Genealogy
The mid 18th century was a time when Scots led the world in every field. It was an intellectual revolution that that included physicist Joseph Black, geologist James Hutton, and economist Adam Smith. In literature Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns were without peer and the subject of this article Sir Henry Raeburn, a portraitist, [...]
It’s 150 years since the first battle of Bull Run, one of the highlights of the anniversary of the Civil War, which illuminated a small band of Scottish men who played a crucial role in the most brutal conflict in the history of the United States. The group, named the 79th New York Highland Regiment, [...]
The most recent posting on the FGS blog is the following announcement of two new appointments to the Board–Congratulations to Thomas MacEntee and Randy Whited: “For Immediate Release April 22, 2011 FEDERATION OF GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES BOARD APPOINTMENTS Thomas MacEntee and Randy Whited Named Directors April 22, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) [...]
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The first social game tied to real-world family history is now available. Did you know that more than half of the people on play games on Facebook? World Vital says: “Funium announced today the immediate public availability of its free Facebook game, Family Village. Family Village is the first Facebook® Platform game to help players explore their real [...]
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Ancestry says: “Ancestry.com’s mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod has now been downloaded over 1 million times, with one-third of those downloads happening in the last two months alone. In addition, over half of users of the app are new to Ancestry.com indicating a growing interest in family history, Ancestry.com and in mobile [...]
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According to Desert News, GeneTree.com has announced a new series of specialty DNA tests on Monday that identify a wider scope of one’s family history. The new tests provide more specific genetic information that makes possible the answers to what are considered puzzling genealogical issues—some that have been unanswered questions for generations. GeneTree.com new specialty [...]
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“Bloomsbury Publishing has announced that it has purchased the backlist of The National Archives’ publications and has agreed to co-publish a range of forthcoming titles. The backlist covers the full range of adult trade titles along with academic works. These include the best-selling titles Genealogists’ Internet by Peter Christian and The UFO Files by Dr [...]
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Geneabloggers Thomas MacEntee posted the following on his blog—be sure to visit the site to join the conversation: “With apologies to the Pet Shop Boys (and their song Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money), I’ve decided to start a series of posts here at GeneaBloggers about genealogy and money. Why? Well I am in agreement with [...]
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I’ve just found a terrific website called Connected Histories I’d like to share that brings together 11 major digital resources related to early modern and nineteenth century Britain (1500-1900), with a single search that allows the sophisticated searching of names places and dates, and the ability to save, connect and even share resources within your [...]
“At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, a single mortar round was fired on Fort Sumter, S.C., and the Civil War began. By the time it ended in 1865, approximately 620,000 soldiers’ lives had been lost, and America had changed in profound, immutable ways. One hundred and fifty years later, we’re still examining why.” – [...]
Continue reading about The battle began 150 years ago today. What caused the Civil War?
FindMyPast.com.uk says: “We have just published two new sets of military records on findmypast.co.uk: Royal Navy Officers Medal Roll 1914-1920 and New Zealand WWI Soldiers. Below is further information about these records and the valuable details about your ancestors you could discover. Royal Navy Officers Medal Roll 1914-1920 These records comprise a transcript of the complete WWI [...]
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Beware! this is my personal opinion. The following list of tips from World Vital Records is one of the best I’ve seen for online research with reminders to back-up your work, save originals, and print out. They’ve kept it simple, unlike many who give good advice, but the lists are way too convoluted with many [...]
The following is a press release from Ancestry.com “Nearly 25 million National Archives Civil War records documenting lives and service of Union and Confederate soldiers available free to public at Ancestry.com from April 7-14 WASHINGTON, D.C., and PROVO, UTAH — (April 6, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, and the National Archives, [...]
I never forget that I owe my knowledge of and acquaintance with my ancestors for the most part to FamilySearch.org. And, I still believe that their organization is the best place for beginners to start their search and learn how it all works. I’d like to remind you of their wonderful free classes and vast [...]
I might be a wee bit biased here because I’m Scottish born and spent my formative years in Scotland in an area steeped in history. When I lived in New York I actually met very few Scots, but now that I’ve moved south they’re everywhere. And, because I’m a family history enthusiast, I see Scottish [...]
During the 18th century there were hundreds of pack trains carrying gold and silver bullion from the Spanish mines in southern Colorado to Mexico City. Enslaved Indians worked in the mines that produced rich ore destined for the treasury of Spain. Millions of dollars worth of gold and silver was hauled to Mexico City, but [...]
Continue reading about Lost Spanish treasures still lies in New Mexico lava beds
The following copied from the National Archives and Records Administration website to help spread the word about a media conference scheduled by the NARA to take place on April 12. The discussion is one on how technology could improve access to government information for all. It’s free and open to the public but registration is required. [...]
Continue reading about NARA-Media Access to Government Information Conference (MAGIC)
FindMyPast.co.uk has added more records to their database as follows: “You can now search for your ancestors in 1,447,671 new baptism, marriage and burial records for Hampshire on findmypast.co.uk This substantial new release of records will really benefit those with Hampshire roots. The table below provides the details about these new records: Type of records Number [...]
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Oliver Morley the new Chief Executive Officer at the National Archives of the United Kingdom has launched the new Business Plan for 2011-2015. It’s called For the Record. For Good and lays out the National Archives for the next four years. The plan is to address the need for innovation and transformation of the organization [...]
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Here’s a copy of a post on the Ancestry.com blog written by Tana L. Pedersen (Family Tree Maker expert) that answered a question of my own, so and I’m passing it along because it may answer yours. “Last month when I announced the February webinar for Family Tree Maker, hundreds of you posted questions for our [...]
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For my readers in the United Kingdom the following offer from Ancestry.com.uk is offering free access for 24 hours to their English, Welsh and Scottish census collections to commemorate Census Day 2011: “Get ready! To mark Census Day 2011, we’re letting you access all our UK census record indexes, from England, Wales and Scotland, completely FREE, for [...]
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“Nearly 37 Million Americans Claim Irish Ancestry including President Obama and Walt Disney PROVO, UTAH (March 14, 2011) – In recognition of St. Patrick’s Day, Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today launchedThe Irish Collection – the definitive 19thcentury collection of Irish historical records. The collection provides nearly 100 years of insight into life [...]
The 13th century Blair Castle located in Pitlochry, Perthsire, Scotland was badly damaged after a fire on Thursday, 10th March 2011. A team of about 50 firefighters prevented a catastrophe by keeping the fire from spreading to the main building. The firefighters fought for 90 minutes using breathing equipment but the they had to withdraw [...]
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A woman digging in her backyard on the Florida Keys last fall found a jaw bone and a piece of human skull. Detectives were able tell her the bones were likely to be as much as 75 years old. Surprise! The results of radiocarbon dating tests have determined that the bones are around 2400 years [...]
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I’ve written about the merger of the National Archives of Scotland and the General Register Office for Scotland. This is to remind you that as of April 1, the merger will be completed: “From 1 April 2011 the name of the merged NAS-GROS organisation will be the National Records of Scotland (NRS) The strapline for the new [...]
The following information was posted on the National Archives blog “NARations” including the link to the minutes of the February 18, meeting. Anyone involved in the research process will find this interesting. I’ve also provided a link to the NARations blog where you can see the very interesting blog comments: “The minutes from the Researcher [...]
Continue reading about Minutes from the February 18th DC-area Researchers Meeting are now available
Since I started to study genealogy and discovered a contradistinc approach to history, the genealogy and social history of Puerto Rico is one of the richest that I have so far encountered. Puerto Rico, nicknamed Land of Enchantment, has a unique heritage. Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain when he landed there in 1493 [...]
I’m a big fan of Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers and was able to attend the RootsTech 2011 “Virtual Presentations Roundtable” (via desktop conference) moderated by Thomas. It was a very interesting experience. I’ve taken the liberty of posting the following information from Genealbloggers and can recommend setting aside some time to view them. The following [...]
Findmypast.co.uk keeps getting better and is a force to be reckoned with the the world of genealogy databases. I’ve found plenty of data on my ancestors that I haven’t found elsewhere. Here’s the latest news from this competitive group: “Findmypast.co.uk and the British Library are working together on an exciting project to digitise a treasure [...]
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As we remember the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War (1861-1865), you can explore the history of the conflict and your ancestors’ role in it in ways they (and maybe you) would never have imagined. It’s also known as the War Between the States. Today you can look up the name [...]
Continue reading about Research Civil War History and Genealogy records online
GenealogyInTime is launching a new article this week, which is an in-depth guide to English genealogy that provides an innovative approach to finding your English or Welsh ancestors. The guide uses a chronological approach, which helps one to understand the flow of events “so you can spend more time looking for your ancestors and less [...]
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According to the National Archives and Records Administration there are two words that records managers never want to hear—unauthorized destruction. This occurs when records are destroyed or deleted without an approved disposition; when a records has been approved for permanent retention; prior to the end of the approved retention period unless by court order; when [...]
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Many years ago, I spent almost every weekend shopping in the King’s Road area of Chelsea and, according to a good friend, little has changed. Every street seems to have been home to a noted artist or writer at some time or other. It’s also an area rich in historic parks and gardens. In 1834 [...]
Continue reading about London’s historic Chelsea still a great place to visit
The March issue of Discover My Past Scotland magazine goes online on Monday 28 February. This 40-page A4 issue is packed with special features and how-to guides to connect you with your Scottish Heritage, including: MacBraynes – lifeblood of the islands Sources in Kirk Sessions – new avenues for your research Tay Bridge disaster – [...]
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Welcome to the dark side of social networking. This certainly includes genealogists and family historians. Cybercriminals, virus writers and others, always go were the numbers are and that translates big time to social media sites. About 175 million people rely on social media for multiple reasons and I can understand why the many warnings issued [...]
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The following is a communication from the National Genealogical Society: ‘The NGS 2011 Family History Conference will be held 11–14 May 2011 at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, SC 29418. More than seventy-five nationally recognized speakers will provide over 180 lectures on a wide variety of topics including research in South [...]
Here’s a George Washington story you probably haven’t heard before. It’s an article written by Jesse Washington, who covers race and ethnicity for “The Associated Press”. It’s a interesting article, which is why I’m posting it on SpittalStreet: “George Washington’s name is inseparable from America, and not only from the nation’s history. It identifies countless [...]
The Knights Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, founded in 1080, is the oldest Order of Chivalry in existence. It’s also is also the third oldest religious Order in Christendom and the only remaining offshoot of the period in history known as the Crusades. The Order that never numbered more than a few thousand [...]
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Renovation plans for the 92-year old Wayne Aspinall Federal Building and Courthouse are underway to make it the first net-zero historic landmark. A zero net energy building (ZNE) is a term used to describe a building’s use with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. The courthouse will be the first of its [...]
The National Archives of Scotland closing its doors and moving collections to General Register House
The National Archives of Scotland’s premises will be opening its doors for the last time to the public on Friday 25th February 2011. From Monday 28th, access to National Archives collections will be exclusively available at General Register House. Increasing use will also be made of digital images of popular record series in the Historical [...]
Registration is now open for the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadian Department of North York Central Library Scottish history workshop. The program looks like a fascinating featuring three speakers James F.S. Thomson, Chris Paton, and Marian Press. The when and Where: Saturday, June 18, 2011 North York Central Library Auditorium [...]
The following is an interesting announcement from the National Genealogical Society: “Did you know that at the NGS 2011 Family History Conference, Charleston, South Carolina from 11-14 May 2011, the exhibit hall is free to the public? This is a great opportunity for non-conference-attending companions or local community members to experience an exciting element of the annual conference – [...]
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The “72 Year Census Rule” is the length of time that personal information on the U.S census forms is kept private. When completing a census forms, every household typically answers questions that includes personal information that is preferentially private. As a result the United States Government imposed a rule that protects citizens’ right to privacy [...]
Continue reading about The U.S. 72-year census rule and the Scottish 100-year census rule
The following announcement was written by FamilySearch: “SALT LAKE CITY—RootsTech, a new family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 10-12, 2011, announced today that six of its popular sessions will be broadcasted live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample [...]
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It looks as though there is a solution to the cliff-hanger caused by the departure of the Ancestry.com Expert Connect service. Genealogy Freelancers.com is welcoming many of those affected by the situation to transition to their service. The company was established in 2008 and offers a project bidding system, which is an easy transition for [...]
The FamilySearch indexing project started in 2006, when FamilySearch moved its CD-ROM based content to the web. This is an ongoing mammoth effort and, in spite of all the criticism regarding the database, I’m impressed. Database development is difficult and I can tell you from experience that a new systems implementation is not easy. I’ve [...]
Continue reading about Wow! FamilySearch Volunteers Have Indexed Over 500 Million Records
Since 1976, Black History Month has been celebrated annually in the United States of America during the month of February and the United Kingdom in the month of October. In the U.S. Black History Month is also called African-American History Month. In honor of Black History Month, Ancestry.com has launched more than 250,000 new records [...]
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Ancestry.com has announced that they have a new iPad app called Ancestry. It’s built specifically for the tablet and shows complete images of family records and photos. It’s also a highly interactive and visual tool for users to share their trees with family and friends. A huge part of the 21st century that our ancestors [...]
The Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759 -1796) has a newly updated Iphone App. The original was not user friendly and people complained that it was difficult to access and inaccurate. The app, developed by the Scottish government, was supposed to give fans of Robert Burns instant access to his entire work of poems and love [...]
Continue reading about The Scottish Bard Robert Burns iPhone app updated after crash protests
“In the Middle Ages, the study of the measure of time was first viewed as prying too deeply into God’s own affairs – and later thought of as a lowly, mechanical study, unworthy of serious contemplation.” The calendar we use today is the Gregorian Calendar, first introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in a papal bull [...]
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The following is a notice from the UK Society of Genealogists regarding the “Who Do You Think You Are? Live National History Show” in Olympia, London, sponsored by Ancestry.com.uk: “The Society of Genealogists Family History Show will again take place as part of the Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE National History Show – 25-27 [...]
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We are bombarded with so much data these days that we’re apt to overlook some excellent sources of genealogical information. One of these is the passport application. Would you believe, the U.S. Department of State has issued passports to people traveling abroad since 1789, although it didn’t have the authority to do so until Congress [...]
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Queen Victoria died 110 years ago today on January 22, 1901, ending the longest reign in British history. Her 63-year tenure saw the expansion of an empire upon which the sun never set. Born in 1819, in Kensington Palace in London, she ascended to the throne upon the death of her uncle King William IV, [...]
If you’d like to attend the RootsTech Conference virtually—you can! Through the sponsorship of Legacy Family Tree Webinars the RootsTech a free seminar, Virtual Presentations Roundtable, will be broadcast on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 1:45 pm MST (3:45PM EST, 2:45PM CST, 12:45PM PST, 8:45PM GMT). Click here (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/948007264) to register today! Hands-on experience is [...]
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The following information was posted on the findmypast.co.uk blog today January 20, 2011. It’s a reminder of what was added in 2010 and what’s planned for 2011: “ What’s planned for 2011 on findmypast.co.uk?
The following is a Society of Genealogists (UK) notice of an Ancestry.com announcement: “An online archive revealing historic values of London’s famous landmarks is published today for the first time – Ancestry.co.uk Bank of England, Fleet Street and St Paul’s Cathedral found in records Average London property in 1910 valued at just £14,000, compared to [...]
The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Canadian Genealogy Centre is definitely the best place to visit to begin your Canadian family research. Access is free and the website gives clearly points you to where you need to search. I’m sure most of us appreciate websites that manage to provide a wealth of information and yet [...]
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The Comité des Sages is a reflection group focused on bringing Europe’s cultural heritage online. They have made a number of recommendations in their report “The New Renaissance” to the European Union (EU) Member States to ramp up their efforts to make the collections held in all their libraries archives and museums available online. The recommendation [...]
“Today’s Document” is the name given to the newly released first mobile application based on the “popular feature” on Archives.gov. It’s an interactive gallery that gives you access to explore the holdings of the US National Archives through 365 fascinating documents and photographs thorough history. If you want to learn what happened on your birthday, [...]
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If you’ve been using FindMyPast for your genealogical research during the past couple of years, you’ll find that they have become a real competitor when it comes to helping people to find their ancestors ancestors in their database. Here’s a copy of their latest blog announcement: “You can now search 126,967 new parish baptism and [...]
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The publishing world is in serious crisis and the brick and mortar bookstores are in trouble. Many publishing companies have either closed their doors or have changed their business strategy. For example, Dorchester Publishing dropped its traditional print publishing business in favor of an e-book/print-on-demand model. With advent of the eBook reader and the astronomical [...]
Technology has radically transformed world communication during the last few years and consequently the changes in the rapidly expanding field of genealogy are also radical. For most people the changes at the personal level are significant since it’s now much easier and faster to document family histories using online databases that only a short while [...]
Since Ancestry.com went public (Nasdaq: ACOM) ” The Motley Fool” has had a lot to say on the subject and, although I smashed their first article last year, I tend agree with today’s contribution. Ancestry apparently hit an all-time high this morning tacking on to gains after an analyst upgrade. This is no small thing. [...]
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The following is the Society of Genealogists UK announcement on publishing over 9 million records at findmypast.com.uk: “Today the Society of Genealogists in London and leading family history website findmypast.co.uk have published online over 9 million records from the Society’s unrivalled collection at findmypast.co.uk.
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There’s a very interesting post on MyHeritage blog and I’d like to share it with anyone who might have missed it. It actually outlines my own conclusions (and I say this with humility) drawn over three years ago—you’ll see the truth in this statement on my “About” page on this blog. The MyHeritage post is [...]
Continue reading about MyHeritage interview on genealogy as an aid to help psychotherapy
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