Friday, 30 April 2021

Free access to FindMyPast's British Census collection this weekend

Findmypast is making all its British census records (1841-1911) completely free to access this weekend. The free period will run from now until 10am (British/Irish Summer Time) on Monday 3 May.

Included in this collection are the following record-sets: 

  • 1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census 
  • 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
  • 1911 Census For England & Wales (NOT Scotland)

You simply need to sign up (free) by clicking the most appropriate flag below and start searching, or log in if you've already got an account. You’ll be able to access all English, Welsh and Scottish census records, normally included in a paid subscription.



FindMyPast Ireland

FindMyPast USA/Canada 
FindMyPast UK 
FindMyPast Australia/NZ 

Only Findmypast’s English, Scottish and Welsh census records are free to access. All other records including censuses from other countries, the 1939 Register and newspapers are not included. To view any excluded records during the free access period, you’ll need a valid subscription.


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Thursday, 29 April 2021

Two Mother's Day offers from Ancestry for US-based researchers

It's Mother's Day in the USA on Sunday 9 May, and Ancestry has two family history offers for USA-based researchers. The first is a straight-forward discount of $40 on an AncestryDNA test kit. The discount reduces the cost of the kit from $99 to just $59. Shipping is extra.

As always, buying a kit gives you access to estimates of your ethnicity plus all your DNA matches on the Ancestry website.

Ancestry's second offer is a very attractive 'bundle' offer. This costs just $1 more than the test kit+ethnicity+matches offer above, but additionally comes with a full three-months of access to Ancestry's World Explorer Collection of records. You'd be making a saving of $118. What's not to like about that?

To take advantage of these offers, click the image above, check out the terms and conditions, and place your order before 11:59pm EST on Sunday 9 May, when the discounts will expire.


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

NEHGS adds Irish RC burial records from East Watertown, MA

AmericanAncestors.org, the database of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, has added a collection of burial records from Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery in East Watertown, MA.

The records were gathered by cemetery volunteer researcher William (Bill) McEvoy and contain much more than just burial register data and headstone transcriptions, as he went on to hunt down missing details of the deceased in vital records, plot sales, obituaries and other collections. This resulted in a dataset holding some 46,000 names in rich records dating from 1854 to 1980.

In his 224-page ebook explaining his project and his findings (click cover image, right, to download the 6.5Mb pdf), McEvoy gives this description of the people resting in the burial ground:

The majority of the people buried at Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery resided in the North End, Charlestown and East Boston sections of Boston. The next most common place of residence was Cambridge, followed by Somerville. The vast majority of the cemetery lots were sold by the end of 1865. They were primarily purchased by people who were born in Ireland. It is likely that the residents of the Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery immigrated around the time of the First Great Irish Famine or are their descendants. The next country of origin by purchasers, although a very small percentage, were people born in the Azores.

AmericanAncestors now offers a fully indexed record set to the collection (link above). It’s a members-only database, so it can’t be viewed on a free guest account.

If you don’t have a subscription, you might like to search a simple excel spreadsheet hosted by The Historical Society of Watertown’s website. This can be downloaded, free of charge, here: Spreadsheet: Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery: East Watertown, MA.

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Local Studies team digitises St Maelruain's headstone transcriptions

Click to download free pdf
A collection of headstone transcriptions from St Maelruain's burial ground in Tallaght has been digitized and released online by the Local Studies team at Tallaght Library. The original source was an old-style computer print-out of transcriptions made 20-30 years ago.

A huge cross section of society is buried in the graveyard, including four Old IRA veterans, five Garda Siochana, one Alderman, one Air Corps serviceman, two Victorian soldiers, three WW1 casualties, and two employees of the Dublin Blessington Tramway Company who died as a result of workplace accidents.

The earliest recorded burial is that of “Samuel McCoy Who Departed This Life 5th March 1627 Aged 45 Years”.

You can download a pdf of the 1,120 page document from the South Dublin Libraries website by clicking the image, right. A surname index starts on page 1,057, and you’ll find ground maps from page 1,110.

New free burials database for Antrim and Newtownabbey area

A new online database has been launched to hold details of burials in some of the cemeteries in the care of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. It offers free access to burial register records from the following cemeteries: Antrim, Ballyclare, Belmont, Carnmoney (Main and East), Crumlin, Mallusk, Sixmile, Rashee and Umgall.

Researchers can now search the site (which is live but still being tested in advance of its official launch) using surname and cemetery name or a combination of forename, surname and date of death. There are more details about the burial grounds on the council's Cemeteries page.

Search results typically include full name, date of death, age, plot location, type of burial, age, and last residence before death, as you can see from the sample, right.

The individual result page appears to suggest access to a photograph, perhaps of the headstone or location. This may be a planned future development for the site, as no images are currently online.

Post Service Appointments Books, 1831-1969: full of Irish workers

An Ancestry World Archives Project (WAP) — UK Postal Service Appointment Books, 1737-1969 — was recently updated by Ancestry. No description of what's been updated has been provided, but this seems a suitable opportunity to bring to researchers attention this potentially useful collection for Irish family historians.

The records, held by The Postal Museum in central London, are indexes to the Postmaster General’s minute books. They show the date when a person began working for the Post Office or started at a new position within the Post Office. The books were kept from 1831 until 1969, when they stopped being kept because of legislation and human resource procedures.

Working for the Post Office was a well-respected career, especially for intelligent young Irish men and women, who had to pass the Civil Service Examinations to gain entry to the lowliest rungs. These examinations were held in Ireland’s principal cities, but many of the posts on offer were in London.

The collection holds nearly 1.5million records. More than 8,000 of them relate to appointments at locations in Ireland, but there are countless more for Irish youngsters who were prepared to live and work in London. Among them is one Michael J Collins who, having sat and passed examinations in Cork City in February 1906, was rewarded with a Boy Clerk position in the Post Office’s Savings Bank in London just five months later. He lodged in Kensington for several years with his sister, Hannie, who had taken the same route seven years earlier.

Click the Postal Museum’s logo, left, to search and view the records. Being a WAP collection, you don’t need a subscription, only a free registered account.


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

FindMyPast ends subscriber compensation for Free Access days

FindMyPast is changing its terms and conditions (section 9) relating to free access offers to researchers without a subscription. In the past, Pro and World subscribers have been 'compensated' for free access periods, when traffic to FindMyPast's sites might negatively impact the speed with which research can be carried out, or even cause difficulty reaching the site.

Over the years, many subscribers have learned to stay away and do other research when a popular free access weekend was announced, and that was okay when the company added the number of free access days to their subscription. No one lost out.

It is this compensation that is being scrapped under the new terms and conditions. So said a very determined pop-up on the site today. Unfortunately, it was so insistent on remaining on my screen, I concentrated only on getting rid of it, rather than the details of the message. But I think it comes into effect today, and I assume it will do so across all the sites.

This won't be a popular move.

Monday, 26 April 2021

One-week summary of English, Scottish & Welsh genealogy updates

Below is a summary of new and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales released by the major genealogy databases over the last week (for the previous summary, see 16 April blogpost).

This regular summary of releases and updates relating to British collections is designed to help family historians whose Irish ancestors migrated, temporarily or permanently, to England, Scotland or Wales.

By default, it will also be useful to anyone carrying out research in those three nations, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in the new record set.

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parenthesis in the Updated Collections section reflect the number of records added to the collection in the recent update. In some instances, the supplier has not made this figure available. Where two figures are given, the first is the number of additions, the second is the new total.

Please note that I don't usually include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.


NEW COLLECTIONS


Ancestry

BritishNewspaperArchive (and shared with some FindMyPast subscriptions)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


Ancestry

FamilySearch

FindMyPast

The Genealogist
  • Lloyd George Domesday Survey (143,956 names added and linked to maps for Balham, Battersea, Fulham, Hammersmith, Putney & Roehampton, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth.)


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Online Irish genealogy and history events, 26 April - 10 May

With Covid-19 restrictions still minimising opportunities for on-site research and learning, genealogical groups, historical societies, libraries, archives, museums and other organisations have really got to grips with both live and recorded online presentations. April has seen the greatest number of online events in our genre since the pandemic took hold, and I'm expecting those levels to be repeated and possibly even exceeded in May. Perhaps by the time we get to June, there will even be some in-person events.

So, I'm returning to a weekly schedule of publishing a rolling fortnight list of genealogy, history and heritage events. As previously, these will be updated as I become aware of them. Here are some events taking place in the next two weeks:

Tuesday 27 April: Crisis in a Colonial Capital: The Black Death in Dublin, with Dr Simon Egan. Part of the Death and Disease in Dublin series from Dublin City Library and Archive. 1pm. Free but need to register here.

Tuesday 27 April: Place versus Memory: The Archaeology of the War of Independence and Civil War in Cork, with Dr Damian Shiels. Host: Experience Glasnevin - Ireland's National Cemetery Lecture Series, 2021. Free. Online, 7pm–8:30pm. Need to register.

Tuesday 27 April: Habitually, rankly immoral: state censorship in Ireland after 1930, with Dr A Bhreatnach. Host: National Archives of Ireland. Online. 7pm. All welcome. Free but need to register.

Tuesday 27 April: Naming and Forgetting: A Lecture on Fieldnames and Minor Placenames in County Clare, with Jake Justice and Micheál Mac Gearailt. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Online. 8pm. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 29 April: Armagh Robinson Library – 250 years, with Dr Robert Whan. Host: Armagh Robinson Library, Northern Ireland's oldest public library. Talk held on Zoom. 7:30pm. Free and all welcome, but need to book online or email: director@armaghrobinsonlibrary.co.uk.

Thursday 29 April: Killeshin: A Portal in Time, Sean Murray. Hosts: Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society/Laois Heritage Society. 8pm. Free. Available on Zoom and Facebook.

Thursday 29 April: Blitz 80: Faces of the Blitz, with Alan Freeburn. Hosts: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM). Online presentation. 2pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register. Details.

Thursday 29 April: 1911 Irish census and technology: bringing past, present & future together, with the Sensible Code Company. The talk will explore how digitised data is being transformed into a flexible format to unlock the value of historic records and open up exciting new possibilities for analysis. Host: National Archives of Ireland. 2:30pm to 4pm. Free online lecture. Booking essential.

Friday 30 April to 2 May: SleuthAbility, a virtual Irish genealogy, DNA and History conference, hosted by BBNY Group. Two days of recorded presentations, some aimed at Irish-Americans, each followed by live Q&A. See programme, schedules, speakers and ticket options here.

Friday 30 April: The Irish Influence - history, archives and more, with Caitriona Crowe. Host: Boston College. Presented at 9:30pm–10:30pm in Ireland, and 4.30pm EST in North America. Free. Need to register.

Saturday 1 May: Irish genealogy records, a beginner class with Jill Williams FIGRS. Host: Scottish Genealogy Society. £8 members/£10 non-members. 2pm-4pm. On Zoom. Need to book by 28 April latest.

Saturday 1 May: Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution, with Anne Dolan and Will Murphy. Host: Cloughjordan Honours Thomas MacDonagh 2021, Cloughjordan Heritage Group. 8pm. Free. Online. Download programme or see MacdonaghHeritage.ie for booking.

Sunday 2 May: Taking the Biscuit, a specially commissioned drama set during Easter Week 1916 in Jacob’s Factory Garrison under the command of Commandant Thomas MacDonagh. Written and directed by Martin Maguire, the drama is based mainly on documents held in the Military Archives. Host: Cloughjordan Honours Thomas MacDonagh 2021, Cloughjordan Heritage Group. 8pm. Free. Online. Download programme or see MacdonaghHeritage.ie for booking.

Monday 3 May: Bank Holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Monday 3 May: The Modreeny Ambush Centenary, with Ger Heffernan providing a detailed account of the involvement of the Irish Republican Army ‘Flying Column’, local Volunteers and the Royal Irish Constabulary in one of the final military acts of the Irish War of Independence. Host: Cloughjordan Honours Thomas MacDonagh 2021, Cloughjordan Heritage Group. 8pm. Free. Online. Download programme or book at MacdonaghHeritage.ie.

Wednesday 5 May: 'Admirals for a Day’: Reading and discussion, with Cormac O’Malley. Host: National Library of Ireland. Online. Need to book. Free. 7:30pm.

Thursday 6 May: WWI: Exploring the Irish Experience, a virtual exhibition tour. Host: National Library of Ireland. All welcome. Free, but need to book tickets. 11am.

Thursday 6 May: Blitz 80: Hands Across the Border: Assistance from southern fire brigades in the Belfast Blitz, by Las Fallon. Hosts: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM). Online presentation. 2pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 6 May: WWI: Life in an Irish Towerhouse, with Donal Burke. Host: Irish Workhouse Centre First Friday Series of talks. 8pm online. €5. Book here.

Monday 10 May: Many libraries, archives and similar research centres reopen in the Republic of Ireland.


Saturday, 24 April 2021

$50 discount on Ancestry DNA test kits for Canadian researchers

To mark DNA Day 2021, Ancestry DNA test kits are now on offer to researchers in Canada with a CAD $50 saving.

The discount reduces the price of the test kit to $79 CAD inclusive of tax. Shipping is extra.

To take advantage of the offer, click the image, right, and place your order before 11:59pm EST on Friday, 30 April, when it will expire.


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Thursday, 22 April 2021

Up to $70 discounts on test kits from Family Tree DNA

Marking DNA Day, Family Tree DNA's discounts are available across the company's range of DNA tests.

Savings include $30 on Family Finder, the company's autosomal test, which reduces the price of this popular male and female test to just $49.

The company's Y-dna test kit, which traces paternal ancestry and can be taken only by men, is reduced by $20, $50 or $70, depending on the depth of the test you choose.

And the mtDNA kit, which explores maternal ancestry and can be taken by men and women, drops by $20 to $139.

The sale will run until Monday 26 April.

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Northern Ireland’s Oldest Public Library marks 250th Anniversary

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the foundation of Armagh Robinson Library, the oldest public library in Northern Ireland. The Library was founded in 1771 by Richard Robinson, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, at a cost of £3,000. Two years later it was incorporated by an Act passed by the Irish Parliament for ‘settling and preserving a Publick Library in the City of Armagh for ever’. It was built to the design of the English-born architect Thomas Cooley, whose original drawings are still held in the Library.

Interior of Armagh Robinson Library. Photo courtesy Brian Mason

Today the Library has some 45,000 printed volumes, the earliest dating from the 1480s. In addition, the Library has manuscripts (going back to the 12th century), Roman and medieval coins, medals from the reign of the French King Louis XIV, antiquities and fine art. The latter includes Archbishop Robinson’s collection of 4,500 prints and engravings, dating from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries.

To mark the anniversary of the Library's foundation, its Director, Dr Robert Whan will present an online lecture exploring the history of the Library and some of its many treasures. This will be held online on Thursday 29 April at 7.30pm and is open to all. Although free of charge, you need to book here or email.

Speaking ahead of the public lecture, Dr Whan said: “Armagh Robinson Library occupies a unique place in Northern Ireland’s cultural and literary landscape, being the earliest purpose-built library for use by the public in the north of Ireland. While the books and fine art collections provided by the Library’s founder have been added to, the ethos of making them freely available to all has remained at the heart of the Library’s continued service for two and a half centuries. This 250th anniversary lecture is an opportunity to find out about the building and collections provided by Archbishop Robinson, how they have been used, and expanded over the years.”


Silver medal by John Kirk (after Isaac Gosset) struck to commemorate the opening of the Library, 250 years ago, in 1771. The medal features a side profile of the Library’s founder, Richard Robinson, Archbishop of Armagh, 1st Baron Rokeby. On the other side is the front elevation of the Library as it was originally built, three bays wide. It carries the Greek inscription, ‘TO THΣ ψYHΣ IATPEION’ – the Library’s motto:‘The Healing Place of the Soul’. Photo courtesy Dix Noonan Webb.

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Unusual Bronze Age tomb discovered on Dingle, County Kerry

      Dingle Peninsula ringed in red. Courtesy Google Maps
An ancient tomb, thought to date to the Bronze Age (2000BC to 500BC), has been accidentally discovered by a Kerry farmer while carrying out reclamation work on his land holding. His digger turned over a large stone slab, revealing a slab-lined chamber beneath.

Archaeologists from the National Monument Service and the National Museum of Ireland have carried out an initial survey and says the find is significant not only for the tomb's highly unusual design features, but also because it contains human remains. It is also rare for being in its original state, totally preserved as built.

Further investigations and a full survey will follow before any more information about the tomb's history, purpose and use will be released.

The burial site is on private land on the Dingle Peninsula and its precise location has not been disclosed.

Learn more in the Irish Examiner report.

Monday, 19 April 2021

UK research centres re-open as Covid restrictions begin to ease

The lifting of Lockdown restrictions in the Republic of Ireland is going to be a slow process, and there's no word yet of when libraries and archives will be unlocking the gates to the pent-up demand of genealogy and history researchers. Current discussion seems focussed on possibly allowing outdoor activities in May.

Meanwhile, most of the neighbours have already announced or taken their first steps towards a limited return to normal. For repositories, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but any reopenings are certain to be subject to appointment-only visitor bookings. Here's a summary of what you can expect if you are desperate to get back into the research visit groove:

Northern Ireland

While hairdressers and beauty salons (priorities, priorities) will be the first to reopen for business later this week, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) will remain closed to the public. There is no date yet for when their well-coiffed and manicured customers can return, but it is not expected to be much before the end of May, at best. Access will then be on an appointment-only basis for the indefinite future. It might be worth getting ready to pounce on the booking system by preparing for your visit here. The Linen Hall Library, the Derry Archive and Museum, and the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland will probably match the PRONI date. LibrariesNI branches have been open for some weeks for IT and printing services only, but will reopen, with restrictions on numbers, on 27 April, and there is no word yet on when the North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS will reopen its Research Centre in Newtownabbey.

Scotland

Some Scottish branch libraries are already open for computer and internet access. The Mitchell Library in Glasgow, along with the National Library's George IV Bridge and Causewayside sites in Edinburgh and Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, will open on Tuesday 27 April. Details. The Historical Search Room of the National Records Service will reopen on limited basis on Tuesday 27 April, initially only to academics (details), and the ScotlandsPeople Centre plans to reopen a week later, on Tuesday 4 May, on an appointment-only basis (more information). In addition, the Scottish Genealogy Society Library will reopen on Monday 26 April with reduced visitor numbers; all visits must be booked and will be time-limited (details).

England

The National Archives, Kew will reopen on Tuesday 27 April. The Reading Room bookings system (details) went live at Noon today, offering four weeks' availability on a rolling basis, with new dates added daily. The National Library in Euston will reopen its Reading Rooms, Reader Registration, public desks and Members’ Room from Tuesday 20 April for booked visits (tickets are now being released, see Plan Your Visit) and its Galleries after 17 May (details). Near the Barbican, the Society of Genealogists will open on Tuesdays, 11am-4pm from Tuesday 18 May, and one Saturday per month, 11am-4pm (first dates 22 May and 19 June), on an appointment basis only; the booking system will open on Monday 3 May (details).

Wales

In Wales the National Library of Wales reopened its Reading Room last week for two daily sessions – 10am-Noon and 1:30pm-4pm – on an appointments-only basis. Details.



Friday, 16 April 2021

Take 5: a second batch of five brief Irish genealogy news items

Since my last Take 5 blogpost in March (here), I've made some catch-up progress with my backlog. Not quite as much as I'd have liked, but at least in the right direction. I may, therefore, continue the occasional Take 5 format for a bit longer as I still have too much on my plate. So, here's a second batch of five short news items that have been delayed but are still newsworthy. I'll keep cracking on...

Roscommon Biography epic goes digital

Last summer, I blogged about the launch of A Dictionary of Roscommon Biography, by Michael Lennon. It contains the obituaries of 5,000 women and men associated with County Roscommon and its hinterland, spanning four centuries, and covers the careers of representatives from politics, sport, arts, religion, law, business and journalism.

As the 930-page hardback has almost sold out, a digital edition has now been published to facilitate interested readers at home and abroad who were unable to purchase a copy. Further details about the book can be found on its website www.roscommonbiography.com.

The digital edition may be purchased online (€10) from Rathcroghan Visitor Centre


The Breslin Archive adds first tranche of new photographic collection

Founded in 2019, The Breslin Archive has recently uploaded some 100 images from a recently acquired and newly digitised photographic collection. Taken during the 1890s, the pictures show people, stately homes, houses, fishing ports and landscapes, mainly from around County Waterford, and provides insight into the lives of people across different social classes in Ireland towards the end of the 19th-century.

This new collection consists of original glass and celluloid negatives, 6.5" x 8.5" (full plate) and 3.25" by 4.25" (quarter plate) in size.

Now digitised, the full plate photographs can be viewed on the site. They join existing collection of photographs taken in the west of Ireland during the 1930s, with more collections from the 19th and 20th centuries (including the quarter plates mentioned above) being digitised for later addition to the free online archive.


National Archives of Ireland issues request for tender for Genealogy Advisory Service

The National Archives of Ireland has issued a request for tender for the provision of qualified personnel to operate a Genealogy Advisory Service for its users, visitors (when again allowed) and correspondents. The work will be carried out onsite at Bishop Street, Dublin 8, and remotely.

The NAI's Service has been, and still is, provided by members of Accredited Genealogists Ireland for most of the last decade or so. While the daily in-person service has not been possible during Lockdown, the genealogists have been running a busy email service, answering queries from researchers. Details.

The closing date for receipt of tenders is 14 May 2021, and full details are available at etenders, here.


John Grenham's video channel continues to expand with helpful videos

Professional genealogist John Grenham MAGI announced the launch of his video channel back in January, and uploaded four videos, all aiming to help researchers better understand and explore his useful website. Along with useful tips on how to get the best from the site, the video format also allows him to offer advice on Irish genealogy resources more generally.

He's been a busy lad! The channel now holds 17 videos. They're short (11-23 minutes long), informative and helpful, and come with a good sprinkling of the humour for which John is so well known. And they're free! Check them out by clicking the thumbnail, left.


MyHeritage opens up its entire birth records collection from 18–24 April

All birth records held in the MyHeritage database will be free to search AND view for a full week starting this Sunday 18 April and running until the 24th. The database holds 115 collections containing a total of 1,144,541,613 individual records from all over the world. Some contain indexes, while others contain an image of the record.

Unfortunately, MyHeritage doesn't yet have much to entice the average Irish genealogist as most of its Irish collections are non-exclusive and often also permanently free elsewhere. However, that doesn't mean Irish genealogists won't find anything to interest them in this free access period. If you have ancestors who left Ireland, you may well find their descendents in MyHeritage's birth collections.

This week's genealogy updates for England, Scotland and Wales

Below is a summary of new and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales released by the major genealogy databases over the last week (for the previous summary, see 6 April blogpost).

This regular summary of releases and updates relating to British collections is designed to help family historians whose Irish ancestors migrated, temporarily or permanently, to England, Scotland or Wales.

By default, it will also be useful to anyone carrying out research in those three nations, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in the new record set.

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parenthesis in the Updated Collections section reflect the number of records added to the collection in the recent update. In some instances, the supplier has not made this figure available. Where two figures are given, the first is the number of additions, the second is the new total.

Please note that I don't usually include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.


NEW COLLECTIONS

Ancestry


BritishNewspaperArchive (and shared with some FindMyPast subscriptions)

National Library of Scotland - Maps



UPDATED COLLECTIONS

FamilySearch 


FindMyPast

National Library of Scotland - Maps


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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Thursday, 15 April 2021

MilitaryArchives launches enhanced search facility to MSPC

The MilitaryArchives has enhanced its search facility to the Military Service Pensions Collection (MSPC)

From today, researchers can broaden their search with combinations including address, date of death, occupation, Easter Rising Service (yes or no), and relevant 1924 and 1934 Military Service Pensions Acts.

To go direct to the advanced search page, click the image, right.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Ireland's Land Commission records are back in the news

The preposterous lack of access to the Republic's collection of Land Commission records relating to the transfer of estate land from the gentry to their tenants has received another airing in the press. On this occasion it is Professor Terence Dooley of Maynooth University, one of Ireland's most highly regarded historians, who is rattling the cage via the Independent newspaper.

The Department of Agriculture is the custodian of
the Republic's Land Commission records

These records – about eight million of them – are under the strictest lock and key in a Department of Agriculture facility in Portlaoise. They have neither been conserved nor digitised, and the public is not allowed to access them. Their warders insist they are working papers and do not come under Freedom of Information legislation, a banal response wheeled out many times since the collection was closed.

The Department of Agriculture's other knee-jerk excuse for not allowing access is that the papers are fragile. Surely that's a very good reason for getting them into the hands of archivists without delay!

While Professor Dooley is primarily concerned that scrutiny of this collection could help to better understand Ireland's revolutionary era, genealogists continue to lament the lack of access to its documents such as wills, family tree records, lease books, rentals of tenants, maps, title deeds and correspondence dating back to the 1880s.

For some reason, even material pre-dating 1921 – which would normally see historical records released from data protection considerations under the 100-year-rule – is deemed too 'sensitive'.

Northern Ireland doesn't feel this sensitivity; Land Commission records for the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, LondonDerry and Tryone can be viewed by researchers in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland's Search Room. (See PRONI's Land Registry leaflet.) They are not digitised, but neither are they locked and hidden away, wrapped up in excuses.

Tuesday, 13 April 2021

Dedicated Co Cavan website launches with historical records & data

A freshly re-designed website has launched to provide a 'gateway to the history of each of Cavan's 2,000 townlands'. It's called CavanTownlands.com, and brings together historical data and sources for each individual townland.

The site is hosted by husband and wife team Michael McShane, an enthusiastic family historian, and Catherine Kerr, a data scientist who has used her skills to compile and present the data they have gathered into an easily accessible layout.

"The emphasis of the site has been refocused on each of the 2000 townlands of County Cavan, says Michael. "Every townland is unique and we have created an individual page for each one. The new format is designed to bring together the historical data which we have uniquely researched along with the more generally available data which we have edited and improved on in terms of access and quality."

Data sources include location map and basic townland information along with relevant articles, where available, the 1609 Bodley Plantation Map, the 1652 Commonwealthy Survey; Tithe Applotment Books; the 1836 Name Book for townlands in nine parishes; the 1841 Census of Killeshandra; Griffith's Valuation records, and Logainm, the official database of Irish placenames. Most of these come with supporting articles which provide further background and tips on searching.

In addition, the site offers full access to an extensive (and growing) library of maps and books and articles.

Further development of the site will see more unique sources and articles added, as time allows. Michael says he is constantly seeking further historical information and any contributions including articles, books, photographs, maps etc will be greatly appreciated and all contributors fully credited.

If you have ancestral connections to County Cavan, be sure to check out the site by clicking the image above.

Monday, 12 April 2021

Four-week summary of new and updated USA genealogy collections

Below is a summary of US family history collections that have been released or updated by the major genealogy databases in the last four weeks. (The previous summary list was published on 8 March, see blogpost).

My regular summaries are designed to help family historians whose Irish ancestors emigrated, temporarily or permanently, to the United States.

By default, they should also be useful to anyone carrying out research in the US, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in each new record set, if provided by the database.

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parenthesis in the Updated Collections section reflect the number of records added to the collection in the recent update, if a number has been clearly noted by the supplier. I do not include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.


NEW COLLECTIONS


AmericanAncestors

Ancestry

FamilySearch

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


AmericanAncestors
  • Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920
    More than 400,00 names added for these parishes:
  • St. John the Evangelist of Newton
    Our Lady of Victories/Notre Dame des Victoires
    St. Angela’s Mattapan
    Blessed Sacrament, St. Thomas Aquinas and All Saints, all in Roxbury
    St. Adalbert Hyde Park
    Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and St. Vincent de Paul, both in South Boston
    St. Lazarus, East Boston
    Sacred Heart and St Joseph, both in Amesbury
    St. Agnes, and St James, both in Arlington
    St. Mary, Ayer
    Blessed Sacrament, and St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Jamaica Plain.

Ancestry
FamilySearch
    Some 67 US collections have been updated in the last month. Rather than create an excrutiatingly long blogpost, I'll simply direct you to the FamilySearch.org update page. On the right hand side of the landing page, beneath 'Historical Record Collections', click the blue 'Last Updated' column title twice. You'll now see the most recently updated collection at the top of the list. (You need to be signed in to reach this page.)

FindMyPast



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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Wednesday, 7 April 2021

Latest update from Irish Registry of Deeds Project Index

The volunteer-led Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project has received another update and now holds 411,670 entries transribed from 43,634 memorials.

In addition, both the Grantors and the Townlands Indexes have been updated.

The Indexes are all free to search and view. The site has become much easier to explore in recent years, and with images of microfilmed copies of the manuscript archive now also available to view via FamilySearch.org, this vast collection is starting to reveal many family history secrets and discoveries. If you haven't checked the site for a while, I think you'd find it worth making time to do so.

A new virtual Irish genealogy, history & DNA conference

A new Irish genealogy, DNA and history conference, featuring many well-known experts, will be held online on the weekend of 30 April to 2 May.  It's called Sleuthability.

It will be hosted by BBNY Group, who many will remember as the founder and organiser of The Genealogy Event, an annual learning experience presented in Limerick from 2014 to 2018. 

Sleuthability will present talks on a variety of Irish family history research topics, including some aimed at Irish-American researchers. You can find the programme and details of the speakers on the conference website - click the logo, right.

The three-day conference provides a number of ticket options, so that attendees can view the talks on schedule and/or on demand. Tickets prices range from US$5 for one talk to US$3 for a weekend pass. Each talk is pre-recorded and up to 30 minutes in length, with Q&A sessions that follow the scheduled broadcast through live chat and video connections. 

For more details, click the logo, above right.

Tuesday, 6 April 2021

England, Wales & Scotland: 2-week summary of genealogy updates

Below is a summary of new and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales released by the major genealogy databases over the last two weeks (for the previous summary, see 22 March blogpost).

This regular summary of releases and updates relating to British collections is designed to help family historians whose Irish ancestors migrated, temporarily or permanently, to England, Scotland or Wales.

By default, it will also be useful to anyone carrying out research in those three nations, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in the new record set.

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parenthesis in the Updated Collections section reflect the number of records added to the collection in the recent update. In some instances, the supplier has not made this figure available. Where two figures are given, the first is the number of additions, the second is the new total.

Please note that I don't usually include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.



NEW COLLECTIONS


BritishNewspaperArchive (and shared with some FindMyPast subscriptions)

FindMyPast
TheGenealogist

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


Ancestry

FamilySearch

FindMyPast

TheGenealogist



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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Friday, 2 April 2021

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: March additions

Headstone to James McColough, who died in 1793,
buried in Christ the Redeemer graveyard in Dromore,
Co Down. Photo courtesy of Graham McColough and
IGPArchives. Click for enlarged view.

Below, please find a summary of the new files donated, transcribed and uploaded by volunteers to the free Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives during March.

CLARE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Inagh Old Graveyard Pt 1 (B-H)

DOWN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer graveyard, Dromore

GALWAY Genealogy Archives - Land
Encumbered Estates: Carrowmanagh, Carrownrooaun, Cartron, Derreen, Finish Island, Garra, Kilgill, Moyne Demesne Lands 1855

SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Easkey Abbey Graveyard (T)
St. Anne's (CoI) graveyard, Easkey (T)
St. Paul's (CoI) graveyard, Coolooney (T)

Free access to Ancestry database this Easter weekend

Ancestry UK has opened up its database of 27 billion Irish, British and international records for the Easter weekend. Access is FREE.

If you don't already have a registered account with Ancestry UK, you'll need to create one. This requires you to provide your name and an email address; you don't need to submit financial details.

Once done, you can dive in, check out the various collections and start searching for your ancestors.

The free access will end at 11:59pm on Monday 5 April.

Start your search here.

To view the entire collection catalogue, click the image, right. 

To view only the Irish and British collection catalogue, click here.



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 Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.