Genealogy News
The latest news on everything to do with Genealogy.
Digging Up Your Roots !!! New !!!
The sixth series of the BBC Scotland family history programme, "Digging Up Your Roots", has recently started. The show offers tips and advice for people who are trying to trace their Scottish ancestors. The programme, presented by Bill Whiteford, is broadcast each Sunday at 12.05pm GMT.
The programme on Sunday 29th January will feature a visit to New Register House, Edinburgh, to explore the ScotlandsPeople Centre and the National Records of Scotland. If you miss the program or live outside Scotland, you can listen to the most recent programme via the BBC iPlayer.
Added 24/01/2012
Family Search !!! New !!! Recently the free family history research website, familysearch.org , added 119 million records online by adding 65 million indexed names and 55 million images - bringing the totals available to 2.58 billion searchable names and 466 million images to browse. There have also been some changes to the way you can conduct searches, such as searching for a surname in a nominated batch. The latest additions include Australian records, 1871 Census of England and Wales, and many USA records. For a list of these additions please click here.
In addition to using the familysearch search facility, researchers can use the "Browse by Location" option on their home page, and other sections such as Trees and Books.
Added 15/01/2012
A new website has been launched which gives on-line access to the British Library's archive of newspapers published in the UK since 1800.
It will take ten years to digitise some 40 million pages from the Library's collection. Initially they are concentrating on certain titles dated before 1900. An brief check on the content already scanned has shown that several titles from the East coast of Scotland are included. These include the Dundee Courier and the Aberdeen Journal.
News articles, family notices and obituaries may be of interest to members researching their family histories.
Please click here to visit the site.
The following article on the BBC website gives more information about the launch.
Added 29/11/2011
Scotland’s History Festival
Clan members in Scotland may wish to know about the History Festival which will take place in various locations in Edinburgh between the 17th and 30th November.
There will be a number of events which will appeal to those interested in researching their family histories.
Please click here for further information.
Added 12/11/2011
Lest We Forget
Members may be interested to know that the Ancestry website is offering free access to World War One related records between 10th and 13th November 2011.
Please click here for further information.
Added 10/11/2011
Dundee Science Festival
Members living in North East Scotland may be interested to know that the Dundee Science Festival will include a special event on genealogy. This will take place at the DC Thomson Building in Dundee on Sunday 6th November. Experts will be on hand to offer advice, suggestions and tips to anyone who is looking to find out more about their family history, as well as helping those whose research appears to have reached a dead end.
For further details please click here.
Added 29/10/2011
Census Street Lists
The Census Street Lists for the main towns and cities in Scotland have now been added to the Scotlands People site for all census years. These free-to-view books are an excellent research tool and can be used to locate streets and find which enumeration books cover a particular area. In most instances the registration district is also provided. This is an excellent resource for finding who lived at a particular address without searching on a name.
For further information please click here.
Added 29/10/2011
Free Access on Ancestry
For the first fifteen days of October the Ancestry website is giving users free access to some of their most popular collections from around the world. Furthermore they say that they are helping users make the most of them with a series of quick tutorials.
The collections being made available will include the 1920 US Federal Census, the Australia Electoral Roles 1903 - 1954, the England and Wales Birth Index 1916 - 2005 and the 1901 England Census.
Please click here for further information.
Added 01/10/2011
Immigration Information
It has been announced that the Ancestry Website is offering free access to its Immigration records from the 29th August until 6th September 2011. These include details of people arriving in North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK from the 1700's onwards.
Please click here for further details
Added 27/08/2011
British Library Google books agreement
The British Library has negotiated an agreement with Google whereby texts of books published between 1700 and 1870 will be made available in digital form and able to be downloaded and copied and searched. This is one step in the library’s goal of making the majority of its 14 million books and one million periodicals available in digital form by 2020.
Please click here to read a BBC report on this subject or here for the British Library website.
Added 10/07/2011
Marriage information
To celebrate the Royal Wedding in the UK on 28th April 2011, the Ancestry Website is offering free access to the Marriage indexes for England and Wales (1827 - 2005) from the 21st until 30th April.
Please click here for further details
Added 21/04/2011
1911 Scottish Census
The Registrar General for Scotland has announced that the 1911 census was released on the Scotland's People website on Tuesday 5th April 2011. The images of the original summary books include the name, address, age, occupation, birthplace and marital status of everyone counted in the 1911 census, as well as details about their children. For the first time, the census images are presented in full colour.
Added 25/02/2011
Updated 06/04/2011
Updated 05/06/2011
Genealogy Publications in the UK
Members in the UK may be interested to know that the Telegraph Newspaper recently (19th - 20th February) published information about family history research. The Saturday Telegraph included a booklet entitled "Trace Your Family History - The Essential Step-by-Step Guide" which showed you how to discover your family background in only 14 days. The Sunday paper contained a free CD-Rom web directory pointing readers towards the best and most relevant online resources. Please click here for further information.
Your webmaster admits to being a Telegraph reader and has retain the booklet and CD for future reference. Just contact him if you need information from the publication.
Added 17/02/2011
Updated 22/02/2011
Family History Exhibition in the UK
Family History enthusiasts may be interested to learn that "Who Do You Think You Are" Live will be taking place at London, Olympia between 25th and 27th February 2011. The event is being advertised as the "One Stop Shop for Tracing Your Family History". Please click here for further information.
Added 17/02/2011
New FamilySearch Website
In December 2010 FamilySearch launched their long awaited new website at www.familysearch.org. Searching historical records and databases can now be done from a single page and the search facility is much improved. More data will be added. Not all the data available on the old site is available on the new site, and for that reason you can access the old site from the home page of the new site. Whether you are a regular user of "familysearch" or a new user, it is recommended that you read the guide on how to use the new site by clicking on the What's New box on the home page.
Added 01/01/11
Start your Family Tree Week
The Scotland's People website has designated 26th December 2010 until 1st January 2011 as "Start your FamilyTree Week". They hope that family discussions around the Christmas dining will encourage people to focus on investigating their family histories. Each day the website will be providing hints and tips on getting started. Please click here for further details.
Scotland's People have also announced that on 1st January 2011 the following new information will be published on their website:
Statutory Register of Births for 1910
Statutory Register of Marriages for 1935
Statutory Register of Deaths for 1960
Added 24/12/2010
Scotland's People Website
The new-look Scotland's People genealogy website was officially launched in September by the Scottish Tourism Minister, Mr Jim Mather.
The revamped service features new search features designed to make it easier and quicker for people at home and abroad to discover their family roots. This includes plotting search results on maps, helping those unfamiliar with Scottish geography - such as users overseas - understand more about Scotland and their ancestors. Following this first revamp of the site since it was launched in 2002, it now offers advanced search functions, providing quicker results, as well as additional information from Catholic Parish Registers.
Please click here to visit the site.
Added 22/09/2010
Perthshire History
To coincide with Perth 800, archives covering more than 300 years of Perthshire history has been posted on the internet by Ancestry UK. The records date from 1566 to 1901 and include school admissions to details of the local militia. A spokesman for Perth 800 said that the records were hugely significant.
Ancestry UK said they would be of great help to anyone trying to trace an ancestors from the area. Please use the links below to obtain more information:
Ancestry UK Perth 800
Added 29/07/2010
Genealogy Taster Sessions
Members interested in starting their family research may be interested to know that the Scotlands People Centre is offering free two hour taster sessions under the magnificent Adam Dome at General Register House in the heart of Edinburgh. After that you can pay ten pounds to study all the records for a whole day.
Please click here for further details.
Added 29/07/2010
ScotlandsPlaces Website
"ScotlandsPlaces" is a new official web site that brings authentic information and images together to help discover places past and present in Scotland. Researchers will find digital copies of maps and plans, photographs, archaeological reports, manuscripts and books relating to Scotland's cities, towns, villages, farms, harbours, churches and public buildings etc. One can search across different national databases by entering a place name or a coordinate, or maps can be used to refine and define a search. Why not try "Glenshee" or "Finegand". Sadly "Clach na Coileach" produces no result.
Click
here to visit the site and then save it in your favourites.
Added 08/07/2010
Clan Sennachie
We are delighted to report that our Chief, Andrew MacThomas of Finegand, has appointed Grahame Thom to the role of Clan Sennachie.
Many Clan members will already know Grahame who comes from Victoria in Australia and has been a member of the Clan Society for some 35 years. He is already the chairman of the Society Archives Committee and has contributed much of the information about genealogy on this website.
One of the key roles of the Sennachie is to advise members on matters relating to genealogy and to assist them in tracing their ancestors. This position has been vacant since Roger Pye died in 2001.
This appointment, which has been made personally by the Chief, is particularly important at a time when interest in genealogy is growing.
Please click here to read Grahame's biography.
Added 10/05/2010
Updated 05/06/2011