Opportunity Knocking

Perhaps you’re one of the select few who would benefit from this offer from MyHeritage. Here’s the opportunity.

“The MyHeritage Wiki contributor community is a curated group of passionate family history enthusiasts who are helping shape a valuable online resource for genealogists around the world. We’re currently seeking volunteers who’d like to share their knowledge, contribute articles, and become part of the movement to make genealogy more accessible for everyone, everywhere.

Contributors enjoy a variety of perks, including:

  • MyHeritage subscriptions
  • Personalized gifts
  • A dedicated contributor page showcasing their articles, biography, and personal/professional links (including social media profiles)”

If you’re interested, start by filling out this short form.

 

Canada’s Carnegie Libraries

During the last 18 years of his life, Andrew Carnegie gave away around $350 million (equivalent to $10.9 billion in 2024), almost 90 percent of his fortune, to charities, foundations and universities. Today, 11 August, is the anniversary of his death in 1919.

About 1,700 Carnegie Libraries were built in the United States.

In Canada, between 1901 and 1916, he donated over $2.5 million ($78 million today) to establish 119 public libraries. That’s according to a table here.  The top 10 contributions in Canada were:

Community Year Amount ($)
Toronto 1903 400,000
Winnipeg 1901 191,000
Ottawa 1901 115,000
Edmonton 1911 112,500
Hamilton 1909 100,000
Calgary 1908 80,000
Regina 1910 59,500
Victoria 1901 52,415
Vancouver 1901 50,000
Fort William 1908 50,000

Others are now following in his footsteps. According to Wikipedia,  as of 2023, Warren Buffett has given over $50 billion to charitable causes, while Bill Gates’ charitable donations have totalled $100 billion.

LAC Progress on the ATIP Backlog

If you recently received a file from LAC, one that was way overdue, you’re not alone.

The June 2025 – ATIP action plan progress report from Library and Archives Canada shows progress, In 2024-25, it responded to 85% of requests within legislated time frames exceeding their expectations.

Files for individuals, such as those typically requested by family historians for the military, numbered 7,007 as of 1 April 2024. That was reduced to 3,452 a year later, despite an additional 6,869 requests.

The 4,531 requests classified as Government of Canada received during the year were added to the initial 2,397 backlog. By 31 March 2025, that was down by 7 per cent. 

The report details the administrative actions being taken.

You may not be aware that LAC has a freely accessible database of previously released ATI requests on archival records. There’s a lot of interesting content — beware — rabbit hole!

 

 

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Heat Event
Daytime highs of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, with humidex values of 35 to 40.
Overnight lows of 19 to 22 degrees Celsius.

The long-term perspective.

Jesus chatbots are on the rise. A philosopher puts them to the test

Why weather forecasters often get it wrong – or appear to

Netherlands Records
On 7 August 2025, Ancestry updated its collection of genealogical records from the Netherlands. The seven databases include indexes for civil and church marriages, births, deaths, baptisms, burials, and population registers. There are over 185 million records, from as early as 1524 to as late as 1973.

ChatGPT-5
In a special episode of the Family History AI Show recorded a couple of hours after the release of ChatGPT-5, Mark Thompson and Steve Little give a family history perspective on the new model. Mark reported on the analysis of a cabinet card, which he judged superior to those of previous models. I expect they will have more hands-on experience to report in the next episode. Other reactions are that it doesn’t live up to the hype, and isn’t as friendly as ChatGPT-4.0.

There’s an analogy between the search for artificial generalized intelligence (AGI) and the alchemists’ quest to turn lead into gold. Even though the Philosopher’s Stone was not found, much chemistry was learned in the search, and blind alleys were followed. Similarly, AGI may never be achieved, but discoveries along the way have had and will surely have many benefits.

Thanks to the following for comments and tips: Ann Burns, Anonymous, Christine Jackson, Gail, Lloyd de Vere Hunt, Teresa, and Unknown.

Findmypast Weekly Update

Ireland, Irish Memorials Association Published Baptisms
Ireland, Irish Memorials Association Published Marriages
From the Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland: transcribed baptism (942 records) and marriage (3,704 records) taken from parish registers and newspaper announcements. Collected between 1892 and 1934.

England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment
Improvements mean you can now explore these 6,954,719 records with new place of conviction and court martial search fields.

Newspapers
The most substantial new titles are the Wiltshire News (1913-1962) with 23,162 pages, the Coventry Reporter and General Advertiser (1886-1911) with 8,312 pages, followed by the Walsall Football News (1920-1939) with 6,996 pages, and the Fireside Companion (1879-1888) with 5,462 pages.
Updates with more than 10,000 pages are:

Title Pages Year Range
Bedford Record 33,428 1924-1965
Wiltshire News (new title) 23,162 1913, 1916, 1918-1929, 1938-1945, 1949, 1960, 1962
Irish News and Belfast Morning News 14,896 1896, 1912-1916, 1918
Home News for India, China and the Colonies 14,192 1871-1878
Weekly Times & Echo (London) 12,352 1868-1885, 1902-1907
Illustrated Berwick Journal 12,324 1928-1957
Northern Chronicle and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland 12,092 1920-1929, 1940-1949, 1953-1969

 

Ancestry Adds Suffolk C of E Parish Records

New on Ancestry as of 7 August 2025

Title Records
Suffolk, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1949 1,532,634
Suffolk, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1999 514,948
Suffolk, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 4,576,549
Suffolk, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924 2,213,998

 

The original records from the Suffolk Archives are linked to the transcriptions and can also be browsed by parish. There are about 500 parishes in Suffolk, although those in the Northeast part of the county, around Lowestoft, in Lothingland, are in the corresponding collection for Norfolk.

150 years of London (ON) healthcare history to Western Archives

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has officially donated 152 boxes of historical records to Western University, preserving 150 years of local healthcare history in a public archive.

The materials, which date back to the late 1800s, include handwritten letters, photographs, documents, and artifacts from the region’s earliest hospitals, such as South Street Hospital, the Beck Sanatorium, and the War Memorial Children’s Hospital. They also contain records from Victoria and University Hospitals, as well as one of the earliest nursing training schools.

Find out more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/lhsc-donates-150-years-of-london-healthcare-history-to-western-archives-1.7602315

Kudos to LHSC for recognizing the significance of their historical records and taking steps to preserve and, with due regard for privacy, making them available.

The Family History AI Show: Episode 30

The latest from Mark Thompson and Steve Little. They issue a caution about AI agents. If you’re new to AI, pay attention to the back-to-basics guide on what AI is and its four core strengths: summarization, extraction, generation, and translation.

Timestamps
05:20 ChatGPT Agent: Autonomous Research Assistant for Genealogists
22:49 Safe and Secure in the Age of AI
36:20 What is AI and What is it Good For? Back to Basics
50:57 OpenAI’s Office Suite Rumours
53:56 Microsoft and Google Bring AI to Their Office Suites
60:17 Big AI Infrastructure: Manhattan-Sized Data Centers

 

MyHeritage DNA Policy Update

MyHeritage has discontinued DNA file uploads as a security enhancement. The company implemented this change to prevent unauthorized uploads, including those from law enforcement agencies and other non-consumer sources.

To access DNA matches and ethnicity reports on MyHeritage, customers must now purchase a MyHeritage DNA kit directly from the company. This policy aligns with AncestryDNA’s existing requirements.

MyHeritage DNA kits rank among the most competitively priced options available. Consider timing any purchase during one of the frequent sales events.

Be aware that AncestryDNA has the largest client database. Testing with MyHeritageDNA will be of particular interest for those with heritage outside America.

UPDATE

MyHeritage has just announced spectacular sale!

This Week’s Online Genealogy Events

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.

Tuesday, 5 August

2 pm: Ottawa Virtual Genealogy Drop-In, for Ottawa Branch of OGS.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/virtual-genealogy-drop-in-2-2025-08-05/

2:30 pm: Where Yinz From (Western Pennsylvania Settlers)? by Trish Buben for the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/14083548

8 pm: Applying for BCG Certification: A Step-by-Step Review of the 2025 Application Guide, by Angela Packer McGhie of BCG and Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/speaker/angela-packer-mcghie/

Wednesday 6 August

5 am: Why you want Irish Quaker ancestors, by Claire Bradley for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/why-you-want-irish-quaker-ancestors/

2 pm: Foundations in DNA 4 of 5: Using Shared Matching, by Blaine Bettinger for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/foundations-in-dna-4-of-5-using-shared-matching/

Thursday, 7 August

6:30 pm: Tools to Research Your French Canadian Ancestors, by Johanna Gervais, for the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/14083687

Friday, 8 August

2 pm: Exploring Nigeria Genealogy: A Guide to Researching Your Nigerian Ancestor(s) by Chukwudi Emmanuel Ewa for Legacy Family Tree Webinars
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/exploring-nigeria-genealogy-a-guide-to-researching-your-nigerian-ancestors/

Saturday 9 August

 

Financial Health of Canadian Genealogical Societies 2024

Each year, organizations federally registered as charities in Canada for tax purposes must file returns with the Canada Revenue Agency. Financial and other information is available on the CRA website. Search for individual society reports at https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyBscSrch?request_locale=en .

This post is for reports ending sometime in 2024 and as of 1 August 2025. Some society reports have yet to be posted. Look for an update covering those later in the year. Figures for the previous financial period(s) follow the most recent in parentheses.

In overview, in absolute and percentage terms, the AGS had the most significant surplus of revenue over expenditure.
OGS had the largest deficit in dollar terms, while BIFHSGO had the most significant percentage deficit. Both had adequate net assets to cover the deficit. The annual membership fee for the VGS increased to $65, the same as for the BCGS.

Alberta Genealogical Society

For the reporting period ending 2024-12-31, total assets were $ 1,044,448.00 ($ 988,796, $1,041,398), and liabilities were $ 205,018.00 ($ 176,915, $ 212,232). Total revenue was $229,365.00 ($246,265.00, $614,488.00). Expenditures totalled $201,816.00 ($263,550.00, $199,863.00). The individual annual membership fee remains $50 for a digital journal subscription.

British Columbia Genealogical Society

For the reporting period ending 2024-12-31, total assets of $ 226,720.00, ($226,340, $216,503) and liabilities of $ 12,185.00 ($28,665, $20,517). The total revenue was $31,454.00 ($27,239.00, $27,392.00). Expenditures totalled $28,164.00 ($25,550.00, $28,201.00). The individual annual new membership fee remains $65.

British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa

For the reporting period ending 2024-12-31, total assets of $115,722.00 ($117,792, $119,762) and liabilities of $16,398.00 ($15,526, $16,770). The total revenue was $31,489.00 ($ 34,687.00- $ 28,096.00). Expenditures totalled $34,431.00 ($35,413.00 $31,405). The annual membership fee remains $50.

Manitoba Genealogical Society

For the reporting period ending 2024-03-31, total assets were $ 75,899.00 ($72,957, $87,173) and total liabilities of $ 7,993.00 ($3,701, $13,100). Total revenues were $89,163.00 ($ 76,848.00, $ 69,300.00) and expenditures were $ 90,522.00 ($ 81,675.00, $ 58,815.00). The individual annual membership fee remains $60

Ontario Genealogical Society

For the reporting period ending 2024-12-31, total assets of $1,957,257.00 ($2,105,846,$2,034,220) and liabilities of $209,829.00 ($302,835, $280,466). The total revenue was $727,335.00 ($584,120, $1,004,580). Expenditures totalled $781,892.00 ($ 534,363.00, $ 556,489.00). The individual annual membership fee remains $63.

Société de genéalogie de Québec

For the reporting period ending 2024-04-30, total assets of $295,467.00 ($294,804)  and liabilities of $295,467.00 ($294,804(sic)). The total revenue was $126,081.00 ($131,549). Expenditures totalled $125,418.00 ($123,705). The individual annual fee remains $50.


Victoria Genealogical Society

For the reporting period ending 2024-05-31, Total assets and liabilities were not reported! Total revenues were $27,802.00 ($ 21,680.00, $ 25,410.00), and expenditures were $28,342.00 ($ 26,507.00, $ 28,230.00). Individual annual membership is increased to $65.

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Cloudy with a chance of worries
https://globe2go.pressreader.com/article/281612426463385

Ancestry updated England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2024, now with 7,674,312 entries, and Scotland and Northern Ireland, Death Index, 1989-2024
with 953,672 entries

MyHeritage updated the United Kingdom, Names & Stories in Newspapers from OldNews.com on 25 July to contain 787,038,681 items.

The Family History AI Show: Episode 29
Co-hosts Mark Thompson and Steve Little explore Perplexity’s groundbreaking Comet browser. It brings AI directly to web pages and can autonomously navigate sites to collect genealogical data. Mark sees it as a significant (landmark) advance. However, Comet is currently available to Perplexity Max subscribers ($200 per month), select Perplexity Pro subscribers ($20 per month), and by invitation as the extensive waiting list is processed. There’s much more in this episode.

Folk Tales Books from the History Press
The Three Ravens Folk Tales: New tellings of half-forgotten stories from England’s 39 Historic Counties
The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales
Folklore of Wales
Folklore of the Scottish Highlands

The Old Farmer’s Almanac for July
This July, the mean temperature in Ottawa was 22.2 °C; the OFA prediction was 20°C, which is average.
FAIL

The OFA predicted 155 mm of total precipitation at Ottawa. The actual was 48.0 mm.
FAIL

I’ve thrown the whole thing in the garbage, despite there being some interesting reading in it.

Curious Cures
Hundreds of medieval medical manuscripts are now accessible from Cambridge University Libraries.

Thanks to the following for comments and tips: Ann Burns, Anonymous, Barbara Tose, Brenda Turner, Bryan Cook, Christine Jackson, Chuck Buckley, Donna, Gail, Lois Logan, Teresa, Unknown.