Was your ancestor a policeman? Nearly 70,000 Metropolitan Police pension records have been added to Ancestry in a new collection which spans 1852-1932 and features scans of original records held by
The National Archives.
Generally the registers will reveal information about the officer's
length of service, whether he retired or was discharged, his pension
amount and who his next of kin were. Other details may include place of
birth, marital status and parents, and from 1923 birth and marriage
details of the spouse are also included.
Among the papers are entries for notable detectives, including some
of the senior members of the Jack the Ripper investigation unit.
Frederick Abberline, chief inspector on the case, resigned in 1892 aged
49 with an annual pension of £206, 13 shillings and four pence.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Australian Copyright Laws Amended
Big news for Australian genealogists came on the 22nd of March 2017 when the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and Other Measures) Bill was introduced to the Australian Parliament.
The Bill ends antiquated provisions in the Australian Copyright Act that provide perpetual copyright for unpublished materials, no matter how old they are. As a result millions of historical manuscripts such as letters and diaries held in our National and State/Territory libraries and archives, and thousands of theses at our universities, will be freed into the public domain on the 1st of January 2019. This will include all those old letters sent to government departments or shared between family and friends decades ago that have until now been restricted by the old copyright laws. See the media release from the Australian Libraries Copyright Committee.
With the boom in digitising and making available online so many collections of old documents, these amendments will allow researchers to access a huge amount of material that has been restricted and clear up a lot of the confusion that surrounded the use of unpublished material.
Roll on January 2019!
The Bill ends antiquated provisions in the Australian Copyright Act that provide perpetual copyright for unpublished materials, no matter how old they are. As a result millions of historical manuscripts such as letters and diaries held in our National and State/Territory libraries and archives, and thousands of theses at our universities, will be freed into the public domain on the 1st of January 2019. This will include all those old letters sent to government departments or shared between family and friends decades ago that have until now been restricted by the old copyright laws. See the media release from the Australian Libraries Copyright Committee.
With the boom in digitising and making available online so many collections of old documents, these amendments will allow researchers to access a huge amount of material that has been restricted and clear up a lot of the confusion that surrounded the use of unpublished material.
Roll on January 2019!
Friday, March 24, 2017
State Library of New South Wales
The State Library of New South Wales has announced their program of free webinars. Each webinar will focus on the resources of the State archives collection and how to access them.
You can register to attend a webinar live - this will generate an email with a link that you click on at the appointed time to attend the webinar. If you are unable to attend live, don't worry - the Library will also be recording the webinars so you will be able to view it at a time convenient to you simply by selecting the recorded webinar of your choice.
Currently the library has listed two upcoming webinars :
You can register to attend a webinar live - this will generate an email with a link that you click on at the appointed time to attend the webinar. If you are unable to attend live, don't worry - the Library will also be recording the webinars so you will be able to view it at a time convenient to you simply by selecting the recorded webinar of your choice.
Currently the library has listed two upcoming webinars :
Using the NSW State Archives website
Date: Wednesday, 29 Mar 2017 10am - 11am
Tracing NSW Convicts
Date: Wednesday, 31 May 2017 10am - 11am
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Trove
Trove has a wonderful new addition, with the Commonwealth of Australia Government Gazette from 1901-1957 now available online and fully text searchable.
The Office of Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) has supplied the content and the National Library of Australia has digitised and made these records machine-readable. Users can correct, tag and annotate the contents just as they can with digitised newspaper articles. It is anticipated that more issues will be added in the future.
The very first issue of the Gazette, published on 1 January 1901, shows the proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia by Queen Victoria. There were also instructions on a range of protocols, such as directions for appointing the judiciary, what should happen were the Governor-General to become incapacitated, and who would form Her Majesty’s first government.
Each Gazette documents the day-to-day business of governing and administering the Commonwealth. Usually published weekly, they were the principal source of public information on current legislation, and contained notices required by law on decisions made by the various departments and courts.
The subject matter of the Gazette ranges across all kinds of services and authorities, including defence, postal and telegraphic services, taxation and other forms of revenue, immigration, citizenship, trade and foreign affairs, national infrastructure and many others.
Some examples of what you may find in the Gazettes include:
The Office of Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) has supplied the content and the National Library of Australia has digitised and made these records machine-readable. Users can correct, tag and annotate the contents just as they can with digitised newspaper articles. It is anticipated that more issues will be added in the future.
The very first issue of the Gazette, published on 1 January 1901, shows the proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia by Queen Victoria. There were also instructions on a range of protocols, such as directions for appointing the judiciary, what should happen were the Governor-General to become incapacitated, and who would form Her Majesty’s first government.
Each Gazette documents the day-to-day business of governing and administering the Commonwealth. Usually published weekly, they were the principal source of public information on current legislation, and contained notices required by law on decisions made by the various departments and courts.
The subject matter of the Gazette ranges across all kinds of services and authorities, including defence, postal and telegraphic services, taxation and other forms of revenue, immigration, citizenship, trade and foreign affairs, national infrastructure and many others.
Some examples of what you may find in the Gazettes include:
- notices about people becoming naturalised as citizens
- results of public service exams
- details of military service, commissioning, and decorations
- post office and military tenders
- despatches from the Secretary of State for the Colonies
- patent and treasury statements
- statements of receipt and expenditure for Territories
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
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
|
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Irish Lives Remembered
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
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
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!
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