TheGenealogist releases 1 million First World War casualty records

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

TheGenealogist marks Remembrance Sunday with the release of over 1 million WWI Casualty Records

To commemorate Remembrance Sunday, TheGenealogist has released 1,090,293 new Casualty List Records from The First World War, covering the period 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919, completing their coverage of the War Office Casualty Lists. This significant addition helps researchers and families trace those who were killed, wounded, reported missing, or taken prisoner in the later part of the First World War.

TheGenealogist's Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: “On Remembrance Sunday, as we honour the fallen, it’s also a time to think of those who returned with wounds both seen and unseen. This release enables researchers to follow relatives throughout the conflict, right up to its end and trace the impact it had on them and their families.”

This release includes:

●    Comprehensive coverage: 1,090,293 records spanning 8th April 1918 to 4th March 1919.
●    Searchable detail: Name, rank, regiment/unit, and (where recorded) service number, place, and nature of casualty, such as killed, wounded, missing, prisoner of war, and died of wounds.
●    Derived from the official War Office Weekly Casualty Lists published at the time, with later corrections where available.
●    This completes the collection of War Office Weekly Casualty lists and brings the total Casualty List records on TheGenealogist to over 4.5 million

The new records are available now to Diamond subscribers at TheGenealogist.co.uk.

These newly added records include a number of notable names, among them the author C. S. Lewis. Read more about his wartime experience here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2025/cs-lewis-8787/

(With thanks to Paul Bayley from TheGenealogist)

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 the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh launches People's Dispensary website

From the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (https://www.rcpe.ac.uk): 

Edinburgh patient experiences from the 1700s revealed

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is delighted to announce the launch of a new website, The People’s Dispensary.

At its core, The People’s Dispensary features a digitised and transcribed collection of 18th century case notes of the Edinburgh Public Dispensary from its foundation in 1776. Located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, it provided free diagnosis and medicines to the city’s sick. Users of the website will be able to search these digitised and transcribed records which feature fascinating details about the diseases, treatments and experiences of poor patients in 1700s Edinburgh.

The digitised and transcribed 18th century patient case notes feature over 10,000 pages of patient records. It is a unique resource as the only surviving collection of 18th century dispensary patient case notes in Britain and contains 1,372 patients, 174 medical practitioners and 900 diseases and treatments. 

Daisy Cunynghame, Heritage Manager & Librarian, says: 

“We are excited to bring this collection to the public eye and very proud of the efforts of colleagues and volunteers that were involved in creating this web resource.

“These records contain amazing insight into the experiences of poor patients in 1700s Edinburgh. So often when stories are told of medicine and sickness in Georgian Britain, they focus on people who wrote letters and kept diaries – people who were middle and upper class. 

“Through this new website we can share details of the experiences of the less well-off who relied on charitable medicine.

“The case notes are really remarkable – we find out about a woman who swallowed two pistol bullets as a folk remedy for her constipation. 

“Our hope is that the website will encourage our audiences to learn about and reflect on what life was like for ordinary people in historic Scotland.”

Professor Mark Strachan, Heritage Trustee, says:

“Although modern medical treatments bear little relation to those prescribed in the Edinburgh Public Dispensary, we can still see many parallels between past and present practice. The need to balance potential side effects of the treatment against the consequences of not treating an illness, the adverse health consequences of certain occupations and the challenge for women in having symptoms of illness believed by doctors were as common in Georgian Britain as they are today.”

Some interesting points:

• One of the recommended treatments was sea bathing. But there was a risk attached. In the case of Margaret Gray, a patient admitted to the Edinburgh dispensary in the winter of 1781 with a diagnosis of hysteria, it was recommend that she bathe in a tub or ‘form of shower bath’ rather than sea bathing, because ‘in deep water fatal consequences in the way of drowning have sometimes happened’

• Dispensary physicians recorded the home remedies that patients had already tried, including a remedy provided by a ‘benevolent lady, the widow of a Clergyman’. Sometimes the physicians did not approve, including in one case where an individual applied burnt butter to their child’s head, as a treatment for a fungal infection, ‘by the advice of some officious neighbours’

• The case notes record the occupations of many of the patients, and the impact that their diagnosis had on their health. This included street hawkers, labourers and servants. Two very Edinburgh-specific occupations were water carrier and chairman. The water carriers’ job was to collect water from the well and then deliver it to individual homes across the city. Chairmen – the carriers of sedan chairs – were also much more common in Edinburgh than other cities. Because of the Old Town’s narrow and winding streets, it wasn’t possible to travel around much of the city in a horse and cart, so chairmen were employed instead to carry their employers throughout the city. And a lot of the medical problems of both carriers and chairmen were admitted into the dispensary for were clearly related to their line of work – particularly chronic back pain and rheumatism.

• Dispensary physicians would regularly record their concern that female patients were faking their medical conditions in order to be prescribed medicines which would bring about an abortion.

Web link
https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/peoplesdispensary 

(With thanks to Emma Maxwell at ScottishIndexes.com and the RCPE)

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.

Cancer gene traced back to Shetland island of Whalsay pre-1750

There's an interesting story on the BBC about how a DNA propject, Viking Genes (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2022/10/viking-genes-project-seeks-volunteers.html), has allowed scientists to determine that a particular cancer cauing gene has been traced back to the island of Whalsay, and to a family living there prior to 1750.    

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrryqx4v51o

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.

Edinburgh event for researching nurses and midwives in your family tree

Edinburgh Napier University, in partnership with the National Library of Scotland and Royal College of Nursing, is running the following free event in central Edinburgh (with free lunch) on Wednesday 5th June for members of the public who are interested in finding out about nurses or midwives in their family but are not sure how to do so.

Do you have a nurse or midwife in your family history?

• Want to find out more about them?
• Not sure where to start?

Edinburgh Napier University, the Royal College of Nursing, and the National Library of Scotland are offering a 1-day event for people who want to find out about nurses or midwives connected to their family but who are not sure where to start.

You may be looking for a nurse or midwife of any era who worked in any setting (e.g., hospital, community, industry, prisons, military). They may have worked in the NHS or privately, or have spent time working outside the UK. All are welcome!

What will the day involve?

There will be short presentations and introductions to family history research from librarians, researchers, and archivists, and opportunities to learn about online searching. There will also be the chance to ask questions and get guidance on how to find out more about the nurse or midwife in your family.

No previous experience or knowledge is needed.

If you have a photo or other small memento of the person or people in your family you are interested in finding out more about, and would be happy to show it, please bring this on the day.

If you cannot attend for the whole day, please do still join us!

Notebooks, pens and lunch will be provided free of charge.

The event is open to all and free. The online registration link is: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/edinburghnapieruniversitycentreformentalhealthpracticepolicyandlawresearch/1222685

(With thanks to Ken Nisbet via the Scottish Genealogy Network) 

Chris

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

FindmyPast adds new Scottish records

Added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week, sourced mainly from Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com):

Scotland, Mental Health Institutions Registers & Admissions

A new set of 220,7317 Scottish mental health institutional records, spanning 1858 to 1921.

Scotland, Court & Criminal Database

A million Scottish court database transcriptions added to this existing collection, from the Court of Session, Crown Counsel Procedure Books, and the Scottish Prison Records Index.

Scotland, Poor Law & Poor Lists

Registers have been added from Wigtownshire and the Scottish Borders, 7906 new records.

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/scottish-poor-law-mental-health-institution

Chris

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

Ancestry adds new searchable indexes for the Ulster Covenant and WW1 Royal Victoria Hospital register

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added two new third party databases of records from PRONI. 

The first deals with the Ulster Covenant of 1912, the protest document signed by half a million Protestants against the prospect of Home Rule in Ireland:

Web: Ulster, Ireland, Ulster Covenant, 1912
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70924/
Original data: Ulster Covenant 1912. Northern Ireland: Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. https://apps.proni.gov.uk/ulstercovenant/Search.aspx: Accessed February 2023.

There is no description of the collection on the site, although you can find out more about the records on the PRONI site at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/about-ulster-covenant. To do an address search in the collection, use the 'Lived in' field.

Bizarrely, the collection does not pop up in the catalogue when you search for it, unless you first untick the 'Only search for records in the UK and Ireland' box. (It's possible our American friends don't know where Ulster is...!) 

The second collection is for Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, records from 1914-1916:

Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70914/
Original data: Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916. Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/royal-victoria-hospital-register-1914-1916: Accessed October 2022.

About Belfast, Antrim, Ireland, Royal Victoria Hospital Register, 1914-1916

This collection contains medical registers for more than 700 soldiers from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast between the years 1914 and 1916. Most records are in English.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Hospital Admission Date
• Hospital Discharge Date
• Military Regiment
• Battalion Number
• Attaché Regiment
• Service Number
• Page Number

Military records can provide insight into your ancestor's military experience, both in peacetime and war. These records can provide a unique snapshot of their life at the time. Military records can also give insights into where your ancestor was located during key points in military history.

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.

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.

Ancestry's DNA Traits

My Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) home page has added a new menu option under DNA, called Traits. Here's the blurb on the page:

Get more from your DNA experience

Your DNA can tell you so much more than just ethnicity. Add traits to your AncestryDNA® results for an even more personalised experience. Learn how your genes can influence 35+ fitness, nutrient, sensory and appearance traits. No additional DNA test needed.

Upgrade to AncestryDNA® + Traits  ONLY£15 * 

*Traits is not intended to diagnose health conditions and is not a substitute for medical advice.

 See how your DNA influences:

Fitness
Endurance Fitness
Heart Rate Recovery
Muscle Fatigue
VO2 Max
Sprinter Gene

Nutrients
Beta-Carotene
Vitamin B12
Omega-3
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E

Appearance
Facial Hair Thickness
Birth Weight
Cleft Chin
Finger Length
Earlobe Type
Earwax Type
Eye Colour
Freckles
Hair Colour
Hair Type
Hair Strand Thickness
Iris Patterns
Male Hair Loss
Skin Pigmentation
Unibrow
Wisdom Teeth

Sensory
Alcohol Flush
Asparagus Metabolite Detection
Bitter Sensitivity
Caffeine Consumption
Coriander Aversion
Lactose Intolerance
Sun Sneezing
Sweet Sensitivity
Savoury (Unami) Sensitivity

Compare Feature
Compare some of your traits with your DNA matches who also purchased Traits.

Around the World Feature
See how your traits may relate to other people with heritage from regions covered by AncestryDNA®.

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.

New Scottish and Irish collections on Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following Scottish and Irish collections:

Scotland, Red Books of Scotland, 1600-1939
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62525/
Source: The Red Books of Scotland. Compiled by Gordon McGregor.

General collection information

This collection contains records about families from Scotland between the years of 1400 and 1939. The name "Red Books" is derived from the Gaelic tradition of recording a clan’s genealogical information in a "Leabhar Dearg" or book with a red cover to symbolise a family's link by blood. Author Gordon MacGregor began the project by compiling the Red Books of different clans. All records are typed in English.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Birth date and place
• Baptism date and place
• Marriage date and place
• Death date and place
• Burial date and place
• Names of family members

When researching your family, it is useful to remember that names of locations may have changed over time. If you think you found your family member, but the location name seems wrong, consider checking the location against old maps.

The records of more prominent individuals may also include notes about their occupation, titles, property, or achievements.

While using this collection, you may encounter some abbreviated words. Please see the following list of common abbreviations:

• b. is the abbreviation for "born"
• bap. is the abbreviation for "baptised"
• c. is the abbreviation for "christened"
• c/m is the abbreviation for "contract of marriage"
• m. is the abbreviation for "married"
• d. is the abbreviation for "died"
• dsp. is the abbreviation for "decessit sine prole", which is a Latin term that means they died without having children
• d. vita patris is Latin for died in the lifetime of their father
• k. is the abbreviation for "killed"
• ksp. is an abbreviation meaning they were killed without having children

Ireland, Patient and Staff Hospital Registers, 1816-1919
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62263/
Source: Hospital Records. Dublin, Ireland: The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

About Ireland, Patient and Staff Hospital Registers, 1816-1919

General collection information

This collection contains various types of records from hospitals in Ireland between the years of 1814 and 1919. Types of records available may include:

• Discharge registers
• Returns of deaths
• Maternity ward registries
• Registries of hospital staff

Most records are handwritten in ledgers, though newer records may be printed. All records are in English.

Using the collection

Patient records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Birth date
• Age
• Occupation
• Name of hospital
• Admission date
• Discharge date
• Death date
• Cause of death
• Address
• Religion
• Medical information

Individuals may be found in multiple records and may have been admitted to the hospital multiple times. While most people are likely to have been admitted to local general hospitals, some may also have needed specialised care which would likely have required them to travel.

In addition to medical records, this collection also contains records pertaining to hospital staff. If your family member was employed by a hospital, records may include:

• Name
• Age
• Occupation
• Academic qualifications
• Employment date

Ireland, King James' Irish Army List, 1689
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62514/
Source: KING JAMES' IRISH ARMY LIST. Illustrations Historical and Genealogical of King James' Irish Army List 1689. Dublin: Published by the Author for the Subscribers, 1855: D'ALTON, JOHN.

General collection information

This collection is an assortment of biographical accounts from the 1689 Irish Army, levied by King James II. The original accounts were compiled in a book by John D'Alton, originally published in 1861. Records in the collection are typed and composed in a narrative format.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Rank
• Regiment
• Achievements
• Family history

This collection paints a vivid picture of the lives of those who participated in the Williamite War. It's also especially useful in that some narratives include details about the military achievements of other family members.

Many Irish surnames have been anglicised and may have different spellings and variations. It's important to look out for different spellings when searching for records. 

NB: These books on King James army are freely available on Google Books at https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Illustrations_Historical_and_Genealogica/UpRAKPBbjIYC (volume 1) and https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Illustrations_Historical_and_Genealogica/dplJAAAAMAAJ (volume 2).

Further details on each collection is available via the links.

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.

Ancestry adds more Irish medical practitioner records

Following on from last week's release of the UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943 collections (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/04/ancestry-adds-uk-and-ireland-medical.html), Ancestry has added a further collection of medical practitioner records from Ireland:

Ireland, Kirkpatrick Index of Physician Biographical Files, 1826-1952
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62262/

Source: Kirkpatrick Index of Biographical files. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

About Ireland, Kirkpatrick Index of Physician Biographical Files, 1826-1952

This collection includes biographical information about members of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. The collection contains images of the original records that include personal and professional information about each physician. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland began as an educational institution and a professional society dedicated to the improvement of medical care and the licensing of physicians in Ireland.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Maiden name
• Alias
• Birth date and place
• Marriage date and place
• Age at marriage
• Spouse name
• Parents’ names
• Place of residence
• Education year
• Death date and place
• Age at death

This collection can be used to confirm that your ancestor was a physician and a member of the Royal College of Physicians at a specific point in time. The records also may allow you to compare your ancestor’s birth, marriage, and death information with other vital records.

For further details on the collection, click on the link above.

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.

Ancestry adds UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943

Ancestry has added a new UK collection, which may be of interest for those with medically trained ancestors in Ireland and Scotland:

UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62268/
Source: The Medical Register. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

About UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943

General collection information

This collection contains published registers of medical doctors living in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The registers were published annually and served as directories for the medical profession. The collection includes images of the original registers.

Using this collection:

• Records in this collection may include the following information:
• Date of registration
• Name
• Residence
• Qualifications

This collection can be used to confirm that your ancestor was a doctor in the United Kingdom or Ireland at a specific point in time. The registers were produced annually, so you may be able to trace your ancestor's medical career over time. 

The following is the entry for my 5 x great uncle Dr William Henderson of Perth:

For further details, visit the link above.

Don't forget to also check the slightly more comprehensive (for biographical detail) UK and Ireland, Medical Directories, 1845-1942 at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61053/. The following is the equivalent entry in this for William:

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.

Cancer linked gene mutation identified for those with ancestry from Westray

The following may be of interest if you have ancestors from Westray, in the Orkney Islands. A breast and ovarian cancer causing mutation on the BRCA1 gene has been specifically connected to those with ancestral connections to the island. 

For more on the story, please visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65068794

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry adds Ireland, Apothecary Records, 1736-1920 collection

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added a new database on Irish doctors:

Ireland, Apothecary Records, 1736-1920
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62260/
Source: Ireland Apothecary Records. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

About Ireland, Apothecary Records, 1736-1920

This collection contains details of registered apothecaries in Ireland between the years of 1736 and 1920. Records may also include lists of apprentice apothecaries. Most records are handwritten in ledgers, though newer records may be printed.

Using the collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:
Name
Age
Address
City
County
Registration date

This collection offers a unique insight into a highly specialised profession. These records can provide you with information about your family member's education level, lifestyle, and career.

Records list the apothecary's home address, however the apothecaries sometimes lived and worked in the same building. Some records also list addresses of other locations the apothecary may have used as a workplace, including laboratories and warehouses. If the record does not specifically list the home and shop at the same address, consider checking the provided address against a city directory or map to locate the shop and other facilities.

For further details visit https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62260/

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Scottish Indexes collections updated on Ancestry

The following collections on Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk), available as third party indexes to collections created by and hosted on Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.co.uk), have been updated this month:

Web: Scotland, Prison Records Index, 1828-1878
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9736/
Published on Ancestry30/09/2014
Updated 20/01/2023
173,186 records

Web: Scotland, General and Admission Registers for Asylums, 1858-1918
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70879/
Published on Ancestry29/09/2020
Updated 20/01/2023
165,561 records

Web: Scotland, Sheriff Court Paternity Decrees, 1792-1922
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70851/
Published on Ancestry15/03/2018
Updated 20/01/2023
128,825 records

For further details on the collections, visit the links on the respective Ancestry pages.

 

 

 

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ancestry adds to Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Registers, 1667-1920

A new Irish collection recently added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Ireland, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Registers, 1667-1920
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62261/
Source: Original data: Royal College of Physicians Ireland Registers, 1667-1920. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

About Ireland, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Registers, 1667-1920

This collection comprises registers created by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland between 1667 and 1920. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is an educational institution and a professional society dedicated to the improvement of medical care and the licensing of physicians. The registers include names of the society's members and dates related to their licensing and membership. The registers also may include a physician's place of residence and date of death however they don't include information about the member's birth or family.

Using this collection

• Records in this collection may include the following information:
• Physician's name
• Position within the Royal College of Physicians
• Date the information was recorded
• Residence
• Date of death

Further details at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62261/

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

MyHeritage adds Scottish General Register of Lunatics in Asylums index

MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com) has added a new third party collection, Scotland, Mental Health Records, comprised of 117,883 records sourced from the General Register of Lunatics in Asylums, catalogued by the National Records of Scotland under MC7, and indexed by Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com).

To access the collection visit https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-20065/scotland-mental-health-records.

Chris 

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

FindmyPast updates First World War Soldiers' Medical Records collection

There's not a lot added to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) this week, but the following may be of interest:

British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers' Medical Records

After winning 50% of your votes in last week’s community poll, we’ve added over 1,900 new entries to this important Great War collection.

As well as names, ranks and service numbers, the records reveal details you won't find elsewhere, like illness or wound descriptions and how long the injured soldiers stayed at a medical facility.

Some Roman Catholic records for a few regions in England have also been added. For further details, and links, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/english-catholic-parish-records

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.

Old Scottish adds Scottish asylum records and Aberdeenshire Sheriff Court extract decrees

Old Scottish Genealogy & Family History has added an index to all admissions to Scottish asylums 1858-1915 (www.oldscottish.com/asylum-patients.html), and further Aberdeen Sheriff Court entries to its Sheriff Court Extract Decrees index, taking the total to over 42,000 (www.oldscottish.com/sheriff-court-extract-decrees.html).

(With thanks to FergusSmith @oldscotbooks via Twitter)

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.

Scottish Women’s Hospitals blog post on Historic Environment Scotland

Historic Environment Scotland (www.historicenvironment.scot) has an interesting blog post written by Jess Lydon on the topic of Scottish Women's Hospitals in the First World, available at https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2021/05/scottish-womens-hospitals/. 

The article provides a concise overview of the Scottish Women's Hospitals movement which started in 1914, and within which over a thousand women has served by the war's conclusion. It includes discussion on the hospital work carried out in France and in Serbia, as well as a background to how the hospitals were established and funded.

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.

Forces War Records adds Air Ministry - Casualty Communiques WWII collection

From Forces War Records (www.forces-war-records.co.uk):

New Collection Release – ‘Air Ministry - Casualty Communiques WWII’ are now available on Forces War Records.

An exciting ‘new’ collection of records has been added to the Forces War Records database that may contain your WW2 Royal Air Force ancestor. A collection of over 178,000 records from the ‘Air Ministry - Casualty Communiques 1939-46’ are now available to view online.

Throughout the Second World War, the Air Ministry regularly published Casualty Communiques through the Ministry of Information which announced, or updated the status of missing Air Force personnel. Once the next of kin had been informed these reports were then released to various newspapers and periodicals of the era including The Times, many Daily Gazettes and magazines such as Flight.

Services covered are:

· Royal Air Force
· Royal Australian Air Force
· Royal Canadian Air Force
· Royal New Zealand Air Force
· South African Air Force
· Royal Indian Air Force
· Women’s Auxiliary Air Force

The size and scope of WW2 Records held by Forces War Records makes them a fascinating resource for genealogists. These records, cover Armed Forces personnel injured or killed in action, those receiving awards, mention in dispatches or those captured as a P.O.W. and so much more!
 
You may not be aware of this, but the Ministry of Defence has a 100-year disclosure rule on service records, this applying to all service post 1921. Although, at Forces War Records we have over 7 million WW2 Records.  

To search the collection visit https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/collections/212/air-ministry-casualty-communiques-wwii

(With thanks to Neil White)

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.