Anglo-Celtic Connections

In partnership with Illustrative DNA, MyHeritage has added a “Notable Individuals” feature to its Ancient Origins offering. This tool identifies the historical figures and groups most genetically similar to you based on data recovered from archaeological remains.

The report allows you to discover your genetic distance by comparing your DNA against 32 specific individuals and groups. It is a tool for exploring the broad components of your deep genetic makeup, rather than a proof of direct descent.

A closer look at the 32 reference points reveals they fit into three distinct categories:

• Individual Historical Figures: Notable named people from history, such as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven, the architect George Bähr, the French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, and the Maryland colonial governor Philip Calvert.

• Ancient and Archaeological Remains: Skeletal remains, mummies, or specific anonymous historical individuals known by their discovery sites or modern designations. This includes Ötzi (the Tyrolean iceman), Cheddar Man, Clovis Boy, the Birka Female Warrior, and the Hasanlu Lovers.

• Aristocratic Families and Dynastic Lineages: Groupings or specific individuals explicitly tied to historical dynasties, such as the Aba Family, the Báthory Family, and specific rulers designated by their houses, like the Árpád Dynasty (King Béla III) and the Rurik Dynasty (Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich).

  My Results

It turns out my DNA is a closer match to Ludwig van Beethoven than to the 31 other options in the dataset. There is no indication in my family history of a relationship, although my grandfather was a professional musician.

In these reports, the Genetic Fit score reflects how well a combination of ancient populations aligns with your own genetics. A lower score indicates a closer match. My specific score with Beethoven is 2.803, which is classified as a “close” match. I also shared close matches with the Aba Family (2.869) and the Báthory Family (2.955).

Across all 32 reference points, my median score is 5.8795, placing the midpoint of my overall comparisons in the lowest tier of the “distant match” category.

The “Genetic Fit” score is calculated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to plot your DNA on a multi-dimensional grid (25 coordinates) against ancient samples, measuring the exact multi-dimensional geometric distance between your genetic coordinates and theirs.

File under fun.

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Friday, 22 May 2026, to contain 295,845,507 unique entries, up from 295,650,593 last month.

Years with more than 10,000 additions are: 1994-96 for births, 1995-96 for marriages, and 1996-97 for deaths.

You will have seen articles about a super El Niño forecast this year, such as this from the CBC. NOAA, the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is forecasting a greater-than-50 % probability of Strong or Very Strong El Niño conditions for the coming fall and winter.

What does it mean for the conditions where you live? Here, from NOAA via the CBC article, is a map of approximate wintertime El Niño weather patterns. Warmer-than-normal conditions prevail across the West and Prairies. Drier conditions, shown in purple, occur south of the Upper Great Lakes.

While warmer conditions might extend farther east if the El Niño is strong, it could manifest as more variable conditions, as warmer air clashes with cold Arctic air. Remember the 1998 Ice Storm, which was followed by cold temperatures, making it truly miserable for those who lost power for days. That was during a strong El Niño event.

If your ancestors were around in 1887-88 they would have lived through North America’s “Year Without a Winter.” Characterized as a “black winter” due to the complete lack of snow cover across Manitoba and parts of Ontario, December 1877 brought overflowing rain barrels and muddy roads instead of snowbanks. In Winnipeg, the monthly mean temperature was more than 23°F (about 13°C) warmer than the average of the preceding five years. In the Ottawa Valley, the lack of snow hindered logging operations and travel on what would normally be snow-packed roads.

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

Recollecting a visit to Athens

Quality of Life in Canada.
A study published by StatsCan shows increases in life satisfaction, sense of meaning and purpose, and future outlook from Q2 2024 to 2025. Seniors 65+ show the highest life satisfaction.

People Are Getting Ahead With ChatGPT and Perplexity. Here’s How.

OGS Toronto Branch May Meeting
Online at 7 pm on Monday evening, Seafaring Ancestors, and The Glorious Life of a Genealogist when a new census arrives.

Ireland Census 1926

This census is now also accessible through Findmypast, which has added 2,972,363 records to its platform. It provides an alternative access for researchers cross-referencing Irish family history. The National Archives of Ireland reports public interest remains high, with more than 3 million views since the initial launch on 18 April 2026.

The NAI has been updating its 1926 Census database to improve accuracy in response to internal reviews and public feedback. The latest release includes:

• Corrections from internal quality checks and public transcription submissions.

• Redactions for individuals aged over 100 who requested privacy.

• Corrected map links for institutions.

• The addition of approximately 1,400 previously missing individuals.

Updates are being released regularly.

Newspapers

371,400 pages joined the British Newspaper Archive, accessible through FMP, this week, with six new titles and 36 updated publications from across the British Isles.

New Titles

Updated Titles with Over 10,000 Pages Added

Michael Gandy, past Chair and Fellow of the Society of Genealogists, passed on 16 May 2026 at the age of 76. Widely respected, Michael served as editor of The Genealogists’ Magazine from 2000. His publications show his particular interest in Catholic ancestry.

1995 — Latin for Family Historians.
1996 — Catholic Family History: A Bibliography.
1998 — Tracing your Catholic ancestry in England.
2000 — Tracing Nonconformist Ancestors.
2001 — Tracing Your Catholic Ancestors.
2007 — Family History: Cultures and Faiths: How Your Ancestors Lived and Worshipped.

Think you need to be a tech wizard to use AI for family history research? Think again.

In the lead article, Break Down Your Brick Walls Using AI, James Ransom shows exactly where AI can help solve genealogical puzzles — and, just as importantly, how far to trust it and how to avoid common pitfalls.

Also in this issue, Loren Potts profiles Zoe Ball, Amy Dowden, and Joe Swash, the three subjects featured in the new BBC series of Who Do You Think You Are? — a great introduction if you’re unfamiliar with, and at all interested in, these British personalities.

The third feature, Miniature Marvels, sees Nicola Lisle trace how dolls’ houses evolved from aristocratic status symbols to beloved children’s toys.

Elsewhere in the issue, Julie Kathleen Johnson’s Settlement and Removal Records explains how to use these essential Poor Law documents to research ancestors who fell on hard times, while Anthony Adolph offers expert guidance on tracing aristocratic ancestors using Burke’s Peerage.

Did you know that  BIFHSGO members can find the latest editions of journals from Family History Societies mentioned below in the section of the Member’s Area?

Berkshire Family History Society (Berkshire Family Historian)
Family History ACT (FHACT) (formerly the Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra)
Isle of Wight Family History Society Journals
Shropshire Family History Society
Society of Genealogists
Suffolk Family History Society (Suffolk Roots)
Waltham Forest Family History Society (Roots in the Forest)

 

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 https://conferencekeeper.org/virtual/

Tuesday, 19 May

02:00 PM: Like Water for Weary Souls (Sudbury in the 1930s), by Liisa Kovala for OGS Sudbury District Branch. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GTrgGfkMQ-eaoIZLzXbOGw

02:30 PM: Researching (US?) Modern-Day Adoptions, by Sara Allen for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16229584

08:00 PM: Common-Sense Principles for Establishing Genetic Relationships, by Patti Lee Hobbs for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://genealogybargains.com/lftwebinars-upcoming

Wednesday, 20 May

02:00 PM: Advanced Topics in DNA 3 of 5: Advanced Relationship Analysis, by Blaine Bettinger for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://genealogybargains.com/lftwebinars-upcoming

07:00 PM: Lives in a Tiny Suitcase: A Finnish Canadian Immigrant Tale, by Dr. Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown for OGS Thunder Bay District Branch. https://ogs.on.ca/events/thunder-bay-district-branch-lives-in-a-tiny-suitcase-a-finnish-canadian-immigrant-tale/

Thursday, 21 May

06:30 PM: Beyond 1870: Finding Our African American Ancestors Beyond the Brick Wall, by Mica L. Anders for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16229584

Friday, 22 May

Saturday, 23 May

10:00 AM: Cataraqui Cemetery, for OGS Kingston Branch. https://kingston.ogs.on.ca/events/kingston-branch-ogs-meeting-2026-05-23-cataraqui-cemetery/

There are approximately 100,000 records post 1874 in this collection, added to Deceased Online for these Warwickshire communities in the West Midlands.

Attleborough Road Cemetery – Nuneaton. Records from 1893 to 2012. It is the smallest of the 5 cemeteries in the Borough. There are 16 CWGC burials.
Stockingford (Bucks Hill) Cemetery – Nuneaton. Records from 1912 to 2012. Includes 19 CWGC burials.
Oaston Road Cemetery – Nuneaton. Records from 1875 to 2002 (early records from this cemetery have limited information, but do contain grave number and surname of the individual buried). There are 88 CWGC burials
Oaston Road Crematorium – Nuneaton. Records from 1957 to 1994

Coventry Road Cemetery – Bedworth. Records from 1874 to 2002, including 20 CWGC burials.
Marston Lane Cemetery – Bedworth. Records from 1952 to 2002. It is the only one still available for burials.

Today I’m recommending you bookmark the Links of Interest page at Ken MacKinlay’s Family Tree Knots webpage. He just verified all the links and updated with additional categories

The main body covers:

• Research and family tree sites — Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, MyHeritage, Genes Reunited, WikiTree, and others.
• Canada — Library and Archives Canada (including censuses, military history, Home Children, parish records, and the Federal Divorce Index), the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (Canadiana and Héritage), provincial archives from Newfoundland to Yukon, vital statistics agencies, genealogical societies for every province, Canadian law resources (CanLII, Osgoode Digital Commons, BC Historical Statutes), and miscellaneous collections including denominational archives for Baptist, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Quaker, and United Church records.
• British Isles — national archives and general resources for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, including FreeBMD, FreeReg, ScotlandsPeople, IrishGenealogy.ie, the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, and the Ulster Historical Foundation.
• DNA — testing services (AncestryDNA, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage DNA, Living DNA) and analysis tools (DNA Painter, GEDmatch, Shared cM Project, ISOGG).
• Education and certification — Legacy Family Tree Webinars, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and university-based genealogy programs.
• Maps — historical county maps for Canada and the U.S., Ontario-specific mapping tools, the David Rumsey Map Collection, and the National Library of Scotland map images.
• Newspapers — archives covering Canada (including Ontario county-level collections), the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S., plus the Newspaper Finder directory.
• Obituaries and cemeteries — Find a Grave, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Canadian Headstones, the National RCMP Grave Discovery Database, and the Ryerson Index for Australia.
• Passenger and ship lists — Bremen Passenger Lists, the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild, Lloyd’s Register of Ships, and Library and Archives Canada immigration resources.
• Books — Google Books, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, WorldCat, and Evidence Explained.
• International resources — covering Belgium, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
• Genealogy blogs — including Ken’s own Family Tree Knots, my Anglo-Celtic Connections, Scottish GENES, Genealogy à la carte, and Past Presence.

There’s more of the solid information and advice Ken is known for at his website;

 

 

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

Keith Hanton RIP
Prominent in the Ottawa Branch of OGS, enthusiastic researcher of his Irish ancestry.
https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/kelly-barrhaven/obituaries/richard-keith-hanton/160432.html

Misinformation
According to StatsCan, in 2025, 80% of Canadians reported seeing news or information on the Internet that they suspected was misleading, false, or inaccurate at least once a month.

An update to this French genealogy website, which your browser can likely translate, includes an interesting looking article I haven’t yet exploted “A new free handwriting transcription tool powered by AI”

Major recent new and updated British additions to newspapers.com