No.55 (genealogy news / discounts 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.

• Free access:   In case you didn't see this on Genealogy Discounts and Freebies... Until your local time zone's equivalent of midday (GMT) Monday 12 Nov 2018 (ie, until Monday evening in Australia), everyone has FREE access to Findmypast. You must to be registered (free), but no credit card is needed. This offer includes these record categories: Birth, marriage, death and parish records (and images of many original registers that are not online anywhere else); Military, armed forces and conflict; Education and work; Census, land and surveys; Institutions and organisations; Historical newspapers (including the British Newspaper Archive); Immigration and travel; 1939 Register. The offer is available on all of Findmypast's sites.


• 50% discount:   After free access ends, Findmypast will offer 50% discount on short-term subscriptions. That offer will run from 12 November (GMT) to 19 November at 11:59pm (GMT). Later today these pages will soon be updated to show offer details and terms and conditions, so set a bookmark now: Australia (50% off 1-month); United Kingdom (50% off 3-month); Ireland (50% off 1-month); United States (50% off 1-month).


• Special collections:   I've had a World subscription to Findmypast continuously since 2011, and I can't imagine life without it. Note their Special Collections for the British India Office, Canterbury, Cheshire, Devon, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Royal Archives, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Diocese of Lichfield, Wales, Westminster and (my personal favourite) Yorkshire.


• England/Wales certificates:   At the moment it is still possible to buy England and Wales certificates for births 1837­-1916 and deaths 1837­-1957 as digital images (PDF format) for just £6.


• 17th century:   From 'Who Do You Think You Are' magazine: 5 Best Websites for Tracing 17th Century Ancestors. They lead to many more sites.


• London (England):   Alona has listed 17 Links to Free Sites for London Research.


• Neglected children:   Names are online from the first stage of my 'Neglected Children' Index (which includes orphans for whom I've found information in sources other than orphanage records). Many children were sent to an orphanage when at least one parent was still alive.


• Toowoomba area (Qld):   Garden of Remembrance Toowoomba: burials and cremations 1966-2008 is an updated database that goes right up to 2008. It has name, age, date of death (where recorded) and date of burial/cremation, and type.


• Tip:   Always look at the inquest file even if you already have the death certificate. Example: For Marie Sophia SCAFFE, a typed copy of the death certificate gives the cause of death as 'bowel complaint', but the inquest file says it was 'ill treatment'. That's a rather significant difference!


• Unsound mind:   Coming soon - a combined list of over 17,000 names from my corrected and expanded 'Insanity and Unsound Mind' index. When it goes online it will be announced first on my genealogy page on Facebook and my Website's WhatsNew page.


• Qld State Archives:   It's hopeless trying to keep you updated about changes at Queensland State Archives, because there are so many (and most are, in my opinion, a backward step as far as serious researchers are concerned). One big change is that reference archivists are now only available to provide research support in the Public Search Room between 10am and 3:30pm. The Archives are open 9am to 4:30pm, but unless you are self-sufficient, don't arrive at 9am! The moral of the story is 'use it or lose it'. For years there have been unofficial warnings that with reduced numbers of people using the search room, opening hours might be reduced. That's already happened at the National Archives Brisbane Office.


• Warning:   Like it or not, this is something that everyone needs to know. Please read it carefully and think about it calmly: Oh no, it's the L word.

(This post first appeared on https://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2018/11/no55-genealogy-news-discounts-worldwide.html.)
~ ~ ~

No.45 (genealogy news / discounts worldwide)

Links open in new windows.

• Discount:   Until 21 Nov 2016 (11.59pm BST) one of my favourite Websites, FindMyPast, is offering new customers 30 days of access to 8 billion records worldwide (a monthly 'World' package) for just $1, £1 or €1. This is a huge saving compared to the usual $19.95, £12.95 or €14.95. (The 1939 Register is only included in a 12-month World or Britain package.) You can untick 'auto-renew' in the My Account section of the site.


• Qld BDMs:   From 5 Dec 2016, the Brisbane Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will move to Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane. Their other contact details won't change.


• Crematorium records:   Search names on 95,000 memorials in Mount Thompson Crematorium memorial gardens (Brisbane).


• England/Wales births/deaths:   The General Register Office has released online indexes for England/Wales births 1837-1915 and deaths 1837-1957. They show mother's maiden name for births even before 1911, and age at death even before 1865. These new indexes are different from (and maybe more accurate than) the existing ones. Warning! If the death index says 'age 11yrs', it may really be 11 days, 11 weeks or 11 months. It's best to search without specifying the age. Index searches are free after you register and confirm your email address. For a short trial period the certificates cost just £6. (NOTE! I wrote this in November, and the trial period only lasted for a few weeks.)


• Wills:   The National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) is an essential source for English and Welsh family history. Indexed images of the books for 1858-1966 and 1973-1995 are now on Ancestry. They often show the testator's exact death date, address, occupation, and details of relatives.


• Photos:   See 5 Must-Have Photo Identification Tools by Maureen Taylor.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2016/11/no45-genealogy-news-discounts-worldwide.html.)
~ ~ ~

No.44 (genealogy news and discounts worldwide)

Links open in new windows.

• FindMyPast discount:   Until 11:59pm on Tues 6 Sep 2016, new subscribers can pay just $1 (one dollar) for a 1 month FindMyPast world subscription. That's a saving of 95%! Un-tick 'Auto-renew' in the MyAccount section of the site. Read why I use and recommend FindMyPast.


• Passenger lists:   I was excited to see that images of Victoria coastal passenger lists 1852-1924 are now online. They list people travelling locally as well as immigrants from overseas. For many people attracted by Australia's gold rush, including those who were on USA goldfields, this may be the only surviving shipping record.


• Recommended reading:   Shadows of the Workhouse: The Drama of Life in Postwar London (Jennifer Worth). I couldn't put this book down!


• Hospital records:   Hospital admission registers have superb data (usually better than a death certificate), and I index them. Many patients were from interstate and overseas, especially the UK and Ireland. For Croydon hospital 1888-1925, which includes the North Queensland gold rush era, I've combined two lists of patients into a single alphabetical sequence. To order copies of original records, see 'Copying Service' near the bottom of that page.


• Illegitimate children:   Since 19th August I've added two batches of names to the page about illegitimate children whose father is identified in a document in Archives. Most of the mothers and children lived in Queensland or NSW but a few were interstate or overseas. This index is designed to help family historians and people seeking birth parents. See 'Copying Service' near the bottom of that page.


• Cemeteries:   Toowong cemetery and South Brisbane cemetery indexes are on FindMyPast, but you currently can't find them with an A to Z search. You need to use links on the full list of Australian and New Zealand records on FindMyPast. (Thanks to Rosemary for pointing this out.)


• Western Australia:   Uncertified copies of Western Australian birth, death and marriage certificates now cost just $20.


• Ancestry:   Danny Barber explains how to sort Ancestry hints by collection. I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds useful.


• Photographs:   See the tips in How to Relax and Rehumidify Old Rolled Photographs.


• Privacy:   Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist) shares her sensible advice about privacy.


• Genealogy on Facebook:   You can read many genealogy pages on Facebook without joining. There is now a page for Toowoomba and Darling Downs Family History Society - and note my 'Saturday's Source' series of tips on Judy Webster: Queensland Genealogy.


• Copies of copies:   This article has images showing how information was copied from a copy of a copy (etc) and neither the birth date nor death date remained correct in the copy on Ancestry.

No.32 (genealogy worldwide)

Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page. If you share these tips, please say that you saw them on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com.au.

This is at the top left of most pages

• Website changes:   My main Web site, www.judywebster.com.au, is best viewed on a laptop or desktop computer, but this week's changes made it more mobile-friendly. I had to remove the top search box, but a link ('Search this site') at the top left of most pages leads to a search box plus tips on using the site.


• FindMyPast discount:   Until 30 Apr 2015 you can get 50% discount off 12-month FindMyPast subscriptions. If you're in Australia or NZ, the best link is http://bit.ly/2aapr15. In the UK it's http://bit.ly/2apr15, and in the USA use http://bit.ly/2usapr15. Those links apply the discount automatically - then select the 'World' tab if you want access to absolutely everything on FindMyPast. Remember to un-tick the 'auto-renew' box in the My Account section of the site. I appreciate the fact that FindMyPast adds free days to World subscriptions whenever they give the general public 'free access' days.


• QSA indexes:   Qld State Archives have begun putting indexes on FindMyPast. Check the list of records sets added recently (scroll down).


• Will books:   Wills for thousands of people from interstate and overseas, including Queensland, are in New South Wales will books 1800-1952. My search tips for this magnificent source are in 6 Genealogy Sources You May Have Overlooked.


• Cracking the code of the GRO Marriage Index:   Enter the General Register Office (England/Wales) index reference to find out the name of the church where the marriage took place. If you don't get a result, maybe the church is not yet included in the database (the project is on-going). Read the explanation before you use the UK marriage locator.


• The 3 Rs of genealogy:   Revisit, Record, Revise has superb advice from Pauleen Cass, an experienced family historian.


• Census records:   I confess that I haven't always done the five things listed on Analyzing Census Records: Context Matters, and I need to rectify that.


• Printing on paper:   If you are printing family history books or document copies on paper and want them to survive for future generations, read All Papers are Not Created Equal.


• Warning:   Important information about photos and handouts at genealogy lectures (read the comments there too).


• Video:   Free video (from a webinar presented earlier this year) with tips on what to do when you hit a dead end in your research, and how to get the most out of online records.


• Movement and migration:   The articles in Exodus: Movement of the People - migration to, from and within the British Isles have apparently been removed from the Website now. Luckily I'd printed the ones that interested me.

(This post first appeared on http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/2015/04/no32-genealogy-worldwide.html.)
~ ~ ~

No.24 (genealogy worldwide)

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.

• Maiden names missing from Qld death indexes:  I received a reply from the Queensland Registry of BDMs after I sent examples of maiden names that are missing from death indexes online but shown in the corresponding indexes on fiche or CD-ROM.
• 20% discount:  In August, Findmypast added 10 new data sets (2 million records) for Australasia. Until 30 Sep 2013 you can get 20% discount off a world subscription to FindMyPast, which allows you to search billions of records for Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA and Canada (including British newspapers).
• Innisfail (Geraldton) burials:  Do you have a death certificate or other details for someone buried at Geraldton (now Innisfail) in North Qld?
• Victoria:  Passenger lists (Victoria) 1846-1899.
• NSW:  NSW Registers of Coroners' Inquests 1796-1942.
• Recommended reading:  Artificial 'brick walls' in family history.

No.20 (warning re Queensland death indexes)

If you share this information, please acknowledge the source as http://updatesgenie.blogspot.com/.

Warning!  Before we all get too excited about the recently released Queensland death indexes to 1983... please note that the Registry has omitted parents' names from many index entries despite the fact that parents are named on the death certificate. For more details, see Queensland Genealogy.

No.8 (Certificates; genealogy worldwide)

This edition is all about certificates. Links open in new windows so you won't lose your place on this page.

• Free certificates:  Before buying a certificate, read the advice in my article Free Certificates in Archives Files.


• Europe:  The July 2010 edition of Proformat News has a table showing how to obtain civil registration certificates for births, deaths and marriages in European countries.


• Queensland prices:  From July 2011, the price of certificates purchased from the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has risen to $37.


• Queensland tips:  Problem-solving and money-saving tips re Queensland certificates are in my book Tips for Queensland Research.


• Warning:  The registry has issued a warning about an online 'Certificate Express' service.


• England / Wales prices:  UK residents - please consider signing this petition for cheaper birth, marriage and death certificates in England & Wales.


• England / Wales tips:  You may be lucky enough to find details from a certificate, or contact someone who has a copy, via postems on FreeBMD.


• Parish registers:  Even if you have bought a civil registration certificate, it is a good idea to look for a parish register entry, as it may give extra information. I have seen this in my own research in both New South Wales and England. A parish register entry may also be more accurate than the notoriously unreliable typed certificates issued in Queensland for events after 1889.


• Transcription Agents:  I have personally used the services of two of the certificate transcription agents for NSW, and I can recommend them both: Marilyn Rowan and Joy Murrin. As yet there is no similar service available in Queensland.

You are welcome to share your tips about certificates by adding a comment below.