New Records On FamilySearch

FamilySearch expanded its free online archives in October 2021 with almost 10 million new indexed family history records from all over the world. 

In addition to a number of completely new indexes, there are also dozens of existing record collections that have been expanded - some by just a few records, some by thousands.

New historical records were added from Anguilla, Argentina, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Kiribati, Liberia, Martinique, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, and the United States.

So if you haven't visited the FamilySearch website for a while, take a look and see if they have new information for you to help in your family history research.

WDYTYA Magazine

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue

• Photo competition Share your beloved family photos with us for a chance to win £200
• Share your tree 12 easy ways to amaze your relations with your family history discoveries this Christmas
• To jab or not to jab The anti-vaccination controversy of the 19th century
• Make a movie How to preserve your relatives' memories using just a smartphone
• Season's greetings The Victorian origins of the Christmas card
• Plus: The best websites for migrant ancestors, finding Civil War soldiers, how to share your family history in a slideshow and more

 

The National Archives Podcasts

The National Archives UK has just launched a new series of free podcasts focusing on 20th Century Migration.  

According to the Archives :
"There are over 900 years of immigration records available for research here at The National Archives. In our latest three-part podcast series, we’re exploring the rich history of migration in the 20th century.

This series focuses on three major Acts that highlight shifts in policy around migration and citizenship over the past 100 years. We feature the profound and lasting impact of migration for citizens and non-citizens alike throughout Britain, its Empire and the Commonwealth."

An introductory podcast in this series was launched Monday 22 November.  

There are a number of other topics covered on the National Archives Podcast page, including Countdown to the 1921 Census ; Digitally Reconstructing Ireland's Lost Archive ; a three part series on Crime ; and more.  Take a look and see what you can learn.

Really Useful Podcasts - Episode 3

 

The Family History Federation has now launched Episode 3 of its new series of Really Useful Podcasts.

This new episode focuses on Online Events.  The website describes it :

"Joe is joined by Kelly Cornwell, professional family historian, blogger and speaker, Jane Hough, amateur genealogist and blogger, and Margaret Roberts, editor of the Playing Pasts online sports history magazine and Publicity Officer for the FHS of Cheshire.

During the pandemic of 2020-1 many events in the family history world moved online and it looks as though many meetings, talks and conferences will have an online element ongoing. We discuss the excitement and variety of online family history events and how attendees and organisers can get the most out of them."

Living in a country area, with my nearest state capital over 200km away, I have greatly enjoyed the many talks, conferences and meetings which have been held online over the past 2 years, and have benefited from them immensely.  So many of these events I could never have attended had they been held in-person only.  While online attendance does impact the networking and mingling aspects of in-person events, it has opened many opportunities up to those of us unable to travel as much as we would like and who are researching of families from afar.

I certainly hope that in the future, many Family History events will continue to have an online element, catering for those who would otherwise be unable to attend and participate.

So listen in to this new podcast and hear what the experts have to say about Online Events.

National Archives of Australia Announces Digitization Partnership

National Archives of Australia has just announced they will be partnering with commercial digitisation provider Micro Image to operate from the Archives’ new industrial scale digitisation hub.  Micro Image will undertake large-scale digitisation of at-risk items from the national archival collection.

In July this year the Australian Government announced an extra $67.7 million over four years to fund the National Archives’ Defend the Past, Protect the Future Program. This Program will see the digital preservation of critical at-risk collection material, including audiovisual content, before Deadline 2025.

The digitisation hub will also enable National Archives to significantly upscale its proactive digitisation capacity, ensuring more of the collection is digitally preserved and available online, for use by government and the community.

'We are very pleased to be partnering with Micro Image to launch this new capability. Use of commercial providers, in conjunction with our inhouse digitisation team, is a cost-effective and time-efficient way of digitising large amounts of the national archival collection. This will result in more records being preserved, digitised and made available online to all Australians, regardless of where they live,’ said David Fricker, Director-General, National Archives of Australia.

The NAA states that digitisation onsite reduces the risk of damage to, or loss of, irreplaceable collection material during transportation to an offsite provider. Complete with specialised digitisation equipment, the digitisation hub also facilitates the appropriate handling of fragile historic material that may need preparation and conservation, prior to digitisation.

‘Micro Image has a strong track record of providing quality and time-critical digitisation projects. We look forward to continuing our productive relationship with the National Archives, with our operations now based in the state-of-the art digitisation hub in Canberra,’ said Bruce Shaw, Managing Director, Micro Image.

Micro Image will commence operating from the National Archives’ secure onsite hub in early 2022.

RootsTech Connect Returns

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.

Family Tree US Magazine

The latest issue of Family Tree US magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.  

Inside this month's issue :

• A More Perfect Union - Study US history—and how your ancestors fit in with it—using our annual list of the 75 best state-focused genealogy websites.
• Group Think - These DNA tools pin your ancestry to a specific historical group of people. Here’s what they can (and can’t!) tell you about your family history.
• Ties that Bind - Organize your research for easy travel and sharing by creating family history binders. Here’s how to get started.
• State Research Guide - Featuring Connecticut and South Dakota
  
• Five Tribes - These tips will help you find your ancestors who belonged to one of the United States’ five largest indigenous tribes today: Navajo, Cherokee, Sioux, Chippewa and Choctaw.
• Shop and Save - Preserve your family treasures with these archiving tips and tools every genealogist should have.