Anglo-Celtic Connections

It likely flew under your radar, but there’s a change at Findmypast.

Most recently, as of Friday, there is a revamped FMP Friday Live session renamed to The Family History Show with Findmypast.

The format will now alternate — one week, a happy chat on what’s happening in the wider family history world, as seen from the UK with hosts Ellie and Liam.  The alternate week has Jen or Rose as host in a “deep dive into records.”

You’ve likely noticed that FMP releases fewer new records than previously. This past week, it was 24,453 records; before that, it was “over 28,000” and 19,990. Ancestry and MyHeritage British updates typically contain many more new records.

The change in Friday format may reflect the struggle to scrape together enough records to discuss. To be fair, there are more substantial newspaper additions each week, but see the comment below.

Another sign of trouble is that each weekly announcement provides less detail on the additions. Not so long ago, when an addition was made to BMD records, the updated parish appeared with a NEW tag in the county parish list. No longer.

Although adding newspapers to the British Newspaper Archive and FMP is healthy, much of the material is from issues that are likely born digital, so it is less costly to add.

I speculate this reflects the financial issues of the parent company, D. C. Thomson. The latest information I could find, its 31 March 2023 financial report, showed losses from publication activities. Assets are being sold, and some publications are discontinued.

Revenue from genealogy operations was flat following a bounce from COVID and the release of the 1921 census of England and Wales.  Is less being invested in acquiring new records? There appear to be no plans to add major new collections. 

Findmypast is still a major asset for the genealogical community, but it is less so than previously. I wonder whether D. C. Thomson might be ready to spin off or sell FMP. MyHeritage?

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, a tragic event in which 946 Allied soldiers lost their lives, 839 of whom were Canadian. Of those, 531 are buried at the Hautot-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery.

Among the 181 soldiers with no known grave, commemorated at the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial, is Signalman Keith Lloyd Marsh, the son of Frank and Ellen Susan Marsh of Ottawa. He is also memorialized on his parents’ gravestone at Beechwood Cemetery.

His entries in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial note that he was an “Exhibitor, Canadian National Exhibition, Ottawa.” This intriguing detail is further illuminated by newspaper records, which highlight his talent in building bird nesting boxes, a skill recognized at the Annual Hobby Show, part of the 1936 Exhibition.

Keith Marsh graduated from Ottawa Technical School in December 1937 and enlisted the following year.

Two others with Ottawa addresses who died in the Dieppe Raid were Thomas Dean, the son of Thomas Malcolm and Rachel Manson Dean, born in Ottawa, and Antonio Gariepy, the son of Edward U. and Marie Louise Gariepy, born in Quebec.

Don’t miss some engaging articles in the September issue of BBC History.

The Spy Who Hoodwinked Hitler
Dummy tanks at El Alamein. Bogus generals in Algiers. Sham armies on D-Day. All were ruses masterminded by Dudley Clarke. Robert Hutton tells the story of the British soldier who made an art form of duping the Nazis.

The King They Couldn’t Kill
Want to know why Henry VII is remembered as an intensely suspicious king, wracked by paranoia? The answer, writes Nathen Amin, lies in his death-defying rise to power.

The Genius in the Shadows
Athelstan is one of the greatest of all Anglo-Saxon monarchs. So why, asks Michael Wood, does the first king of the English remain so fiendishly elusive?

From China Cups to Letter Bombs
The suffragettes crafted a brilliant PR campaign, driven by everything from branded marmalade to marching bands. But did their quest for publicity eventually backfire? Ellie Cawthorne investigates) an Edwardian battle for hearts and minds.

Eastern Promises
Lured by rich trading prospects, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, Britain attempted to cultivate relations with China—sometimes successfully but often disastrously. Kerry Brown explores the troubled but ultimately vital links between these two ambitious realms.

Medieval England’s political miracle
From the Magna Carta to parliament, taxation to the law courts, Caroline Burt and Richard Partington examine the 13th and 14th centuries, which laid the foundations for the modern British state.

Quebec City in five places
From a French trading post to the capital of British North America, Quebec City has a storied past. David Mendel suggests five unmissable sights.

I want to thank Gail B., whose email question prompted me to look at the issue through the OPL online subscription.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

“A fool believes the tallest mountain in the world will be equal to the tallest he has observed.”
Nassim Taleb

OneMillionScreenshots: Zoom into the web’s top homepages

Worst Canadians
Here they are, as ranked in a 2007 unscientific poll by The Beaver.

1 Pierre Trudeau
2 Chris Hannah
3 Henry Morgentaler
4 Brian Mulroney
5 Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo (tied)
6 Stephen Harper
7 Céline Dion
8 Jean Chrétien
9 Clifford Olsen
10 Conrad Black.

Who would you knock off and add to the list in 2024?

AI Joke
Why did the genetic genealogist break up with their
DNA test?
Because the relationship was getting too “allele-gorical”

Rebuilding the Past, Preparing for War

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Anonymous, Brenda Turner, gail benjafield, Ian McKelvie, Nick McDonald, Teresa, Unknown.

The following is posted for the Ontario Genealogical Society

Ontario Ancestors is currently accepting proposals for our monthly 2025 Webinar Series. Our live, members-only
webinars will take place the first Thursday of the month at 7pm ET using the Zoom platform. We are also accepting proposals for our Branch and Special Interest Group centralized programming. These generally take place on the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 7pm ET.

Topics of Interest
We invite proposals on a wide range of topics, but the most popular topics for our members are:
1. Methods and Tools for Research – Where to Research – Archives, Digital Collections, Municipalities, Public
Libraries, Universities, Organizing & Storing Digital & Physical Records, Research Methodology &
Procedures (proof standards, citation, copyright…), DNA/Genetic Genealogy –
Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced, Research Planning/Execution – effective & efficient
2. Preserving and Communicating Our Family History – Writing/Publishing Your Family History, Preserving
Family Heirlooms & Photographs, Personal Legacy & Genealogy Will, Contributing to Your Genealogy
Community (indexing, transcribing, donating, volunteering, mentoring, researching), Writing/Publishing
Using Digital Media – Blogs, Social Media, Websites
3. Records for Research – Land Records (Ontario & Canada), County-specific Research Resources,
Immigration Records, Newspapers, Cemeteries, Religious Records
4. Researching Ethnic, Religious and Cultural Communities – Protestant Ancestors, Female Ancestors /
Women’s History, Catholic Ancestors, Quaker Ancestors, Indigenous Ancestors
For our Centralized Programming, we are specifically inviting proposals on the subject of local
genealogy, history, immigration, county-specific research resources, newspapers, religious & cultural
communities, cemeteries… of the following areas of Ontario:

1. Bruce and Grey
2. Elgin County
3. Haldimand and Norfolk Counties
4. Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality
5. Perth County
6. Sault Ste Marie and District of Algoma

We also specifically invite proposals on the following genealogy topic area:

1. British Home Children
2. Ireland (excluding Irish-Palatine)
3. DNA/Genetic Genealogy

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Wednesday, September 18th at 11:59pm ET
To submit your proposal please follow this link: https://ogs.on.ca/webinar-submissions/
If you have any questions, please contact: Kim Barnsdale at webinar@ogs.on.ca

We are also looking for topics on intermediate to advanced levels. Selected speakers need to be prepared to
provide Ontario and/or Canadian specific examples in their presentations as applicable. Speakers may submit up
to 3 proposals for consideration. All submissions will be reviewed but only those chosen will be contacted by
Friday, October 4th, 2024. All other submissions will be retained and reviewed throughout the year for potential
series, mini-conferences or special topic webinars in the future.
Compensation:
Those chosen speakers will receive an honorarium for their webinar presentation.

About the Ontario Genealogical Society
The Ontario Genealogical Society, founded in 1961, is the leading society in all aspects of Ontario-related family
history research, preservation and communication. Our mission is to encourage, bring together and assist those
interested in the pursuit of family history and to preserve our Ontario genealogical heritage. The Ontario
Genealogical Society is the largest genealogical society in Canada. Visit us at https://ogs.on.ca

This week’s focus is Roman Catholic records from England, Scotland and Philadelphia.

The 22,586 English Catholic BMBs, all from 1914, are for Birmingham, London, Northampton and Nottingham. 

For Scotland, there are 1,829 birth, marriage and death records from 1934, 1949 and 1974.

For Philadelphia, there are “a handful of brand-new images and transcriptions for you to explore.”How many is a handful? 38!

The week saw the addition of over 300,000 digitized newspaper pages from the British Newspaper Archive initiative—pre-1950 additions are highlighted below.

New titles:

• Whitley Bay Guardian, 1987-1990, 1992, 1996, 1998-1999

Updated titles:

• Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 1942
• Bicester Review, 1995, 2001-2002
• Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News, 1995, 1998-1999, 2002-2003
• Crawley and District Observer, 1996-1999
• Football Echo (Sunderland), 1907-1910, 1912-1915, 1924-1939, 1949, 1951-1955
• Halifax Evening Courier, 1999-2002
• Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 1978-1979, 1998-2000
• Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 1996
• Hebden Bridge Times, 1883, 1897, 1911, 1978, 1992-1993, 1996-1997
• Horncastle News, 1996, 1998-2002
• Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 1984, 1999, 2001-2002
• Littlehampton Gazette, 1940-1954, 1978, 1987, 1993-1997, 2000, 2002-2003
• Morecambe Guardian, 1961-1963, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998
• Spilsby Standard, 1997-1999, 2001-2002
• West Sussex County Times, 1998, 2003
• West Sussex Gazette, 1967-1968, 1996-1997, 1999, 2001-2003
• Worthing Herald, 1998-1999, 2002

In the unlikely event you have a 20th century connection to Portadown, Armagh, Northern Ireland, the 6,043 entries in these directories may be for you.

These transcriptions from Ancestry provide name, residence date, street address and residence place (Portadown, Armagh, Northern Ireland).

Portadown is south of Lough Neath and 37 km southwest of Belfast. Its population grew from 10,000 early in the 20th century to over 16,000 at the end of WW2.

GENUKI has an earlier directory transcription, for 1888, Another source for Armagh, as a whole is provided by John Grenham,

Another date for your diary as the summer lull comes to an end.

On Saturday 7 September 2024, Scottish Indexes Conference XXV will be available on Zoom and Facebook.

The following presentations have been announced so far:

‘Searching for ancestors in The Royal Mail Archive’ by Susannah Coster, archivist at The Postal Museum in London

‘Parochial Matters: parishes, districts and counties’ by Robert Urquhart of abbotshall.net

‘An introduction to the Forfeited Estates papers in the National Records of Scotland’ by Tessa Spencer, Head of Outreach and Learning at the National Records of Scotland

‘Scottish Burghs and Trade Incorporations’ by Chris Paton, genealogist and author of The Scottish GENES Blog.

‘Criminal Ancestors: piecing together their story from a variety of sources’ by Emma Maxwell, genealogist at Scottish Indexes

Scottish Genealogy Q&A hosted by Graham and Emma Maxwell.

Find out more at https://www.scottishindexes.com/conference.aspx

Did my comment last Sunday have any influence?

I was delighted with the announcement on Wednesday that Air Canada will launch non-stop international flights from Ottawa to London’s Heathrow on March 31, 2025. That’s a step toward easier on-site researching for those who need to visit British archives, and places our ancestors lived.

Flights will initially be operated four times weekly with Air Canada’s Dreamliner fleet.

As shown by the banner on the cover, this issue celebrates the 20th anniversary of the WDYTYA programme on BBC TV.

Bringing Family History to Life
The new series producer for Who Do You Think You Are?
reveals what to expect from the latest episodes. Looks like much the same!

20 Favourite Moments
From Danny Dyer to Dame Judi Dench, we look back at the greatest moments. They’re compiled on YouTube.

They Went Through Hell
Having provided the research for actor Vicky McClure’s
WDYTYA episode, Michael Hurst tells the full story of the Allied prisoners’ experiences in Taiwan’s POW camps.

The Irish Famine
WDYTYA? genealogist Nicola Morris explains the causes and effects of the Famine, and the resources available to research ancestors who were affected.

The Pupil Pioneers
In a short article, Ruth A Symes explains the gradual introduction of compulsory education, and what schools were really like for pupils in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Recommended.

Best Websites & Around Britain
Jonathan Scott chooses the essential free online
resources to research forebears in the Royal Navy. In a second article, he covers the latest news on the resources | for family historians with roots in Bedfordshire

Record Masterclass’ RAF WW2 Combat Reports
Simon Fowler explains how to read digitized accounts of
RAF pilots’ dogfights during the Second World War. Available records are in TNA series AIR 50 reporting on Hurricanes and Spitfires fighting with the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt fighters and Heinkel bombers during the Battle of Britain.

Tech Tips
Nick Peers describes step by step how to locate a relation’s home on old maps available online through the National Library of Scotland.

Around Britain
Jonathan Scott reveals the latest news on the resources |
for family historians with roots in Bedfordshire.

Book Notice
A recent Pen and Sword book, Who Were The Real Oliver Twists? Childhood Poverty in Victorian London, by Lynn Hamilton graphically depicts the reality of life for many Victorian children and the hardships that they were
forced to endure.

Canada’s History posted its 2024 Summer Reading Guide, an advertising section with “engaging history titles along with other new and recent books from Canadian publishers.” They are:

1. **Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin’s Fantastic SV1 and the End of Industrial Modernity** – by Dimitry Anastakis
2. **The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman** – by Gerald Friesen
3. **An Accidental History of Canada** – edited by Megan J. Davies and Geoffrey L. Hudson
4. **The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents Who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII** – by Nahlah Ayed
5. **The HBC Brigades: Culture, Conflict and Perilous Journeys of the Fur Trade** – by Nancy Marguerite Anderson
6. **Mr. Good-Evening: A Mystery** – by John MacLachlan Gray
7. **Tours Inside the Snow Globe: Ottawa Monuments and National Belonging** – by Tonya K. Davidson
8. **The Good Walk: Creating New Paths on Traditional Prairie Trails** – by Matthew R. Anderson
9. **Friends and Enemies: Essays in Canada’s Foreign Relations** – by J.L. Granatstein
10. **Becoming Green Gables: The Diary of Myrtle Webb and Her Famous Farmhouse** – by Alan MacEachern
11. **Crosses in the Sky: Jean de Brébeuf and the Destruction of Huronia** – by Mark Bourrie
12. **The Roosting Box: Rebuilding the Body After the First World War** – by Kristen den Hartog
13. **Canada and the Korean War: Histories and Legacies of a Cold War Conflict** – edited by Andrew Burtch and Tim Cook
14. **The Riel Problem: Canada, the Métis, and a Resistant Hero** – by Albert Braz
15. **A Church at War: MacKay Presbyterian Church, New Edinburgh, and the First World War** – by Alan Bowker
16. **Wheeling Through Toronto: A History of the Bicycle and Its Riders** – by Albert Koehl
17. **Fashioning Acadians: Clothing in the Atlantic World, 1650–1750** – by Hilary Doda
18. **The City of Rainbows: A Colourful History of Prince Rupert** – by Blair Mirau
19. **Remembering Our Relations: Dënesųłıné Oral Histories of Wood Buffalo National Park** – Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation with Sabina Trimble and Peter Fortna
20. **Unjust Transition: The Future for Fossil Fuel Workers** – edited by Emily Eaton, Andrew Stevens, and Sean Tucker
21. **Cape Breton in the Long Twentieth Century: Formations and Legacies of Industrial Capitalism** – edited by Lachlan MacKinnon and Andrew Parnaby
22. **Canada’s Long Fight Against Democracy** – by Yves Engler and Owen Schalk, with poems by Rob Rolfe
23. **Montreal’s Square Mile: The Making and Transformation of a Colonial Metropole** – edited by Dimitry Anastakis, Elizabeth Kirkland, and Don Nerbas
24. **History Has Made Us Friends: Reassessing the Special Relationship between Canada and the United States** – edited by Donals E. Abelson and Stephen Brooks
25. **Paris ’44: The Shame and the Glory** – by Patrick Bishop
26. **Canada and Colonialism: An Unfinished History** – by Jim Reynolds
27. **Canada’s Great War Album: Our Memories of the First World War** – edited by Mark Collin Reid
28. **The Last Logging Show: A Forestry Family at the End of an Era** – by Aaron Williams
29. **Friendless or Forsaken? Child Emigration from Britain to Canada, 1860–1935** – by Ruth Lamont, Eloise Moss, and Charlotte Wildman (the one I recommended for purchase by OPL)
30. **Frontier Science: Northern Canada, Military Research, and the Cold War, 1945–1970** – by Matthew S. Wiseman
31. **Ring Around the Maple: A Sociocultural History of Children and Childhoods in Canada, 19th and 20th Centuries** – by Cynthia R. Comacchio and Neil Sutherland
32. **Challenge to Civilization: Indigenous Wisdom and the Future** – by Blair Stonechild
33. **Untold Tales of Old British Columbia** – by Daniel Marshall
34. **The Beaches: Creation of a Toronto Neighbourhood** – by Richard White
35. **Déploiements canadiens-français et métis en Amérique du Nord (18e-20e siècle)** – edited by Yves Frenette, Marc St-Hilaire, and Marie-Ève Harton
36. **To Make a Killing: Arthur Cutten, the Man Who Ruled the Markets** – by Robert Stephens
37. **The Cause of Art: Professionalizing the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador** – by Jeff Webb