LostCousins founder Peter Calver passes away

I was saddened to learn last night that Peter Calver, the force of nature who created and ran the LostCousins website and newsletter, sadly passed away from bowel cancer on Monday this week. The news comes from an announcement by his wife Sian, which can be read at https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/Jan26deathnews.htm.

In 2014 and 2015 I had the great pleasure to visit Rocha Brava in Portugal's Algrave, where Peter held a timeshare, to take part as a speaker in two highly successful LostCousins hosted Genealogy in the Sunshine events. Peter kindly extended the invitation to my wife and sons also, and I can honestly say that they were two of the best genealogy conferences I have ever attended, with a great crowd of attendees and fellow speakers (including Else Churchill, Debbie Kennett, and John Hanson), and in such a wonderfully relaxed environment. Peter was an absolute gentleman at both events, a fun host, and one who knew exactly what his delegates were looking for from a conference. Due to factors beyond Peter's control the second conference would be the last, but in many ways that only adds to the legend of what they were. 

Peter announced that he had become ill in his last LostCousins newsletter just a few weeks ago in December 2025, and I learned a few days ago that his condition had seriously declined, mirroring the rapid situation that my own family experienced when my mother passed away from bowel cancer in 2013. To Sian, and to Peter's wider family, I extend my heartfelt condolences, and those of my wife and boys.

Sian has informed me that she wishes to honour Peter's legacy by continuing the LostCousins platform, although the site will take an understandable break on the newsletter front until Easter. 

In the meantime, if you have not subscribed to LostCousins, it would be a fitting tribute to someone who was an absolute legend in the genealogy world. You can do so at www.lostcousins.com.

RIP Peter. 

* You can read about the Genealogy in the Sun confernces via the following reports written at the time:

• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2014/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-day-1.html
• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2014/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-days-2-and-3.html
• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2014/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-days-4-and-5.html
• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2015/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-conference-day-1.html 
• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2015/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-day-2-report.html
• https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2015/03/genealogy-in-sunshine-and-eclipse.html

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Update on Irish RASCAL local archives platform

The following update is available concerning the Research and Special Collections Available Locally (RASCAL) platform in Ireland, normally available at www.rascal.co.uk, which allows you to look for local holdings of collections, but which has been down for many months:

RASCAL is an electronic gateway to research resources relating to Ireland. It is administered by Special Collection & Archives, Queen's University Belfast. The site is currently undergoing redevelopment and will be back online in 2026. All information from participating institutions has been saved and will be reinstated. 

We apologise for any inconvenience. 

(Source: https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/InformationServices/TheLibrary/SpecialCollections/DigitalResources/RASCAL/)

Don't forget that the Irish Archives Resources site at https://iar.ie is another very useful finding aid for finding Irish resources across the island. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

MyHeritage adds incoming and outgoing UK passenger lists

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has added the surviving incoming and outgoing UK Board of Trade registered passenger lists from the late 19th to mid-twentieth centuries, which may be of interest if your Scottish and Irish ancestors emigrated or returned back to the UK or Ireland in this period.  

From MyHeritage:

United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960

This collection includes 15.7 million records of passengers arriving in the United Kingdom (and Ireland until independence in 1922) from ports around the world between 1878 and 1960. Each record documents an individual’s arrival into the country and typically includes the passenger’s full name, date of birth, current residence, intended residence, date and place of arrival, place of departure, and the name of the ship.

While the collection begins in 1878, many of the earliest records from 1878 to 1888 were destroyed by the Board of Trade in 1900. The surviving records from this early period are especially rare and valuable.

In addition to immigrants and returning residents, the collection also captures short-term visitors and transit passengers. Because ships were required to submit passenger lists at every U.K. stop, even those not intending to stay often appear in the records.

This collection is particularly useful for locating individuals who may not appear in other sources — such as those who fell between census years, left home temporarily, or migrated in stages. Whether your ancestors were arriving for work, travel, or to begin a new life, these records provide valuable insights into their movements and circumstances.

Search the incoming passenger lists at https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-20991/united-kingdom-ireland-incoming-passenger-lists-1878-1960

 

United Kingdom and Ireland, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890–1960

This collection contains 23.5 million records of individuals departing from ports in the United Kingdom (and Ireland until independence in 1922) between 1890 and 1960. Records typically include the passenger’s name, date of birth, current and intended residence, date and place of departure, place of arrival, and the name of the ship.

These lists are a vital resource for understanding emigration patterns from the U.K. and Ireland, particularly to destinations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. For many families with ancestors who left the British Isles in the late 19th or early 20th century, these records may contain the only surviving documentation of their departure. These passengers include many continental Europeans, especially Scandinavians, who commonly passed through the U.K. en route to destinations like the United States and Canada.

Together, the incoming and outgoing collections represent the entire surviving set of U.K. and Ireland passenger lists for this time period, offering a comprehensive view of travel into and out of the country across 8 decades. They provide detailed, global context for millions of family journeys. 

Searc the outgoing passenger lists at https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-20989/united-kingdom-ireland-outgoing-passenger-lists-1890-1960. 

The company has also added some nonconformist English and Welsh parish records - for details of the full release visit https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/01/now-live-4-major-u-k-and-ireland-collections-passenger-lists-and-nonconformist-vital-records/.

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz) 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

New maps feature and OS maps from National Library of Scotland

The National Library of Scotland maps platform (https://maps.nls.uk) has a new tool that can help when consulting its georefernced maps. 

At present you can look for a map and see a counterpart map alongside it using the Georeferenced Map Viewer at https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/, which can allow you to compare changes to an area across time. 

The default for this feature has previously been that when you move one map, the other automatically moves as well in the same direction, but as of this week you can now lock, unlock, or relock the two maps - this means you can now keep one of the maps in the same place, but move the other around, offering a bit more flexibility.

For further details visit https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/help.html#unlock-sidebyside  

The site has also added 9,851 Ordnance Survey maps at scales of 1:1,250 to 1:10,560 published in 1975, and covering areas in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with a further 2,872 more detailed maps at scales of 1:1,250, 6,281 maps at 1:2,500, and 699 less detailed maps at scales of 1:10,000/1:10,560. For more on this visit https://maps.nls.uk/additions/.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast updates English Catholic records databases

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has made some updates to its Roman Catholic databases for England and Wales, with additional baptism, marriages and burials records from 1916 now available.

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/english-roman-catholic-baptisms-marriages-burials.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist updates 1939 English and Welsh 1939 Register database

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk), an update to the 1939 Register, which might be of interest if your Scottish or Irish ancestors were south of the border at the time: 

TheGenealogist has today announced a significant update to its 1939 Register collection, adding 185,396 individuals from newly opened records. Most of these additions relate to people born in 1924 and 1925, further strengthening one of the most important resources for tracing families in 20th-century Britain.

Created at the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1939 Register provides a vital snapshot of the civilian population, capturing names, dates of birth, occupations and addresses at a key moment in modern history. For many researchers, it helps bridge the gap between earlier census returns and later post-war records, offering new routes to confirm identities, locate relatives, and place families in a precise time and place.

The update will be of interest not only to family historians but also to social historians and those looking to better understand the everyday lives and circumstances of well-known figures and the communities in which they lived. 

Born in 1925 and found in the 1939 Register is Ernie Wise, one half of the iconic comedy partnership Morecambe and Wise. Read the related article exploring Morecambe and Wise here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2026/eric-morecambe--ernie-wise-8866/ 

(With thanks to Paul Bayley) 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Revisit your research, as Family Tree magazine's February 2026 edition goes on sale

The latest Family Tree magazine edition in the UK (Feb 2026) is now on sale, and includes my article on Revisiting Research, in which I discuss how important it is to go back to our research from time to time to see if any mistakes have been made, and if so, what to do about it! 

Also in this month's edition:

• Discover the hidden truths behind poverty, illegitimacy and misinformation in Victorian records
• Be inspired by a personal journey to reclaim German citizenship through family history
• Enjoy expert guidance on avoiding common DNA testing pitfalls
• Dive into powerful social history, from East London slums to Russian royalty
• Find practical help with photo dating, Ancestry tools and historical literature

For further details on the issue, and on how to buy it, please visit https://www.family-tree.co.uk/store/back-issues/family-tree-magazine/family-tree-magazine-february-2026-issue-243-1/.

Chris  

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast releases additional Royal Navy databases

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added some furttehr Royal navy collections, as follows:

• British Royal Navy, Submarine Movement Cards
• British and Allied Warships Lost in the Second World War
• British Royal Navy Casualty Logs 1939-1945
• British Women's Royal Naval Service Enrolment, 1917-1919
• Royal Naval Division Service Records, 1914-1920
• Navy Lists (10,469,334 Navy list records, with name, rank, occupation, and promotion dates for those who served from 1921-1937).

For further details, and links, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/wrens-enrollments-navy-lists

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Deceased Online introduces monthly subscription rate

Deceased Online (www.deceasedonline.com) has introduced a new monthly subscription rate. Whilst the site mostly has English cemetery burial records, there are some Scottish records from places such as Aberdeenshire and Moray, as well as cremation records from Edinburgh.

From the site:

The rolling monthly subscription fee is £9.99 for 15 standard views, which equates to 67p per view. This is cheaper than our current cost for pay per view purchases, which can be seen in our pricing schedule.

There is also the annual option:

If you would prefer to purchase our annual subscription, this is £99 for 250 standard views. This equates to 40p per view. With the annual subscription you can view any of the standard records within this time. 

For further details visit the site's Ways to Pay page at https://www.deceasedonline.com/page_view.php?id=13.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

MyHeritage is now searchable in Irish (and Welsh)

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has added nine new languages to its website, including the Irish language and Welsh, bringing the total number of languages to fifty that users can now employ to search records on the platform. I think this is the first time that any of the major commercial genealogy websites has offered a facility for records to be searched in an Insular Celtic language. 

It should be noted that many state based genealogy websites created in the Irish republic can also be searched in Irish (Gaeilge), for example IrishGenealogy.ie, with its gaelic version accessible via at https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ga/ - simply toggle between the words English and Gaeilge located at the top right of the screen. 

Note that the Irish census website at https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/ shows a toggle option between the two languages, but in fact only has an English version available at present, with a small message written as Gaeilge at the top:

Cuirfear aistriúchán ar fáil go luath 

Ár leithscéal as an míchaoithiúlacht. Cuirfear aistriúchán Gaeilge ar an leathanach seo ar fáil go luath. Go raibh maith agat as do chuid foighneachta agus muid ag obair ar leagan uasdátaithe.  

Translated as: 

Translation coming soon 

We apologize for the inconvenience. An Irish translation of this page will be available soon. Thank you for your patience while we work on an updated version. 

For more on the MyHeritage story, visit its dedicated blog post at https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/01/myheritage-expands-to-50-languages/.

I look forward to hopefully seeing Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) added st some point in the near future! (Hint!)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

ScotlandsPeople adds 290,000 new records in annual update

ScotlandsPeople has performed its annual civil registration records update, with birth records from 1925, marriages from 1950, and deaths from 1975 now searchable on the platform.

In addition the site has added 1,800 new cards to the Scottish Women's Land Army and Timber Corps records for ‘Land Girls’ who were born in 1925, as well as coats of arms registered in 1925. 

In total some 239,000 records have been added.

It will be interesting to see if the wills database will be updated at some point in the near future, with the current online cut off remaining at 1925.

To view the records visit www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

(With thanks to ScotlandsPeople via email) 

 

Chris  

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

ScotlandsPeople adds new records from 2010

No, it's sadly not the update that you've been waiting for!

ScotlandsPeople, now described by the National Records of Scotland as a 'historical research website', has added Scottish Cabinet records from the year 2010, accessible via its Virtual Volumes section at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/virtual-volumes/cabinet-papers-search.

You can read more about the release at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/latest-news/2010-cabinet-records-released-online/.

Have fun! 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

British Newspaper Archive approaches 99 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) is approaching 99 million pages of hosted content, with 98,981,588 pages available on the site at the time of writing. 

The following are the most recent Scottish and Irish additions over the last 30 days:

Scotland

Helensburgh and Gareloch Times 
1882-1892

Aberdeen Press and Journal 
2005

Kirriemuir Herald 
1957-1966, 1968-1970, 1986, 1994-2004

Ayrshire Post 
1987, 1995-1999

Voice of the People (Glasgow) 
1883

Highland News and Football Times 
1907-1917, 1920-1935, 1937-1938, 1940-1949

Montrose Review 
2000-2004


Ireland

Larne weekly recorder and Northern express 
1883

Connaught Telegraph 
1876-1913, 1919

Irish Temperance League Journal 
1863-1870, 1874-1896

Tyrone Courier 
1919

Belfast Telegraph 
2000-2014

Irish Independent 
1921, 1926, 1960

Dromore Leader 
1921-1950

Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette 
1888-1896

Ulster Gazette 
1878

Athlone Times 
1889-1902

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

RootsTech keynotes announced, and talks programme to be published this week - UPDATED

FamilySearch has announced its keynote speakers for its 2026 RootsTech conference. I personally have no idea who any of them are, but you may well do - full details are available at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/. 

The virtual keynotes will be available on demand from 13 February 2026, with the rest given at the event itself from 5-7 March 2026. 

FamilySearch has also confirmed that the full talks schedule will be available on its site from Thursday 8 January.

Update: The schedule is now published and available at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule?day=2026-03-05 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Progressing Your Irish Research Online genealogy course starts 26 January

My 5-week-long course Progressing Your Irish Research Online, taught through Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com), kicks off again on Monday, 26 January 2026, and I am very much looking forward to meeting the next group of students! 

If interested in joining in, there are still spaces available, which can be booked via https://www.pharostutors.com/progressing-your-irish-research-online.

Here is some further information about the course:

There is a common belief that if you have Irish ancestors then you should give up hope of finding out about them, because 'nothing survived the fire', referring to the destruction of Ireland's Public Record Office during the Civil War in 1922. The overall aim of this course is to point out that this is a nonsense, and that the glass is half full and not empty. Whilst there are certainly challenges to be overcome, a great deal can still be accomplished with the many resources now rapidly finding their way online.

This course will describe the many state created records and church records that can be used to research your Irish ancestry. It will provide a context to understand why they were created, and by whom and point out exactly where to find them online, and how to use them effectively.

Lesson Headings:

• Understanding Ireland's boundaries, key repositories and platforms
• The vital records of Church and State
• Documenting the people: Irish censuses and substitutes
• Valuation records and inheritance
• The Decade of Centenaries

Each lesson includes exercises and activities and a one-hour Zoom-based chat per week.

Some reviews from students:

'I enjoyed all of the course, the lessons, exercises and chat sessions were all very helpful. I found Chris Paton ran the course and chat sessions brilliantly. I now feel enthused to carry out more research.'

'The astonishing range of information presented, the subsequent results within my own research and the fun, friendly and knowledgeable way it was all delivered. Excellent course and a tutor I would definitely want to study with again.'

'It really opened my eyes to what Chris calls the half FULL glass of Irish records, plus a glimpse of history and geography. Excellent.'

'It was beneficial from the standpoints of both improving general knowledge of Irish history, and illuminating the numerous and often unique potential sources of genealogical/family history information against that background.'

'Depth of knowledge. Expertise of tutor. Excellent Handouts.'

'Fantastic tutor. First class lesson materials. Top-notch quality learning programme.'

'The realization that there are more resources and information available than I first thought!'

And if it helps, a brief introductory video explaining what it will hopefully achieve!

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

I hope to perhaps see you there!

Also please note that the next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts on Monday 16 March 2026, with further details on this available at https://www.pharostutors.com/scotland-1750-1850-beyond-the-old-parish-registers.

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Big discounts on Pen and Sword family history books

Hi folks, 

Pen and Sword Books' Family History imprint currently has a sale on in the UK, with large discounts on many titles. The following are some of my books' RRP and sale prices, as examples:

• Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, RRP £14.99, SALE £7.50
• Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records, RRP £14.99, SALE £7.50
• Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, RRP £14.99, SALE £7.50 
• Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, RRP £14.99, SALE £7.50  
• Sharing Your Family History Online, RRP £12.99, SALE £6.50 
• Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland, RRP £14.99, SALE £12.79 

(Prices exclude postage) 

For my books specifically, you can access these via https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Chris-Paton/a/1799. 

For the full range of Pen and Sword titles, visit https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk.

Please note that my titles can also be purchased in the United States via https://www.penandswordbooks.com/author/chris-paton/ although there is no sale on there just now through that site (sorry!).

 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

MyHeritage's 2025 Year in Review

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has published a blog post detailing its achievements in 2025. 

You can access this at https://blog.myheritage.com/2025/12/myheritage-2025-year-in-review/.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Stepping down from PRONI's Stakeholder Forum after 13 years

Since October 2012 I have had the great pleasure to be a member of the stakeholder forum of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni), which meets every three months to receive updates about the archive's work and priorities, and where it also listens to feedback from people from across all walks of life in Northern Ireland who have a vested interest in its work. 

I was first asked to join the forum as a genealogist and to act as its 'remote member', in other words to provide feedback from beyond the physical jurisdiction which PRONI represents, and to comment on its services, particularly its online services. In return I had permission to regularly report through this blog on practically all aspects of PRONI's latest work, to help keep the genealogy world updated. (I wasn't able to attend the last meeting in December, and so my most recent blog post from the meetings was in September, available at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2025/09/major-relaunch-of-proni-website-later.html). 

It's been a fun and happy relationship over the last thirteen years, which I have enjoyed immensely, but this year I am preparing myself for one of the biggest gambles of my working life (which I will hopefully announce more about in a few weeks!). Sadly this means that I am having to make some changes to my usual routine, one of the consequences of which is that I informed PRONI earlier today that I am regrettably stepping down from the forum with immediate effect. In my note to the team I stated the following:  

"It has been an absolute honour to be able to attend the stakeholder forum over the last few years, to hear about updates, and to hear from fellow forum members also, a truly brilliant bunch. To the day I die I will always promote PRONI as the best exemplar of an archive that I have ever come across. The archive's commitment to taking its work out to the community, its partnerships, and its transparency are just phenomenal, not to mention the small matter of the amazing work you all do in making accessible Ulster's records. I truly think PRONI is the only national archive I have ever had dealings with that actually understands its user base." 

I stand by every word of this. The community engagement that PRONI is involved with on a daily basis, opening up its records - opening up our records (I am an Ulsterman!) - to public access has been an absolute joy to watch and to report on over the years, and should embarrass some other institutions which pale by comparison. PRONI knows why it is there, it knows who funds it, and it knows how to serve its user base, and it has genuinely been an honour, and by far one of the most enjoyable parts of my working life over the last few years, with regular visits back home to Northern Ireland to visit the institution, both for research purposes and for meetings. I will still be popping over for research purposes from time to time, and look forward to doing so!

Thank you once again PRONI - in particular to Stephen, Janet, Gavin, and all fellow forum members - and best of luck for 2026! 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

First speakers confirmed for next Scottish Indexes conference

The following speakers are already confirmed for the next Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference event on 31 January 2026:

• 'How did my Scottish ancestors get married?' by Tahitia McCabe
• 'Taking The High Road' by Andrew Armstrong
• ‘The Edinburgh Public Dispensary, Patients and Doctors’ by Daisy Cunynghame
• ‘Dive Deeper Into Scottish Church Records’ by Alison Spring 

For further details on the conference, including additional speakers to be announced in due course, please keep an eye on https://www.scottishindexes.com/conference.aspx.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

ScotlandsPeople hints at its 2026 online records releases

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has given a hint on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ScotlandsPeople) about some forthcoming records releases this year:

"Keep your eyes peeled for the annual release of birth, death and marriage records, coming in January.

You’ll also be able to browse new Scottish Women's Land Army records and, later in the year, we'll add new prison registers and church court records."

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.