FindMyPast adds Thom's Directory 1844-1900

Thom's Directory is a useful census-substitute for
those with Dublin ancestors

The latest bundle of goodies launched under the FindMyPast Friday banner includes a 56-year spread, from 1844–1900, of Thom's Directory, one of the most useful census-substitutes for tracing family in 19th-century Dublin.

Thom's is a street directory and almanac that lists the merchants, clergy, lawyers, gentlemen, masons, blacksmiths and more who were working and living in the capital during the edition year.

While it doesn't include details of other household members, it includes most heads of households and businesses, street by steet. The only people are excluded, as ever, are the poor and those who subsisted on a small holding without a specific trade or specialism.

This latest addition from FindMyPast consists of more than 86,000 pages. They can be searched by name (bear in mind that people often appear in twice in any one publication – once in the street listing and once in the profession listing), by year of publication, and by section of a specific edition ie the Ecclesiastical Directory, Colleges: Medicine & Surgery, Trades Directory, County Directory etc.

(See details of this weekend's free access offer from FindMyPast here.)

Ancestry adds WW1 Service Medal & Awards Books

As promised at Back To Our Past last month (see show report), Ancestry has added the
British WW1 Service Medal and Award Roll Books 1914–1920 to its database.

This collection of 6,256,145 entries contains records of people who served in WWI and were entitled to medals and awards. Most of the records relate to the Army but there are also some referring to the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force (RFC/RAF), to civilians such as medical staff working in military bases, to people mobilized for other war service, e.g. in colonial labour corps, and to allied personnel who assisted British soldiers behind enemy lines.

The Roll Books give the date the issue was approved and record the issue, or cross-refer to another issuing body, e.g. the Air Ministry for some members of the RFC/RAF receiving the British War and Allied Victory Medals.

An important feature of this collection is the inclusion of the battalion's name. This may allow researchers to discover more about the military history, battles, postings and events their ancestor lived through. First port of call should be the Battalion's War Diary, if it has survived.

Records include details such as name, rank, unit, and possibly other service details.

The medals and awards concerned are:

• The British War Medal;
  
• The Allied Victory Medal;
  
• The 1914 Star (the Mons Star) and bar added in 1919;
  
• The 1914–15 Star;
  
• The Territorial Force War Medal;
  
• The Allied Subjects Medal.

You'll find more information about each of the medals and what they represent by following the link above.

RootsIreland extends Mayo and Waterford collections

RootsIreland.ie has added some new records to its collections for Counties Waterford and Mayo, as follows:

Mayo
Collections available for thirteen parishes in North Mayo have been extended with the upload of transcripts from Roman Catholic baptisms and marriages registers dating from (in nearly all cases) 1900 to 1911.

Waterford
120,000 civil birth registration records – providing a transcript of the full birth certificate – are now available from 1864 to either 1911 or 1912 for 23 dispensary districts of the county. The only exception is the district of Kilsheelan, which now covers 1864 to 1916.

50% off 12-month sub to British Newspaper Archive

Discount offer expires 12 November

As reported last week (see blogpost), the British Newspaper Archive now holds more than 9million pages of historical newspapers in its database. Recent months have seen a huge increase not only in the number of new Irish titles being added but also of newspaper editions published during WW1 joining the online archive.

There are now 24 Irish titles in the line-up and more than 400,000 pages of news published from 1914 to 1918.

To mark these events, the archive is offering a 50% discount on its 12-month subscription, bringing the cost down from £79.95 to just £39.98.

You've just one week to take advantage of this offer; it will expire on Wednesday 12 November.

All you have to do is click the image above to visit the subscription page and type in the promotion code November12. The discounted price will automatically display and you can then continue the subscription process in the normal way.

This weekend only: Free access to FindMyPast records

The free access weekend has expired

To mark the centenary of WW1, FindMyPast is opening up its entire* World collection for free.

Family historians will have access to billions of records and newspaper pages from all over the world, including:

• The entire Irish collection, which includes 21 million Irish birth, marriage and death indexes
  
• A comprehensive collection of early Irish directories and almanacs
  
• Many of the most detailed 19th century Irish court and prison records available
  
• Census, land and substitute records from the US, UK, Ireland and Australia
  
• Millions of British and Irish newspaper pages
  
• Travel and migration records
  
• Military records, including World War 1 records, from around the world.

The 'doors' to the collection will open at midday on Friday, 7 November and close at 11:59M on Monday, 10 November (GMT).

To access the records you will need to be signed in at FindMyPast. If you're not already registered with the site, you can register for free using your name, email address and country of residence. If you have an existing 'local' subscription, you will automatically be able to access the World records over the weekend.

Those with existing ie active World subscriptions will have an additional three days added to their subscriptions.

You'll find the full terms clearly stated on the FindMyPast website.

*Only the UK Electoral Registers (2002-2013) and the UK Companies House Directors (2002-2013) record sets are excluded.

10 November: The free access weekend has expired.

Book launch: Strokestown and the Great Irish Famine

A new book, Strokestown and the Great Irish Famine, has been published by Four Courts Press. The author, Dr Ciarán Reilly, heads up the Strokestown Emigrant Project at the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses & Estates at NUI Maynooth, which aims to bring together information about the 5,000 emigrants who left east Roscommon during the Famine.

The book introduces the reader to the Strokestown Park Archive, one of the largest estate collections in existence with more than 50,000 documents comprising rentals, leases, accounts, correspondence maps, drawings, architectural plans and photographs. Of particular importance are the papers that relate to the Great Irish Famine. Documents from the archive, many of which have not seen the light of day since they were generated almost 170 years ago, illuminate the text and provide a microscopic insight into the many and varied experiences of Famine for those who inhabited the estate in the 1840s.

Mary McAleese, in a Foreward, describes the book as "the most in-depth study of the effects of the Famine on a landed estate and its community … With the help of this book, we are brought deep inside the actuality of life during the Famine era. Some of our pre-conceived ideas of what actually transpired during that appalling era are challenged. Highlighted too is the important role played by the Irish National Famine Museum at Strokestown, now in its twentieth year."

The 224-page paperback (ISBN: 978-1-84682-554-5) is illustrated in colour and is available from Four Courts Press's website for €15.75.

The book will be officially launched on Wednesday 19 November by former Minster and TD Mary O'Rourke in The Library of Strokestown House at 8pm. The event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Friday 14 November: a dim day for research at NAI

If you were planning on visiting the Reading Room at the National Archives of Ireland on Friday 14 November, please be aware that there will be no electrical power for the overhead table-lights, nor for any of the microfilm/reader machines.

You should also be sure your laptop is fully charged before you arrive as there will be no power available from the usual table sockets.

Production of documents and microfilms will not be affected.

Book launch: Tracing your Kildare Ancestors

The latest book from Flyleaf Press – A Guide to Tracing your Kildare Ancestors – is to be published shortly.

Written by Karel Kiely, Mario Corrigan and James Durney, all three of whom are involved in Kildare genealogy as researchers, archivists or authors, the 160-page, illustrated paperback provides a comprehensive account of the many genealogical sources available for those with ancestral connections to the county. It is filled with information on what the records contain, and how and where they can be accessed. It is well illustrated with maps of the various administrative divisions; with examples of the types of records to be found; and with other relevant material.

It also provides background on the social history of the counties and how this history has affected the keeping and survival of records. There is also a comprehensive index.

The book is the latest in a series of county guides from Flyleaf Press, which is now a part of Ancestor Network. The range includes guides for Limerick, Sligo, Galway, Dublin, Clare, Westmeath, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Roscommon, Mayo and Donegal, and they are a staple of any Irish family historian's bookshelf.

ISBN: 978-1-907990-07-6

Price: €13.00 (Inclusive of post and packaging costs: £14.50 to UK; $22 to USA; CAD$23; AUD$23; NZ$30.)

See Flyleaf Press website to order.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: latest update

It's been a busy couple of weeks for the team at Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives. Here are the records, transcriptions and photos they've added in the second half of October.

GENERAL IRELAND, Genealogy Archives
Military & Constabulary: England/Scotland or County not given

DOWN, Genealogy Archive
Cemetery: Clonmallon (Warrenpoint) Old Churchyard - Memorials

DUBLIN, Genealogy Archive
Headstones: Deansgrange, St. Patrick's, pt 19; Inchicore, Bluebell, Pts 4 & 5; Mount Jerome - Part 90 & 91

FERMANAGH, Genealogy Archive
Church: Holy Trinity (CoI), Lisnaskea Burials 1804-1889
Headstones: Derrylin, St Ninnidh

LEITRIM, Genealogy Archive
Headstones: Drumshanbo, St. John's COI (updated)

TIPPERARY, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary * Native Co of Tipperary 1849

TYRONE, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary - Joined in 1849
Miscellaneous: Hearth Money Roll Parish of Termonmagork, 1666
Miscellaneous: Subsidy Rolls Parish of Termont M'Guirk Parish, 1663

WATERFORD, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary - Joined in 1849
Headstones: Portlaw CoI (Guilcagh)

WESTMEATH, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary - Joined in 1849
Headstones: St. Mary's Church, Carrick, Finea (General photos of church & grounds)

WEXFORD, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary - Joined in 1849

WICKLOW, Genealogy Archive
Military & Constabulary: Irish Constabulary - Joined in 1849

Irish genealogy and history events, 3–15 November

Until 23 December: Fr Browne &nash; a life through the lens, an exhibition of photographs from the famous priest-photographer, best known for his Titanic photos. Venue: Farmleigh Gallery, Phoenix Park, Dublin. Open Tuesday to Sundays 10am–5pm, except lunch (12:45pm - 1:45pm). Free. Details.

Monday 3 November: Kith and Kin – the continuing Legacy of the Scots-Irish in America, with Alister McReynolds. Host: Killyleagh branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Co Down. 8pm.

Tuesday 4 November: Councils and corporations, with Ian Montgomery. Part of the Belfast Corporation lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. All welcome. 1pm to 2pm. Free, but booking required. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90  534800 to reserve your place. 

Wednesday 5 November: From Rocque to the Ordnance Survey: mapping Dublin 1756 to 1847, with Rob Goodbody. Part of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Wednesday 5 November: History of the Irish language, with Michael O Mairtin. Part of the Irish language and culture lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. All welcome. 1pm to 2pm. Free, but booking required. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90  534800 to reserve your place.

Thursday 6 November: Finding Great War Fatalities: War Graves in Belfast, with Nigel Henderson. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast branch. Venue: Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 1NT. 7:30pm.

Thursday 6 November: Research Methods and Opportunities, with historical fiction writer Jan Carson. Host: PRONI. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 7pm (not 6pm as originally advertised). Free but booking required by email to proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 02890 534800..

Thursday 6 November to Sunday 9 November: International Irish Famine Commemoration in New Orleans, USA. A variety of events including a symposium at Tulane University on the 7th (free, all welcome). Full details on dedicated event website.

Saturday 8 November: Getting started with your Irish genealogy, with Tom Rice. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International. Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society International, 1185 Concord St. N, South St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. 10:30am–12pm. $10.00 members/$15.00 non-members. Details

Saturday 8 November: Irish Family History Society Open Day. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Four lectures, bookstall and raffle. Free. 10am to 4:30pm. Details.

Sunday 9 November: The northwest at war, 1914-18, a History Ireland Hedge School debate. Venue: Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. Part of the Allingham Festival. Chaired by Tommy Graham, editor of History Ireland; panelists Jonathan Bardon, Jeff Kildea (UCD), Marc Geagan, and Quincy Dougan. 2:30pm. Free. No booking.

Monday 10 November: WW1 Ancestors. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey branch. Venue: Drama Theatre of Glengormley High School, Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. 7pm–9:15pm.

Monday 10 November: The Boys from East Belfast, the first public screening of a new WW1 documentary (see blogpost). Host: RCBLibrary and the Church of Ireland Historical Centenaries Working Group. Venue: St Marks, Holywood Road, Dundela, Co Down. Free. 6pm.

Tuesday 11 November: The workers and the war: The Home Front in county Armagh, with Dr Colin Cousins. . Hosts: Craighavon Museum Services and Craighavon Historical Society. Venue: Craighavon Civic Centre, Lakeview Road, Craighavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AL. 7:30-9pm. Free. Details: 028 3832 2205.

Tuesday 11 November: Art in 11th-century Dublin, with Ruth Johnson. Part of the 'Living and Dying in a medieval city – Dublin in the Age of Clontarf' lunchtime lecture series. Host: Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. Time: 1:05pm to 1:45pm. Free.

Tuesday 11 November: Women and WW1 conference and launch of The First World War Diaries of Emma Duffin, Belfast Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse, by Trevor Parkhil. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 2–5pm. Admission is FREE, but you need to secure your place by email to proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90534800.

Tuesday 11 November: What Estate Papers Reveal, with Valerie Adams. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Bridge Community Centre, Railway Street, Lisburn, Co Antrim. 7:30pm–9:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 11 November: Loughlinstown Workhouse, with Liam Clare. Host: The Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. €3. All welcome.

Wednesday 12 November: Dublin in 1847: city of the Ordnance Survey, with Dr Frank Cullen. Part of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Wednesday 12 November: The Land War in County Galway, with Pat Finnegan. Host: Western Family History Association. Venue: Lackagh Parish Centre, Co Galway. 8:15pm. All welcome. Details.

Wednesday 12 November: Our shared musical heritage, with Brian Mullen.  Part of the Irish language and culture lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. All welcome. 1pm to 2pm. Free, but booking required. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90  534800 to reserve your place.

Wednesday 12 November and Thursday 12 November: Explore Your Archive, morning and afternoon workshops to help researchers learn more about the archive, what it holds, how to use it, etc. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Bouvlevard, Belfast. Free. Need to book. Details of sessions.

Saturday 15 November: Fermanagh and the Great War, with Patrick Lynch. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Fermanagh Branch. Venue: Large Hall in Enniskillen Library. 2:15pm–4:15pm