Anglo-Celtic Connections

Saturday, 8 June, sees the final BIFHSGO monthly meeting before the summer break, online and in-person at Knox Presbyterian Church, (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall.

9am: Annual General Meeting and Launch of the 30th Anniversary

10 am: Great Moments in Genealogy

Just a Wannabe Scot
Presenter: Veronica Scrimger

This is the Great Moment story of how the discovery of a tombstone in Arbroath, Scotland, ignited Veronica and Dave’s fascination with his Scrimger family history. But it actually all started when a friend declared that Yorkshireman Dave Scrimger was “just a wannabe Scot.”

Veronica Scrimger is a retired librarian and researcher. While her husband, Dave, did all the initial genealogy of his Scrimger family, over the last seven years, Veronica used her skills to uncover the history of their lives.

Locations and Occupations: Using Census Analysis to Explore Family Dispersion
Presenter: Paul Cripwell

The census can provide that golden moment, when you find something that makes everything feel right! This talk is not only about one of those moments, but also about what happens next: the new avenues of research that become necessary to gain a better understanding of your family history.

Paul Cripwell’s journey into his family history began when he retired from Nav Canada in 2018. Needing something to keep his mind active, he quickly discovered that family history was the perfect project. It required all the analytical and investigative skills he had acquired over his 40-year career and it was also a never-ending project, so he would never get bored. His research into his Cripwell side has revealed much new information and a greater understanding of the lifestyle of his ancestors.

Mystery in the Vestry
Presenter: Jim Pot

Decades ago, a vintage desk, possibly more than 150 years old now, was donated to Knox Presbyterian Church. It sat gathering dust and cobwebs in the recesses of the church’s boiler room until, one day when was it offered to the current minister, Rev. Jim Pot. While the desk was being restored for resurrection into the vestry, research into its provenance revealed that it may have belonged to an assassinated Father of Confederation. Join us as Jim shares the legend of the unfinished mystery in the Knox Church Vestry.

Rev. Jim Pot is the minister at Knox Presbyterian Church.

A reminder for OGS members, the Society AGM is online only starting at 11 am.

Don’t miss this opportunity, from 5 am ET on Thursday!

To mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Findmypast is offering free access to millions of historical records and newspapers from 6-10 June.

Here’s the press release:

Between 6-10 June, Family history website, Findmypast, is making millions of its family history records free to access* to mark the 80 th anniversary of D-Day, so you can uncover and honor their stories and sacrifices.
Explore your wartime ancestor’s story with the largest collection of British and Irish newspapers online, digitised in partnership with the British Library.
Among the pages, you might find details of bravery or moving tributes to the fallen – rich details that can help you feel closer to your ancestors. You can also uncover the wider story of D-Day as it happened in the newspaper reports or look more closely at the impact of the war on your own community. Make sure to clip, save, and share articles of interest using the new Collections feature on Findmypast.
Findmypast’s family history records can paint a vivid picture of what your ancestor was doing during wartime. They may have been a prisoner of war, helped on the home front, or worked as a Red Cross volunteer. Discover their whereabouts on the eve of war in the 1939 Register and delve into the largest collection of British Army records anywhere online, including regimental records and the British in India collection, which runs right up to 1947.
Uncover those all-important life events in the most comprehensive collection of British parish records online, and check Findmypast’s vibrant Photo Collection for a glimpse into life during wartime.
Preserve your findings with Findmypast’s online family tree builder and share their legacy with family and friends.
It’s also a perfect time to explore your own family archive for letters, diaries or photographs. Keep your ancestors’ memories alive by sharing their stories with your loved ones, and share your findings online using the hashtag #FindMyFamilyHero.

Jen Baldwin, Research Specialist at Findmypast said: "80 years on from D-Day and the stories of service and sacrifice remain extremely poignant and relevant to us today. We invite everyone to discover their own family’s wartime stories with free access to Findmypast’s records this weekend and preserve them for futuregenerations.”

*Records on Findmypast (apart from the 1921 Census of England and Wales and Tree Search) will be free to access for all signed-in users from 10am GMT Thursday 6 June, until 10am GMT Monday 10 June 2024.

ENDS

Claire Santry has published at Irish Genealogy News a list of volunteer-donated records sourced from eight burial grounds across the island of Ireland, They are from counties Carlow, Cavan, Fermanagh, Kerry, Limerick, Mayo, Offaly (Kings), and Wexford.

John Grenham at Irish Ancestors has temporarily made available five databases taken offline by Dublin City Council. He writes there are five, but only links to four. As they say, there are three kinds of people, those who can count and those who can’t. However many, see them at https://www.johngrenham.com/dcla/ .

As of 30 May Deceased Online coverage for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire is enhanced with about 130,000 new records from Broxtowe and Erewash. Locations are:

Beeston Cemetery – 20,341 records from 1886 to 2014, including 46 CWGC from both world wars.
Chilwell Cemetery – 2,070 records from 1934 to 2014, including 12 from the Second World War.
Eastwood Cemetery – 8,081 records from 1889 to 2014, with 13 from both wars.
Long Eaton Cemetery – 16,895 records from 1884 to 2014, with 42 from noth wars.
Park Cemetery – 27,754 records from 1892 to 2014
Stapleford Cemetery – 7,931 records from 1908 to 2014, including 18 from both wars.
Bramcote Crematorium – 41,763 records from 1979 to 1996

For more details, visit Deceased Online.

A reminder that you are invited to a meetup at the Canadian War Museum cafe on Thursday, The weather forecast is  Showers. High 25. Will likely choose the inside option.

https://www.anglocelticconnections.ca/2024/06/02/ottawa-genealogy-meetup-on-d-day-anniversary/

Here are the contents of the new issue, a benefit of membership in the Society of Genealogists.

• The Medieval family who adopted their name from Gaddesby in Leicestershire  David J. Lewis
• NextGENeration Discoveries: A Global Genealogy Event Like No Other
  Paraphrasing “On 5th October, the Society of Genealogists and the Family History Federation will present an online conference with a difference. In almost 12 hours of inspirational talks by young speakers from across the world, they will explore genealogical methodology in ways you’ve never imagined before.”
• The Hebdons: An English merchant family and their relationship with Russia
  Peter Wynn
• Your Questions Answered: Discovering Your Military Ancestors;  A Genealogy Research Guide
• Going for Gold in 2024                                                                                      Ruth Willmore
• The Jones Printing Dynasty – the worthy and the unworthy; the translator and authoress; and ‘Goody Two Shoes’                  Melanie Winterbotham
• Improvements to parish registers initiated by Daines and Shute Barrington
  John Wintrip
• Photograph Albums – a thing of the past?                                            Helen Dawkins LRPS
• Book Reviews and Bookshop News
• Obituary – Dr Anthony Joseph, 1937 – 2024
• Deceased Members

Centre pull-out section: Society of Genealogists’ News

Going beyond BMD notices, these indexes are currently available for Ireland and Northern Ireland with 24,406,691 records, Wales with 91,690,301 records, and Scotland with 70,696,188 records.
They allow searching by name in  newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™. Links to the newspaper article in which the name was found are included in the index.

The index may include the following information:
Name
Inferred residence place
Inferred residence date
Publication date
Publication place
Newspaper title

These records may well surface the human interest stories essential to drawin the non-genealogist. Let’s hope we won’t have to wait too long for other areas.

Eighty-five years, 8,603 records means a little over 100 records per year for this collection obtained from Scottish Indexes.
The index will typically provide : Name, Gender, Registration Age, Birth Date (Year), Birth Parish, Birth Place, Residence Place, Occupation, Registration Date, Registration Parish, Registration Place, Title, Reference Number CO4/32/7 p. 727 and a link to the source at Scottish Indexes.

Find out more about these records and the Scottish poor relief system and records from the Scottish Indexes Learning Zone.

Join us for an Ottawa family history meetup at the Canadian War Museum cafe on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Socialize with fellow genealogists and share our passion for uncovering family histories.

Date: Thursday, 6 June (corrected from the 5th)
Time: 1 pm
Location: Canadian War Museum Cafe

The present weather forecast for the day is cloudy, with a 60 percent chance of showers and a high of 24°C. Fortunately, the museum cafe offers both indoor seating and an outdoor terrace, providing comfort regardless of the weather.

Parking: Metered street parking is often full, but the museum basement has ample paid parking. This is especially convenient for those with mobility issues, as there is an elevator to the main level.

Public Transit: The Pimisi O-train station is about 500 meters from the museum, making public transit a viable option.

The cafe is accessible without paying the museum entry fee.

Come and connect with our community, share stories, and maybe even discover new insights into your family history. I look forward to seeing you there!

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Does God Exist? A Mathematical Answer.

Love, grief and assisted dying
From the Wellcome Collection. In this deeply affecting story, Michelle Elliot explores the events and emotions around the time of her mother’s medically assisted death in Canada, where the practice is legal.

Ancestry adds New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896

Advanced Notice: Family History: Using military history records
On Friday, 28 June, Will Butler, Head of Military Records at TNA will explore how using these sources can enrich genealogical research and help develop your understanding of an ancestor’s time in military service. This webinar, presented on Vimeo,  will focus on army, navy and other records prior to the Second World War.

Most viewed new YouTube Genealogy Items, more than 1,000 view in the past week. Mostky US.

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Alison, Anonymous, Teresa, and Unknown.