For ease of viewing the websites mentioned in “Web Watch”, a regular feature of our quarterly journal, the whole article is reproduced below.
Since websites, their content and their links are prone to frequent change, or even removal, we will only display the articles from the previous four issues of the journal.
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have opened a million pages from 78 newspapers from the British Newspaper Archive project for viewing without a paid sub. Also they have added 35,000 images for children sent to Canada 1880s to 1916; images of over 200,000 record cards for England & Wales Land Girls 1939 to 1950; 1871 E&W census occupation and birthplace for 22.8 million entries; 270,000 school records for Kent 1870 to 1914; 29,000 Sheffield Workhouse Admissions 1700 to 1915; and 24,000 more transcriptions for Boer War 1899 to 1902.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added 7,000 Admiralty Records of Marriages and Baptisms 1754 to 1878 from various ADM series at TNA. Also maps of parish boundaries in London 1860 to 1880; 28,000 Royal Navy Medical Journals 1817 to 1856; OS Popular Maps 1940 to 1948; Electoral Rolls :-13.3 million London 1913 to 1970, 15 million North Yorkshire 1832 to 1971, and 45.5 million for UK 2011 to 2018; and 58,000 Hampshire Non-Conformist registers 1834 to 1921.
The Genealogist - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
They have added 120,000 transcripts of parish registers for Worcestershire. The 1861 E&W census has been added to Map Explorer. 142,000 additions have been made to the War Memorial collection with links to Map Explorer. Also over 5 million records and images from trade and residential directories.
My Heritage - https://www.myheritage.com
They have added a PhotoDater tool for use on old photos. Also 10.6 million transcripts of BTs for Cheshire; 4.6 million Kent Electoral registers 1570 to 1907; 5 million funeral notices after 2002; and 371,000 Army and Air Force nominal rolls 1920.
Deceased Online - https://www.deceasedonline.com/
87,000 records and images for Halton, Widnes and Runcorn cemeteries in Cheshire.
National Library of Scotland - Guides to The Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland by name https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//research/statutory-registers/parishes-and-registration-districts-by-name.pdf
and number https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//research/statutory-registers/parishes-and-registration-districts-by-number-guide.pdf Also detailed maps of Scotland 1973.
Irish Genealogy - https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp
The birth certificates for 1923, marriages for 1948 and deaths for 1973 are now available for free download.
https://elephind.com/
is a search engine that operates much like Google, Bing, and other search engines. The one thing that is different with Elephind is that it searches only historical, digitized newspapers.
And finally – thanks to Dave Annal, Audrey Hepburn in Elham in the 1939 Register https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2024/01/19/a-star-of-the-silver-screen-and-the-1939-national-register/
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have added 20,000 images of Canterbury Parish Registers; 187,000 more entries unredacted on the 1939 Register; 12,000 Catholic Parish Registers for Northampton diocese; 122,000 NBI records for Herefordshire; 14,000 Medway burials 1981 to 2020; 1,478 images from Dunns, a Bromley funeral directors; 195,000 records added to Cumberland Parish Registers, 247,000 for Westmorland, 67,000 for Oxfordshire, and 231,000 Berkshire Baptisms; 6.5 million records of WW1 Campaign Medals; 5,893 records added to Crimean war casualties; 25 million Electoral registers for Greater Manchester 1820 to 1940; 397,000 additions to Greater London burials; and 91,000 images for Dublin Protestant Parish Registers.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added to Hampshire Parish Registers 1813 to 1921 making 3.2 million; 8.1 million Worcestershire Electoral Registers 1837 to 1974; 104,000 Officers' Birth Certificates, Wills and Personal Papers 1755 to 1908 from TNA WO42; 680,000 Royal Hospital Chelsea records 1702 to 1980 from TNA WO23; 275,000 Dudley Worcestershire Burials and Cremation Index 1800 to 2020; 323,000 Norfolk Indexes to Probate and Marriage Licence Bonds 1371 to 1858; and an index to Northern Ireland Probates 1858 to 1965 on PRONI.
The Genealogist - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
They have added 170,000 records for the 1910 to 1915 Land Tax covering Northamptonshire; Seamen’s First and Second World War Rolls of Honour (BT 339); Medal Awards from 1866 to 1970; Mercantile Marine Officers Nominal List 1916 to 1920; more Quarter Session Registers from 1590 to1839; and they have completed linking Tithe Maps to their Map Explorer.
My Heritage - https://www.myheritage.com
They have added 62,000 Jersey WW2 occupation cards; 99,000 Cumberland and Lancashire burial records; 584,000 Scotland Court of Sessions records 1560 to 1930; 186,000 Paisley, Scotland Poor Law records 1837 to 1933; and 251,000 Soldiers’ Wills 1865 to 1970.
Scotland’s People - https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
A new addition is 9,700 images for the record cards of women born before 1923 who joined the Scottish Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps from 1939 to 1950; a yearly release will see those born in 1923 released in 2024, and so.
Family Search - https://www.familysearch.org
LDS have added 5 million records for UK Funeral Notices 1914 to 2023; and updated Cornwall and Pembrokeshire Parish Registers, Ireland Civil Registration and Ireland Catholic Parish Registers.
Civil Wars 1639 to 1660 - https://www.battlefieldstrust.com/memorial/
Information about monuments, including memorials, plaques and information boards, located across the British Isles which relate to events concerning and key figures associated with the British Civil Wars 1639-1660. It also covers monuments located anywhere in the world relating to soldiers who served in the British Isles between 1639–1660.
Old Bailey Online - Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674–1913
Redesigned site (v9.0) with new functionality.
Family Tree Analyzer - http://ftanalyzer.com/
One of my favourite programs. Here is a tutorial on using it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GX1BLRWy7g
And finally – Lists and analysis of the oldest people in the country :
http://oldestinbritain.nfshost.com/index.php
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have added 12.2 million Electoral Registers and Companies House Directors to 2023; 63,000 new and 1 million improved Death Duty Registers 1796 to 1903; 1.4 million Lambeth Electoral Registers 1832 to 1886; 444,000 Ulster Covenant 1912; 8,635 more Kent burial transcriptions and 10,000 for Herefordshire; 102,000 more transcripts of Gloucestershire parish records, 618,000 more for Herefordshire, 453,000 more for Derbyshire, 133,000 more for Bedfordshire and 120,000 more for Dorset; 14,000 Southwark non-conformist records; 30,000 new Norfolk Memorials; 13,795 more images of Norfolk parish records and 55,000 more for Wales; 10,000 transcripts of Shoreditch Poor Law Settlement Examinations 1758 to 1802; 236,000 more Greater London Burials; 325,000 images of Catholic parish records for Leeds diocese; 13,000 Naturalisations 1603-1700; and 231,000 Lincolnshire Baptisms.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added 190,000 RAF Officer Service Records 1918 to 1919; 94,000 Scotland WWI Rolls of Honour; 50,000 England, Wales, Scotland and Isle of Man Old Series OS Maps 1805 to 1874; 656,000 WW II Army Casualty Lists; 200,000 BMDs of Passengers and Seamen at Sea 1891 to 1922; 1 million Ireland Abstracts of Wills and Marriages 1620 to 1923; 83,000 WW2 Liberated PoW Questionnaires; 225,000 Ireland Cemetery Collection 1865 to 2023; 650,000 Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensions 1842 to 1883; and 20 million Scotland Postal Directories 1825 to 1910.
The Genealogist - https://www
They have added records for the 1910 to 1915 Land Tax covering Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and the rest of Hertfordshire; 510,000 Catholic parish records for County Laois; and Lawyer Lists for 1780 to 1911 with judges, barristers and other court officials.
My Heritage - https://www.myheritage.com
They have added 163,000 Bomber Command Losses 1936 to 1968; 855,000 Manchester Burials; 284,000 England and Wales Hearth Tax 1662 to 1674 for 13 counties; 116,000 Warrington Burials; 135,000 Metropolitan Police Habitual Criminals 1881 to 1925; 429,000 Merchant Navy crew members; 406,000 UK Naturalization Certificates and Declarations from 1801; 446,000 Royal Air Force Personnel 1914 to 1928; and 106,000 Stockton-on-Tees Burials from 1971.
Scotland’s People - https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
A new addition is Lighthouse Keeper Registers for 1837 to 1921.
As always the Lost Cousins newsletters have great articles and links -
https://www.wilcuma.org.uk
And finally – Britain's Roman roads in the style of Harry Beck’s underground map
https://
General comments - existing datasets often get updated with corrections and additional records, but these are not always publicised. Some datasets are available on more than one website, usually with indexes created independently; images may not be available on all of them - or any of them [always try and view an image]. Note that Ancestry and FMP are free at most UK public libraries.
Find My Past – https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have added 4.9 million records for Greater Manchester Rate books for 1790 to 1949, 682,000 transcriptions for Hampshire Parish records [but see below], 839,000 transcriptions for Sussex Parish records, 300,000 records from the Returns of Owners of Land 1873 and 1876, 98,000 Marriage Licenses and 34,000 Probate records for Dublin Diocese, 122,000 transcriptions of Essex Baptisms, 46,000 Burials in Worthing council cemeteries, 126,000 records for Surrey Regiments, 261,000 Northern Ireland Probate records for 1921 to 1965, and 305,000 Irish Inland Revenue Probate data for 1828 to 1879.
Ancestry – https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added 4.7 million Parish Records for Hampshire with images, 512,000 Tyne and Wear Non-Conformist records 1710 to 1960, 1.0 million Westminster Poor Law records 1561 to 1900, 3.0 million records from Medical Registers 1859 to 1943, 338,000 Probate records for West and East Sussex, 92,000 WW2 Home Guard records for Surrey, 16.3 million Electoral Registers for Gwent 1832 to 1969, and 9.7 million Electoral Registers for Kensington & Chelsea 1889 to 1970.
The Genealogist – https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
They have added 33,000 records for the 1910 to 1915 Land Tax covering the Hitchin area of Hertfordshire. Improved images have been loaded for the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses for England & Wales. 76,000 records for criminals from The Police Gazette for 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931 under TNA MEPO6 have been added.
My Heritage – https://www.myheritage.com
They have added 135,000 records from the Metropolitan Police Register of Habitual Criminals 1881 to 1925,
Deceased Online – www.deceasedonline.com
They have added 264,000 records for the Crematorium and 3 cemeteries in Reading.
Irish Genealogy –
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil–search.jsp
They have added free images for 1922 Births, 1947 Marriages and 1972 Deaths.
Scottish Indexes – https://www.scottishindexes.com
They have added 104,369 records from prisons in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Paisley, Dundee, Ayr and Fort William.
GRO Registration Districts official guide –
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/images/GRO Registration District Book.pdf
The Federation Really Useful Bulletin for April 2023 had a detailed article on the 1939 Register. Find a copy here –
https://genealogy.org.nz/Family-History-Federation/10934/"
As always the Lost Cousins newsletters have great articles and links –
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/apr23news.htm
Masterclass on finding birth certificates in England & Wales
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midapr23news.htm
The Clergy of the Church of England database covers 1540 to 1835 and is free.
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/jun23news.htm
Census Street Indexes for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, and 1891 are on the archived version of the TNA website.
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midjun23news.htm
Articles by Edward Higgs on under-enumeration in the 19th century censuses.
The Manchester + Lancashire FHS at https://mlfhs.uk/ suggested eight great reasons for joining a family history society –
1. Help you get started with your family history so you don’t make (so many) mistakes. We accept nobody is perfect!
2. Suggest websites and strategies to help you break down ‘brick walls’
3. Benefit from an amazing network of local knowledge
4. Access resources not available anywhere else
5. Join the great self-help family history community
6. Help preserve our rural, social and family history by transcribing and digitising archived documents
7. Contribute your own skills and/or learn new ones
8. Become an influencer in helping preserve our heritage.
And finally – https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2023/02/rip-audrey-collins-who-has-sadly-passed.html
An appreciation of the life and work of Audrey Collins who died recently.