Anglo-Celtic Connections

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

The Dead From Down the Street

Perhaps you’ve discovered a 1914-18 War casualty whose home was near where you lived. For its Monday, 27 October meeting online, OGS Toronto Branch welcomes Drew von Hasselbach, who “will share the names of First World War dead who had roots within blocks of our homes, and show us how to track their enlistment, service and stories. You may never see some of the houses on your street the same way again.”

Before that, Nat Johnson-Tyghter, an Academic Librarian with OISE, will present A Tapestry of Educational History. Let’s hope that will include setting the record straight on the much-maligned Egerton Ryerson.

More info and register here.

Committed to memory

From the Globe and Mail, historian-author Charlotte Gray speaks with Librarian and Archivist of Canada Leslie Weir and former U.S. National Archivist Colleen Shogan about how to preserve history, why it matters, and why it will be important to be able to take selfies alongside important Canadian documents at Adisoke.

Call for Speakers for the Ontario Ancestors Conference 2026

12-14 June 2026 are the dates for OGS’s online conference, titled ‘Steamships to Microchips’. ‘Microchips’ means Artificial Intelligence and other technology; ‘Steamships’: Immigration and Transportation. That’s a date for your new year diary.
The Call for Speakers, with an easy online form to submit your proposal(s), is at  https://ogs.on.ca/conference-speaker-submission-page/.  Be sure to send them by Monday, 1 December 2025.

How higher states of consciousness can forever change your perception of reality

 

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips: Anonymous, Gail,  Kim Barnsdale, Penny, Teresa, and Unknown.

 

To date, in October 2025, FamilySearch’s Full Text Search has added 1,004 new collections, focusing heavily on Legal, Religious, Marriage, and Death records. The bulk of the new records originates from Latin America (especially Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico), Portugal, Spain, the United States, and the Netherlands.

Additions for Canada

Collection Title	Records	Last Updated
Canada, New Brunswick, Deaths, from 1661 to 1978	470	21 October 2025
New France, Canada, Legal, from 1754 to 1755	19,806	17 October 2025
New France, Canada, Biographies, from 1870 to 1953	65	17 October 2025

Additions for the United Kingdom and Ireland

The additions predominantly consist of large-scale Poor Relief and Religious record sets.

Collection Title	Records	Last Updated
United Kingdom, England, Poor Relief, from 1825 to 1888	2,771,935	14 October 2025
United Kingdom, England, Religious, from 1608 to 1702	2,521,426	14 October 2025
Ireland, Biographies, from 1385 to 2005	44,748	14 October 2025
Ireland, Religious, from 1674 to 1987	9,490	14 October 2025
England, Norfolk, Poor Relief, 1999	4,688	14 October 2025
Ireland, County Cavan, Biographies, 1997	102	14 October 2025
England, Cheshire, Religious, from 1677 to 1713	2,090	14 October 2025
England, Norfolk, Religious, from 11 January 1563 to 10 January 1579	12,872	14 October 2025
Scotland, Clackmannanshire, Biographies	21	14 October 2025

The largest collections added, each contributing over 10 million records, are  from the United States and Spain:
United States, Tennessee, Legal, 1896;
Spain, Valencian Community, Legal, from 1588 to 1599 ;
United States, New York, Legal, 1985 ;
Spain, Andalusia, Legal, from 1782 to 1860, and
United States, Wisconsin, Legal, from 1921 to 1978.

Battle of Trafalgar Prize Book (1806-1807) In cooperation with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, FMP has digitized one of only two surviving copies of this historic document. These 17,050 records list sailors who received payments after the battle. Was your ancestor at Trafalgar?.

Battle of Trafalgar 1805 Naval Records Beyond the Prize Book, find 18,115 additional naval records, including muster rolls, pay records, and service details from ships involved in the battle.

John Northwood, a Marine who served on HMS Victory at Trafalgar, is recorded as born in Pattingham, Staffordshire, in 1774. Although the connection isn’t apparent, Pattingham is where my Northwood ancestry goes back to the 16th century.

Photo Collection From the 1890s through 1960s, 300 photos were added of streets, workplaces, and classrooms. The collection now has 14,411 photos. Dig in to find advanced search functions.

Queensland Brands Directories (1920-1952) The 3,037 new records document livestock brands and property ownership.

British Newspapers  254,727 pages added this week, including six new titles and updates to fifteen existing publications with dates ranging from 1857 to 2004..
New titles:
* Aston Times, 1886–1895, 1899–1901
* Illustrograph (Dublin), 1894–1899
* Irish Golfer, 1899–1900
* Midland Gazette and Mansfield Times, 1857–1871, 1873–1885
* Mid-Surrey Gazette, 1878–1879, 1881–1899
* Sports and Play, 1889, 1891
Updated titles:
* Bellshill Speaker, 1995–2004
* Bournemouth Graphic, 1921–1930
* Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser, 1986
* Daily Review (Edinburgh), 1861, 1865, 1868, 1885
* Dundee Weekly News, 1989, 1991
* Forfar Dispatch, 1995–2004
* Helensburgh News, 1887–1891
* Home News for India, China and the Colonies, 1881–1889
* Irish Church Advocate, 1886–1889, 1891
* Kilsyth Chronicle, 1938–1943, 1946–1947, 1949–1950, 1994–2004
* Kirkintilloch Herald, 1995–2004
* Musselburgh News, 1989, 1994–2004
* Pudsey & Stanningley News, 1986–2004
* Stornoway Gazette and West Coast Advertiser, 1995–2004
* Wigan Evening Post, 1991, 1995–1996, 1998–1999

The most recent census released for England and Wales, taken on Sunday 19 June 1921, is now available as a transcript to MyHeritage subscribers. There are 38,335,681 entries.

Records typically include names, gender, age at last birthday, year and place of birth, occupation details, relatives and other household members, and residence information. 

The census day, 19 June, had been pushed back owing to widespread industrial action. Being summer time, you may well find people recorded on holiday rather than at their usual residence.

There is no access to images of the original. Treat the transcript with caution. For my grandfather, I found discrepancies with the information in the image available on Findmypast. 

Legacy Family Tree Webinars streamed about The Early British and Irish Census Project (EBIC) from Brigham Young University. Amy Harris and Kyra Bryant presented.

While most British and Irish pre-1841 census records have only statistical information, approximately 1,400 returns have named individuals. The database covers the period before civil registration and the more comprehensive censuses. Will you get lucky?

It’s free to view until next Tuesday.

Early British and Irish Census Project

 

A quick shoutout to the blog, and a new item on The Ragged School Museum , a guest post by Stanley Slaughter. The museum is on Copperfield Road, Mile End, London which was previously a ragged school operated by Thomas Barnardo. The school taught tens of thousands of local children until it closed in 1908. The blog post tells the story of Alex Mead, who attended the ragged school for four years before moving to Canada at age 15, and serving with the CEF.

More than just autumn leaves, October in Canada is packed with official recognitions.

• Canadian Islamic History Month

  In 2007, IHMC was proclaimed by the late Mauril Belanger, MP, for Ottawa-Vanier. Today, nearly 5 percent of the Canadian population is Muslim. representing a diverse range of backgrounds and origins from every continent.

• German Heritage Month

Happy German Heritage Month. Happy Oktoberfest. Perhaps 10 percent of Canadians report being of German descent, representing more than 3 million people who make a difference in their communities every day.

• Latin American Heritage Month

Over half a million Canadians are of Latin American descent, representing all 22 Latin American countries. The month, officially designated by Parliament in 2018, also honours the service of Latin American veterans who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

• Library Month

Launched in 2006 by the Canadian Library Association (CLA), Canadian Library Month (CLM) provides “an opportunity for Canadians not familiar with their local library to come down and experience all the services available to them. Ontario Public Library Week is the third week in October.

• Women’s History Month

In 1992, the Government of Canada designated October as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month coincides with Persons Day, the commemoration of the 1929 “Persons Case,” when the Famous Five fought to have women legally recognized as persons under the British North America Act, securing the right to sit in the Senate.

What about other months, days and seasons? Check out https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days.html

Seeing the results of your family history research through to a published document, physical or digital, is a thrill. Writing your history is the best way to preserve your years of effort.

This month’s UK Family Tree Magazine provides expert guidance to help you capture the past in ways your family will treasure. If you dream of publishing a book, Canadian Wayne Shepheard provides a complete guide to writing for publication. For those starting smaller, find out how to structure your stories for blogs or digital family history books.

The issue also equips you with the latest tools and research strategies. Carole McCulloch (Coach Carole) explains how to integrate Artificial Intelligence into your process while maintaining authenticity. Find a review of the new Family Tree Maker 2024 for Mac and look at the latest developments in DNA, including what’s new for mtDNA testers (John Cleary) and four ways a DNA test can advance your research (Karen Evans).

Research advice covers challenging lines, such as Graham Bandy’s practical guide on 20th-century Army ancestors. For medieval records, Richard Tolson uncovers people and places in the Records of the Crown back to 1066. Julie Johnson gives us the story of Theodore Oriel, exploring the psychological impact of war on a serviceman.

Throughout the BIFHSGO weekend conference we were asked to be patient while the editors processed the videos. It’s done, all of them, along with the handouts, are now posted in the Registrants’ Portal. If you registered, or register post-conference, you will have access to view them until the end of November. Recordings of the Expert Connect sessions are also posted.

There wasn’t a dud presentation among them. Some were more specialized and will be of most interest to a select few — perhaps that’s you.

My top three were, in order of presentation:

The History of the Workhouse, by Peter Higginbotham
Family Felons: Uncovering the Criminal Past, by Dr. Angela Buckley
Finding Henry, by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Library and Archives Canada honored Sir Arthur Doughty on Monday morning with the reinstallation and of his  renovated statue at the LAC Preservation Centre in Gatineau. Doughty served as Canada’s second National Archivist and remains the most celebrated figure to hold that position.

Librarian and Archivist Leslie Weir opened the event, then invited Ian Wilson to speak about Doughty’s legacy. Wilson, who served as Librarian and Archivist from 2004 to 2009, has conducted extensive research on Doughty’s contributions. During his remarks, Wilson suggested updating Canada’s 1921 Coat of Arms to recognize Indigenous heritage, a proposal worth considering as the country continues reconciliation efforts.

Attendees learned about the technical challenges involved in restoring the statue and watched footage of its relocation from behind 395 Wellington Street to its new home. Weir acknowledged everyone who contributed to the project’s completion and gathered those of them in attendance for a group photograph.

The event provided an opportunity to ask about Adisoke, the new joint facility with the Ottawa Public Library scheduled to open in 2026. Most research facilities currently at 395 Wellington will transfer to the new location. Some present open-access resources will have limited availability. An instance is the magnificant directories collection. While many city directories are now digitized, those needing to research extensive date ranges may still need to visit 395 Wellington by arrangement.

A recent survey has prompted LAC to accelerate digitization work. This is welcome news for researchers, particularly those away from LAC’s physical locations. Can we hope for accelerated access to the 1940 National Registration records recently transferred from Statistics Canada. (The National Registration was a census-like survey that documented every Canadian, making it valuable for genealogical research.)

However, government-wide budget cuts are affecting LAC. These reductions inevitably impact staff morale as the organization balances preservation, digitization, and public service with fewer resources.

Choose from these selected free online events. All times are Eastern Time, unless otherwise noted. Registration may be required in advance—please check the links to avoid disappointment. For many more events, mainly in the U.S., visit conferencekeeper.org.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Russia now has a strategy for a permanent state of hybrid war

BIFHSGO Conference 2025: Day 1
Excellent presentations. If you missed the live presentations, it’s not too late to register to attend day 2, and review all the presentations in replay until 30 November, through www.bifhsgo.ca

12 billion-to-one odds

Online New Brunswick Land Records
The latest discovery by Ken McKinlay.

From snails to street signs: Soho’s history revealed on a new digital map

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips: Anonymous, Barbara May Di Mambro, Daniel Horowitz, Gail, Ken McKinlay, Penny, Teresa, and Unknown.