In the past week, an estimated 16% of additional records have been added, all for the USA.
Newspapers.com™ Marriage Indexes Updated
These Ancestry collections were updated as of 17 September.
U.S., 1800s-current, 322,404,104 entries
UK and Ireland, 1800s-current, 9,073,912 entries
Canada, 1800s-current, 8,761,838 entries
Australia and New Zealand, 1800s-current, 875,666 entries
FreeBMD September Update
FreeBMD Database was updated on Friday, 27 September 2024, to contain 291,560,221 unique records, up from 291,402,577.
Years with more than 10,000 additions are 1992, 1995-96 for births, and 1994-95 for marriages and deaths.
Repeat: Celebrate British Home Child Day
Saturday, 28 September, marks British Home Child Day, honouring the achievements and contributions of these young immigrants.
The program brought around 100,000 young immigrants to Canada. Despite its flaws, it offered many opportunities for a better and healthier life than they might have had in Britain1. We must acknowledge the dedication of the leaders of the charitable agencies who, lamenting the plight of needy children on Britain’s mean streets, took action to move them into a more promising situation.
The children’s stories of resilience and achievement are a notable part of Canada’s immigrant heritage.
We should not sugar-coat the challenges these young immigrants faced adapting to a new country, culture, and rural lifestyle — experiences shared by many immigrants throughout Canadian history.
Many British home children found educational opportunities, developed skills, and built successful careers and families in Canada. Their contributions to Canadian society were significant, particularly in agriculture, rural development, and the military.
This nuanced understanding, free of the label of unwilling victims, allows us to appreciate the variety of home children’s experiences. Historical events often have mixed legacies.
The Canadian government actively supported and facilitated the immigration of home children, viewing it as a means to address labour shortages and contribute to nation-building. It must share credit for the successes as well as the shortcomings.
- As a measure of health, in 1900, the infant mortality rate was 20% higher in the UK than in Canada.
Shannon Lectures
The Shannon Lecture Series is back at Carleton University this fall with the theme: Black Histories and Futures of Science and Technology. Curated by Alexa Lepera, Assistant Curator of Domestic Environments and Social Diversity at Ingenium, the series will explore the complex relationship between anti-Black racism and technology, highlighting how technology has both enabled Black resistance and contributed to community building and liberation.
This year’s lectures will bring together speakers from diverse disciplines to examine Black histories in fields such as transportation, agriculture, sports, science, and media. The first session, Ingenium’s Black and African Canadian Scientific and Technological Innovations Fellowship, will be held virtually on October 21 at 7 p.m. Additional sessions are planned for November, December, and January at the Dominion-Chalmers Centre.
Celebrate British Home Child Day
Saturday, 28 September, marks British Home Child Day, honouring the achievements and contributions of these young immigrants.
The program brought around 100,000 young immigrants to Canada. Despite its flaws, it offered many opportunities for a better and healthier life than they might have had in Britain1. We must acknowledge the dedication of the leaders of the charitable agencies who, lamenting the plight of needy children on Britain’s mean streets, took action to move them into a more promising situation.
The children’s stories of resilience and achievement are a notable part of Canada’s immigrant heritage.
We should not sugar-coat the challenges these young immigrants faced adapting to a new country, culture, and rural lifestyle — experiences shared by many immigrants throughout Canadian history.
Many British home children found educational opportunities, developed skills, and built successful careers and families in Canada. Their contributions to Canadian society were significant, particularly in agriculture, rural development, and the military.
This nuanced understanding, free of the label of unwilling victims, allows us to appreciate the variety of home children’s experiences. Historical events often have mixed legacies.
The Canadian government actively supported and facilitated the immigration of home children, viewing it as a means to address labour shortages and contribute to nation-building. It must share credit for the successes as well as the shortcomings.
- As a measure of health, in 1900, the infant mortality rate was 20% higher in the UK than in Canada.
Généalogie Québec Snap Sale
From 26 to 30 September 2024, Généalogie Québec offers a 25% discount on annual subscriptions.
This offer is available exclusively at https://www.genealogiequebec.
Resources of Ingenium Library and Archives
On Monday, I visited Ingenium’s Library and Archives, which supports museum staff and the general public in researching the history of science, technology, agriculture, food, aviation, and space in Canada.
This was my first opportunity to visit the new facility, several quantum leaps up from their cramped quarters pre-pandemic. Both visits were to explore the CP Ships collection, much of which is available on Ancestry as of June this year. Find my blog posts here, here, and here.
Although Ancestry was able to digitize most of the collection a few items proved too large, notably the plan of the various decks and some posters.
In case you’re wondering, digitization by Ancestry took about seven months at an estimated cost in excess of $200,000 if done in-house. As it was interrupted by COVID the project took longer than normal. Now, Ancestry has exclusive access for five years, after which the collection will be released and made available on the Ingenium site.
Adele Torrance(right) and Sian Jones, two staff involved, explained some of the intricacies. Marcia Mordfield (not pictured) was also on the team. Sian found herself mentioned in a document for a 1966 voyage on the Empress of Canada when as a young child she bumped her head.
The Library and Archives have a vast collection of resource material, much of which is available through interlibrary loan. Check the Library catalog and the archives’ holdings at Archeion, or email for advice on whether they have a resource useful to you.
Ancestry Find a Grave Index Updates
The September update to Ancestry’s Find a Grave Index sees 156,761 additions to the Canadian collection and 334,413 to the UK and Ireland.
| Title | Sept 2024 Records |
| Global, Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current | 20,990,441 |
| UK and Ireland; 1300s-Current | 20,774,635 |
| Australia and New Zealand; 1800s-Current | 11,809,409 |
| Canada; 1600s-Current | 10,656,554 |
| Germany; 1600s-Current | 3,408,652 |
| Sweden; 1800s-Current | 1,138,754 |
| Italy; 1800s-Current | 376,009 |
| Norway; 1800s-Current | 231,816 |
| Brazil; 1800s-Current | 201,506 |
Increased Security at 395 Wellington
Public hearings on the ground floor at 395 Wellington in Ottawa mean increased airport-type security is in force.
Everyone must pass through the security checkpoint before researching on the upper floors. Aerosol items, alcohol, blades, and other weapons will not be allowed. It is unclear whether liquids will be restricted to 100 ml containers.
Read the announcement here.
This Week’s Online Genealogy Events
Choose from selected free online events in the next five days.
All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about many more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.
Tuesday, 24 September
2:30 pm: Family History Sprint: Q&A to Accelerate Your Brick Wall Research, by Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/11548564
7 pm: Al and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead? by Thomass MacEntee for OGS Wellington County Branch.
wellington.ogs.on.ca
Wednesday, 25 September
2 pm: Buried in the Federal Records Center: Uncovering XC Pension Files, by Alec Ferretti for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/buried-in-the-federal-records-center-uncovering-xc-pension-files/
2:30 pm: Most Surnames come from Somewhere, by Howard Benbrook for the Guild of One-Name Studies.
https://one-name.org/surnamessomewhere/
Thursday, 26 September
6:30 pm: How to Be a Good Ancestor, by Karen Urbe for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/11601508
Friday, 27 September
Webtember presentations from Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
10:15 am: Church Records in Archives, by Melissa Barker
11:30 am: Top 10 Tips for Working with the Old German Handwriting, by Katherine Schober
12:45 pm: Irish Landed Estates, by Natalie Bodle
2:00 pm: Reuniting Sisters Separated During WWII After 70 Years, by Nitay Elboym
3:30 pm: Finding Origins & Birth Families: Methods That Work, by Elizabeth Shown Mills
Saturday, 28 September
1:00 pm: The Early Buildings of Kingston, 1783-1830, by Jennifer McKendry for Kingston and District Branch, United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada. (UELAC).
http://www.uelac.org/Kingston-Branch
2 pm: Home Children and My Connection, by Dianna Fulton
for OGS Niagara Peninsula Branch.
https://niagara.ogs.on.ca/events-2/
New Free to View on the British Newspaper Archive
Over one million new free-to-view pages have recently been added to the British Newspaper Archive. Over four million newspaper pages are now free.
Here are the British and Irish newspapers released.
| Title | Country | Years Added |
| Blackburn Standard | England | 1883-1885 |
| Emigrant and the Colonial Advocate | England | 1849 |
| Exeter Flying Post | England | 1800-1804 |
| Express (London) | England | 1869 |
| Hammersmith Advertiser | England | 1861 |
| Herapath’s Railway Journal | England | 1838-1802 |
| Home News for India, China and the Colonies | England | 1847-1870, 1889-1896 |
| Ipswich Journal | England | 1720-1721, 1724-1737, 1739-1800 |
| Liverpool Albion | England | 1881-1882 |
| London Mercury 1836 | England | 1837 |
| Morning Herald (London) | England | 1808-1812, 1815-1830 |
| Newcastle Courant | England | 1819 |
| Nonconformist | England | 1841-1900 |
| Northern Echo | England | 1870, 1872-1897, 1899-1900 |
| Pall Mall Gazette | England | 1865-1902 |
| Royal Cornwall Gazette | England | 1801-1896, 1898-1902 |
| Sun (London) | England | 1873-1875 |
| Surrey & Middlesex Standard | England | 1840 |
| The Examiner | England | 1881 |
| Worcester Journal | England | 1808-1816, 1818-1869, 1871-1887, 1889, 1891-1896, 1900 |
| York Herald | England | 1801, 1803-1820, 1823-1896, 1899-1900 |
| Cork Daily Herald | Ireland | 1858-1901 |
| Dublin Weekly Nation | Ireland | 1842-1900 |
| Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette | Scotland | 1857-1902 |
| North British Agriculturist | Scotland | 1849-1893 |
| Wrexham Advertiser | Wales | 1857-1900 |
An interesting addition is 16 titles from the Caribbean from 1771 to 1902.
| Title | Country | Years Added |
| Antigua Observer | Antigua | 1848, 1870-1902 |
| Antigua Standard | Antigua | 1883-1890 |
| Barbados Agricultural Reporter | Barbados | 1845, 1870-1888, 1895-1902 |
| Barbados Herald | Barbados | 1879-1896 |
| Dominica Dial | Dominica | 1883-1890 |
| Dominica Guardian | Dominica | 1893-1902 |
| Official Gazette of British Guiana | Guyana | 1893-1902 |
| Budget (Jamaica) | Jamaica | 1877-1883, 1886-1888 |
| Colonial Standard and Jamaica Despatch | Jamaica | 1858, 1864-1895 |
| Morning Journal (Kingston) | Jamaica | 1838-1840, 1858, 1864-1875 |
| Voice of St. Lucia | Saint Lucia | 1885-1902 |
| Saint Christopher Advertiser and Weekly Intelligencer | St Kitts and Nevis | 1839-1840, 1855, 1869-1888, 1897-1902 |
| St. Christopher Gazette | St Kitts and Nevis | 1771, 1837, 1839-1840, 1848, 1871-1888 |
| St. Kitts Daily Express | St Kitts and Nevis | 1884, 1886 |
| Trinidad Chronicle | Trinidad & Tobago | 1864-1885 |
| Mirror (Trinidad & Tobago) | Trinidad and Tobago | 1898-1902 |
To complete the inventory, there’s New Zealand’s Lyttelton Times from 1851 to 1902.
Read the BNA blog post.