Anglo-Celtic Connections

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.org.

This database contains 115,573 records from houses of correction across the County of Suffolk, England,  primarily from receiving books at Ipswich Gaol, with additional material from Beccles, Bury, and Woodbridge. If you had Suffolk ancestry in the period, I do, and given the population of 327,240 in 1851, there’s a fair chance of finding a miscreant.

I found a namesake of my two-times-great-grandmother, convicted of prostitution. If it had been mine, I’d know, from the surprisingly detailed biographical snapshot, details beyond the basics of name, age, and offence, such as:

• Physical description (height, hair colour, eye colour)
• Birthplace and residence
• Occupation and literacy level
• Religion and marital status
• Father’s name, birthplace, and occupation
• Complete timeline from warrant to trial, sentencing, and release

The receiving books sometimes recorded even more granular details, including which school an inmate attended, the amount and type of clothing they possessed upon admission, and whether they had prior convictions. Lists of confined inmates might note the work performed behind bars and comments on behaviour.

I asked Google Gemini to suggest five undreamed-of, but realistic, advancements in family history over the next 20 years.

Before dismissing these, pause and consider whether you’d have predicted the current state of the art in 2005.

Here’s the response:

1. AI-Driven, Global Record Synthesis

What it is: Artificial intelligence will achieve a near-perfect ability to not only transcribe handwritten, fragile, and foreign-language records, but also to synthesize them into a unified, verified life story.

• AI will automatically cross-reference information (names, dates, locations, and relationships) across billions of records worldwide—census, parish, military, land, and migration documents—regardless of data quality or linguistic differences.
• The system will suggest and validate family connections with high statistical certainty, effectively building and error-checking vast portions of your family tree automatically, replacing hours of manual record hunting.

2. Whole-Genome Genealogy 🔬

What it is: Current consumer DNA tests analyze a tiny fraction of your genome. In the next 20 years, whole-genome sequencing will become the norm and affordable, unlocking unprecedented genetic genealogical detail.

• This will allow for the identification of shared segments even with extremely distant cousins (10th+), vastly increasing the size of genetic match pools and breaking down long-standing “brick walls” in earlier centuries.
• It will also lead to high-resolution mapping of ancestral migration routes, tracking lineages not just to a country or region, but to specific historical villages or tribal groups thousands of years ago.

3. Immersive Heritage Experiences (VR/AR) 🗺️

What it is: Virtual and augmented reality will transform how you interact with your family history, moving beyond flat screens to three-dimensional, sensory experiences.

• Virtual Reality (VR) will allow you to “walk” through a digital reconstruction of your ancestor’s home, neighborhood, or village, built using historical maps, photos, and records.
• Augmented Reality (AR), accessible via a phone or smart glasses, could overlay information onto real-world locations—standing in your great-grandparents’ hometown, you’d see historical photos or record snippets tied to the buildings around you.

4. “Digital Twins” of Ancestral Data 💾

What it is: Genealogy platforms will move beyond simply storing documents and start creating dynamic, interactive digital avatars or “twins” of your ancestors based on all available data.

• This twin could be an AI-generated biography that automatically updates as new records are found, complete with a timeline and historical context (e.g., placing their life events against major local or world events).
• Future tools may even use voice synthesis and deep-learning models to simulate your ancestor’s voice based on historical recordings from their time/region, allowing for an interactive, conversational experience with your past.

5. Ethical Frameworks for Shared Genomic Data 🤝

What it is: As DNA testing reveals increasingly sensitive information (health risks, unexpected parentage), a new, widely adopted ethical and legal framework will be established for genetic and historical data sharing.

• This system will use blockchain or similar secure, decentralized technology to give individuals granular control over who sees which specific parts of their DNA data and for what purpose (genealogy, health research, law enforcement).
• This shift will be necessary to balance the powerful capabilities of whole-genome analysis with the fundamental right to genetic privacy and consent, ensuring the continued growth and trust in the field.

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

The law is changing for carbon monoxide alarms

Selected Items from the latest Documentary Heritage News

National Archive of Ireland launches search for Irish people who are 100 years or over to tell their stories
http://www.irishstar.com/news/ireland-news/national-archive-launches-search-irish-36184722

UK National Archives – The A–Z of the Royal Navy Captains’ letter project: D to M
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/the-az-of-the-royal-navy-captains-letter-project-d-to-m/

People have had to move house: Inside the British Library, two years on from devastating cyber attack
http://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/british-library-strike-cyber-attack-b2855495.html

British Library chief executive steps down amid strike action
https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/11/british-library-chief-executive-steps-down-amid-strike-action/

WWI letters reveal how social club lifted morale
http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceq0xw0e58wo

Do You Speak Cat?

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

 

 

As I write this, 9:19 PM EST Friday 7 November 2025, Environment Canada has a

Accumulating snow likely on Sunday.
What: Snowfall amounts of 5 to 15 cm.
When: Beginning Sunday morning and continuing into Sunday night.
Additional information: A low pressure system could bring significant snowfall to parts of southern Ontario on Sunday. Confidence remains low with respect to the strength and track of this weather system, and as such the areas affected and snowfall amounts may change.

The most 9 November snowfall on record for Ottawa is 10.2 cm in 1897 at the Experimental Farm. 5.1 cm was recorded in 1905.

With Remembrance Day near, FMP released a collection to honour those who served in the First World War. Each photograph, drawn from the newspaper archive, reflects courage and sacrifice.

New This Week:

Faces of the Fallen 1914-1918
3,468 records added covering 1914-1918. These images come from local newspapers that published tributes to soldiers from their communities, often showing them in uniform. Scrolling through the array of faces is salutory, like visiting a war cemetery.

Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902
22,752 new records from 1899-1902 are now available.

British Isles Gazetteers
2,658 records added spanning 1870-1904. These geographical dictionaries help pinpoint historical locations and provide insight into the places your ancestors called home.

Nine Wartime Newspapers
New titles include Citizen (London), Midland Free Press, and Western Express. These papers demonstrate how the war impacted local communities and how people experienced events as they unfolded.

The Ottawa forecast promises a mix of sun and clouds, so please join Saturday morning family historians in person at Knox Presbyterian Church, located at 120 Lisgar St. at the corner of Elgin Street, or online via Zoom.

Saturday 8 November 2025
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. EST:  Where are My Military Records?
Presenter: Ken McKinlay
Have you ever discovered that one of your ancestors served in the Canadian or British military and wondered what to do next? This talk by Ken McKinlay cuts through the confusion, guiding you to the essential collections and resources that can help you piece together the story of their service. We’ll explore where we might find a wide range of records, including attestation papers, service files, and medal cards. Discover how these documents can reveal not only your ancestor’s service to the Crown, but also vital personal details that bring their life story to light.

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST:  Military Moments
Finding Mount Ruppel: Remembering Uncle Bud
Presenter: Carol Annett
Carol Annett’s uncle, Warrant Officer Iverson Frederick “Bud” Ruppel, RCAF, was killed in action on 30 January 1944 when his Lancaster bomber crashed in a forest outside Berlin. In 1962, a mountain in British Columbia was named in his honour. Carol will reveal the surprising way in which Bud’s family finally learned about Mount Ruppel almost twenty years after the mountain was named.

Walter Preston: a Life Cut Short
Presenter: Susan Smart
Walter Preston was born in 1885 in Surrey, England; at the age of 25, he emigrated to Canada, settling in Toronto. In 1915, he enlisted in the 2nd Canadian Pioneer Battalion of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. Walter participated in what became known as the Battle of the St. Eloi Craters in April 1916, enduring intense bombardment and two gas attacks. Once a strong and capable boiler maker, Walter was declared “unfit for duty” and died about 18 months later in a Toronto convalescent hospital. In this talk, Susan will examine Walter’s wartime experience and the use of gas as a weapon.

My Dad and his Uncle Arthur, the 6th Bishop of Montreal, two fine Grenadier Guards
Presenter: Sally Doherty
Sally Doherty will talk about her Dad, Lt.-Col. Thomas H. Carlisle (whom she knew for 12 years), and her great Uncle Arthur Carlisle whom she never met. A generation apart, both set aside their careers to serve in the World Wars— her Dad leaving his law practice in 1939 to join the Canadian Grenadier Guards, and her Uncle Arthur leaving his parish in London, Ontario, to serve as a chaplain with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WWI.

At the Breaks – Book Grab
The second Book Grab will be held at the meeting. Pick up a free addition to your collection during one of the session breaks.

www.bifhsgo.ca

But only if you act by 17 November, then the price of ordering English and Welsh wills, from 1858 onward, increases from £1.50 to £16.  Horror!

£1.50 is a real bargain for what can be a multi-page document. Compare that to £8.00 for a pdf copy of a birth or death certificate.

Here are the legal details. The official government Statutory Instrument announcing the fee change for ordering English and Welsh wills is titled “The Court and Public Guardian Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2025” (S.I. 2025 No. 1126). It was made on 27 October 2025, and comes into force on 17 November 2025. Specifically, Article 3 of the Order amends the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004 to increase the fee for a copy of a document for a specific individual named in the request from £1.50 to £16. 

Act now on those wills you’ve been procrastinating about ordering to take advantage of the soon-to-disappear low fee. Go to https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

These 12 UK titles have been newly added to newspapers.com in the past month:

Newspaper Title	Location (Town, Region, Country)	Years Covered	Pages Added
West Essex Gazette (Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell ed.)	Loughton, Essex, England	1987–1987	1,320
Kidderminster Times	Kidderminster, Hereford and Worcester, England	1986–1989	11,254
Johnstone and Linwood Gazette	Johnstone, Strathclyde, Scotland	1996–2000	3,200
Maldon and Burnham Standard	Maldon, Essex, England	2020–2023	2,433
The Daily Guardian	Warrington, Cheshire, England	1891–1891	24
South Wales Daily Times and Star of Gwent	Newport, Gwent, Wales	1889–1889	956
Keighley News Midweek	Keighley, West Yorkshire, England	1995–2000	4,254
Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News	Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, England	1991–1993	2,680
The Cleckheaton Guardian, and Liversedge, Gomersal, Scholes, and District Weekly Record	Spenborough, West Yorkshire, England	1873–1873	4
West Essex Gazette (Epping and Ongar ed.)	Epping, Essex, England	1987–1987	1,408
Peeblesshire News	Peebles, Borders Region, Scotland	1992–1993	2,140
Barrhead News	Barrhead, Strathclyde, Scotland	1987–1990	7,785

Here is a table listing only the papers that received an update with editions before the end of  WW2:

Newspaper Title	Location	Years Updated (Earliest–Latest)	Pages Added
The Evening Star of Gwent and South Wales Times, Monmouthshire and Border Counties Advertiser	Newport, Gwent, Wales	1877–1889	452
West Cumberland Times	Cockermouth, Cumbria, England	1886–1952	3,870
South Wales Daily Times and Star of Gwent	Newport, Gwent, Wales	1889–1889	956
The Wiltshire Chronicle	Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England	1898–1906	3,431
The West Essex Gazette	Epping, Essex, England	1943–1953	7,240
The Slough, Eton and Windsor Observer, etc.	Slough, Berkshire, England	1940–1953	10,087

 

 

It may only contain 806 records, but spanning 1806-1831, when Irish records are rarer than a quiet night in a Dublin pub, you wouldn’t want to miss what could be a gem. I wasn’t lucky!

Expect to find index transcriptions with the following information: Name, Pension Age, Birth Date, Pension Date, Pension Place, Occupation, Length of Service, and History.

Occupations include Boatman (160) and Tide Waiter (146). A tide waiter was a historical customs officer who boarded incoming ships to inspect cargo and ensure that duties were paid, preventing smuggling. They would “wait” for the tide to bring ships into port.

The Ancestry collection is sourced from the University of Southampton;; Return of Customs and Excise Officers Superannuated in Ireland.

This database comprises 152,303 civil defence records from the City of Westminster, primarily from the two main report centres located at City Hall and Victoria Library.

The records focus on the civilian experience and civil defence operations, and include: employment records, incident reports (detailing enemy action and post-raid damage), rationing records, personal papers, applications to volunteer for Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) services, mixed correspondence from field workers, and photographs (which may only be found by browsing the collection’s images)

Depending on the record type, you may be able to find: full name, nationality, age, and birth date, address, occupation, employment start and end dates, military service date, rank, and unit, casualty date and place, death date and place, and the name and relationship of a relative. However, many records contain scant information, such as meeting minutes that refer to a person only as “Mr. Smith.”

The National Archives (UK) has made available further military records received from the British military.

The latest Ancestry release is UK Military Service Records, 1939-1959, with 247,029 records from series WO 422 now available for British infantry soldiers discharged as over age between 1939 and 1959. Records for Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Cavalry, and Guards Regiments are not included.

These records typically include names, birth dates, occupations, physical descriptions, next of kin, and regiment information. Many are attestation forms with details about enlistment addresses, birthplaces, service history, wounds, and medals received.

274 reported their birth location as Canada, while 19,854 reported the United States.

Digitization is ongoing with more records to be added online, likely in a continuing partnership with Ancestry.