The 6th Annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon hosted by FamilyTreeWebinars.com and MyHeritage begins Thursday, April 3 at 5pm eastern U.S. time (Friday, April 4 at 8am Sydney time) and ends on Friday, April 4 at 5pm eastern U.S. time (Saturday, April 5 at 8am Sydney time).
Legacy Family Tree Webinars is back with another month-long, free online genealogy conference. Each Friday in September, join expert speakers as they cover a range of topics, from DNA testing to historical records and everything in between. There’s something for everyone.
So check out the range of topics covered and book yourself in!
If you are looking to order civil registration records from the General Register Office (GRO), be aware they have increased the price of their records.
The GRO, which holds civil birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales, holds records from 1837, when civil registration was introduced.
Previously, the prices were:
The new prices are:
Many genealogists worldwide made use of The Genealogist's Internet by Peter Christian. This wonderful book was last published in June 2012 (the fifth edition) and provided a wealth of over 1600 links plus descriptions and commentary.
As time has passed much of the book has become out of date. Links have changed, moved, updated or disappeared. New data has come online, better search facilities created, and new websites have made recommendations inaccurate or redundant. Still, much of the book's content remains relevant and useful to genealogists.
The good news is that Peter Christian has made his book available free via the Internet Archive. While he cautions readers that this is not a new edition of the books, Peter has still checked and updated many of the old links. Any links that Peter checked, found to be outdated and was unable to locate a current link have been greyed out in the text. Current links - to the best of Peter's knowledge links which are accurate today but may not remain so in the future - are highlighted in blue.
The creative commons licence under which the book is currently available is Attribution ShareAlike, which means you may freely download and reuse this electronic version, and distribute it to others.
So take a look at The Genealogist's Internet and see what it has to offer. A huge thank you to Peter for his work and his generosity in making his book available free online.
Some great news for Family History researchers with civil birth and death registration records from selected years are now available as instant-access digital images via the General Register Office (GRO) website.
Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced in England and Wales in 1837. Birth records from 1837 to 2021 and death records from 1837 to 1957 and 1984 to 2021 are indexed on the GRO website.
Family historians have previously had the option of ordering records as either a print record for £11 with a GRO index reference supplied, or a PDF for £7. It takes up to four working days for orders to be despatched.
However, the GRO has now launched a scheme for births from 1837 to 1922 and deaths from 1837 to 1887 to be available as digital images. The digital images currently cost £2.50 each and are available to view immediately after purchase.
The scheme to order digital images is in the beta testing phase, but is publicly available to all registered users of the GRO website.
This makes accessing these records not only quicker but also less expensive, so take advantage of this great service.
Tech School - a history of hands-on education in Victoria 1873-1990s is an online exhibition created by the Public Record Office of Victoria.
Technical Schools grew out of the Mechanics Institutes which flourished across Victoria from their beginnings in 1856. At the time the term mechanic referred to artisan or trade workers. The Mechanics Institutes provided adult education classes for local communities, offering practical classes along with chess clubs and debates.
Melbourne's first technical school was proposed in 1881 as the Working Men's College, later known as RMIT. It opened in June 1887 and catered to both men and women. From these beginnings the Technical School began.
To find out more, visit the online exhibition.
MyHeritage and Legacy Family Tree Webinars are running their 4th annual 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon April 13-14, 2023. The entire event is free, and you can pop in for a session or two, or stick around for the full 24 hours – it’s completely up to you.
The 2023 RootsTech conference is on again, and for those of us unable to visit the conference in person in Salt Lake City, virtual attendance is once again available FREE.
There is a range of keynote speakers, on-demand videos, even the Expo Hall has virtual exhibitions you can visit online. Once you have signed in you can even use the sessions calendar to create your own playlist so you don't miss out on any of the talks you wanted to listen to.
As most of the keynotes and classes are available online for up to 3 years, you can work through your playlist at your leisure.
So have a look at what is available and take advantage of this wonderful FREE online conference from the comfort of home.
'History for Ukraine' is a 24-hour speakathon from 12pm UTC Saturday 26 March until 12pm UTC Sunday 27 March where historical knowledge will be shared for free while listeners are invited to donate what they can to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Over 40 speakers from all backgrounds and all over the world have volunteered their time and expertise to make History for Ukraine a reality. Headline speakers include Charles Spencer, Philippa Gregory, Janina Ramirez, Saul David, Nick Barratt, Suzannah Lipscomb, Kate Williams, Kate Lister, Deborah Sugg Ryan, Nathen Amin, Tracy Borman, Miranda Kaufmann and Fern Riddell.
Throughout the event there are also several talks touching upon Ukrainian history. Cat Jarman on Ukraine’s history in the Viking era, Elaine Chalus on ‘Ukraine and Canada’, and Michelle Chubenko on ‘Digital Genealogy in Ukraine’. Interspersed between all the talks will be short videos about Ukraine, its history, and people made by individuals currently living in and fighting for their homeland.
For those who may not be able to watch all the talks they want live, the website states that for a short while, replays will be available.
For all information on how to watch and donate please go to the website: History For Ukraine
FamilySearch announced recently that its free online family history event RootsTech Connect will return for a second year on 3-5 March 2022.
FamilySearch has hosted the RootsTech family history conference in Salt Lake City annually from 2011 to 2020. In September 2020, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it announced that the 2021 conference would be replaced by RootsTech Connect – a free, global online event in that was held in February 2021.
Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch International CEO, said: “After RootsTech Connect 2021, we realized that we could bring the joy of family history to millions of people, no matter where they are, through an online, virtual RootsTech experience. As we continue to chart new territory with RootsTech, we plan to make the virtual event a regular part of the experience and look forward to all the new opportunities that will open to people everywhere.”
RootsTech Connect 2021 was attended by over one million people from 240 countries and featured online family history talks and classes, a virtual Expo Hall and message boards for visitors to chat to one another.
For 2023 and beyond, RootsTech said it planned to offer “a hybrid online and in-person model with content that is expanded and accessed throughout the year”.
So keep an eye on the website for future announcements of topics, talks and speakers, and be ready for another round of amazing talks. Remember many of the RootsTech 2021 talks remain available to view on demand , so check out what is available.
You can join live for all four Fridays or just one, and if you can't, you can still enjoy the recordings at your convenience as they'll be free to view through the end of the month.
You can see the full programme at Legacy Family Tree Webinars and below are some of the highlights:
3 September
Teresa Steinkamp McMillin: CGLife, Liberty and the Pursuit of German Military Records
Anita Wills: Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Colour
10 September
Carol Baxter: British and Irish Given Names - Part 1
Debra Renard: What are the Odds? Finding Answers Using DNA Painter’s WATO Tool
17 September
Daniel Horowitz: Genealogy on the Go with the MyHeritage Mobile App
James Tanner: Researching Immigrants to New England in the Great Migration, 1620-1640
24 September
Paul Woodbury: Where Did That Come From?! Tracing the Origins of Unique Ethnicity Admixture
Lisa Toth Salinas: Beginning Hungarian Genealogy
According to a statement made by the PROV, the upgrade will allow you to:
Your last two years of history will be maintained so that once the upgrade launches, you’ll be able to login as normal with your email address.
The statement also adds the following :
Researchers please note some changes to our services in the lead up to launch:
We appreciate your patience as we bring you our brand new system!
Remember:
Note: The catalogue terminology "unit" has changed to "box" and "consignment" to "record groupings" to make the collection more accessible to new researchers.
I have always found the PROV website easy to search and use, but most of my access is done remotely as I live some distance away and rarely have the time to visit one of their reading rooms. As a result, I am really looking forward to exploring the changes they are making and look forward to the launch.
Don't forget to tune in to Ancestry Time tonight,starting at 7.00pm AEST. While the theme is 'Family History Advice for Beginners', there is always more to learn and who knows what little nuggets of gold may come up? There is always something to learn and so many friendly and helpful genealogists out there who are willing to offer others a bit of advice.
The Hidden Branch is a new generation of Genealogists who are growing up during the digital age. They have just launched their website https://thehiddenbranch.com/ and are active on social media.
On their website they state : "We advocate for Gen Z researchers (born from 1995 to 2010) in the field of genealogy. We publish articles, podcasts, and videos on research skills, topics, and more in order to give a bigger voice to the Gen Z genealogists in the field, as well as help others further their education in genealogy."
For younger genealogists this is a wonderful resource that can put them in contact with people their own age who have also developed an interest in their family history young - something I wish had been around when I started my own research at 16 and was constantly met with astonishment that I was interested in such a topic.
I will be watching this group with interest and wish them success in sharing their interest with other Gen Zs.
It has now been over a year since the emergence of Covid-19 changed our world in so many ways. While here in Australia we have certainly not seen the worst of the pandemic, it has nonetheless had a massive impact on our daily lives. there have been lockdowns, border closures, limits on meeting numbers, business closures and stand-downs at work, and the daily stress of not knowing how long the restrictions will last. Living in a border town, seeing police on the bridge and helping people fill out border passes at the library where I work is something I will never forget.
Genealogically speaking, the biggest impact for me has been the loss of face-to-face meetings. How I have missed chatting face-to-face with Genea-mates and the networking and idea sharing that goes hand in hand with meetings and conferences. Online meetings just are not the same.
Despite the down side of online meetings, however, the rise of virtual conferences has allowed me to attend inter-state and overseas meetings that I would never have been able to attend in reality. The genealogical community has pulled together, made use of the internet like never before, and been a huge step in providing so many of us isolated at home with interest, stimulation and contact.
The list of those who have made information and resources available online during the pandemic seems almost endless. Rootstech went completely virtual last month - not to mention also completely free. Ancestry allowed many libraries and other institutions to allow Ancestry Library Edition to be accessed remotely by members when the normal in-house only use became impossible due to closures. Family History Down Under, an Australian genealogy conference scheduled for later this month in Queensland, has also gone virtual, as has the Really Useful Family History Show in the UK in April. The National Archives UK has made all their digital records free to access while they are closed. The list goes on.
The efforts of all these groups and companies in taking their services online cannot be underestimated, and I would like to send a huge thank you to them all, those I have mentioned in this post and the many, many others. You have helped keep us sane over the past year - kept us researching, learning, chatting and helping each other. Well done to you all.
#ANZAncestryTime is a Twitter Platform for anyone with an interest in Family History and Genealogy. Whether just starting out or an experienced researcher, #ANZAncestryTime is a place and time where like-minded people in the genealogy community can come together and connect in conversation. #AncestryTime has an initial focus on genealogists with an interest in Australian and New Zealand family history but we enthusiastically welcome the participation of genealogists all around the world.
Each week, a topic for discussion will be introduced. To participate, follow Australia & New Zealand Ancestry Time on Twitter, use the #ANZAncestryTime hashtag to tweet and retweet participate. You can share your experiences, services, ask questions and offer help. Need more help on how to participate? Then check out How to join in now.
#ANZAncestryTime will be hosted at 7 PM AEST every Tuesday. You will find out your local time on the Time Zones page.
Topics already covered include Newspapers, Military and Occupations.
The Family History Show is hosting their new virtual show this weekend to replace the family history events closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Family History Show Online will take place from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday 20 June (UK time).
The promotional video promises “access to all your favourite family history features from the comfort of your own home”, including online talks, the chance to submit questions to a panel of experts, family history products available to purchase and download, virtual chat with exhibitors and a virtual goody bag worth over £10.
The speakers will include genealogy expert Mark Bayley, house historian Gill Blanchard and military historian Chris Baker.
Tickets are £5.50 in advance or £6 on the day and you can access the show on Windows 7 or newer, Mac, iOS and Android. The Family History Show recommends a broadband speed of 10Mbs or higher to engage in video or chat.
The Family History Show is organised by the magazine Discover Your Ancestors and normally holds three annual events in Bristol, York and London.
If, like me, you will be attending from another time zone, lectures and live streams will be available for 24 hours and you can submit questions to their experts in advance.
