Tuesday 30 April 2013

Genealogy News - 30th April


Many of you may have heard about the fire at the National Library of Wales. For a neat overview check out Chris Paton's short post on the topic. Chris also highlights an important recent press release from the NLW re. copyright issues.

Here's a fascinating story via blogger Dick Eastman (thanks also to @SueWilkesauthor on Twitter).

The 'Abroad in theYard' blog has an interesting piece on red-heads.

If you're deeply into Scottish genealogical research - especially as a profession - then you'll want to keep tabs on these recent developments.

There have been a few updates made to Ancestry's records - have a quick look here (1911 Census + Liverpool stuff).

For NEW customers only: use discount code TELLY when registering at FindMyPast.co.uk to secure 40 free credits.

Want to know about Inquisitions Post Mortem? Here's a good spot by @CharlotteFrost1 via Twitter.

Dabbled in genetic genealogy lately? Then take this survey by John D Reid.

Thanks to @MyHeritage on Twitter for this story about three sisters born in nine months ... and they're not triplets!

A couple of new podcasts have appeared on TNA's website. Click here, and browse through all they have to offer.

Here's your weekly dose of history links from the Two Nerdy History Girls.

Forthcoming events...


Don't forget the BI-Gen Twitter feed.




Via @AncestryUK on Twitter...

Friday 26 April 2013

Genealogy News - 26th April


FindMyPast have released new WWI Swansea records.

Don't miss out on the latest Lost Cousins newsletter. Great stuff, as always.

DeceasedOnline's recent efforts concerning the cemetery records of Trafford Council (Manchester) can be examined here.

Tyrone & Fermanagh researchers should check this out.

Northumberland researchers should take note of the latest from FamilySearch. FamilySearch have also posted some new training videos.

More from the North-East of England: TNA have released more County Durham Home Guard records.

Here's an interesting 'remote' transcription project/idea from the National Railway Museum.

This is a good spot by Chris Paton: a TNA talks session on the subject of DNA. And here's a nice DNA-related article from the Wellcome Library.

Check out this idea from The National Archives. As they themselves say on Twitter: 'Sign up to our new community to join discussions, make suggestions and help develop & shape our online services'. Sounds promising.

Yet more from TNA: 5th tranche of colonial records has been released.

An important announcement from the National Library of Scotland and Wikipedia can be found here.

Thanks to @GenealogyGent on Twitter (among others) for this interactive surname map of the UK.

Check out Dick Eastman's post on the subject of the latest genealogy TV effort. Should find its way over to the UK & Ireland eventually.

Latest issue of Your Family Tree magazine (check out this subscription offer, too).

If you're still looking for a bit of reading then check out Chris Paton's report from an ongoing conference in Scotland which is of interest to us all regarding the general issue of archiving.

The usual Friday stuff from the BBC:

Remember to keep an eye on the BI-Gen Twitter feed over the weekend.





Completely non-genealogical, but thanks to the Two Nerdy History Girls for...


Also, you'll love this story via the Abroad in the Yard blog...


Tuesday 23 April 2013

Genealogy News - 23rd April


A very happy Saint George's Day to you all (well, the English among you!). The BNA celebrate the occasion with this interesting post.

The FamilySearch indexing project, launched in 2006, has reached a major milestone with the processing of its one billionth record.

TNA catalogue users: beware the 30th April deadline date.

And here are a couple of TNA Podcasts:


Thanks to Beryl Evans of the FFHS for this piece of news about a proposed Huguenot Heritage Centre in Rochester. Associated survey here.

The May issue of Family Tree magazine is now available.

Chris Paton's blog features an interesting story about Humanist weddings in Scotland - amazing!

Latest newsletter from the Community Archives & Heritage Group.

For Irish researchers: the latest newsletter from Eneclann. Also, PRONI acquire the Londonderry Papers.

Latest history links round-up from the Two Nerdy History Girls.

Forthcoming events...


And don't forget the BI-Gen Twitter feed.


Genes Reunited has over 13 million members and growing...
 


Thanks to @litreactor & @WellcomeLibrary on Twitter...


Friday 19 April 2013

Genealogy News - 19th April


First up, don't forget about the weekend offer of 'free marriage records' from Ancestry. Seems like you have to go into the site via .com rather than .co.uk but you can still conduct searches then filter them down to 'UK only', or whatever.

DeceasedOnline are at it again. This time it's new records for Manchester.

Chris Paton also blogs about more cemetery records... for Derbyshire and Tameside.

A curious story about Iceland's 'incest alarm'.

Various upcoming Irish events; plus an update from the Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives.

Fans of MyHeritage may wish to take a look at the latest version of their free family history software package.

Some interesting new stuff for London researchers has popped up on the Ancestry website - see their 'updates page' and follow the links.

More Irish stuff in the pipeline in the shape of the 'Down Survey of Ireland'.

The May issue of WDYTYA? Magazine is now in the shops.

Here are some freebies on offer from Your Family Tree Magazine.

Special offers re. DNA testing to be found here (yes, you can send your samples to the US from the UK - I did).

The somewhat 'over the top' funeral of Margaret Thatcher this week has prompted Audrey Collins to hark back to the simpler days of the 1960s and the sending off of Clement Attlee.

Here's a great story about two brothers who were reunited after EIGHTY years apart.

Some bits from the BBC:

And remember to keep dropping by at the BI-Gen Twitter feed.


Check out the extremely cheap Kindle version of the 
'Family & Local History Quiz Book' at...
(65% of royalties donated to children's charities)
Other formats of the book are available here
- including old-fashioned 'hard copy'!


Follow the link from Dick Eastman's post for some...

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Genealogy News - 16th April


Hey! It's 100 years since the opening of the UK's first county record office - see here.

Ancestry are offering something for nothing. Not quite sure of all the detail, but something to do with free marriage records during 17th-21st April.

I realise that I'm a few days late with this, but the Society of Genealogists has a new website. Here's a blog post to help you on your way.

This looks very useful: FindMyPast's presentations at the WDYTYA? Fair. Ooh, and here's some more goodies from the fair.

Latest 'NewsFlash' from the GOONS.

New podcast from TNA: The Hearth Tax.

Oxfordshire researchers may be interested in this item of news.

The National Library of Wales' Summer Guide is now available. Welsh folk may also be interested in this item from the same institution: Aberystwyth Shipping Records.

Lancashire Catholics in your family history? Check this out.

The latest Offaly History newsletter.

Irish researchers should take a quick look at this post by John D Reid.

More information on that recent DeceasedOnline records release for Bedford.

Your usual weekly history round-up from the Two Nerdy History Girls.

Forthcoming events (not many!):


Keep tabs on the BI-Gen Twitter feed for the latest news.




Friday 12 April 2013

Genealogy News - 12th April


A very quiet week (again). There is virtually nothing to report today - the notable exception being the addition of 600,000 new Kent records to the FindMyPast collection. Other than that, we're scraping the bottom of the old barrel, I'm afraid. Anyway, here's what we've got...

The latest E-newsletter from The National Archives is now available. TNA have also just announced the release of yet more colonial administration records.

And here's the most recent bulletin from the Institute of Heraldic & Genealogical Studies.

For the Scots there's the new issue of Broadsheet; and you should remember to check out Electric Scotland regularly, too.

Freemason forebears? Try this.

This looks interesting from FamilySearch.

Irish researchers should run their eyes over this piece of news from PRONI. Oh, and I think you should take a look at this series of lectures, too.

I see the National Library of Wales has a YouTube channel.

A history crossword, perhaps?

The BBC HistoryExtra website is a bit slow updating today, but the week's 'History Headlines' should soon appear here; and here's your forthcoming history TV & radio.

Blimey, is that it? I'm afraid it is.

If anything crops up over the weekend I shall report it on the BI-Gen Twitter feed.




From the always-entertaining Bizarre History Blog...


Tuesday 9 April 2013

Genealogy News - 9th April


We'll begin with that most excellent of resources, the latest Lost Cousins Newsletter.

Here's another great read: the latest issue of the free, online Irish Lives Remembered.

Audrey Collins compares censuses from either side of the Atlantic.

Latest TNA Podcast. And here's an important item of TNA news re. the digitisation of WWI diaries.

A handy review/report on the recent Clare Roots Conference can be found here.

An interesting item re. early 'English Children in Canada' has popped up on the Anglo-Celtic Connections blog. The very same blog also gives us some useful Welsh leads and some advice concerning DeceasedOnline.

The April issue of the Essex Record Office e-bulletin.

A worldwide genealogy round-up from GenealogyInTime. And the same guys bring us this handy list of First Name Abbreviations.

Latest from Ireland Reaching Out.

And here's the National Library of Ireland's latest newsletter.

Taphophiles may wish to follow the leads in this post by Hazel Stewart.

I like this story about a very clever British teenager and his DNA experiments.

The weekly round-up of history links from the Two Nerdy History Girls.

And here's your forthcoming events:


Check out the latest bits and bobs at the BI-Gen Twitter feed.




Two great posts from the excellent 'Abroad in the Yard' blog...


Friday 5 April 2013

Genealogy News - 5th April


As it's still a little quiet news-wise, I'll begin with a bit of self-promotion...

For those of you who have yet to secure a copy of the Family & Local History Quiz Book (see right-hand column), check out the free quiz from the same which appears in the latest issue of the excellent FFHS 'Really Useful Information Leaflet' - it's on page 15. The Quiz Book may have been published over a year ago but it's still in print and available in many formats - including a very cheap Kindle version - and it never goes out of date!

OK, then, onto the news...

A couple of announcements from The National Archives:

New plans for Nottinghamshire Archives.

Latest newsletter from Parish Chest (remember to scroll down for the new releases).

New Bedford records from DeceasedOnline.

Here's an extraordinary story about a Soldier's Prayer Book.

This is a sad (and poignant) piece ... haunting photos of Alzheimer's patients (thanks to @traceydw on Twitter).

You may have heard the 'Tom Cruise is Irish' story - if not, here's a version of the same.

Some interesting news from Guernsey (thanks to James McLaren).

OK, so it's news from the US, but the new-fangled Digital Public Library of America will be of interest to us all. As it happens, the British Library has announced something similar for the UK - though it doesn't sound quite as far-reaching, access-wise.

It's not too late (I think) to book your place on the 'Funding Your Community Archive' event at Essex Record Office on 16th April.

The usual Friday stuff from the BBC's HistoryExtra website:

More news and stories available at the BI-Gen Twitter feed.




Advice for youngsters...


And also - 


Tuesday 2 April 2013

Genealogy News - 2nd April


Some really great reading coming up ... which makes up for the continued lack of proper news!

We'll begin with that most excellent of efforts, the Lost Cousins Newsletter. I'm a bit late in reporting this piece of news so one or two of the offers have expired (apologies), but there is still plenty in there to take note of.

The powers-that-be should take heed of this thought-provoking post on the subject of family history and well-being. Very interesting.

Thanks to @DebbieKennett on Twitter for flagging this interesting article by Steve Jones, and also a BBC piece about a Celtic heritage project.

Here's your weekly dose of history links from the Two Nerdy History Girls.

A couple of interesting posts from the blog of John D Reid:


The latest update from FamilySearch includes some UK WWI stuff.

I've seen a few references to this curious free online database which will be of interest to many of us - especially from the south-east of England. Here's Audrey Collins' take on the topic.

A spot of Irish news.

Chris Paton points out a slight reduction in the opening hours at Tyne & Wear Archives. This time of year often sees things like this being tinkered with, so best check your repository of interest before your next visit.

Upcoming events (not many!):


Latest news can be found at the BI-Gen Twitter feed.