University of Strathclyde to host two-day Irish Family History Course in April

Something I've been sitting on for a while, and now delighted to announce, is that I will be one of the speakers at a forthcoming two-day conference in April at the University of Strathclyde, dealing with Irish family history research. I'll be giving four separate presentations at the event, where I will be joined by fellow speakers Judith Russell, Dr. Martin Mitchell, and Ciara Chivers.

The following is an overview of the event:

Irish Family History Course 

Join us on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 April 2026 at the University of Strathclyde for an engaging two‑day introduction to Irish family history research.

Participants are welcome to arrive from 8:30–9:00 am each day, with teas, coffees and biscuits available to help you settle in before the sessions begin.

The course will run until 5:00 pm on day one and conclude at the earlier time of 4:15 pm on day two.

Designed for beginners and intermediate level researchers, this hands‑on course features talks from experienced genealogists and educators, covering the fundamentals of genealogy and how to work effectively with key Irish records.

Through practical exercises using vital, land and poor relief sources, attendees will gain confidence and practical skills to apply in their own research.

The two‑day course fee is £165.00 (participants are asked to bring their own lunch).

Full details of the programme and speaker biographies are provided below. Book online today! 

The talks I will be giving are Tracing the Irish in Scotland, Discover Ireland's Vital Records, Irish Censuses and Census Substitutes, and Tracing Irish Land Records. The event will be at the university, not online, and should be a lot of fun!

For a full overview of the talks programme, speaker biographies, and to register for the event, please visit https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/irishfamilyresearch/.

We'll look forward to seeing you there! 

* Just a quick word also to say that I will be participating at the Association of Professional Genealogists' Professional Genealogy Symposium at the university on 24 June 2026 - further details on this can be found at https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/apgprofessionalgenealogysymposium/.

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 plans for proposed Glasgow Necropolis eastern entrance

The following has been sent by Annette Mullen, chair of The Friends of the Glasgow Necropolis (https://www.glasgownecropolis.org):

Dear Supporters, 

Further to my previous correspondence, I wanted to provide an update on the proposed Eastern
Entrance to the Glasgow Necropolis

The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis had been invited to a Progress Update Meeting on the 27th
Jan 2026 with Glasgow City Council (GCC) representatives, Ian Elder, the current Project
Manager of the proposed Eastern Entrance and Alice Fayaud - Project Assistant.
Attending the meeting on behalf of the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis: Annette Mullen, Chairperson; Colin Campbell, Deputy Chairperson

The following Progress Update was provided:

• Topographical Study – complete.
• Ground Penetration Survey - not completed as yet, will take place imminently.
• South side of Firpark wall is the proposed site for the new entrance.
• Discussions have been held by GCC with the following representatives:
• Parks Management
• Police Scotland
• Neighbourhood Co-Ordinator (Ward 22 Dennistoun)

We were informed that GCC are looking at a sustainable approach with possible CCTV cameras
and appropriate lighting at the Firpark Street side of the wall looking into the Necropolis.
CCTV cameras would be managed/monitored 3pm – 3am seven days a week.

We were informed some trees have already been cleared from the Firpark Street side of the
wall area, but many of these had already been highlighted for removal previously due to ash
dieback.

We were informed it is anticipated that the design plan will be ready to be shared with the
Friends of Glasgow Necropolis in 4 – 6 weeks at another progress meeting.

It was confirmed Historic Environment Scotland have been informally engaged.

Time scales for the Project:

• Planning & Operating Plan – 8 week process
• It will then move to formal planning application. If formal consent approved, work would start
• asap, with an anticipated timescales to complete of 4 weeks.
• Completion anticipated late Summer/Early Autumn.

The current Project Manager Ian Elder is moving to a new role in 4 – 6 weeks. At the next
progress update meeting, the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis will be introduced to whoever will
take forward the project.

It was confirmed that the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis will continue to be engaged in the
progress of the project by whoever takes over the role as Project Manager from Ian Elder.
We will update you as soon as we have the next meeting which we anticipate will be towards
the end of February or early March.

As soon as we are aware that the Planning Application consent has been progressed, and we
are monitoring this, it is the intention of the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis to formerly object to
the Planning Application.

There will be a very short window to object and our understanding is this must be done via the
Glasgow City Council planning portal by email, or by post within the specified consultation
period (usually 21- 28 days).

This will be your opportunity to make your voice heard and we sincerely hope you stand with the
Friends of Glasgow Necropolis in objecting to this Planning Application and prevent this very
real threat to the future of the Glasgow Necropolis.

Annette Mullen
Chairperson - The Friends of Glasgow Necropolis 

(With thanks to Annette) 

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.

A visit to Glasgow Cathedral

Earlier this week I wrote an article about Glasgow to tie in with a conference happening next year, and as a part of this I ventured into the city to take some photographs to help illustrate it. On my shopping list was the Kelvingrove Museum, and Glasgow Cathedral, and so it was a little disappointing to discover both covered in scaffolding! However, I ventured into the Cathedral, and I thought you might like to see some of the images from what is a stunning building. The cathedral was built in 1136 on a site beside the Molendinar burn (stream), and is dedicated to Glasgow's patron saint, St. Kentigern, better known as St. Mungo. It is also located adjacent to the Glasgow Necropolis, our city of the dead. 

 

 

For further details on visiting the cathedral, see https://glasgowcathedral.org.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Behind the scenes of new University of Glasgow Library foyer display

The University of Glasgow Library has blogged about a new exhibition display in its foyer showcasing items from its heritage collections. The post describes the care taken to put an exhibition of this nature together, going behind the scenes to reveal some of the challenges its faces when creating such displays.

You can read about the new display at https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2025/10/17/behind-the-scenes-of-a-new-display/.

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. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Back to university in Glasgow!

So that's me now back at university! On Monday, I started the year long (well, nine months!) Certificate HE course in Gaelic Immersion at the University of Glasgow, which is essentially a full-time attendance based course that will allow me to become fully fluent in Scottish Gaelic. I've been able to speak in Gaelic for a while, and properly to have conversations for almost two years now, but as a learner there's still that process of constantly translating in the head, as opposed to just speaking a language without thinking. This course, taught entirely in Gaelic, will hopefully push me through the pain barrier to full fluency, and perhaps towards pastures new after, although predominantly fluency is my main goal. This is my fourth time at university, having previously studied for an HND in Graphic Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast, a degree in Time-Based Media at the University of the West of England, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Genealogical Studies at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, but I can honestly say that this is the one that I think that I have been looking forward to the most, and with the least pressure in terms of a pre-determined outcome. I'm going to enjoy this one!

As part of the course we'll be doing all sorts of assessed work, reading a Gaelic book each week and meeting the authors, doing weekly work experience in a Gaelic speaking environment, spending three weeks in South Uist next year, and much more. I'm in a class of fifteen, and the vibe is brilliant, everyone is rooting for each other and enjoying the craic - it'sdefinitely going to be a fun year. This is me pictured outside the university's library, where tomorrow I will be popping in to see a book written by a five times great uncle, which was published in 1870!

From a work point of view the only casualty will be that I am having to cut back considerably on client work (I will be doing very little at all on that for a while, but may be able to take on some small jobs), but it is business as usual on all other fronts, including Pharos courses tuition, giving talks, writing articles, book writing, and so on - and of course, going to Australia for three weeks in November/December for the 18th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise (https://www.gould.com.au/18th-cruise-southern-australia/) as the lead speaker! I will continue to put out a newsletter weekly, but may need to revisit that decision if the workload gets a bit too heavy.

In the meantime, a quick heads up that on Tuesday, October 17th, I will be giving a talk to the Joint Meeting of the Ayrshire Family History Societies, entitled Breaking Ancestral Brick Walls with DNA, to show how powerful DNA can be as a tool to help smash your genealogical headaches. The meeting will be at Troon Portland Church Hall, South Beach, Troon, at 7:30 pm.

I will hopefully see some of you there!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow registrars advise people not to attend ScotlandsPeople bookings next week

From the Glasgow Registrars Serrvice:

Scotland's People Refreshed Website - Launching 3rd September 2024

To prepare for these exciting changes, the website and Scotland's People service will be unavailable from 00.01 BST on Sunday, 1 September, to 12.00 BST on Tuesday, 3 September.

We would like to reassure you that users will be able to log in with their current details and previous saved information will continue to be available. Existing secure access controls and permissions will also be maintained.

Customers who have booked a space in our Family History Centre on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 September should not attend and are advised to contact us to re-book.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your continued support.

(Source: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/familyhistory)

Note that the waiting time for bookings remains at 8 weeks.

** Users intending to visit other ScotlandsPeople access centres in Hawick, Alloa and Inverness should eprhaps also check with the respective cnetres next week as to availability. 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Unmarked graves at Glasgow Necropolis indexed

I have been informed by Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society that Morag Fyfe and the Friends of the Glasgow Necropolis (www.glasgownecropolis.org) have completed an index to the 26,856 individuals buried in unmarked common graves at this cemetery in Glasgow. 

For a background to the project visit https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/the-unmarked-graves-in-the-glasgow-necropolis/. From what I can see, the database is not freely available, but there is a research service, details of which are at https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/research-assistance/. 

Some stories from the unmarked graves have been included in the group's journal, Grave Matters, available via https://www.glasgownecropolis.org/grave-matters/. 

(With thanks to Murray Archer at GWSFHS)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Thanks to all who sponsored my Glasgow Kiltwalk effort

So my Kiltwalk effort (https://www.justgiving.com/page/chris-paton-stewarton) on Sunday 28th April 2024 to raise funds for the An Lòchran Scottish Gaelic arts and cultural centre (https://www.anlochran.com) in Partick has raised an incredible £2205 – over four times my original target of £500 – whilst our Gaelforce team has managed to reach its goal of £5000, raising a whopping £5155 in total!

A huge thanks from me to all of those who have shown their support for the work of An Lòchran to help encourage the continuing use of Scotland's oldest language, Gaelic, in Glasgow, it's truly appreciated – particularly to my sponsors, to Coinneach Clements, Gayle Ross, Nan Marshall, Vivienne Dunstan, Rosemary Morgan, Lauren Neary, Michelle Leonard, Marina, Majella, Maggie, Karen Hunter, Misty Denson, Scott Dinwiddie, Paul, Diana McGirr, Dougie Anderson, Eilidh Nic Mhidhachain, Sylvia Tracy Doolos, Sarah Williams, Stephanie Jane, Pamela B, Pam, Kathryn Anne Henry, Stephen Daglish, Seamus Burgon, Craig Taylor, Mrs Shopping, Dawn Carey Henry, Shona Kyle, Pat Stanistreet, Allan, Angela, Mandy Geary, Chris, Emma Jolly, Michael McGinty, Susanna Paradis, Gordon, Celia Lewis, Lynn Watt, Evelyn, Ian Barker, Kiwi Support, James Carcary, Elaine Sim, Mary Larson, Susan Best, Anita, Audrey McKeown, a Glaswegian, Ailidh, Nany A., K. McMahon, Shannon Musfelt, Duncan MacCallum, Sharon Guthrie, Kevin McLauchlin, Brian, Dai, Coco, Keith and Lorraine Stewart, Dot, Margaret Murchie, Margaret, Julie-Anne, Sue Craig, Lynn Pateman, Caitlyn, Roise McArthur, Donna, Seonaidh Dòmhnallach, M. Cohen, Allison Beard, John Gavin, Amy & Mick Murray, Shane Giles, Nancy, Steffi, Sìleas Preston, Donna Jones, Alison Spring, Graham-Slater Clan, Joy Murdoch, David Ryan, Zoe Stevenson-Cooke, Val Shearer, Ger Giles, Kirsty Wilkinson, Claire, Jamie, Jill W, Yvonne, Amy Devlin, Gary, Emma and Graham, Peterea, Rob Paton, Adam, to my twenty-two anonymous donors, also to my amazing wife Claire who did the Mighty Stride from Glasgow to Loch Lomond along with myself and the Gaelforce team, and to Ilse Alim from An Lòchran for organising the team!

Mòran taing / many thanks! And remember, if you have an interest in learning Gaelic, An Lòchran is located next door to the Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS library in Partick, with regular events for learners to get together to practice the language.  

Some pics from the big day:

And the video of our crossing the line!

Suas leis a' Ghàidhlig!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS adds Tollcross Cemetery records to website

From Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society (www.gwsfhs.org.uk), news that may be of interest to members with family buried at Tollcross Cemetery:

Photographs and transcriptions of inscriptions on monuments in the Tollcross Cemetery, Shettleston are now available to view on our website www.gwsfhs.org.uk.

According to the Glasgow City Council, the first burial at Tollcross Cemetery 114 Corbett Street was 1897. There are some earlier dates on a few of the grave stones but they may just be recording information of folks buried elsewhere.

In 2013, we photographed over 2,081 grave stones that were face up and recordable. There were quite a few that were face down and far too heavy for us to get upright.   Many were illegible due to vandalism and severe weather.   The Old Churchyard is also within these grounds in the walled area where the Old Church also stood. We have also recorded that section.

We have name indexed all 7,890 persons mentioned in the inscriptions (married women are indexed by both their maiden and married surnames).

Previously we sold a CD of these photographs and transcriptions (since withdrawn from sale).

Access to this data is a benefit of membership of our society.

(With thanks to Murray Archer)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

A century of Clyde ship launches

The BBC has a short, but fun, report focussing on a century of Scottish ship launches on the Clyde, on the day when the second of the two ferries currently being built at the Ferguson Marine yard is due to be launched. 

I had the pleasure to be standing up close beneath a ship as it was launched in 2005, whilst working on the Coast series for the BBC, when we filmed the launch of the RFA ship Cardigan Bay (on a second attempt!). It was an incredible site to view the hull slip into the river, to be followed by the large and noisy drag chains behind it, designed to stop the vessel hitting the other side of the river. Fingers crossed the Glen Rosa is not the last major vessel to be launched on the Clyde!  

You can view the report at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-68736987

(Don't forget that many shipbuilding firms have their historic records deposited at the University of Glasgow's Scottish Business Archive, details at https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/archivespecialcollections/discover/business/. If you have a shipbuilding ancestor who may appear in some of the records there, I can consult these for you, details of my service are at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies to hold genetic genealogy conference in June

The Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/aboutus/) will hold an international academic genetic genealogy conference in Scotland at the University of Strathclyde (hybrid access available) on the 7th and 8th of June 2024.

The Advancing Genetic Genealogy: how the past is informing the present through revolutions in genetic research is the first academic genetic genealogy conference to be held in Great Britain.

The conference will be interdisciplinary in nature, with a particular focus on the themes of autosomal DNA and Y-DNA, as well as on bioarchaeology, genetics, and investigative genetic genealogy, emphasising their importance and value to the field of genetic genealogy.

Guest speakers include:

• Dr Tom Booth - Francis Crick Institute
• Michelle Leonard - Genes & Genealogy and the Fromelles Genealogy Project
• Debbie Kennett - University College London
• Jonny Perl - DNA Painter
• Dr Karen Miga - The Miga Lab at University of California Santa Cruz and the T2T Consortium
• Dr Pontus Skoglund - Ancient Genomics lab at Francis Crick Institute
• Peter Sjölund - Släkt & DNA

The conference is sponsored by Ancestry and the Halsted Trust whose support has been instrumental in bringing this event to fruition.

Registration is now open and places can be booked online by visiting https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/advancinggeneticgenealogy/.

(With thanks to Clare Hennessey)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Scottish Jewish Archives Open Day

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

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

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

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

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

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Scottish and Irish directories included in new TheGenealogist release

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

Look up your ancestors in these newly released Historical Directories

Over 5 million individuals have been added to TheGenealogist’s Residential and Trade Directories Collection, helping you discover your ancestors, their addresses, and their occupations back to 1744.

The new records cover England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands, along with some from as far afield as America, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa, thus adding an international flavour to this release.

Dating from 1744 to 1899, the directories in this addition to TheGenealogist are a useful finding aid for ancestors' names, addresses, and occupations and can offer contemporary details of where your past family had lived.

If a forebear had a business, then the commercial listings in the directory could help find where an ancestor may have worked.

Early Directories can also be useful for finding the addresses of residents before the census, reveal the railways that may have served the area and to find other communications links to nearby towns. With this information, those who may have ‘lost’ an ancestor may make an educated guess of where a person may have moved to live in the past.

These directory publications can also be a great complement to a census record, as the topographical information can flesh out an ancestor’s area for the researcher.

In the case of a head of the household, we may be able to find an address different from that recorded in other records such as the decennial census. This may help fill in the gaps of where a stray ancestor moved to between the census counts.

Complete Access for Under £10 a Month!

To celebrate this latest release, TheGenealogist is offering its four-month Diamond package for just £39.95 – that’s less than £10 a month! To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBDIR124

This offer expires at the end of 9th February 2024.


Read TheGenealogist’s article: An important resource in tracing ancestors and the man behind the popular Kelly's Directories, available at https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2012/an-introduction-to-directories-43/

Comment: Thanks to Nick Thorne for the above, and also for specifiying the exact Scottish and Irish additions to this collection, which are as follows:

• The Dublin Almanac and General Register of Ireland, 1840
• Thom’s Irish Almanac and Official Directory, 1855
• Thom’s Irish Almanac & Directory, 1863
• Ireland, Thom’s Irish Almanac & Directory 1864

• Jones’s Directory, Glasgow, 1789
• The Aberdeen Bon-Accord Directory 1841-1842
• Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Directory 1850 - 1851
• Aberdeen Post Office Directory 1860-1861

• The Royal Kalendar for England, Scotland, Ireland and America, 1803
• The Treble Almanack, 1812
• The Royal Kalendar and Court and City Register for England, Scotland, Ireland and the Colonies 1828
• Thom’s Irish Almac and Official Directory of Great Britain and Ireland 1867 

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow's People's Palace secures National Lottery funding

The People's Palace in Glasgow has secured £850,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of efforts towards the museum's refurbishment, which will cost almost £36 million, and following its closure in 2018. Development work will hopefully allow a further £6.65 million to be secured from the fund in the near future.

For further details visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68005733

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

A way to search Google newspapers

I'm grateful to Stephen Dunn for contacting me to suggest an alternative way to search the free Google newspapers archive, which includes 20th century copies of the Glasgow Herald, Glasgow's Evening Times, and Glasgow's The Bulletin and Scots Pictorial.

In the past, the way to find the search box for a title was to locate the relevant paper in the main list of titles at https://news.google.com/newspapers, and on the screen returned, to then use the search box found at the top - except Google discontinued the functionality on this many years back. Even when it was working, it was virtually impossible to perform a search, as Google searches rarely returned what you were actually seeking. Fortunately, browsing the content was an alternative, basically looking at the content the old fashioned way, a page at a time for any particular edition. 

It is possible (and I'm not sure how long this has been enabled) to carry out searches in Newspapers using the Google Books page at https://books.google.co.uk, albeit it is a little awkward. I'll comment on my own success rate with this in a moment, but let's start with how you do it first. The Google Books home page allows you to basically search for words, but with no other way to control the search, so simply put in a term and search for it - in this case, I'll put in the name Paton.

You then get a list of returns from things that Google Books has found within, well, Google Books. But now a series of filters appears under the search box at the top of the screen, so what you will want to do now is click on Tools, at which point three drop down menus appear - go to the second of these, titled Any documents, and select the option in this marked Newspapers. Now the results will appear as found within Google's digitised newspapers collection.

You can now refine searches or carry out entirely new searches using the search box at the top of the page - so, for example, if I put in the surname Morrow AND "222 Dunn Street", I get the following:

Which, when I click on the link, gives me the death notice of the brother of my three times great uncle James Morrrow, who died in Bridgeton in 1951. 

So that's great, a chance to search the Google newspaper offerings! Well sadly, not exactly...

It just so happens that my Paton family, and other family lines, lived in Glasgow for much of the period covered by the Google offerings, and that having previously scoured the titles at the Mitchell Library the old fashioned way, using microfilms and original volumes, I have found dozens of newspaper intimations and stories from these three titles, especially the Evening Times. The example I have shown above is one of only three that I have so far been able to find using the Google search mechanism - and the reason for this poor success rate is easily visible in the search return for James Morrow above, and the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) text beneath the link, which states 

Found inside – Page 6

... Dunn Street, on 7Ui June. 1951, Angus Whit* M Lenn (lute of Glasgow Corporation Cleansing Department, Uagliill De]t ... Morrow, of 222 Dunn Street. GlosRuw. in his 91H ycur.-Fnends omitted and dc*ir>iw ot attending funeral please meet ...

As you can see, much of it is gibberish, and this is what Google is searching, not the text on the images itself. The OCR has not been re-done - maybe it will one day, now that AI is on the scene - but it has not been sorted again yet. So whilst the search mechanism is a bit of an improvement (albeit convoluted!), I think you may still be far more successful if browsing the offerings available, as I noted above, doing it the good old fashioned way. Within the time periods available, I have found digital copies of all the records that I had previously found in the Mitchell Library, but only through browsing to the correct editions.

The content is free, and you can access the entire newspaper collection at https://news.google.com/newspapers.

To browse individual titles, visit via the following links:

Glasgow Herald (1806-1990) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC

Evening Times (predominantly 1951-1990) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2mus-XyGPC0C

The Bulletin and Scots Pictorial (1957) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A_xf8jiGkywC 

The Bulletin and Scots Pictorial (1951-1960) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=FS78WRl2AkQC&dat=19591120&b_mode=2

You'll note there are two links here for the Bulletin - the first is that as given on the main listings page, which bizarrely only links to a few editions from 1957 - the second is one that I discovered a few years back that has a much larger run from 1951-1960.   

Finally, all of this flags up something else I have raised on many occasions before - the poor level of service that 20th century Glasgow has from the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk). Considering it is Scotland's largst city, it is to be hoped that FindmyPast turns its attention to 20th century Glasgow soon, as it remains a huge hole in the current offerings.

(With thanks to Stephen Dunn)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS Journal explores Glaswegian immigrants

A quick shout out to editor Karen Hunter and her team for the latest Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society Journal, with this edition (no. 128) focussing on the various groups of immigrants who have made their way to Glasgow over the years. 

There's a superb article on the "GlaswegAsian Gems" by Dr Saqib Razzaq, something I particularly enjoyed having previously lived near to the gurdwara in Anderson and the mosque near Tradeston, with other articles looking at Holocaust refugees, Russian immigrants, Canadian war brides, and much more.

Copies of the journal are available as a benefit of membership of the society - details at www.gwsfhs.org.uk.

And don't forget that there are many family history societies across Scotland, with details for most available at https://safhs.org.uk, the website of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies.

Chis   

Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.

FindmyPast adds burgess tickets for Glasgow's Boer War volunteers

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added a new collection, Scotland, Glasgow City Volunteers, Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, at https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/scotland-glasgow-city-volunteers-anglo-boer-war-1899-1902.

This collection lists the names of volunteer soldiers from Glasgow who were awarded burgess between 1899 and 1902. There are 1,019 transcriptions included, offering a name, an occupation, an address, company and regiment information, and the date appointed burgess of the City of Glasgow.

For more details on this and other releases this week, please visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/settlement-examinations-boer-war-volunteers.

Chris

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

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives collection link currently disabled on University of Glasgow website

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Archives were made accessible at Glasgow City Archives in the Mitchell Library for many years, with archivist Alistair Tough available on appointment for those who wished to see records within the collection. Although accessible at the Mitchell, the records were actually the responsibility of The University of Glasgow Archives. Since Alistair's recent retirement, there has been no access to the collection for researchers, with no replacement as yet appointed.

It now seems that the link to the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the University of Glasgow website has been disabled. However, those wishing to see if records might be available for consultation - albeit, not just now until a new archivist is appointed - can find the same page hosted at the Internet Archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20221126190801/https:/www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/archivespecialcollections/nhsgreaterglasgowandclyde/collections/, with the Hospitals and Clinics link providing access to individual descriptions for each collection item.

The description for the archive remains accessible also via ArchiveHub at https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/locations/9ec26c2d-96e4-3fcb-b8b5-3bee08ae6ec1.

Here's hoping access will be restored at some stage soon to these important records, and the link to the collection description on the live site repaired or reinstated.

Chris

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

How to access 20th century Glasgow newspapers online

For whatever reason, the British Newspaper Archive seems incapable or unwilling to add more content to its site for Glasgow in the 20th century, perhaps because of rights issues. Only three years of the Glasgow Evening Times are available (1966, 1967, 1973), and some early 20th C editions of the Glasgow Observer and Catholic Herald.

However, you can access 20th century content online from the Bulletin and Scots Pictorial, the Glasgow Herald and the Glasgow Evening Times via the Google News Archive at https://news.google.co.uk/newspapers, as well as the late 18th century Glasgow Advertiser, free of charge. The coverage is as follows:

• Bulletin and Scots Pictorial (1951–1960)
• Glasgow Herald (1806–1990)
• Evening Times (1953–1990, plus three earlier editions in 1914 and 1933)
• Glasgow Advertiser (1783–1801)

The Bulletin and Scots Pictorial is listed simply on Google's list as Bulletin, but notes that coverage is apparently only available from 2 Jan 1957–28 Feb 1957. This is incorrect – a run of the paper is in fact available online from 1951–1960. The easiest way to access the entire Bulletin collection is to simply click the following link: https://bit.ly/BulletinScotsPictorial.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the search facility of this Google site is truly appalling, and to be honest, in my opinion you're actually better off just browsing for content. But at least it is there, and that's better than no access! 

Chris

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

Anderston weavers and Scottish freemasons included in latest TheGenealogist release

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

New Records for Guilds, Societies and People of Note released by TheGenealogist
Family history website TheGenealogist has just released a new collection of name rich records of interest to English, Scottish and Welsh family historians.

The Guilds, Societies and People of Note collection includes records that reveal names, dates and information about ancestors who were Freemen, Liverymen, Aldermen, members of the Masons and Oddfellows, or people classed as Worthies.

The various records in this collection have been gathered together under TheGenealogist’s extensive Occupational Records and adds 65,000 names from fourteen new resources to this collection. Fully searchable by name or keyword from TheGenealogist’s Master Search. The new additions include records from a variety of sources, including:

● Freemen Registers: These records list the names of people who were granted the freedom of a particular town or city. The freedom of a town or city gave its holder certain privileges, such as the right to trade within the town or city walls.
● Liverymen Lists: These records catalogue the names of people who were members of a particular guild. Guilds were organisations of craftsmen or merchants who banded together to protect their interests.
● Aldermen Rolls: These records list the names of citizens who served as aldermen in a particular town or city. Aldermen were elected officials who served on the town or city council.
● Masons and Oddfellows Records: These records list the names of people who were members of the Freemasons or the Oddfellows. The Freemasons and the Oddfellows are two fraternal organisations that have been around for centuries.
● Worthies Records: These records list the names of people who were considered to be “worthies” of their community. Worthies could be anyone from prominent politicians or successful businessmen to renowned military personalities.

Use these records to reveal names, dates and information about ancestors who were Freemen of various towns and cities, Liverymen, Aldermen, members of the Masons and the Oddfellows, or who were Worthies in their circle. Gathered together under the Guilds, Societies and People of Note section of TheGenealogist’s Occupational Records, this diverse collection can reveal fascinating research clues to work with.

This release includes the following resources:

– A Calendar of the Freemen of Great Yarmouth 1429-1800
– The Aldermen of Cripplegate Ward 1276-1900
– Yorkshire, History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire, Volume I [1905]
– Yorkshire, History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire, Volume II [1906]
– London Worthies by William Kent [1939]
– Freemen of Lynn 1292-1836
– Record Of Unitarian Worthies
– Rules and Regulations Office-Bearers and Members Weavers' Society of Anderston 1901
– Register of Freemen of the City of London
– Cornish Worthies, Vol. I, 1884
– Cornish Worthies, Vol. II, 1884
– A List of The Wardens Members of The Court of Assistants and Liverymen of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths since 1688
– The Masonic Directory and Cyclopedia of History 1885
– Directory of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, 1908-1909

To learn more about how this collection of records helped us in the research of Captain Bligh read TheGenealogist’s article: A veritable Bounty of information found in the Occupational records.
https://thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/a-veritable-bounty-of-information-found-in-the-occupational-records-1866/

COMMENT: As well as the Anderston weavers records, there are Scottish freemasons included in the masonic collections here.

(With thanks to Nick Thorne)

Chris

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