FindmyPast adds British India directory images

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added further images to its British In India, Directories 1792-1959 collection.

For further details visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/blog/new/india-directories-school-admission-registers.

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.

Cassini maps additions to Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added some Cassini maps collections to the site this week, the following two in particular may be of interest:

UK, General Map of Great Britain, 1935-1937
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62550/
Source: Cassini General Map of Great Britain. England: Cassini Publishing.

Europe, Cassini Maps, 1800-1960
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62541/
Source: Cassini European Maps. England: Cassini Publishing.

The European maps include content for Austria, Balkans, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central Europe, Croatia, Czechoslavakia, Demark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Spain, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia.

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.

British Newspaper Archive approaches 81 million pages of content

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) is approaching 81 million pages of content, with 80,929,565 pages available at the time of writing.

The following have been added for Scotland and Northern Ireland in the last thirty days (there have been no additions for the Republic in that period):

Scotland:

Kirriemuir Herald
1989-1991

Kilsyth Chronicle
1988

St. Andrews Citizen
1995-1996, 1998

Falkirk Herald
1988-1989

Witness (Edinburgh)
1850-1851, 1853

Leven Mail
1964-1965

Northern Chronicle and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland
1918-1919

Huntly Express
1918-1920

John o' Groat Journal
1952

Inverness Courier
1932-1938, 1942, 1957-1967

Daily Record
1980-1981

Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser
1994

Fraserburgh Herald and Northern Counties' Advertiser
1892


Northern Ireland:

Coleraine Times
2002

Portadown Times
2002

Londonderry Sentinel
1985, 2002

Belfast News-Letter
1801, 1805, 1807-1809

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.

Waterford funeral records added to Ancestry

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has published a new dataset for those with connections to the Irish city of Waterford (and possibly nearby Tramore, unclear from the guide):

Waterford, Ireland, Thompson's Funeral Books, 1874-1929
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62825/
Source: Thompson's Funeral Books. Waterford, Ireland: Waterford City & County Council.

About the Waterford, Ireland, Thompson's Funeral Books, 1874-1929

General collection information

This collection contains mortuary records associated with Thompson Funeral Directors in Waterford, Ireland between 1874 and 1929. Most records are handwritten in ledgers.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

• Name of deceased
• Names of family members
• Date
• Whether or not the primary individual was alive at the time
• Residence
• Place of burial
• Age at burial
• Cause of death
• Details about the funeral service
• Funeral costs

This collection contains unique information that you aren't likely to find in other types of death records. These account ledgers list funeral essentials, including transportation, type of coffin, burial necessities, and even alcohol consumed by mourners for the wake. Records in this collection aren't standardised and the available information will vary from record to record.
...

Collection in context

The roots of Thompson Funeral Directors date back to 1786, making it one of the oldest businesses in Ireland. Thompson Funeral Directors has branches in Waterford City and Tramore in County Waterford. Records in this collection were digitised by the Waterford City and County Libraries. 

For further details visit the link.

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.

Irish Genealogy News blog ceases publication

Claire Santry's Irish Genealogy News blog (www.irishgenealogynews.com) has published its final post after fourteen years. As well as thanking those who have supported her, in her final post (https://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2024/07/irish-genealogy-news-publishes-its.html) Claire writes

"After 14 years and 5,764 blogposts, Irish Genealogy News is taking its leave. Kind of. There will be no new blogposts but those that have already been published will remain online for a while... probably until the domain name comes up for renewal.

"My website – Irish-Genealogy-Toolkit.com – will also be continuing for the time being. It will be receiving some much-needed attention over the next couple of months but should then be able to stand on its own legs without taking up too much of my newly-discovered liberty."

A huge thanks to Claire for all her efforts over the last fourteen years, her blog will be much missed!

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.

ScotlandsPlaces and Canmore are working again

The ScotlandsPlaces website at https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk is back up and running again, having faced disruption from the end of June (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2024/06/disruption-to-canmore-and.html). 

Other Historic Environment Scotland platforms, such as Canmore (https://canmore.org.uk), the heritage catalogue, are also back up and running. 

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.

National Lottery funding to unlock UK archives

From the UK National Archives based at Kew (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk):

Major National Lottery investment to unlock UK’s archives

A £5m investment into the archives sector will unlock collections across the UK and build the skills and resilience needed to care for them into the future.
 
The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation are delighted to announce that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested in the Archives Revealed funding programme, awarding £5 million to the partnership. This is one of the Heritage Fund’s biggest investments into archives this century and will increase the value of the programme to £6 million over three years, allowing many more archives to benefit from the fund.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our archives are home to our stories. Records, collections and histories all shine a light on who we are, how we live and what is important to us. I am delighted that National Lottery funding will support Archives Revealed to unlock many more of these stories right across the UK and safeguard them for future generations.

“Our £5million investment will not only amplify the impact of the fantastic Archives Revealed programme - a long running partnership between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation - but will also share skills and knowledge, foster partnerships and build organisational resilience in the sector. All of this is vital for protecting the future of our archives and delivering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”

Archives Revealed is the only national funding programme dedicated to unlocking archival collections. The aim of the fund is to ensure that significant archive collections, representing the lives and perspectives of all people across the UK, are made accessible to the public for research and enjoyment.  

This new investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will enable Archives Revealed to support more and larger grants, creating greater impact across the archives sector. The programme will also include funding for public engagement and participatory work for the first time. Archives Revealed will give around 160 grants to archives across the UK over the coming three years, and the Heritage Fund’s investment will ensure that over five times more funding is delivered in 2024-2027 than was possible in 2020-2023.

The programme will continue to offer Cataloguing Grants of up to £50,000 for archives to create catalogues of important archival collections. Catalogues enable people to find and explore archive collections – without them, there would be no access to these crucial records and the stories they tell. Archives Revealed Scoping Grants of up to £3,000 will also remain available to assess underexplored collections and support their development.

Additionally, the programme will start offering larger Consortium Grants of up to £150,000, for projects spanning multiple archives and collections that have the potential to create wider regional or thematic impact. The funding from the Heritage Fund will also allow The National Archives to create a new sector development and training programme, to build the skills of archive professionals and volunteers so that the funded projects and organisations can achieve even more.   

Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives on behalf of Archives Revealed said:

“This is an exciting time to be involved in archives. This generous grant allows Archives Revealed to help more archives in the coming years, to get the very best out of their collections and make them more accessible, demonstrating that archives truly are for everyone. The addition of a new training programme allows us to continue to support the archive sector as a thriving, inclusive sector which places development and professionalism at its heart. Archives Revealed will continue to save archival heritage, equip archives for the future through skills and knowledge sharing, and significantly increase the reach of archives to diverse audiences across the UK.” 

Archives are for everyone because they are about everyone – past, present and future. The new, expanded funding programme will support The National Archives’ work across the archives sector, as well as Heritage 2033, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s 10-year strategy for investing in heritage for the future as well as the present.

Further details on each grant programme’s timeframe and application process will be published in August, and a webinar on Monday 2 September will provide comprehensive information for applicants.

Comment: I look forward to seeing how Scotland and Northern Ireland will benefit from this UK-wide initiative.

(With thanks to the National Archives at Kew's press office)

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.

Recent Ulster Historical Foundation online records additions

The Ulster Historical Foundation (https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com) has kindly sent me an updated list of the records that they have been adding to their new platform over the last few weeks. They include the following:

• Anti-Repeal Declaration, 1848 (24,782 records)
• Church of Ireland Clergy Succession Lists (23,443 records)
• The Ulster Muster Roll, c. 1630 (13,260 records)
• The North Ulster Gravestone Collection (10,102 records)
• A Directory of Ulster Doctors (5,840 records)
• Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1865 (3,508 records)
• Names in seventeenth-century Belfast (2,288 records)
• Rental of landgable rents, Dublin, 1665 (2,053 records)
• Protestant Petition For Catholic Emancipation 1829 (1,890 records)
• Newry Householders in 1836 (1,691 records)
• Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1832 (1,685 records)
• Register of Milk Suppliers, Belfast, 1922 (1,590 records)
• Voters at the General Election in Londonderry 1868 (1,446 records)
• Muster roll of Sir Robert Stewart’s regiment, Raphoe, County Donegal, 1642 (1,233 records)
• Subscribers to Poems on Several Subjects by John Anketell (1,129 records)
• Londonderry Householders, 1837 (1,063 records)
• The Ulster Port Books for Londonderry, Coleraine, Carrickfergus and Lecale, 1612-15 (1,034 records)
• Tenants on the Beresford Estate County Londonderry Estate Records (917 records)
• Subscription List for new church in Crossgar 1899 (847 records)
• Subscribers to 'The Messiah' by John Cameron (814 records)
• Freeholders in the Queen's County 1758 (798 records)
• Belfast Charitable Society List of Subscribers, 1830 (688 records)
• Lisburn Householders, 1837 (684 records)
• Clergy and freeholders County Monaghan (666 records)
• Crossle deeds, Newry (643 records)
• Subsidy Roll 1663, County Down (626 records)
• Names of voters in Dundalk taken from the 1847 general election (497 records)
• Subscribers to Odes and Elegies by John Corry (491 records)
• Subscribers to William Anderson of Saintfield’s Poetry Collection (438 records)
• Churchwardens of Donaghcloney parish (390 records)
• Dungannon Householders 1837 (359 records)
• Valuation of houses in the town of Lurgan, 1782 (351 records)
• A list of the Scots to be transplanted from the counties of Antrim and Down, 1653 (294 records)
• Catalogue of the sale of the Caledon estate, Counties Tyrone and Armagh, 1775 (285 records)
• Carrickfergus Burgesses and Freemen (280 records)
• Compensation after the 1798 Rebellion Names of claimants in Counties Antrim and Down (278 records)
• Caledon Estate Lease Book Index of lessees, 1752 (253 records)
• Persons claiming burial rights, Dungannon, 1861 (205 records)
• Members of the business community, Belfast 1798 (152 records)
• Petition of the Catholics of Ireland to Parliament, 1805 (98 records)

Free to View Databases:
• Contributors to the rebuilding of First Derry Presbyterian Church, 1781 (175 records)
• Kilmorey Leases, Newry (156 records)
• Marriages in Downpatrick in the eighteenth century (144 records)
• List of voters in the Downpatrick election, 1797 (143 records)
• Landholders and Leaseholders required to plant trees in Seagoe parish, County Armagh, 1708-09 (138 records)
• Loyal address of the High Sheriff, Justices of the Peace, freeholders of County Donegal, 1682 (128 records)
• North-East Farming Society Reports of Proceedings 1835 (93 records)
• Roll Of Honour Balmoral (87 records)

The Foundation's Guild Plus members have unlimited access and searches to all databases - for further details visit: https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/membership

(With thanks to Gillian Hunt)

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 Aberdeenshire burial registers

Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the following new collection:

Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Burial Registers, 1769-1983
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62691/
Source: Burial Registers, 1769-present. Aberdeen, Scotland: Aberdeen City Council.

About the Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Burial Registers, 1766-1983

This collection contains over two hundred years of records for cemeteries and churchyards across Aberdeenshire from between the years 1769 and 1983. The burial registers list all those interred in a certain burial ground, along with identifying information about them (age, address, etc.). In addition to the registers, this collection also has the sales papers for "lairs" (or burial plots) which include the owner's name, the date of purchase, and the amount paid. The contents of the burial registers and sales papers may vary based on year and location. The records are compiled by burial space and then arranged chronologically.

Using this collection

This collection can hold a wealth of information for those buried in Aberdeenshire. You may discover the following information about your ancestor:

• Name
• Age
• Date of death
• Name of spouse
• Names of parents
• Occupation
• Address

The following cemetery registers are included:

• Allenvale Cemetery
• Cairnie Cemetery
• Drumblade Cemetery
• Essie Cemetery
• Fettercairn Churchyard
• Fordoun Churchyard
• Forgue Cemetery
• Gartly Cemetery
• Garvock Churchyard
• Glass Cemetery
• Grove Cemetery
• John Knox Churchyard
• Marykirk
• Nellfield Cemetery
• Nigg Cemetery
• Old Machar Churchyard
• Rhynie Cemetery Cemetery
• Ruthven and Cairnie
• St. Clements Kirkyard
• St. Nicholas Kirkyard
• St. Peter's Cemetery
• Trinity Cemetery 
• Ythanwells Cemetery

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 Indexes expands sasines index coverage

Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) has expanded its land records collection with additional indexes to the sasines registers. The site now offers the following indexes:

• General Register of Sasines covering all counties from 1 January 1777 to 31 December 1779.
• Particular Register of Sasines for the counties of Stirling, Clackmannan and the Stewartry of Menteith (part of Perthshire) covering from 30 November 1726 to 27 December 1734.
• Particular Register of Sasines for the counties of Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles covering from 14 February 1622 to 16 March 1622 and the year 1780, as well as entries from the General Register for the same counties in 1780. 

For access to the indexes visit https://www.scottishindexes.com/sasinesearch.aspx. For more on the records visit https://www.scottishindexes.com/learningsasines.aspx.

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.