Wednesday, 26 April 2017

Ancestry World Archives Project update shows several Irish interest collections coming our way soon

http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:IrelandFamineRelief_Capture_5.JPG
From the Ireland, Famine Relief Commission
Papers, 1844-1847. Click for expanded view
Ancestry's World Archives Project (WAP), which sees volunteer researchers index digitised record collections that are then made available free on the Ancestry database, has published some impressive stats about its achievements in 2016 and an updated list of current projects.

Among the ongoing projects is the Ireland, Famine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847, a collection consisting primarily of letters relating to crop failures, studies on potatoes, donations to the relief funds, and reports on prices, health and social conditions in certain parts of the island. Many of the papers are lists of names; others are letters from local relief committees, witnesses describing conditions, local clergy and other officials.

Indexing of this WAP has been going on since late 2014 and, with more than 14,000 image sets still outstanding, is 57% complete*.

The update also notes collections that will soon be searchable on Ancestry. I've picked out a few of obvious Irish interest, and some others that may be worth exploring when they come online:

  • A List of Emigrants from England to America, 1682-1692, 1718-1759
  • Australia, Newspaper Vital Notices, 1841-2001
  • The Belfast Newsletter (Birth, Marriage and Death Notices), 1738-1925
  • Ireland, Police Gazettes, 1861-1893
  • Ontario, Canada, The Ottawa Journal (Birth, Marriage and Death Notices), 1885-1980
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Runaway Servants, Convicts, and Apprentices, 1728-1796
  • South Australia, Australia, Passenger Lists, 1853
  • South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947
  • Tasmania, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1884-1933
  • Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924

To see the full list of current and soon-to-be-live WAP projects, see the WAP blogpost. The list represents a total contribution by the volunteers of more than 12.6 million records. And they'll all be free. Congratulations to everyone who takes part in these projects.

*If you think you could spare some time to help move along the Famine Relief Commission Papers collection, take a look at the detailed overview page.