Anglo-Celtic Connections

Here, arranged by the increase in the number of indexed records in the past week, are the FamilySearch UK collections being worked on.

Collection	New Indexed Records	Total Indexed Records	Percent Added
Middlesex Parish Registers, 1539-1988	101,216	2,610,916	3.9
Lancashire Non-Conformist Church Records, 1647-1996	31,970	306,619	10.4
Northumberland Non-Conformist Church Records, 1613-1920	5,811	148,156	3.9
Essex Non-Conformist Church Records, 1613-1971	4,674	154,131	3.0
Surrey Marriages Bonds and Licenses, 1536-1992	3,864	7,086	54.5
Lancashire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1746-1799	3,553	22,008	16.1
Herefordshire Bishop’s Transcripts, 1583-1898	335	1,545,469	0.0
Gloucestershire Non-Conformist Church Records, 1642-1996	207	134,431	0.2
Lincolnshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1574-1885	129	73,059	0.2
Hertfordshire, Marriage Bonds, 1682-1837	58	8,958	0.6

Why are deaths now significantly fewer than normal?

According to a release from Statistics Canada.

from the end of March 2020 to the beginning of April 2021, an estimated 62,203 deaths were reported among Canadians aged 0 to 64. This represents 5,535 more deaths than expected were there no pandemic, after accounting for changes in the population such as aging. Over the same period, 1,380 COVID-19 deaths have been attributed to the same age group (those younger than 65), suggesting that the excess mortality is, in large part, related to other factors such as increases in the number deaths attributed to causes associated with substance use and misuse, including unintentional (accidental) poisonings and diseases and conditions related to alcohol consumption.

Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0792-01 Adjusted estimates of excess mortality, all ages, all sexes by week.

Statistics Canada does not comment on the many fewer than expected deaths in the last part of the period. Could it be that some of the earlier deaths were people who would have died a natural death a few months later? Or perhaps wearing masks,  social distancing and less travel has a protective effect beyond that for COVID-19?  It seems doubtful it’s the result of vaccination as mortality transitioned from more to fewer than normal deaths for all age groups in February, at the beginning of the month for the oldest cohort and the end of the month for the youngest.

The National Heritage Digitization Strategy (NHDS) was established in 2016 as a national plan to ensure the long-term preservation of documentary heritage records by encouraging quality, standards-based efforts.

In the subsequent five years what has been accomplished?

In winter 2017, with $25K funding from the Salamander Foundation, issues of four indigenous newspapers were digitized — Windspeaker (1986-2015),  Ha-Shilth-Sa (1974-2017), Turtle Island News (2001-2013) and Nunatsiaq News (1976-78).

Scan the NHDS website and you’ll find surveys and planning. If any other digitization actually occurred it’s not apparent. You’d think any other successes attributable to the NHDS would be shouted from the rooftops.

We are only what we do, not what we say we are.
Isadore Sharp

Now NHDS is embarking on strategic planning. The aim is to identify short-term and long-term projects and initiatives to be undertaken by the NHDS, understand community-driven priorities, and assist in shaping the organizational structure of NHDS going forward.

To that end, a survey that should take approximately 20 minutes to complete is at https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/l/nhds-strategic-planning-survey/.

Responses are due by Monday, 9 August 2021.

Is it worth responding?

In addition, NHDS will be holding a variety of engagement opportunities throughout the year, including an open community call planned for fall 2021.  For more information visit: https://nhds.ca/nhds-strategic-planning-process-2021/.

Will ultimate clients, like researchers (academic, business and independent) and most archives’ largest client group, genealogists, be specifically invited.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Blitz, Ancestry commissioned 80 pieces of art, each inspired by historical records from WWII. Explore the gallery to see stories of everyday people from around the UK brought to life.

Check out the YouTube video on the project and see the array of art.

Recommended. Bravo Ancestry!

There’s something in the air. Website designs are changing. The OGS site changed recently. The BIFHSGO site will change soon. And the UK Society of Genealogists site just changed.

This is the first stage in the website transformation and in the coming weeks we will continue to build up further content about our collections and services that you will hopefully find interesting and useful. We will also be expanding the members-only content for you to enjoy this summer. and will continue under development.

The web address is unchanged —  sog.org.uk/.

It takes a while to get familiar with a new design and to know where to find the items you use most often. Expect a learning curve.

Ancestry now has Staffordshire transcription records for the Church of England. These are transcriptions, no images of the original.

Births and Baptisms, 1813-1900:  3,500,466 records
Marriages and Banns, 1754-1900:  1,688,029 records
Deaths and Burials, 1813-1900: 740,349 records

Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812: 3,100,307 records

Ancestry makes no reference to a source other than the Staffordshire Record Office.

This is Ancestry playing catch-up. Findmypast and FamilySearch had a cooperative project filming and indexing those Church of England parish records some years ago.

FamilySearch already has them in its 4,850,444 item collection England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944 which appeared in 2017.  Images are linked but available only on a restricted basis at Family History Centres and affiliate libraries.

Findmypast has both transcripts and linked images in a collection that was built up starting in 2014:
Banns, 1653 and 1900: 297,663 records
Baptisms, 1538 – 1900: 1,949,460 records
Marriages, 1538-1900:  984,978 records
Burials, 1538-1900:  1,246,084 records

Choose from free online events in the next five days. All times are ET except as noted. Those in red are Canadian, bolded if local to Ottawa. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed.

Tuesday 13 July, 2 pm:  Virtual Genealogy Drop-In, from Ottawa Branch of OGS and The Ottawa Public Library. https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/.

Tuesday 13 July 2:30 pm: Using Facebook for Genealogy, by Rhonda Stoffer. for Allen Country Public Library Genealogy Center. https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5324621

Wednesday 14 July, 8 pm: Comparing Jewish Resources on the Giant Genealogy Websites, by Ellen Kowitt for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=1635

Thursday 15 July. 4 pm: Family Tree Maker. by Mark Olson for Toronto Branch OGS. Free for Toronto Branch members; $5 fee for non-members.
https://torontofamilyhistory.org/event/ftm-july2021/?instance_id=1459

Thursday 15 July, 6:30 pm: Become the Family Historian,
Before You Become Family History!, by Ken Burgener for Allen Country Public Library Genealogy Center. https://acpl.libnet.info/event/5324600

Friday 16 July 2 pm: Using Irish newspapers and other printed material, by Natalie Bodle for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=1667

Coming

Tuesday 20 July, 8 pm: The Time of Cholera: A Case Study about Historical Context, by Alison Hare for Legacy Family Tree Webinars and BCG.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar_details.php?webinar_id=1591

19 – 26 September 2021: BIFHSGO Conference. Irish Lines and Female Finds: Exploring Irish records, female ancestors and genetic genealogy. www.bifhsgo2021.ca/.

 

Editor Helen Tovey comments in her lead column about an article in this issue on whether to prune your family tree. “Now I think we can agree that pruning a family tree is a terrible idea.” “So I would say definitely don’t even think about pruning …”

Rather than the analogy of a tree why not a garden. It has a variety of plants  —shrubs, bushes, flowers of different colours that appear at different seasons, big ones, small ones (some as big as your head!), vegetables and herbs.

You may want just direct line ancestors, maybe for DNA purposes. Perhaps divide by paternal and maternal sides. Perhaps one associated with a prominent ancestor, or a brick-wall ancestor.

The garden analogy is good because you do need to weed out the speculative connections that turn out to be errors, we all make them along the way.

Here is an almost complete table of contents.

Family History News
Key 20th Century Scottish Resources
Dear Paul
20 Things You Need to Know About FamilySearch
The Life, Times and Mysterious Death of Josiah Henry Harris
Trade Directories
What We Learned at DNA Bootcamp
Family Tree Acadamy: 19th C Naval Records
Books
The Online Genealogical Index
DNA Workshop
Family Tree Generator
Twigs
Diary Dates
Your Questions
Diary Dates
Letters
Thoughts On

A reminder Family Tree Magazine may well be available free through Overdrive through your Public Library.

 

 

A gold twig resting in a rock crystal vase carved to look like water, the vase is engraved “QOWH South Africa 1900” was estimated as worth a million on the Antiques Roadshow.

Read more from the Radio Times here.

LAC is reopening at 395 Wellington Street on 13 July in a limited capacity.

Today, Monday, 12 July at 10 a.m. EST, you will be able to access the online booking system to make new reservations.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Mythologies: Voices from the past (video)

The Man Who Went to War With Canada

Canada has an access-to-information system in name only

The art of digitising war
How the Imperial War Museum updates, stores and protects records of past conflicts.

This Week from Nature Communications

Different environmental variables predict body and brain size evolution in Homo

Ten-year panel data confirm generation gap but climate beliefs increase at similar rates across ages

Thanks to this week’s contributors:  Anonymous, Gail Benjafield, Glenn Wright, Helen Billing, Judith H., Unknown.

Born in Brockley, Kent, England on 25 January 1884, Harry Ballard was educated at Mercers School, London, and London University.  He became a teacher at Williston High School, Clerk’s College, London, and Skerry’s College, London, the last specializing in preparing for the English Civil Service.

A few months before war was declared he came to Canada and was briefly an instructor at St George’s Residential School at Lytton, BC. He enlisted at Kamloops, BC, in June 1915, in the 102nd, later known as the 54th Battalion, Kootenay Regiment. He proceeded to England in November 1915 and as Lance-Sergeant married Dorothy Maud Gellen on 6 January 1916 in Stoke Newington, London.  Crossing to France in August he was evacuated to a hospital in England in December 1916 suffering from trench foot.

When he recovered he was transferred to the Canadian Army Pay Corps Milbank, London, and engaged in investigation work serving as Sergeant. He returned to Canada and was discharged in Victoria BC on July 7th, 1919. Employed by the information and service branch of the department of soldiers’ civil reestablishment in Victoria, in September 1919 he successfully passed the Examination for Junior Examiner of the Civil Service Commission of Canada, coming to Ottawa in January 1920.

He died age 38 of ulcers on 11 July 1921 leaving his wife and two small children, Maurice and Jean, residing at 90 Charlotte Street, and is buried in military section 29. 13-14 at Beechwood Cemetery.