I was thrilled to read in the September issue of the Society of Genealogists (SOG) Newsletter that Roz McCutcheon has been named a Fellow of the SOG. Roz and I were colleagues on the Council of the Irish Genealogical Research Society some years ago – she is now an IGRS Vice-President, and remains one of that society's hardest working volunteers – and we still bump into one another at online IGRS events.
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| Roz McCutcheon FIGRS, FSG in full flow |
Fellowship of the Society of Genealogists recognises distinguished service to the world of genealogy, and the SOG's announcment sets out some of the reasons Roz has been awarded this status, as follows:
'Roz’s unique contribution to Irish genealogy is her free-to-all Early Irish Marriages Index, which is hosted online by the Irish Genealogical Research Society. Given the destruction in 1922 of so much source material in Ireland, Roz recognised that a ‘sign posting’ index to alternative [pre-civil registration] sources for evidence of marriage would be of great assistance to those exploring Irish genealogy.
'The database, which draws on information locked away in otherwise under-used and rare sources, now notes more than a quarter of a million names. It grows in size constantly and is highly regarded. It has since been joined by similar such indexes pointing to alternative early sources for births* and deaths* and which collectively note more than a third of a million names of Irish persons who were born, married or died between the years 1600 and 1864.
'She is very likely the current leading expert in the use of Ireland’s Registry of Deeds as a source for genealogists. She is by far the most prolific contributor to the online Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland which, through voluntary collaboration, aims to create a much more detailed index to the RoD’s Memorials than currently exists in hardcopy form. To date, the Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland website shows that Roz has contributed about 130,000 index entries to the Project out of a total of 498,373.'
Those who follow IrishGenealogyNews will be aware that the Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project cracked through the half-a-million entries milestone a matter of days ago. This evening, Roz will be among those speaking at a special event to celebrate the project to which she has generously donated so much of her time over the last decade and more. It's a free, worldwide event (see start times around the globe below). To see Roz talking about the Project, book your place at Eventbrite. Booking closes in the next few of hours.
Start Times:
- Ireland and UK – 21:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
- New Zealand – 08:00 on Thursday 22 September 2022
- Eastern Australia – 06:00 on Thursday 22 September 2022
- Halifax, Canada – 17:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
- Vancouver, Canada – 13:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
- Winnipeg, Canada – 15:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
- New York, USA – 16:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
- Salt Lake City, USA – 14:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
* These Early Births and Early Deaths Indexes are open to IGRS members; non-members can make only a limited search by surname. Only the Early Marriage Index is open to all.