Scottish GENES: May 2021

Sunday 30 May 2021

Problems accessing IrishGenealogy.ie

I noticed on Friday that there has been a problem with regards to accessing the Irish Genealogy website via its home page at www.irishgenealogy.ie, with a message popping up saying "Error displaying the error page: Call to a member function findNode() on null: Component not found.". I had hoped it was a temporary glitch, but it is still displaying the same message today.

However, you can still access the civil registration records on the platform by visiting the direct section at https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp, and the church records on the site at https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/.

Hopefully the front page will be repaired soon.

(With thanks to Maeve Rogan via Twitter for the tip on the workaround!)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Friday 28 May 2021

Ireland's Military Archives updates Military Service Pensions Collection

From Ireland's Military Archives (www.militaryarchives.ie), news of the latest update to its Military Service Pensions Collection:

May 2021 Release

The May 2021 release is the tenth release of records from the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC). The files relate to claims lodged by 1,120 individuals/veterans or by their dependants and contain new information on the War of Independence and the Civil War. This release contains over 2,500 new files and brings the total of fully digitised files relating to individual claims to 34,500, representing over 11,840 individual entries on the MSPC database.

Taking into account all MSPC file series, approximately 104,000 files have now been catalogued and available for viewing either online or in the Military Archives reading room (in the case of the Medals series).

The files released include:

- 869 claims lodged by women
- 64 individuals from Northern Ireland (41 women)
- 15 wound pensions awarded
- 237 successful claims (service/wounds, etc.)
- 9 successful claims under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1924 (National Army veterans)
- 152 successful claims under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934

View the full list of files released on this occasion: HERE

To search the records visit https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/military-service-pensions-collection-1916-1923

(Source: https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/military-service-pensions-collection-1916-1923/release-history/may-2021-release @mspcblog)

Chris

TheGenealogist adds Image Archive to Maps Explorer

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

Jump back in time – Image Archive pictures now pinned to maps

TheGenealogist has just added a marvellous new feature which makes its Map Explorer™ resource even more appealing for family historians.

Already boasting georeferenced historical and modern maps, Tithe Records and Maps to look for your Victorian ancestors’ homes, Lloyd George Domesday Records and Maps for nearly one million individuals, Headstones and War memorials, the mapping interface now also allows TheGenealogist’s Diamond subscribers the ability to also see what their ancestors’ towns and areas in the U.K. once looked like. With the addition of these period photographs of street scenes and parish churches where researchers' ancestors may have been baptised, married and buried, this new feature allows subscribers to jump back in time.

This release sees the ever-multiplying collection of historical photographs from TheGenealogist’s Image Archive accessible for the first time from inside Map Explorer™ as a recordset layer. The various images for an area have their locations pinpointed on the maps allowing family historians to explore their ancestors’ hometowns and other landmarks from around their area.

When viewing an Image Archive record in TheGenealogist’s Map Explorer™, the family history researcher is shown the image’s location on the map as well as from what point of view the photographer took the photo. Also included underneath the historical image is a modern map and street view (where it's available) so that the person researching their past family’s area is able to compare the picture from the past with how the area looks today. When used in conjunction with the other georeferenced maps and associated records, TheGenealogist’s Map Explorer™ is a highly valuable tool for those researching their family history.

Watch this short video to learn more about this great new feature: https://youtu.be/Mt5f-mAyJ5Q

You can read more and see examples in the article: Images from ancestors’ hometowns on Map Explorer™ allows us to “see” where they lived through their own eyes. https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/images-from-ancestors-hometowns-on-map-explorer-allows-us-to-see-where-they-lived-through-their-own-eyes-1416/

COMMENT: I must admit that I have not really played a lot with TheGenealogist's Map Explorer in the past, for the simple reason that Scotland is superbly served by the National Library of Scotland's online OS maps collections. However, TheGenealogist does have a small number of Ordnance Survey maps for Scotland included, as described in the following image:

What is neat about these is that they are actually very easy to get into, much easier than the NLS site, so I can see myself dipping into these from time to time, albeit, the NLS will always have a considrably larger range that will adddress many other research issues.

With regard to today's announcement, the new images are also available for some parts of Scotland, so certainly exploring if you have Scottish ancestry.

Whilst there are no historic Irish OS maps on the Map Explorer tool, there are a small number of historic Irish images appended to the facility's modern maps, as well many across the world, including Europe and India.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

Wednesday 26 May 2021

MyHeritage releases new Photo Repair tool

I was given a preview last night by MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) of a new feature which has now gone live today within its photographs tool kit - an option to facilitate repairs.

Introducing Photo Repair: New Feature to Automagically Fix Scratched and Damaged Photos

We did it again! We’re excited to introduce Photo Repair — the newest tool in the MyHeritage photo toolbox. Photo Repair automatically fixes scratches, tears, holes, stains and other damage on historical photos. With this additional tool, MyHeritage is the only company to offer a complete suite of features for colorizing, restoring, enhancing, animating and now repairing historical photos, all of which produce exceptional results.

Photo Repair is extremely easy to use. Simply upload a scratched or damaged photo to MyHeritage, and if we detect damage, we will suggest that you apply Photo Repair by displaying a Repair button. If you choose to use it, with a single click, the scratches and damage in the photo will disappear like magic!

The technology for Photo Repair was licensed exclusively by MyHeritage from DeOldify, created by deep learning experts Jason Antic and Dana Kelley. Photo Repair is one of several technologies that have been licensed from DeOldify and integrated into MyHeritage’s photo tools.

Old photos can be priceless treasures. They give us glimpses into moments in our ancestors’ lives, frozen in time. The photos themselves may have traveled across continents, witnessing the trials and tribulations of those they depicted and their loved ones; or they might have been tucked away in an attic or basement and forgotten for decades. Old photos have often been stored in less than ideal conditions, making them susceptible to tears, creases, and stains.

At MyHeritage, we believe that photos are one of the most tangible and powerful ways to connect with the past, and consider their preservation as paramount to documenting family history, both on the personal and family level and on a greater scale. That’s why we make it easy for you to scan, upload, and preserve your photos on MyHeritage. We believe there is great value in restoring and enhancing photos, and allowing users to view them as they may have looked when first printed. But we are also committed to the integrity and authenticity of the original photos, which is why any improvements we make, including Photo Repair, never modify the original, which is always left intact. We always create a new copy alongside the original, on which the improvements are applied.

When a photo is uploaded to MyHeritage, a specialized detection algorithm runs in the background and determines if it has sustained damage. If so, a Repair button is made available, ensuring that users won’t waste time attempting to repair photos that don’t need it. Photos may be repaired effortlessly in a single click and the process takes only a few seconds. The default repair model, named Gentle Repair, will fix most types of damage with minimal changes to the rest of the photo. For photos with more substantial damage, an Extensive Repair model can be applied.

The full release is at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/05/introducing-photo-repair-new-feature-to-automatically-fix-scratched-and-damaged-photos/

COMMENT: I have had a go myself earlier today on a photograph of my grandfather taken as a wee boy in Brussels, Belgium, in 1907, which was sent to Scotland as a postcard and which has been fairly damaged down the years.

The image on the left is obviously the original, and the repaired image is to the right. The image is an improvement, although in this case, if I tried to further improve the contrast and to colorise it, problems begin to emerge - although I have been able to further correct some of those using Microsoft's own paint tools.

Nevertheless, there is a substantial amount of good stuff going on here in the non-colourised version, with the tears that were in the original nicely repaired, and I can easily see me now going in to manually address some minor 'dots' and specs through another programme. So overall, a big thumbs up, but as with any technology, it will work better in some circumstances than others.

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

Tuesday 25 May 2021

BBC Alba documentary on genealogist Bill Lawson

I've just watched a wonderful BBC Alba documentary which was first broadcast in 2019, concerning genealogist Bill Lawson, who is based on the Isle of Harris. Bill is the main driver behind the Hebrides People website (www.hebridespeople.com), as well as being the main guru for the resources available from the Co Leis Thu/Seallam service run in Harris by the Northton Heritage Trust (to which he has donated his lifetime of genealogical research).

The programme is part of Series 12 of Trusadh, and is entitled Sàr Shloinntear (The Genealogist), and it is fair to say that this is one that every genealogist, particularly every professional genealogist, should perhaps watch, as it is an absolute inspiration and a programme with a real genealogical spirit.

Bill and his wife Chris have spent a lifetime collating not only historical records about the various islands in the Outer Hebrides, but also the oral history that cannot be found in documents. Not only has Bill been recording material in Scotland, he has regularly travelled to Canada to interview Gaels out there with connections to the islands, as well as compiling materials from around the world. His collections of croft histories are discussed, and his impressive collections of genealogical materials and pedigree charts.

I have never met Bill, but I was briefly in touch with him and his wife Chris a few years back in 2011 when they launched Hebrides People (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2011/07/hebrides-people-site-goes-live.html), and I was sorry to learn that Chris has sadly since passed away in 2017. The programme is an absolute gem, and a real tonic when set against all the celebrity bubblegum we are often plied with in the name of TV genealogy - this is a programme about a man with a passion for, and interest in, an area, with a demonstratable skill in researching it, an inspiration in how he disseminates what he finds, and a man for whom the community he has been immersed within for most of his life is truly appreciative. We don't often get these kinds of programmes! The programme is in Gaelic (Gàidhlig), although Bill himself speaks in English throughout; it is subtitled throughout.

For the researcher, it also showcases one of the many comainn eachdraidh (historical societies) which exists in the Western Isles, the other family history societies which exist in Scotland (nothing to do with SAFHS!), which I try to plug when I can. Comann Eachdraidh Nis (https://cenonline.org), based at Ness in the north of Lewis, is somewhere I have in fact visited in the past, but during my television days rather than in my genealogical career, and again it offers a wonderful insight into resources available at a local level in the Western Isles. For lists of other comainn eachdraidh visit www.hebrideanconnections.com and www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/buidhnean/eachdraidh/.

The programme is being broadcast again tonight (Tuesday) on BBC Alba at 10pm, but it is also available on the iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000c088/trusadh-series-12-8-bill-lawson-sar-shloinntear-the-genealogist (for UK access only).

I think when I grow up I just might want to be Bill Lawson. And I think once you have watched it, you might want to be too..! A proper gem, and the Hebrides are lucky to have him.

Chris

Free access to MyHeritage military records until June 1st

MyHeritage is offering free access to its military records, to tie in with the US Memorial Day:

This Memorial Day, we’re giving you a chance to learn more about the ancestors in your family tree who put their lives on the line in service of their country. For one week, Wednesday, May 26 through Tuesday, June 1, all military records on MyHeritage will be completely free to access.

Search Military Records on MyHeritage

MyHeritage is home to 69.6 million military records from all over the world, including draft, enlistment, and service records, pension records, and other military documents. These collections contain valuable information about men and women who served, and often, information on their families as well. Military records can contain birth and death dates, names and addresses of family members, and details about the soldier’s service. In some cases, military records provide details not found in other types of records, such as notes on physical characteristics like height, weight, and eye color.

Normally, records on MyHeritage are free to search, but viewing the full record and saving it to your family tree is available only to those with a paid Data or Complete plan on MyHeritage. But this week, in honor of Memorial Day, anyone wishing to learn more about their ancestors’ military history will be able to access the full records at no cost.

Whether you already know about the heroes in your family and want to discover more about them, or you have yet to learn about the individuals in your family who served, finding their military records is a perfect way to honor their service this Memorial Day.

Further details are available at https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/05/special-for-memorial-day-access-military-records-for-free-on-myheritage/. The records available include various UK sources.

Chris

Monday 24 May 2021

Ancestry acquires Forces War Records

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has announced that it has acquired Forces War Records (www.forces-war-records.co.uk):

The following is the official announcement (https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/blog/forces-war-records-joins-ancestry-family):

Forces War Records Joins the Ancestry® Family

At Ancestry, we know how crucial it is to connect with the military heroes in our family trees so we can preserve their stories and honour their sacrifices. From regimental databases to medal rolls and POW records to casualty lists, military records hold rich and important information about our ancestors. That is why we are pleased to announce that Ancestry has acquired Clever Digit Media, which owns and operates Forces War Records.

With more than 26 million military records from the UK and other commonwealth countries, Forces War Records is the leading British military genealogy-specialist website with a unique product that helps people both discover and contextualize their family’s military history. Through Forces War Records, people can discover details about their ancestors like their regiment, base or ship they served on, the battles they fought, and the medals they were awarded.

For over a decade, Forces War Records has been connecting its users with these wartime stories and Ancestry is excited to help expand their product and bring these collections to new customers worldwide. We are proud to welcome Forces War Records to the Ancestry family and to offer even more resources, tools and records to empower our customers on their journeys of personal discovery.

COMMENT: Forces War Records certainly has some unique UK military content on its site, it will be interesting to see what Ancestry now brings to the party.

(With thanks to Kirsty Wilkinson)

Chris

My forthcoming Scottish and Irish family history talks online this summer

A quick thanks to all at the Causeway Coast and Glens branch of the NIFHS (www.nifhs.org/branches/causeway/), the Devon FHS (www.devonfhs.org.uk) and Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) for the fun last week during my various talks! They were all great craic, with some great questions asked, which I hope I was able to help with!

The following are some forthcoming talks I'll be giving over the summer:

24 JUL 2021
Capital District Genealogical Society, NY
Discover Scottish Family History
www.capitaldistrictgenealogicalsociety.org

14 SEP 2021
Society for One Place Studies
Scottish family history resources pre-1800
https://www.one-place-studies.org/

18 SEP 2021
Anglo-Scots branch, Manchester and Lancashire FHS
Instantly Buckled for Life - Scottish Marriage Records
www.mlfhs.uk/anglo-scots

20 SEP 2021
Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS
Sharing Your Family History Online
www.gwsfhs.org.uk

25 SEP 2021
BIFHSGO Conference: Irish Lines and Female Finds
Church and State: Ireland's Vital Records
https://bifhsgo2021.ca

And of course, the BIG event in October! See http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2021/05/isbgfh-british-institute-2021-tracing.html

I hope to see some of you soon!

Chris

ISBGFH British Institute 2021 - Tracing Your Irish Family History

News of a big event for me this year, which I hope you might come along to!

Last year I was supposed to be travelling to Salt Lake City to deliver a week long lecture programme on Irish genealogy, as part of the annual British Institute run by the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History. The event, due to be held in October, would have comprised of twenty hours of taught content across ten sessions (2 x 2 hour sessions per day), and I would have come back to Scotland with a glorious tan and a great new accent. Unfortunately, due to Covid, the full event for 2020 had to be dramatically scaled back to a smaller online programme, which was a great deal of fun but condensed to a delivery of four 90 minute long topics.

Well it's now 2021, and Covid still has a grip on us all, but I am delighted to say that whilst I am still unable to get over to Utah, this year the ISBGFH's British Institute will be run at full length, with yours truly delivering on 20 hours of Irish content entirely online, in a programme series entitled Tracing Your Irish Family History, from 11-15 October 2021. In addition, there are further options to listen to 20 hours of content from Paul Milner on English genealogy, and similar from Bruce Durie on Scotland, and Darris Williams on Wales.

Here's the official event description from the site (https://www.isbgfh.com/BRITISH-INSTITUTE):

WELCOME

The International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH) welcomes you to the virtual British Institute (BI). This year’s institute focuses on Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. The British Institute is open to ISBGFH members and non-members alike.

We all recognize that COVID-19 changed businesses. Genealogy is no exception. If we want to continue and grow, we need to change, modify, and adapt. Our instructors plan to offer you tools to help you do just that.

To cause the least disruption, the BI is using the virtual setting via ZOOM and coming to you in four courses–five days each in Mid-October. During this time, we will gather to learn, share, and enjoy the history of our ancestry!

While we encourage you to take advantage of all four courses, we are offering different options to fit your schedule and interests. Attend one course LIVE each week (11-15 October, and 18-22 October) or all four by accessing the recordings.

MEMBERSHIP

If you are not a member of ISBGFH, you may wish to consider joining. A yearly membership is only $25 USD, and the benefits of membership include our British Connections quarterly plus full access through the website to the British Connections archive dating back to 2000. If that isn't enough - you also get access to recordings of our Winter Webinar Series including handouts.

For the grand membership benefit, you qualify for discounts to our British Institute. Since COVID has shut down in-person events in Salt Lake City, BI has gone virtual and each course will be recorded for those who are registered. Each Institute course also has a robust syllabus that is a great source of information and references for you to view and review.

We highly recommend that if you choose to become a member of ISBGFH, that you purchase your membership and wait until you receive your confirmation email with log in information before registering to attend BI. This guarantees receiving membership discounts.

And here's a description of the basic event structure:

I'm still pulling together the full programme, but to give an idea of what was originally planned (which I won't deviate too far from!), I gave a live talk session early last year offering the proposed overview for the 2020 event, which should give you an idea of some of the content that will be available. You can watch this below (or at https://youtu.be/yFK90UrmZMk):

There will be some minor tweaks to my original plans to allow for more online research (rather than at the Family History Library in SLC, which was the original plan) whilst we carry on through the pandemic.

Registration is now open at https://www.isbgfh.com/event-4293293 - the event should be great craic (a lot of fun), as I like to be serious in what I do, but not always in how I do it!

I hope to maybe see you there!

Chris

British Library and FindmyPast extend newspapers collaboration

Good news from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) and the British Library (www.bl.uk), concerning an extension to the British Newspaper Archive project (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk):

British Library and Findmypast announce renewal of long-term partnership

42 million newspaper pages are currently searchable on the British Newspaper Archive and Findmypast, with a further 14 million planned by 2023.

Findmypast and the British Library have today announced an extension of their long term partnership; the British Newspaper Archive. Originally launched in 2011, this ambitious ten-year project has delivered the most significant mass digitisation of newspapers the UK has ever seen.

Today’s announcement will result in the online publication of a further 14 million pages over the next three years, including the addition of 1 million new free-to-access pages each year.

The extension of Findmypast’s partnership with the British Library as preferred digitisation partner for mass newspaper digitisation is further evidence of our proven track record of digitising archive materials, making them available to new audiences and preserving them for future generations. Although much of the content on the site is out of copyright, Findmypast has worked with rights holders to make a wide range of more recent content available too.

For the full announcement visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/british-library-renewal

The BNA is the research gift that keeps on coming - just yesterday I discovered that my great grandfather won a Scottish bravey award in Glasgow in the 1920s, whilst his brother died in 1891 after his arm was ripped off in an industrial accident. It's probably the one resource I retiurn to most, after ScotlandsPeople - great to see it continuing.

Update: The BNA is offering a 30% discount for renewals on 3 months and 12 months subscriptions, until May 31st 2021, using the code LIBRARY30Q at the checkout.

Chris

Sunday 23 May 2021

Sharing Your Family History Online ebook versions now available from Pen and Sword

Pen and Sword have now made available copies of my new book Sharing Your Family History Online in both Kindle and ePub formats at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Sharing-Your-Family-History-Online-Paperback/p/18718, where you can also continue to buy paperback editions.

The blurb once again!

For many enthusiasts pursuing their family history research, the online world offers a seemingly endless archive of digitised materials to help us answer the questions posed by our ancestors. In addition to hosting records, however, the internet also offers a unique platform on which we can host our research and lure in prospective cousins from around the world, to help build up a larger shared ancestral story.

In Sharing Your Family History on the Internet, genealogist and best-selling author Chris Paton will explore the many ways in which we can present our research and encourage collaboration online. He will detail the many organisations and social media applications that can permit co-operation, describe the software platforms on which we can collate our stories, and illustrate the many ways in which we can publish our stories online.

Along the way, Chris Paton will also explore how we can make our research work further for us, by drawing in experts and distant cousins from around the world to help us break our ancestral brick walls, not just through sharing stories, but by accessing uniquely held documentation by family members around the world, including our very own shared DNA.

Some reviews:

Whilst this book could be a useful guide for beginners, the breadth of coverage means that even experienced researchers will learn from it – let's face it, we all have our favourite sites, and this can often blind us to other opportunities.
The content comes logically presented and packed with helpful advice, particularly for those with little or no experience of the vast range of online options available. As such, it comes highly recommended.
This is a fantastic, thorough, and informative reference book for anyone researching their family history. I have been researching mine for many years and I have still found it to be a very useful guide. It is packed with useful websites for researching and recording your family information, as well as a clear explanation of DNA testing and what choices you have when selecting a test. The book is very readable and I would recommend it to beginners and experienced genealogists alike.
Chris is clearly very enthusiastic about the possibilities for sharing family history online, he never shies away from flagging up considerations that are well worth remembering. Written with a stylish, authoritative tone, packed with information and insights born of experience, it also has a light – even humorous – touch that makes for a very readable read!

I hope it helps - and thanks to those of you who have already purchased a copy!

Chris

Saturday 22 May 2021

Delay to the 1921 Scottish census release?

Last night I received the latest newsletter from the Manchester based Anglo-Scottish Family History Society (https://mlfhs.uk/anglo-scots/newsletter), which mentioned as one of its items that it looks like there is going to be a delay in the release of the Scottish 1921 census, which was due to be released at some stage after June of this year.

From the Q&A discussion at the Scottish Indexes conference today it would seem that the Scottish Association of Family History Societies has been similarly informed in the last week of this development, and that it may not be until 2022 before we now see the records being released, as a consequence of the pandemic.

However, nothing has been publicly announced by the National Records of Scotland on this, which is still advising on its website that "The 1921 census will be released in 2021 after its 100 year closure period has ended" (www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/census-records).

If we have to wait a wee while longer, though, it will be entirely understandable - let's face it, whenever we see it, it will still be a damn site sooner than the Irish equivalent (because there isn't one!).

All good things come to he or she who waits!

Chris

Scottish Indexes adds 100,000 prison register entries

News of an exciting update to the Scottish Indexes website at www.scottishindexes.com:

Scottish Indexes - Helping You Find Your Criminal Ancestors

Graham and Emma Maxwell of scottishindexes.com today announce the release of over 100,000 prison register entries to www.scottishindexes.com. This announcement was made during the Scottish Indexes Conference, the 10th free Scottish family history conference of the pandemic. It’s perhaps a sad reality that when our ancestors fell on hard times or got themselves into trouble we are much more likely to find out more about them. An ancestor who spent just one night in jail is likely to have had their age, birthplace, height, weight, scars, education level, hair colour and eye colour recorded. This makes prison registers vital not only to tracing your ancestors but also in discovering the people behind the names.

These entries have been added to ‘Scotland's Criminal Database’ which includes High Court, Sheriff Court and prison records. All indexes on www.scottishindexes.com are free to search and the added features such as the free tutorials in the Learning Zone make the website easy to use.

This update includes entries from the following prisons:

Ayr, Ayrshire
Greenock, Renfrewshire
Edinburgh, Midlothian
Barlinnie, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Duke Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Hamilton, Lanarkshire
Stirling, Stirlingshire
Maxwelltown, Troqueer, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright
Perth, Perthshire
Paisley, Renfrewshire
Stranraer, Wigtownshire
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire
Wigtown, Wigtownshire
Dumfries, Dumfriessire
Dundee, Angus
Lanark, Lanarkshire
Kirkcudbright, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright

Sadly not all prison registers have survived and this is an ongoing project. To see a precise breakdown of coverage of ‘Scotland's Criminal Database’ please see: https://www.scottishindexes.com/coveragescd.aspx

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell)

Chris

Friday 21 May 2021

Launch of Family History TV service

This is a new venture from S&N, the team at TheGenealogist:

Family History TV gives you access to a wide range of helpful Family History Videos

We are excited to announce the launch of our new on-demand family history talks platform: Family History TV (https://family-history.tv)

This new website is the place to watch expert speakers from the world of British genealogy, Military History, DNA, House History and Social History deliver their informative and entertaining talks online. This new and reasonably priced service aims to open up these talks to a wider audience.

Ranging from a behind the scenes look at the Who Do You Think You Are? TV show, or advice and guidance once you have your DNA results, this channel offers videos to suit most family historians. If you are seeking advice on researching your ancestors, or would like to find out more about social history, there are videos from some of the best speakers who normally talk to packed theatres.

Family History TV features a Military Expert & Professional Researcher drawing on his years of experience from researching thousands of soldiers to explore what can be found when looking for a military ancestor. There are talks from an experienced Social Historian exploring the records that shine a light on sporting ancestors, a well respected Professional Genealogist and House Historian gives you her valuable advice, and top DNA Experts share their extensive knowledge of this popular subject.

With even more genealogical themed presentations to be released in the next few months, each talk has been professionally edited into a high quality video that can be rented for the very attractive low price of just £2.99 and then watched for the next 24 hours.

Take a look at the high quality content available and as a special introductory offer watch Keith Gregson’s Hints and Tips video for free at https://family-history.tv

(With thanks to Paul at Family History TV)

Chris

Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records - coming soon!

I have spent the last three months working on my next book for Pen and Sword, entitled Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, and am delighted to have finally sent it through to the publisher today. The book is provisionally due to be published by the end of September, but I will obviously announce more as we get closer to the event.

It has been a lot of fun pulling it all together, but as with any book, it is astonishing what you learn as you go along, even for the subjects you throught that you knew a lot about. In this case, I knew that the records of the Land Commission in Ireland are inaccessible for the Republic, and accessible for Northern Ireland, but it has been a real eye opener to realise just what a tragedy this is for the south, and what an untouched gem they are for the north. The records for the south are locked away in a warehouse in Portlaoise for 'privacy concerns', which to be blunt, is a lot of utter nonsense.

If you think the 1926 census should be the primary concern for the next big release in the Republic, I'd suggest that the Land Commission records should be an equal priority. Hopefully you'll understand why when the book is out!

And if you are from the north - the valuation revision books are certainly useful, but have you got all you can from the Belfast Gazette?!

All will (hopefully!) be divulged soon!

Chris

Scottish vital records databases added to FindmyPast

An unusual release from FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) for those with Scottish family:

Scotland, Modern and Civil Births 1855-2019

Compiled from a number of sources, this collection is essential for enriching the Scottish branches of your family tree.The record set includes records from local government burial indexes held by various councils and archives, volunteer and local family history society transcriptions, modern records of funeral homes and civil registers.

What can these records tell me?

The detail contained in these records can vary, but you should find a combination of the following information:

    Title
    Forename(s)
    Surname
    Date of birth
    Year of birth
    Place of birth
    County of birth
    Mother forename
    Mother surname
    Father forename
    Father surname
    Usual residence
    Birth registration district
    Reference number
    Additional notes
    Original record source

Scotland, Modern and Civil Marriages 1855-2019

Did your relatives exchange wedding vows in Scotland? Unlock family love stories with this useful resource. Using the information you glean from this index, you can access copies of original Scottish marriage certificates via ScotlandsPeople.

What can these records tell me?

The detail contained in these records can vary, but you should find a combination of the following information:

    Title
    First Name(s)
    Surname
    Date of marriage
    Year of marriage
    Marriage venue
    Place of marriage
    County of marriage
    Spouse forename
    Spouse surname
    Usual residence
    Marriage registration district
    Reference number
    Additional notes
    Original record source

Scotland, Modern and Civil Deaths & Burials 1855-2021

This vast record set reveals rich Scottish family research detail including death and burial facts, addresses, occupations and next of kin.

Findmypast is home to the fastest growing collection of Scottish family records online. Enhance your research by combining these death and burial records with Scotland Monumental Inscriptions, the largest resource of its kind. With it, you'll uncover vital details about your Scottish ancestors’ lives and deaths.

What can these records tell me?

The detail contained in these records can vary, but you should find a combination of the following information:

    Title
    First Name(s)
    Surname
    Residence
    Occupation
    Next of kin
    Death Date
    Burial Date
    Death Place
    Burial Place
    Cemetery Reference
    Archival Reference
    Registration District
    Additional notes
    County

Expect this collection of modern and civil birth, marriage and death records to grow over the coming months, as we strive to create the last word in discovering your Scottish family story.

Our newspaper archives from Scotland have grown with the addition of:

- Glasgow Weekly Herald covering 1865, 1867-1869, 1879-1881, 1883-1885, 1887, 1889 and 1891-1892
- Glasgow Weekly Mail covering 1862-1864, 1866-1868, 1879-1880, 1883, 1886, 1888 and 1890-1892
- Inverness Advertiser and Ross-shire Chronicle covering 1849-1885
- Inverness Journal and Northern Advertiser covering 1812-1833, 1835-1836, 1840-1842 and 1844-1848
- Kirriemuir Free Press and Angus Advertiser covering 1928-1949

Comment: It's very difficult to really say anything constructive about these 1855-2019 collections, because there's very little given away about the sources utilised. From a few test searches, I have not found a great deal beyond the mid 1870s, which leads me to wonder if a lot of the records included are simply from the FamilySearch indexes which cover births and marriages from 1855-1874/5?

It is always handy to have alternative indexes, but when the FindmyPast site itself is saying "Original copies of civil registers can also be seen in person in Edinburgh, and through the National Records of Scotland's ScotlandsPeople website.", that's kind of where I want to be going!

Good to see the Inverness newspaper coverage expanded though!

Chris

Limited access to Edinburgh City Archives starts June 4th

Thanks to Kirsty Wilkinson via the Scottish Genealogy Network's Facebook page for news that the Edinburgh City Archives are to reopen from June 4th, albeit on a limited access basis, for four every hours every Friday.

From the archive's site at https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/archives/edinburgh-city-archives-1/4?documentId=12641:

Visit the search room

Following the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions will will be opening up some of our collections for researchers to view again from June 4 2021.

Access is limited for the next few months in terms of what you can access and where.

Where and when

At this time our search room in the City Chambers is still closed to the public due to the restrictions of this historic building. However, colleagues at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have allocated us space in their own search room in John Sinclair House (EH8 9NX) every Friday between 11am and 3pm for researchers to access our collections.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance by getting in touch with us.

Who

Those looking to book a space will also need to fit the following criteria

- Have a deadline that needs to be met (academically, legally, professionally).

- Be able to advise what records/materials need to be viewed (limits of 10 items per person/session are in place).

Not be looking for continuous access every week (unless your project is very time critical and then we can discuss on an individual basis).

What

There are certain restrictions on the types of records we can safely transport over to HES. Any architectural drawings and plans will not be sent, due to their size and the space they take up to view. Any outsize or very fragile records will also not be sent. We will discuss further with anyone who gets in touch with us what records they would like access to and whether this is currently possible.

Spaces will be filled quickly and so please get in touch with us as soon as you can if you would like to make use of this service.

We hope to welcome you back through our own doors at the City Chambers later in the year, and we will keep you updated with any further developments.

(With thanks to Kirsty)

Chris

PRONI re-opens on May 24th by appointment only

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) has announced on its website that it is to re-open from May 24th, by appointment only - but that's about all it has announced!

Obviously if I hear any more I will update you further!

UPDATE: OK, here's the drill...!

Requesting a research appointment at PRONI

PRONI will be operating a limited onsite public service from 24 May 2021. Advance booking is one of a number of changes to PRONI services which have been put in place to ensure the health and safety of staff and visitors during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic.

You must request a research appointment at PRONI (booking re-opens on 24 May) and have your booking confirmed in advance of your visit.

Research appointments previously cancelled due to the enhanced restrictions are being rescheduled for dates from 24 May 2021. Visitors affected will be contacted by PRONI directly.

Registered PRONI visitors will be able to request a new research appointment at PRONI (to view original records/microfilms) when new appointment bookings are released on 24 May 2021, using the revised procedures below.

You can book one appointment per week, and access up to ten items on that visit. The full details - and there is a lot to digest - are available at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/research-appointments-proni

Good to see it reopening!

Chris

Monday 17 May 2021

Forthcoming Scottish Indexes conference on Saturday May 22nd

I've just recorded my presentation for the forthcoming Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference on Saturday 22nd May 2021, the tenth event hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell.

Entitled Genealogy Without Borders, my talk will look at the importance of considering the diaspora when looking to build your family tree, discover your full family history, and to help construct a fuller sense of family and identity that can go well beyond any national boundaries. I hope you will enjoy it!

The full schedule will be going up on the Scottish Indexes platform shortly, and you can find more about the many speakers participating on the team's website. The conference is free as always, and there will be talks, Q&As, and plenty of craic I'm sure! The talks will be shown twice, to cater for the various time zones around the world.

I'll hopefully see you there!

Chris

Who Do You Think You Are? series 12 in Australia

If you're down under in Australia, the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?, the twelfth in Australia, is due to start on Tuesday 8th June 2021. You can find more about this series on Alona Tester's post at Gould Genealogy, at https://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2021/05/who-do-you-think-you-are-australia-2021-season-12/.

I've actually carried out research for two episodes of this series, and was almost filmed for the episode with former Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, but I unfortunately had to pull out fairly late on, following the death of my father, with the filming due to take place the night before his funeral. There's a good Scottish connection in this one, but I don't want to give anything away - suffice to say, it's an interesting story!

The celebs lined up for this run are: Celia Pacquola, Malcolm Turnbull, Denise Drysdale, Jef Fatt, Uncle Jack Charles, Grant Denyer, Chris Bath, and Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Enjoy!

Chris

Friday 14 May 2021

TheGenealogist adds RAF Operations Record Books

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

RAF Operations Record Books for the Dambusters squadron go online

TheGenealogist is marking the anniversary of the famous Royal Air Force Dambusters raid on the Ruhr Valley dams in May 1943 by releasing a massive tranche of fully searchable RAF Operations Record Books (ORBs) including those ORBs for the famous No 617 Squadron giving an insight into their lives.

With a release of 1,550,018 records, bringing the total to 6,748,021 these new diary-like RAF documents paint a picture of the goings on in a squadron on a day-to-day basis for those units under British control.

These are uniquely fully searchable by:-
●   Forename and Surname
●   Squadron
●   Date Range

Using keywords users can also search for Service Number, Rank, and Duty, Aircraft type and location where the fields appear in the record. This makes it possible to easily find your Royal Air Force ancestors and discover more about their war time activities on the base and in the air.

The Operations Record Books are for squadrons primarily from after the First World War, although there are a few early squadron records from 1911 to 1918. These ORBs follow the daily happenings in the air and on the base, and frequently name the brave aircrew who battled against the odds.

You can use the collection to follow an airman’s war time experiences from these fully searchable Air Ministry operations record books which cover various Royal Air Force, Dominion and Allied Air Force squadrons that came under British Command. The AIR 27 records allow the family history researcher a fascinating insight into their relatives serving in a number of wartime air force units, as can be seen in the video and article that shines a light on Wing Commander Gibson and his squadron.

●   See the wartime operations of air crew
●   Discover pilots, navigators, radio operators and gunners mentioned in the diaries
●   Find airmen receiving an Honour or a Medal
●   Note the names of squadron members wounded, killed, or who did not return
●   Fully search these National Archives records and images

Find out more about the AIR27 recordset here: https://www.TheGenealogist.co.uk/Air27

This release expands TheGenealogist’s extensive Military records collection for Diamond subscribers.

To take a deeper look into these records read TheGenealogist’s feature article and see how 617 Squadron recorded the famous Dambuster operation in the ORBs from the time.
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/guy-gibson-and-the-dambuster-raid-found-in-raf-operations-record-books-1411/

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

Scots Guards WW2 service records added to FindmyPast

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added records from the Scots Guards to its British aemy service records collections:

Also added are further medal records:

Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards

Discover decorated military ancestors in thousands of new medal records. The latest additions cover:

    Indian General Service Medals 1854-1895, 1908-1935 and 1936-1939
    China War Medal 1900
    Second China War Medal 1857-60
    General Service Medal 1918-1962
    India Medal 1895-1902

You can focus your search on any of the above awards by selecting it from the 'Medal type' filter on the search page. The records can reveal important details for tracing someone's military past including service number, rank and regiment.

For details of all of this week's releases, and for links, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/military-records-memorials

Chris

Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards Discover decorated military ancestors in thousands of new medal records. The latest additions cover: Indian General Service Medals 1854-1895, 1908-1935 and 1936-1939 China War Medal 1900 Second China War Medal 1857-60 General Service Medal 1918-1962 India Medal 1895-1902 You can focus your search on any of the above awards by selecting it from the 'Medal type' filter on the search page. The records can reveal important details for tracing someone's military past including service number, rank and regiment.

Thursday 13 May 2021

Ancestry updates Scotland and Northern Ireland, Death Index, 1989-2020 database

The Scotland and Northern Ireland, Death Index, 1989-2020 database on Ancestry, located at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60631/, has been updated on May 10th.

The last update was in June 2020, so this is preumably a completion of records for last year.

Chris

Wednesday 12 May 2021

Adopted children to be given right to see birth certificates in Ireland

A big story in the Republic of Ireland - from RTE:

Adopted people will be able to get access to their birth certificates even if a parent indicates they do not wish to be identified under new legislation published today.

Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman said that nobody will be denied access to their information under the proposed new law.

Groups representing adoptees have repeatedly called for full access to information around their identities.

For the full story visit https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0511/1221008-birth-certificates-adopted/

Chris

Fife Archives to re-open search room from May 5th

From Fife Archives:

Visitor appointments to the Archive Search room at OnFife Collections Centre, Bankhead will reopen from Wednesday 5th May 2021.

Visits are by appointment only and visits are limited to 1.5 hours. You can make a booking by email to archive.enquiries@onfife.com

To access the archives you have to register with one form of photographic ID along with something with your address such as a utility bill.

The records you are using are unique and irreplaceable, so please be very careful when handling them. Before your visit, make sure you read our Search Room Rules. You can find out what records are held at our Archive Centre by searching our online catalogue.

For further details, and to access the archive's catalogue, visit https://www.onfife.com/libraries-archives/archives/.

Chris

Monday 10 May 2021

Progressing Your Irish Research Online - course feedback!

I've just completed teaching the first run of my new course for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, entitled Progressing Your Irish Research Online, which I must admit has been some of the best fun I've experienced in a few years! These are some of the comments from students:

"Great course!"

"The course has opened my eyes to the huge array of resources available for family research and the importance of persisting in scrutinising seemingly unreadable documents."

"Thank you very much Chris, it’s been an excellent course. I shall be revisiting all the lessons in order to draw up a plan of action!"

"Chris, I want to thank you very much for the excellent course, well-documented, organized and executed. It helped me a lot with both Family History and general knowledge."

"Thank you very much Chris for an excellent course which I have really enjoyed. I can now go forward with a better understanding of Irish resources and how to use them which will be invaluable for my family history research."

"Thank you for teaching this course, it was time well spent!"

"Thank you, Chris, for the course. It has been good fun, and has succeeded in keeping me from the 101 jobs that need doing in the house and garden."

"This course has given me more avenues to search down in my quest to find my Irish roots."

"It is difficult to pick out the most useful, as each lesson has provided a lightbulb moment. I have also learned new tips and techniques about sources I already used and thought I knew."

"VERY helpful, and generally informative."

"Brilliant course. I learnt so much and now have to apply it."

"Thanks for such a rich course."

So... when's the next one then? Well I'm glad you asked! The next 5 week course run of Progressing Your Irish Research Online starts from November 15th, just six months away, but already many students have booked, hence this post - if you'd like to sign up, spaces are already filling up fast.

Here's a short video introducing the material that will be covered:

(Also available at https://youtu.be/aonRMQEnIFw)

It's been a lot of fun so far, to the point where I might even consider writing a follow up - but one thing at a time!

I hope to see you in November - and don't forget that I will also be teaching the following Scottish courses this year:

Scottish Research Online
30 AUG 2021 5 weeks £49.99
https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102

Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers
1 NOV 2021 5 weeks £49.99
https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302

I hope to see you soon!

Chris

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