New & Updated Genealogy Records Online Featuring Australia and China

by | Apr 26, 2019 | 01 What's New, Records & databases

Australian genealogy records are featured this week in new and updated collections online. Findmypast has two sets of records for Queensland and at FamilySearch, you can explore a big update to their free collection of immigrants ship papers.

Also featured this week is the launch of a new website supporting Chinese genealogy research and research services. Finally, we head to Ancestry.com for a new collection of church records for Kent, England. 

 

Featured: New & Updated Australian Genealogy Records

If you’ve got Australian ancestors, you’ll be delighted by these new and updated genealogy collections. Genealogy Giant Findmypast is known for British and Irish records, but they’ve been working hard to expand their offerings to cover other related countries including Australia. This week, they’re featuring two collections for Queensland, Australia that you will definitely want to explore!

WWI Queensland Soldier Portraits, 1914-1918

“Come face to face with your Australian military ancestor in this collection of over 24,000 photographic portraits from the First World War. Each result is provided with a link to view a portrait of your ancestor in his military uniform published in The Queenslander newspaper between 1914 and 1918. Transcripts may also reveal your ancestor’s service number and regiment.
All the portraits were taken by Talma Studios during the First World War. The studio set up a tent at a soldier’s camp at Enoggera, Queensland and photographed members of the Expeditionary Force. Uniforms were provided for every soldier. In some cases, the soldier had yet to be fitted out. This meant every soldier appeared in uniform in the portraits.
 
soldier portrait

G.N. Tullock, one of the soldiers photographed in The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 1917.

 
The portraits were also republished alongside reports of wounded or missing soldiers. Not every soldier from Queensland was photographed, but this collection does represent almost half of the Queensland soldiers.” Click here to search these records.
 
Queensland, Hospital Registers
“Explore over 58,000 assorted Queensland hospital records from hospitals across Queensland including Brisbane, Croydon, Dalby, Mackay, and Wallagarra. These records are a wonderful genealogy resource and an essential search for anyone with Queensland ancestry.
 
The registers have been made available by the Queensland State Archives and some records have been transcribed by Judy Webster. The records include registers of patients diagnosed with consumption, admission and discharge registers, and quarantine records.” Click here to search this collection. 

There is also an updated genealogy records collection for Australia at FamilySearch this week. 

South Australia, Immigrants Ship Papers, 1849-1940
“Immigrant ships papers containing a record of births and deaths aboard, 1849-1867 and 1873-1885. Indexed records in the collection include passenger lists arriving and departing from South Australia.

Information on images varies but may include ship’s name, master’s name, tonnage, where bound, date, port of embarkation, names of passengers, ages, occupation, nationality, and port at which passengers have contracted to land.” Click here to browse this collection. 

New Chinese Genealogy Resource

A new site has launched that may help genealogists with Chinese ancestors. Beijing-based genealogy site My
China Roots recently launched in open beta, allowing users to search its proprietary database for lost roots.

From the recent press release: “Founder and CEO, Huihan Lie, was born and raised in the Netherlands with family from
Indonesia. Huihan came to China to seek out his roots and in the process discovered how challenging the journey to find one’s roots could be. After tracing his family back over 100 generations he set out to make it easier and more accessible to others as well.

‘I’m thrilled about this crucial foundation of our online platform, the first of its kind to give Overseas Chinese access to historical records and technology to connect with their roots,’ says Huihan, ‘we are now adding records by the day!’

With a simple, English language-based search using surnames and ancestral locations, users can find clan history books known as zupu. Users also receive search tips and learn about the historical context of their ancestors’ lives in China.”

While My China Roots primarily features research services, you can access the Beta search function by selecting it from the menu at the top (shown below):

New Church Records for Kent, England

Ancestry.com has a new collection for Kent, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1538-1914. Here are some of Ancestry’s tips for searching these records:

  • To narrow your search, estimate birth dates using information found in the Census and in other records.
  • Narrow your search for marriage records by looking at the age and birthplace of the first child. This information can also be found in Census Records. Start your search a year or two prior to the child’s birth and gradually widen your search back (and forward) in time until you locate the record.
  • Track your ancestor year to year in City Directories to help zero in on death dates and places. Husbands who predecease their wives will typically stop being listed after death and you’ll often find the wife in his place, listed as “widow.”
  • Court records like wills can help you estimate death dates.

Top Tips for Beginning Genealogy

Beginning your genealogy research is challenging, so it’s important to know the top tips on how to get started.

In this video, Amie Tennant and Lisa Louise Cooke discuss where to start, strategies for interviewing family members, and what to do with that information. Here are their top tips for how to set yourself up for genealogical success:

Tip #1: Start with yourself and work backward.

Tip #2: Interview relatives closest to you.

Tip #3: Then verify that information by through records.

Tip #4: Take one generation at a time.

Even if you’re not a beginner, it can be extremely helpful to get a refresher on these core principles of good genealogy research! That’s why I recommend Lisa’s free podcast Family History: Genealogy Made Easy. This is a step-by-step series for beginning genealogists—and more experienced ones who want to brush up or learn something new. You can listen online or find it on your favorite podcast app!

Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

New German Genealogy Records Online & More

by | Apr 19, 2019 | 01 What's New, Records & databases

It’s a great week for new genealogy records online! We’re featuring German vital records now available at Ancestry.com, including civil registers, parish records, and census records. You can also explore two updated Italian records collections at FamilySearch, plus check out an expert interview for tips on researching your Italian ancestors. Lastly, Findmypast is continuing to to expand their international records with a new Jamaican records collection. Happy researching!

Featured: German Genealogy Records

Ancestry.com, one of the Genealogy Giants subscription websites, has several new German vital records collections now available online. Specifically, Trier, Germany.

You can find a wealth of genealogical information in these civil registers, parish records, and census records. Look for names, dates, locations, parents and spouse names, occupations, and even some narrative comments in margins. 

The city of Trier has an interesting history, and is among the oldest cities in Germany. It was founded by the Celts in the late-4th century BC and was known as Treuorum. Later on the city was conquered by the Romans in the late-1st century BC and renamed Trevorum or Augusta Treverorum.

In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop-Elector of Trier was an important prince of the church, and Trier is the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps. The archbishop-electorate controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. The Archbishop-Elector also had great significance as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire. You can learn more about Trier and more available genealogy records at the FamilySearch wiki page for the city here. 

Additionally, there is a new collection for Barnim, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1966. The name directories are arranged alphabetically according to the last name of the deceased. They are bound as separate volumes covering several years each. They contain the following details: sequential number, last names and given names of the deceased, residence, and cross reference to death register.

Updated Italian Genealogy Records at FamilySearch

Over at the all-free website FamilySearch, two Italian genealogy records collections have been updated. 

If you’re searching for Italian ancestors, check out episode #207 of The Genealogy Gems Podcast! In this episode, you’ll hear from Mary Tedesco, a co-host of PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow. Mary shares stories and tips about tracing Italian and Italian-American roots. 

New Jamaican Genealogy Records Online

Lastly, we head to Findmypast for an exciting new addition to their database. While Findmypast focuses on British and Irish records, they are rapidly expanding their international collections as well!

The latest in this expansion is a big boost of genealogical records for Jamaica. The update includes five new sets encompassing over 2.4 million parish and civil register entries for births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials dating back to the mid-17th century.

Jamaica is divided into three counties:

  • Cornwall
  • Middlesex
  • Surrey

Within each county are parishes, the fundamental civil administrative unit.  Genealogy records in Jamaica are kept at this local level. 

At Findmypast you can currently search:

These collections may help you discover your Caribbean ancestors and add a Jamaican branch to your family tree. 

German Genealogy Research Tips From an Expert

Researching your ancestors deep into Germany simply doesn’t happen unless you know the name of the village of origin. In this video presentation renowned German genealogy expert James M. Beidler goes over the sources to tie your immigrant to a Heimat (Heimat (pronounced [ˈhaɪmat]) is a German word translating to “home” or “homeland” ) and then find the village and its records!
 
You can also hear Jim Beidler, author of the book Trace Your German Roots Online A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites discuss Germany genealogy records at FamilySearch on Genealogy Gems Podcast episode #191.
Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

New Genealogy Records Online for England, the Netherlands, & More!

by | Apr 14, 2019 | 01 What's New, Records & databases

Jump for joy! At the top of the list of new genealogical records this week are new collections for Southern English county of Devon. You’ll also be able to explore big updates to vital records collections for the Netherlands. Finally, check out new and updated newspaper titles for Connecticut, Illinois, and more throughout the U.S.!

Featured: Devon County, England Genealogy Records

If your ancestors lived in Southern England, you won’t want to miss these new and updated collections for the county of Devon, available at Findmypast!

Devon Port Books: This brand new collection covers ships administered in the Devon ports of Appledore, Barnstaple, and Bideford between 1595 and 1705.

These records will include names of the ship’s masters and merchants, the ship’s name and the year it was entered in the port book, the ship’s cargo, tonnage, and trade type, and the ship’s registry, administration, departure and destination ports.

Devon Baptisms: This collection of Devon parish registers includes many exclusives you won’t find anywhere else online and has grown again. The latest additions date back to the 1750s, with much of this collection stretching as far back as the 1500s. The additions cover four parish churches in the county:

  • Appledore, Independent Chapel
  • Appledore, Ebenezer Baptist Chapel
  • Appledore, Methodist Chapel
  • Bideford, Methodist Circuit
Northam, Devon 1919

Northam, Devon 1919. Image from Findmypast.

Devon Burials: New additions are from the parish of Northam. Findmypast’s dedicated search page allows you to filter by burial and death year, burial place, denomination and archive, making it quick and easy to find what you’re looking for.

Devon Land Tax and Valuation Records: Did your family own a public house or live and work in an orchard? Land tax records could help you find out. New additions from Northam and Clovelly have been added to this collection. In the records you’ll find information on:

  • The land owner’s and occupier’s names
  • The year or year range that the events were recorded
  • The year the valuation took place
  • The sum of money paid on the property

 

The Netherlands – Updated Records

Ancestry.com has updated their records collections for the Netherlands. These collections consist of indexes held at various archives throughout the Netherlands.

Each collection includes a link to the original record on the source website, which is WieWasWie. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original data. To learn more about these records, please refer to WieWasWie’s website.

Tip: Use the Google Chrome web browser! Google Translate is built-in and you can use it to translate foreign language websites and text. Learn more about busting brick walls with Google:

U.S. Newspapers

Historic newspapers can be a goldmine of genealogical information. Genealogy Bank makes big updates regularly, making it a fantastic newspaper resource. New content has been added to 109 titles from 34 different states in the U.S. Some of the largest additions include:
  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Illinois
  • Texas
To see all updated titles and states, click here. Discover family history in millions of historical newspaper articles from 1690-1980, including obituaries, birth records, marriage notices, and more facts about your ancestors. 

Is your family history protected?

As you accumulate more and more genealogy records and data about your family history, you’ll want to be sure that those precious documents are saved from destruction! It’s a good idea to digitize your most important records and papers, in case the originals are lost or damaged.

The next step is to then back up your computer! Lisa uses and recommends Backblaze.com for cloud backup.

For a few dollars a month, Backblaze will continually back up your computer files to a remote server. In the event of any loss (including a computer crash), you can download them again. Learn more and sign up for a free trial at www.Backblaze.com/Lisa!

Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

Find Ancestors in These New Genealogy Records Online

by | Apr 5, 2019 | 01 What's New, Records & databases

A brand new vital records collection is available online now for Ontario, Canada!

The Ontario Genealogical Society’s new database is available at Findmypast, along with exclusive Parish Registers for Kent, England.

Ancestry.com also has a new collection of Parish Registers for Cheshire, England.

Finally, you can explore a new index of Ohio WWI Statement of Service Cards. As a bonus, watch our special interview with the CEO and the VP of Findmypast about family trees, unique collections, and more. 

Featured: Genealogical records for Ontario, Canada

The Ontario Genealogical Society has created a database of vital records, which are now available at the Genealogy Giant records website Findmypast! The Ontario Genealogical Society Provincial Index is a compilation of announcements found in Canadian publications. You may find out your ancestor’s death date, burial date and place, as well as the names of your ancestor’s parents, children, and spouse. 

With every result, you will be presented with a transcript featuring the vital details found in a Canadian publication. The records mostly comprise obituaries, but you will also find birth and marriage announcements. Details might include:

  • Name
  • Event year
  • Death year
  • Periodical
  • Publication year
  • Publication date
  • County
  • Province
  • Country
  • Notes – this is the most valuable field. It will provide nearly the full text of the announcement as it appeared in the publication. This may provide you with details about the person’s death, burial place, next of kin, parent’s names, children’s names, and more.

 Click here to explore this collection at Findmypast!

WWI Military Records

Next, we head over to FamilySearch, where a new collection of Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 has been added. This collection contains an index and images of statement of service cards for Marine Corps, Navy, and out of state enlistments which was provided for by an act of Congress July 11, 1919.

The records may include:
 
  • Name
  • Age at enlistment
  • Race
  • Home address
  • Location where enlisted
  • Rating (Rank)
  • Service number
  • Date of discharge

The image below is an example of a Marine Corps Service Card, 1917 courtesy of FamilySearch.org. 

England Parish Registers

Also added this week at Findmypast are new and exclusive Parish Registers from Kent. “The new records have been created from over 3,000 handwritten registers currently held at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone. These registers, covering hundreds parishes across the county, have been scanned and digitised in full colour to ensure the highest possible image quality.

Over 2.6 million fully indexed baptism, banns, marriage and burial records spanning more than 400 years of Kent history are now available to search online exclusively at Findmypast.”

Over at Ancestry.com, there’s a new collection of Cheshire, England, Parish Registers, 1538-1909. From the description:

“Parish records are the best source of vital record information before Civil Registration began in 1837. Both the British government and the church had an interest in record keeping, and a 1538 Act of Parliament required ministers in the Church of England to record baptisms, marriages, and burials. This database includes records with dates ranging from 1538 up until 1812, after which George Rose’s Act called for preprinted registers to be used as a way of standardizing records.

Also note that marriage records were to be kept in a separate register starting in 1754, so they may not be included in this database.”

More to learn about Findmypast.com and FamilySearch tree synchronization

In the exclusive video interview below, Tamsin Todd, CEO and Ben Bennett, Executive Vice President at Findmypast.com provide the answer to the question, “Will or does Findmypast have a family tree?”

They also talk about the new Travel & Migration records, and the Suffragette Collection.

If you have ancestors from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland don’t miss this interview by Sunny Morton, author of “Genealogy Giants – Comparing the 4 Major Genealogy Records Websites” quick reference guide.

Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

New Genealogy Records Online: Newspapers, Oral Histories, and More

by | Mar 29, 2019 | 01 What's New, Records & databases

New genealogical records this week include a big update to Genealogy Bank’s newspaper database, including titles from 31 states.

Also new are Massachusetts passenger lists, a Connecticut digitization project, and oral histories for WWII veterans and for Irish history. 

Featured Genealogy Records: U.S. Newspapers

Genealogy Bank is a fantastic resource for newspapers and they’ve made a big update this week. New content has been added to 87 titles from 31 different states in the U.S. Some of the largest additions include:

To see all updated titles and states, click here. Discover family history in millions of historical newspaper articles from 1690-1980, including obituaries, birth records, marriage notices, and more facts about your ancestors. 

More about Historical Newspapers for Genealogy: 
(Click on player to unmute sound)

Massachusetts Passenger Lists

Over at MyHeritage, you’ll find a new collection of Boston, Massachusetts Passenger Lists, 1891-1943. There are 4.8 million records in this data set, so if your ancestors immigrated through Boston, this could be a gold mine! Here’s a little bit of information about the collection from the description:

“Information available varies due to significant changes to immigration laws during the span of this collection. The most common information available includes the passenger’s name, sex, age, date of arrival, and name of the ship.

More detailed passenger manifests collected additional information including marital status, birth information (date and location), nationality, last residence, home city, port of departure, as well as the names and addresses of family members in the United States and home country. This collection is comprised of NARA publication T843.”

Connecticut Historical Footage Digitization

Tasha Caswell is the research and collections associate for the Connecticut Historical Society and thanks to her keen nose and film background, she was able to save valuable historical footage from being lost to decay. She noticed a smell reminiscent of vinegar that meant these films were in danger of deteriorating.

“She alerted the other members of the collections department, and soon afterward they applied for a grant to preserve and digitize the invaluable films — many of them home movies that had been donated through the decades.

The result: now the public will be able to see these gems on the Connecticut Digital Archive.

“Thanks to that grant for about $24,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the society was able to loan approximately 75 films to a company called George Blood LP, which specializes in digitizing audiovisual media.

CHS has about 50 more films in its collection but will have to apply for another grant to complete the digitizing project. The grant, received in September 2017, also allowed them to digitize thousands of photos and negatives as well as maps, architectural drawings, lithographs and posters.”

Click here to learn more about this project and how you can help. Tasha says, “I’m hoping people watch our films online, and if they have information about what’s depicted, they can contact us.”

Oral Histories

We recently stumbled upon two fascinating oral history resources now available online that we think you might enjoy. 

First is the Voices of Liberation project, which has been set up to commemorate more than 100,000 service personnel who died in 1944.

The voices of Second World War veterans and their relatives are being recorded to mark the 75th anniversary of some of the conflict’s most momentous battles. It was started by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which hopes the archive will be a fitting tribute to the dead and highlight its cemeteries and memorials across the world. The public can contribute to this project at https://liberation.cwgc.org/. 

If you have Irish ancestors, you might enjoy exploring Irish Life & Lore‘s oral history collections, totaling 3,000 hours. It was founded by Tralee-based oral historians Maurice and Jane O’Keeffe.

From their website: “Through our decades of work in the compilation of audio recordings and books for educational and commercial purposes, thousands of Irish voices from all regions of the country have been captured and archived for the future.” You can browse their collections and listen to samples, and individual recordings are available for purchase. 

Tapping into Newspapers for Genealogy

If you’re interested in learning more about your family history, you’ve probably heard of several people say “be sure to check old newspapers!” Sounds great, right? But which newspapers were around back then? And where are they now?

Lisa Louise Cooke’s hit book provides you with a fool-proof research process including step-by-step instructions, worksheets and checklists, and a case study that puts it all together. Her methodology applies to newspaper research no matter where your ancestors came from and settled.

Click here to grab a copy of How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers, available in both print and digital download. 
Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

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