23andMe Files for Bankruptcy

23andMe, one of the world’s largest DNA testing companies, has just announced that it is filing for bankruptcy protection.  The company said it has initiated voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the US Bankruptcy Court.  The company said that it would continue to operate its business and there would be no changes to the way it stores customer data.

Mark Jensen, chair and member of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors at 23andMe, said in a recent statement: “After a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives, we have determined that a court-supervised sale process is the best path forward to maximize the value of the business.  We expect the court-supervised process will advance our efforts to address the operational and financial challenges we face, including further cost reductions and the resolution of legal and leasehold liabilities. We believe in the value of our people and our assets and hope that this process allows our mission of helping people access, understand and benefit from the human genome to live on for the benefit of customers and patients.”

“We want to thank our employees for their dedication to 23andMe’s mission. We are committed to supporting them as we move through the process. In addition, we are committed to continuing to safeguard customer data and being transparent about the management of user data going forward, and data privacy will be an important consideration in any potential transaction.”

Founded in 2006, 23andMe saw its share price plummet after the company suffered a major data breach in October 2023, when hackers breached about 14,000 customers’ accounts, gaining access to the data of 6.9 million people who were listed as those users’ relations.  In September 2024, 23andMe agreed to pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit by affected customers.

23andMe has an FAQ section about the ongoing situation on its website.

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine has published a guide on how to download and/or delete your data from 23andMe is you wish to do so.

Genealogy Webinar Marathon

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).

There are 24 free webinars listed covering a range of topics, with something for everyone.  If you cannot tune in live, the webinars are also available to view later via the Webinar Library. The library also lists a number of other webinars, many of which can be viewed for free as well.

Week 12 (Mar. 19-25) Historic Event

Over the past few years we have lived through several historic events, and I have had several discussions with fellow Family Historians about how we should record our memories and reactions for the future, so that generations yet to come can see how their ancestors lived through several years of crisis.

In 2020 the world experienced a historic global pandemic, with many of us moving in and out of lockdowns and various restrictions on our daily lives as the world struggled to limit the spread and impact of Covid-19.  Like many I was stood down from my job, saw businesses close and contacts restricted, and in the small community where I live, unforgettably saw armed police restricting travel across the state border.  I spent my 50th birthday in lockdown, isolated at home.

While many of my memories of the pandemic restrictions, which flowed on into 2021, are stressful, there were also many positives.  So many people came together to keep each other going.  Online shopping boomed and the concept of 'click and collect' became (and remains) common.  In the genealogical community meetings and conferences went online and access to many digitised records were relaxed to make research from home easier.  The idea of working from home became much more common in many industries.

Hard on the heels of 2 years of Covid lockdowns, 2022 saw my home area suffer the worst floods in living memory.  While my home itself was not impacted, many friends saw their homes flood, roads and highways were cut, access to services cut, shops closed and like many I came under an evacuation order.  

We watched the Murray River flood parkland, the water creeping closer and closer, flooding homes and breeching levies like the one behind the library where I work - see the photo below.  As the water rose the community came together to frantically sandbag homes and businesses, another wonderful show of community spirit in the face of a crisis.

These are memories that need to be recorded as part of our family history.  We have all lived through a global pandemic and lived through or witnessed a number of historic events in recent years.  Recording our memories of such major events should be a part of our family history records, for the generations that come after us.

So please, get writing your memories. Become your own storyteller of the historic times you have just lived through.

Website Wednesday - The Early British Census Project

The Early British Census project (EBC) brings the numerous disparate pre-1841 census records into one searchable database. It is designed to help family historians discover their ancestors; offer training for students; and provide data for scholarly research, particularly for local and population studies. The project offers valuable insight into household and occupational structures of early industrial Britain. 

 
There are over 1400 surviving household or individual schedules from the 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831 censuses. Because the household and individual schedules were never submitted to a central government entity, the original returns remain in dozens of local archives across the UK. These records have never been brought together into one database, most have never been indexed or published, and only occasional returns have been digitized.

EBC brings these various records into one searchable database. When the database is complete, it will likely contain information about approximately 500,000 households.

The first stage of the project is to extract data from, and where possible gather digital images of, the 1801-1831 English censuses. Later stages will capture records from other parts of the British Isles as well as earlier periods.

Student researchers, under faculty supervision, consult the originals, extract parish, household, and individual data, and where possible upload the digital image. The extractions are then verified by a second researcher.

All information was extracted from digital images of original census records. No extractions or transcriptions from other collections or publications were used.

Family Tree UK Magazine

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

Inside this month's issue : 

• Papal dispensations marriage database
• MI5: Official Secrets – exhibition & talks
• ‘Reframing roots’: can family history hold the key to a happier life?
• Rare Second World War trade directories go online
• Free online treasure trove of Scottish history
• DNA news
• RootsTech round-up: coming soon
• Beatrix Potter dollshouse restored & on display
• New FamilyTreeDNA Mitotree
• Illegitimacy on the record
• How to guide: perfect pictures for your Family History
• Mother's secret : The Tale of Abandoned Twins & a New Life
• And more...
  

Week 11 (Mar. 12-18) Brick Wall

We all have those gaps in our research, when we have progressed as far as we can and are searching for those elusive facts that will allow us to progress further.   We have hit a brick wall.

A notable brick wall in my tree starts with my great great grandparents David Mulholland and Eliza (McCrae), the first of my Irish ancestors to arrive in Australia.

David Mulholland died in Eurobin, Victoria, Australia on 10 April 1902 at the age of approximately 70.  He left behind wife Eliza Jane (McCrae) - although I have never found a marriage record for the couple - and 7 surviving children.  Death notices describe David as being 71 years of age and a colonist of 42 years, putting his birth at around 1831 and his arrival in Australia around 1860.  David's death certificate states his parents names as David Mulholland and Margaret (McGee)

Eliza - or Elizabeth, survived her husband for 23 years, dying 28 October 1925 in Eurobin.  Her obituary, published in the Albury Banner and Wodonga Express on 6 November 1925, describes Eliza as having "reached the advanced age of 85 years, 63 years of which were spent at Eurobin" and states that she was born in County Belfast, Ireland.  This puts her birth at around 1840 and her arrival in Australia around 1862.  Eliza's death certificate - under the name Eliza Mulholland - gives her parents names as James McCrae and Mary.

I have, thus far, found no records for either family in Ireland.  Neither have I found a marriage record for David and Eliza in Australia or Ireland.  I will keep looking, however, in the hopes of breaking through the brick wall and continuing further back along my Irish ancestry.

Website Wednesday - The Ryerson Index

The Ryerson Index is a free index to death notices appearing in Australian newspapers. The date range covered extends from the Sydney Gazette of 1803 up to newspapers published within the last week or so. The Index also includes many funeral notices, and some probate notices and obituaries.

In 2020, Ryerson made the decision to commence indexing notices from Funeral Directors' websites in response to the mass closures of regional newspapers which occured in the second quarter of the year.

The Index was originally created by the Sydney Dead Persons Society, so its strength lies in notices from NSW papers - including in excess of two million notices from the Sydney Morning Herald alone. However, the representation from sources in other states continues to grow, with additional papers and funeral directors being regularly added, so that the Index can now truly be considered an Australian index.  Today the Ryerson Index contains 9,604,544 notices from 497 different Australian newspapers, publisher websites and funeral director websites.

Indexing is being continuously carried out by a team of volunteers who give freely of their time to ensure the site continues to grow. Site updates generally occur weekly creating a wonderful resource not purely for Family History researchers. 

While the actual notice is not digitised, information includes :

Name

Notice Type (Death, Funeral, Probate) 

Date of Event 

Event Type (Death, Funeral, Cremation, Publication) 

Age (if available)

Other Details (late of...)

Publication

Date Published