Two more record sets join FamilySearch's Ireland collection

FamilySearch.org has added another couple of record sets to it Ireland collection. They are:

Betham’s Genealogical Abstracts, 1179–1830
These abstracts are hand-written notebooks recorded by Sir William Betham, the Ulster King of Arms from 1807 to 1853.

In these pages, he drafted and reconstructed family trees and pedigrees, and recorded abstracts from pre-1800 wills, grants and administrations; chancery pleadings; funeral entries; and other miscellaneous records. These notebooks are held by the National Archive of Ireland and were microfilmed by FamilySearch some years ago. The microfilms have now been digitised, resulting in 489,774 indexed records.

Betham made his notes and abstracts mainly, but not exclusively, from records held in the Public Records Office in Dublin which were subsequently lost during the Irish Civil War in June 1922.

Ireland, Original Will Registers, 1858-1920
This collection holds a detailed index of hand-written copies of wills proved from 1858 in District Registries across the counties that are now in the Republic of Ireland. They are word-for-word exact replacements for the original wills lost in the 1922 fire. (The Registers for Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry are held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.) Unfortunately, no such copies survived for the Principal Registry, where wills for those who died in Dublin, or who had large estates in multiple locations, were processed and recorded.

Images are available on the National Archives of Ireland's free Genealogy site, which says there are more than 550,000 indexed names in the collection. The FamilySearch collection indicates that it holds slightly more than 181,000 name records, so I think the upload of the collection is not yet completed. At present the site is saying that images can be accessed only at a family history center or at an affiliate library; for many people, continuing to access this collection via the NAI site (link above) will remain an easier option.

Latest headstone additions to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives

I can't remember the last time a monthly update of the latest additions to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives included batches of records from eight counties. Eight! That's some going for a project that is completely reliant on volunteers for all its imput.

The October additions accounted for eight burial grounds – one-a-piece per county, and all with text files if inscriptions linked to a respective photo of the headstone. Here are the basic details:

A granite stone in Arklow's Main Street graveyard
stands in memory of James Byrne who died in 1763.
Photo courtesy of Emma Cullen and IGP Archives.
Click for enlarged view.

CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St Patrick's Graveyard, Corlough (Updated)

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Peters Graveyard, Killaghtee

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Kilbarrack Graveyard - Part 5, Sutton

KILDARE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Confey Cemetery, Leixlip (Updated)

LEITRIM Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Brigid's Graveyard (CoI), Kiltubrid

LIMERICK Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Holy Cross Cemetery Part 2, Athea

OFFALY Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Colmcille Church Graveyard, Durrow (Updated)

WICKLOW Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Main Street Graveyard, Arklow

Irish genealogy, heritage & history events, 31 October-13 November

Monday 31 October: Bank holiday in the Republic of Ireland only. (Business as usual in Northern Ireland)

Tuesday 1 November: Sex, Sectarianism(?) and the City: A Queer History for Belfast, 1890-1968, a hybrid event with Dr Tom Hulme of QUB. Host: Irish Historical Society. Venue: Boston College Ireland, 43 Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Online via zoom. 7pm. Free. All welcome. Registration and details at Eventbrite.

Tuesday 1 November: The Irish Civil War and Northern Ireland, an online lecture with Dr Adrian Grant. Host: National Library of Ireland. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Wednesday 2 November: Irish Speaking Soldiers from East Belfast in the First World War, a talk with Dr Carmel Duggan, to coincide with the launch of a new exhibition. In-person event. Venue: Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast. 2pm–3pm. Free but need to book. Details.

Wednesday 2 November: William Pirrie - Home Ruler, Liberal and Titanic builder, with Mark Doherty. An in-person event from the City Cemetery Series. Venue: Áras Uí Chonghaile; The James Connolly Visitor Centre, 374-376 Falls Road, Belfast. 7pm to 8.15pm. All welcome. Free. Booking advised.

Thursday 3 November: 'Oh! Jammie what have you done?': Traumatic assaults on women and imaginative resistance in mid-twentieth century Irish folklore, with Dr Christina Brophy. An online talk hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in conjunction with The Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 3 November: Policing in Ireland 1922, with Jim Herlihy. An in-person talk. Host: Cork City Libraries. Venue: Mayfield Library, Old Youghal Road, Montenotte, Cork City. 3pm. All welcome.

Friday 4 November: Amritsar 1919. The event that rocked an empire, an in-person talk with Michael Whelan. Venue: St. Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. Tickets €6.19. Details.

Friday 4 November: Sheep led by lions? The Catholic Armies 1641-1643, with Dr Pádraig Lenihan. An in-person event hosted by the Military History Society of Ireland. Venue: Arthur Griffith Building, South Circular Road, Dublin 8. 8pm to 10pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Saturday 5 November: Amalgamating Your DNA Match Lists, an online zoom class with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. 2pm. Cost: £10. Book your place while tickets last.

Saturday 5 November: Did your ancestor fight in WW1? A free, in-person research facility will be hosted by the Western Front Association at St. Peter's Cork, 87A North Main Street, Cork City, for anyone looking for information on an ancestor who fought in the Great War. 10:30am–2:30pm. In association with the below event. All welcome.

Saturday 5 November: Cork's Victoria Cross Recipients of the Great War, with Gerry White. An in-person event. 1pm to 2pm. Tickets: €6.16, including booking fee. Register here. Venue: St. Peter's Cork, 87A North Main Street, Cork City. See above event being held at same venue.

Monday 7 November: The Names Have It, a talk by Moira Concannon. A hybrid event hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. 8pm. All welcome. In-person venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Downpatrick BT30 9QF. Details

Monday 7 November: Ferries on the Foyle, with Dr Jim Condren. An in-person and online event hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue:Lecture Room Derry's Central Library 35 Foyle Street, Derry. 7pm - 8:30pm. Details.

Tuesday 8 November: Lost meeting houses of Belfast, an in-person event with Tom Hartley. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Bridge Community Centre 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, Co. Down BT28 1XP. 7:30pm–9pm GMT.

Tuesday 8 November: Connemara Irish: Despair in the Heartland of Minnesota, an online talk by Jane Kennedy. Hosted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). 8pm. All welcome. Non-members can obtain zoom links by emailing Membership@Familyhistory.ie

Wednesday 8 November: Treasured Heritage - Researching your place of worship, an in-person talk and tour from the National Churches Trust. Host and venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ. 09:15–13:00 GMT. Details.

Wednesday 9 November: Victory through faith – the political activation of the Wehrmacht, an online lecture with Katherine Quinlan-Flatter. Hosts: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Antrim and Down branch of the Western Front Association. 7pm to 8pm. All welcome. Free but need to register in advance. Details.

Wednsday 9 November: Using the Leeds Method – making sense of DNA matches, an online class with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. 7pm. Tickets £10. Need to book. Details.

Thursday 10 November: 'We have found a better way, Boys': Reassessing Anna and Fanny Parnell, with Dr Diane Urquart. An in-person lecture at the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1pm. Free. All welcome. Booking recommended. Phone 01 609 0602.

Saturday 12 November: Family History Research at the National Library of Ireland (NLI), an online talk with Steven Skeldon from the NLI's Family History Services. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS). 14:30–16:00 IST/GMT. All welcome. Free to members. €5 for non-members. Details and booking.

Sunday 13 November: The Irish Civil War in Colour: Michael B Barry and John O'Byrne in conversation with David McCullagh about their new book. An in-person event. 4pm to 5pm. Venue: RDS Library, Anglesea Road, Dublin 4. Free. Need to register. Details.

Sunday 13 November: Military Archives: A History, a discussion by Tommy Graham, editor of History Ireland, with Zoe Reid and Daniel Alyotis. Part of the Dublin Book Festival. An in-person event. 2pm to 3pm. Venue: RDS Library, Anglesea Road, Dublin 4. Free, but need to register.

Latest updates for England, Scotland & Wales genealogy collections

Below is a summary of newly released and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales from the major genealogy databases. (Previous summary, 10 October.)

My 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

• St Margaret’s, Westminster, CofE Baptisms, Marriages & Burials, 1538-1934 (885,870)
• UK, Wartime Records and Material, 1914-1918, 1939-1945 (5,143)

BritishNewspaperArchive and shared with some FindMyPast subscriptions

• Coalville Mail
• Rhyl & Prestatyn Visitor
• Eastern Argus and Borough of Hackney Times
• Official Gazette of British Guiana
• North Tyneside Herald & Post
• Billericay Gazette
• Exeter Leader
• Beaconsfield Advertiser
• Manchester Metro News
• Bridgend &: Ogwr Herald &: Post
• West Hull Advertiser
• Leeward Islands Gazette
• Peebles News and County Advertiser
• Vale Advertiser

DeceasedOnline

• Beacon Hill Cemetery, 1960 – 1992 (4,470)
• Danescourt Cemetery, 1959 – 1989 (4,628)
• Merridale Cemetery, 1850 – 1993 (115,530)

FamilySearch

• England, Hampshire, Portsmouth, Cemetery Records, 1881-1918 (129,284)
• United Kingdom, Merchant Seamen Records, 1918-1941 (240,481)

FindMyPast

• British West Indies Regiment Servicemen 1915-1919 (16,984)
• Montserrat, Methodist Marriages 1820-1841 (202)

MyHeritage

• British Red Cross Society Volunteers, 1914-1918 (242,744, free)
• United Kingdom, Convict Transportation Registers, 1787–1867 (123,888)
• England, Sussex, Worthing Burials (46,594)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

• UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1921 (new total 842,355)
• UK, World War II Alien Internees, 1939-1945 (126,460)

FindMyPast

• British Royal Navy & Royal Marines Service and Pension Records, 1704-1919 (20,000+ from 1787-1822 /New total 1,136,211)
• Dorset Monumental Inscriptions (10,000+ from Poole Cemetery)
• Barbados Births & Baptisms 1637-1891 (additions span 1678-1679)

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.

20% off many FindMyPast subscription packages until 31 October.

FindMyPast is offering 20% off many of its subscription packages.

Choose from the FindMyPast 'territories' below and click the link. On the landing page the savings will have been applied so you can will see the discounted prices of each offer and can select your preferred package.

These sale, although not billed as a Halloween discount, will spookily disappear just seconds before the clocks hit midnight on Monday 31 October. That means 11:59pm GMT!

	FindMyPast Ireland – 20% off 12-month Plus & Pro subscriptions.
	FindMyPast USA/Canada – 20% off 12-month Essential & Ultimate subscriptions.
	FindMyPast UK – 20% off all 3-month subs and 12-month Plus & Pro subscriptions.
	FindMyPast Australia/NZ – 20% off 12-month Plus & Pro subscriptions

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. 

 

Cooke of Garrengrena collection uploaded to TipperaryStudies.ie

A new collection of manuscripts relating to the Cooke family of Borrisoleigh and the Grene family of Cappamurra and Dublin has been added to Tipperary Studies' digital archive.

Manuscript family tree of the Grene family from C1th-C19th.
Cooke of Garrengrena collection. Click for enlarged view.

 

The documents are free to view and download as PDFs.

Among the papers are genealogies of the Cooke and Grene families, family letters, leases, wills and other legal papers mainly dating to the 19th century. Together they create a snapshot of middle-class life in Ireland over the course of the 1800s.

The Cooke and Grene families were connected by the marriage of Elizabeth Grene to John Cooke of Borrisoleigh JP and most of the land documents relate to the Borrisoleigh holdings. The letters are predominantly from the Grene family.

Explore the Cooke of Garrengrena collection.

Three-week summary of new and updated US genealogy collections

Below is a summary of US family history collections released or updated by the major genealogy databases in the last three weeks or so. (Previous summary published 5 October, 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 or 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, and/or the revised total. I rarely include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.

NEW COLLECTIONS

AmericanAncestors

• Cambridge, MA: Wyeth Funeral Service Records, 1904-1964 (Launch package of 12879 records runs 1904–1934)

Ancestry

• Alaska, U.S., Land Patent Records, 1916-1969  (image browse only)
  
• Washington, U.S., Military Records, 1855-1950 (231,733)
• United Nations War Crimes Commission Records (USHMM) (3,561)

MyHeritage

• North Dakota Biography Records (253,813 - free)
• North Dakota Naturalizations (212,620, free)
• California, Los Angeles County Coroner Reports from 1991 (146,005)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

• US Cemetery & Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current (5,323,022 / 110,498,611)
• US Obituary Collection, 1930-Current (969,378 / 6,778,677)
• 1890 US Federal Census Fragment (25 images + 52 records in Alaska added)
• 1950 United States Federal Census
• US Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 Update improves performance only.
• Massachusetts, Boston Archdiocese RC Sacramental Records, 1789-1920 (new total 8,846,329)

FamilySearch

• Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966 (72,323)
• Texas, Gregg County, Marriage Records, 1873-2017 (141,158)
• United States Census, 1860 (17,007)
• Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 (70,642)

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.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 24 Oct. to 6 Nov.

Tuesday 25 October: Islandmagee DNA Project Update, with Anne Johnston. Online. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. 7:30pm–9pm BST. Free. All welcome. Non-members wishing to attend should e-mail the branch secretary at Belfast@nifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 25 October: A pictorial tour of Antrim and Down through the eyes of Lord Mark Kerr, by Anne Casement. An in-person and online meeting hosted North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway C&G Branch. Free. 8pm–9:30pm. Venue: Sandel Centre, Knocklynn Road, Coleraine, Co. LondonDerry. All welcome. Details.

Tuesday 25 October: How the ESB brought electricity to West Clare, with Brian McMahonan. An in-person event hosted by the Kilrush and District Historical Society. Presentation follows the Society's AGM. AGM 7:30pm. Talk 8pm. Venue: Teach Ceoil in Kilrush. All welcome. Free to members. Non-members €5 on the door.

Tuesday 25 October: The Murder of Michael Collins, an audio-visual and performance event with Paddy Cullivan. In-person. Venue: The Dublin Liberties Distillery 33 Mill Street, Dublin 8. 8pm to 10pm. Tickets €15, includes complimentary glass whiskey.

Tuesday 25 October: The Irish Civil War: the British Perspective, an online lecture by Professor Heather Jones. Part of the Civil War in Ireland: New Perspectives' series, a collaboration between the National Library of Ireland and the Atlas of the Irish Revolution editorial team, University of Cork. 7pm to 8pm. Free. Need to register.

Tuesday 25 October: The 1922 Constitution Committee: a dramatic theatrical re-enactment of the proceedings, performed in the Constitution Suite of the Shelbourne Hotel where the committee met over a period of six weeks. Hosts: National Archives of Ireland and the Courts Service of Ireland. The free online event will be live-streamed on the Courts Service's YouTube channel from 7:30pm (need to register) and the recording will be freely available some time afterwards on both the Courts and the Archives YouTube channels. Details.

Wednesday 26 October: Researching and Writing The Mount Washington Transit Tunnel Disaster - Using Public Records to Resolve a Family Mystery , an in-person event with Mary Jane Kuffner Hirt. Hosts: The Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Venue: PRONI, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ. 1pm to 2pm. Need to register. Details.

Thursday, 27 October: DNA Connections, with Martin McDowell. A hybrid meeting hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. 7:15pm–8:45pm BST. In-person venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena BT43 5EJ. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 27 October: Resources for the Revolutionary Period held by Wexford County Archives, with Barry Lacey. A free, in-person event hosted by Wexford County Council. Venue: Bunclody Library, Millwood, Carrigduff, Bunclody, Co. Wexford. All welcome. 7pm to 8pm. Details and booking.

Monday 31 October: Bank holiday in the Republic of Ireland only. (Business as usual in Northern Ireland)

Tuesday 1 November: Sex, Sectarianism(?) and the City: A Queer History for Belfast, 1890-1968, a hybrid event with Dr Tom Hulme of QUB. Host: Irish Historical Society. Venue: Boston College Ireland, 43 Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Online via zoom. 7pm. Free. All welcome. Registration and details at Eventbrite.

Tuesday 1 November: The Irish Civil War and Northern Ireland, an online lecture with Dr Adrian Grant. Host: National Library of Ireland. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Wednesday 2 November: Irish Speaking Soldiers from East Belfast in the First World War, a talk with Dr Carmel Duggan, to coincide with the launch of a new exhibition. In-person event. Venue: Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast. 2pm–3pm. Free but need to book. Details.

Wednesday 2 November: William Pirrie - Home Ruler, Liberal and Titanic builder, with Mark Doherty. An in-person event from the City Cemetery Series. Venue: Áras Uí Chonghaile; The James Connolly Visitor Centre, 374-376 Falls Road, Belfast. 7pm to 8.15pm. All welcome. Free. Booking advised.

Thursday 3 November: 'Oh! Jammie what have you done?': Traumatic assaults on women and imaginative resistance in mid-twentieth century Irish folklore, with Dr Christina Brophy. An online talk hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in conjunction with The Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 3 November: Policing in Ireland 1922, with Jim Herligy. An in-person talk. Host: Cork City Libraries. Venue: Mayfield Library, Old Youghal Road, Montenotte, Cork City. Free. 3pm. All welcome.

Friday 4 November: Amritsar 1919. The event that rocked an empire, an in-person talk with Michael Whelan. Venue: St. Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. Tickets €6.19. Details.

Saturday 5 November: Amalgamating Your DNA Match Lists, an online zoom class with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. 2pm. Cost: £10. Book your place while tickets last.

Carysfort College Registers, 1883-1922, now digitised online

Now online at UCD's Digital Library and at the Digital Repository of Ireland is an essential collection for genealogists with female teachers in their family history: the Registers of Carysfort College, 1883–1922.

Carysfort College (aka Our Lady of Mercy College, Carysfort) was a College of Education in Dublin founded and run by the Sisters of Mercy from its foundation in 1877 until its closure in 1988.

It was set up as a training college for Catholic girls who wished to become primary school teachers and its Diploma in Primary School Education was recognised by the Irish Government's Department of Education. The Diploma course was originally a two year course, lengthened to three years in the 1970s.

The online collection consists of three registers:

• Register of 1421 students admitted 1883-1896 with additional 21 extern students 1892-1907 
• Register of 1391 students admitted 1897-1910 
• Register of 1557 students admitted 1911-1922 (This register continues to 1925; post end-1922 entries have been redacted online.)

In addition to the basic personal details – age, residence, marital status etc – of each student are examination results and information about their early career

Each register can be downloaded as a single pdf, free of charge from the links above. An additional name index in Excel format can also be downloaded and searched for direction to the respective entry for each trainee.

The Church of Ireland Registers Digitisation Project: a mini update

A press release issued last week from the Representative Church Body (RCB) Library provides the nearest we've seen to a progress report about the Church of Ireland Parish Registers Digitization Project in four years. You can read it here.

Some contect and background... The RCB Library is the custodian of the surviving historical parish registers of the Church of Ireland, the vast majority of which have been accessible only to researchers visiting the Library, which is based in Churchtown, Dublin 14. After decades of thumbing by zealous genealogists and historians, some of these have become very fragile, making their digitisation increasingly urgent.

In September 2018, the Library confirmed (see IGN blogpost) that state funding had been secured to start such a project and this would be carried out in-house and would result in the digital registers being freely available online, possibly on genealogy.ie (a free, state funded and managed database).

No timescale was given and no progress updates have since been provided to the public. I did, however, come across a report* from the RCB Library which outlined some of the behind-the-scenes steps taken in 2018-2019. These included the procurement and installation of a Lizard Book Scanner, the satisfactory completion of a 4-month pilot scanning programme that resulted in about 250 volumes of scanned registers, and the development and customisation of transcription software. It concluded that indexing of the data was expected to begin in 2020.

And then Covid-19 struck.

More than two years later, a visit from Catherine Martin, TD, Minister of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the source of the funding for the Digitisation Project, finally took place at the Library (it had originally been scheduled for early 2020), hence last week's press release.

It gives us an up-to-date idea of how things are going and where they're headed, but the subject of timescale is still not mentioned and the 'end game' of researcher access to the digitised collection is rather ambiguously described in this statement: "Once digitized, the records can be made available on screen for viewing in the Library while the longer–term goal is to share them for the worldwide audience on the internet."

I've always understood that the project was specifically intended to result in free online access. Use of the phrase 'longer-term goal' suggests there is a separate shorter-term goal which has to be achieved first. I hope this isn't the case.

*The RCB Library's Report to the Church of Ireland's General Synod", published 2020. See pdf.