includes news on the launch of Homecoming Scotland, and a case study from genealogist Chris Duncan, in search of a family tartan for his brother-in-law's forthcoming wedding.

£4.99 at all very friendly newsagents...

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

DNA and Genetic Genealogy

A huge thanks to the Largs and North Ayrshire Family History Society for their hospitality last night, where I gave a talk on the use of DNA within family history research.

For those interested in finding out about genetic genealogy, a useful little book on the subject is that by Chris Pomeroy, entitled "Family History in the Genes", published by The National Archives, whilst an article on how to use the DNA Ancestry service, step-by-step, is available from Scotland's Greatest Story at www.scotlandsgreateststory.bravehost.com/DNA.html.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

The Preservation of Auschwitz death camp

The BBC has an interesting feature on the efforts being undertaken to preserve the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz as a museum. To view the audio-visual presentation, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7842671.stm.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Robert Burns

It's 250 years ago today that Robert Burns was born in Ayrshire. Scots all over the world have celebrated the genius of Burns once a year ever since his death in July 1796, a man who is widely regarded by many as Scotland's national bard.

In 1915, when Scottish civilians were interned in Germany, a group of them formed a Burns Club at Ruhleben, sending a postcard to James Wills, the secretary of the Ayr Burns Club, with the lines "Here's a health frae them that's awa', Here's a health frae them that's awa'; And wha winna wish guid luck to our cause, may never guid luck be their fa'!" It seems that no matter where Scots are around the world, Burns provides people a way to once again reconnect to their Scottish roots. It is for this reason that the Homecoming Scotland celebrations officially launch today, marking a year long programme of activities to celebrate the best of Scottishness and the worldwide Scottish diaspora.

To find out more about the man, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns , and whatever you are up to today, have a good one!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

US President Andrew Jackson - a Gaelic history

Well it's the 250th anniversary of Rabbie Burns' birthday today, and everyone in Scotland will be going incredibly Scots like with their 'wee sleekit mousies' and their 'auld lang synes'...!

As a counter to that, and to tie in with the fact that a new president has taken over in the US, I've uploaded an article to my Scotland's Greatest Story website written by myself some ten years ago in Scotland's other ancient language, Gàidhlig. It concerns President Andrew Jackson, whose parents came from the outskirts of my home town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, and of Ulster Scots stock. In 1999, I spent three months in the US, filming within 30 of the country's 50 states for a Scottish Television series called "Celtic America", and during the trip I managed to locate the graves of Jackson's parents in the Waxhaws region in the southern part of North Carolina.

The article is located at www.scotlandsgreateststory.bravehost.com/ulsterscots.html and follows a brief history of the Scots settlements within Ireland over the centuries. (Translation available on request!)

Don't forget that Scotland's Greatest Story, the foremost genealogical research service in Scotland, is only too happy to help with your genealogical problems or family tree research requests!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

MAJOR Irish genealogy news - BMD indexes online

In what is rapidly becoming the best year yet for Irish genealogy on the net, the FamilySearch team in Utah have just uploaded indexes to the statutory registration records of Ireland, from 1845 to 1958.

Statutory marriages for Protestants on the Ireland commenced in 1845, whilst the registration of all births, marriages and deaths for the population commenced in 1864. At the moment the FamilySearch record Search Pilot site at http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=2;t=searchable;c=1408347 allows access to the indexes, but not to the digitised images of the index books, though this is clearly designed as something that will follow.

The release of these records online is the first time that this has happened, now making Irish research considerably more easy to do, and in line with its British counterparts. At present the site appears a bit sluggish, possibly because of demand.

(Many thanks to Deirdre on the Your Family Tree magazine forum for the update.)

UPDATE: Images from the original indexes can now be viewed, and also downloaded to your computer.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

WDYTYA Live - Scottish Saturday

A very last minute development from the Who Do You Think You Are? Live event is the announcement that the second day of the programme is now apparently to be branded as "Scottish Saturday". There is very little change to the event on that day save for the fact that a band called Celtic Spirit will be playing, though the good news is that both the National Archives of Scotland and ScotlandsPeople appear to have now signed up to come to London's Olympia. However, it is no exaggeration to say that there appears to be fewer Scottish vendors participating at the event this year, with no family history societies from Scotland at all, although the Scottish Genealogy Society will be there to fly the flag.

For more information, click on the link - Scottish Saturday.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

World War Two merchant shipping records online

From the National Archives (Kew) website:

The movements of merchant ships during the Second World War can now be discovered at DocumentsOnline. The merchant shipping movement cards record the journeys of both British registered and Allied vessels engaged in the war effort from 1939.

The series of cards within BT 389 record the name of the ship, any former name it had, its size (tonnage), to whom it was registered, the ship's destination, date of arrival and occasionally ports of call. They also record any cargo carried on board. Importantly for historians, the cards show if the ship was torpedoed, mined, damaged or sunk during the war.

The merchant shipping movement cards were started by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. They are concerned only with the details of the ship and therefore do not contain details of any passengers or crew, as this information was considered a security risk by the Admiralty during the war.

You can search for cards by:
Ship name
Former ship name
Gross tonnage


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scotland the Brave show in New York

I've been contacted by the organisers of a stage show called Scotland the Brave, which is to commence a run in New York City on Thursday, April 9, 2009, at Avery Fisher Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The show is a sort of Scottish version of Riverdance, lots of chappies and chappesses in kilts, sword dancing, bagpipes etc, and has previously run at the Sydney Opera House in Australia for three seasons.

It's not really my personal cup of tea, but that's only because I'm not a big fan of tartan! But for those wishing to find out more, the show has a website at www.scotlandthebravenyc.com, which is now selling tickets. Best of luck to all involved!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Who Do You Think You Are finally gets transmisison date

The new series of "Who Do You Think You Are" has finally been given a transmission date - Monday 2nd February at 9.00pm. The publicity for the series' return has been atrocious - the WDYTYA magazine has itself twice gone to press with the wrong transmission dates, due to poor information provided by the BBC.

As exclusively revealed in this blog on January 7th, the first programme in the series will be that on Rory Bremner, followed by Fiona Bruce, Rick Stein, Zoe Wanamaker and Kevin Whately. For a full synopsis of the first programme, as provided by the production company Wall to Wall, see my earlier post at http://scottishancestry.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-do-you-think-you-are-returns-to.html .

Unfortunately, from my point of view, this is one for the BBC iPlayer - I'm a big fan of "24", which is on Sky at the same time!

UPDATE: It looks like there might also be a BBC2 repeat on Tuesdays at 7.00pm, though this is still subject to confirmation.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Congratulations Barack Obama

Like most of the world today, I have watched the inauguration of the 44th president of the USA on the telly on both Sky and CNN, and it has been wonderful to see the greatest nation on the earth (well, after Scotland and Northern Ireland of course!) so thoroughly energised and ready to give the man the support he needs to get the ball rolling.

So whilst this post is genealogically irrelevant, I just wanted to publically wish President Barack Obama the best of luck for the challenges ahead!

Turas math dhuibh...!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Family History Society of Buchan gains new home

The Family History Society of Buchan has a new home at Arbuthnot Museum in St. Peter Street, Peterhead. The new centre was opened by First Minister Alex Salmond on Saturday.

For the full story, see the Press and Journal's coverage at www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1034780?UserKey=

Chris

www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk
Scotland 's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

1911 English census - transcription errors

Following the blaze of publicity surrounding the launch of the 1911 census for England last week, there follows a torrent of criticism on the accuracy of the transcriptions made of the census, which can be downloaded at www.1911census.co.uk. Many genealogy forums have threads dedicated to the problem, one person has e-mailed me directly to say that she found 22 errors on one page alone, including the relationship for several members of the house to their father described as "Thomas"! The Telegraph newspaper has also picked up on the issue, and yesterday published a series of letters over it - see Errors in the Online Census hit Family History.

FindmyPast has already offered to correct any mistakes that users submit - but this will only help if you are able to find the record you wish for in the first place!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland 's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

PRONI's eCATNI catalogue now online

Well, it's my 500th post since starting this blog just over a year ago, and as an Ulsterman working as a Scottish based genealogist, it couldn't contain a more exciting announcement if it tried! (Other than I've won the lottery, which I will post when it happens!).

The Public Records Office for Northern Ireland catalogue, known as eCATNI (Electronic Catalogue for Northern Ireland) has today gone online at the PRONI website. With over a million catalogued items, and more still to be added, this should hopefully break down many of those brick walls that are so frustrating within Irish genealogy.

A full press release on the catalogue is available at www.proni.gov.uk/news_details.htm?newsRef=1013, whilst the itself can be accessed at www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/ecatalogue.htm.

All the very best with your research!


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland 's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Royal Marines records now online

From the National Archives at Kew - the service registers of some 110,000 seamen who joined the Royal Marines between 1842 and 1936 are now available online to search and download.

Searches can be performed under surname, forename, register number and date of enlistment, and may uncover the names of ships and shore stations served on, details of conduct, medal entitlement and much more.

For more information, TNA has a dedicated page to the records at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/royalmarines.asp.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland 's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

1911 Census England and Wales - update

There's been some confusion about aspects of the census release down south, so here's a quick correction for some of the more common comments I'm hearing and reading about:

1) Some people have commented on the fact that only English counties have been released so far, and no Welsh. In fact, there is a very good reason. The full story is at the 1911 census blog, run by FindmyPast at http://blog.1911census.co.uk/2008/12/the-order-of-scanning-and-our-unintentional-northsouth-divide/. Essentially, the records are being digitised in order of piece number as held at the National Archives in Kew.


2) There have been comments on the fact that the entries are over £3 each for a single image, as opposed to the cheaper earlier censuses, and the equivalent census for Ireland, which has many documents and which is free.

Again, the 1911 census blog has announced that there will be many additional pages added in the next month or so. If you have already paid for an image, these extra pages, including the enumerator's return, a description of his walk, and many others, will be added to the image as held in your account. See http://blog.1911census.co.uk/2009/01/more-images-available-within-the-month-at-no-extra-cost/


3) There have also been comments by some people that they would prefer to access the images on a subscription through FindmyPast, rather than pay-per-view. Again the blog has the answer - they will be available at the end of the year on a FindmyPast subscription - see http://blog.1911census.co.uk/2009/01/pricing-and-future-subscription-options/.

Bottom line - keep an eye on the 1911 census blog at http://blog.1911census.co.uk - it's answering questions fast and furious!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland 's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Family History Monthly 166 on sale

Family History Monthly's February issue (number 166) is just out also, with plenty of articles to keep you happy!

There are features on the Crimean War, Michael Palin's family history, the Wars of the Roses, 14th century English records, the Women's Library in London, the surname Dixon, Suffolk ancestry, hat makers and more.

Yours truly has a case study detailing how I researched a submarine collision from the Cold War, with the crew of a British vessel barely making it back to Scotland in one piece, and all the regular news and other items are there too.

Forget 'For Him Magazine' - FHM stands for 'Family History Monthly'!

Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Practical Family History issue 134 on sale

Practical Family History's first issue for 2009 (number 134) is now on sale with loads of goodies.

There are features on wills, how to write a family history, how to research a house history in England and Wales, tracing Sussex forebears, customs and excise news, Maggie Loughran's chronicles (1700-1750), and all the regular features, including the latest genealogical news across the UK from yours truly.

PFH - it's lovely, it's intelligent, it's still got a new look, it's just £3.75 and it's in the shops now!


Chris
www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Ancestry.co.uk gains new Managing Director

From Ancestry....

The Generations Network, Inc. (TGN), parent company of the Ancestry global network of family history websites, has announced the appointment of Olivier Van Calster as new Managing Director of Ancestry.co.uk. Van Calster was formerly Marketing Director at eBay UK.

In this strategic role, Van Calster will be responsible for the growth of the UK business and Ancestry.co.uk’s subscriber base.

Van Calster was previously with eBay for more than four years, where he was responsible for Offline and Digital Marketing, Customer Loyalty, Public Relations, Advertising Sales and eBay Ireland. Under his leadership, eBay UK grew to over 20 million registered users to become the leading ecommerce destination in the land. Van Calster’s achievements there included the launch of the hugely successful Logo People advertising device, a fundamental overhaul of eBay UK’s approach to digital advertising and close integration with offline, and a strategic shift from acquisition-led to retention marketing.

Van Calster’s early career included five years with media group Pearson, including three years at FT.com, and a spell as management consultant. He holds an MBA from Insead, the European business school.

Ancestry Senior Vice President, International Josh Hanna comments: “We are delighted to have Olivier on-board and are confident that his marketing knowledge and understanding of the UK online market will have a considerable impact on our growth".

Olivier Van Caster comments: “I am very excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growth of a fabulous business with a leadership position in a fascinating area of the Digital Content market.

“Working at eBay has provided me with invaluable experience, and drawing upon my learnings I am looking forward to helping Ancestry.co.uk realise its full potential as a unique content and media asset with unrivalled expertise in sourcing, digitising and bringing to market unique historical material.”

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

The Weaver's Bairn

Here's one to make a grown man weep!

I keep a website on the Handloom Weavers of Perth at www.perthweavers.bravehost.com , and have just uploaded a poem to the site from a book which I purchased on eBay a few days ago, entitled "Harp of Perthshire", edited by Robert Ford in 1893. The poem was written by Alice Pringle.

Hankies at the ready...!

The Weaver's Bairn

A BONNIE bairn was Annie More,

The flower o' a' the toun:

A guileless bairn, owre young to ken

Her brow wore beauty's crown.

At gloamin’, at the waterside,

Amang the bairns was she;

And passers-by had wondered aft

Wha that sweet bairn might be.

Her red lips parted wi’ a smile

That was like mornin’ light,

And showed how that young heart looked out

And saw the world a’ bright.

A weaver’s bairn was that sweet wean;

Her faither at the loom

Worked late and early, think’ ne’er

That labour’s life was gloom.

For still between him and his toil,

A lovely vision gleamed;

And when he dreamed of future days,

’Twas for that bairn he dreamed.

She was the a’e flower o’ his hame,

A winsome flower o’ spring;

’Twas nae mean hame, for round the hearth

Were angels hovering.

For her sake, night and morn, he thought

The angels aye cam’ near.

Where that sweet bairn had lisped a prayer

What could there be to fear?

Her mither, wi’ her pale rose cheek,

Was glad o’ Annie’s bloom;

She couldna think that ought sae fair

Was near an earthly tomb.

She said, “Though painfu’ days are mine

And aft I'm droopin’ sair,

This bonnie bairn uplifts my heart

As health were mine ance mair.

“The queen has her bright crown o’ gold,

The duke his bonnie lands,

His lady has her jewelled rings

For sma’ and dainty hands.

“They canna think like John and me,

Wha have our bread to earn,

We have nae wealth in a’ the warld,

But just oor bonnie bairn.

“The golden curls upon her head

To us are gowd enough’;

And ilka morn it’s joy to meet

Her laughin’ e’en sae blue.

“Oh, bairnie! God in heaven is kind;

I thank Him ever mair,

Wha lets me keep thee in my arms,

Through grief, and pain, and care.”

The bairnie, wi’ her wonderin’ e’en,

Looked in her mither’s face.

The mystery of death had yet

In her young soul no place.

But fever to the toun was brought,

And to the kirkyard sune,

Wee graves wi’ new turned turf were seen

Aneath the waxin’ mune.

And Annie, in her loveliness,

Lay meekly down to dee,

Just saying wher her wee heart sank,

“Oh mither! bide wi’ me.”

“I’m her, my bairn,” she said, but sune

Ye canna ca’ for me.

Yer rosy cheek is white as snaw;

I’m feared ye’re gaun to dee.”

The bairnie opened her blue een,

And saw her mother’s tears.

A light seemed in her soul to wake,

As from no childish years.

“Oh, mither! am I gaun to dee?

Oh, faither dinna greet.

For Christ will take me up to heaven,

Where a’ the flowers are sweet,

“And when ye’re comin’ hame frae earth,

I’ll meet ye at the gate;

For there, ye ken, ’twill no be dark,

However lang I wait.”

They couldna speak, their hearts were fu’,

The wearied bairnie slept;

And through the darkness o’ the night

Their anxious watch they kept.

Small pain it seemed. The gushing tide

Of earth’s joy paused awahile,

And left a little space, before

The soul took on heaven’s smile.

With easy touch, Death took his prize

Of beauty, for decay.

She drooped, and drooped, and in the morn

She sighed her soul away.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

New one name study course on Pharos

The Guild of One-Name Studies and Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd are pleased to announce a brand new five week introductory course on One-Name Studies, starting 27th April 2009. This is the first course of its kind, either online or in the classroom. The new online course will be a guide and introduction to One-Name Studies, run by online genealogy specialists Pharos Tutors assisted by the Guild of One-Name Studies.

The course covers surnames and their history; core records needed for one-name studies; the analyses of one-name data and all the practical aspects of running a one-name study.

Prospective students can pay and enrol via the Pharos website – www.pharostutors.com at a price of £42.99. The Guild of One-Name Studies will also be offering free membership to the Guild for the remainder of the financial year for all non-Guild members who sign up for this course.

The course is suitable for all genealogists who have an interesting or unusual surname, or who wish to research their surname in greater depth. It will also be of significant interest to existing one-namers.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

First glimpse of Scottish 1911 Census!

That got your attention, didn't it...?!!!

Sadly, my mischievous gene has just kicked in. Tonight's edition of BBC Reporting Scotland contained a report on why the 1911 Scottish census is not being released until 2011. The reporter on the story presented the piece from inside the room where the 1911 census is being kept. So what did she see...?!

Precious little as it happens. Each of the volumes appears to be in a blue binding, and tied with string, with all the volumes held on long parallel shelving units. And that's it - sorry! It does confirm that the thing is definitely in Scotland however...!

I've had a look on the BBC website and cannot find Reporting Scotland in the BBC iPlayer. However, the story may well be repeated tonight at 10.25pm with the late bulletin, so do keep an eye out.

In the meantime, just to rub it in, here's the BBC report on the 1911 English and Welsh census, which is online - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7826521.stm.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

1911 Census for England and Wales released online

For those with Scottish ancestors living in England or Wales in 1911, a new resource is now at hand with the release by Findmypast of that year's census at www.1911census.co.uk .

Unlike previous British censuses, the original household schedule returns for the 1911 census have survived, meaning that the documents viewed on the site are those actually filled in by our ancestors on census night, as opposed to the enumerators' returns available for previous years. The cost to view a scan of the original document is 30 credits, though transcripts can be viewed fro just 10 credits. A 60 credit subscription costs £6.95, making it significantly more expensive to view an original image from 1911 than for previous years, though the images are now in full colour and of an extremely high resolution.

Findmypast.com vouchers will also be valid on 1911census.co.uk. Vouchers can be purchased from The National Archives bookshop and redeemed on findmypast.com. Credits can then be spent on both findmypast.com and 1911census.co.uk.

It should be noted that the full census has not been released, as the digitisation project is still ongoing. Images still to appear on the site are for the following counties (and should be up by the summer) :

England:
Durham
Cumberland
Northumberland
Westmorland
Yorkshire – East Riding and North Riding

Wales:
Anglesey
Brecknockshire
Carnarvonshire
Cardiganshire
Carmarthenshire
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Glamorgan
Merionethshire
Montgomeryshire
Monmouthshire
Pembrokeshire
Radnorshire

Other:
Isle of Man
Channel Islands
Royal Navy
Overseas Military Establishments

The Scottish census, covered by separate legislation to the rest of Britain, will not be available until mid 2011 at the earliest.

NB: It should be noted that in order to cope with the expected high demand on the site, certain features have been disabled for the first few days, which will reduce the strain on the site, such as the ability to use wildcard searches. These will be reinstated when demand begins to slow down and it is clear that there is no danger of the site crashing.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

ScotlandsPeople Centre now fully open

From the National Archives of Scotland:

Edinburgh’s new family history centre, the ScotlandsPeople Centre, will open all four search rooms on Monday 12 January 2009 from 09:00 to 16:30. The ScotlandsPeople Centre entrance is at General Register House at the east end of Princes Street, up the steps by the Wellington statue.

Visitors can pre-book £10 day search places in the search rooms by ringing 0131 314 4300. It is also possible to pre-pay, which will allow you to go straight to your seat.


I know the team have been working flat out to get the new centre up and running, and to all involved, a huge congratulations for a major achievement that will be of benefit to all of those with Scottish ancestry.

UPDATE: The ScotlandsPeople Centre website at www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk has had an update, and now has additional information on the new assisted search facility, where you can pay £20 an hour for help with your research (up to two hours only). The site has also announced that online booking facility for seats will not now be operational until 2010.


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Direct line to God

I received this from a cousin in Australia, and had to share it...!

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. He bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read '$10,000 per call'. Being intrigued, he asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same looking golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God.
'O.K., thank you,' said the American.

He then travelled all across America, Africa, England, Japan, New Zealand. In every church he saw the same looking golden telephone with the same '$US10,000 per call' sign under it.

The American decided to travel to Scotland to see if Scots had the same phone. He arrived in Scotland and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same looking golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read '40 pence per call.' The American was surprised, so he asked the priest about the sign.

'Father, I've travelled all over the world and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in all of them the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?'

The priest smiled and answered, 'You're in Scotland now, son - it's a local call'.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Were the Scots Irish?

Were the Scots Irish? Find out from an article by Ewan Campbell, Department of Archaeology, University of Glasgow, at http://uhblog.ulsterheritage.com!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

The Family and Local History Handbook Omnibus

A new CD product is soon to be released from Robert Blatchford Publishing Ltd, which will be of immense interest to those researching both Scottish and British family history.

The Family and Local History Handbook Omnibus data disc (ISBN 978 0 9552399 2 2) contains reproductions of the first ten editions of The Family and Local History Handbook. First published in 1997, this annually produced handbook has become the essential companion to family history research. Each edition has now been brought together for the first time to create this omnibus edition, faithfully reproduced as PDF files which can be easily read on any computer. The disc contains over 650 extensive and wide ranging articles written by leading experts in family history, covering everything from beginning your family history to areas of specific research, as well as advice on using the internet, digital technology, local history and military sources.

Amongst the wide range of articles contained on the CD are dozens specifically of Scottish interest, including items on the Glasgow Police Museum, Scottish Poor Law Records, Scottish 'Term Days', Scottish Irregular Marriages, and many more.

The Family and Local History Handbook Omnibus will be launched and available at Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE, at a recommended Retail Price: £14.99, but Robert Blatchford Publishing is doing a Special Online Price with Advance Orders Being Taken NOW!

Payments can be made by Credit Card (MasterCard & Visa), Debit Card & Maestro Accepted via the secure server on the company website at www.genealogical.co.uk or by UK Phone: 01904 332638 (Europe & Rest of the World Phone: +44 1904 332 638)

Payment may also be made by £ sterling cheque with full cheque card details. Please write to Robert Blatchford Publishing Ltd, 33 Nursery Road, Nether Poppleton, York YO26 6NN UK


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

New additions to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

The BBC has an article about new additions to the online addition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, available at most public libraries.

As well as Northern Irish footballing legend George Best, new entries include politicians Robin Cook and Mo Mowlam, Irish comedian Dave Allen, and ex-Prime Ministers Sir Edward Heath and Lord Callaghan.

For more on the story, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7817033.stm

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Who Do You Think You Are returns to BBC1

The BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? series returns in a couple of weeks time for a new run of five programmes. The first concerns comedian Rory Bremner, followed by newsreader Fiona Bruce, chef Rick Stein, actress Zoe Wanamaker, and finally, actor Kevin Whately.

The transmission date is still unconfirmed, but is currently believed to be Monday 26th January, BBC1 at 9.00pm. (The BBC only confirms dates two weeks prior to transmission).

The following is a synopsis for the first programme of the run:


Rory Bremner

Rory Bremner didn’t know his father very well. He was an older father, who was a little distant and died when Rory was 18. Rory knew he was an infantry officer in WW2, but thought he saw little action.

At his brother’s house Rory discovers some of his father’s wartime letters, in which he talks about a battle for the Dutch city of s'Hertogenbosch. Rory travels to Holland where meets a man who was with his father during the battle, and discovers the pivotal role Major Bremner played in this crucial battle. Next Rory moves onto Germany to learn about the part his father played in the post-war reconstruction, and discovers he managed to find time to get to know the locals…

Further delving is his brother’s treasure trove of family memorabilia uncovers a painting of Surgeon General John Ogilvy, his great-grandfather. Rory’s investigations reveal that John Ogilvy was an army medical surgeon during the Crimean War and was on the front line at all of the major infantry engagements.


An article in the Sunday Express on Fiona Bruce's experience in the series is also available online at the following link: Fiona Fights Back Tears As She Finds Her Family's Lost Hero

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

UK City and County Directories release from Ancestry

Ancestry is launching a new dataset tonight, the UK City and County Directories 1677-1946. The following is an abridged version of the press release:

The UK’s original business directories - The UK City & County Directories 1677-1946… detail over 7.8 million tradesmen, businesses and VIPs and span 250 years of UK’s history.

The directories highlight how trade has evolved over the last 250 years, with individual listings varying from the standard occupations of the day such as chimney sweeps and dress makers, to more unusual roles such as leech importers, beast preservers, and weapons dealers.

The collection contains volumes from every county in Britain and many cities, towns and villages including London, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol.

The founders of retailers that still dominate our high streets today can also be found in the directories. The first shops of Charles Henry Harrod (Harrods), John Boot (Boots Chemists), William Henry Smith (WH Smiths) and John Cadbury (Cadburys) are all included as is the first Marks & Spencer, Dixons and Woolworths – which recently went into administration.

The directories are an important resource for Britons today, painting a personal picture of Britain across almost four centuries and providing a personal glimpse into what our cities, towns and villages were like hundreds of years ago.

The UK City & County Directories, which are of both social and historical significance, were eventually replaced other media, such as the BT Phone Books. Ancestry.co.uk has digitised the original volumes and published them online for the first time.

The majority of records will be available online at www.ancestry.co.uk shortly after midnight. (Records for Rutland, Leicestershire, Norfolk and Kent will be uploaded by March).


UPDATE: The Scottish content is currently limited to the 1870 directory for Glasgow, and the 1825-26 Pigot's directories for the country, split into four regions.


Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Online Irish birth, marriage and death indexes update

For the last year and more, the Family Search team at Utah have been co-ordinating a project to digitise and index the original indexes to Irish statutory births, marriages and deaths. This will revolutionise the ability to carry out Irish research once they are released, with Irish indexes still the only records in the British Isles that cannot be viewed online; an appalling situation considering the lack of records that are available for those to research their Irish ancestors, many having been destroyed in 1922 during the Irish Civil War.

I have been contacted by several people wishing to know why these have not yet been made available on Family Search's Records Search pilot site at http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0 , and as such I contacted the team at Utah to try to gain an update on the situation.

In response, I have been told that 'the Irish projects have required additional programming due to additional fields extracted and localities needed in order to yield effective patron search experiences on the Record Search pilot'. It is hoped that the records will be added 'soon'.

So hold on just a while longer - it will definitely be worth it!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

1933 marriages added to Scotland's People

The Scotland's People website has now added marriages from the year 1933 to its site at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, completing its annual update of birth, marriage and death records.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Free access to online Ruhleben POW camp books

Regular readers will know that I have a huge interest in the First World War German civilian prisoner of war camp at Ruhleben, where a great uncle of mine was interned for two years between 1916 and 1918. I run a free to access website at http://ruhleben.tripod.com in which I have been trying to identify the names of all those British civilians who were interned at the camp, as well as information on how they came to be interned and what became of them after the war.

Earlier today I received an e-mail from Jim Mackay, an enthusiast on wartime postal history, with whom I have been in contact on a few occasions concerning Ruhleben matters. Jim has discovered that many key books written by internees at the camp, some of them quite rare, are now available to view in digitised formats at www.archive.org. Amongst the titles available are John Balfour's "Ruhleben Poems", "To Ruhleben and Back" by Geoffrey Pyke, "The Ruhleben Prison Camp: A Record of Nineteen Months Internment" by Israel Cohen, and more. Simply access the site and type in 'Ruhleben' as a keyword in the search field.

Many thanks indeed to Jim for the tip off.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Inside Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

The BBC has an online report at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7765442.stm showing some of the unusual items held within Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. There's whales' teeth and ear drums, mineral water bottles from the 1860s and every Scot's favourite culinary dish - bog butter!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Digging Up Your Roots radio series - update

I recently posted the fact that a new series of Digging Up Your Roots will be commencing tomorrow on BBC Radio Scotland at 12.05pm. The producer has very kindly e-mailed me with more details on what to expect from this run.

The new series of Digging Up Your Roots begins at 1205 on Sunday January 4th and is offering on-air advice to anyone with a query on family research, as well as telling some amazing stories already uncovered by the amateur genealogists in the Digging Up Your Roots audience.

The first programme looks at migration to and from Scotland, and how to go about researching your family if their roots are overseas, or if they left our shores for a new life abroad.

Programme 2 (January 11th) looks at occupations, and at what the way in which our ancestors earned their living can tell us about the Scotland in which they lived.

Programme 3 (January 18th) looks at Scotland's rich and varied maritime heritage

Programme 4 (January 25th) will study Scotland's military past

Programme 5 (February 1st) digs into the intriguing backgrounds to our surnames and the clues they can give us to our family background

Programme 6 (February 8th) deals with crime and how it was punished in the Scotland of the past

Programme 7 (February 15th) - for Valentine's weekend, time to look at love and marriage

Programme 8 (February 22nd) - general advice on how to go about working on your own family tree and how to substantiate those stories passed down from parents and grandparents without any corroborating evidence!

Well worth listening in, and don't forget that each episode will be available on the BBC iPlayer after transmission. The series website is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/features/digging_up_your_roots/

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

Scottish Family History in 2009

A belated Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope you had a great festive season! I promised a quick heads up on things to come, so here goes...!

For the family historian in Scotland, 2009 has lots happening, and of course Homecoming Scotland is the big event of the year. There is a considerable amount of activity happening on the genealogical front within this, with highlights including the International Genealogy Festival at the University of Strathclyde, the Routes to your Roots conference in Stirling, the Famous Scots exhibition at the ScotlandsPeople Centre, the Gathering, and more. For a detailed itinerary visit the Homecoming Scotland website.

Who Do You Think You Are Live again takes place from February 27th to March 1st at London's Olympia. It's a long way to go, but most definitely worth it, as all the biggest vendors in the genealogical world will be there, with many new product launches. More at www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk. And don't forget the National Family History Fair at Gateshead on September 12th!

The Scottish Association of Family History Societies is this year hosting a Scottish Family History Fair and Conference at Aberdeen's King's College Conference Centre, hosted by Aberdeen and North East Scotland FHS, on April 25th. For more information visit www.safhs.org.uk/SAFHS_Conference.asp.

On records releases, the 1911 English and Welsh census is due very soon from FindmyPast, and has in fact just completed a beta demonstration online for many southern English counties. It is pricier to view original images than censuses on Scotland's People and other English census sites, but there will also be an option to view transcriptions at a cheaper rate. The 1911 census for Ireland is well underway, and along with the 1901 census is expected to be released in its entirety towards the middle of the year at www.census.nationalarchives.ie. As for the Scottish 1911 census - sorry, we'll have to wait for that until 2012!

Scotland's People has just updated its births and deaths indexes for 1908 and 1958. Marriages for 1933 will be along soon, and then in the near future, pre-1855 burial images, Roman Catholic register records and the 1881 census (original images). The ScotlandsPeople Centre also opens on Monday January 12th after a successful test period of limited openings for free two hour taster sessions (which will continue).

A major development on the Northern Irish front is the launch of the eCATNI electronic catalogue by PRONI, which will be online within the next fortnight. This is to be followed with Belfast and Ulster Street directories, in the very near future.

On the personal front, I've a book project currently on the go, and am putting together a new website on North Ayrshire genealogy in the next few months, so plenty to keep me busy!

Enjoy the year ahead, and good luck with all your research...!

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

New records release from Scotland's People

Scotland's People (www.scotlandspeople.org.uk) has just updated its online records. The following is the announcement:

We are pleased to announce that new statutory indexes from the Statutory Register of Births for 1908 and the Statutory Register of Deaths for 1958 are now online. Statutory Register of Marriages (index and images) for 1933 will follow shortly.

A Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to everyone from ScotlandsPeople.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving

New RCAHMS website beta launched

A beta version of the new Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland website has been released, along with a revamped version of the body's CANMORE database. The following is the announcement from RCAHMS:

Both the RCAHMS website and the Canmore database have been undergoing re-development over recent months and are now ready for release in 'Beta' form. To see a preview of the new development, go to the new website Homepage at:

http://beta.rcahms.gov.uk/index.html

New Canmore can be accessed from the website from the Search box function at the top of the page, or through the Canmore option in 'Search Our Resources' in the left-hand menu bars.

'Beta' form means that that both the website and Canmore are still undergoing further revision and development, but are at a sufficiently advanced stage for us to open them up to users for testing and comment. We will continue to add content to the website, and will analyse your feedback on both the website and the database, until February 27th 2009.

Please spend some time exploring both, then let our development teams know what you think by going to:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bRG0Ivdnorz05SBz_2bHFIKw_3d_3d

If you do encounter any problems, errors or omissions, or wish to make any specific observations, please let us know in the response boxes provided.

As a 'Thank You' for helping us, we have five copies of our latest publication 'The Pictish Symbol Stones of Scotland' available to give away (details about the book are available from the link on the homepage of the new website). If you would like to be included in the draw for one of these fascinating books, please enter your email address in response to the final survey question.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Scotland's Greatest Story
Professional family history research & genealogical problem solving