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
New datasets include 7000 names in the Quaker Women's Petition of 1659,
17,000 Waterford burials, 96,000 Norfolk Monumental Inscriptions Index
1600 to 1900, 279,000 Norfolk workhouse admission and discharge notices,
54,000 Non-Conformist baptisms, marriages, banns and burials from
Norfolk for 1613 to 1901, and 2.1 million Berkshire baptisms, burials,
marriages and banns.
Additions to existing datasets include 4000 Middlesex MIs, 9000 Military
Nurses, 14,000 Cambridgeshire burials, 12,000 school admissions for
Halifax, 50,000 Lincolnshire burials, 500,000 Norfolk parish records,
and 700,000 added to the National Burial Index including Kent.
Ancestry – https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have released over 758,000 transcripts for the RAF Operations
Record Books (ORBs) held by TNA under AIR27 for 1911 to 1963 with images
to 1940. Phone Book Indexes for UK for 2001 and 2003 have been added.
Additions to existing datasets include Surrey burials, Essex parish
records, and Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 to 1960.
Family Search – https://www.familysearch.org
The LDS have added 11.4 million Yorkshire parish records.
Additions to existing datasets include 670,000 Middlesex parish
registers.
The Genealogist – https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
S&N have added the 1939 Register to their Map Explorer. 72,000
records from the 1910 Lloyd George Survey for Camden area have been
added and also records for Harrow. They have released over 4.2 million
additional transcripts for the RAF Operations Record Books (ORBs) held
by TNA under AIR27 for 1911 to 1963, fully searchable by Name, Rank,
Aircraft, Squadron, and Date plus many other fields.
Scotland's People – https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
The first set of Prison registers has 50,000 records for Perth Prison
for 1867 to 1879 and 1888 to 1921.
My Heritage – https://www.myheritage.com
79,000 Jewish Death and Burial Records from 1733 to 2012 have been
added.
KCC Canterbury Probate Records (1396–1858) – https://wills.kentarchives.org.uk/
Irish BMD – https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp
– The free index and images now include Births for 1921 [all Ireland],
and Marriages for 1946 and Deaths for 1971 [Republic only].
Updated Government will finder website – https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills
Video by Dave Annal on its shortcomings and some hints on overcoming
them –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvgExKFbNXQ&t=13s
Dave Annal again. More informative blog posts –
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2022/01/23/when-digitisation-goes-bad-part-i-the-night-of-the-living-death-duties/
– inadequate digitisation
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2022/01/27/when-digitisation-goes-bad-ii-deaths-apprentice/
– part 2
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2022/02/19/the-original-and-best/
– Original and copy wills
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2022/01/07/please-release-me/
– Brief history of the releases of the censuses
https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/_resources/reallyuseful/fed-really-useful-bulletin-19-mar-2022.pdf
– Useful article on searching Family Search
https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/demolishing-those-family-history-brick-walls-some-advice/
– Advice from Janet Few
Maps and topography –
Phillimore's Atlas and Index of Parish Registers is viewable on Ancestry
–
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/8830/
For places in the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries, try https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england.
For most recent events, https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/
provides maps, photos, historical photos, statistics etc.
Detailed article on National Library of Scotland Maps website which has
masses of maps of England – https://maps.nls.uk/index.html
https://www.familyhistoryfederation.com/_resources/reallyuseful/fed-really-useful-bulletin-17-jan-2022.pdf
Recording Longitudes and Latitudes, Dick Eastman – https://eogn.com/page-18080/12664970
Over 400,000 aerial photos spanning many decades –
https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/aerial-photos/
Lost Hospitals of London – https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/
Almshouses of London – https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/almshouses.html
Royal College of Nurses History of Nursing Forum has a free online guide
for tracing nurses, including the General Nursing Council registers
(1922–1968) on Ancestry and links to other records – https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/blogs/tracing-nurses
Two associated sites for death and other family notices –
https://funeral-notices.co.uk
and https://family-notices.co.uk
And finally : Project Alias seeks to identify the thousands of men who
enlisted to serve in the British Army during WW1 under an alias – https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/project-alias-a-major-scheme-to-locate-men-who-served-using-a-different-name/
The National Archives - https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
In association with FMP, TNA have released the 1921 Census for England
& Wales. Online is expensive, but free at TNA. Book a
seat on our minibus in April. Read these newsletters from Peter
Calver of Lost Cousins - https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midjan22news.htm
https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/1921special.htm
General Register Office - https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/
GRO have added the birth and death indexes for 2020.
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have added 4.6 million Kent Electoral Registers 1570 to 1907, plus
32 million for England & Wales 1910 to 1932. Also added are
Coventry Workhouse baptisms 1853 to 1933 and deaths 1845 to 1943; 6,474
London Synagogue Seatholders 1904; 16,000 Burials in Watling Street
Cemetery Dartford; 5000 extra Death Duty Registers 1796 to 1903; 1.6
million west Glamorgan Electoral Registers 1839 to 1925; 12,000 Indian
Army service records 1900 to 1947; 100,000 Catholic records for Plymouth
and Southwark; 29,000 Edinburgh Apprentices 1583 to 1800; more Armed
Forces and Overseas Births and Deaths; and Marriages and Banns for west
Essex 1537 to 1935. The 1939 Register continues to have entries
unredacted and there is a new search option for special interest groups.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added Devon [9.7 million], Gloucestershire and Shropshire
parish registers. Also 34,000 Glamorgan calendar of prisoners 1850
to 1920; Worcestershire electoral registers 1837 to 1974; 164,000
Removal of Graves and Tombstones 1601 to 1980 from TNA RG37;
38,000 Military Records of Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages and
Burials 1813 to 1957 from TNA WO156; 129,000 Allied Airmen Roll of
Honour 1939 to 1945; and 8,632 Royal Navy Officer Patrol Service Cards
1904 to 1970 from TNA ADM364.
Family Search - https://www.familysearch.org
The LDS has just completed the digitisation of all 2.4 million rolls of
its microfilm records freely available on the website.
The Genealogist - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
S&N have added the 1911 Census to their Map Explorer and also the
1086 Domesday Book with pins on the maps, linked to transcripts and
images of the pages. They have added 1.4 million records to
Norfolk parish registers and nearly 1 million Catholic parish records
for Wexford. Also Dublin will and grant books. 109,000
records from the 1910 Lloyd George Survey for Richmond and Edmonton
areas have been added.
Deceased Online - https://www.deceasedonline.com/
They have added 62,000 records for Rippleside Cemetery in Barking and
Dagenham.
Local BMD sites - https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/local_bmd
The search forms have been updated to allow initials or part names for
all names in the forename field. Also a new Advanced Search
feature has been added where you can search births, marriage and deaths
together via one form.
Scotland's People - https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
Downloadable images now include births from 1921, marriages from 1946,
and deaths from 1971.
British Newspaper Archive - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
Now includes the Folkestone Chronicle for most years 1855 to 1897.
Also on FMP.
Canterbury Will Index - https://www.drdavidwright.co.uk/
David Wright has recently uploaded the first section of his consolidated
Probate Index for the City of Canterbury covering PCC wills together
with wills and administrations from the Archdeaconry and Consistory
Courts of Canterbury.
GPO War Dead - https://gpowarheroes.org.uk/
Details of the 12,830 employees killed in the two World Wars.
Preserving family heirlooms - https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/london-metropolitan-archives/about-lma/conservation
How can you ensure that your family heirlooms are preserved for future
generations? The London Metropolitan Archives have created seven guides
on different aspects of conservation.
London Gazette etc - http://thefamilyrecorder.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-london-gazette-revisited.html
Guidance on searching the official website from Audrey Collins.
Note that FMP has an index and images for 1665 to 2018.
Two interesting blogs from Dave Annal -
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2021/09/13/we-need-to-talk-about-ancestry/
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2021/11/26/you-dont-know-what-youve-got/
And two from Dick Eastman -
Digital Preservation - https://www.eogn.com/page-18080/11097502
Does It Still Make Sense to Buy CDs? - https://www.eogn.com/page-18080/12100862
Surname Distribution of GB names - https://apps.cdrc.ac.uk/gbnames/
Maps using historic censuses and recent consumer registers.
And finally : Another Lost Cousins newsletter with several interesting
articles and links - https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/midoct21news.htm
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP's 1891, 1901 and 1911 census transcripts now provide contextual
information and colour maps. Over 300,000 historical photographs
are available in partnership with The Francis Frith Collection covering
all the British Isles from 1860 to 1970. 17,000 Royal Engineers
Other Ranks Casualty Cards and 130,000 tracer cards, mainly WW2, have
been added. New parish records include 394,000 from St. Martin's
in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, Greater London burials, 43,000 Essex (now
London) baptisms and burials, Scottish records especially after 1854,
baptisms and burial in Westminster Penitentiary, and 32,000 Roman
Catholic Registers from Southwark. 800,000 more Crime, Prisons
& Punishment 1770 to 1935 including Chatham Gaol. British Army
Embarkation Lists 1871 to1889 cover those drafted to India.
Coventry Midwife's Birth Register 1845 to 1875 has over 4,400
births. The 1939 Register has a further 100,000 records
unredacted. 179,000 more Poor Low records from Clare and Waterford
have been added, plus 62,000 Petty Sessions for Donegal and Courts of
Chancery and Exchequer Bill Books for 1627 to 1884.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added 882,000 records from workhouse registers for
Glamorgan 1850 to 1920. Also 199,000 Surrey Regimental Rolls and
Recruitment Registers for 1914 to 1947. Westminster Wills and
Probates for 1504 to 1829 adds 16,000 records plus 281,000 burials for
Westminster 1855 to 1990 from Hanwell Cemetery, Mill Hill Cemetery, St.
Marylebone Cemetery, and Willesden Lane Cemetery. They have added
35 million Glamorganshire Electoral Registers for1832-1978, 504,000
Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry Wills and Probate, 1518-1858, and 9
million parish records for Staffordshire. UK and Ireland, Obituary
Index 2004 to 2019 contains 3.2 million obituaries from hundreds of
newspapers, cemeteries and funeral homes. 161,000 Bomber Command
Losses, 1936-1966. They have added Glamorgan Workhouse Records for
1850 to 1920. Additions to Welsh parish records, Bedfordshire Poor
Law and various other datasets.
Ancestry have bought French genealogy website Geneanet.
Family Search - https://www.familysearch.org
The LDS have added 11,000 Royal Navy Ships’ Musters 1739 to 1861 and
193,000 Navy Allotment records 1795 to 1812. New datasets are
Ireland Merchant Navy Crew Lists 1857 to 1922 with 832,000 records and
3.1 million Ireland Prison Registers 1798 to 1928. Additions have
been made to existing collections of parish records for Middlesex,
Cambridgeshire, Surrey, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, and
Lancashire and non-conformist records for Northumberland, Lancashire,
Gloucestershire and Essex.
Family Search have announced GEDCOM 7.0.
The Genealogist - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/index.php
S&N have added 52,000 records from the 1910 Lloyd George Survey for
Ealing and 86,000 for Haringey. They have added transcriptions of
the Scottish censuses 1841 to 1901. 327,000 more Irish Catholic
parish registers have been added, plus 322,000 Anglican for
Suffolk. 784 Tithe Maps linked to apportionment records for
Cornwall, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire have been
uploaded.
Deceased Online - https://www.deceasedonline.com/
They have added 392,000 records for Leicester cemeteries.
Online Genealogical Index -https://ogindex.org/
The OGI contains 2,883 links to dead sites now resurrected on this free
service – the internet archive – https://archive.org/
My Heritage - https://www.myheritage.com/
They have added transcripts for the Scottish 1841-1901 censuses.
They have bought French website Filae.
Old Scottish - https://www.oldscottish.com/
They have added 25,000 records to its Register of Deeds records.
They also have a wide variety of other records.
The British Newspaper Archive - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
They have made available a million pages of content on its site for
free.
Graves in 19,000 English Churchyards to Be Mapped Online –
https://eogn.com/page-18080/10974428
Another useful guide from Dave Annal –
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/2021/06/25/walls-come-tumbling-down/
Search tweaks by Peter Calver of Lost Cousins- https://www.lostcousins.com/newsletters2/latejul21news.htm#Oldways
and the next article.
And finally – Colour charts of ancestral birth places
A template from 2016 on J. Paul Hawthorne's blog, GeneaSpy, on which you
can create a colour chart using Excel to plot where your ancestors were
born. You can find it on https://www.geneaspy.com/2016/03/a-little-thing-that-went-viral.html
Find My Past - https://
FMP have added Middlesex Baptisms for Ealing, Harrow, Hayes and
Hillingdon, Baptisms in 1921 and Marriages in 1936 for some Welsh
counties, Devon (122,000 Baptisms, 20,000 Marriages and 104,000
Burials), Essex Baptisms (38,000 records from 16 Anglican churches),
Kent Baptisms (10,000 records added from two new parishes), Kent
Marriages & banns 1750-1936 (9,000 records – Lewisham, Westerham,
Eltham), Kent records for Halling, Hoo, Horton Kirby, Luddesdown, and
Milton-next-Gravesend. Norfolk Baptisms (9,000), Banns and
Marriages (16,000 new records from 1921) and burials, and Leicestershire
baptism, marriage, banns and burials. Monumental Inscriptions for
Yorkshire (27,000), Lincolnshire (36,500) and Essex (22,000).
Middlesex Poor Law Records 1699 to 1846 (16,058 records - Parishes of
Chelsea, St Luke; Ealing, St Mary; Feltham, St Dunstan; Fulham, All
Saints; Hammersmith, St Paul; New Brentford, St Laurence; Shepperton, St
Nicholas; Staines, St Mary; Stanwell, St Mary; Uxbridge, St
Margaret). 353,000 death records for England & Wales from
non-government sources have been uploaded, plus some for Scotland and
Northern Ireland. For Scotland, Modern and Civil Births, Marriages
and Deaths & Burials for 1855-2019 have been expanded from various
sources; also over 600,000 Scottish Roman Catholic parish records. Scots
Guards' service records from the Second World War and beyond, some
include photos. The 1939 Register has 95,000 newly-opened records.
London Fire Brigade Reports 1915-1918 reveal the damage caused by bombs
in London during World War 1, along with the names and addresses of
those involved. 92,000 cards tracing movements of Royal Engineers
1900 to 1949 have been added, plus Royal Air Force & Commonwealth
Mentioned in Dispatches 1940-1945 (32,917). Finally they have
released an improved census search.
British Newspaper Archive – https://
British Library and FMP have renewed their partnership to scan old
newspapers with 42 million pages so far.
Ancestry - https://
Ancestry have added non-conformist registers for Bristol for 1644 to
1981. Also Glamorgan County Asylum records for 1845 to 1920 and
Police Registers of finger-prints and photos for Cardiff for 1904 to
1920. As usual updates of unknown size to various datasets - https://
Ancestry have bought Forces War Records and their websites
http://
Family Search - https://
The LDS have added further records to Wales Marriage Bonds 1650 to
1900; Parish Registers for Middlesex 1539 to 1988, Northumberland
1538 to 1950, and Isle of Man; Bishop’s Transcripts for
Herefordshire 1583 to 1898 and Cambridgeshire 1538 to 1983;
Non-Conformist Records for Northumberland 1613 to 1920, Essex 1613 to
1971 and Gloucestershire 1642 to 1996; and Lincolnshire Marriage
Bonds and Allegations 1574 to 1885.
The Genealogist - https://
S&N have added Tithe Maps for Anglesey, Durham, Devon, Shropshire,
Somerset, Suffolk and Wiltshire to Map Explorer. Their transcript
of the 1939 Register [no images] uses their Smart Search options.
They have added the 1910 Lloyd George Survey for 144,000 people in
Balham, Battersea, Fulham, Hammersmith, Putney & Roehampton,
Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. The Index of Irish
Wills 1484-1858 features more than 100,000 names. Over 1.55
million records from the RAF Operations Record Books have been added.
Deceased Online - https://
They have added 243,000 records for Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.
Scotland's People - https://
Images of more than a million pages from the kirk session and other
court records of the Church of Scotland can now be viewed and downloaded
covering 1559 to 1900.
Scottish Indexes have added over 100,000 records to their Criminal
database -
https://
Protestation Returns 1642 including New Romney -
https://
Guide to researching adopted ancestors -
https://
The story of a pedigree fraud -
https://
Notes on Irish church records for various denominations -
https://
Clergy newsletters offer insight into GRO procedures -
Peter Calver in the Lost Cousins newsletter provided these informative
links.
Since 2011 the General Register Office has issued newsletters to clergy
in England & Wales with advice on the procedures to be followed –
you can view all 11 issues, including the most recent (March 2021) here
- https://
An updated version of the Guidebook for the Clergy which incorporates
the changes is now available, and can be downloaded here -
https://
Another interesting document was issued to incumbents in the Diocese of
Gloucester and gives wide-ranging advice - https://
Fix scratched photos -
https://
MyHeritage have now created an option to automagically fix scratched and
damaged photos.
And finally, do you remember the words that were used for the names of
the London telephone exchanges, the first 3 letters of which were the
dialling codes? http://
Find My Past - https://www.findmypast.co.uk
FMP have introduced an improved image viewer with a film strip and
options to change brightness and contrast. They have added 3.4
million records to the National Burial Index. Records of parish
registers for Kent, Essex, Lincolnshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire,
Dorset burials, Devon burials, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire
have been added. Other additions include 100,000 Durham marriage
licences, Cambridgeshire licensed victuallers, Shropshire quarter
sessions, 92,000 more criminal records, Dublin and Derry burials, Devon
Methodist baptisms and marriages, Montgomeryshire and Yorkshire MIs,
Eastbourne newspapers, and Berkshire probates.
Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk
Ancestry have added non-conformist records for Westminster for 1841 to
1964 and for Wiltshire for 1810 to 1987. Also Lancashire Home
Guard records, and electoral rolls for Berkshire, Liverpool,
Cambridgeshire, Fife, Anglesey and Pembrokeshire.
Family Search - https://www.familysearch.org
The LDS have added an index and images of census records for Marylebone
for 1821 and 1831.
The Genealogist - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/
S&N have added the 1910 Lloyd George Survey for Southwark.
Scotland's People - https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
Images are now available for births in 1920, marriages in 1945 and
deaths in 1970.
Irish Genealogy - www.irishgenealogy.ie
Images are now available for births in 1920, marriages in 1945 and
deaths in 1970.
Kent Manorial Documents - explore the records online at:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Interactive map of every Scottish Episcopal place of worship from
1689-2021 -
https://qgiscloud.com/
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
Excellent blog by Dave Annal on the lack of women in certain
records. Also see this one of his - https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
London’s Forgotten Businesswomen - https://www.cam.ac.uk/
Article from the University of Cambridge on the ladies who were female
entrepreneurs running luxury City of London companies in the 18th
century using a business card collection.
Cemetery Records Online - http://www.interment.net/
Public health funerals for Canterbury, Swale and Thanet councils from
2006.
City of London Cemetery, Manor Park - https://col-burialregisters.uk/
Images of burial registers from June 1856 to Dec 1998 with 495,000
burials, but not indexed.
Bethlem Museum of the Mind Archives - https://museumofthemind.org.uk/
Browse the catalogue of records held by this museum in Beckenham, Kent
including the Patient Admission and Discharge Registers from 1683 to
1902.
Performers and Workers in the Theatre - https://ellenterryarchive.essex.ac.uk/
Search the Ellen Terry and Edith Craig database of some 20,000 items by
name. Any documents found may be viewed at the National Trust
property, Smallhythe Place, in Tenterden, Kent. There are references to
individuals mentioned in correspondence, manuscripts, press cuttings,
programmes, publicity material, photographs, artwork, journals and
books.
Entertainers in London, 1660 -1800 - https://www.hathitrust.org/
Online biographical dictionary of actors, musicians, dancers, managers
& other stage personnel.
London Stage Database, 1660-1800 -
https://www.eighteenthcenturydrama.amdigital.co.uk/
Searchable Sources include playbills, newspapers and theatrical diaries.
Finding Elusive Records in FamilySearch
https://www.youtube.com/
Fully exploit the free records available at FamilySearch with the
assistance of this tutorial.
Using the Catalogues of Genealogy Sites - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/
Learn how to use the catalogues of FamilySearch, Ancestry, Findmypast
and MyHeritage.
Searching Parish Records on FMP -
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
Article on the FMP blog on how to maximise the chances of finding the
record you seek.
Birth date Calculator - http://www.ovs-genealogy.com/
Eastman’s Genealogy Newsletter reported this facility to calculate the
date of birth when the date of death and age at death [in years, months
and days] are known.
Making the Most of Electoral Registers -
https://www.youtube.com/
Video by Alex Cox of FMP on the use of British Library Registers of
Electors on the FMP website.
UK Genealogy Archives - https://ukga.org/
Search on surnames of interest including nearly 250,000 Phillimore
marriages and family history resource links.
How to check whether a website is safe, 10 tips from AVG -
https://www.avg.com/
George III's collection of 3000 maps - https://militarymaps.rct.uk/
Over 3,000 military maps, views and prints collected by King George III
have been digitised and published online free to visit by the Royal
Collection.
And finally, animate your old photos - https://www.myheritage.com/
MyHeritage have already created options to enhance and colourise your
old photos. This new facility animates them!