No.46 (genealogy news and freebies worldwide)

Happy New Year! I hope these tips will get you off to a great start in 2017. Links open in new windows.

• Free access at FindMyPast:   For 4 days, from 10am 12 Jan to 11:59pm 15 Jan 2017 (GMT) FindMyPast (my favourite genealogy subscription site) is giving everyone FREE access to billions of birth, marriage, death & census records. You don't need to give credit card details - just register (free). You will be able to see images of many original parish registers! I've had huge success with this for my Yorkshire families in particular.


• Mackay (Qld):   FindMyPast now has indexes to Mackay records (funeral directors' records, and funeral notices from Melrose and Fenwick 1955-1984 and from Mackay's Daily Mercury 1984-2012).


• Passport records:   FindMyPast also recently added an index to passport registers 1915-1925. Applicants were in Australia, Canada, Papua, Ceylon, Fiji, China, England etc but the records are held in Queensland.


• Victoria:   This is a very exciting resource! Images of original Court of Petty Sessions records at the Public Record Office Victoria are now online, with defendants and complainants indexed. There are over 3 million records from 74 courts dealing with minor cases such as drunkenness and theft. Dates range from 1854 to 1985.


• Indexes & Sources:   40 of my favourite genealogy indexes and sources. Which is your favourite, and why?


• Trove Helper:   This nifty tool provides a series of clickable links to Trove newspaper search results based on the details you enter in Trove Helper. The results obtained by clicking each of the links is intended to quickly provide a reasonable starting point which can then be further refined on Trove.


• Saturday series:   My new 'Saturday series' of family history tips (quite different from last year's series) is now underway at Judy Webster - Queensland Genealogy.


• Boonah (Qld):   If you have family history in this area, see Boonah Branches.


• NSW Archives:   The State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales is now called State Archives and Records NSW or State Archives NSW.


• Publishing family trees:   If you want to publish a family tree, read The Opt In Default.


• Recommended reading:   The Truth About Ancestry's Hints.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2017/01/no46-genealogy-news-and-freebies.html.)
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No.43 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

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• 50% discount:   FindMyPast (one of my favourite sites) has a half-price offer that ends 15 Jul 2016.


• Proof:   Read Else Churchill's delightfully simple and sensible explanation of how we can apply the Genealogical Proof Standard.


• Queensland:   A new index on the Qld State Archives Web site is 'Monthly and Half Yearly Returns for Moreton Bay 1829-1837'.


• New South Wales:   Learn how to use the new Web site for State Records NSW (the NSW equivalent of Qld State Archives).


• Western Australia:   Western Australian birth, death and marriage certificates are now cheaper. See Australian Genealogy and History Snippets.


• Ireland:   Ireland's wills and administrations 1858-1920 can now be searched on Ancestry.


• Canada:   FindMyPast now has links to images of the original 1911 census for Canada.


• USA:   Naturalisation and passport records are among new USA records added to FindMyPast.


• Scotland:   The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History by George F. Black is free online. Below the 'Viewability' sub-heading, click 'Full view'.


• Recommended reading:   'You can think that if you want, but it's wrong'.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/07/no43-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.35 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

One of several different types of Missing Friends records

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• Missing Friends:   Names from the first stage of my index to Missing Friends records are online (3 pages). Most of these people were born in the United Kingdom, Ireland, western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA or Canada. I expect to gradually add another 8,000 names.


• Beenleigh cemetery:   The Beenleigh (Qld) cemetery register for 1872-1961 is now at Qld State Archives (series ID 20515).


• FindMyPast discounts:   Until 30 Nov 2015, get 50% discount on any FindMyPast subscription by using discount code BLACKFRIDAY15 at Findmypast.com.au or Findmypast.co.uk or Findmypast.ie. (USA customers only get 75% discount on a FindMyPast 12 month World subscription by using discount code THANKSNOV15 on the USA site, Findmypast.com.)


• Asylums, Hospitals & Vanishing Ancestors:   Free download until 30 Nov 2015 via the link on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies.


• VIC BDM indexes:   Victoria's historical birth, death and marriage indexes are now FREE to search online.


• Clothing:   How World War 2 changed women's fashion (interesting for family history).


• Billion Graves:   'Billion Graves' cemetery indexes for Australia and New Zealand are now on FindMyPast (free to search, and updated regularly).


• British places:  A Vision of Britain Through Time has maps, statistics and historical descriptions between 1801 and 2001. Use the 'Places' page to research towns and villages where your ancestors lived.


• Site search:   For technical reasons, the search box for my main Web site (www.judywebster.com.au) is now (1) near the bottom of most pages and (2) on the page 'How to get the most out of this site' (and a link is at the top left of each page as shown below).

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.au/.)
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FindMyPast's World Records discount offer

FindMyPast's logo

A one-month 'world' subscription to FindMyPast is just $5 (usually $19.95) for new subscribers who pay before midnight on 1 Sep 2014.

The world subscription gives you access to more than 1.5 billion family history records for Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, the USA and Canada.

If you do not want your subscription to automatically renew at the normal price after your initial period, un-tick the 'auto-renew my subscription' box in the My Account section of the site.

You may want to read why I use and recommend FindMyPast.

(This post also appears in Genealogy Leftovers.)

No.21 (genealogy worldwide)

James George Hudson Webster

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• Free access to Military records:  To commemorate Anzac Day, FindMyPast is giving everyone free access to 3.6 million military records until 26 April 2013.


• Goodna Asylum case books:  Today I added 1,700 names of patients with entries in mental asylum case books (bringing the total to about 5,000 names). Patients' birthplaces include Australia, USA, UK, Ireland, Europe, Asia etc. Check whether your ancestors or their siblings are listed! Many patients were only in the asylum for a few weeks, so you probably wouldn't know.


• Canadian research:  See Researching English Emigrants to Canada and their Descendants.

Revenue from ads goes to Kiva

No.17 (genealogy UK, Ireland, USA, Canada)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If you share these tips, please acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• LostCousins:  The LostCousins site is currently completely free. Until early Tuesday 28th August Australian time, or midnight 27th Greenwich Mean Time, you can search and make contact with any living relatives that the search reveals, without paying for a subscription. LostCousins now caters for the 1940 USA census as well as USA 1880; Canada 1881; England & Wales 1841, 1881, 1911; Ireland 1911; Scotland 1881. Be sure to enter your blood relatives and relatives by marriage as well as direct ancestors.  (I tried to share that news earlier, but my wireless Internet connection suddenly stopped working and was out of action for a long time.)


• Guide to London Ancestors:  FamilySearch has a new free guide with articles on each of London's 109 historic parishes, including descriptions of many records available online. Guides are also being compiled for the Greater London counties of Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey.

No.13 (Free Access to LostCousins)

The Lost Cousins site is completely free for all members, new and old, until midnight on Wednesday 6 June 2012. (That would be UK time, so Thursday morning in Australia.) When this 'free full membership' period ends, standard membership will still be free.

LostCousins is a great site for finding your living relatives. The automated matching means that nobody sees your information, but when you do find a 'lost cousin', you can be certain that it is a genuine match. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you!

To use LostCousins you need to find your relatives in the census for England & Wales 1841, 1881 or 1911; Scotland 1881; United States 1880; Canada 1881; or Ireland 1911. Then you enter the source/page details at LostCousins. Requirements for each census are different, so read the instructions carefully before gathering and entering data ('Information - Read this first'). If you prepare well, entering the data is a lot quicker.

On your My Ancestors page, be sure to enter your direct ancestors' brothers and sisters too, because it is their descendants who are likely to have letters and photos sent by your family.

After completing your My Ancestors page, click 'Search'. The system checks whether anyone else has entered data for the same people. If they have, you can contact them at no cost during this free period until 6 June 2012.

I am a big fan of LostCousins, so please give it a try.

No.9 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Keeping the Memory Alive:  Genealogists for Families is a story about family history, good deeds and continuing the work of our loved ones via Kiva. Be sure to read the comments.


• Generous Genealogists:  Quoting from the article Generous Genealogists: 'It would be lovely if this team could grow to include genealogists from around the world and to become a family tradition for all of our families.' Again, be sure to read the comments.


• Free Ancestry searches:  From 1st-15th Oct 2011, a different collection will become available for free each day, and remain free until 15th October. The collections are for Australia (electoral rolls), England and Wales (1901 census and 1916-2005 birth index), Ireland (Griffith’s Valuation), USA, Canada, Germany and Sweden. For full details see Ancestry's blog.


• Multiple searches:  Audrey Collins explains why you must use all versions of what appears to be the same index or database.


• Timelines:  To understand your family history in the context of local, national or world events, use timelines such as those at Timelines of History.


• Queensland news is in today's edition of Queensland Genealogy.


• Interesting reading:  Britain's first Railwaywomen.

No.2 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Making Money from Genealogy:  You are welcome to add comments to my recent articles on Making Money from Genealogy and How to Become a Paid Researcher.
  
  
• Google News:  Thanks to SAG-E (Oct 2010 email newsletter of the Society of Australian Genealogists) for pointing out that at Google News we can browse or search thousands of newspapers from all over the world, including Canada and the USA.
  
  
• Six-word tributes:  If you want to write about your ancestors but don't have much time, try writing 'six-word tributes'.
  
  
• Australian circuses:  A new book by Mark St Leon, Circus: The Australian Story, will be published by Melbourne Books in May 2011.
  
  
• Central Qld Scrapbook Index:  Central Qld Family History Association's updated 'Scrapbook Index' is now online. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Scrapbook'. (I have found some wonderful information via this site.)
  
  
• CQFHA's Member's Interests:  CQFHA's 'Member's Interests list' has also been updated. Go to CQFHA's Web site, click on 'Articles and Indexes', then choose 'Member's Interests'. Members are now able to add their research surnames online, so new entries will be added regularly.
  
  
• Saving money with BDMs:  Have a look at Kerry Farmer's tips for saving money while searching for Australian births deaths and marriages.

No.1 (genealogy worldwide)

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• LostCousins: The LostCousins site is totally free to 2 May 2011. This is probably the only web site that has virtually 100% accuracy in matching people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you. To use LostCousins you need to have found relatives in one of these censuses: USA 1880; Canada 1881; Scotland 1881; Ireland 1911; England and Wales 1841, 1881 or 1911. Be sure to enter data for brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors. It is their descendants who are most likely to have letters or photos from your line. Start by reading the LostCousins 'How-to' page. Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and click 'Search'.
  
• Central Queensland cemeteries:  Burial indexes and maps for many Rockhampton Regional Council cemeteries are now online (and frequently updated).
  
• Orphanage records:  Some Queensland orphanage records have recently been opened to the public.
  
• 'Inside History' magazine:  Inside History is a new magazine about Australian and New Zealand genealogy, history and heritage. Published bi-monthly, Inside History has genealogy articles and tips, expert advice, stories about history (old houses, country towns, biographies etc), and lots more. I received a complimentary copy and was so impressed by the quality of the magazine that I asked Brisbane City Council libraries to subscribe so that it will reach a wider audience.
  
• Ryerson Index:  The Ryerson Index is an online index to death notices (and some obituaries, funeral and probate notices) in current Australian newspapers. Family history or local history societies who would like to index notices from their local paper should use the contact link on the Web site.
  
• Irish research:  Have a look at this collection of Web sites for Irish Research.
  
• Outback Story:  Outback Story is a personal account of what life was like on a grazing property in the Cunnamulla area (southwest Queensland) from about 1919 onwards.
  
• Environmentally friendly genealogy:  How to make your genealogy research environmentally friendly.
  
• Bookmarking State Archives Web pages:  Many indexes on the Qld State Archives Web site consist of an introduction (as a Web page) with links to different sections of an index (as PDF files). If the index is updated, a name that was in one PDF file may be moved to another. You should therefore bookmark or cite the introductory Web page, not the PDF file.