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Leslie Weir in the Hot Seat

On 21 April, Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Leslie Weir, was a witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. Assisting her were Jennifer Schofield, Assistant Deputy Minister, Collections Sector, who responded with detail to several questions, and Jean Deschamps, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Sector, and Chief Financial Officer.

Much of the questioning focused on LAC’s decision to allocate a major part of its funding cuts to the Access to Information activity, particularly staff cuts. LAC does not meet the legal requirement 20% of the time in responding to ATIP requests.

It was noted that during COVID, staff were unable to access required records, resulting in a growing backlog. In the past year, it has been cut in half. MPs were concerned that the rate of progress would not be sustained with fewer staff.

Part of the information given was that a large part of the requests are for military files related to the Second World War.  A new policy, that files for individuals born 110 years ago will no longer be reviewed. should help reduce the backlog.   That applies to 30% of the files today, and 54% by 2030.

However, I heard no commitment to digitize those files and make them freely available for online self-service, cutting the human out of the loop in the same way as for earlier military files.

It was refreshing to see LAC managers being asked probing questions, not only from opposition members.

A video of the hearing, which runs for about 50 minutes, is at https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2?fk=13449931

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Findmypast Weekly Update

Durham Diocese Probate Index, 1663-1869

These 566,645 additions cover over 200 years of legal and personal history, providing a window into the estates and legacies of those in the North East. It includes 134 Chickens.

National Burial Index for England & Wales

The burial records collection has been expanded with 223,246 additions spanning back as far as 1538. The whole index is now over 12 million records, including 627 Chickens.

Cumberland and Lancashire Burials

In partnership with the Cumbria Family History Society, Findmypast has published over 80,000 burial records. These additions cover 46 locations across the region from the 17th to the 20th century and appear within the Cumberland Burials and Lancashire Burials record sets. 11 Chickens in total.

Newspapers
Another 340,466 pages were added this week, with five new titles and updates to 21 existing publications.

New titles

  • English Chartist Circular, 1841-1843

  • English Leader, 1866-1867

  • Grimsby Advertiser, 1861-1887

  • Putney & Wandsworth Borough News, 1885-1895

  • Wearside Catholic News, 1907-1908, 1914-1934

Updated titles:

  • Bookseller (1979–1995)

  • Coventry Evening Telegraph (2003-2004)

  • Dundee Weekly News (1885–1950)

  • Mining Journal (1845-1856)

  • Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette (1898–1928)

  • Reynolds’s Newspaper (1950-1962)

  • South Wales Echo (2001-2002)

  • Sporting Post (1924-1950)

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Size Matters: but the male body is more fragile than it looks

A recent study in Biology Letters (2025) confirms that while men are generally taller and heavier, these “sexy and formidable” traits are high-maintenance and come with a hidden biological cost that may impact long-term survival.

The Sensitivity of Stature

Researchers analyzed global data and found that as living conditions improve, men’s gains in height and weight are more than double those of women. In the UK, records from the early 20th century showed men’s heights increasing by 0.69 cm every five years, compared to just 0.25 cm for women.

This suggests that the male body is highly “condition-dependent.” When nutrition is poor or disease is high, male growth is the first thing to be sacrificed. Women, by contrast, are more resilient; their bodies are built to withstand environmental fluctuations without compromising their development as severely.

The Connection to Longevity

This biological resilience likely plays a role in why women consistently live longer than men. The study and its companion research highlight several key factors:

  • Resource Management: Women have smaller frames and less metabolically demanding organs. This makes the female body more “efficient” at surviving on fewer calories and resisting stress.

  • The High Cost of Growth: The same hormones, like testosterone, that drive the development of a “formidable” male body can be taxing on the immune system.

  • Maintenance vs. Muscle: By not investing as heavily in extreme physical size, the female body can divert more energy toward cellular repair and long-term maintenance.

Ultimately, while a taller, heavier frame may have offered advantages in our evolutionary past, it remains a “high-risk, high-reward” strategy. The very traits that make the male body formidable also make it more vulnerable, leaving the more “resilient” female body better equipped for the long haul.

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UK Full Text Search Update

On 27 April, FamilySearch added over 6.4 million UK (England) records in four collections to the Full Text Search collection.

United Kingdom, England, Deaths, from 1922 to 1938
United Kingdom, England, Marriages, 1897
United Kingdom, England, Properties, 1961
United Kingdom, England, Religious, from 1792 to 1814

The records are a very mixed bag. I hoped a search of just the updates would be possible. Judging by the types of records returned and their dates, I recommend instead doing a whole corpus search for your term (name) of interest, then filtering down by place and date range.

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Ancestry Incorporates the 1926 Irish Census

Ireland, 1926 Census of the Irish Free State

Ancestry has added a new collection featuring an index of 2,972,451 items drawn from the 1926 Census of the Irish Free State. Each entry includes a link to images of the original census pages, hosted on the National Archives of Ireland website.

The census itself comprises two key documents. The Household Form A captures personal details for every individual present in a household on census night, while the House and Building Return Form B provides supplementary information about the size of the dwelling and a more precise home address.

Ireland, Griffith’s Valuation, 1849–1865

Ancestry has also updated its 1,347,783-item index of individuals who occupied property in Ireland between 1849 and 1865.

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Interfaith Marriage

Have you ever found an interfaith marriage hidden in your family tree — a union that must have caused raised eyebrows, quiet disapproval, or outright rupture? They are more common than we might expect, even in eras when the barriers seemed insurmountable.

In England and Wales, the Marriage Act 1836 swept away many of the civil law obstacles to interfaith marriage, opening the register office as a neutral alternative to a church ceremony. But the law only went so far. Canon law and communal tradition were another matter entirely, and the social costs of marrying outside one’s faith could be steep.

For Jewish families, the stakes were particularly complex. Jewish identity is matrilineal: a child of a Jewish mother is Jewish regardless of the father’s religion. But the marriage itself remained religiously invalid within the community and was widely stigmatized. A Jewish man who married a non-Jewish woman produced children who were not halachically Jewish — unless the mother converted, a step that required significant commitment and was by no means guaranteed.

The Catholic Church held an equally firm line. In a mixed marriage, the non-Catholic partner was required to promise that any children would be baptized and raised Catholic, and that they would not interfere with their spouse’s faith. These pledges were legally binding in church law — not merely aspirational.

Four cases from my own family tree

Here is how these tensions played out across four interfaith marriages in my English family during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Jewish & Catholic

A Jewish man appeared in his children’s baptismal records under a false, non-Jewish first name — presumably to avoid scrutiny or to satisfy the priest. His civil marriage certificate, however, told a different story, recording his Jewish birth name in full. The two records, side by side, reveal a careful act of concealment.

Catholic & Anglican

The husband had been raised Catholic but was non-practising by the time he married. With no pressure to enforce the Catholic Church’s requirements, the path of least resistance prevailed: the children were brought up Anglican, in their mother’s faith.

Anglican & Catholic

Here, the Church’s terms were met squarely. The marriage was solemnized in a Catholic church, and the child was raised Catholic — a straightforward adherence to the promise the Anglican spouse had been required to make.

Jewish & Anglican

In perhaps the most striking case, a Jewish man converted to Anglicanism before marrying the daughter of an Anglican minister. The children were raised in the Church of England. He maintained warm relations with his Jewish parents throughout — suggesting the conversion may have been a pragmatic step rather than a wholesale rejection of his heritage.

Do you have an interfaith marriage in your ancestry? How did your family navigate the pressures of faith, law, and community — and what traces did they leave behind in the records?

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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.

Tuesday, 28 April

Wednesday, 29 April

  • 2:00 PM: Mastering the ICAPGen Accreditation Process: Your Path to Professional Success, by Torhild Shirley for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/

Thursday, 30 April

  • 6:30 PM: Genealogical Shock: Now What? Moving Forward After Unexpected DNA Results, by Rebecca Rothman McCoy for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
    https://acpl.libnet.info/event/15984459

Friday, 1 May

  • 2:00 PM: Insight into State Archives: ARCs, IRADs, ONAHRs, and Other Branches, by Paula Stuart-Warren for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/

Saturday, 2 May

  • 10:00 AM: Celebrating the 125th Birthday of The London and Middlesex Historical Society: Notable Members Through the Years (Hybrid), for OGS London & Middlesex Branch.
    https://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca/events/

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Legacy Family Tree Webinars – 50% off

Regular readers of the blog know I think Legacy Family Tree Webinars is the best deal in commercial genealogy. Now, until Sunday, 3 May, you can subscribe for half off. That’s $25US. What a deal, although for new memberships only.

“Your membership grants you immediate, unlimited access to every recording in the collection, including:

AI for Genealogists: 56 classes in the library covering the cutting edge of genealogy and AI—ready to watch right now.
Monthly Deep Dives: Access full-day intensive recordings on the Census, DNA, and AI, plus upcoming sessions on photography, Jewish Genealogy, Germany, technology, methodology, and U.S. records.
Regional & Ethnic Research: Dive into specialized collections for Ireland, England, Australia, France, African American, Jewish, Canada, Mexican, Italian ancestors and so much more.
Tools & Technology: Master modern software, photography preservation, and digital organization.
Expert Methodology: Learn professional techniques for citing sources and breaking through decades-long “brick walls”.”

Subscribe here

It’s such a good deal, I won’t hesitate to remind you before the end of the sale.

BIFHSGO members in Ottawa can expect news of a chance to win a free subscription.

 

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Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

Population change in Europe between 1961 and 2024
Scroll down for a zoomable map.

Planning and Preparing Your Genealogy Legacy
Last minute, Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET. OGS Halton-Peel Branch Online Meeting hosts Heather McTavish Taylor.
https://haltonpeel.ogs.on.ca/

From Wulfstan of York to Pete Hegseth, fake Bible verses have often been politicized

‘Bombing our little hearts out’ — How Trump taps into America’s enduring appetite for destruction

All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)

Round the Horne
Here’s an episode I recall when it was first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme.

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips:  Anonymous, Gail, Teresa, Unknown.

 

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Findmypast Weekly Update

Ireland, Directories and Almanacs 1844-1928: This collection is updated with 13,056,071 records. They help fill in the gaps prior to the 1901 census and between census years.

Ireland National Census Reports 1926-1991: Another 17,068 records are added to this set, providing a statistical look at Irish life throughout the mid-to-late 20th century.

Newspapers
This week’s addition is 236096 pages of the Daily Star, back to its founding in 1978. A tabloid, its content revolves around celebrities, sport, and news/gossip about popular television programs, such as soap operas and reality TV shows.

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FreeBMD April Update

The FreeBMD Database was updated on Friday, 24 April 2026, to contain 295,650,593 unique records, increased from 295,418,598 last month.

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

https://childthemewp.com