This week’s FMP additions offer a unique look at professional women in the interwar period and specialized religious records, alongside a diverse expansion of the newspaper archive.
Britain, Directory of Women Teachers, 1927
This collection offers a chance to bridge the genealogical gap between the 1921 Census and the 1939 Register with 13,484 new records.
Transcripts and images may reveal qualifications, specific subjects taught (e.g., Classics, Mathematics), previous experience, memberships, and both home and institutional addresses.
It emphasizes secondary schools, training colleges, and higher education, and includes other educational roles (inspectors, lecturers, administrators) as well as teachers. It does not include the more than 120,000 elementary school teachers.
London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, 1885–1889
Published in partnership with University College London, this niche collection has just 497 records. documents the activities of a society founded in 1809 to encourage Jewish conversion. It includes baptismal records and “declaration records” regarding school enrollment and child vaccinations.
It often lists the child’s birth and baptism dates, parents’ names, father’s occupation, and residence. Many records center around “Palestine Place” in Bethnal Green.
Newspapers
The BNA collection, available through FMP, has expanded with 198,162 new pages, three new titles and significant updates to regional and trade publications.
New Titles:
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Mining Journal: 48,202 pages (1857–1894). An essential resource for researching in the coal or metal mining industries.
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The Star: 34,842 pages (1893–1918).
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Antigua Times: 1,134 pages (1863–1876). A rare 19th-century Caribbean resource.
Notable Updates:
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Wexford Independent: 9,030 pages (1875–1906).
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Pawnbrokers’ Gazette: 11,240 pages (1839–1913).
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Jersey Times and British Press: 10,562 pages (1870–1910).
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Allen’s Indian Mail: 7,428 pages (1848–1886).
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Grantham Journal: 12,410 pages (1972–1988).