Scottish GENES

Friday, 23 June 2023

ScotlandsPeople introduction session in Edinburgh on July 20th

From ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk):

Are you starting out on family history research?
Join our experts in Edinburgh on 20 July for our popular free introduction to researching your ancestry.
Reserve your seat now using our contact form
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/contact-us

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.

NLS exhibition: Sgeul / Story - Folktales from the Scottish Highlands

A new exhibition at the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk) seeks to share the Gaelic folklore of the Highlands:

Sgeul / Story : Folktales from the Scottish Highlands

Sgeul | Story is an exhibition in Gaelic and English about stories and storytelling traditions.

People share stories every day. A story is kept alive by a storyteller telling it to others. Folktales have survived all over the world, passed on from generation to generation.

Scotland is rich in stories but once upon a time, Scottish Gaelic folktales were almost unknown beyond the Highlands. In 1859, folklorist John Francis Campbell began to collect Scottish Gaelic folktales. He found a treasure trove.

Campbell worked with a team of helpers to gather folktales. They travelled from place to place across the western Highlands and Islands of Scotland meeting with storytellers.

See the manuscript diaries kept by Campbell and the watercolours he painted. In the storytelling area, you can read and listen to some of the folktales given by the storytellers in Gaelic and English.

Find out what stories and storytelling mean to Gaelic speakers of all ages today.

Tha Sgeul | Story na taisbeanadh ann an Gàidhlig agus Beurla mu sgeulachdan agus traidiseanan seanchais.

Bidh daoine ag innse sgeulachdan gach latha. Tha sgeul air a cumail beò le sgeulaiche ga h-innse do dhaoine eile. Tha beul-aithris ann air feadh an t-saoghail, air a thoirt seachad bho ghinealach gu ginealach.

Tha beairteas de sgeulachdan aig Alba ach uair den t-saoghal is beag gun robh fios aig mòran dhaoine air beul-aithris na Gàidhlig taobh a-muigh na Gàidhealtachd fhèin. Ann an 1859, thòisich an t-eòlaiche beul aithris Iain Frainsias Caimbeul (Iain Òg Ìle) air sgeulachdan Gàidhlig na h-Alba a chruinneachadh. Lorg e mòr-ulaidh dha-rìribh.

Bha an Caimbeulach ag obair còmhla ri sgioba de luchd-cuideachaidh gus sgeulachdan a chruinneachadh. Shiubhail iad bho àite gu àite air feadh taobh siar na Gàidhealtachd agus Innse Gall a’ coinneachadh ri sgeulaichean.

Faic na leabhraichean-latha ann an cruth làmh-sgrìobhainnean a sgrìobh an Caimbeulach agus na dealbhan dath-uisge a pheant e. Ann an àrainn nan sgeulachdan, faodaidh tu cuid den bheul-aithris a thug na seanchaidhean seachad ann an Gàidhlig agus Beurla a leughadh agus èisteachd riutha.

Faigh a-mach na tha sgeulachdan agus seanchas a’ ciallachadh do luchd na Gàidhlig de gach aois san latha an-diugh.

The exhibition continues until April 20th. The exhibition space is open during the following hours:

Monday: 9:30am to 7pm.
Tuesday: 9:30am to 7pm.
Wednesday: 10am to 7pm.
Thursday: 9:30am to 7pm.
Friday: 9:30am to 5pm.
Saturday: 9:30am to 5pm.
Sunday: Closed.

Admission is free.

Tha mi'n dòchas gun còrd an taisbeanadh ribh! (I hope you enjoy the exhibition!)

(Source: https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/sgeul-story/)

Chris

Register for the September 9th Scottish Indexes conference on Zoom

A quick heads up that Graham's and Emma's next Scottish Indexes conference will be held on September 9th – details of speakers are yet to be announced, but you can pre-register now to attend the event via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1016870363174/WN_ceRAW8tfS3iVxfWzU_hs0Q#/registration. Registration is free.

For more on Scottish Indexes visit www.scottishindexes.com.

Chris

New Irish records added to FindmyPast

Added this week to FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

Ireland, Genealogical Office Manuscripts, Marriages

First up, we have a 9,010-strong new collection of marriage records. Covering between 1732 and 1800, this set contains marriage licenses from the Dublin diocese as well as marriage notices that appeared in Exshaw's Magazine and Hibernian Magazine between 1771 and 1800.

These were compiled by Irish genealogist Denis O'Callaghan Fisher (1809-1869), and transcribed for the first time by the team here at Findmypast. Given that both marriage announcements and licenses (compared to banns) were costly in the 18th century, these records recount the unions of Ireland's affluent upper classes.

Ireland, Genealogical Office Manuscripts, Wills

This week's second brand-new collection is this set of Irish Wills, which contains transcriptions of 10,501 rare records that were compiled by Sir William Betham and Denis O'Callaghan Fisher in the 18th and 19th centuries. These records cover almost 300 years of history, from 1596 to 1866.

Ireland Census 1911

But that's not all for this week's Irish additions. We've also bolstered the 1911 Irish Census, adding 5,483 new records that were missed during the original transcription process. If you've hit a brick wall trying to trace your ancestor in this census, we may have added their record this Findmypast Friday.

As well as adding new records, we've improved the searchability of the entire set. It's now easier to browse and search the 4.3 million records within this key census, which is the most complete census available for the country. They are transcription-only, but don't let that hold you back from exploring the originals - images of each record are available on the National Archives of Ireland's site, via the link attached to each transcription.

For further details and links, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/ireland-wills-marriages-census

Chris

Thursday, 22 June 2023

Northern Ireland's PRONI archive is 100 years old today - Happy Birthday!

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) - 'PRONI' to those of us who regularly use it - is one hundred years old today. In 1923, one year after the devastating destruction at the original Public Record Office of Ireland in Dublin in 1922, an act of parliament facilitated the creation of a new public record office for the new state of Northern Ireland (established just two years earlier in 1921 following the Partition of Ireland). PRONI's mission was to not only act as the state repository for Northern Ireland's tiers of government, but to also seek out surrogate material from private repositories that might replace much of the losses in Dublin. Today it has over 3 million items in its repository in Belfast, a staggering amount of material for a country that is so wee!

It was a point alluded to by many at today's centenary event in Belfast, which I have just finished watching online, that PRONI is based in a building completely fit for purpose, with the sheer friendliness and helpfulness of its staff making it an absolute pleasure to visit. In my 20 years of family history research, it remains unparalleled anywhere else in the UK or Ireland in providing the research experience that it does (although a tip of the hat here to many local archives and archivists here in Scotland and in Ireland most definitely drinking from the same cup!). Comedian Tim McGarry's comment at today's event (not repeated here to protect the innocent!) comparing PRONI to TNA was made in jest, but was all the funnier for it, but I pray that Tim never has to experience the level of service we do in Scotland from the national repository here, the National Records of Scotland, which has so much yet to learn.

There are many ways to do things in archives, and then there is THE way to do it. PRONI gets out to its user base across Northern Ireland, it is opening up its archives further through online access (it was great to see Ancestry's representative in Belfast, announcing the now name searchable Valuation Rolls on its site, committing to more Northern Ireland releases as part of the archive's centenary over the next few months), and it is serving the public in documenting and chronicling the times we continue to live in (did any other national archive initiate a Covid lockdown census, for future generations to learn by?!). PRONI has the most difficult political environment to work within, with Northern Ireland's politicians continuing to work part-time after being elected to a full-time roll, but it does so by just getting on with it - even the pandemic was a period in which PRONI served its user base with distinction, constantly pushing to open up as much as was possible, and putting other organisations to shame in how it succeeded.

Over the years I have made many discoveries within my own family history at PRONI, as well as for clients, that have made me leap for joy. The privilege of being able to just handle such documents, and the archive's microfilm and computerised resources is something I have never taken for granted. PRONI doesn't always get it right, nobody ever does, but PRONI always makes damned sure that it tries to get it right, and that is so appreciated.

PRONI, you are one of Northern Ireland's greatest success stories, and here's to another one hundred years and more of archival excellence. Continue to serve your user base in the way that you do, and in return, it will always have your back.

Happy 100th birthday PRONI!

(And if you have never been to PRONI, do yourself a favour and visit some day!)

Chris

Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Updates on access to GRONI terminals in PRONI's search room

From the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), an update on the General Register Office of Northern Ireland terminals that are available in the PRONI search room to access civil birth, marriage and death records (via https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk), including more recent records not available online:

We are pleased to announce that the 4 GRONI machines situated in our Search Room have now been replaced and are available for customers.

We ask that due to the potential demand that customers limit use during busy times to 20 minutes per person.

Thank you for your cooperation

I provide a detailed description on how to access these records at both PRONI and GRONI, as well as online, in my new book, Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, details below! In summary, however, you still need to pay £2.50 per record, and you can't see the records when you go home, or print them out at PRONI, so you'll need to transcribe them. But having access to them in the same room as so many other records, is a godsend for those researching their Northern Irish ancestors!

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

Update from NRS on the kirk session records additions delays

I requested that the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) add two particular kirk session volumes from the early to mid-19th century onto ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk). The following response from one of its team outlines efforts to resolve the ongoing delays in getting the rest of these records online:

NRS are in the process of readying a substantial number of CH2 volumes for addition to the Virtual Volumes area of ScotlandsPeople. After the initial release of church court records in 2020/21, it was hoped that remaining in-scope CH2 records would be added during late 2021/early 2022. Unfortunately, limited resources and other priorities haven’t allowed this work to begin until earlier this year, but an archivist is now in place to supervise this work.

The records of other Presbyterian churches that later joined or re-joined the Church of Scotland (catalogue ref. CH3) are a priority candidate for upload and release after the CH2 records have been completed to a satisfactory level. Once we have completed adding the records of Church of Scotland kirk sessions, presbyteries and synods (a process that will be ongoing for several months), we anticipate that CH3 will be the next record series to be added and that work on this will hopefully begin before the end of the year.

Comment: So we can hopefully see more Church of Scotland volumes added this year, they 'anticipate' that the kirk session records from dissenting presbyterian denominations will be next, and that work will 'hopefully' begin before the end of the year...

Chris

Sunday, 18 June 2023

Ancestry adds name index for PRONI's Valuation Revision Books

Two more of PRONI's collections have now been indexed by Ancestry, as follows:

Northern Ireland, Valuation Revision Books, 1864-1933
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62658/
Source: Valuation Revision Books. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

About Northern Ireland, Valuation Revision Books, 1864-1933

This collection contains land valuation records from Northern Ireland between 1864 and 1933. Revision books wtook the form of chronological ledgers and tracked changes to a property's original valuation. Valuations were conducted annually.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may contain the following information:

Names of property owners
Names of occupants
Description of property
Changes in acreage
Changes in property valuation
Name of street
Name of city, county, parish, and townland
Name of affiliated poor law union
Date of notation

This collection contains a wealth of useful information to help trace your ancestors. As valuation revisions were conducted yearly, you can use them to create a chronological family history. There are no surviving censuses for Ireland prior to 1901, which makes the collection even more useful. Records can even be used to confirm dates of emigration or death, as you can seamlessly trace your family member's address. If you wish to trace your family back even further, you may wish to pair this collection with Griffith's Valuation.

Web: Northern Ireland, Freeholders Records
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/70955/
Source: Freeholders Records. Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. https://apps.proni.gov.uk/freeholders/default.aspx: Accessed February 2023.

About Web: Northern Ireland, Freeholders Records
All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. To learn more about these records, please refer to the source’s website.

COMMENTS: Note that both collections can be consulted on the PRONI website at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni, but this is the first time that the Northern Irish Valuation Revision Books (known as the Cancelled Land Books in the Republic of Ireland) can be searched by a person's name, with the records previously browse only by the name of a county, parish, townland or street name. So this is a major new finding aid for the records, which act as the'sequel' to the mid-19th century Griffith's Valuation records, continuing to provide information on land holdings up to about 1930 for the six counties of Northern Ireland. I have to admit that I am not sure yet whether I will use the Ancestry indexes, as there is often a great deal of value in browsing the relevant record books, but I suspect I will likely use both to pursue transfers of land ownership.

On the free holders records, these were previously name searchable on the PRONI website, but on Ancestry you can use wildcards for names, increasing the research flexibility there also.

You can find a great deal more about these and other Irish land records, with worked up examples on how to use them, in my book, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, available from Pen and Sword in the UK at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Ancestors-Through-Land-Records-Paperback/p/19283, and from the USA at https://www.penandswordbooks.com/9781526780218/tracing-your-irish-ancestors-through-land-records/.

Chris

Friday, 16 June 2023

Watch the PRONI Centenary Event live on June 22nd

Next Thursday 22nd June sees an event which can be attended in person, or viewed online, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

PRONI Centenary Event

22 June, 12pm-1.30pm

Join us as we celebrate our 100th anniversary at an event highlighting our past, present and future, and hearing our guest speakers reflect on their PRONI experience.

Speakers include Tim McGarry (writer and comedian), Stephen Walker (former BBC NI political correspondent), Sam McBride (Northern Ireland editor of the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Independent), Professor Marie Coleman (historian, Queen’s University Belfast), Bronagh McAtasney (private depositor and NI Screen access and outreach officer), Rhona Murray (Ancestry content and acquisition manager).

To sign up, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/proni-centenary-event-tickets-660417896707

COMMENT: I am looking forward to this one - PRONI is simply the best national archive in existence! (I'm biased!)

Chris

In Search of a Knockloughrim Son in Bridgeton

I have an article in the latest journal from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society (issue 127), entitled 'In Search of a Knockloughrim Son in Bridgeton'. It follows the story of my great grandfather Robert Currie, who was born in Termoneeny, Co. Londonderry, in 1867. He made his way to Glasgow in the 1890s, had a brief spell in the Police, and then worked for the City Corporation. However, a real personal barrier to me researching Robert for many years was his membership of the so-called 'loyal orders' (the Orange Order and the Royal Black Preceptory), which I personally have no time for. The article discusses how I overcame this to work out his story, and how I eventually located his gravestone in Glasgow, in a different graveyard to that which the city council told me he was buried in.

There is actually an extraordinary coincidence on the cover of the journal. The picture at the bottom left is Robert's grave, to help promote the article on him. The picture of the church beside it is actually there to illustrate another article entirely, but in fact that church is where Robert's daughter, my Nan, Jean Paton (Currie), workshipped! It's Joymount Presbyterian, Carrickfergus, and is also where my parents married in 1969, and where I attended BB for a year before we moved house. Just out of shot from the church is a row of six houses called Robinson's Row, where my nan lived for over 20 years, and where I lived as a kid for 2 years after my dad inherited the place. I was very surprised, but delighted to see it - I have a lot of great memories from that part of Carrick as a kid!

To join Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS visit https://www.gwsfhs.org.uk.

Chris

Pages

Friday, 23 June 2023

Thursday, 22 June 2023

Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Sunday, 18 June 2023

Friday, 16 June 2023