The Family History AI Show: Episode 15

Steve Little and Mark Thompson explore AI developments.

This week’s episode includes, at 23:26, FamilySearch Full-Text Search Adds a Million Canadian Probate and Homestead Records. It’s good to have a section in the podcast specific to family history alongside developments useful for family history like any other undertaking.
It’s not only Canadian Probate and Homestead Records. The most recent inventory top five are:
United States of America (316,083,898)
Canada (22,499,169)
Australia & New Zealand (12,515,981)
United Kingdom and Ireland (6,038,961)
Mexico (1,885,093). 

Other podcast content includes some impressive illustrations of ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode.

https://blubrry.com/3738800/136852759/ep15-talking-with-your-chatbot-is-now-a-reality-familysearch-adds-canadian-records-to-full-text-search-new-responsible-ai-use-series-begins/

 

Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

All About That Place 2024
Short videos on the Society of Genealogists YouTube Channel. Here’s one that spoke to my family history interest.

“Why do people who “don’t play games” play Wordle? 

Ancestry Find a Grave indexes were updated in early October.

BIFHSGO Virtual Annual Conference
Teaghlach Gaelach: A Celebration of Irish Family History
26-27 October 2024
Registration is open!

The S&P500 Knows Who’s Going To Win The Election | Better Than Election Polls
So far this year the S&P 500 has gained +1,008.24 (21.26%).

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Anonymous, gail benjafield, Judy Humphries, Teresa, Unknown.

 

 

Findmypast Weekly Update

England Directories
This new collection consists of over 10 million transcriptions from 327 directories covering the mid-18th century through the early 20th century.

Business Directories: Highlight local businesses, their owners, and trades, offering insight into economic activities and commercial networks of the time.
Residential Listings: Many directories provide alphabetical listings of residents, allowing for research into family history and property ownership.
Government & Official Information: Listings of local officials, government offices, and services, reflecting the administrative structure of towns and regions.
Local Topography & Historical Context: Some directories incorporate descriptions of towns, points of interest, and notable landmarks.

The directories span various locations, north, south, east and west counties, from major cities like London and Liverpool to smaller towns such as Leicester, Swansea, and Lincoln.

Jersey, Huguenot Abjurations 1685-1815
These 693 transcript records document the history of the Huguenots – a French Protestant group who moved to escape persecution – in Jersey between 1685 and 1815.

Britain, Royal and Imperial Calendars 1767-1973
This collection of British calendars now contains an additional 4,395 browse-only images, which are from intermittent years between 1844 and 1926. Many years incorporate a civil service list.

Newspapers
Two titles are added this week: Garstang Courier, 1994, 1998, and Horsham Advertiser, 1997-1998.

BBC History Magazine: November 2024

A couple of the feature articles in the November issue are:

Demystifying Ancient Egyptian Mummies
Myths often stem from a combination of misunderstandings about ancient Egyptian culture, sensationalized accounts from early Egyptologists, and the influence of popular media. Campbell Price’s article on ancient Egyptian mummification practices exposes more myths than facts. From debunking curse myths to exploring the realities of embalming techniques and even the preservation of pets, this feature offers a scholarly yet accessible approach to a subject that has long captured the British public imagination.

Female Criminals Through the Ages
I immediately thought of Bonnie (Parker), of Bonnie and Clyde. Rosalind Crone’s list in this article includes six British women: Alice Diamond, Fanny Davies, Sarah Russell, Mary Willcocks, Tilly Devine, and Violet Charlesworth, who made their mark on the criminal underworld from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Baby farmers like Amelia Dyer don’t rate. The only Canadian who came to my mind is Karla Homolka.

Other feature articles are:

Medieval Power Play: Richard II vs Henry IV
The Forgotten Prince in the Tower
Understanding Nazi Motivation
SAS Hostage Drama.

England: Culture and Place Data Explorer

Access a wide range of place data throughout England to build a detailed picture of what culture and creativity looks like in a specific area.

Data from Arts Council England Users is mapped to show investment in culture and creativity. Over 200 other data indicators, mostly from the 2021 census, tell about people and places across the country. Areas of relative wealth and poverty remain the same for decades, if not centuries.

https://culture.localinsight.org/#/map

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.

All About That Place.
A reminder about this free learning event brought to you by the Society of Genealogists, the Society for One Place Studies, British Association for Local History and Genealogy Stories. Until  Sunday 6 October.  140 recorded 10-minute talks on genealogy and local history.
https://www.sog.org.uk/all-about-that-place-2024

Tuesday, 1 October

2 pm: Ottawa Virtual Genealogy Drop-in,  for Ottawa Branch OGS 
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/virtual-genealogy-drop-in-2-2024-10-01/

7 pm: All About That Place, Pacific Edition, featuring Allison DePrey Singleton and Karen de Bruyne for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/11780176

10 pm: Oops! Married twice (at the same time) Case Studies in Bigamy! by Helen V Smith for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/oops-married-twice-at-the-same-time-case-studies-in-bigamy/

Wednesday, 2 October

2 pm: Let’s Continue With 50 More Overlooked Genealogical Resources, by Diane L Richard  for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/lets-continue-with-50-more-overlooked-genealogical-resources/

2 pm: Wednesdays With Witcher: The Power of Story Revisited –It Is a Big Deal, by Curt Witcher for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/11773274

7:30 pm: Huron Branch – Access the Archives, by Michael Molnar for OGS Huron Branch.
https://huron.ogs.on.ca/events/huron-branch-michael-molnar/

Thursday, 3 October

7 pm: Practical Tools for Family History Writers, by Laura Hedgecock for OGS.
https://ogs.on.ca/october-webinar-practical-tools-for-family-history-writers-laura-hedgecock/

7:30 pm: All Kinds of Loyalists, by Kathryn Lake Hogan for Durham Branch OGS.
https://timetraces.com/durhambranch/

Friday, 4 October

2 pm: Collecting and Compiling Plantation Records: Thomas Terrell Case Study, Orice Jenkins for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/collecting-and-compiling-plantation-records-thomas-terrell-case-study/

Saturday, 5 October

10 am: Unearthed Memories: Discovering Historical Treasures in my Heritage Garden, by Noelle Tangredi for OGS London Middlesex Branch.

https://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca/events/london-and-middlesex-branch-unearthed-memories-discovering-historical-treasures-in-my-heritage-garden/

2 pm:  The Emigrants Story of an Irish Families Journey to Gilford in the Spring 1847 – The Rathwell Family, by Nick Hurdman for OGS Simcoe Branch.
https://simcoe.ogs.on.ca/branch-meetings/

Findmypast Weekly Update

Colonial Office, Emigration to Canada Enclosures to Reports
Transcriptions and images from the Canadian Colonial Office document 1,888 children who emigrated from Britain to Canada between 1887 and 1892. In addition to the child’s name, age, and emigration year, these records may tell you where an individual moved from and where they ended up in Canada. For many children, there is also a detailed description of their situation within the original record image.

Register of Boys arrived in Toronto House of Industry
These 250 register entries document boys and men who the Toronto House of Industry received between 1858 and 1864. The Toronto House of Industry was a lodging house that catered to Toronto’s poor. Each record has both a transcription and an original image.

News-Cuttings Of Dr. Barnardo
Browse-only news cuttings about Dr. Barnado’s life and work. Barnardo’s organization was the largest in terms of the number of young immigrants to Canada.

British Newspaper Archive Update for September 2024

The collection added 69 new or updated titles in September compared to 95 last month. That includes 6 new titles.

The earliest publication year mentioned is 1832.

13 papers had more than 10,000 pages added.

Shoreham Herald – 1993-1997
Whitley Bay Guardian – 1993-1994, 1997
West Lancashire Evening Gazette – 1983, 1985-1986, 1988, 1990, 1993-1998, 2000-2003
Lancing Herald – 1993, 1995-1996, 1998, 2000, 2002
Knaresborough Post – 1993, 1996-1997, 2000
Buxton Advertiser – 1858, 1860, 1894, 1963-1969, 1977, 1983-1984, 1990, 1992, 1997-2003
Shields Daily Gazette – 1987, 1990
Bridlington Free Press – 1887-1889, 1990, 1997, 2000, 2002
Rugby Advertiser – 1990, 1992, 1997-1998, 2000
Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette – 1986-1987
Eastbourne Herald – 1968-1985
Barnoldswick & Earby Times – 1957-1961, 1976-1978, 1980-1982, 1992, 1994-1995, 1997, 1999-2000, 2003
Belfast News-Letter – 1997, 2001