31 January 2018

British Newspaper Archive additions for January

The British Newspaper Archive now has 23,733,593 pages (23,319,767 pages last month).
The focus of additions in January has been the Coventry Evening Telegraph with 141,426 pages, from 1972 to 1979 — accounting for 35 per cent of the additional pages. Nine years of Lloyd's List between 1889 and 1909 account for another 10 per cent.
The 31 (39 last month) papers with new pages online this month, including 12 new to the collection, are below.
TITLEYEARS
Clifton Society1891-1892, 1894-1897, 1899-1916
Ally Sloper's Half Holiday1885-1896
Pearson's Weekly1891-1911
The Sportsman1911
Birmingham Daily Post1973, 1979
St. Neots Chronicle and Advertiser1855-1873, 1875-1886
East Anglian Daily Times1910
Shipping and Mercantile Gazette1880-1881
Birmingham Daily Gazette1926, 1931
Lloyd's List1889, 1894, 1896-1897, 1904, 1906-1909
Northampton Chronicle and Echo1880-1882, 1884-1885, 1891, 1893-1894, 1896, 1899-1908, 1910, 1913-1915, 1918
Bristol Daily Post1860-1864, 1867-1873, 1875
Clifton and Redland Free Press1890-1895, 1898-1910, 1913-1931
West Middlesex Herald1855-1858, 1860-1861, 1863-1870, 1890-1895
Reading Observer1897-1898, 1900-1909, 1911-1914, 1921-1924
Kinross-shire Advertiser.1850-1852, 1879-1884, 1890, 1892, 1900-1918
Leicester Herald1827-1842
The Suffragette1912-1918
Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter1877, 1896
Coventry Evening Telegraph1972-1979
West Sussex County Times1874, 1877-1889, 1891-1892
Bristol Magpie1891, 1903, 1906-1907, 1911
Horfield and Bishopston Record and Montepelier & District Free Press1899-1911, 1913-1931
Middlesex & Surrey Express1887-1888, 1890-1895, 1899-1909
Croydon Chronicle and East Surrey Advertiser1870, 1875-1888, 1890-1892, 1894-1896, 1898-1908, 1911
Carmarthen Weekly Reporter1860, 1875-1876, 1878-1879, 1882
Windsor and Eton Express1882
Sports Argus1962
Merthyr Times, and Dowlais Times, and Aberdare Echo1895
South Wales Daily News1901
Dublin Evening Telegraph1876

FamilySearch adds Rutland Parish Registers, 1538-1991

Transcriptions of 326,083 records from the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England have been added to FamilySearch. The records include: Banns, 1653-1931; Baptisms, 1538-1916; Burials, 1538-1991; and Marriages, 1538-1931. Original data is from the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland.

Images of the originals are available remotely to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at local LDS Family History Centres.

30 January 2018

Secret Lives Conference: 31 August - 2 September 2018

If the start of this video doesn't capture your attention what will?



Else Churchill from the Society of Genealogists talks with Helen Tovey, editor of Family Tree about this exciting event.

Find the details here.

Your Irish Heritage’s Green Room – A Place to Call Home?

The following is an invited guest post by Jim Purcell drawing attention to the Green Room website, one I'd not heard of previously.

A few years back, in an effort to research my Irish roots, I found myself floundering around in my family tree on Ancestry.com. Frustrated with the many hints leading to facts that may or may not have had any relationship to my ancestors, I was linking to any possible family relations, regardless of validity. Not a great way to do genealogy, but sometimes one hits on a fortuitous outcome.
On one of these outings along a branch of my family that wasn’t part of my family, I happened upon a very friendly cousin (who wasn’t a cousin). In our zeal, we linked each other through a “common ancestor”, Patrick Purcell. Alas, her Patrick and mine were two different people. Nevertheless, Colleen pointed me to a resource that has proved to be more satisfying that even finding that elusive 4th or 5th great grandparent – The Green Room on YourIrishHeritage.com!
About 5 years ago, Mike Collins, a Corkman, began sending (for free) a “Letter From Ireland” every Sunday to subscribers interested in their Irish heritage. The letters run the gamut from descriptions of Irish history, to Celtic culture, to investigations of the homelands from whence we came. Perhaps you have heard of him and the site www.youririshheritage.com? Anxiously awaiting his newsletter every Sunday are thousands of subscribers across the world, myself included.
An offshoot of that is The Green Room, available by paid subscription to those of us who want to dig more deeply into our roots. The Green Room exists to provide a home to we descendants of the Irish diaspora, as we share in the journey to discover not only the facts of our Irish roots, but the stories, the history, and culture that each of our ancestors experienced in their lifetimes. The forum brings our family trees to life and connects us with “family” from New Zealand and Australia, to the European and American continents, and, of course, Ireland itself.
While Mike is not technically a genealogist, he has provided hundreds of us with a forum to share our experiences, assist each other in research, link us to resources that we would be unlikely to find on our own, and provide us with historical and cultural perspectives that help us understand the lives of our ancestors. The Green Room membership includes free access to John Grenham’s excellent site, www.johngrenham.com, and Jayne McGarvey, a professional genealogist, is a member who provides we amateurs with significant guidance. Stories from members who have lived through The Troubles, from those who’ve stepped across the thresholds of their ancestors to meet distant cousins still living in the family homesteads, Mike and Carina traveling to the homelands of our ancestors to document the past and the present, and countless other opportunities to share, and laugh, and cry – that’s The Green Room.

OGS February Webinar:

Thursday,1  February, 2018 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Presentation: Land of Canaan: Researching Black Loyalist Communities in Canada
Presenter: Janice Lovelace.

Nearly 100,000 Blacks left the U.S. after the Revolutionary War and settled in Canada. Who are these Black Loyalists? Why did they fight with Britain? What happened to them after the war? Learn how to research records to find out more about the people and their communities.

Webinar descriptions and links to register are on the OGS website.

29 January 2018

Alison Hare to be co-Editor of NGSQ

Congratulations to BIFHSGO Hall of Fame member Alison Hare who has been announced as co-editor of the US National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) starting in 2019.

The NGSQ is widely considered the most prestigious genealogical publication in North America. The appointment acknowledges Alison's experience as a journalist and active role as Trustee of the US Board for Certification of Genealogists since 2009.

Below is the NGS press release.

FALLS CHURCH, VA, 29 JANUARY 2018—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) has named Alison Hare, CG®, and Nancy A. Peters, CG, CGLSM, as co-editors of its National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) beginning with the March 2019 issue. They take the reins of editorial responsibility for this prestigious publication from retiring editors Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA, and Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG, who will continue as co-editors through the publication of the December 2018 issue.

“NGS is profoundly grateful to Tom and Melinde, who have served as co-editors since 2002 and 2006, respectively,” said NGS President Ben Spratling, JD. “During their tenure, they ensured that NGSQ maintained the highest standards of scholarly articles, including genealogies, case studies, essays on new methodology, and critical book reviews. I know that Tom and Melinde share the NGS Board’s enthusiasm in welcoming Nancy and Alison as the journal’s incoming co-editors.”

Nancy Peters, of Aiken, South Carolina, serves as a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) and is the editor of its newsletter, OnBoard. A full-time professional genealogist, she has conducted in-depth genealogical research to solve complex “brick wall” problems of identity and kinship for clients. Her research focused primarily in England, New York, and southeastern U.S. She has been a lecturer at the NGS Family History Conference and an instructor for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the BCG Education Fund on skillbuilding topics and genealogy standards. Her articles have appeared in NGSQ and the Utah Genealogical Association’s Crossroads magazine. When asked about her forthcoming role as co-editor of NGSQ, she said, “The journal’s leadership role in publishing quality case studies and family histories is well recognized by our community. It will be an honor to serve as its co-editor.”

Alison Hare, of Nepean, Ontario, has served as a trustee for BCG since 2009. She honed her writing and editing skills during twelve years as a journalist and as an editor for Southam News, Canada’s premier wire service. In addition to providing ad hoc editorial assistance to BCG’s OnBoard newsletter, she contributed to the revision and development of genealogical standards as a member of BCG’s standards manual committee, 2013—2014. She has lectured at several NGS Family History Conferences. Among the topics Hare presented were citations and a case study illustrating the use of the Genealogical Proof Standard. She chaired NGS’s newsletter competition in 2007 and 2008. Her professional and personal genealogical research has encompassed the United States as well as Canada, England, Ireland, and Scotland. When asked about NSGQ, she said, “NGSQ has played an important role in my personal development, inspiring me with its high quality and continual demonstration of approaches to solve genealogical problems. It is an unexpected honor to serve as its co-editor.”

Thomas W. Jones has pursued his family’s history since age fifteen. He is an award-winning genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. He is also a professor emeritus at Gallaudet University, where he designed and managed graduate programs, conducted research, and taught and mentored graduate students for twenty-seven years. Jones, a former trustee and past president of BCG, has taught genealogical courses, including documentation, writing, and advanced genealogical methods at Boston University, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research, Western Institute of Genealogy, and elsewhere. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles as well as the best-selling NGS textbooks Mastering Genealogical Proof and Mastering Genealogical Documentation. This year will mark his sixteenth year as co-editor of NGSQ. “I’ve enjoyed learning from every author and co-editor I’ve worked with,” Jones recently noted. “Helping authors ready their work for publication and to benefit NGSQ’s readership has been immensely rewarding.”

Melinde Lutz Byrne has been a genealogist, author, consultant, and editor since 1976. She has authored and co-authored thirty books and more than sixty articles as well as numerous editorials and reviews. She is the director for genealogical programs at Excelsior College and at Boston University (BU), including BU’s Essentials, its Genealogical Research Certificate Program, and the Summer Seminar Series. Drawing on her subject matter expertise in forensic genealogy, Byrne has worked with local law enforcement on “John or Jane Doe” cold cases and with estate lawyers on missing heir cases. She is a former president of the American Society of Genealogists. “In my long career as an editor,” Byrne said, “I can sincerely say that the collaboration with Dr. Jones has been my career highpoint. Our strengths and backgrounds were complementary, our discipline in tune, and the results were solid scholarship in a rapidly evolving field. Nancy and Alison will bring very similar combinations to NGSQ and will continue to provide the readership with examples of the very best in current research.”

(via Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter)

New Book: The Debatable Land: The Lost World between Scotland and England

Reviews are appearing for The Debatable Land by Graham Robb, due for official publication in the UK on 8 February, June in North America.

Andrew Martin in The Guardian writes that "Robb, like a conjuror, gradually shows us the Debatable Land as something else. His exploration of its history is punctuated by some terrific nature writing."

My Reid ancestry is documented back to the area where the surnames Armstrong, Crosier, Elliot, Graham, Little, Nixon and Turnbull associated with the Border Reivers are also common.

Here's the publisher's blurb.

The Debatable Land was an independent territory which used to exist between Scotland and England. At the height of its notoriety, it was the bloodiest region in Great Britain, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James V. After the Union of the Crowns, most of its population was slaughtered or deported and it became the last part of the country to be brought under the control of the state. Today, its history has been forgotten or ignored.

When Graham Robb moved to a lonely house on the very edge of England, he discovered that the river which almost surrounded his new home had once marked the Debatable Land’s southern boundary. Under the powerful spell of curiosity, Robb began a journey – on foot, by bicycle and into the past – that would uncover lost towns and roads, reveal the truth about this maligned patch of land and result in more than one discovery of major historical significance.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, The Debatable Land takes us from a time when neither England nor Scotland could be imagined to the present day, when contemporary nationalism and political turmoil threaten to unsettle the cross-border community once more. Writing with his customary charm, wit and literary grace, Graham Robb proves the Debatable Land to be a crucial, missing piece in the puzzle of British history.

Guild of One-Name Studies Free Webinars

You likely know about webinars from the Ontario Genealogical Society and Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
Did you know the Guild of One Name Studies also offers a free monthly webinar? On offer in the coming months are:
  • 20 Feb: Gathering Data: Where to Look & Where to Put It
  • 20 Mar: Now What? Do Something With Your Data
  • 17 Apr: Using DNA With Your One-Name Study
  • 15 May: Sharing The Joy: Getting The Word Out About Your Study
  • 19 Jun: Publishing & Preserving Your Study
  • 17 Jul: Six Months In With A New Study
  • 21 Aug: My Italian One-Name Study
  • 18 Sep: Back To School With Your One-Name Study
  • 16 Oct: All About The Guild
All webinars are free live and for a week after presentation, and longer if you're a Guild member. Find out more at http://one-name.org/guild-webinar-series-2018/.

A reminder for BIFHSGO members, an archive of conference and monthly meeting presentations is available in the members only section of the society website.

28 January 2018

Ulster Historical Foundation's North America Lecture Tour 2018

Here, courtesy of Claire Santry's blog, is the schedule for the UHF tour this March, and they're coming to Ottawa.

Saturday 3 MarchAugusta Genealogical SocietyAugusta GA(9am-4:30pm)
Sunday 4 MarchHeinz History CentrePittsburgh PA(9am-4:30pm)
Monday 5 MarchNEHGSBoston MAFull day
Tuesday 6 MarchFilson Historical SocietyLouisville KY1pm-4:30pm
Wednesday 7 MarchThe NewberryChicago IL9:15am-3pm
Thursday 8 MarchWisconsin Historical SocietyMadison WI9am-5pm
Saturday 10 MarchBIFHSGOOttawa ON8:30am-4:30pm
Sunday 11 MarchGenealogical Society of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia PAFull day/
Monday 12 MarchAndrew Jackson's HermitageNashville TN5:30pm-9pm
Tuesday 13 MarchAndrew Jackson's HermitageNashville TN9am-5pm
Wednesday 14 MarchSt Louis County LibrarySt Louis MO1pm-5pm & 6pm-9:30pm
Thursday 15 MarchGreater Omaha Genealogical SocietyOmaha NE12:30pm-4pm & 5:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday 17 MarchSacramento Genealogical SocietyFair Oaks CA9am-4:45pm
Sunday 18 MarchIrish Heritage ClubSeattle WA9am-5pm
Tuesday 20 MarchSt Andrew Society of HawaiiHonolulu HI9am-4pm
Registration information should be on the BIFHSGO website shortly.

Thomas George Flood: CEF Beechwood

Private Thomas George Flood died of tuberculosis at Mowat Hospital (Sanitorium) in Kingston, Ontario on 28 January 1918.
Born in 1880 in Renfrew County he was the son of Ireland-born John Flood and Scots-born Kathleen Warbrick. Having moved to British Columbia, working as a lumberman, he attested in Vancouver on 2 August 1915 with the 238th Battalion and served with the 72nd Regiment, the Seaforth Highlanders. When the regiment left for Europe he did not go with them.
He had been treated in hospital for bronchitis, which predated enlistment, for more than a year prior to his death.
He is buried in Sec. A. Range 9. Grave 50 at Beechwood Cemetery with Henry North, brother-in-law as informant.

27 January 2018

Places of Wales

From the National Library of Wales, in beta, search and browse over 300,000 entries from the tithe maps of Wales and accompanying apportionment documents using original and present-day maps.
You can start here, although you may have more success starting with a little education at the help page.

Additional Hertfordshire Parish Records at Findmypast

Findmypast just added over 200,000 parish records transcripts, with images of the original, to their collection for Hertfordshire. Here's a summary.

NewTotal
Baptisms87,707919,251
Banns and Marriages62,015535,674
Burials66,874688,664
Total216,596 2,143,589

There is also a Hertfordshire Parish Record Browse with 16,698 new records for a total of 1,882 volumes.
These records are sourced from Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies which has stored and conserved them for decades.
Over 3 million documents dating from 1060 to the present day are stored on five miles of shelving at County Hall in Hertford.

26 January 2018

Findmypast adds to British Armed Forces and Overseas Ital Records

Records of vital records for military personnel, British Consul staff, and British nationals outside the UK and their families have been added to collections at Findmypast.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms adds 92,686 new records for a total of 1,966,310. It includes births at sea. This collection is a consolidation of the previously available record sets on Findmypast British nationals born overseas 1818-2005, British nationals armed forces births 1761-2005, and Births at sea, 1854-1960 with the additional records from The National Archives (TNA).

British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages adds
35,555 records for a total of 462,142. This is a consolidation of Findmypast's record sets: British nationals married overseas 1818-2005, British nationals armed forces marriages 1796-2005, British overseas marriages, and Marriages at sea, 1854-1972. previously available along with new records from TNA.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials adds 218,101 records for a total of 2,744,153. It consolidates the previous Findmypast record sets: British nationals died overseas 1818-2005, British nationals armed forces deaths 1796-2005, and Deaths at sea together with new additions from TNA.

British Armed Forces and Overseas Browse also covers births, baptisms, marriages, banns, deaths and burials with 193,457 new records added, along with some other miscellaneous collections for a total 913 volumes:

  • Registrations of British armed forces (including serving members who were not British nationals) posted overseas.
  • Births of the children of passengers, seamen, and Royal Marines, of both British and other nationalities
  • Regimental registers and chaplains' returns for army births, marriages, and deaths which took place in the British Isles.
  • A card index of naval officers who were killed between 1914 and 1920, including some Royal Marines and Naval Reserve officers, as well as officers of the Canadian and Australian navies.
  • A card index of ships lost from 1914 to 1919.
  • A war graves roll from 1914 to 1919.
  • Statistical casualty books 1914-1933.
  • Registers and indexes of births, deaths, and marriages at sea from 1891 to 1972 maintained by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. The registers include both British and foreign subjects, passengers and seamen.
Read details here.


BIFHSGO Conference Speakers reveal "Unusual must-search websites and archives"

Browse the February 2018 issue of Family Tree, the UK genealogy magazine, and you'll find a section where "expert family historians share their favourite little-known must-search archive sources and websites."
Bruce Durie, who will be presenting at the 2018 BIFHSGO conference, singled out ScotlandsPlaces www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk as a fabulous source for names with a collection of land and tax records as far back as the late 1600s, maps back to the 1500s, plans, OS name books and many more resources.
Celia Heritage, who spoke at the 2017 BIFHSGO conference, identified vestry minutes from the mid-16th to the late 19th century as "one of the most enlightening of sources for recording everyday life ... you will often find references to individual parishioners and events which have happened to them."

You'll have to check out the magazine for the others. I don't want to give too much away, editor Helen Tovey will certainly let me know if I do, but I'll risk mentioning Claire Santry's suggestion, The Placenames Database of Ireland. Google it!

There's lots more in the February issue, including Diaspora: descendant tracing in the digital age by British Columbia genealogist Donald W. Davis. See a partial list of contents at www.family-tree.co.uk/store/buy-the-magazine/family-tree-magazine/family-tree-magazine-february-2018#FullDescription

25 January 2018

University of Toronto's Discover Archives

Discover Archives is a new shared portal for exploring archival holdings at the University of Toronto and its federated colleges related to the university's history, as well as records from associated private individuals, families, businesses, and organizations.

Participating repositories include:
   - OISE Library Special Collections
   - Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
   - Trinity College Archives
   - University of St. Michael's College Archives
   - University of St. Michael's College, John M. Kelly Library, Special Collections
   - University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
   - University of Toronto Media Commons (Media Archive)
   - University of Toronto Music Library
   - University of Toronto Scarborough Library, Archives & Special Collections
   - Victoria University Archives
   - Victoria University Library - Special Collections

The Illustrated London News

TheGenealogist announces the addition of over 500 editions of the weekly Illustrated London News from the 1890s to their Newspaper and Magazine collection available to Diamond subscribers.
It adds to the existing content from the founding in May 1842 to 1879.
The release is accompanied by an article showing the scope of the publication.
The Illustrated London News is included in the British Newspaper Archive, by subscription, and to institutions through CENGAGE Learning (Gale).
Coverage for the period 1914 - 1919 is available free at www.illustratedfirstworldwar.com/.

Edinburgh Academy register [1824-1914]

Scots around the world gather on the evening of 25 January to celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, the author of many Scots poems, with a traditional Burn's Night Supper.
Like haggis his poetry is an acquired taste, although an adequate supply of Scotch helps make both more palatable.
A Scottish resource I've been saving for the occasion, from the Internet Archive, is the Edinburgh Academy register [1824-1914], a record of all those who entered the school from its foundation in 1824 to the start of the Great War. Search it for "Canada" and you'll find many alumni who settled or passed through during their careers, and three with an Ottawa connection.

OGS Ottawa Branch January Meeting

The main presentation this month, on Saturday 27 January, is OGS past-president Shirley Sturdevant on Geography and Maps for Genealogy. 

"Although there are numerous record groups and tools to assist genealogists and family historians, this presentation focuses on the oft-overlooked importance of geography and maps in researching and understanding our ancestral roots. Terms, tips and sources will add to your research toolbox."

The presentation will be given remotely. It will be preceded by a networking opportunity at 1 pm, and a Genealogy Back to Basics session Introduction to DNA Testing given by Richard McGregor starting at 10:30 am.

The Computer Interest group get-together will follow at about 3 pm.

The location is City of Ottawa Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive (Room 115)

Advance Notice:  The regular May meetings (Back-to-Basics, Monthly and CSIG on 19 May) are cancelled owing to unavailability of the City Archives venue.  Consider attending the BIFHSGO meeting on 12 May instead.

24 January 2018

What was the weather like for an event in your UK family history?

The UK Meteorological Office Daily Weather Report provides a summary of the observed weather for each day for a selection of UK stations with charts and tables and textual descriptions of the weather on the day.
The format and content of the daily weather summary varies over the many years of publication.
You may find tabulations of observations every six hours, ot the same information in map format.
Expect to find a UK weather map. Some years will provide a broader scale northern hemisphere map, some images from weather satellites.

Produced since since September 1860, so back several generations, the Daily Weather Report is available free from https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/archive/sdb%3Acollection%7C86058de1-8d55-4bc5-8305-5698d0bd7e13/. You have to narrow the selection down to the month, then scroll through that file to the date of interest.
A separate page at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/library/publications/daily-weather-summary provides access to the recent issues.

Historical Society of Ottawa January Meeting

26 January, 2018 - Dave Allston -- Death, Illness & Squalor: Cave Creek & Primitive West Ottawa

The presentation will examine the problems west end residents faced through the 19th century and well into the 20th century in dealing with Cave Creek, which ran throughout the entirety of Kitchissippi. This small, yet troublesome creek was attributed as the chief cause of the typhoid fever epidemic of 1911, and also stunted the growth of west end neighbourhoods until proper sewage systems could be installed. The presentation will feature maps, photos, and many anecdotes from media reports of the time.

Dave Allston is a life-long west end Ottawa resident, with a passion for local history. A sixth-generation west-ender, Dave’s focus is strictly on the Kitchissippi ward, which encompasses Hintonburg west to McKellar Park. He writes a regular column for the community newspaper Kitchissippi Times, and runs his own website, the Kitchissippi Museum, along with regular contributions to mainstream media as well. Dave established a Kitchissippi history and heritage group in 2016, with a goal to promote local history, knowledge share, and contribute to the identification and protection of heritage buildings. He is married with three kids, and works full-time with the Department of National Defence, while also acting as Returning Officer for the district of Ottawa Centre for Elections Ontario.

As usual, the meeting gets started at 1 pm at the Routhier Community Centre, 172 Guigues Avenue.