Friday 30 August 2019

RCB Library closures in first week of September

I've had no prior warning of this, so possibly other researchers have also not been advised...

The RCB Library in Churchtown, Dublin 14 will be closed on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 September. This is to facilitate staff training. The Library will reopen on Wednesday 3 September at 9:30am.

These closures are in addition to the on-going Friday closures of the Library's Archives and Manuscript Collection.

MyHeritage's USA & CAN censuses free this weekend

With this year marking the 125th and 127th anniversaries of Labor Day in the United States and Canada respectively, MyHeritage is giving family historians the opportunity to learn more about their ancestors' trades, professions and day-to-day work activities in North America.

Starting today and continuing until close of play on Monday 2 September, MyHeritage is opening up its US and Canadian census collections; together, these hold some 740 million records.

The US census collection is made up of 54 datasets – 18 federal census collections and 36 state or country census collections – while the Canadian record sets include eight national census collections and 10 focussed on specific provinces.

Thursday 29 August 2019

2019 release of Maynooth Studies in Local History series

Five titles have been published by Four Courts Press in the 2019 release of the well-reqarded Maynooth Studies in Local History series. Each of the 64-page booklets has been priced at €8.95, plus postage, and can be ordered direct from the publisher's website by clicking on the image below. Brief descriptions follow.

John Ferrall: Master of Sligo Workhouse, 1852–66, by Fergus O'Ferrall
This case study provides the first account to focus on the career and work of a master of an Irish workhouse. It explores the role of a master in respect of issues such as management, governance and the provision for the poor in post-Famine Ireland during the fourteen-year period when John Ferrall served as Master of Sligo Workhouse.
ISBN: 978-1-84682-803-4

Rathcoole and the United Irish Rebellions, 1798–1803, by Kerron Ó Luain
The story of the United Irish rebellions in a hitherto quiet corner of south-west County Dublin is a story of personal resentments fuelled by the spread of radical republican ideology, followed by a violent attempt at altering the social and political status quo. This book focuses on Rathcoole society between the years 1798 and 1803 and argues that, rather than agrarian or sectarian tensions, it was primarily United Irish politicization and organization that led to the outbreak of rebellion in the locality.
ISBN: 978-1-84682-804-1

Landholding in the new English settlement of Hacketstown, Co. Carlow, 1635–1875, by Oliver Whelan
The new Protestant settlement of Clonmore, centred around Hacketstown, proved resilient to the 1641 rebellion and attracted investment, including by Dublin bureaucrats and landed and military figures. Entrepreneurial Catholics turned to trade in response to the penal laws. Unusually, in the period 1852–74 most leaseholders, including Catholics, achieved security of tenure, subject to fixed rents.

Waterford port and harbour, c.1815–42: Shaping the port, by Mary Breen
The management and development of Waterford port and harbour during a formative period in Irish history are explored in this book. Particular attention is paid to the relationships and interactions between Waterford Corporation, the body granted control of the port and harbour under successive royal charters; Waterford Chamber of Commerce, the chartered body representing merchants and traders; and Waterford Harbour Commissioners, the statutory port authority established in 1816.
ISBN: 978-1-84682-800-3

The Kirwan murder case, 1852, by Suzanne Leeson
This book relates the story of the controversial trial, conviction and imprisonment of William Burke Kirwan, a Dublin artist, for the murder of his wife, Sarah, in 1852. His trial and the extensive and divisive social commentary it provoked provide a glimpse of the Irish Protestant middle class in the mid-nineteenth century, allowing an examination of many of the attitudes and values to which they subscribed.
ISBN: 978-1-84682-801-0

Wednesday 28 August 2019

Last few spaces for NLI's Autumn Genealogy Course

Sean Murphy MA will once again be presenting his introductory course on Irish Family History research at the National Library of Ireland this Autumn.

The course will take place as the NLI's Kildare St., Dublin 2 premises on Wednesday afternoons over eight weeks starting on 11 September. Download the Introduction to Genealogy syllabus, here.

The course fee is €100 and class size is limited to a maximum of 30 individuals. Participants are expected to have experience of using computers. To find out more information or to book a place on the course, contact Brid by emailing: booking@nli.ie.

Booking has been open for a week or so and there are already only a small number of places remaining. All places are allocated on a first come, first served basis, so be quick to book if you want to attend.

Monday 26 August 2019

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 26 Aug-1 Sept

Monday 26 August: Bank holiday in Northern Ireland. All branch libraries, and most repositories and businesses closed for the day. This public holiday does not apply in the Republic of Ireland, where it's business as usual.

Monday 26 August: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All other services/exhibitions/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal.

Monday 26 August: MT-DNA, a two-hour workshop with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Tuesday 27 August: Ethnicity estimages, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: Using My Heritage DNA, a tw-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 11am. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: AutoClusters, a two-hour workshop with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: Irish Family History Assistance. Host: Genealogical Society of Victoria. Venue: GSV Library, Level 6, 85 Queen St., Melbourne 3000, Australia. Experienced helpers in the library to offer advice on your Irish research. 10am to 4pm. Free for members. $20 non-members. Bookable one-hour appointments with a research consultant. Details.

Thursday 29 August: Transatlantic Connections, with Turtle Bunbury. Host: South Dublin Libraries. Venue: Ballyroan Library, Orchardstown Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Free, but need to book via Eventbrite. 6:30pm – 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 29 August: ThruLines – a new tool on Ancestry, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Friday 30 August: Theory of Family Relativity, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Saturday 31 August: Irish Workhouse Centre Summer School. Host and venue: Irish Workhouse Centre, St Bridget's Road, Portumna, Co Galway. 10am to 1pm. Day's topic: Medieval County Galway. Lectures: The de Burgos, with Aron Donnolly; Medieval Legacy, with Martin Curley; and Post-Medieval Ballinasloe, with Declan Kelly. Email for details: info@irishworkhousecentre.ie

Monday 2 September: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All other services/exhibitions/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal.

Monday 2 September: Undimmed by the shadow of Rome? Ireland in a European world (100 BC–AD 500), with Alexandra Guglielmi. Host and venue: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 63 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2. 7:30pm. All welcome. No booking required.

Monday 2 September and Tuesday 3 September: RCB Library closed for staff training. Reopening on Wednesday 4 September at 9:30am.

Wednesday 4 September: Reading Room closed until 1:30pm, National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Closure to facilitate a staff meeting. Normal service resumes from 1:30pm.

Thursday 5 September: The Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921, with Liz Gillis. Host and venue: Clondalkin Library, Monastery Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. 7pm. Free. All welcome. Booking advised.


Sunday 25 August 2019

Free weekend access to Ancestry's Irish & UK collection

Free access runs to Monday 26 August
I'm a bit late to the party with this one (apologies, I've only just seen the tweet): AncestryUK is offering free access to all its Irish and UK records this weekend.

The free access includes the full and wide range of Ancestry's Irish and UK collection: Parish, Civil BMDs, Census, Court, Military, Occupation, Migration and travel, Poor Law records, plus Directories, photographs, maps, census substitutes and miscellaneous record sets. You can see the detailed and impressive list here.

You'll need a registered account to take advantage of the free access. If you don't already have one, the process is very straightforward and fast, and you don't have to provide any more than your name and address.

The free access will run until 23:59 GMT on Monday 26 August.

MyHeritage DNA test kits: Flash Sale!

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?s=2358155&v=16100&q=353328&r=123532
Click the image to find out more
My Heritage is having a Flash DNA Sale. It'll expire tomorrow, so you'll need to act quickly.

I've been notified only of discounts in Ireland/UK and the USA. There may well be similar offers in other jurisdictions. Either way, click the image to reach your 'local' MyHeritage territory to find if the sale is running where you live.

To find out more and place your order, click the image, right.

The price of the DNA test kit for researchers in Ireland and the UK is reduced from £75 to £59 each, and if you order two or more kits, you won't even have to pay for shipping.


For researchers based in the USA, the price of the DNA test kit is reduced from $79 to $59, and if you order two or more kits, shipping is free.


The content above contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Friday 23 August 2019

Additional 1.2m Irish burial/obituary records online

Both Ancestry and FindMyPast have updated some of their Irish cemetery, obituary and funeral records collections recently, and I hadn't noticed. To atone for my sins, here's a round up:

FindMyPast – Billion Graves Cemetery Index
More than 2,000 additions were uploaded to the Index last month. The new total of entries for Ireland is 136,435.

Ancestry – UK/Ireland, Obituary Index, 2004-2018
Following the upload of some 3.2million records from hundreds of cemetery and funeral homes, this index now holds 4,855,799 entries. About 51,000 of these entries suggest family connections to Ireland, either because the deceased was buried on the island or the death was reported in an Irish paper.

Ancestry – Scotland/Northern Ireland, Death Index, 1989-2017
This index, now with 526,913 entries, claims to hold about 45% of all deaths that occurred in the stated time period. Some 77,633 entries relate to deaths of individuals with a last place of residence in Northern Ireland.

Ancestry – UK/Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current
Nore than 1.3million new records have been added in two tranches since May, making an updated total of 6.3million in the collection. As far as I can tell, just under one million relate to Ireland.

Ancestry – Global, Find A Grave Index: Burials at Sea/Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
In two recent instalments, more than 5million additional records have added to the index, which now holds a total of 13.3million entries. The proportion noting Ireland is tiny, but at 145,695 still worth checking.



Thursday 22 August 2019

Registry of Deeds Index Project: latest database update

https://irishdeedsindex.net/index.phpNick Reddan FIGRS, manager of the Registry of Deeds Index Project, has made two updates to the free online database this month so far, with the latest showing that the main index now holds 322,947 records extracted from 35,108 memorials of deeds.

In addition, the Townland and Grantor indexes have been topped up and now stand at 68,292 and 31,233 entries respectively.

All the contributors to the Index Project are volunteers who donate their time to transcribe or identify memorials (most do this online via the free FamilySeartch.org collection of images), for the benefit of all Irish family historians.

Find out more on the Project website by clicking the image above.



Monday 19 August 2019

Irish genealogy, history and heritage, 19 Aug - 1 Sept

Monday 19 August: Delayed opening at National Library of Ireland. All services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, will be closed until 11am to facilitate a staff meeting. Main Reading Room and Manuscript Room remain closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
National Heritage Week runs 17–25 August inclusive.
About 2,000 events are scheduled. In this list is a
random sample that may be of interest to family historians.
There are plenty more, so click the image above to search
using keywords such as genealogy, history, archives etc.

Monday 19 August: Launch of The Workhouses of County Tipperary booklet and lecture. Hosts: Irish Workhouse Centre and Nenagh Library. Venue: Nenagh Library, O'Rahilly St, Nenagh North, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. 3pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 20 August: Past & Present – Digital Collections at the NLI, with Maria Ryan. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. All welcome. 1pm. Booking not required.

Tuesday 20 August: Eighteenth Century Ballinasloe, lecture, with Steve Dolan, and launch of limited edition booklet on C18th newspaper reports of the town (€5, all proceeds to charity). Host: Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna. Venue: Ballinasloe Library, Society St, Townparks, Ballinasloe, Co Galway. 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Free admission. More information 0909759200.

Tuesday 20 August: Placenames of County Leitrim, Mary Bohan and Seán O Suilleabháin. Host and venue: Ballinamore Library, Main Street, Cannaboe, Ballinamore. 7:30pm - 8:30pm. Free admission. No booking required. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Murder and mayhem in medieval Cork, with Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel. Leo Swan Memorial Lecture. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co Dublin. Admission €5. 8pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Starvation and Survival – Inishowen Workhouse during the Great Famine, with Niamh Brennan. Host: West Inishowen History and Heritage Society and County Donegal Archives. Venue: Tullyarvan Mill, Buncrana, Co Donegal. 7:30pm. Admission free. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Genealogy & Archives Day, with free talks by experienced genealogists and archivists. Host and venue: Cork City and County Archives, 32 Great William O'Brien Street, Blackpool, Cork City. 11am–2pm. All welcome. (Fully booked.)

Thursday 22 August: Food in Ancient Ireland - Insights from Archaeology, with Dr Meriel McClatchie. Host: National Museum f Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 6–7pm. Free, but booking essential. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 22 August: Strawboys, mummers and mischief — Irish folk customs and their revival, with Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc. Host and venue: The White Country Inn, Banteer, Co Cork. Free. 7:30pm–9pm. All welcome.

Thursday 22 August: Eureka! Exploring discoveries at the Registry of Deeds, a seminar. Host: PRA_Ireland. Venue: Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin 1. 6pm–7:30pm. Free but booking essential. Details.

Thursday 22 August: Tour of Ireland's largest military cemetery, including WWI, ANZAC and 1916 and RMS Leinster graves/memorials. Host: OPW Phoenix Park. Venue: Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7. 11am–12:15pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Thursday 22 August: Limerick: city of sieges and a broken treaty, with Liam Irwin. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co Dublin. No booking required. €5 admission. 8pm.

Saturday 24 August: Local and Family History Conference. Venue: Hannon's Hotel, Athlone Rd, Acres, Roscommon. 9:30am-4:30pm. Admission €5. Need to book. Details and booking.

Saturday 24 August, Sunday 25 August (and Saturday 31 August): Summer School, with lectures on the history, folklore and culture of the region. Host and venue: Irish Famine Workhouse Centre, Portumna, Co Galway. 10am–1pm each day. Details.

Saturday 24 August: Landed Estates Seminar, with the James Hardiman Library team, NUIG. Host: National University of Ireland, Galway. Venue: O'Donoghue Building, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway. 10am to 1:30pm. All welcome. Free, but need to register.

Monday 26 August: Bank holiday in Northern Ireland. All branch libraries, and most repositories and businesses closed for the day. This public holiday does not apply in the Republic of Ireland, where it's business as usual.

Monday 26 August: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal.

Monday 26 August: MT-DNA, a two-hour workshop with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Tuesday 27 August: Ethnicity estimages, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: Using My Heritage DNA, a tw-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 11am. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: AutoClusters, a two-hour workshop with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Wednesday 28 August: Irish Family History Assistance. Host: Genealogical Society of Victoria. Venue: GSV Library, Level 6, 85 Queen St., Melbourne 3000, Australia. Experienced helpers in the library to offer advice on your Irish research. 10am to 4pm. Free for members. $20 non-members. Bookable one-hour appointments with a research consultant. Details.

Thursday 29 August: Transatlantic Connections, with Turtle Bunbury. Host: South Dublin Libraries. Venue: Ballyroan Library, Orchardstown Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Free, but need to book via Eventbrite. 6:30pm – 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 29 August: ThruLines – a new tool on Ancestry, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Friday 30 August:
Theory of Family Relativity, a two-hour workshop with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Reseach Centre, Newtownabbey (15 minutes from Belfast), Co Antrim. 2pm. Cost £5 for members and non-members. Need to book by email. See details.

Saturday 31 August:
Irish Workhouse Centre Summer School. Host and venue: Irish Workhouse Centre, St Bridget's Road, Portumna, Co Galway. 10am to 1pm. Day's topic: Medieval County Galway. Lectures: The de Burgos, with Aron Donnolly; Medieval Legacy, with Martin Curley; and Post-Medieval Ballinasloe, with Declan Kelly. Email for details: info@irishworkhousecentre.ie



Sunday 18 August 2019

30% off Ancestry DNA tests for Australia/NewZealand

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4pTB/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com.au%2Fdna%2FIt's relatively infrequently that Australia- and New Zealand-based researchers receive a decent discount on Ancestry DNA test kits, but here's one for Father's Day with a very worthwhile 30% saving.

From now until 11:59pm AEST on Sunday 1 September, the cost of an AncestryDNA test kit will be just $AUD 90 plus shipping.

To take advantage of the offer, click the Buy Now button and place your order before the expiry date.


The content above contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Friday 16 August 2019

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: August additions

 Stone to Darby Tool c1687-1750 and daughter
Honora Tool c1724-1750 in Aghowle Old
Graveyard, Nr Shillelagh, Co Wicklow. Photo
courtesy Colum O'Rourke and IGP Archives
Photos and inscriptions from headstones in five graveyards are among the files added to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives by volunteers in the first two weeks of August.

They are provided free of charge to all researchers (but please respect copyright restrictions).

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Old Abbey, Donegal, Part 3

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Ballyholla, Cemetery, Ballinchalla
Crossboyne Old Graveyard, Claremorris
Kilmovee, St. Patrick's (partial)

TIPPERARY Genealogy Archives - Land
Abstracts of the Deeds Inrolled in Chancery -1835

WICKLOW Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Aghowle Old Graveyard

Thursday 15 August 2019

Latest Canadian genealogy releases and updates

To aid Irish family historians whose ancestors emigrated to Canada, the listing below provides a summary of recent genealogical database updates of Canadian records.

The collections were either released by the database supplier for the first time during July/early August or received some kind of update/top-up during this period.

Where provided by the supplier, I've noted the size of the update/new collection.


New collections


My Heritage

Quebec Marriage Returns 1926–1997
New to the My Heritage database, this collection holds just under 8 million records. They contain information similar to that found on a traditional marriage license eg names and dates of birth of the bride and groom, date and place of the marriage, and other information that changed over the span of years the collection covers. These may include occupations, residence before and after the wedding, religion, citizenship, ethnic heritage and mother tongue.


Updated collections


Ancestry

Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-2018 More than 7 million new obituaries from hundreds of newspapers were added in early July.

Nova Scotia, Canada, Land Petitions, 1765-1800 Following its recent update, this database now holds an 11,354-entries index of details extracted from petitions made for grants of land in Nova Scotia.

Canada, Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Following the May and early-August upload of more than 1 million additional records, this database now holds just under 6 million records.

The Genealogist

War Memorial Records
These fully searchable records are transcribed from images of the tributes put up to honour the war dead from various conflicts including the Boer War, the First World War and World War II. This latest release covers war memorials from many parts of the UK, as well as some monuments in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. More than 568,000 individuals are indexed in the collection.

FindMyPast

Billion Graves Cemetery Index – Canada
More than 214,000 additional records joined the Index during July.

FamilySearch

Nova Scotia Births, 1864-1877
More than 35,000 additions have been uploaded to this existing collection of searchable transcriptions and images.

Nova Scotia Marriages, 1864-1918
A big update to this index-and-image collection was uploaded in July, adding more than 128,000 indexed records.



Some of the above content contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.



Wednesday 14 August 2019

Ancestry ProGenealogists seek Associate Genealogist with advanced Irish research skills

Ancestry ProGenealogists is seeking another Associate Genealogist to join its Irish research team in either Dublin or Salt Lake City.

Ancestry's modern Dublin office is on Sir
John Rogerson's Quay
Associate Genealogists work with Research Managers to research, document, and prepare client sessions, and the vacant position will focus predominantly on research in Ireland, the US, and immigration to the US from Ireland.

Suitable candidates will have 2–5 years professional genealogical research experience; advanced knowledge of Irish research, methodological approaches and understanding of Irish records; and be proficient in U.S. and/or Canadian research.

You can learn more about the role on Ancestry's Careers page via the links above.

https://www.progenealogists.com/

Latest family history releases & updates: United States

To aid Irish family historians whose ancestors emigrated to the United States, either direct or via Canada, the listing below notes recent US record collection releases and updates by the major genealogical database providers.

The collections were either released by the database supplier for the first time during July/early August or received some kind of update/top-up during this period.

Where the supplier has provided the information, I've noted the size of the update/new collection.


New Collections


FindMyPast

British Officers Serving In Early America, 1614-1787
This collection consists of six C19th publications that record names and details of British Army Officers serving in America prior to and during the Revolutionary War.

Pennsylvania Immigrants, 1727-1776
The snappy title of this 1856 publication tells you pretty much everything: A Collection of Upwards Of Thirty Thousand Names Of German, Swiss, Dutch, French And Other Immigrants In Pennsylvania From 1727 To 1776: With A Statement Of The Names Of Ships, Whence They Sailed, And The Date Of Their Arrival At Philadelphia, Chronology. Some entries carry historical and biographical notes.

Pennsylvania, Oath of Allegiance
Names of male immigrants required to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown and the Province of Pennsylvania as well as immigration lists between 1786 and 1808. Lists of foreigners arriving post-1786 include names of wives and children. An index to surnames begins on image number 675.

Ancestry

Web: Wayne County Indiana Marriage Records, 1811-1903 (47,282 records)
WEB: Idaho, Reconstructed State Census, 1890 Census & Voter Lists (nearly 36,000 records)
WEB: Connecticut Marriage Records, 1897-1968 (just under 2 million entries)
WEB: Connecticut Death Records, 1897-1968 (More than 1.3 million entries)

My Heritage

Baltimore, Maryland Passenger Lists, 1891-1943 (1,626,159 records)
Hawaii, Honolulu Passenger lists 1900-1953 (more than 1.7million records).


FamilySearch

Illinois, Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1994 (95,590 records)
Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 (88,691 records)
New Jersey, Death Index, 1901–1903 (93,590 records)
California, Oakland, Mountain View Cemetery Records, 1857-1973 (129,172 records)
Hawaii, Grantor and Grantee Index, 1845-1909 (198,815 records)
Oregon, Multnomah County, Voting Registration Records, 1908-1958 (988,549 records)
Oregon, Multnomah County, Poor Farm Admissions Records, 1900-1962 (18,060 records)


Updated Collections


FindMyPast

United States, Passenger and Crew Lists
Containing more than 100 million records, this new and improved national collection brings together all FindMyPast's existing US passenger lists and adds approaching 3 million new records covering Boston, Baltimore, Texas and South Carolina. They span 165 years of travel (1800-1965).

Billion Graves Cemetery indexes
The latest update to the United States collection adds more than 2.6million records.

Ancestry.com

Maine, Federal Naturalization Records, 1787-1991 A top of 29,001 images and 24,493 records brings collection total to 172,270 entries.

U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current The collection contains more than 178 million obituaries from hundreds of newspapers. It is regularly topped up with entries of recent date.

U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current Nearly 44,000 new records added from hundreds of cemetery and funeral homes. Collection now totals more than 53.5 million entries.

FamilySearch

Records were added to the following existing collections during July:
United States Census, 1870
Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974
Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's
Alaska, State Archives (Juneau), Military Service Discharge Records, 1898-1934 
Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home, 1890-1963 
California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index, 1852-1989
Colorado Naturalization Records, 1876-1990
Georgia, Church Vital Records, 1828-1991 
Hawaii, Passport Records, 1874-1898
Hawaii, Naturalization Records, 1838-1991 
Michigan, Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, Burial Records
Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962 
Missouri, Jackson County Voter Registration Records, 1928-1956
Montana Naturalization Records, 1868-1999
New Mexico Naturalization Records, 1882-1983
Oregon, Multnomah County, Voting Registration Records, 1908-1958
Oregon, Multnomah County, Poor Farm Admissions Records, 1900-1962
Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Delayed Birth Records, 1800-1935 
Utah Naturalization Records, 1906-1930
Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929
Wisconsin, Milwaukee Petitions for Naturalization, 1848-1991
Wisconsin Index to Naturalization Petitions, 1848-1990


Some of the above content contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

IGRS Early Irish BMD Indexes continues to grow

The Irish Genealogical Research Society has added another tranche of data to its exclusive Early Irish Birth, Death and Marriage database.

The biggest recipient of the update was the Early Irish Marriage Index which now holds details of 100,518 weddings and just a smidge under 223,000 individual names.

More than 2,700 records were also added to the Early Irish Births and Deaths Indexes.

In total, the Society's Early Irish BMD databases now hold 163,569 records and the names of nearly 400,000 individuals.

Volunteers have contributed all of these records. They cover the period 1660 to 1863 and represent many years of diligent transcription from a very wide range of original and unusual sources, very few of which are or ever will be found online. Sources include newspapers and journals, land deeds, court bills, army records and old age pension applications. Published works such as biographies and peerages as well as private papers have also been consulted.

You can learn more about the Indexes, and this most recent update, on the Society's website, IrishAncestors.ie.

The Early Irish Marriage Index is free to access, while the birth and death indexes allow free name-searches to non-members. Members, of course, have full access to all the society's online records and guides.

Tuesday 13 August 2019

Latest family history releases & updates: Australia/NZ

To aid Irish family historians whose ancestors emigrated to Australia and New Zealand, the listing below a summary of recent genealogical database updates of records relating to those two countries. The collections were either released by the database supplier for the first time during July/early August or received some kind of update/top-up during this period.

Where provided by the supplier, I've noted the size of the update/new collection.


FindMyPast

Australia Graves Cemetery Index
More than 323,000 additions to the collection.

New Zealand Billion Graves Cemetery Index
More than 71,000 new entries to the index.


My Heritage

Australia Electoral Rolls, 1893–1949
This new collection provides information on 16,970,884 electors in Australia who were registered to vote on Commonwealth electoral rolls in this time frame in each of the six states of Australia.


Ancestry

Australia and New Zealand, Obituary Index, 2004–Current
An update (probably new records but not confirmed or quantified) sees the new total of entries in the index rise to 1,617,716.

Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s–Current
With an additional 159,962 entries added to the Index in early August (following a whopping 1,388,625-entries upload in May), the database now holds 5,151,146 records.


Family Search

Australia Cemetery Inscriptions, 1802-2005
Just under 2,000 indexed records were added to an existing collection in which the majority of cemeteries are in Queensland, but there are also some in New South Wales, Norfolk Island, Tasmania, and Western Australia.

South Australia, Immigrants Ship Papers, 1849-1940 Some 21,817 additional records joined the collection, which includes a record of births and deaths aboard incoming ships 1849-1867 and 1873-1885.



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Latest British genealogy database releases & updates

To aid Irish family historians whose ancestors emigrated to the neighbouring island of Great Britain, the listing below notes recent genealogical database updates of records relating to England, Scotland and Wales.

The collections were either released by the database supplier for the first time during July/early August or received some kind of update/top-up during this period.

Where provided by the supplier, I've noted the size of the update/new collection.

NEW COLLECTIONS


FindMyPast

Essex Baptism Index 1538-1920
More than 2.3million transcriptions of parish register entries spanning 350 years. Parish list.

Essex Marriages and Banns 1537-1935
More than 1.4million transcripts from original records.

Essex Burial Index 1530-1994
These 1.5million transcripts have been created from a variety of parish and probate sources.

Scotland, Orkney, 1821 South Ronaldsay Census
Each search result includes a transcript and image of the original documents.

Scotland, Published Family Histories
More than 400 publications, most dating from the C19th and early C20th, are in this collection. They include memoirs, genealogies, and clan histories, some produced by emigrant families.

British Officers Serving In Early America, 1614-1787
PDF-based collection of six C19th publications holding names and details of British Army Officers serving in America prior to and during the Revolutionary War.


The Genealogist

Norfolk Parish Records
A new collection of more than half a million transcriptions and images of baptism, marriage and burials registers from more than 250 parishes across the county.


British Newspaper Archive 

I have included only those historical titles making their debut in the online archive, rather than those whose holdings are being topped up. The links below are to the dedicated BNA site, but the collection is also shared with FindMyPast. The dates shown relate to the planned, not actual, holding; follow the links to see which editions are currently available to search.

Coatbridge Express 1885–1951
Banffshire Advertiser 1881-1917
Leven Mail 1940-1963
Hawick Express1876–1952
Barrhead News 1897-1917
Banffshire Herald 1893-1918
The Queen (1886-1912
Forward (Glasgow) 1906-1923
Clarion 1891-1932
Witness (Edinburgh) 1840–1864
Women's Gazette & Weekly News 1888-1891
Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser 1832-1856
Labour Leader 1891 & 1894-1922



UPDATED COLLECTIONS


FindMyPast

England, Billion Graves Cemetery Index
More than 114,000 new additions to the index.

Derbyshire Births and BaptismsJust under a thousand additional records from 15 non-conformist parishes, mainly Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians, have joined the collection. Parish list.

Huddersfield Baptisms
More than 52,000 records covering 14 new parishes have joined the collection. Parish list.

Yorkshire Memorial Inscriptions
From across the York areas of West and North Ridings and Ainsty, these 5,000+ additional records cover 14 Anglican churchyards. Most cover the years of WW1 and WW2.

Kent Burials
Some 4,500 burial records from 1843-1855 and 1907-1958 for St Martin's church in Cheriton have been added. Parish list.

Middlesex Baptisms
More than 64,000 records, transcribed from originals, have been added to existing parishes in the collection.

Middlesex Monumental Inscriptions
More than 5,000 additional records covering two cemeteries in Teddington and the Parish of St Mary in Sunbury have joined the collection.

British Army Records & Regimental Histories
One new publication joins the line up: The CIV and the War - Illustrated Souvenir of the City of London Imperial Volunteers.

British Newspapers Collection
Thirteen historical newspaper titles, most of them from Scotland, have joined the collection from the British Newspaper Archive (see below).

Scotland, Glasgow & Lanarkshire Death & Burial Index
Some 37,000 transcribed records from Bent Cemetery in Hamilton have topped up the Glasgow & Lanarkshire Death & Burial Index.

Scotland, Billion Graves Cemetery Index
Updated with 80,000 additional entries.

Wales, Billion Graves Cemetery Index
More than 42,000 entries were added.


The Genealogist

War Memorial Records
More than 75,000 additional names have joined this collection, all transcribed from images of UK village and town memorials commemorating those who fell during the Boer War, WW1 and WW2. This latest instalment brings the total of individuals indexed in the collection to 568,000+.


Ancestry

1871 Census England
Following an update, the total number of entries in the record-set is now 21,396,276.

UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s–Current Following big updates in May and early August totalling 1.8million records, the Index now tots up to 6,343,674 entries.


FamilySearch

England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957
More than 1.5 million indexed records were added to the existing National Probate Calendar for England and Wales.

Herefordshire Bishop’s Transcripts, 1583-1898
In three tranches, more than 450,000 Church of England records were added to this collection during July.

Scotland Censuses 1841; 1851; 1861; 1871; 1881; 1891. These indexes, provided by FindMyPast, have all been updated during July. No details provided. Unfortunately, still no images.




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Irish Genealogy News reaches out beyond Ireland

Today, Irish Genealogy News will be starting a new series of blogposts bringing you news of international record releases and updated collections.

The Irish have, after all, emigrated and settled around the globe in vast numbers so while I have up to now restricted my blog to Irish collections plus only occasional news of record sets from further afield with a significant proportion of content related to individuals of Irish heritage (AmericanAncestors.org's collection from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Massachussetts springs to mind), I'm going to take it one step further now.

I've taken this decision because the heady days are over when digitised Irish collections came tumbling out of major and regional archives at a rate and a half. Irish family historians have already begun to extend or widen their research to those who left Ireland, while those descended from Irish immigrants in other countries may appreciate being kept up to date with developments in their home country. So this seems a natural progression for the blog.

I'm not taking on the World here. That would be prepostrous... I'm just one person, and already busy enough, thank you.

To provide consistent and reliable content and keep it manageable (fingers crossed), I'll be extending coverage only to Australia/New Zealand, Britain, Canada and the USA, and even then only to the more mainstream genealogical collections at state, region or major city level. I'll group together all the recent releases and updates from one geographical area into one blogpost at a time and will aim to publish each at least monthly.

These will be listings, with minimal additional information, but each entry will be linked directly (where possible) to its respective collection database so that you can immediately learn more about the collection and/or search it for your ancestors. I won't, as a rule, be providing general news and developments from these world regions in the way I do with the island of Ireland.

The first of these blogposts – for England, Scotland and Wales – will be published shortly. I'll publish the second before the day is out. The listings for the USA and Canada will follow tomorrow and Thursday.

I hope they'll prove useful.

Dublin 1847: City of the Ordnance Survey reprinted

https://www.ria.ie/dublin-1847-city-ordnance-survey
ISBN: 9781908996350
To celebrate the reprint of Frank Cullen's book Dublin 1847: city of the Ordnance Survey, its publisher – Royal Irish Academy – has reduced the price to just €10. This is a very time limited offer*, so if you want to take advantage of it, place your order now. Shipping is additional: €3.30 to an address on the island; €4.50 to GB and USA.

As the title suggests, the 108-page softback, which was first published in 2015, focuses on the Ordnance Survey’s large-scale and richly detailed town plans for mid-C19th Dublin. It doesn't cover all of the city. Instead it explores 45 extracts from the maps, depicting lanes, gardens, individual houses (with numbers), lamp posts and even trees and street water pumps.

The author then considers selected features and areas of the city through these extracts, and uses other sources to discuss elements of urban life in 1847.

See this short video by the Irish Times for a fuller flavour of this popular publication.

*Offer will end on Thursday 15 August.

Monday 12 August 2019

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 12-25 August

Monday 12 August: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal.

Monday 12 August: The Life of Rosie Hackett, with James Curry. Host: Mondays at the Mess lecture series. Venue: Richmond Barracks, off Bulphin Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 11am–Noon. Tickets €5 which includes tea/coffee & scone.

Thursday 15 August
: Beginning your Irish family history, with Beryl O'Gorman and Maureen Doyle. Host and Venue: Genealogical Society of Victoria, Level 6, 85 Queen St, Melbourne 3000, Australia. 10:30am to 1pm. Need to book. $30 GSV members/$60 non-members. FHC, RHSV and CAV members should contact the GSV for a 25% discount. Details.

Thursday 15 August: Irish Family History, with Jim Slavin of the Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society. Venue: William Patrick Library, 2-4 West High Street, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow G66 1AD, Scotland. 7–8pm. Free. Tel: 0141 777 3141. Online tickets sold out.

National Heritage Week runs 17–25 August inclusive.
About 2,000 events are scheduled. In this list is a
rancom sample that may be of interest to family historians.
There are plenty more, so click the image above to search
using keywords such as genealogy, history, archives etc.
Saturday 17 August: Genealogy Day at Marlay House, with the Genealogical Society of Ireland. Demonstrations, short talks and advice for beginners and above. Part of the DLR Festival of Summer. Venue: Marlay House, Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Free. 2-5pm. Details.

Saturday 17 August: The National Library's History & Heritage: a guided tour. Includes the Main Reading Room. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Meet in Main Hall. 1pm. Free. All welcome.

Saturday 17 August: The changing face of Kevin Christopher O'Higgins, from Sinn Féin Rebel to Cumann na nGaedhal Conservative, with Regina McGinley. Host@ Laois County Libraries. Venue: Portlaoise Library, Dunamaise House, Lyster Square, Kylekiproe, Portlaoise. Co Laois. 2–3pm. Free. No need to book.

Saturday 17 August: Launch of a booklet ‘Athenry 1821 – marking 200 years since the first census’ by historian Steve Dolan. Host and venue: Athenry Heritage Centre, St. Marys, The Square, Athenry, Co. Galway. Free lecture and launch (booklet €10). Full proceeds to Galway Autism Partnership, GAP. 4pm to 5pm. Details.

Monday 19 August: Delayed opening at National Library of Ireland. All services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, will be closed until 11am to facilitate a staff meeting. Main Reading Room and Manuscript Room remain closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Monday 19 August: Launch of The Workhouses of County Tipperary booklet and lecture. Hosts: Irish Workhouse Centre and Nenagh Library. Venue: Nenagh Library, O'Rahilly St, Nenagh North, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. 3pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 20 August: Past & Present – Digital Collections at the NLI, with Maria Ryan. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. All welcome. 1pm. Booking not required.

Tuesday 20 August: Eighteenth Century Ballinasloe, lecture, with Steve Dolan, and launch of limited edition booklet on C18th newspaper reports of the town (€5, all proceeds to charity). Host: Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna. Venue: Ballinasloe Library, Society St, Townparks, Ballinasloe, Co Galway. 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Free admission. More information 0909759200.

Tuesday 20 August: Placenames of County Leitrim, Mary Bohan and Seán O Suilleabháin. Host and venue: Ballinamore Library, Main Street, Cannaboe, Ballinamore. 7:30pm - 8:30pm. Free admission. No booking required. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Murder and mayhem in medieval Cork, with Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel. Leo Swan Memorial Lecture. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co Dublin. Admission €5. 8pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Starvation and Survival – Inishowen Workhouse during the Great Famine, with Niamh Brennan. Host: West Inishowen History and Heritage Society and County Donegal Archives. Venue: Tullyarvan Mill, Buncrana, Co Donegal. 7:30pm. Admission free. All welcome.

Wednesday 21 August: Genealogy & Archives Day, with free talks by experienced genealogists and archivists. Host and venue: Cork City and County Archives, 32 Great William O'Brien Street, Blackpool, Cork City. 11am–2pm. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 22 August: Food in Ancient Ireland - Insights from Archaeology, with Dr Meriel McClatchie. Host: National Museum f Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 6–7pm. Free, but booking essential. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 22 August: Strawboys, mummers and mischief — Irish folk customs and their revival, with Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc. Host and venue: The White Country Inn, Banteer, Co Cork. Free. 7:30pm–9pm. All welcome.

Thursday 22 August: Eureka! Exploring discoveries at the Registry of Deeds, a seminar. Host: PRA_Ireland. Venue: Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin 1. 6pm–7:30pm. Free but booking essential. Details.

Thursday 22 August: Tour of Ireland's largest military cemetery, including WWI, ANZAC and 1916 and RMS Leinster graves/memorials. Host: OPW Phoenix Park. Venue: Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7. 11am–12:15pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Thursday 22 August: Limerick: city of sieges and a broken treaty, with Liam Irwin. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co Dublin. No booking required. €5 admission. 8pm.

Saturday 24 August: Local and Family History Conference. Venue: Hannon's Hotel, Athlone Rd, Acres, Roscommon. 9:30am-4:30pm. Admission €5. Need to book. Details and booking.

Saturday 24 August, Sunday 25 August (and Saturday 31 August): Summer School, with lectures on the history, folklore and culture of the region. Host and venue: Irish Famine Workhouse Centre, Portumna, Co Galway. 10am–1pm each day. Details.

Saturday 24 August: Landed Estates Seminar, with the James Hardiman Library team, NUIG. Host: National University of Ireland, Galway. Venue: O'Donoghue Building, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway. 10am to 1:30pm. All welcome. Free, but need to register.

Saturday 10 August 2019

Ancestry DNA: 40% discount to USA-based researchers

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011l4pku/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fdna%2F
Ancestry DNA's Summer Sale is offering a chunky 40% discount on its autosomal DNA test to researchers in the USA.

The saving reduces the price of the test kit from $99 to $59, plus shipping, and will expire on Monday 26 August.

There's also a free to enter competition to win a trip of a lifetime vacation to where your ancestors once lived. All you have to do is share your family story. Click the image (no need to make a purchase), and scroll down the landing page for more details and rules.


The content above contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Friday 9 August 2019

30% off 12-month sub to British Newspaper Archive

The online British Newspaper Archive is offering a 30% discount on its 12-month subscription.

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5895&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=%5B%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk%2Faccount%2Fsubscribe%3FPromotionCode%3DBNA30SUMMER%5D%5DThis reduces the cost from £80 to £56, which has to be good news in anybody's money. The subscription allows researchers to view an unlimited number of pages from the database, which today holds no less than 33,162,301 pages of historical news, obituaries, advertisements, letters and family notices dating back to the 1700s.

It also allows you to save searches and to bookmark articles you want to refer to in the future.

National, regional and local papers from across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are included in the database. By my own tally, there are 175 Irish newspapers in the archive making it an excellent source of genealogical and family history information.

To take advantage of the offer, hit the Save Now button above and complete your purchase for the annual subscription before 11:59pm GMT on Sunday 18 August.


The content above contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping IrishGenealogyNews online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.





Thursday 8 August 2019

NEHGS expands Historic Catholic Records Online project

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has announced the start of Phase 2 of its Historic Catholic Records Online project.

Phase 1, launched in early 2017, saw two collections of Catholic records digitised and uploaded to the Society's AmericanAncestors.com database, both from the RC Archdiocese of Boston, and therefore of obvious genealogical potential to those of Irish heritage on both sides of the pond. In summary, the collections are:
The project's logo includes a photo of a
stained glass window at the Cathedral of the
Holy Cross in Boston,MA portraying St Brigid

Phase 2 will see a further 20 years added to the time period of the project, with sacramental register records from 1901 to 1920 being digitized and indexed.

In addition to updating many parishes already included in the project, more than 60 'new' parishes from Greater Boston – all established after 1900 – will join.

To coincide with the announcment of Phase 2, some 72 new volumes covering 17 parishes were added to the image-only database, now renamed Massachusetts: (Image-Only) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920. Some 39 of these volumes are top-ups to existing parishes on the site while 33 are brand-new volumes.

The expansion of the project is expected to double the original 11 million names of parishioners to about 21 million names when completed.

There's a useful how-to video here to help you navigate the two databases to find what you need.