New on Ancestry in 2017

Ancestry has been busy adding records to their database, and below are the records already added this year.  Some are completely new datasets, while others have been updated and expanded.  I always enjoy having a look through what has been added, especially when I find new datasets that might contain something relevant to my research.

Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1912	2,262,611	Updated
Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812	1,864,596	Updated
Ireland, City and Regional Directories, 1850-1946	6,171,447	New
Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1987	519,990	Updated
Lithuania, Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1603-1921 (in Lithuanian)	545,387	New
Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945 (in German)	12,202,119	Updated
South Africa, Biographical Index, 1825-2005	147,624	New
Claremont, New Hampshire, Vital Records, 1887-1946	1,318	New
New York, Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767 - 1970	873,345	New
Magdeburg, Germany, Cemetery Lists, 1849-1874 (in German)	10,858	New
Hamilton County, Indiana, Compiled Records From Hamilton East Public Library, 1891-1962	22,476	New
Tennessee, State Marriages, 1780-2002	7,475,660	Updated
Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1626-1935	16,529,462	Updated
U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942	13,299,715	Updated
Connecticut, Marriage Index, 1959-2012	2,446,654	Updated
UK, City and County Directories, 1766 - 1946	42,741,627	Updated
Germany, World War I Casualty Lists, 1914-1919 (in German)	7,433,005	Updated
Sutton, Surrey, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915	123,760	Updated
Germany, Navy Casualty Lists, 1914-1919 (in German)	106,266	Updated
Sutton, Surrey, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985	28,258	Updated
San Diego, California, Compiled Records From San Diego Genealogical Society, 1913 -1919	12,749	New
American Protective League Correspondence, 1917-1919	24	New
Sutton, Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940	82,210	Updated
Sutton, Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812	46,825	Updated
DeKalb, Georgia, Compiled Records from DeKalb History Center	7,238	New

Irish Lives Remembered

Do you have Irish ancestry?  Then take a look at Irish Lives Remembered, a free online magazine dedicated to Irish Genealogy.  Issue 35, Winter 2016 is now available, and it can be read online or downloaded in pdf to your computer or mobile device from  http://www.irishlivesremembered.ie/ 
The current issue includes :

• Valuation Office Records - a key Irish genealogy resource
• A look at the Irish Historic Towns Atlas
• Bringing national culture into our homes
• Royal Irish Constabulary
• Getting to know the Merchant Navy Crew Lists
• The Irish Quaker Archive
• Civil Registration records
• We stand on guard for thee - the Irish who died for Canada in the Secnd World War
• Readers Photo Dating
• The aftermath of the Easter Rising
• Ogham - the earliest recorded Irish Genealogy
• Racing at Lughnasa
• The O'Donnell family name

Family History Magazine

Finally getting around to reading the latest issue of Inside History magazine. 

Issue 37, the Summer 2017 edition includes:

• 101 Sydney cemeteries unearthed + tips on researching your ancestors’ burials
• The ultimate guide to history and family history courses, podcasts, webinars and more
• 170+ new family history records online
• Convict escapees who came to live with Indigenous tribes
• Photo-dating tips from Inside History’s expert
• Australian Federation in 1901: the backstory
• The art of writing historical fiction
• A 19th-century German medal and a mysterious Aussie WWI digger
• Crown Street Women’s Hospital: a history
• The local project protecting Australia’s oldest surviving European cemetery
• Queensland’s newly established colonial archive
• The latest history news, events, book and app reviews, and more. On sale now!

Dixon Street Chicken

Food and recipes form such a major part of our family and its traditions - the food we all shared and ate and were taught to make by our elders.  Many family memories centre around food and cooking and mealtimes - so many family events involve gatherings to eat.

Dixon Street Chicken was a favourite creation of my mother's during my childhood - various incarnations of this recipe appeared regularly on our plates at least every week or two.  My sister and I used to refer to it as 'Chicken a la Cupboard and Freezer' as the contents of the dish depended on what was left in the fridge, freezer and cupboard at the end of the week.  The recipe was never the same twice.

After our mother's death last year, my sister and I undertook some major cleaning up, sorting out, throwing away and sharing of the contents of our family home.  One particular part of this adventure involved sorting through a drawer in which our mother kept all her favourite recipes - several favourite cookery books along with many pages torn from magazines and handwritten recipes copied from who knows where.  Many had notes written on them - things like substitutions of ingredients and notes on who particularly liked the dish.  In amongst these, torn from a magazine, we found the original recipe for Dixon Street Chicken.

We were amazed!  We didn't know there actually was an original recipe for Dixon Street Chicken at all.  Mum always made it up as she went along - we never saw her refer to a recipe - and we just assumed the name was used to give an answer to the regular "What's for dinner" question.

Below is the recipe in full

The original Dixon Street chicken

3-4 chicken thigh fillets, skin off, chopped
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
1 tbs oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 cups chopped vegetables (eg carrots, broccoli, zucchini)
1 tsp cornflour with 2 tbs water, if needed
1 tbs soy sauce
1tbs sugar (optional, to taste)
Boiled noodles or rice, to serve

Simmer chicken pieces in chicken noodle soup mix and water to cover until cooked (10-15 minutes). Drain and reserve juices.

Heat oil in large pan, add onion and vegetables and stir fry until almost cooked. Add chicken juices and thicken with cornflour and water if needed. Add soy sauce and sugar to taste. Add chicken pieces. Serve with boiled noodles or rice. Serves 3-4.

Free Access to US Military Records

Do you have family members who fought in the United States military in World War 2?
The Ancestry website Fold3 (which specializes in US military records) is offering free access to their 113 million World War II records for the entire month of December 2016.
Included in this collection are 35 million WWII draft registration cards. Also included in the free search for the month are World War II navy muster rolls, missing air crew reports and European army records.
Other records include :

• Submarine Patrol Reports
• Missing Air Crew Reports
• WWII "Old Man's Draft" Registration Cards
• Draft Registration Cards
• Pearl Harbor Muster Rolls
• Naval Press Clippings
• Army JAG Files
• Navy JAG Files
• Holocaust Collection
• Hesse Crown Jewels Court-Martial
• Japanese Air Target Analyses
• WWII Allied Military Conferences
• WWII War Diaries, 1942–1945
• WWII Foreign Military Studies, 1945–54

PRONI Historical Maps viewer

From the PRONI website comes the following announcement :

PRONI and Land and Property Services (Ordnance Survey and Spatial NI) have worked together to digitise and make available a range of historical Ordnance Survey maps.

The historical maps available on this application are from the 6 inch County Series mapping; and latterly the Irish Grid. Maps available cover the six counties of present-day Northern Ireland: counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.

Historical Ordnance Survey Maps

The historical maps available on this application are from the 6 inch County Series mapping; and latterly the Irish Grid. Maps available cover the six counties of present-day Northern Ireland: counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. The following map editions are available on the application:

Edition 1 (1832 – 1846)
Edition 2 (1846 – 1862)
Edition 3 (1900 - 1907)
Edition 4 (1905 - 1957)
Edition 5 (1919 – 1963)
6” Irish Grid (1952-1969)
1:10,000 metric Irish Grid (1957-1986)

To access the maps visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-proni-historical-maps-viewer 

So take a look and the new maps available.

Family History Secrets

Have you discovered family secrets during your family history research?  I would suspect there are few of us who haven't - secrets, lies, black sheep, dark events - every family has them.

Volunteers are being asked to take part in a new survey to help with research at the University of Melbourne.  Below is the statement from the survey's homepage.  If you have a spare half hour, consider participating. 

Family Secrets, National Silences

A Sociological Study of Intergenerational Storytelling

Have you discovered secrets kept by past generations in your family history research?

A researcher from the University of Melbourne, sociologist Dr Ashley Barnwell, is seeking volunteers for an online survey. The project aims to better understand the social role of family secrets and the impact of social mores and policies on families over time. The survey consists of 7 questions and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. All identifying information will be carefully anonymised to protect your privacy.

General Register Office for England and Wales Online Trial

The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) is trialling a new online system that enables researchers to access digital copies of civil registration records for the first time.
The trial, which began on Wednesday 9th November, currently allows users to order PDF versions of the following records:

• Births: 1837-1934 and 2007 onwards
• Deaths: 1837-1957 and 2007 onwards
• Marriages: 2011 onwards
• Civil partnerships: 2005 onwards 

The records – costing £6 each – will not be immediately viewable, but sent directly to the customer’s email address.  If you are using the GRO site for the first time you will need to complete their registration process.  Remember searching their online indexes is free.
This process is estimated to take around five working days and the trial will end on Wednesday 30 November, or when 45,000 PDFs have been ordered - so get in quickly and order those records you want and have put off because of the expense.

Recording Names - some hints

When recording your family history, here are a few tips you might find useful to keep things clear.
1. Enter Names Consistently
Whether you record names in your family tree as you would read them: first name, middle name, surname (last name); or surname first, then first name, middle name - be consistent. Pick one and stick to it, or you will end up confusing yourself - and anyone else who looks at your research.
2. Record Surnames in Uppercase
I always record last names using uppercase letters. It allows me, and other researchers to find certain surnames more easily. It can also aid researchers in deciphering exactly what they’re looking at: a surname, as opposed to a first name or middle name. For example Peter GREEN; Rosa May PIKE.
3. Remember to Input Maiden Names for Female Ancestors
You may well discover that some of your ancestors were recorded using married names, names of prior husbands, AND maiden names.  Make sure you include her maiden name in your records - it can help you uncover who her parents were, too. How you do so is up to you - either by recording all female relatives by their maiden names ie Rosa May PIKE, or by including their maiden name in parentheses, and then the surname of her husband ie Rosa May (Pike) GREEN.  Again, it is vital to be consistent.
4. Don’t Forget Nicknames
If your ancestor went by a nickname, always include it in your documentation. Don’t replace a given name with a nickname, however, even if your ancestor went by this name more commonly than their actual first name. Instead, include nicknames in quotes. For example,  Richard “Dick” Pike.  Remember you may have to search under both given name and nickname - just in case.
5. Add Alternate Names
Sometimes you will find family members who have totally alternate names, rather than nicknames. This commonly occurs if someone was adopted or changed their name on their own accord (maybe to escape a shady past). Again you could include the alternate name in parentheses,  adding “a.k.a” (also known as) to make things clear. For example: Edward FORREST (a.k.a. Frederick BEST).
6. Variant Spellings
You are also bound to stumble upon alternate names due to variant spellings (they can sometimes change over time due to phonetic spellings or from immigration). My mother's maiden name was PUMMEROY - and our family in Australia are the only ones who spell it this way.  Others use POMMEROY, POMEROY, POMROY - at one stage it even morphs into PUMFREY.  This is not just relevant to surnames either - you also get anglicised first names as well - Friedrich/Frederick BESELER.  One female ancestor of mine was born Suatus KRESST in Germany, married in England as Susetta KRESST and died in Australia as Susan (Kresst) BESELER - it took years to track her down!