by Lisa Cooke | May 7, 2015 | 01 What's New, images, Military, Records & databases, United States
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8, Fold3 is offering free access to its World War II collection.
This is a great opportunity to reach in and grab those WWII military records you may not have had subscription access to! Both my grandfathers served in World War, and so did one of my husband’s grandfathers, John Morton (pictured here).
According to a Fold3 blog post, “The WWII Collection, currently with over 72 million records, has a diverse array of resources to mine, whether you’re interested in historical aspects of the war or are searching for specific individuals who fought in it.” Popular databases in this collection include:
New and updated Fold3 datasets include:
To learn more about VE Day, search for “VE Day” on Fold3 to find thousands of documents and photos about it.
Want to look back a little further in time? Read our blog post on 5 Ways to Discover Your Family History in World War I.
by Lisa Cooke | Jul 18, 2014 | 01 What's New, British, Irish, Military, MyHeritage, Records & databases
To commemorate 100 years since WWI, MyHeritage has granted free access to various record collections from now through the end of July. Were your 
ancestors among those who fought? Learn more about their service by searching hundreds of thousands of WWI military records.
Enjoy FREE access to these collections until the end of July:
Silver War Badge Recipients, 1914 – 1918
British Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 – 1919
The National Roll of the Great War, 1914 – 1918
Tennessee WWI Veterans
Ireland’s Memorial Records, 1914 – 1918
Royal Navy and Royal Marine Casualties, 1914 – 1919
De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour 1914-1924
Distinguished Conduct Medal Citations 1914 – 1920
British Officers Taken as Prisoners of War, 1914 – 1918
British Military Officers
Victoria Cross Recipients, 1854 – 2006
You can also search all their military collections in one go.
Discover the wartime roles your relatives played in our online record database of WWI military records. This free offer ends July 31, so start your search today!
by Lisa Cooke | Dec 1, 2013 | 01 What's New, FamilySearch, Military, Records & databases
FamilySearch recently added another 192 million+ images and indexed records from North and South America and Europe to its growing FREE online collections. In the list at the bottom of this post you’ll find content from Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and Wales.
Notable collection updates include the 314,910 images from the Spain, Province of Barcelona, Municipal Records, 1387–1936,
collection, the 576,176 indexed records from the United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907–1933, collection, and the 189,395,454
Sample image from “United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933.” Index and images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : accessed 2013.
indexed records from the United States Public Records Index.
Here’s an example of a V.A. pension card, created by the Bureau of Pensions and Veterans Administration to record payments to veterans, widows and other dependents. FamilySearch describes the cards this way: “On the front of the cards for invalid veterans are recorded the name of veteran, his certificate number, his unit or arm of Service, the disability for which pensioned, the law or laws under which pensioned, the class of pension or certificate, the rate of pension, the effective date of pension, the date of the certificate, any fees paid, the name of the pension agency or group transferred from (if applicable), the date of death, the date the Bureau was notified, the former roll number, and ‘home.’ On the reverse side of the form appears the name of the veteran, his certificate number, and the record of the individual payments. The army and navy widow’s cards are similar to the invalids’ cards with the addition of the widow’s name and occasionally information regarding payments made to minors, but they do not indicate if the veteran had a disability.”
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Collection
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Indexed Records
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Digital Images
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Comments
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| Brazil, Mato Grosso, Civil Registration, 1848-2013 |
0 |
126,870 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Brazil, Minas Gerais, Catholic Church Records, 1706-1999 |
0 |
827 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Brazil, Pernambuco, Civil Registration, 1804-2013 |
0 |
94,516 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1600-2012 |
0 |
111,526 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Peru, Puno, Civil Registration, 1890-2005 |
0 |
176,918 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Spain, Province of Barcelona, Municipal Records, 1387-1936 |
0 |
314,910 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1839 |
0 |
2,552 |
New browsable image collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1842 |
0 |
2,851 |
New browsable image collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1845 |
0 |
3,062 |
New browsable image collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1850 |
0 |
2,968 |
New browsable image collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1860 |
0 |
20,530 |
New browsable image collection. |
| Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1870 |
0 |
22,554 |
New browsable image collection. |
| U.S., Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 |
324,971 |
690,459 |
Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. |
| United States Public Records Index |
189,395,454 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933 |
576,176 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 |
644,004 |
0 |
Added indexed records to an existing collection. |
| Wales, Court and Miscellaneous Records, 1542-1911 |
0 |
84,676 |
Added images to an existing collection. |
by Lisa Cooke | Nov 5, 2013 | 01 What's New, Military
There’s a saying that “past is present,” and nowhere is that truth more apparent than family history. Sometimes we get very stark reminders that the same things that affected our ancestors–war, poverty, conflict and the like–affect us today.
Fold 3 has added new databases with “names and related personal and service information for over six thousand men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.” These databases are:
- Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Casualties “Operation Enduring Freedom” (OEF) is the operational codename given by the United States government to the War in Afghanistan which began in 2001 and is currently an ongoing conflict.
- Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualties “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (OIF) is the operational codename given by the United States government to the conflict in Iraq from 2003-2010.
- Operation New Dawn (OND) Casualties “Operation New Dawn” (OND) is the operational codename given by the United States government for U.S. involvement in Iraq after Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on August 31, 2010.
According to the press report, “Every casualty links to a Memorial Page with a summary and personal details including full name, branch of service, pay grade and rank, unit, casualty location, date of death, age, residence, and more. In addition to searching for a name, you can also search on other details such as unit number, rank, date of death, or city of residence.”
These databases aren’t just posted here for distant descendants to come learn about their fallen relatives, but for us today to memorialize their lives. Anyone who creates a free Basic Fold3 registration can add to a Memorial Page by clicking the “Add” or “Edit” buttons within any of the sections: Pictures & Records, Personal Details, and Stories. On the final “About” page, you can connect to other pages on Fold3 and describe your relationship to the service member. You can also share these memorial pages with others by email, via a website link, or on Twitter, Facebook, and dozens of other social networking sites.
If you lost someone who is mentioned in these data-sets, here’s an opportunity to take some time to honor them online by adding to their Memorial page.
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 9, 2013 | 01 What's New, Ancestry, Australian, British, Military, Records & databases
Vital records registrations, Pomerania, Germany
Records from Australia, England, the United States and Germany are among new content at Ancestry.com. Check out these collection highlights, now available online (access may depend on user subscription status).
- Military Registers, 1862-197, which include registers of U.S. military personnel stationed domestically (Navy, Marines, Reserve officers);
- Cherokee Baker Roll and Records, 1924-1929;
- Births, marriages and deaths (images only) for Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany;
- Tax lists for Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio, USA, 1819-1869;
- Baptisms, marriages and burials for Birmingham, England, 1538-1812;
- Rate books for Perth, Western Australia
- U.S. Virgin Islands, applications for travel identification cards, 1918.
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8, Fold3 is offering free access to its World War II collection.
Want to look back a little further in time? Read our blog post on 5 Ways to Discover Your Family History in World War I.
