by Lisa Cooke | Apr 15, 2016 | 01 What's New, Records & databases
Here’s our weekly roundup of new genealogy records online. Which ones mention your ancestors? Think Australian, British, Czech, German, Irish and the U.S. (Illinois, 
New Jersey and Texas).
AUSTRALIA IMMIGRATION. A new collection of passenger lists for Victoria, Australia (1852-1924) is now browsable for free on FamilySearch.org.
BRITISH MILITARY. Findmypast.com has released over 900,000 Royal Navy and Royal Marine service and pension records (1704-1919). Transcripts and images may divulge personal details along with the particulars of a person’s military service, next of kin, payment and more.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA HOLOCAUST. A new database of selected Holocaust records for Prague, Czechoslovakia (1939-1945) is available at Ancestry.com, as is an update to a companion database of Czech Holocaust records for the same time period, both from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
ENGLAND – SURREY. Ancestry.com has posted various new records collections for Sutton, Surrey, England: Church of England vital records spanning 1538-1812; more Church of England births and baptisms (1813-1915), marriages and banns (1754-1940) and deaths and burials (1813-1985); tax collection rate books (1783-1914) and electoral registers (1931-1970).
GERMANY – HESSE CIVIL REGISTRATIONS. Nearly 300,000 indexed names have been added to a free online collection of civil registrations for Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany (1811-1814, 1833-1928).
IRELAND CHURCH. The initial phase of a fantastic new collection of Irish Quaker church records has been published at Findmypast.com. Over 1.3 million Irish Quaker records are there now, including births, marriages, deaths, school and migration records, many dating back to the mid-1600s.
UK VITAL EVENTS. Ancestry.com has added new collections of UK births, marriages and deaths recorded in far-flung places or unusual settings: at sea (1844-1890); with the Army and Navy (1730-1960); and as registered by British consulates (1810-1968).
US – ILLINOIS BIRTHS. About 160,000 indexed names have been added to a collection of Cook County, Illinois birth certificates (1871-1940). Cook County includes the city of Chicago.
US – NEW JERSEY MARRIAGES. Over 100,000 names are newly-indexed in a free online collection of New Jersey marriage records (dating to 1670!) at FamilySearch.org.
US – TEXAS IMMIGRATION. About 860,000 indexed names have been added to a free existing database of Laredo, Texas passenger arrival manifests (1903-1955) at FamilySearch.org.
There are literally millions of new genealogy records online every week. It’s hard to keep up, so will you help us spread the word? Thanks for sharing this list on your favorite social media site.
by | Nov 24, 2015 | 01 What's New, British, Findmypast, Irish
We see a lot of genealogy website subscription deals. This one for a findmypast subscription is fantastic! Don’t miss it if you have UK roots. Keep reading for the special link and coupon code that you’ll need for the discount.
This weekend, findmypast is celebrating Thanksgiving with a highly tempting offer: a full 75% off a 12-month World subscription (usual cost: $199.50; your cost: about $50–for the entire year!).
- CLICK HERE and set up a free trial account
- Then go click My Account
- Click Subscribe
- Enter the code THNKSGNG15 on the right hand side of the page in the Discount Code field by Monday, November 30, 2015.
If you have roots in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland, you should be using Findmypast to research them. For those readers in the US, Findmypast estimates that 35 million of us are descended from those first 51 Mayflower passengers (including these celebrities). And that’s just from those 51 people! That doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of other UK descendants who now live all over the world.
Findmypast is home to millions of records you will find only there, from British and Irish newspapers to the crucial 1939 Register. The site has strengthened its US, Canada and Australia collections to help descendants trace their families back to their British, Irish, Welsh or Scottish roots.
This weekend, findmypast is celebrating Thanksgiving with a highly tempting offer: a full 75% off a 12-month World subscription (usual cost: $199.50; your cost: about $50–for the entire year!). CLICK HERE and use the coupon code THNKSGNG15 by Monday, November 30, 2015 to get the discount.
More UK Research Gems
Access the 1939 Register Online at Findmypast
The Bombing of London: Interactive Map of The Blitz
Irish Catholic Parish Registers from the National Library of Ireland
by Lisa Cooke | Oct 5, 2015 | 01 What's New, British, History, images, Libraries, Military, Records & databases
Recently I heard about a slew of WWII documents at The National Archives [U.K.], some newly available online. Look closely at the descriptions: they have holdings of records of non-British forces, too!
Battle of Britain air observer. Wikipedia Commons image. Click to view.
Recently The National Archives [UK] promoted some of the WWII documents in its vaults, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Below are resources and collections they’ve highlighted.
The National Archives’ guide to researching WWII. This is an overview to researching British government and military records of WWII.
Guide to Royal Air Force Service Records. Use this overview to see what records are available at The National Archives, and learn about related records that have been digitized and indexed at Findmypast.
Royal Air Force combat reports. These are “official reports which pilots or air gunners filed after they had encountered enemy aircraft on operational flights,” says a description on the site. “The reports cover action seen by the squadrons, wings and groups serving with Fighter Command, Bomber Command, Coastal Command and the Fleet Air Arm. Now held at The National Archives in series AIR 50, they include Commonwealth, United States Army Air Force and Allied units based in the United Kingdom during the Second World War.”
Royal Air Force operations record books for squadrons. “Most of them date from the Second World War but there are some from the 1920s and 1930s and a few from the First World War,” says the site. “The ORBs, in series AIR 27, were created to provide a complete record of a unit from the time of its formation. Each book includes an accurate record of operations carried out by the unit. This online collection also includes some operations record books for dominion and Allied Air Force squadrons under British Command.” Part of the series is viewable online.
More Exciting WWII Resources from Genealogy Gems:
10 Maps for Family History at David Rumsey Map Collection
The Ghost Army of WWII Author Interview in the free Genealogy Gems podcast episode 182
The Bombing of London in WWII: Interactive Map of The Blitz
I love it when people share! Thank you for passing this post along to others who will want to know about it.
by Lisa Cooke | Mar 13, 2014 | 01 What's New, British, Inspiration, Irish, Military
Tyne Cot Cemetery. Photo by Sgt Jez Doak, RAF/MOD, via Wikimedia Commons at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/War_Graves_at_Tyne_Cot_Cemetary%2C_Belgium_MOD_45156481.jpg
The Press (York, UK) recently reported a story about 10 brothers who all enlisted to fight in World War I and the hubbub that followed.
“The family became minor celebrities because of the brothers’ service, and their story was used as a recruitment tool as the war went on,” reports the Press. Fortunately, most of these Irish immigrant boys came home alive. The story reports the recent discovery of one of their graves.
Have you ever found something like this in your family–stories of extraordinary sacrifice made during wartime? Tell us about it on the Genealogy Gems Facebook page!
by Lisa Cooke | Jul 19, 2013 | 01 What's New, British
…that is the answer that Oliver Morley, the Chief Executive and Keeper of the National Archives (UK) will give during his first-ever webinar on July 23, 2013.
“This is your opportunity to ask about the management and future direction of The National Archives, and raise any views that you may have,” says The National Archives website. Oliver has been at the Archives since 2008. Among other tasks of interest to genealogists, he led the team to launch the 1911 census.
Register for the webinar here.
