This notice is posted at https://www.adarchives.org/

Due to unprecedented flooding the Archives is CLOSED until further notice. Absolutely no archival material was damaged.

No further information was posted. As always, check before committing to a visit.

For those of us with London ancestry, there’s a present under the tree — this just-released Christmas issue of Why Who Do You Think You Are? magazine.

London ancestors, Our complete guide to tracing your family history in the capital includes obscure resources like the recently digitised and catalogued photographic collections at the website BoroughPhotos (boroughphotos.org/harrow).  There’s news of serveral physical archives on the move as well as a directory of contacts for all the local archives and family history societies in London.

Also in the issue:

12 Christmas projects. 12 fun ways to build your family tree over the Christmas period.

Christmas quiz. Try out these family history brainteasers.

Reader story Mary Jones’ seven-year-old relative was arrested for stealing coal.

The history of Christmas dinner, What did our ancestors eat at a festive feast?

Old newspapers. How to use newspapers in family history research.

In Ottawa, and likely anywhere else in Canada with online public library cardholder access to PressReader, read all the issue for free – what a Christmas present!

Here’s a listing of some interesting-looking online presentations coming soon from The National Archives (UK). Most are of genealogical interest. Reserve fast as the most popular fill up quickly. Unless you’re an early bird and don’t mind a 5:30 am ET start, or in Australia welcoming some in the evening hours, most are timed well for North America.

Secrets of The National Archives: Censuses
Friday 12 January 2024, 14:00 (GMT)

Family History: Using First World War Army Records (presented by Will Butler)
Saturday 13 January 2024, 10:30 (GMT)

Family History: Using Civilian Internee Records (presented by Roger Kershaw)
Saturday 20 January 2024, 10:30 (GMT)

The Forgers: The Story of the Holocaust’s Most Audacious Rescue Operation
Wednesday 24 January 2024, 19:30 (GMT)

Poverty, Language and the New Poor Law in Wales, 1834–1871 (presented by Paul Carter)
Friday 26 January 2024, 14:00 (GMT)

Family History: Using Prisoner of War Records (presented by Roger Kershaw)
Saturday 27 January 2024, 10:30 (GMT)

Family History: Using Second World War Army Records (presented by Will Butler)
Saturday (34 January) 3 February 2024, 10:30 (GMT)

See the complete list and book tickets via Eventbrite at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats-on/online-events/

The post Just what I wanted, but attracted more than usual attention after being mentioned in the OGS eWeekly.

I prompted the Google AI app Bard You are an expert on the history of 19th century Liverpool, England. Find a reference in a contemporary book to there being bodies discovered in the river Mersey and little being done to find out why they died.

Bard’s response was a massive hallucination, including non-existent quotations from a book and references to other non-existent books. The rest of the response failed to provide an objective rsponse.

How would other AI apps perform? I posted the same prompt to ChatGPT3.5. The response:

I don’t have access to real-time data or the ability to search for specific references in contemporary books. However, I can provide you with some information on the general history of 19th-century Liverpool, including the challenges faced by the city during that time.

During the 19th century, Liverpool experienced rapid industrialization, population growth, and social changes. The city’s economy thrived on maritime trade, particularly with the Americas and the West Indies. However, this period also brought about significant social issues, including poverty, poor living conditions, and public health challenges.

Instances of bodies being discovered in the River Mersey during the 19th century might be related to various factors such as industrial accidents, suicides, or criminal activities. Unfortunately, the historical records of such incidents might not be easily accessible, and specific references in contemporary books would require targeted research.

To explore this further, you may want to consult local newspapers, official records, or historical accounts from that time. Libraries, archives, or historical societies in Liverpool could be valuable resources for finding relevant information on incidents involving bodies discovered in the River Mersey during the 19th century.

Not very helpful, so I followed up with the prompt Suggest books on the Internet Archives to consult.

The ChatGPT3.5 response:

While I can’t directly browse or search the internet for you, I can suggest general categories and topics related to 19th-century Liverpool that you might explore on the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive is a vast digital library offering free access to a wide range of materials, including books, newspapers, and documents. Here are some general suggestions for categories and keywords you might use:

Local Histories: Look for books that specifically focus on the history of Liverpool during the 19th century. Titles like “A History of Liverpool” or similar might contain relevant information.

Newspapers: Search for digitized newspapers from 19th-century Liverpool. Local newspapers often reported on significant events, including incidents in the city and along the River Mersey.

Official Reports: Explore any official reports or documents related to public health, safety, or incidents along the River Mersey. Government reports may shed light on the response to such events.

Crime and Policing: Investigate books or documents related to crime and policing in 19th-century Liverpool. This might provide insights into how authorities handled incidents like bodies discovered in the river.

Social Conditions: Books discussing the social conditions of Liverpool during the 19th century may touch upon issues related to public health and safety.

To search for these topics, you can visit the Internet Archive’s website (archive.org) and use their search function. Enter relevant keywords and explore the available materials.

Keep in mind that specific references to bodies being discovered in the River Mersey might require a bit of detective work, as historical records may not always explicitly detail such incidents. If you’re unable to find a direct reference, consider reaching out to local historical societies, archives, or libraries in Liverpool for assistance. They may have curated collections or be able to guide you to additional resources.

While it’s solid advice, it doesn’t give the specific title or titles I was looking for.

I moved on to trying Bing, the Microsoft IA app that uses a sub-set of ChatGPT4.0, with the same prompt. One of the advantages of version 4.0 over 3.5 is that it has access to later information.  It may not be an advantage in practice! Bing’s response included the false information previously delivered by Bard, but sourced from my previous “Just what I wanted, but” blog post.

In the same way that false genealogical  information gets propagated by people blindly copying from other’s trees, similar errors happen at amazing speed in the AI world.

Can I get away with including this item from the Ottawa Citizen about the RCMP in Military Monday? Many in the RCMP also served at one time or another in the military.

Andrew Duffy’s article is about ‘Buffalo Joe’ Healy’s tireless search for the RCMP’s buried and lost: How a retired RCMP superintendent obsessively tracked and documented the burial places of more than 80,000 people who have ever donned the red serge dating back to 1873.

Healy’s website, www.rcmpgraves.com, “boasts files on everyone who has ever donned the red serge since 1873: more than 80,000 people in the RCMP and its predecessors, the North-West Mounted Police and Royal NWMP.” You do have to register to access the database.

152 collection titles received updates during November at FamilySearch. The collection goes from strength to strength.

There are over 600 million total records in those titles; how many are new isn’t specified. Find A Grave accounts for over 235 million of those.

The most active places for additions are Brazil (11), Argentina (7) and Guatemala (7). On the other end of the action, there are no additions for Canada, England or Scotland. Titles with additions for Ireland and Wales during November are.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Coyote vs Acme
Interesting initially … then … the judicial humourist, I’ve got him on the list. Soon a movie.

Harry Potter and the Magical Phone
A beloved story of the millennial generation, retold for Gen Z.

Using AI for Gravestone Transcription: Billion Graves

Bona Vacantia

Dinosaurs and Chainmail
A blog post from exploring surrey’s past.

In older adults, a little excess weight isn’t such a bad thing

FMP announces a new partnership with Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Find two new online databases.

Canada, Military Honours and Awards Index
The first of this week’s new Canadian set contains 113,457 transcriptions. For some records, around 28,000 in total, you’ll find an original image.

Medals cover the War of 1812, Fenian Raids 1866 and 1870, Red River 1870, Egyptian Campaigns 1882-1889, North West Rebellion 1885, and 1900-1969. They range from the Victoria Cross to long-service medals.

Results from a search are first and last name, regiment, rank, medal type, and the date awarded.

One of those with an image is for George A Sparkes; he received the North West Canada Medal for his service with the Ottawa Sharp Shooters during the North West Rebellion (1885). The image includes age, marital status and residence information.

Canada, Courts Martial of the First World War Index
The second Canadian addition is an index of CEF court martial records from the First World War.

All manner of offences – from disobeying orders to desertion and theft are included. Drunkenness is common. Punishments varied widely, from fines and imprisonment to execution in some cases.

In addition to a full name, service number, rank, regiment and unit, these records contain the date of the event, the offence and a microfilm number leading to an unindexed digital microfilm containing images of the original documents at Canadiana Heritage. Ministry of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada: Courts martial records, 1914-1919.

There have been 33 additions in November, compared to 37 last month. Most are for well into the 20th century. The earliest is for 1889.

The collection now totals 72,474,029 pages, up from 71,794,658 in the October update. Seven new titles have been added. Those with more than 10,000 pages added are:

These 584,355 index records, sourced from Scottish Indexes, typically include the name of the person in the court case, the date of the case, and the description of the case.
Given name and trial date from this database, you may find more complete information in newspapers.

I’ve been trying to find a source that I’d seen months ago about Liverpool in the 19th century, explaining that bodies were discovered in the river Mersey, and little was done to find out why they died. I know it was in a book on the Internet Archive texts, but I couldn’t find it. Google was no help, so I tried AI.

I asked Bard “You are an expert on the history of 19th century Liverpool, England. Find a reference in a contemporary book to there being bodies discovered in the river Mersey and little being done to find out why they died.”

It wasn’t the source I expected, but seemed it might be where the one I’d seen had got its information. Bard’s response was

“In his 1842 book The Condition of the Working Class in England, Friedrich Engels describes a visit to Liverpool in which he witnesses the recovery of a body from the River Mersey. He writes:

I went down to the river-side to see a body which had just been taken out of the water. It was a young man, apparently about twenty years of age, well dressed, and with the appearance of belonging to the middle class. There was no mark of violence upon him, and it was supposed that he had fallen in accidentally. However, the police made no attempt to ascertain the cause of his death, and no inquest was held. This is a common occurrence in Liverpool. Bodies are constantly being found in the river, and no effort is made to discover how they came there.

Engels’ observations highlight the indifference and neglect that characterized the treatment of the working class in 19th-century Liverpool. The deaths of these individuals were not seen as worthy of investigation, and their lives were considered expendable. This disregard for human life was a reflection of the harsh realities of urban poverty and the deep social divisions that existed in Victorian England.

The discovery of bodies in the River Mersey was a common occurrence in 19th-century Liverpool. The river served as a dumping ground for the bodies of those who had died in accidents, suicides, or murders. In many cases, the identities of these individuals remained unknown, and the circumstances of their deaths were never investigated. This lack of inquiry was due, in part, to the overwhelming number of deaths that occurred in the city. Liverpool was a rapidly growing industrial center, and its population swelled with immigrants from rural areas seeking work. The city’s infrastructure was unable to cope with this influx of people, and sanitation was poor. As a result, diseases such as cholera and typhus were rampant, and many people died young.

The discovery of bodies in the River Mersey was also a reflection of the city’s social divisions. The wealthy residents of Liverpool lived in well-maintained neighborhoods, while the working class was crammed into overcrowded tenements. The river served as a dividing line between these two worlds, and the bodies that were found in its waters were a stark reminder of the poverty and despair that existed in the city’s slums.

The lack of investigation into the deaths of those found in the River Mersey was a tragedy. It not only deprived these individuals of justice but also allowed the root causes of their deaths to go unaddressed. The indifference of the authorities to the plight of the working class contributed to the cycle of poverty and despair that plagued 19th-century Liverpool.”

That’s just what I wanted, so I checked a copy of the book on the Internet Archive and couldn’t find the Engles paragraph quoted. I asked Bard for the detailed source and received this reply.

I apologize for the error in my previous response. I was unable to locate the specific quote about the discovery of bodies in the River Mersey in Friedrich Engels’ book The Condition of the Working Class in England. I carefully reviewed the text multiple times and conducted an extensive online search, but I was unable to find any instance of this passage. It is possible that the quote I provided is from a different source or that it is a paraphrase of a passage from Engels’ book.

I followed up by asking Bard to find another source that responds to my original question. It returned the names and extracts from two other books. Neither of them exist.

Hallucination is real.