PRONI to release Belfast poor relief application indexes online

I've just attended the final PRONI stakeholder forum this year, and there is some great news for family historians - PRONI's Christmas gift to us all is going to be the online release of the digitised indexes to Belfast's poor law applications from 1892-1921! 

The index books, which cover periods of 3 months at a time, are for applications made for indoor relief, i.e. into the workhouse, and are catalogued under BG/7/GK/1-107. Whilst the admission registers themselves are not going online, being able to research the indexes through the online catalogue is still going to be a massive game changer for poor law research in the city. The first tranche will be out towards the end of this month (expect the update around 29 DEC 2021), and there are plans to extend the coverage further in due course. Wonderful!

Also from PRONI, on cataloguing there has been a recent effort to re-catalogue some materials previously recorded at series level only concerning the papers of Sir Wilfred Spender, the first secretary of the Northern Irish government post-Partition, and some items from Sir James Craig, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. These include a mixture of offical papers and private papers, and will be available at D/12/95. The papers of Sir Wilfred Spender will be available to search now at item level. There will also be some official records catalogued under PM8/1 including correspondence from Sir Wilfred Spender covering the period 1921-1923, with letters concerning ex-servicemen seeking positions in the new state, the death of Michael Collins, the opening of the Northern Irish parliament, and more. Also tying in with the centenary of Northern Ireland will be the release of a hundred government files from the 1920s, including topics such as raids by the B-Specials, and some more recent records from 1997-98, which will include discussiuons leading up to the Belfast Agreement.

On site, PRONI will be shifting to a six weeks in advance booking system, to help better cater for those travelling from afar, and in the public search room they have also now taken out a subscription to the Library Edition of Ancestry, which will be accessible on two separate terminals (FindmyPast is already available on site). Further good news is that PRONI successfully made it through its summer mid-point review this year with regards to its accredited archive status. 

Coming up in the near future, PRONI will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in both 2023 and 2024 - PRONI was created in June 1923 (after provision was initially made in the Government of Ireland Act, 1920), but did not actually open its doors to the public until March 1924, so there are two pegs well worth commemorating! Stephen Scarth has been tasked with writing an offical history of the institution, which he promises will be 'myth busting'. 

Various projects will be created to help celebrate the anniversary, including a 100 PRONI documents project flagging up some extraordinary stories from the archive's history. One interesting fact mentioned by Stephen was that PRONI's first offical acquisition was two 18th century maps depicting Cookstown in County Tyrone, as sourced from a holder in Dublin. Since then PRONI has become a world class archive, with some particularly brilliant collections on areas such as emigrants letters, and the linen industry of the north.

For forthcoming PRONI events, visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events-proni.

Thanks again to the PRONI team for a great service provision in a challenging year, and a Happy Christmas to all in Belfast! (And I'm looking forward to the day when we can have on-site meetings again, once Covid diminishes - I miss my annual trip to the Christmas market after the December meetings!)

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.

Big thanks to Wall to Wall for series 17 of WDYTYA?

This is just a quick post to express my thanks to the TV production company Wall to Wall for the now finished broadcast run of series 17 of Who Do You Think You Are? 

I watched the final episode of the series last night, featuring Ed Balls, which was a great culmination to the seven episode run which also featured Judi Dench, Pixie Lott, Joe Lycett, Alex Scott, Joe Sugg and Josh Widdicombe. As with most series, there were a range of stories, some more interesting to me than others, but each offered an entertaining hour's diversion once a week, which is all I ever ask of it!

In a previous life I worked in television documentary production for 12 years, and I am well aware of just how difficult it is to make a programme at the best of times - but with the Covid pandemic over the last 18 months, it really is a miracle that we got a series this year at all. At times the Covid restrictions were evident - social distancing between most folk, and lots of scenes with people seated at tables looking at documents - but each programme successfully told the stories that the directors and celebs wished to be told. 

In a year where we needed a distraction, with all sorts of issues regarding the access of archives and libraries etc, it kept the flame burning for the good times yet to come back. And so for that, here's tae ye folks, thanks, and have a great Christmas!

 ("Whisky toast on top of Perito Moreno Glacier" by amymaura is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.    
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/) 

Roll on Series 18....! (And if you missed Series 17, or many of the earlier series, UK viewers can find them on the BBC iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer)

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.

Free access to USA city directories from 2-7 December on MyHeritage

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com), news about a resource that might help with your emigrant ancestors if they ended up in the United States:

People across the United States celebrated Thanksgiving last week, taking the opportunity to reflect on all they are thankful for as well as the meaning of American heritage. To help our users learn more about their ancestors in the United States, we’re offering free access to our very special U.S. City Directories collection this week, December 2–7, 2021!

This collection contains records from 26,000 public U.S. city directories published between 1860 and 1960. City directories are publications that were distributed by many cities in the United States to help residents find local individuals and businesses, and they typically list names (and names of spouses), addresses, occupations, and workplaces. These records constitute a rich source of information for anyone seeking to learn more about their family in the United States in the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. They can serve as an important alternative to census records where those records are not available — for example, most of the records from the 1890 census, which were destroyed in a fire in 1921. 

For further details visit https://blog.myheritage.com/2021/12/limited-time-offer-free-access-to-u-s-city-directories/. 

To search the directories, visit https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-10705/us-city-directories.

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.

Happy 10th anniversary to the British Newspaper Archive

A slightly belated note to offer congratulations to the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk), which this week has celebrated its tenth anniversary. 

In November 2010 I offered my initial thoughts on the Beta version of the site, which you can read at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2011/11/british-newspaper-archive-beta-initial.html. Things have moved on a bit since then!

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the site has added ten new titles this week, albeit from England only - you can read more on these at https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2021/11/29/new-titles-29-nov-2021/.

Today the site has 46,424,284 pages, well past its initial target of 40 million pages, with newspapers across Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, and beyond, as sourced from the British Library and digitised by FindmyPast. In the last ten years, it has revolutionised family history research considerably - it would be difficult to imagine carrying out research without it. 

So a big slàinte mhath to the BNA, and to many more years (hopefully!) of material to be placed online!!!

(And if I was to make a request - Glasgow in the 20th centry is still a wee bit bare. God loves a trier!)

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.

New NIFHS research booklet - The City of Belfast

The North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org) is now selling its latest Researching Your Ancestors in the North of Ireland guide booklet, entitled The City of Belfast.

The book is 105 pages in length, and is essentially a source book highlighting some of the key resources available for research in the city, or at least within the city as its boundaries were defined between 1896 and 1973. 

After a short history of the city, it then details the sorts of administrative boundaries that records were collated within, before dealing with various topics and resources that will assist the historian. By far the most useful section is the detailed listings for the various churches found in Belfast, listing the various houses of worship for the major denominations, and offering information about the surviving coverage of records. The section on Education is another equally handy chapter detailing the many schools in the city.

The price of the booklet is £12, plus p&p, and it can be ordered from https://www.nifhs.org/product/researching-your-ancestors-in-the-north-of-ireland-belfast/. 

A very useful resource if you have ancestry from the city!

(With thanks to the NIFHS for a review copy)

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.

Family Tree's Scottish Family History Month, Feb 2022

Family Tree magazine (www.family-tree.co.uk) will be hosting a series of five talks in February 2022 as part of its Scottish Family History Month. And I am delighted to say that I will be chairing them, and giving one of the talks myself!

From the magazine:

Family Tree's annual programme of online Scottish family history talks, in partnership with History Scotland, will return in February 2022.

Booking is now open for the 2022 Scottish Family History Month, with five fantastic online talks available, covering everything from making the most of the census to exploring the lives of Scottish women.

This year's chair is genealogist Chris Paton, who will host each talk and also present a talk of his own. Each event will comprise a 50-min Zoom talk, followed by a 30 minute Q&A. Each event will be recorded and the recording made available to ticket holders for 7 days.

Booking is now open for all 5 talks - secure your place today! A bundle price of £40 for all 5 talks (£35 for magazine subscribers) is available here.

Scottish Family History Month 2022 talk programme

• Making sense of the Scottish census, Emma Maxwell, 1 February, 6.30pm
• Civil cases in the sheriff courts, Fergus Smith, 4 February, 2pm
• Using DNA for Scottish family history research, Michelle Leonard, 8 February 6.30pm
• Tracing Scottish women, Kirsty Wilkinson, 17 February, 6.30pm
• Scottish research resources before 1800, Chris Paton, 22 February, 6.30pm

To book tickets please visit https://www.family-tree.co.uk/news/scottish-family-history-month-2022.

I am looking forward to introducing some great sessions with some great folk - hopefully we will see you there!

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.

Registration open for RootsTech 2022

From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) 

FamilySearch opened registration today for RootsTech 2022, the largest family history event in the world held online March 3–5, 2022. It offers a forum where people of all ages across the globe are inspired to discover and share their memories and make meaningful connections. Register for free at www.rootstech.org today. RootsTech 2022 will be a virtual-only experience, with some enhancements and improvements.

A new set of educational classes will be featured during 2022, along with new technologies to explore in the virtual expo hall, and inspiring stories shared by a fascinating line-up of keynote speakers.

“RootsTech 2022 is sure to be an incredible experience once again” said Jen Allen, event director for RootsTech. “Earlier this year, we organized our first-ever virtual event amid a pandemic—something we never thought would happen. But as we watched the participants come together to provide joyful learning experiences in many different languages, we knew something special was taking shape.”

Classes for the event will have a mix of on-demand, livestream, and interactive sessions that will allow attendees to learn, grow and connect to people all over the globe. Participants will also be able to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, experts, and enthusiasts. In 2022, the planners of RootsTech are looking to take that experience to the next level.

RootsTech is a place of connection. “We witnessed incredible connections [in 2021] between participants all over the world,” said Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch. “As they connected to their homelands and ultimately to their families, they then connected to each other. At FamilySearch, we choose connection, and we witness every day the ways family history transcends all walls of separation and unites us as the true story of humanity unfolds.”

While there will always be some differences between the in-person and online experiences, RootsTech will continue to expand its online experience while working towards a time when the hybrid model of both can once again be offered.

“We are busy creating innovative ways to capture and share messages of culture, unity and connection that push the boundaries of what a virtual conference can be. We can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store,” added Allen.

The event will take place March 3–5, 2022, and you can register for RootsTech right now by visiting www.rootstech.org. The conference is free and open to anyone. For updates, be sure to follow RootsTech on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

(Original press release at https://media.familysearch.org/ready-to-connect-rootstech-2022-registration-is-now-open)

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.

Fold3 adds Royal Navy Officer Patrol Service Cards

From Fold3 (www.folds3.com)

We have added a new UK collection of Royal Navy Officer Patrol Service Cards to our archives. These cards are dated 1904-1970 and can provide insights for those who served in the Royal Navy Patrol Service (RNPS). These records were created from microfilm held at The National Archives, with the original paper records located at the Imperial War Museum.

The RNPS was a branch of the Royal Navy whose origins date back to the Great War when the British Admiralty first realised the threat of mine warfare. The RNPS operated during both the First and Second World Wars.

For further details visit https://blog.fold3.com/new-uk-royal-navy-records-added/

 

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.

Learn with Lorna from Highland Archives

There have been some truly heroic efforts from the family history and archives community throughout the coronavirus pandemic, but one of the most gargantuan has been an amazing effort by Lorna Steele from Highland Archives (www.highlifehighland.com/archives-service/) through her weekly series of Learn with Lorna Facebook broadcasts. 

Each week Lorna has given a short lecture, ranging from about half an hour to forty minutes in length, on a topic related to the archive holdings at Highland Archives. These have revealed not just the range of materials held by the facility, but also the many stories that they have documented. Topics have included 'Sabbath breaking and other breaches of discipline', 'Witchcraft', 'Food for rich and poor', 'The aluminium industry in the Highlands', 'The Jacobites and the Battle of Culloden', 'Poor Relief', 'Christmas in the collections', and so much more. 

To date there have been NINETY (you read that right!) such presentations, and you can find these on YouTube at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxasYGi8kIcL7OThf1QGsHAMACY_1DGE. If you have ancestors from the Highlands they will be of immense interest, but even if not, they still present a superb insight into the vast range of holdings available in the many wonderful archives around Scotland. 

You can find more about Lorna's series at www.highlifehighland.com/blog/learn-with-lorna-series-brings-more-people-to-highland-archive/. 

Thanks Lorna!

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's new AncestryDNA Traits service

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has launched a new product, AncestryDNA Traits. 

From its announcement at https://blogs.ancestry.co.uk/ancestry/2021/11/10/ancestry-launches-genetic-traits-for-international-customers/:

Combining cutting-edge science with data, Traits allows you to discover up to 36 traits and attributes influenced by your DNA in an innovative and engaging way.  You can learn more about each of the traits you’ve inherited from your ancestors, find out who else you share that trait with and where in the world it connects you to.

Split into four categories (Fitness, Nutrients, Sensory and Appearance) the traits will help you discover whether you have the ‘sprinter gene’ or are more of an endurance person, how your body may react to certain vitamins or other nutrients.  It might reveal whether you are susceptible to sun sneezing or likely to be lactose intolerant or perhaps even what colour hair or eyes run in your family!

Additional interactive features such as ‘Around the World’ let you delve even deeper and find out where in the world your traits are most commonly found and how they might be connected to your ethnic origins.  The ‘Compare’ feature allows you to compare the genetic markers that influence your traits with friends, family, or any other AncestryDNA customer who has Traits.  You can see what today’s genetic science has to say about what you have in common with friends and family – then maybe share your findings around the dinner table with them this holiday season.

The full announcement is available at the above link. I'm not sure this one is for me really, but it will be available for new customers from November 1st, and for existing customers early next year.

(With thanks to Debbie Kennett)

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.