No.52 (genealogy news and tips worldwide)

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• Asylum casebook:   I've indexed another Goodna mental asylum case book, and the names are on my Web site.


• Council records:   Local Government Records for Family History has been updated and expanded.


• Cooroy/Noosa:   Cooroy-Noosa Genealogy Group has a new purpose-built building (the Heritage Centre) at 17 Emerald Street, Cooroy.


• E-book:   Using Macs and iPads for Genealogy, by Nancy Loe, is available as an e-book (59-page PDF download).



• Parish registers:   Many original parish register images for Cheshire, Devon, Hertfordshire, East Kent, Leicestershire, Rutland, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Wales, Westminster, Yorkshire North Riding and Yorkshire East Riding (with more coming soon) are online only at Findmypast and nowhere else; and for the next few days you can view them without a subscription, as explained below.


• Free British/Irish records:   Until 11:59pm BST Monday 26 June 2017 (which is 8:59am AEST Tues 27 June), there's free access to over 1.1 billion British and Irish records on Findmypast.


• Recommended reading:
  
  Common Latin Words for Genealogical Research. If your ancestors were Catholic, many of their church records will be in Latin.
  
  Widen the Search: a Genealogy Success Story includes links to the online sources I used.


• Document copies:   If you want copies of the original records that I've indexed, or if you just want source references so you can do the work yourself, send a request soon, because I've temporarily reduced many of my fees. Follow links from the list of sources.



• Roadshow:   If you have British Isles or German research, come to Unlock the Past's 'Researching Abroad' genealogy roadshow during August. Two top international speakers (Chris Paton and Dirk Weissleder) will be in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland. Pre-book if you want to save money and go in the prize draw (total value about $1500).


• Talks:   I am giving free family history talks/workshops at Tully and Wongaling Beach on 11 July 2017 and at the Sunshine Coast on 24 Aug 2017.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2017/06/no52-genealogy-news-and-tips-worldwide.html.)
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No.50 (genealogy news worldwide)

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• Prize draw:   If you'd like to win a 12 month Findmypast subscription, this is your chance! Submit your entry by 8am (AEST) Wednesday 26 Apr 2017 in two easy steps on my Prize Draws and Competitions page. I'm grateful to Findmypast for allowing me to give away such a wonderful prize (RRP $114.50). I've had a Findmypast subscription for many years, and I love it!


• Free access:   All Australian and New Zealand records on Findmypast are completely free until 25 Apr 2017 (AEST). Another 'free access' offer will be announced on Genealogy Discounts & Freebies later this week.


• Discounts:   Genealogy Discounts & Freebies currently has more offers listed than ever before, but most of them end soon. One offer is NSW certificate transcriptions for just $18.


• New records online:   Interesting records that went online last week include stage 1 of 'crew and passengers on ships arriving in New South Wales' (check this for anyone you can't find in the British 1881 census); parish registers for Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle NSW; more Boer War records; and more NSW closer settlement and returned soldiers transfer files.


• UK records:   Findmypast's United Kingdom parish records collection (already the largest of its kind online) is about to get a whole lot bigger. Records from six more counties (the list is on that Web site) will go online over the next 6 months.


• Books:   During April, Gould Genealogy has the entire Unlock the Past guide books range on sale (25% off), and the Australian History and Genealogy Handbook is just $1.


• Finding death dates:   My family history project for Easter started with a list of Australian relatives for whom I had no death date. I searched 13 million Aus/NZ deaths, burials, wills and probate records. If I didn't find the name, I searched individual Findmypast record sets and Ancestry databases. I also used the magnificent Ryerson Index to find recent death/funeral notices. There are many other resources available, but these are my usual 'first steps'.


• Updated index:   Check out CQFHA's new Master Name Index (over 767,590 entries for people from many areas). I had unexpected success with this.


• My talk at Noosa:   If you're interested in hearing my talk (11 May 2017) on Ancestors who Moved or Vanished, book now (free). When I checked today there were only 7 seats left.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2017/04/no50-genealogy-news-worldwide.html. The 'win' image is by Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net.)


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No.48 (genealogy news and tips worldwide)

Links open in new windows. If you share the tips below, the Creative Commons license requires that you acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.

• Irish records FREE:   The largest online collection of Irish records (more than 116 million records, including images) will be FREE until 11.59pm (GMT) Friday 17 Mar 2017.


• AncestryDNA:   Until 19 Mar 2017, save up to 30% on Ancestry's DNA test for genealogy (the one you've seen advertised on TV).


• More discounts:   New discount offers (relevant worldwide) are coming soon, so check Genealogy Discounts and Freebies this weekend. If you use ChangeDetection to monitor that page, log in at www.changedetection.com and edit your alert for http://www.judywebster.com.au/specials.html to 'daily'. If new offers are added twice in one week, you will then be alerted twice instead of missing one.


• Conference & Fair:   The 'Footsteps in Time' Family and Local History Conference and free Fair is at Southport (Gold Coast, Queensland), 19th to 21st May 2017. I'm looking forward to it. Conference registration closes 14th April.


• Catholic records:   The Catholic Heritage Collection (available only on FindMyPast) is a growing online digitised and indexed collection of Roman Catholic records for Ireland, Britain and the USA. Most of the records have never before been accessible by the public, either offline or online.


• Electoral rolls:   You can do either a name search or an address search in the Australian electoral rolls collection at FindMyPast. The new search page explains which State and Commonwealth rolls are included. There are some for Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and more rolls will be added in the future. Ignore the 'birth year' search field (it doesn't help).


• Gen-Ebooks:   Genealogy Ebooks (known as Gen-Ebooks) is one of Australia's largest Ebook stores for genealogy. They currently have over 550 titles, with more being added every month, all instantly downloadable. They offer four 50% discount specials each month.


• Web pages from GEDCOM:   GedSite by John Cardinal is a new program that creates 'family tree Web pages from GEDCOM files. It generates narrative or grid style person pages, a master index, a surname index, source pages and any other pages you want to add. You can review the pages on your own computer before you share them via DVD or flash drive or publish them on the Web. I expect GedSite to be even more popular than John's other program (SecondSite for The Master Genealogist, which I use to create the family tree on my Website).


• Digitised records:   Many records from around the world have been digitised but not indexed. You just have to know how to find them! See Image-Only Collections.


• 53,000 names:   You'll find information about an amazing number of interstate and overseas folk, as well as locals, in records at Queensland State Archives. My Web site has over 53,000 names from original documents there. See the list of record types, with links to alphabetical lists of names.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2017/03/no48-genealogy-news-and-tips-worldwide.html.)
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No.42 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

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Examples of letter S (image:Wikipedia)

• German handwriting:   Ten Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting.


• Discount:   Until midnight Sat. 28 May 2016, get 20% off any new 12 month World subscription at Findmypast. Untick 'auto-renew' in the MyAccount section of the site. A full list of records available on FindMyPast is at http://bit.ly/2worldlist.


• English & Scottish research:   'Lost in English and Scottish Research' is a Society of Australian Genealogists webinar. Listen live on the weekend of 18/19 Jun 2016, or listen to the recordings after the event.


• Cheaper copies:   For many of the State Archives records that I've indexed (including old age pension records), I've reduced my fee for supplying copies of the original documents. I've also changed the wording on some Web pages to make it easier to see how to order copies.


• Northern Territory:   Looking for wills? Try the Northern Territory probate index 1911-1994.


• Google Books:   There are interesting family history examples in Google Books (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy) and Google Books Finds: Including an Article with Four Photos.


• Epidemics:   The epidemics timeline may explain some deaths in your family tree.


• Lookups:   The Legal Genealogist sets us straight on the issue of genealogy lookup requests.


• When you're gone:   Amy Johnson Crow describes 5 ways to preserve your genealogy research.


• Indigence cases:  A new index on the Qld State Archives Web site is Indigence Cases 1899-1948. Many Chinese, Islanders etc are included.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/05/no42-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.40 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

Book by Chris Paton

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• Irish land records:   Paul Milner has written a comprehensive review of Chris Paton's book Discover Irish Land Records.


• FindMyPast discounts:   Until midnight 17 Mar 2016 you can get a 1-month World subscription at FindMyPast for just $1, or you can get 20% off a 12-month World subscription. To find out about future discounts, go to Genealogy Discounts and Freebies, click the bar marked 'Receive email when this page changes', and follow the instructions. Select 'daily' as the frequency (not 'weekly') so you don't miss short-term offers that last less than a week.


• My other sites:   When I hear about discounts and freebies for genealogy, I often mention them first on my Facebook page.


• 1939 Register:   A 12-month Britain or World subscription to FindMyPast now gives you unlimited free access to the 1939 Register for England and Wales (including images of the original documents).


• Pastoral runs:   The Queensland State Archives Web site now has an index to rents payable on pastoral runs 1860-1911.


• Toowoomba seminar:   On Sat. 2 Apr 2016 I'm giving two talks to members of Toowoomba & Darling Downs Family History Society ('Not Just the Patient: how hospital and asylum records tell the story of a family' and 'Ancestors who Moved or Vanished'). For more details see my 'Talks' page.


• Cairns seminar:   The two talks I'm giving at Cairns Library on Sat. 16 Apr 2016 are 'Scallywags, Scoundrels and Vanishing Relatives' and 'Researching Illegitimate Children'. For more details see my 'Talks' page.


• Handouts from my talks:   If you were on Unlock the Past's genealogy conference/cruise (Barrier Reef, March 6th-13th) and want a free copy of the handouts from my first two talks, email me at the address shown on my Web site, quoting your name and town as shown in the '11th Unlock the Past cruise group' list. There was no handout for my third talk ('Researching Illegitimate Children') because there is already a mini-guide.


• Wednesday's Webpage:   The Wednesday's Webpage for Genealogy series will resume next week, but if the level of interest doesn't increase, it may be discontinued.


• Recommended reading:   5 Tips for Finding Women's Obituaries, by Amy Johnson Crow.

(This post first appeared on https://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/03/no40-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.38 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

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• Genealogy Discounts and Freebies:   Two new offers were added today, including one from FindMyPast that ends at midnight Monday 15 Feb 2016. This is your last chance to beat next week's 20% price rise.


• Current electoral roll:   It is once again possible to visit Australian Electoral Commission offices to use the current electoral roll for genealogical research. Electronic recording of data is not allowed.


• Seminar in Brisbane:   Judy Russell ('The Legal Genealogist') and Carol Baxter are two of the speakers at the Unlock The Past seminar in Brisbane on Sat. 5 Mar 2016.


• Ships & Passengers:   A new Web site, Passengers in History, brings together a database of 250,000 passengers to South Australia between 1836 and 1961, and a list of ships' logs/diaries (Log of Logs).


• Searchable books:   On MyHeritage you can search the text of many books that are useful for genealogy. It covers an amazing variety of publications.


• Google maps:   Step-by-step guide to using Google Maps and creating personalised maps for your family history.


• One-place studies:   Check the list of one-place studies to see whether there's one for an area where your ancestors lived.


• Irish R.C. parish records:   FindMyPast will soon release indexed transcriptions of 10 million records from over 3,500 Irish Roman Catholic parish registers (baptisms and marriages) for all 32 historical counties (Irish Republic and Northern Ireland), with links to images.


• USA marriages:   FindMyPast is releasing what will be the largest online collection of USA marriages 1650-2010 (60% of which have never before been published online). The first 33 million records are free to the public until 15 Feb 2016. When complete, this collection in its entirety will only be found on Findmypast.


• Client records:   I am updating my client records. If I've done research for you, or if you are/were on my mailing list, I invite you to contact me to confirm your preferred/alternative email addresses. Use the address in the sidebar here or the one on my main Web site.


• Interesting historical background:
  
  • 9 Fascinating Facts About Ag Labs
  
  
  • Australia Day, 26&nbspJanuary... or is May or July?

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/02/no38-genealogy-news-and-discounts.html.)
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No.37 (genealogy news and freebies worldwide)

Apologies for not posting this sooner, but Real Life got in the way. Links open in new windows.

• Webinars:   Five free genealogy webinars this week will explain how to use FamilySearch and records for England, including census, civil registration, Church of England and Non-Conformist records.


• Electoral rolls:   Australian Commonwealth electoral rolls on Ancestry (1903-1980, but with gaps) now include some Tasmanian and NSW images and extracted records that were previously missing. There are also many other electoral records on FindMyPast.


• FindMyPast:   Good News and Bad News from FindMyPast. Thankfully there is more good news than bad, and if you have 20th century research in England or Wales, there is excellent news.


• Recommended reading:   Check out this list, which is divided into 'Family History and Genealogy', 'Historical Background for Family Historians' and 'Genealogical crime mysteries (fiction)'. As explained there, you can order them from a site that has free shipping worldwide.


• Digital photos:   How to Label Your Digital Photographs explains how to enter metadata using IrfanView (the free programme that I use).


• Parish registers:   DustyDocs has links to free Websites with parish registers for the British Isles.


• School records:   Two articles that you might find useful: (1) 'School Registers: Parent or Guardian?' and (2) 'School Records, Even if Your Ancestor Didn't Attend School' (which mentions how local residents were involved with the school system).


• Interesting historical background:
  
  
  • How the 1930s changed housing
  • Operation Pied Piper - evacuation in wartime Britain


• Discounts & Freebies:   If you are using ChangeDetection (set to 'Daily') to monitor Genealogy Discounts & Freebies (http://www.judywebster.com.au/specials.html), you'll already know about the 'free access' offers from FindMyPast, Ancestry and LostCousins. New offers will added soon, so click the grey button on that page (it looks like this):
  

  

  On that page, the ChangeDetection button looks like this ('Receive email')

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/01/no37-genealogy-news-and-freebies.html.)
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No.33 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Discounts:  Some exciting offers are currently listed on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies. The best one expires soon.


• Indexes:  I am indexing Missing Friends registers and Brisbane Prison Hospital admissions. Watch for links to be added to my 'indexes' page.


• 'Off The Record':  This highlights records that many family historians overlook (eg, plastic surgery archives!) Each fortnight's Off The Record has a different theme, with links to four series (one each from the UK, Ireland, USA and Australia/NZ). Recent themes include Death records, Local collections, World War I, Military records, Criminal records, and the (In)Justice system.


• 'In Time and Place':  The Queensland State Conference on local history, family history and social history is in Brisbane on the weekend of 3rd-4th Oct 2015. One of the speakers is Janis Wilton, whom I find quite inspirational.


• Placenames:  A useful site is Renamed places in Queensland.


• FindMyPast:  More Australian records are now on FindMyPast. Scroll down on the page that lists recent additions.


• Ireland's Catholic parish registers:  These are now online as free images. See Chris Paton's article with the link and extra advice.


• Free e-book:  Surnames: Family Search Tips and Surname Origins consists of five guides ('4 Keys to Surname Origins and Meanings', 'Seven Strategies for Surname Research', 'How to Construct Google Surname Searches, Step by Step', '10 Sources to Find Female Ancestors' Maiden Names' and 'Country-by-Country Guide to Naming Customs').


• WDYTYA? handouts:  Download speakers' handouts/slides from Who Do You Think You Are? Live in 2014 and 2015.


• Wednesday's Webpage:  This is a new feature on my Queensland Genealogy Facebook page, which anyone can read (no need to log in).

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2015/07/no33-genealogy-worldwide.html.)

No.28 (genealogy worldwide)

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• Free access to British records:  Until 11.59pm on Monday 9th June 2014 there is free access to many British records on Ancestry. You can see images of original records such as UK outward passenger lists; 1911 census; and the magnificent England & Wales Probate Calendar 1858-1966 where you will also find death dates/places, addresses, next of kin etc for thousands of people from other countries including Australia. Use 'sign in' on Ancestry for a free account.


• Research Tip:  In the British Newspaper Archive, look for clues about family members who emigrated (for example, a death notice saying "NSW papers please copy"). The BNA now offers very affordable one-month subscriptions.


• Land Records in Queensland:  On 21 July 2014 Nola Fulwood is speaking on this topic at the Genealogical Society of Queensland's Southern Suburbs branch. Nola is one of only a handful of people who understand the complexities of land records at Qld State Archives.


• Lifeline Bookfest:  The Brisbane Bookfest runs until 10th June. See my tips for family historians looking for bargains in books and stationery.


• Free family history seminars in North Qld:  Between 13th & 28th June 2014 I will be speaking at Cairns, Atherton and Townsville. Admission is free, but you need to book because space is limited. Each seminar consists of two talks ('Court Records' and 'Look Beyond the Border'). For dates, times, venues, and how to book, see www.judywebster.com.au/talks.html.


• NSW Public Service Lists:  More than 630,000 records have recently been added to the online collection 'NSW Public Service Lists 1858-1960'.


• NSW certificates:  NSW certificate transcriptions are cheaper ($18) if you order them on any Saturday in June 2014.


• 'Brick wall' tips:  'Widen the Search: a Genealogy Success Story' includes links to online sources that I used to solve a family history mystery.


• Recommended reading:  'Finding genealogy data in an unexpected country'.

No.11 (genealogy worldwide)

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• The Christmas Letter: did you file a copy with your genealogy documents? You should!


• Climbing The Spiral Staircase. Whether you are an experienced family historian or a beginner, you will appreciate the tips/reminders in this great article.


• The Big Genealogy Blog Book by Amy Coffin. I downloaded this and can recommend it.


• Ancestors in Bohemia, Moravia or Silesia? See Czech Genealogy for Beginners.


• SAGHS have permission to put South Australian birth, death and marriages indexes on the Internet.


• Online surveys from which I earn money. You can too!


• Australia's Missing Newspapers: Libraries need your help. Is there a pile of old newspapers under your bed, in your shed or under the floorboards?

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.