Canada’s Newspaper Heritage at LAC

Without responding directly to criticism LAC has a new blog post on newspapers.

The best news is near the end ... "LAC also is developing an updated strategy to address our newspaper collection." Will it be done internally or seek advice from external, including international sources?

Genetic Genealogy Ireland: BTOP & GGI return to Belfast

An announcement from Maurice Gleeson.

Genetic Genealogy Ireland: BTOP & GGI return to Belfast: The dates for Back to Our Past and Genetic Genealogy Ireland have been announced for next year in Belfast. Once again, this will be a 2-d...

FamilySearch updates 1881 census of England and Wales: looking back

Once upon a time, many years ago, an index to the 1881 census of England and Wales was made available, the first such census to be fully indexed. That distant era was 1996 which saw the end of an eight-year project involving more than 13,000 volunteers transcribing and checking nearly one and a quarter million pages of the census. It was a cooperative project of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Federation of Family History Societies and UK Public Record Office (forerunner of TNA). The initial release was on microfiche as counties became available. Later it was made available on CD, then online.

Fast forward to 30 July 2018 and FamilySearch announces an update to its version of the England and Wales Census 1881 to contain 26,124,851 records stating "The images and index is provided by FindMyPast.com." Good to see how far that pioneering work of volunteers has taken us, and the stimulus it provided to private enterprise to the extent that instant access to indexed censuses and other major official records are now taken for granted.

Information on the indexing history was taken from Massive British Census Project Over, an article in Anglo-Celtic Roots, Vol 2, No 3 (1996) by Wayne Walker.

British Newspaper Archive additions for July

The British Newspaper Archive now has a total of 26,868,088 pages (26,297,490 last month).

The 12 papers (34 last month) with new pages online this month include 3 (16) new to the collection.

The focus has been on adding multiple years for a newspaper rather than one or two for many titles.

Five of the seven papers with more than 10,000 pages added are Irish:

Irish Independent
92442 pages added
1912-1913, 1915, 1989-1990, 1993-1997, 1999-2000

Oxfordshire Weekly News
22102 pages added
1869-1895, 1898-1926

Belfast Telegraph
12700 pages added
1913-1916, 1918-1920

Evening Herald (Dublin)
189316 pages added
1897, 1899, 1901, 1907, 1925, 1951, 1986-1987, 1990, 1994-1996, 1998, 2001-2002

Liverpool Echo
144696 pages added
1968, 1971-1973, 1975-1984, 1986-1988

Freeman's Journal
34854 pages added
1912-1924

Sligo Champion
12566 pages added
1983, 1988-1995

I'd love to be able to report of newspapers digitized by Library and Archives Canada during the month.

OGS August Webinar: Debra Dudek

Thursday, August 2, 2018 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Presentation: Crime, Prison, and Punishment: Researching UK Criminal and Prisoner Records Online
Presenter: Debra Dudek

Whether by choice or circumstance, some of your ancestors may have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. The vast array of criminal and prison records available online and at the National Archives in Kew can offer researchers a great deal of information for their ancestors in a pre-census world. Webinar descriptions and links to register are on the OGS website.

Showing Library and Archives Canada the way

I let out a cheer on reading toward the end of the article Expanded Colonist archive offers 1960s history at your fingertips from the Victoria Times Colonist.

It quotes Dave Obee, editor and publisher of the Times Colonist, that digitally preserving its archives and making them freely available is not the only thing that makes this online record unique.

“This thing has really changed the way B.C. history is being researched,” said Obee.
“More and more information is available now because of this project,” he said. “It has really made a difference.”
Obee said one remarkable moment was when the T’exelcemc People, the Williams Lake First Nation, successfully sued for compensation over the theft of their village site, using a letter from the newspaper as part of their case.
A piece of the T’exelcemc evidence was a letter, published on Nov. 7, 1879, in the Daily British Colonist, from Chief William of the Williams Lake First Nation, who detailed the lands from which his people had been pushed.
“I wouldn’t have expected to see that kind of result,” Obee said. “That [Chief William’s letter] only came to light because the Colonist had been digitized.”
“With something like this at hand you can almost rewrite the whole way history is even done,” he said.

Exceptional community leadership made this happen in Victoria.
Not all places are so fortunate.
Help in fulfilling the promise of Truth and Reconciliation does not just come from digitizing a few indigenous publications as Library and Archives Canada did, and then only because of special funding.
Library and Archives Canada has no champion librarian for newspapers on staff and has deliberately abrogated it's leadership role under the Federal-Provincial Decentralized Program for Canadian Newspapers.
When will it take that responsibility seriously?

The Department Store Museum

Remember the department stores, many long gone? The on-line museum of North America's independent department stores has information on some of them.

Vancouver: Woodward's, Meier & Frank Co., Nordstrom
Calgary: Hudson's Bay Co.
Edmonton: Eaton's, Woodward's
Winnipeg: Easton's, The Hudson's Bay Co.
Toronto: Eaton's, Holt Renfrew
Ottawa: Ogilvy's (I worked there during the Christmas rush 1966)
Montreal: Eaton, Holt Renfrew, Simpsons, Duouis, Morgan's

The History of Canada’s National Flag

The Historical Society of Ottawa celebrated Canada's sesquicentennial, and the fiftieth anniversary of the maple leaf flag, by publishing
Controversy, Compromise and Celebration: The History of Canada’s National Flag.
My friend Glenn Wright, the author, will be signing copies of his book, the definitive history, on Wednesday 1 August, 11 am - 1 pm at Prospero Books, 128 Bank Street in Ottawa.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

War's Fatal Attraction
In the final BBC Radio 4 Reith Lecture for 2018 Margaret MacMillan, speaking at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, examines how we remember and represent war in art.

YouTube: Thinking About War
Margaret MacMillan addresses Congress 2018 of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 27 May in Regina; a condensed version of her Reith Lectures. Sadly, the audio is poor, nothing like BBC Radio 4 standards.

Georgian Papers Programme
An initiative of King's College London and the Royal Archives to enrich public historical understanding of Britain, George III, British monarchy and a crucial period in British and world history.

YouTube: What ancient DNA can teach us about migration in prehistory | Professor Ian Barnes |

The Past on Glass: Digitising the Knights-Whittome Glass Plate Negative Collection in Sutton Archives
Thanks to Jane MacNamara for the tip.

The Robots are Coming? Libraries and Artificial Intelligence

How to Say “No” Gracefully and Uncommit
From the Tim Ferris podcast (show), a reading of two chapters from Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.
The first, chapter 11 in the book, explains how to say “no” gracefully (and why most of us have trouble doing this in the first place), and the second gives ways to cut our losses and uncommit in the aftermath of a premature “yes.”
The first 4 minutes and 30 seconds is ads and ado.

From Velcro to Viagra: 10 products that were invented by accident

Black sarcophagus of DOOM opened
The miasmic nameless horror will spread over the world and swallow us all until we hear naught but the grinding of gizzard stones and taste naught but the burning bitterness of stomach acid for all eternity.

Further PDFs of Scottish records on Findmypast

Three collections were posted this week.

Scotland, Edinburgh Marriages 1595-1800 (over 2,400 PDF images)
Scotland, Testaments 1514-1800 (over 2,800 PDF images)
Scotland, Edinburgh Apprentices 1583-1700 (206 PDF images)

They are searchable PDFs of publications by the Scottish Record Society.

First World War Art: picturing the unimaginable

On Monday 30 July Pinhey’s Point Foundation presents a talk by Dr. Brian Foss, Director of the School for Studies in Art and Culture at Carleton University, historian of Canadian art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
"The First World War was an event of unimaginable violence and horror that killed or wounded 40 million people. This talk explores how visual artists used their work both to record the war and to try to come to terms with its trauma."
The talk at the Pinhey’s Point Historic Site starts at 7 pm. Admission free. Refreshments follow each lecture.

Harry F. Allardice: CWGC Beechwood

Harry Frank Allardice was born 24 May 1888 in Fulham and baptized on 15 July that year. He migrated to Canada in 1907 and married Hilda Powell Chipman at Port Arthur on 30 December 1912. They moved to Ottawa where he was employed as a manager with the Silicate Brick Company, living at 133 Cartier in 1916. They had two sons, one predeceased him.
He attested with the Royal Flying Corps (RAF) as a Cadet on 3 January 1918 and was killed in an aircraft accident on 28 July 1918 at Deseronto, Ontario, having served for 207 days. He was buried on 1 August at Beechwood Cemetery in Sec. 29. D. RG 22. Grave 11.

Findmypast adds Scots Guards records

Over 34,000 new Scots Guards records have been added to Findmypast's collection of British Army Service records. 

The additions are enlistment registers for other ranks, 1799-1939 although the Scots Guards website emphasizes the period 1840-1938. Those attestation books record the place, date, and age of the soldier at the time of attestation. You will also find the soldier’s birth place, spouse’s name, marriage date, and trade prior to joining the army. The books also recorded if the individual received medals or was wounded during service, as well as the individual’s rank at the time of discharge.

The officer enlistment books for 1642-1939 provide dates of promotion to officer ranks such as lieutenant, captain, major, or lieutenant colonel. The remarks column details the officer’s mobilisation dates and resignation dates, as well as whether the officer was wounded or received medals or awards. Some records will include a date of death, especially in cases where the officer was killed in action or died of wounds.

Findmypast adds Britain, Royal Navy, Navy Lists 1827-1945

These official lists of Royal Navy Officers, 147 publications in PDF format, include an individual’s name, rank, seniority, and place of service.

The bulk of these records are for war years, 1913-20 and 1939-45. Other years are 1827,1831,1835, 1847, 1848,1849, 1850, 1852, 1855, 1856, 1862, 1864, 1868, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1881, 1884.
The sample shown indicates the information is in somewhat cryptic form. What does the number under where serving and Rank A P or S L mean?
Each volume has front material with explanation and a list of abbreviations. To get to those go to the browse version of that particular book. To do so note the volume title in the box at the top left of the page image. Access the browse version from the link Britain, Royal Navy, Navy Lists 1827-1945 image browse under Useful links and resources.

While the image above shows full first name and initials for later years there are only initials and last name.

At least some of these volumes were digitized by Google Books.

Northumberland, Parish Registers at FamilySearch

FamilySearch indicate this collection has 928,964 records in 61,776 images as of 25 July. The date range is 1538 to 1950. It's unclear how much is added in this update.
Among the commercial sites Findmypast is the best bet for Northumberland parish records with 890,126 baptisms, 842,602 marriages and 613,169 burials. Next best is The Genealogist.

LAC seeks advice on newspapers

This form has been distributed in the LAC building at 395 Wellington from 24 July.
Although the title is specific to microfilm newspapers the text is not as specific.
Not sure why LAC has not made the call for suggestions more broadly available!
Why when microfilm is on the way out is that specified in the title?
Why the short deadline?

I suppose one can take heart that some attention is being paid to the LAC newspaper collection, even if not forward thinking.

There is no indication of an address for responses. Completed forms can be left in the building.

If you'd like to provide suggestions post a comment and I'll attempt to see they get to the right person.

BIFHSGO Conference News

It's the 25th of July; have you registered for the BIFHSGO conference, 28-30 September, yet?

I woke early, rain pounding on the roof, and decided to delay no longer. The good news is that registration went oh so smoothly.

The speakers at this year’s conference, in order of distance travelling to Ottawa, are:
Dr. Bruce Durie, Edinburgh, SCT, is one of Scotland’s top genealogists. He founded the graduate program in genealogical, heraldic and paleographic studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and is a prolific author.
Diahan Southard, Coral Springs, FL, graduated with a degree in microbiology, and worked for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. She lectures worldwide about genetic genealogy and has produced video tutorials on the topic.
Mark Olsen, Salt Lake City, UT, is an expert on Family Tree Maker genealogical software. He is a graduate of BrighamYoung University.
Lynn Palermo, Simcoe, ON, is a genealogy research and writing coach, and founder of The Armchair Genealogist, an award-winning family history blog.
Linda Reid, Toronto, ON, has 35 years of genealogy experience. She teaches courses, facilitates an advanced genetic genealogy special interest group, and administers dozens of family DNA kits.
Sam Allison, Montreal, QC, is a long-time educator. His latest book is “Driv’n by Fortune: The Scots’ March to Modernity in America, 1745–1812.” He will deliver the Friday evening Whiteside Memorial Lecture.
Shirley-Ann Pyefinch, Ottawa, oversees the operations of the Ottawa Stake Family History Centre, a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. She also lectures on research resources and methods.
Leanne Cooper, Ottawa, is a federal public servant, BIFHSGO member, and blogger (leannecoopergenealogy.ca). She has spoken about her family history research and methodology at BIFHSGO meetings and conferences.
Sadie De Finney, Ottawa, has a long-standing passion for the Celtic nations, their history and folklore. She has studied cross-cultural communication at the graduate level, and applies that knowledge to genealogy and family history.

I was pleased to accept an invitation to chair one of Diahan Southard's sessions. A hard working popular speaker, she has a passion for genetic genealogy and a gift for making the technical understandable. A member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild Diahan gave one of the most memorable presentations I have ever attended, in Dublin in 2016.
You can also catch Diahan speaking at the FGS conference in Fort Wayne, 22-25 August. Following the BIFHSGO event she will be at the Genealogy Roots: The Un-Conference Experience!, Oct. 4-5, 2018 in Sandy, Utah; Alberta Genealogical Society Medicine Hat & District Branch event, 12-14 October 2018 and, My Heritage Live in Oslo, Norway, 2–4 November 2018.

Robert McGregor Stewart: CWGC Beechwood

Born on 31 March 1870 in Perthshire, Scotland, Robert McGregor Stewart enlisted in October 1917 from Victoria, BC for service with the Canadian Military Police. On 25 July 1918 while riding at the Rockcliffe Camp his horse stepped into a hole hidden by grass. Thrown over the horse's head he became unconscious on hitting the ground. Transferred to St Luke's Hospital he died four hours later from a fracture of the skull.

According to the British Colonist of 3 August 1918:

Native of Scotland
Sergt. Stewart was a native of Perthshire, Scotland. Even as a lad at school there he showed his inclination for a military life, and under his leadership in his home town in the Highlands a company of boys was organised which in time became the pride of the place.
When he reached military see he enlisted in the Royal Scots and with them got his first taste of foreign service, spending sixteen, years in India.

Served Under Kitchener
Sergt. Stewart served in Egypt under Kitchener, was at the battle of Tel-el-Kiber, and took part in the famous charge led on that occasion by the bagpipes, when the “Kilties” at the point of the bayonet carried everything before them. During the Boer war he was Q.M.S. on transport duty, conveying troops from Australia to South Africa. For this he was highly commended.
At the close of the Boer war he decided to seek his fortune in Canada, and settled in Toronto. In 1911 he crossed the continent and took up his residence In Victoria. On the outbreak of hostilities in August, 1914, he was among the first to offer his services in any capacity in which the Government might wish to use him.

"A brave soldier and a loyal subject,” is how one of his old friends speaks of him.

The Sergeant-Major was quite a renowned dancer, and when in full Highland costume, wearing all the medals he had won on one occasion or another for his beautiful performance of the national dances of the Highlands, the Highland fling, the sword dance, etc., he was a proud figure indeed. On more than one occasion he had the honor of being summoned before the late Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle to give exhibitions of these spirited and historic dances, and was much In demand for the same reason at Highland games, military sports, etc. More than once the Scottish community of Victoria has been privileged to see his fine agility in this direction.

He was the husband of Christina Jane Stewart.

MyHeritage Live, in Oslo

I'm skeptical that anyone reading this intends being in Oslo, Norway, on the weekend of 2–4 November 2018 for an event hosted by MyHeritage. There's a stellar array of guest speakers in three lecture tracks: Genealogy, DNA, and workshops – including from the US: Dick Eastman, Thomas MacEntee, Diahan Southard, Roberta Estes, Lisa Louise Cooke, Prof. Yaniv Erlich, Geoff Rasmussen, Mike Mansfield.

Please find more at https://blog.myheritage.com/2018/07/youre-invited-to-myheritages-international-user-conference/.

Do let me know if you're going. I may have a bonus for you.

BTW:  I continue gaining in respect for My Heritage resources. Recently I was impressed by the capabilities demonstrated in Everything you need to know about Genealogical Charts and Reports
by Uri Gonen of MyHeritage. Uri, a Canadian living in Torotno, will also be speaking in Oslo.

Can we look forward to a MyHeritage Live in Canada some day?

Family Tree Magazine: August issue

This August issue arrived in my inbox on 2 July! It has a focus on occupations: I'd better get down to the job of looking at the contents before the September issue arrives on 31 July.

Here's the complete table of contents.

• Family history news: Gen up on the latest genealogy news with Karen Clare, plus enter our fantastic Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee coin competition!
  Sense of humour is their strongest characteristic according to a survey completed by 20,000 English people. Who knew?

• Discover the history in heraldry: A beginner’s guide, Chris Paton explains the value of coats of arms in your research.
• The great influenza pandemic of 1918: Keith Gregson reports on the global tragedy that affected our families.
  An overview with a couple of case studies. I'll have more from a local perspective in mid-October, a hundred years since the peak of the pandemic deaths in Ottawa.
  
• Family Tree Academy: Grow your research skills with our Family Tree Academy, tutored by expert genealogist David Annal.
• Taken a DNA test? Now what? DNA demystified with Karen Evans.
  What to do when there's no family tree attached to your match.
  
• The lunch hour genealogist: Rachel Bellerby provides 60 minutes of family history facts and fun to fit into your day.
• How to get away with murder! Literally... Adèle Emm investigates a spousal defence popular with Victorian criminals.
• Twiglets: Follow the exploits of tree-tracing diarist Gill Shaw.
• Just the job! How to research your ancestors’ work: Try our 10 top tactics to learn about your relatives’ working lives, with Helen Tovey.
  Full of online resources. Did you know there's a website listing UK museums, large and small, at www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Museums/.

• Discover Evidentree: Join Helen Barrell in exploring a free new website to help you connect with fellow genealogists.
  Upload your GEDCOM file to www.evidentree.com to see which other researchers have the same name or place interests as you.
• Spotlight on... Norfolk Family History Society: Find out what's on offer at this friendly society, with Roger Morgan.
• Exploring your ancestors’ occupational records: Dig deeper with Paul F Cockburn’s masterclass on employment and business records relating to your kin.
• Research zone: In their own words: Get to grips with the obsolete or confusing words in family history records. Simon Wills explains.
• Family Tree Subscriber Club: Join our exclusive Subscriber Club to benefit from special competitions and offers.
• In search of Dad: With the help of DNA testing, Julie Bedwell uncovers secrets her father took to his grave.
• Celebrating 20 years of Free UK Genealogy: Family historians have been reaping the fruits of FreeBMD for two decades. Helen Tovey celebrates the fantastic free resources from its parent website.
  Thank the 6,500 volunteers who have made available online:-34 million people from the censuses, 1841-1891 at FreeCen-42 million records from parish registers at FreeReg-342 million births, marriages and deaths at FreeBMD

• Techy tips for family historians: Paul Carter reveals how to get the best from digital devices, websites, software and apps.
• Books: Family history reads with Karen Clare.
  Featured is a book by Ian  G. Macdonald, a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde,  "sure to become THE genealogists’ sources and citations bible for years to come. ISBN: 9780750986885. From The History Press."
• Peterloo, politics & parish clues: Find out how Ruth Maguire unearthed a family connection to the infamous 1819 massacre.
• Research rarities: A royal wonder: Julie Goucher explores a little-known website.
• Your Q&As: advice: Benefit from the know-how of our regular family history experts Jayne Shrimpton, Mary Evans and Tim Lovering, plus specialist guests.
• Diary Dates: Genealogical dates for your calendar this August.
• Mailbox: Delve into our latest postbag, plus crossword answers and Keith Gregson’s Snippets of War.
• Next issue: A peek at some of your September issue treats.
• Your adverts 
• Thoughts on... Tuck into some regal chit-chat with our columnist Diane Lindsay.

YouTube: Software & Tools for Genetic Genealogy

Now posted on YouTube, a two part presentation by Maurice Gleeson given in Auckland, New Zealand (not Durham).

The first part deals with autosomal DNA

The one-liner worth taking away to that any match over 100 cM is worth exploring. Aside from known relatives I have no matches that large. However, I have found relatives by matching surnames and places with people who whom I share less than 100 cM.

The second deals with Y-DNA

The Canadian Merchant Navy War Dead Registry

Veterans Affairs Canada has a searchable index to the names of seamen who were killed while serving in Canada's Merchant Marine. The date range I found was 1915 to 1947.
These mariners should also be found in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, which typically have a bit more information. For common names it may be easier to find them in the VAC database.

The VAC database can also be used to search for the names of 625 Canadian Merchant Navy vessels on which they served.

The photo is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

BBC Reith Lectures
Managing the Unmanageable
In the fourth lecture for 2018 historian Margaret MacMillan assesses how the law and international agreements have attempted to address conflict. Speaking to an audience at the Northern Irish Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast, Professor MacMillan outlines how both states and the people have sought to justify warfare - from self-defence to civil war - focusing on examples from Irish and British history.

Land of the Lost: Digital Projects and Longevity
Digital permanence and historical digital projects. - includes a list of 16 Favourite Digital Projects and 4 Chronic Offenders (CBC Digital Archives, Canadiana, Library and Archives Canada,
Virtual Museum of Canada’s older Community Stories).

Why Digital Archives Expand Access and Awareness
Top Tips for Research Trips: Making the Most of Your Visit to the Archives
The Home Guard
Do you really need to properly eject a USB drive before yanking it out?
Illiberal, authoritarian government .. China and the USA
PBS Announces Fall 2018 Primetime Schedule
Omega 3 supplements don’t protect against heart disease – new review
How sweet it isn't

Lancashire parish records on Findmypast

Lancashire parish records are now in Findmypast's collection.

Baptisms, 1538 to 1917
Over 1.1 million baptism register records from 191 Lancashire parishes. See a transcript and an image of the original register.

Banns & Marriages, 1538 to 1932
Covering 194 Lancashire parishes, containing over 713,000 records the transcript and image of the original register give a combination of the couples' names, birth years, occupations, marriage date, marriage location, parents' names, father's occupations and the names of any witnesses and whether married by banns or licence.

Burials, 1538 to 1991
For 123 parishes and over 712,000 records, these burial records, transcripts and images, show name, where the burial took place, as well as age at the time of death.

These collections of Lancashire parish baptisms, marriages, banns and burials provided by Lancashire Archives are also available to browse.

Ancestry has Lancashire parish records too.

You can stay in touch with developments at the Lancashire Archives through their newsletter.

Did you know the Lancashire Archives has an online search capability for the names of police officers, particularly those who served with the Lancashire County Constabulary from the force's inception in 1840 up to 1925?

Discover: the Magazine of the National Library of Scotland

The Summer issue of this free magazine is now online.

It's in three sections the third of which includes "Latest online maps and resources: Charting the country’s historic tourist, road and rail routes"

• MAPS OF SCOTLAND BY COMMERCIAL MAPMAKERS, 1840s-1940s
• NEW GAZETTEER FOR SEARCHING ORDNANCE SURVEY SIX-INCH TO THE MILE, 1888-1913 MAPS
• BARTHOLOMEW’S REVISED HALF-INCH MAPS OF GREAT BRITAIN, 1940-1947
• ORDNANCE SURVEY BOOKS OF REFERENCE, 1859-1882

The Call to Duty: Canada's Nursing Sisters - a Co-Lab Challenge

Letters, diaries and photographs of four Canadian nursing sisters who served during the Great War are now available for LAC Co-Lab transcription.

Follow these nurses as they witness the destruction of war, participate in social events, and help patients, as you transcribe, translate, tag and/or describe their writings and photographs.

The material available is from:
Sophie Hoerner, born Montreal she served with 15 Canadian General Hospital, 
Dorothy Cotton, born Kingston she served at 3 General Hospital,
Ann E Ross, born Kingston she served in Greece and England, and
Ruby Peterkin, born Toronto she served with the 5 British General Hospital and 4 General Canadian Hospital.

Canadian BMDs in Irish civil registration

FamilySearch just added Ireland Civil Registration, 1845-1913 with 2,009,643 events. It has birth records for the period 1864-1913, marriages for 1845-1870, and deaths for 1864-1870. These are indexes, no images.
FmilySearch has had since June 2015 an Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958 collection which has 23,023,320 events.
I notice this new collection includes quite a few events in the US and Canada! If you're missing a BMD registration for an Irish person overseas the new collection may be somewhere you'd want to look.
Are these an Irish version of the consular records, RG 32 to 36 from the UK National Archives, found in Ancestry's UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969?

Findmypast and Living DNA partnership

It's announced. Both companies are British. Individually they have strength the other can't match so they're a good complement.

The FAQ includes the rationale.

Why has Findmypast chosen to partner with Living DNA now?
We’ve made every effort to find a DNA company to partner with that provides the most benefit for those looking to explore their British and Irish roots. The unique British and Irish regional breakdown Living DNA provides makes this possible, perfectly combining with our unrivaled collection of British and Irish historical records. It’s this powerful combination that makes this partnership the perfect marriage of science and history.

Hopefully the partnership will bring Living DNA clients more than ancestral regions. The ability to connect with living relatives has been long promised. The announcement claims that's COMING SOON. "Our intuitive matching system will take the hard work out of building a family tree. You can even contact living relatives if you both choose to do so. All at no extra cost."

Surnames Resource

Curious about the surnames in your family tree? There are lots of resources, especially from the Guild of One-Name Studies and now that DNA surname studies are well established.
I recently came across retired University of Winnipeg geographer Howard Mathieson’s Geography of Surnames website devoted to the study of English, Scottish and Irish surnames.
Going along the ribbon, after the introduction which shows his pedigree as a geographer there are sections on place and occupational surnames. Under Surname Themes there are sections on distinctive Cornish, Welsh and Border Reiver surnames, and for Ireland Ulster and Norman origin names.
Recommended Reading — 14 useful references.

Check out the drop-downs under "Odds and Ends".

• The Scotland Parish Atlas is a Google Earth research tool which brings together finding aids for Scottish genealogy. You download a .kmz file which opens as a Google Earth overlay. It shows county and parish boundaries and over 2,000 links to external web pages relating to Scottish genealogy.
• The Highland Clearances
• Cartographic Astrology — why Origenes is nonsense.
• The Monastic Atlas and Gazetteer of Ireland — a Google Earth download
• Population change in Ireland — famine maps
• Size can be deceiving!

Genealogy moves further online

Have you noticed the trend?

The Virtual Genealogical Association, founded on 27 April 2018 as the Virtual Genealogical Society, aims to provide a forum for genealogists to connect, network, and mentor with genealogists around the world through monthly meetings online, webinars, social networking, annual conferences, and in-person meet-ups at conferences, institutes and events around the world.

Active since June 2018 the VGA is offering 3 webinars a month, a three day virtual conference at the start of November (extra cost, discount for members) and other benefits for $20 US annual fee.

The Québec Genealogical eSociety, launched in January 2018, provides a virtual environment enabling members to:

• participate and share in their genealogical research.
• network with other genealogists.
• pursue their growth as genealogists, either by coaching others or by being coached.
• conduct continuous improvement and development of best practices in the discipline of genealogy.

There is a monthly webinar and access to the BMS2000 and the PRDH databases. A 1 year membership is $45 Cdn.

DNA Central was created in 2017 and 2018 by Blaine Bettinger to help educate the millions of people taking DNA tests every year. Present offerings are:

• 10 self-guided DNA courses, with more coming soon! 
• Bi-weekly newsletter with the latest news & developments! 
• Growing webinar and short video library!

DNA Central aims to become THE premiere location for DNA education of all kinds, with articles, newsletters, videos, webinars, and much more! Annual Membership is $99 US.

Active since October 2014 so not as new an initiative, The Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research offers courses on a wide variety of genealogical subjects, consisting of:

• six hours of instruction from a (US) nationally recognized expert
• extensive syllabus material
• practical exercises

Also offered are occasional webinars. 

There is no membership fee, each course or webinar is individually priced.

Don't overlook online resources available free or as part of the membership of more established organizations — you may already be a member.

FamilySearch adds British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices

5,899,982 index records of birth, marriage and death notices from the British Newspaper Archive are now available thanks to  FamilySearch's cooperation with Findmypast.

This sample shows the information given in the index, note there is no source information. Links to the original image are only available to LDS members or if accessing from a Family History Centre or affiliated library.

Ancestry adds Cambridgeshire records

Cambridgeshire, England, Electoral Registers, Burgess Rolls and Poll Books, 1722 -1966 has 1,694,140 records — individuals who were eligible to vote during the time the register was in force.

There is no discernible pattern to years covered. There are no records for 1916, 1917 and 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944. Electoral registers are indexed every fifth year. There are links to the original printed record which was indexed using text recognition.

Cambridgeshire, England, Juror Books, 1828-1883 contain 20,157 names of those qualified to serve as a juror in the county of Cambridgeshire between the years 1828 and 1883. It includes entries for the historic county of Huntingdonshire and the historic region of the Isle of Ely. There are links to the original handwritten records.

The Genealogy Show: talks

Now posted, the schedule of talks for this event, 7-8 June 2019 at the NEC in Birmingham.

There are six one-hour sessions each day with four options for each session. It's an impressive list of international speakers. 

Booking opens soon.

Gene-o-Rama 2019

OGS Ottawa Branch have planned well ahead and booked the Confederation Education Centre (1645 Woodroffe Ave at W Hunt Club Rd) for Gene-O-Rama 2019 on 5-6 April.

Little else is known yet about the program although a Genealogy Workshop for Beginners on Friday is planned. The Branch website will have news on further program developments.

Seaside Postcards

Summer weather leads me to recall experiences of my childhood in Norfolk.

A parade of shops across from the beach at Gorleston-on-Sea offered everything the holidaymaker could desire: a BINGO parlour, ice cream, candy floss, buckets and spades to build sandcastles, inflatable beach balls, sunhats, canvas wind shelters, deck chairs, swimsuits, suntan oil, calamine lotion, tea and scones, fish and chips, pinball machines, a laughing policeman, sticks of rock candy with Gorleston all the way through, and postcards — pictorial and saucy like the one here with the caption "Oh, Darling, do bury me in the Sand!"

This blog post from the Essex Archives has examples from further south down the North Sea coast.

The genealogy illusion

A 2,00 word article in Friday's Globe and Mail by Carl Zimmer concludes with .... the most important lesson is that we don't inherit our essence from some particular ancestors. We inherit all of history, our lives shaped by the broad trends of the societies in which we and our ancestors lived.

The article  summarizes Zimmer's book She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity, current #5,414 on Amazon's bestselling books list.

The OPL has 10 holds on 2 copies of the downloadable audio-book version and 28 holds on 10 hard-copies.

Thanks to Glenn Wright and Patricia Barlosky for bringing the book to my attention.

Digital Toronto and Ontario City Directories

On 9 July from the Toronto Public Library, Local History & Genealogy Digital City Directories - A Great Resource to Research the History of Ontario Places. It includes links to Toronto directories published from 1833 to 1969 digitized by the TPL. Also sources for other Ontario communities, more than 1,000 digital Ontario city directories originally published between 1853 and 2013, including local initiatives by the Burlington and Oshawa Public Libraries.

CEF Service Files Digitization Update for July 2018

As of 15 July 2018 there are 608,399 (601,736 last month) of about 640,000 files available online in the LAC Personnel Records of the First World War database.

The latest box available is 10,449 (10,331) and last name Wilson (Whitte).

The pace of reported digitization is down by 2,870 files from the previous month which was more than 1,100 less than the prior month. It looks very much as if the reporting is being managed to allow finishing the project at the centennial of Armistice Day.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Canada's population clock (real-time model)

From Statistics Canada, Canada's population clock is an interactive learning tool for all Canadians. It uses the agency's quarterly demographic estimates to give Canadians a sense of the pace of Canada's population renewal. The population clock also models how often, and where, births, deaths and migrations are occurring.


Is Facebook the future of the national census?
Syncroton recovers daguerreotype lost to tarnish
Civilians and War - the third of Margaret MacMillan's BBC Reith Lectures 2018.
New DNA sample could prove whether Richard III was guilty of murdering the 'Princes in the Tower'

Findmypast adds Berkshire and Durham Registers & Records

Additions this week are:

Parish Registers of Leckhamstead, Berkshire, 1558-1812 –  baptisms, marriages, and burials

Parish Registers of St Mary, Reading, Berkshire,1538-1812 – in two volumes.
Volume one contains baptisms and includes a list of vicars with brief biographies; volume two marriages and burials.

For Durham find Parish Registers of St Nicholas, 1590-1812; St Margaret’s, 1558-1812; St Mary in the South Bailey, 1559-1812; Bishop Middleham, 1559-1812; the Ancient Chapel of Esh in Lanchester, 1567-1812; St Mary le Bow, 1571-1812; Winston, 1572-1812; Whickham, 1579-1812 – marriages and banns; Whitburn, 1579-1812; Ryton, 1581-1812 – marriages and banns; Coniscliffe, 1590-1812; Stanhope, 1613-1812; Whorlton, Castle Eden & Middleton St George 1616-1812; Ebchester, 1619-1812; Dalton-Le-Dale, Seaham & Sherburn Hospital, 1646-1812. Also Antiquities of Sunderland and Its Vicinity, published 1904.

Walter Edward Arden: CWGC Beechwood

Walter Edward Arden, born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, emigrated in 1913, and enlisted as Private in December 1915, one month short of his 42nd birthday, giving his occupation as weaver.
He proceeded to Europe with the 109th Battalion and served for a year in France with the 4th Labour Battalion.
He was hospitalized with illness diagnosed as carcinoma of the rectum which was inoperable. Returned to Canada he died of cardiac failure on 14 July 1918 and interred two days later in Section 29. 13-14. 24 at Beechwood Cemetery.
His next of kin was his mother, Julia Ann Smith Arden who lived in various locations in Ottawa.

OGS Toronto Branch Courses: Fall 2018

OGS Toronto Branch is offering four courses at the Toronto Reference Library this Fall.

Using Ancestry.ca Library Edition & FamilySearch.org
Three-week afternoon course: Thursdays, Sept 20, 27 and Oct 4.

Basic Genealogy and Family History
Eight-week evening course: Tuesdays Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and Nov. 6, 13, and 20

Advanced Research Skills
Three week afternoon course: Nov. 7, 14 and 21

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy
Three week evening course:  Nov. 7, 14 and 21

Find out more here.

Mail Order Brides from England?

An interesting situation is described in the WDYTYA Magazine Forum, what appears to be an arranged marriage of a man of British origin in Revelstoke, BC, taking place 10 days after the bride's arrival, She was 22 years younger than him.
It's a twofer! She was travelling with another women who also married shortly after arrival in Revelstoke, although the bride and groom were much closer in age.

Manitoba Online Historical Photos Research

The Ancestor Hunt has a new post on Manitoba historical photo resources, 14 sites that are "just a sampling of some of the larger collections. By no means is this an exhaustive list. Almost every city and county library in the province, college and university library, as well as historical society has a photo collection. Many are not available online, yet many do have online access."

Check it out at http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/manitoba-online-historical-photos-research#.W0ahIdJKiUk

The image is from Library and Archives Canada's Flickr feed.

FamilySearch adds Great Britain, War Office Registers, 1772-1935

FamilySearch describes these as "a variety of records ... availability may vary by record type, year, and locality ... may include records from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland."
A search yields Name, Event Type, Event Place, Birthplace, Birth County, and a link to an image of the original record.
Only registered LDS members can view the image remotely, others need to be at an LDS Family History Centre or affiliate library.
The 47,992 records are sourced from WO 25 at the (UK) National Archives Kew.
Library and Archives Canada holds microfilm copies of some of the WO 25 volumes relating to regiments that served in Canada. There's a list here.

Free Access to American Ancestors

The following is from the NEHGS.

American Ancestors is granting FREE access to ALL online databases—highlights include early New England collections (including the world's largest Mayflower database) and Boston's Catholic records from 1789 to 1900 —from now through Tuesday, July 17th.

You can use your free guest membership to search more than 1.4 billion names on AmericanAncestors.org this week.

Note: As I recall the resources also include some content from Atlantic Canada, for antecedents of Loyalist ancestors, as well as for those of disloyal rebels (whom some call Patriots).

Irish Lives Remembered: Spring 2018

The new issue of this free to download magazine is out. Here's what's in it.

Fiona Fitzsimons - Mark Hamill’s Irish Great-Great-Grandparent Mary Harvey: One of Mark’s Many Irish Ancestors
Maureen Wlodarczyk - Francis Kilkenny and the Irish Home-Going Association
Brian Mitchell - The Derry/Londonderry Corporation Minute Books. A Valuable Tool for Researching 17th and 18th Century Derry City Ancestors. Case Study: The Crook-
shanks
Eamonn ‘Ned’ Kelly - The Galmoylestown Bell. Is it the Bell of St. Munna?
Kealan McCormack and Lorna Moloney - Knowing Nenagh: Nenagh Castle and the
Franciscan Friary
Michèle Castiaux - Irish Geological Association Archive Project
Maurice Gleeson - Y-DNA, Quiche, and Surname Projects
Nathan Mannion - Extraordinary Educators: Professor Michael Kelly SJ: Zambia’s
Grandfather of Education
Paul MacCotter - The Surname O’Dunne

Columns
Dear Genie - Your genealogy problems solved
Jayne Shrimpton - [Photodetective] Photo of my Grandfather - But with Which Wife?
Patrick Roycroft - [Patrick’s Page: Tales from the Frontline of Irish Genealogy] He was
Walking out with Nothing. Until I Asked a Simple Question. And then ....
Niall Cullen - Connecting Across Oceans with Findmypasts Catholic Heritage Archive

Books and Journals
Damian Shiels - [Book Excerpt] Bridget Tiernan and Her Family. From Misery in County Roscommon to Hell in New York City. From: The Forgotten Irish: Irish Emigrant Experiences in America
Fiona Fitzsimons - [Book Review] Ships from Ireland to Early America 1623-1850‭

Find it at https://irishlivesremembered.ie/latest-edition/

Celebrating the Secret Bench of Knowledge

 Monday 8 July 2018 saw the unveiling of a information plaque for The Secret Bench of Knowledge, the iconic installation in front of the Library and Archives Canada building at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa.
Artist Lea Vivot and Librarian and Archivist of Canada Guy Berthiaume performed the ceremony with a contingent of LAC staff looking on.
The plaque recognizes that the work was donated by Eugene Boccia (1931 - 2009) of Toronto on 1 May 1994.

Following the ceremony Ms Vivot decided a bit of a touch up was required.

Ottawa History: there's a *NEW* app for that

The City of Ottawa’s Archives presents the new Time Traveller app for mobile devices – now available on the Apple and Google Play stores.
Presently 70 items of all types, from 1867 to 2014, from disaster to Elvis Presley, are available—there's bound to be something new to you. Did you know Ottawa had a Flying Saucer Research Station?

For each item there's a description, map and list of sources. City Archivist Paul Henry tells me more items are coming. Access is through a timeline, map or lucky-dip.

Find out more at https://ottawa.ca/en/news/power-travel-back-ottawas-history-now-your-hands-new-time-traveller-app/.

Researching Your Family in Bristol (Quebec)

In an unusual local summer meeting Gloria Tubman will speak to the Norway Bay & Bristol Historical Society on Wednesday 11 July, 2018 at 10 am at the Jack Graham Bristol Community Centre, 32 Aylmer Rd.,Bristol, QC

Resources that any person can use to research their family history will be demonstrated by using examples pertaining to residents of Bristol township. Snippets of the township history could be included with some resources.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Last minute reminder about Westboro Beach Cafe Meetup

The weather look great for the meetup today, Sunday, at noon at the beach. Sunscreen and eclectic hats recommended.
See information here.

FreeBMD July update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Friday 6 July 2018 to contain 268,527,035 distinct records (268,252,090 at the previous update). This was a much shorter period between updates than typical, 11 days short of a month.
Years with updates of more than 5,000 records are for births 1978, 1980-83; for marriages 1966, 1980, 1982; for deaths 1981-83.

Your DNA could help Commemorate the Missing of the Great War

The Commemorating the Missing project was conceived as part of the general commemorative activities associated with the centenary of the Great War 1914-1918.  The focus is commemorating the 338,000 Allied Soldiers who are still missing from World War I and whose bodies have never been found.

According to Veterans Affairs Canada of the 66,000 members of Canadian Forces killed during the First World War 19,660 have no known grave. 1,285 are commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, 6,994 at the Menin Gate in Ypres and 814 on the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel.

It is not possible to distinguish between those unknown soldiers buried in unidentified graves and those who have not been buried, and therefore missing-in-action. Based on Commonwealth War Graves Commission statistics for an estimated two-thirds, perhaps 13,000 Canadians, their remains are where they fell.

Every year 30-60 of the missing are unearthed. Some are identified, either based on surviving artifacts, or through DNA tests which are becoming more frequently used. These missing soldiers are the targets in the Commemorating the Missing project. People are encouraged to “plant a tree” (i.e. the soldier’s family tree) on the EveryOneRemembered website, as well as details of any DNA tests done by his relatives.

Although the chances are "one in a million" that your DNA could help identify a missing soldier, you can still use it to create a genealogical and genetic memorial. So if you have a missing soldier relative and have taken a DNA test it will cost just a little of your time to prepare a memorial page with basic genealogical information for the soldier, a link to your DNA results and indication of the relationship. It could just be the information needed to give him a name and proper commemoration.

Start at https://commemoratingthemissing.blogspot.com/.

A tip of the hat to Maurice Gleeson for information.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

The 100 Best Android Apps of 2018, from PCMag
The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikes
If You Say Something Is “Likely,” How Likely Do People Think It Is?

Margaret McMillan's Reith Lectures 2018
The first two of the five lecture series are now available as podcasts with transcripts
War and Humanity
Fearing and Loving: Making Sense of the Warrior

Department stores are not doomed – take a look at who’s doing it right
Includes five strategies equally applicable to family history societies.

A Twist On Charles Dickens: He Was A Public Health Pioneer Too

Meteorological Limericks (found on an old hard drive)

RAINBOW
There was a young rainbow called Norm,
Who was so very keen to perform
That on his first try
He straddled the sky
Before, instead after the storm!

CLOUDS
In a sky of the deepest of blue
Two Cumulae grew and grew.
When tea time had come
One said to its chum :
"Shall I pour dear, or will you ?"

Recent FMP Additions

It's somewhat slim pickings this week from Findmypast.

Over 9,000 additional transcript records of Thames & Medway baptisms for the parish of St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich between 1837 and 1851.

Over 6,000 new transcript records foe Thames & Medway burials for the parish of St Nicholas in Deptford between 1813 and 1847. The entire collection now includes over 201,000 records covering parts of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey and Kent.

Transcript parish register entries, Parish Registers of Orwell, 1560-1837  and St Michael's, Cambridge, 1538-1837 in the Cambridgeshire Registers & Records collection.


Transcript parish registers from Great Hampden (1557 - 1812) and Stewkeley (to ca 1650)  are now in the collection Buckinghamshire Registers & Records. Also now available is a historical guide to the county's Highways & Byways.

Lost Cousins

Experienced researchers with family history in England and Wales know Peter Calver's Lost Cousins newsletter is a must read. Peter has his ear to the ground for developments and bargains and brings you that news, usually 2 or 3 times a month with occasional specials. Subscribe so you don't miss out here.

Norm Christie: Pinhey's Point Foundation Lecture on Monday

Pinhey's Point is a great place to visit. Combine it with a talk at 7 pm on Monday 7 July by one of this country's best known media historians.

The forecast for Monday is for a mix of sun and cloud, high 30.

Find it here.

The Genealogist adds 116,218 records to the Poll Book collection

Below is news from The Genealogist about additions to the Poll Book collection.

The database allows researchers to:
● Discover ancestors who had the vote
● Find where they were registered to cast their ballot
● Discover the nature of their qualification to vote, such as possessing a Corn Warehouse, a
Workshop, a House, or owning a Brewhouse
● These Poll Books range from 1705 to the 1830s.

The records cover 18 different registers of people who were entitled to vote in between 1705 and the
1830s and covers constituencies situated in Abingdon, Bristol, Hampshire, Somerset, Suffolk,
Maidstone, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and York.

These records have been transcribed by volunteers at UKindexer.co.uk which brings
benefits to the volunteers as well as the wider family history community.

They join the millions of electoral resources on TheGenealogist which include Electoral registers,
Voters lists and Absentee Voters.

Read more at:
https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2018/researching-poll-books-discovers-how-iohn-
constables-family-voted-861/

Medical Officer of Health Reports for Aberdeen City

MOH reports for Aberdeen from 1890, 1895, 1900 and 1902 - 1971 with combined reports for war years, are now online from the Wellcome Library.
While there's no genealogical data the reports are brimming with information which help put Aberdonians in a societal context.
To illustrate I looked at the (abbreviated) report for 1915, the year my mother was born there. In that year there were 654 deaths of infants under one year of age, or 173 deaths per 1.000 births. The average rate for the preceding ten years was 132.
The excessive mortality during the year was mainly due to a considerable increase in deaths from lung diseases (pneumonia and bronchitis), from measles and whooping cough, from diseases of the digestive system, and from atrophy and debility. The increase was only slight at ages under three months, but was well marked in each subsequent quarter of the first year of life, and was most pronounced in the last quarter, where the deaths were nearly twice as numerous as usual, due mainly to measles, whooping cough, and pneumonia.
As my mother was born in the last quarter she beat the odds at birth. Her twin brother was not as fortunate.

Find the reports at https://bit.ly/2lUcMRY

24th Annual BIFHSGO Family History Conference

Another reminder about the next BIFHSGO conference coming up 28 – 30 September, 2018, and that members need to sign in to receive the member discount.
The registrar would appreciate you not leaving it until the early bird deadline.

Ancestry updates Liverpool Church of England Records

The following Ancestry collections were updated on 2 July

Liverpool, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1975, 462,236 records
Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932, 1,451,910 records
Liverpool, England, Church of England Confirmations, 1887-1921, 5,355 records
Liverpool, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1659-1812,  295,581 records
Liverpool, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1917, 1,913,014 records

Back to Our Past, Dublin, 19-21 October

Will you be in Ireland in October? If so there's a genealogy opportunity at Back to Our Past, back at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin from 19 - 21 October.

Sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and jointly organised by ISOGG volunteers from Ireland, the UK and the US, Back to Our Past features 3 days of DNA Lectures from the créme de la créme of genetic genealogists.

Find out more at https://ggi2013.blogspot.com/2018/07/back-to-our-past-2018-dublin.html.

BCGS to produce e-Journal

The following is an announcement from the British Columbia Genealogical Society.

The BCGS Board of Directors has determined that it is time to develop an electronic journal in place of our current printed quarterly of the British Columbia Genealogist - often referred to as the "Journal".
There are a number of significant pressures driving this change, most importantly (1) the need to spruce up and modernize the journal as a major outreach tool for the Society; (2) continuing budgetary increases in the cost of producing and mailing a hard copy journal; and (3) very significant savings to the Society.
It is also interesting to observe that more and more requests are being received from other genealogical societies in our exchange portfolio who want only an e-format journal.
To help us make this decision, a survey was conducted in July of 2017. Responses indicated that 86% of the members preferred an electronic publication. The results of the survey were then presented to members at the following monthly meeting.
We are preparing to transition to the electronic version of the Journal in September of 2018.

Comment:  Here's the state of Canadian Genealogical/Family History Society "journals"

British Columbia Genealogical Society -- now moving to digital
Alberta Genealogical Society -- print and digital with discount for no print
Alberta Family Histories Society -- digital
Saskatchewan Genealogical Society -- print ?
Manitoba Genealogical Society -- digital
Ontario Genealogical Society -- digital
British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa -- print and digital
Quebec Family History Society -- no information
New Brunswick Genealogical Society -- print
Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia -- digital
Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society -- newsletter - print?
Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. -- print

Some society websites are not clear about the format.

Thanks to Wayne Shepheard for corrections

FamilySearch has Welsh Marriage Bonds

There are 114,002 entries in the FamilySearch collection Wales, Marriage Bonds, 1650-1900 from the holdings of the National Library of Wales. They are listed as last updated on 3 July. About one in five are for the 18th century, most of the rest for the 19th.

Westboro Beach Genealogy Meetup

Join me at noon on Sunday, 8 July, for the annual Ottawa informal genealogy meetup. Folks look forward to it.

The forecast is sunny with a high of 29 C, probably a bit cooler by the water. Sunscreen and hats recommended.

Find out about the Westboro Beach Cafe, and remember the Parkway is closed to vehicles on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm. If driving there's free parking on Kirchoffer and Lanark Avenues and an underpass to the beach.

ScotlandsPeople adds Maps and Plans

I've blogged previously about the maps available from the National Library of Scotland. Something about them must be contagious as ScotlandsPeople have recently made available more than 2,400 historic maps, plans and drawings from National Records of Scotland (NRS) collections.

According to this post "Spanning four centuries, the collections cover both manuscript and printed topographical maps and plans. They are particularly strong in estate and railway plans; architectural drawings; and engineering drawings, particularly of ships, railway engines and rolling stock."

It appears access requires log on to ScotlandsPeople but there is no charge to view the maps and plans.

Kudos Trove

Posted on Twitter just as I was again amazed at finding another useful digitized resource on Trove .

And Library and Archives Canada? A national treasure — Yes. Completely changed the nature of research — More effort needed.

DNA Hub at Family Tree Live

News is just out that FamilyTreeDNA are sponsors of the DNA Hub at Family Tree Live, 26-27 April 2019.

As Debbie Kennett retweeted the announcement I suspect she, along with Maurice Gleeson, will be organizing as they did for WDYTYA? Live. That's as good a guarantee of quality as I can think of.

With several major UK organizations (FFHS, AGRA, SOG) as well as Family Tree Magazine behind the initiative I'm betting Family Tree Live will be well worth attending. And I may well put my money where my mouth is!

Find out more at www.family-tree.co.uk/ftre/show/family-tree-live

MyHeritage Clarification and 4th July Open Access for US Newspapers

If you have a family tree at My Heritage, I do with 136 people, you probably get periodic messages about newly found relatives. I included the tree on MyHeritage to help make DNA connections. It is not my primary database so my intention was to only include direct ancestors. Making sure the information for all the people MyHeritage found in side branches was correct, especially ancestors of spouses with no genetic connection to me, was more than I could afford time for.

I was concerned that when getting a notification clicking on confirm would add all those peripheral (to me) people automatically to my tree. Daniel Horowitz was kind enough to take the time to show me confirmation does not automatically add it to your website; there's a second step— you need to approve and go over the details. Hopefully that may be helpful to some, or am I the only one concerned?

In other news from MyHeritage, from July 3, 2018 through July 8, 2018 they are providing free access to all 23,385,114 U.S. newspaper records. Read about it here.

OGS July Webinar: Luana Darby

Thursday, 5 July, 2018 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Presentation: Surveying the Community – Finding Clues Hidden Among the Neighbors
Presenter: Luana Darby

Your ancestor’s community holds many clues and patterns that help your fill in missing pieces in your family puzzle. Often the person next door or another family in the community may hold the answers you seek. By using a combination of readily available records such as census, tax, land, maps, and cemetery records we can discover additional clues and avenues of research.

Link to register on the OGS website.

Backup Nag

Even if you don't have a habit of backing up your key files from your hard drive on a monthly basis how about semi-annually?
Now we're into the second half of the year is there's anything you're done so far you'd hate to lose?