Friday, 30 July 2021

Two-week summary of new and updated US 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 two weeks. (The previous summary list was published on 12 July, 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
  • Narragansett Historical Register, 1882-1891, “a magazine devoted to the Antiquities, Genealogy and Historical Matter illustrating the history of the Narragansett Country, or Southern Rhode Island" (5,500 records and names)

Ancestry

FamilySearch

Fold3

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


AmericanAncestors

Ancestry

FamilySearch

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 July 2021

BritishNewspaperArchive database races past 44m-page milestone

The BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk, the online version of the British Library's Newspaper Collection, passed the 44million-page milestone yesterday evening with a raft of debut titles joining the database. Today it stands at 44,073,418 pages.
From The Umpire, 29 July 1888

With most of the mainstream dailies and weeklies published in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland already available in the database at this stage of the digitisation project – it started in 2013 – it's not a big surprise to see several niche or short-lived titles in this latest eclectic batch of additions.

Among them are The Tailor and Cutter, an advertisement brochure which also carried news and educational features for the tailoring industry 1867-1918); The Standard of Freedom and The Public Cause, which took their politics, social views and themselves very seriously indeed; The True Sun, whose owner, printer and publisher were imprisioned for encouraging resistence to payment of a new tax, The Englishman, printed in Calcutta and sending colonial news back to the mother country; and, out of Manchester, The Umpire, which brought a truly bizarre style of journalism to newstands for a couple of decades over the turn of the 19th/20th centuries (see image, right).

You can see the latest additions here. No Irish titles in the latest crop, unfortunately.

Titles in the BritishNewspaperArchive database are shared with some FindMyPast subscription packages.


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: Catholic cemeteries collection (MA) grows to 675k records

In its third instalment of burial and cemetery records administered by the CCA in eastern Massachusetts (for details of the launch, see February blogpost), AmericanAncestors.org* has added a further 96,400 searchable records to its Massachusetts Catholic Cemetery Association collection.

The records are primarily lot sales and interments, and may include information about lot owners, date of burial and location of burial. Some of the people represented in these written records may not have purchased a grave marker or their marker may have eroded with time, making this collection essential for research into Catholic burials in this region.

Given the location of the burial grounds, it is also a major collection for Irish family historians looking for details of ancestors who emigrated to North America.

This latest upload adds records from three new cemeteries and completes one other, making a current total of 675,300 available searchable records from 16 burial grounds.

These cemeteries are: Calvary (Winchester), Catholic Mount Auburn (Watertown), St. Patrick (Stoneham), St. Paul (Arlington), Malden (Holy Cross) Calvary (Waltham), Sacred Heart (Andover), St George (Framingham), St James (Haverhill), St Joseph (Haverhill), St Jean Baptiste (Lynn), St Mary (Beverley), St Mary (Malden), Immaculate Conception (Marlborough), St. Francis de Sales (Charlestown) and St. Joseph (Lynn).

Records from just four CCA cemeteries remain outstanding: Cambridge (North Cambridge), St Mary (Lynn), St Mary (Salem), St Patrick (Watertown). These are expected to be available by the end of the year.

In addition to the searchable database, maps of each cemetery are being made available to help locate burial plots. They have been uploaded for ten of the grounds already. Where possible, maps include sections, ranges and in some cases narrative description of how headstones are arranged by row and lot number. Also included are points of interest such as entrances, exits, flag poles, monuments, offices and spigots. Special sections for the burials of infants, priests and religious are also noted.

* Subscription required

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

RootsIreland adds more than 20,000 Catholic records for Co. Kerry

RootsIreland.ie has had another update (see yesterday's blogpost for new Laois and Offaly additions), this time for its County Kerry collection.

The new records have been transcribed from 20,893 entries in the Roman Catholic registers of the following two parishes:

  • Causeway baptisms, 1783-1900 (19,617 records)
  • Abbeydorney marriages, 1836-1900 (1276 records)

Transcriptions of records dated up to 1880/1 link to images of the relevant pages in the National Library of Ireland's RC registers' site.

To login and search these records, click the logo above.

You can see a full menu of the Co. Kerry record sets in the RootsIreland database here.

Monday, 26 July 2021

RootsIreland adds trade directory records from Laois and Offaly

The records of nearly 18,000 traders working in Counties Laois and Offaly between 1788 and 1894 have been added to the RootsIreland database. 

These 'census substitute' records have been transcribed from the following trade directories:

County Laois:

  • Lucas's Directory, 1788 (79 records) 
  • Pigot's Directory, 1824 (559 records) 
  • Porter's Directory, 1908 (330 records) 
  • Slater's Directory, 1846-1894 (7744 records) 

County Offaly:

  • Birr Directory 1889 (324 records) 
  • Pigot's Directory 1824 (530 records) 
  • Porter's Directory 1908 (246 records) 
  • Slater's Directory 1846-1894 (7475 records)

To search these records, go to the County Laois or County Offaly search page and choose "Census Substitutes". Select an entry from the "Source" drop-down-list, if required. 

To login or subscribe, click the logos above.

Sunday, 25 July 2021

British genealogy collections: updates & releases, 10-day summary

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 ten days (see previous summary, 16 July).

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



UPDATED COLLECTIONS


Ancestry

FamilySearch

FindMyPast

National Library of Scotland
  • Scottish maps Town plans: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, plus special series maps

TheGenealogist

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Friday, 23 July 2021

Half a million Irish recorded in New York Almshouses ledgers index

Ancestry has come up with another (see yesterday's blogpost) not-so-obvious collection of potential value to Irish family historians. It's an index to the New York, U.S. Almshouse Ledgers, 1758-1952 and, if the index is counting records correctly, holds very nearly half a million records of Irish-born individuals.

The official total of entries in the collection is 1,113,040. The Irish-born contingent of 486,894 make up the largest single group – more than the USA-born total.

The term 'almshouses' covers a number of institution types that provided aid to the poor and the sick. They included workhouses, barracks, infirmaries, prisons and asylums, and typically gave help to immigrants fleeing famine and persecution.

The ledgers transcribed for this collection detail admissions (voluntary or otherwise), discharges, deaths, and census information for the various types of almshouse and may include the following information:

That's a mighty number of candles required for the cake!

  • Person’s name
  • Birth date or year
  • Date of admission
  • Date of discharge
  • Date of death
  • Gender
  • Race
  • Occupation
  • Marital status
  • Names of relatives

When exploring the records, you'll need to be aware that the stated ages of individuals are frequently way out. In a casual glance through some of those born in Ireland you'd be forgiven for thinking some of the inmates of these institutions were living to extraordinary ages.

Take Lizzie Ward who was admitted in 1898 aged 65; according to the transcribed record, she died aged 147 in 1980. Call me a cynic, but I doubt it! I think a discharge date of 1880 or even 1890 is more likely.

Following a similar mistake pattern, widowed labourer James Sullivan was 58 when he went into the almshouse in 1900 and was probably discharged some (considerable) time before the 1968 recorded in the index. You have been warned!

Ancestry's description of the collection is worth reading and points researchers who want to search for more details of an almshouse inmate to its New York State Records Collection.


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 July 2021

Plenty of potential for Irish genealogists in UK Criminal collection

Back in January, Ancestry released a multi-source crime record-set they've called the UK, Registers of Habitual Criminals and Police Gazettes, 1834-1934 collection. Usually, when I see a new UK-laberlled collection arrive in a major database, I check out its potential value for Irish family historians, but it seems that I didn't get around to it on this occasion. Having had it brought to my attention*, I've now had a chance to explore, and I think it will of interest to those with ancestors who migrated to Britain or went AWOL from the British military forces.

Click image to see enlarged sample from Ancestry's UK, Registers of
Habitual Criminals and Police Gazettes, 1834-1934 collection

There are just under 260,000 records in this collection in total. Some 10,900-odd are noted as being born in Ireland, but there may also be many second-generation Irish recorded, too. The really good news is that a county of birth is noted for about half the Irish-born, and some even include a town name. I've seen a Drogheda, Louth; Olla, Limerick; Newry, Down; Cloone, Leitrim; and several more examples, just on one page of 'absent from the militia' notices. Although some of the spellings of placenames might require a bit of unravelling (see Logainm), this collection could provide that vital nugget of an ancestor's place of origin in Ireland.

In addition, the details in each entry provides some terrific personal detail, even if you might have mixed feelings on discovering your ancestor was a violent criminal, living on illegal earnings, or responsible for some deeply unpleasant acts against others. In most cases, the descriptions of the individuals include their tattoos, scars, amputations, moles, vaccination scars and other disfigurements, in addition to the more frequently recorded hair and eye colour, as well as other readily recognisable characteristics or peculiarities.

Sources in the collection include: 

  • Habitual Criminal Register 
  • Habitual Drunkards: Portraits and Descriptions 
  • Misc papers relating to institution of Criminal Registers 
  • Police Gazette 
  • Police Gazette or Hue and Cry
  • Police Gazette Supplement A 
  • Police Information
  • Prevention of Crime - Habitual Criminals Booklet 

* Many thanks to Dublin-based genie Claire Bradley

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.

 

Tuesday, 20 July 2021

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland: Free online talks, Aug-Oct

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland will be hosting some free online talks over the next few months and they include topics sure to be of interest to family and general historians.

The repository's lectures and workshops are often over-subscribed, so I'm listing the upcoming ones while spaces are still available, rather than wait until my regular events summaries when there may be no places left.

Each of the talks listed below will be presented online and, while free, booking is essential. 


August

Wednesday 11 August: PRONI’s Maritime Connection Archives, with Stephen Scarth, who will explore the many records held by PRONI relating to the maritime history of Belfast and the development of the harbour around which the city has grown. his illustrated talk will showcase maps, photographs, journals, letters, and official files relating to the development of shipbuilding on the River Lagan. It will include examples from the collections of Harland & Wolff, the Belfast Harbour Commissioners and the Ministry of Transport.

Time: 2pm-3pm (BST). Booking.


September

Tuesday 7 September: Using Ordnance Survey Maps, an online workshop. PRONI holds the original OS archive for the six counties of present day Northern Ireland, including manuscript maps, field sketches and name books, and a range of them is accessible in digital format using the PRONI Historical Maps Viewer. This workshop will introduce basic map reading skills and demonstrate how the Maps Viewer can be used to browse historical OS maps and modern basemaps (including aerial imagery) for all areas of Northern Ireland. A variety of tools and 'widgets' will be demonstrated so you can search, browse, compare and find.

Time: 7pm-8:15pm (BST). Booking.

Tuesday 21 September: D.A. Chart Seminar on Maps 2021 - The Down Survey of the 1650s and the transformation of Ireland, with Micheál Ó Siochrú. The Down Survey (1656-8) played a key role in the transformation of the island, establishing the Protestant Ascendancy that dominated Irish political and economic life for centuries thereafter. Teams of soldier-surveyors measured townlands throughout the country, organised by parish. The resulting cadastral maps, at a scale of 40 perches to one inch (the modern equivalent of 1:50,000), are unique for the time – nothing as systematic or on such a large scale exists anywhere else in the world.

Time: 7pm-8:15pm. Booking.


October

Wednesday 13 October: The Boer War and its Legacy, with Dr Spencer Jones. The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) was a bitter and controversial conflict that marked a watershed in the history of the British Empire. Britain had gone to war in 1899 confident of a swift victory against the outnumbered Boer irregulars. But the conflict confounded these expectations. In this talk, Dr Spence Jones will explore the course and conduct of the Boer War and consider its legacy for both Britain and her army.

Time: 8pm-9pm. Booking.


Tutor Sean Murphy returns to NLI for beginners' genealogy course

The National Library of Ireland is to host a new online Beginners level course in Genealogy Research this autumn. It will be presented by the well-known lecturer and genealogist Sean Murphy MA.

The course will take place on Wednesday afternoons (2–4pm) over an 8-week period starting on Wednesday 8 September and ending on Wednesday 27 October.

In line with current public health guidelines, the course will be held on Zoom, and places are limited. The fee is €100.

This course is usually over-subscribed, so if you want further information or wish to book your place, I suggest you contact the organiser without delay. Email Brid O Sullivan at bosullivan@nli.ie.

Friday, 16 July 2021

10-day summary of new and updated British genealogy collections

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 ten days (see previous summary, 5 July).

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 (shared with some FindMyPast subs)

FindMyPast


UPDATED COLLECTIONS


FamilySearch

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, 14 July 2021

More records added to Boston's Provident Savings collection

AmericanAncestors.org has updated its Irish-rich Boston MA - Provident Institution for Savings, 1817–1882 collection. Three more volumes, or ledgers, have been added.

This collection launched on the New England Historic Genealogical Society's database in October 2020 and I blogged about its value to Irish family historians at the time. I'd recommend you take a quick read of my blogpost Many Irish in Boston Provident Savings Ledgers, 1817-82, which explains the contents of the ledgers and their potential usefulness to resarchers whose ancestors immigrated or settled in Boston, Massachussets.

Shortly after the arrival of the launch ledger – a Signature Book dating from 1854 to 1858 – a Waste Book was added, dating from 1821 to mid-1822. Waste Books are transaction ledgers, showing how much each named individual had deposited on the given dates. They usually record the customer's residence and, sometimes, an occupation.

This latest update means the database holds the following volumes:

  • Waste Book 1A, 1817-1820
  • Waste Book 1B, 1820
  • Waste Book 1D*, 1 Mar 1821 - 5 Jun 1822
  • Waste Book 1E, 1822-1824
  • Signature Book 10*, 17 May 1854 - 9 Jun 1858

This database is still a work in progress. When complete, it will contain a total of six Signature Books and six Waste.

The Boston Athenaeum holds the original record books and performed the digitization of all the images. The indexed online database is being created by NEHGS volunteers.

You'll need an Individual-level and above NEHGS membership to search or browse this collection.

Monday, 12 July 2021

One-month summary of new/updated USA genealogical collections

Below is a summary of US family history collections that have been released or updated by the major genealogy databases in the last month. (The previous summary list was published on 11 June, 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


Ancestry

FamilySearch

FindMyPast

MyHeritage

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


AmericanAncestors
  • Massachusetts: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1920 (51 volumes added with 372,000 searchable names); Parishes as follows:
    St Ann in Dorchester | St Mary Star of the Sea in Beverly | St Peter in Cambridge | St Mary in Randolph | Immaculate Conception in Malden | Blessed Sacrament in Cambridge | St Patrick in Brockton | St Margaret of Scotland in Brockton | St Colman of Cloyne in Brockton | St Stephen in Framingham | St James in Haverhill | St. Margaret of Scotland in Lowell | St Patrick in Lowell | St Rita in Haverhill.

Ancestry

Family Search
  • Some 42 state or smaller collections + 4 USA-wide collections have been updated. Follow this link, then click the (bold blue) 'Last Updated' option twice for listing of recent updates.


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.

The Waterford Star joins the BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk

Historical editions of The Waterford Star have joined the BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk.

This weekly paper, which was distributed in County Waterford's neighbouring counties of Kilkenny, Cork, Wexford and Tipperary as well as across its home county, was first published in 1848. It was established by Cornelius Redmond and was the first newspaper to be published in Waterford.

The BNA's planned holding, which is sourced from the British Library (BL) Newspaper Collection, will span 1893 to 1917. As with all titles in the BL collection, these editions are shared with the BNA's sister company FindMyPast.

With the addition of The Waterford Star, there are now 213 Irish newspapers in these online holdings.

The newspaper is still in print. In 1959 it changed its name to The Waterford News & Star.


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, 9 July 2021

The NLI's free RC Parish Registers site will be offline on 12 July pm

The National Library of Ireland has advised that its free RC Parish Registers database at https://registers.nli.ie will be offline on Monday 12 July while planned maintenance is carried out.

The site is expected to be offline between 1pm and 2pm.


ProGenealogists' Irish research team seeks Associate Genealogist

Ancestry ProGenealogists is looking to add a new Associate Genealogist to its Irish research team. This team has members based in both Ireland and the US, so there are two slightly different postings on the Ancestry careers pages but just one vacancy.

"Our job postings change over time to reflect the skillsets we are looking for to cater for the work we have," Irish Research Team Manager Joe Buggy told IrishGenealogyNews. "Over the last couple of years, we have typically looked for in-depth Irish expertise and proficiencies in US and/or Canadian research."

Joe has been based at Ancestry's Dublin office at Sir John Rogerson Quay, overlooking Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Diving Bell, since Ancestry ProGenealogists first expanded outside the US in 2015 (it now has 18 genealogists in Ireland, the UK and Germany). He says working for ProGenealogists provides experienced genealogists the opportunity to conduct research on a wide variety of projects, learn from some of the best experts in the industry, and discover previously unknown information and stories for its clients. "Demand for ProGenealogists' services continues to grow," he adds.

The Dublin post focuses on advanced Irish records and research and calls for proficiency in US and Canadian research, while the Salt Lake City posting demands an advanced knowledge of U.S. immigration research and methodological approaches, expertise on Irish immigration to North America, and proficiency in research in records from Ireland.

All applicants who fit the bill will need two to five years experience as a professional genealogist.

Further details of the postings can be found here: Dublin, Ireland | Salt Lake City, Utah, US, and you can find more information about the Irish Research Team here.

Wednesday, 7 July 2021

New online archive explores 200 years of Ireland's inland waterways

A new, free-to-access online archive has been launched that will be of interest to those researchers whose ancestors lived in communities close to Ireland's rivers and canals, or were involved in building, maintaining or working on Irish inland waterways.

Launched by Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, the Waterways Ireland Digital Archive presents more than 7,800 items. They include engineering maps and drawings created by the early canal and navigation companies, an oral history collection, and the donated collections of Dr Ian Bath, Ruth Delany and Charlie Hayden.

The latter collections include slides, photos, videos and documents of the Royal Canal, the River Shannon and beyond.

Visitors to the Digital Archive can explore themed exhibitions, view illustrated timelines of individual waterways, listen to stories, watch videos from the last 60 years, and discover more than 200 years of waterway engineering history.

Tuesday, 6 July 2021

1879 rate collection book for Eliogarty, Co Tipperary, makes debut

A Grand Jury County Rate Collection Book for the Barony of Eliogarty in Tipperary (North Riding) is newly available to download free of charge from the Tipperary Studies digital archive.

The book dates from 1879 and records the names of people liable for assessment for county rates after the Spring Assizes in 1879. It has 122 pages and has been scanned as two separate pdf documents (Part I is 1.47Mb; Part II is 54Mb) to keep the download manageable.

The Rate Book is part of the Paul and John Walsh, Auctioneers, Templemore, Co Tipperary Collection.

Click the image, right, to view an enlarged sample of the page for Ballycahill, to the west of Thurles.

TheGenealogist expands its Irish collection with RC parish registers

The Genealogist, a well-established commercial database best known for its British record collections, has added more than 75,000 million records this year alone. A relatively small number have been from Ireland, adding to an existing Irish collection of directories, wills, land owner and heraldry/pedigree records available only with a Diamond level subscription.

Last week saw a further expansion of the Irish collection, and it came in an unexpected form with the addition of some 230,000 Roman Catholic Parish Register records from County Carlow.

This is the first set of Irish church records in the database. Perhaps revealing the ambitions of the database owners, The Genealogist has quickly created an Irish Catholic Parish Record Collection for its new record-set. Unfortunately, I can't tell you years covered, nor which parishes are included, nor the source of the records.

Also released were five editions of directories published by Alexander Thom, as follows: Thom's Official Directory of the UK and Ireland, 1859, 1898 and 1913, plus Thom's Official Directory of Ireland, 1934 and 1941. These are held in the Trade, Residential and Telephone Directories collection.

Please see below the full Irish collection available at TheGenealogist:

  • RC parish records, County Carlow
  • Irish Wills, 1536 - 1810
  • Dublin Almanac 1846 
  • Thom's Official Directory of the UK and Ireland, 1859 
  • Landowners of Ireland, 1876 
  • Irish Pedigrees 1887 
  • Irish Pedigrees 1888 
  • Thom's Official Directory of the UK and Ireland, 1898 
  • UK Telephone Directory, 1899-1900 
  • Kelly's Directory, Belfast,1905 
  • Kelly's Directory, Connaught, 1905 
  • Kelly's Directory, Leinster, 1905 Kelly's Directory, Munster, 1905 
  • Kelly's Directory, Ulster, 1905
  • Dublin Directory, 1910 
  • Thom's Official Directory of the UK and Ireland, 1913
  • Belfast and Ulster Directory, 1926 
  • Ireland Directory, 1927 
  • Ireland MP's Directory, 1927 
  • Ireland Trade Directory, 1927 
  • Alumni Dublineneses 1593-1846 
  • Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Examinations Held in 1889 Pass Lists, Boys 
  • Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Examinations Held in 1892 Pass Lists, Boys 
  • Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Exhibition and Prize Lists, 1889 
  • Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, Exhibition and Prize Lists, 1890 
  • Rathmines School Roll, 1858-1899 
  • The Irish Guards in the Great War Vol I 1914-1918 
  • The Irish Guards in the Great War Vol II 1915-1918
  • The Report Of The President Of Queen's College Belfast 1896-1897 
  • Thom's Official Directory of Ireland, 1934 
  • Who's Who and Industrial Directory of the Irish Free State 1935 
  • Thom's Official Directory of Ireland, 1941

Click the logo above to learn more about TheGenealogist.


Monday, 5 July 2021

Recent updates to English, Scottish & Welsh genealogy collections

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 ten days (see previous summary, 25 June).

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 (shared with some FindMyPast subscriptions)

The Genealogist

UPDATED COLLECTIONS


Ancestry

FreeBMD Database
National Library of Scotland

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.

Cork Archive releases headstone inscriptions recorded in 1957

Cork City and County Archive has released another set of burial records, this time from Abbey Cemetery, a wonderfully located burial ground with the best view of Bantry Bay.

A headstone inscription survey was carried out there 64 years ago and the inscription data published in a typed 26-page booklet that has been digitised and made available to search and browse on-screen, free of charge.

Some 458 gravestones were recorded in the survey, the vast majority memorialising deaths in the 19th century through to the early 1950s, plus a sprinkling of stones erected from in the last quarter of the 18th century.

In the process of transcribing the stones, the location of each was mapped. Four maps are held by the Archive and will be digitised shortly. These will be useful for researchers as some of the inscriptions may no longer be legible.

More than 800 names were transcribed in the booklet. Many of them note the townland where the deceased lived.

To view the Survey Register, click the image right.


Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 11-31 July

Monday 5 July: Lighthouses All Around Ireland – Their History, Construction and Operation, with Dr Gordon Millington. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Online lecture. Free. All welcome. 7pm. Email Foyle@nifhs.org to request zoom link.

Tuesday 6 July: The Ballyfermot troop train ambush of 8th July 1921; the last major action of the War of Independence, with Cathy Scuffil and Liz Gillis. Part of the Truce series of free online lunchtime lectures marking the anniversary of the end of the War of Independence. Host: Mansion House and Dublin City Libraries. 1pm. Booking essential.

Tuesday 6 July: John Thomond O'Brien: An Irish adventurer in 19th-century South America, with Tim Fanning. Part of Peruvian Bicentenary Week in Ireland - Historical links between the two nations. Live presentation on Zoom and Facebook at 3pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 7 July: Lord Mayor Laurence O’Neill and the revolutionary Mansion House, with Cllr Michael MacDonncha and Mary Muldowney. CPart of the Truce series of free online lunchtime lectures marking the anniversary of the end of the War of Independence. Host: Mansion House and Dublin City Libraries. 1pm. Booking essential.

Wednesday 7 July: Major-General Oliver Nugent – The Irishman who led the Ulster Division in the Great War, in conversation with author, Nicholas Perry. Hosts: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Historical Foundation. 2-3pm. Online. Free. Booking essential.

Wednesday 7 July: William Russell Grace & the 1851 Irish emigrant scheme to Peru, with Dr Ciaran Reilly, and "The Great Battle of Liberation?" Early foundations of Peruvian-Irish diplomatic relations, 1821-2021, with Dr Angus Mitchell. Hosted by the Peruvian Embassy in Ireland, as part of Peruvian Bicentenary Week in Ireland - Historical links between the two nations. Free. 3pm Dublin, on Zoom and Facebook.

Thursday 8 July: "The guns are silent - but they remain in the hands of the Irish Volunteers", with Cormac Moore telling the story of how the Truce came about. Part of the Truce series of free online lunchtime lectures marking the anniversary of the end of the War of Independence. Host: Mansion House and Dublin City Libraries. 1pm. Booking essential.

Thursday 8 July: What revolution? Were there winners and losers? with Professor Terence Dooley. Host: Monaghan's War of Independence lecture series from Monaghan County Museum. Free lecture on Facebook and YouTube, 7pm. All welcome.

Friday 9 July: The War of Independence in Cork from both sides of the conflict, with historians Dr John Borgonovo and Dr William Sheehan, and chaired by Gerry White. The event marks the centenary of the Truce between Britain & Ireland. Host: St Peters Cork, 87A North Main Street, Cork City. 7:30pm to 9pm. Covid restrictions in place. Tickets cost €10.

Friday 9 July: "England's interests are not Orange interests" – Approaches to the Truce in the national and international press, with Mary Muldowney. Part of the Truce series of free online lunchtime lectures marking the anniversary of the end of the War of Independence. Host: Mansion House and Dublin City Libraries. 1pm. Booking essential.

Friday 9 and Saturday 10 July: The Military Aspects of the War of Independence, 1919-1921, a two-day online seminar hosted by the Military Archives and the Military History Society of Ireland. No registration required. Links in Programme will go live at 9am on each day. See programme for details.

Saturday 10 July: “You Can Make Ropes To Hang …” The 19th-century Dublin Merchant Family of Thomas Hodgens and Anne Eskildon, an online lecture with Gay Conroy. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. 2:30pm on Zoom. All welcome. Register at this zoom link.

Sunday 11 July: The Truce of 11 July 1921: A natural end to the War of Independence or sowing the seeds of civil war? An online lecture to launch the Galway Beo Facebook page and Galway Beo YouTube Channel. 1pm. Host: Galway County Council. Email Dr Conor McNamara, galwayhistorian@gmail.com for details.

Monday 12 July and Tuesday 13 July: Battle of the Boyne/Parades in Northern Ireland. All repositories and most businesses closed.

Tuesday 13 July: From Turmoil to Truce: Photographs of the War of Independence, an online tour of the exhibition. Host: National Library of Ireland. 11am. Free, but booking required.

Tuesday 13 July: Exploring the Irish Queer Archive, with Jennifer Duffy. Host: National Library of Ireland. Online, interactive session on exploring the NLI's Irish Queer Archive. 1pm. Free. All welcome. Booking now open.

Thursday 15 July: The Irish Revolution 1916-1923, an online History Course exploring the key events and political figures 1916-23, with Dr James Curry. Host: Dublin City Libraries, Cabra. Starts 15 July. Weekly virtual course held on Thursdays until 7 October. 1pm to 2pm. Free. Places limited. Need to book. Details.

Monday 19 July: Round Room 200: From Royalty to Republic, a Dublin Story, an exhibition exploring the importance of The Mansion House's Round Room since its creation 200 years ago. Host: Irish Architectural Archive, 11am to 8pm daily. Visitor numbers limited. Advance booking essential. Free. The exhibition runs until 29 August.

Tuesday 20 July: Napoléon and Ireland, with Professor Tom Bartlett, University of Aberdeen. Host: Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris. Bi-centenary of the death of Bonaparte. Lecture online. Need to register (free). Zoom link will be sent on the day of the lecture. Starts 7pm in Ireland/8pm in France.

Wednesday 21 July: Landscapes of Revolution Archaeology Project: Tipperary's Kilcommon Ambush, with Dr Damian Shiels. Host: Abarta Heritage and Tipperary Coco. 7pm to 8:30pm. A free, online talk. Need to register.

Tuesday 27 July: Malignant destiny? Recovering the lost collections of the Public Record Office of Ireland, with Dr Peter Crooks, Zoë Reid and Dr Ciarán Wallace. Host: The National Archives of Ireland's 2021 lecture series. Online. Free. 7pm. Need to register.