The second collection is a selection of British Army, Navy
and Air Force lists. These lists give details of officers who served during the
First and Second World Wars.
Welcome to Scottish Genealogy Tips, Tricks & Tidbits
Friday, 29 March 2013
New Digitized Collections On NLS Website
The National Library of Scotland has added two new digitized
collections to their website database. The first is a collection of medical
documents from the British Raj. The 'Medicine - Vaccination' shows British efforts to vaccinate
the Indian population against smallpox. http://digital.nls.uk/indiapapers/
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Were Your Ancestors Scottish Travellers?
The latest rage on those
"unscripted tv" (aka reality tv) channels is following the lives and
customs of "gypsies" More specifically, Romany Travellers.
Travellers (Tinkers) have
been around in Scotland Scotland
For those whose ancestors
may have been Travellers, but who they themselves no longer are, here are some
websites that might be of interest for finding out more about their ancestors:
Romany and Travellers FHS: http://www.rtfhs.org.uk/
Are You Looking for Covenanter Ancestors?
Covenanters are a unique and important group in Scottish History. The Covenanters were a group that, in the simplest of terms, signed a "Covenant" (Oath) 1683 (the National Covenant) in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh with God that He would remain as the head of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), and not the reigning King.
As a result of this belief, the Covenanters were subject to persecution and often imprisonment. In fact there is a Covenanters Prison in the Greyfriars Kirkyard. Here, the Covenanters were held until they were transported to the West Indies or other ports.
Finding information specific to your Covenanter ancestor may not be an easy find. Here are some websites and databases that may assist you in your research:
As a result of this belief, the Covenanters were subject to persecution and often imprisonment. In fact there is a Covenanters Prison in the Greyfriars Kirkyard. Here, the Covenanters were held until they were transported to the West Indies or other ports.
Finding information specific to your Covenanter ancestor may not be an easy find. Here are some websites and databases that may assist you in your research:
Friday, 15 March 2013
Ancestry Allows Free Access to Immigration Databases for Weekend
Ancestry is offering free weekend access to limited immigration records, specifically to Border Crossings & Passports and Passenger Lists.
http://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/passengerlists
http://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/passengerlists
50 Free Credits from FindMyPast Ireland
For those with Irish Ancestry, FindMyPast Ireland is offering 50 free credits: http://irish-genealogy-news.blogspot.ca/2013/03/st-patricks-offer-from-findmypast.html
Credits must be used by June 30. Happy Searching!
Credits must be used by June 30. Happy Searching!
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Upcoming Talks
March is a busy month with a number of talks on Scottish Genealogy still to come. Here's the listing for this month:
Oxford
Hamilton
Cambridge
Researching in Scotland
Monday March 11
7:00 pm
This presentation will focus on the annual trips to
Scotland led by Genealogy Tours of Scotland Edinburgh
Researching in Scotland
Wednesday March 20
6:00 pm
This presentation will focus on the annual trips to
Scotland led by Genealogy Tours of Scotland Edinburgh
Scottish Genealogy Research:
Search Your Roots;
Discover Your Heritage
Saturday March 23
1:00 pm
Do you have Scottish ancestry but don’t know where
to begin your genealogy research? Join us to learn where to start, what to
consider and where to look what online to help you find your Scottish Ancestors
To book a talk, workshop
or seminar contact me at: genealogytoursofscotland@gmail.com
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Ask Not What Your Genealogy Society Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Genealogy Society
I love my local genealogy
society. I have no history in this area, no ancestors. My husband's parents
were first generation here, and that's not that terribly long ago in
genealogical terms. But I decided to see what the local society was all about.
That was 6 years ago. Shortly after I joined, I noticed that the Society was in
need of a newsletter editor. Hmm. Something I could not only do, but do from
home. In my career, I was a regular committee-sitter (note that my personal
belief that a camel is a horse put together by a committee), so I was clear
when I met with the Society that while I was happy to edit their newsletter, I
was not interested in being on any committees.
I still don't sit on committees. But I do attend the Executive meetings, the regular meetings when time allows, and am always in awe whenever I drop by the library. It is a beehive of activity. People working on projects: copying, cutting, pasting, entering info into a database, looking up information to satisfy a query or assisting a visitor with finding their ancestor in our vast collection.
I still don't sit on committees. But I do attend the Executive meetings, the regular meetings when time allows, and am always in awe whenever I drop by the library. It is a beehive of activity. People working on projects: copying, cutting, pasting, entering info into a database, looking up information to satisfy a query or assisting a visitor with finding their ancestor in our vast collection.
For the Societies I belong
to that are too far for me to assist on a regular basis, I don't have the same
sense of affiliation, but the awe and admiration are certainly there. And I try
to help if and when I can. Sometimes it is the offer to speak, or to submit an
article for their newsletter. I know in my heart I am not helping them to the
same capacity, but I also know that like any donation, even small amounts of
time and assistance add up.
The genealogy community is
an amazing place. It is open, friendly, helpful and caring. There is such an
amazing sense of connection to people we barely know by sight, but are strongly
associated with through social media, e-mails, sharing
research. So why are we so reluctant to help our local societies? This one has
always baffled me.
Most of us who belong to a
church community are only too happy to give of our time and talents. If we
belong to a club or association, we offer to help in instrumental ways like
baking for sales or dinners, selling tickets, setting up for meetings. Parents
sit on committees, run phone chains, fundraise. Why is it that genealogists
don't help their Genealogy Societies in the same way?
My hope is the reason
for not helping is because we don't feel we are "good enough" at
genealogy. Ok, so speaking to a group ties us in knots and causes severe belly
cramps. Probably not a good idea to volunteer as a speaker. But ANYone can copy
newspaper pages, cut and paste obituaries, birth announcements, marriage
announcements or other items of local or family history interest. ANYone can
attend a meeting and perhaps leave a little smarter and more energized
afterward. ANYone can buy a ticket to a raffle, a social event or some other
fundraiser.
I hear so many people say,
"well, they are a clique", "they are all so set in their
ways", "its an old lady society" But let's put on our genealogy
hats and analyze those thoughts for a minute:
"Its an old ladies club" Ok, so lots of us have grey hair. Trust me, we
have earned it. We have raised kids and survived the constant worry of the
teenage years. We have nursed sick husbands, and survived the overwhelming
emptiness after we lose them. We have endured careers and are happy to be away
from the daily grind, politics and, yes, grey hairs that came with those careers.
Believe me when I say we weren't all grey when we started our interest in
family history. In fact, most of us weren't grey when we started volunteering
either. Don't let our life experience intimidate you or turn you away. We can't
help that anymore than we can help our wrinkles, our belly bulge or our
arthritic joints.
"They are all so set in their ways" Maybe. But that doesn't mean we aren't open to new
ideas. After all, as a Society, we have been around for years. We have gone
from paper research, to microfiche/microfilm to computers and the digitized
world. We have managed to change with the times and still stay afloat. What we
are opposed to is a new person coming in and trying to take over.
Don't get me wrong. It's
not that we don't want to pass the torch - someday. After all, genealogists are
all about handing the past over to the future. But we also want to make sure
that all of our years of sweat, toil, and papercuts are not going to be for
nought. Like any healthy relationship, it comes down to trust. We want to work
with you. Get to know you. Discover that our past will be safe in your hands in
the future.
"Well, they are a clique" This is a common one. Please don't confuse our
friendship, developed over years of sharing time, stories and memories together
with us being a clique.
The definition of a clique
is pretty similar to a friendship circle, with one huge difference. A clique
excludes others. Like a private club. Genealogy Societies don't. We are all
about membership. Our doors and our resources are open to others. Sure we
support each other. We have become friends, after all. We have learned how we
work as a group or as individuals. But that doesn't mean we won't do the same
for you.
Come. Spend time. Offer to
help. Share your research stories and brick walls with us. I guarantee you will
be rewarded for your efforts. Heck, you might just want
to sit on a committee or take on an executive position so that one of us can
step aside, pass the torch, and feel tremendous pride knowing our Society is going
to be safe and secure in the future, thanks to your help.
Ancestor Autograph Book
A couple of years ago, I wrote away to the local church in the village where my father was born and raised. I was looking for a copy of his baptismal record. As genealogical serendipity would have it, the clerk was an old flame of my dad’s from his pre–marriage days. She was delighted to have received the letter stating that it brought back many happy memories of years gone by. She spoke fondly of my dad and times spent at his family’s home. She enclosed a couple of photographs along with the copy of the baptismal record. One I had not seen before. I turned the photo over and immediately recognized my dad’s handwriting. My dad passed away at a very young age in 1987. Seeing his handwriting so unexpectedly created a flood of warm emotion.
Since that time, I have made a special effort to really look at the signatures of my ancestors when they have signed official documents such as marriage registers or attestation papers or when they have signed as a witness or informant on birth, marriage or death registers.
I have long been an advocate of preserving family history in a format that will make it available for future generations. To that end, I have created Family Books for each of my lines as well as for my husbands lines so that our children and grandchildren will know their history.
I create personalized heritage calendars, scrapbooks, family newsletters and other family “ephemera” that I hope one day will be passed down as family treasures. I recently thought it might be fun to put together an autograph collection of my ancestor’s signatures. Of course, this is a much smaller collection than any of the other formats provide, but it is a piece of our family history and one that will hopefully create enough interest in future generations to make them want to hold onto the emotion they feel when they see the handwriting of their ancestors. Perhaps this will be the one thing that will spark a descendant to want to carry on the torch as family historian and preservationist.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Historical Criminal Records Available at FindMyPast
FindMyPast has added historical criminal records from
1817-1931 via The National Archives. These records include the criminal and
prison details as well some include a physical description and the occasional
photo may be an added bonus to the researcher.
The database is available at: http://www.findmypast.co.uk/content/search-menu/institutions-and-organisations
Unlimited searches are available to findmypast.co.uk subscribers
and findmypast.com subscribers with a world subscription. You can also search
on a pay-per-view basis through the purchase of credits. Each search is 10
credits.
Database of British Slave Owners
For those with Caribbean ancestry, whether with a UK
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