Anglo-Celtic Connections

A hiatus in updating UK Historical Records at FamilySearch, since the start of June, is over. Six collections have been updated. The Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire and Armed Forces collections have images.

I have found no additions to Full Text Search since 18 May, nor any updates in June for Canada in Historical Records or Full Text Search.

Growing up in England, Trevor was the first name of two people in my school class.

Trevor entered the top 100 boys names list in the 1910s, peaked at 30th in the 1950s and fell out in the 1980s. Below is a bar chart of the individual birth registrations from FreeBMD.  What influenced the popularity?

The roots are Welsh. The Trefor surname combines tref, meaning homestead or settlement, and mawr, meaning large. It started to appear as a family surname transfer. Upper-class families used it to preserve a maternal lineage or honour a prominent landowning family, such as the Barons Trevor.

Trevor slowly migrated into England. Over 10% of the Trevors in England in 1921 were born in Wales. The name was part of a broader late-Victorian and Edwardian fashion for adopting Celtic given names. 

Parents are often inspired by notable figures and celebrities such as Queen Victoria, Shirley Temple, Princess Diana, and Kylie Minogue. The mid-20th century is where, on top of an existing increase, Trevor experienced its meteoric rise.  British actor Trevor Howard became a household name following his starring role in the 1945 film Brief Encounter. His career continued through the 50s and 60s. Also, the post-war era saw a shift to two-syllable names that could be easily shortened to a sharp, single-syllable : Trev, Kev (Kevin), Nev (Neville), and Bev (Beverley).

Trevor’s decline was swift, as it was associated with the baby boomers and Gen X. It became dated, a “dad name.”

In Canada, the name trajectory was similar. Perhaps the most famous Canadian was Trevor Linden, drafted 2nd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1988, a franchise captain, and a community leader in British Columbia. Trevor Daley was another NHLer. 

I’m planning a couple of follow-on posts on UK first names that are long-lasting, have meteoric rise-and-fall, and show slow-rise and slow-fall trends.

These are essential records, especially before civil registration. The updates are for the other end of the period as they come out of embargo.

London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1925 now contains over 23.9 million records

London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1941 has also been updated, with over 14.3 million entries.

Both collections, from records at the London Archives, were updated on 9 June 2026.

For both these collections, on the page showing the hit details, Ancestry usually has a Listen and Explore link, an invitation to “Get the story behind this record for (the person’s name).”Give it a try. It provides the opportunity in the right-hand column to Listen to their story. Compiled by AI, depending on your level of expertise, you may find it expands your understanding, or it’s merely AI slop.

Press coverage of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest foreign trip notes that his first stop is Ireland, where he has strong ancestral roots.

According to an article from EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, three of Mark Carney’s four grandparents trace their origins to Counties Mayo and Cavan.

On his paternal side, his grandfather Robert Carney, who had served in the IRA during the War of Independence, and his grandmother Nora Moran from County Mayo, emigrated when opportunities in the west of Ireland following independence remained limited.

His grandmother Margaret Frances Gaffney’s journey takes the family from coal prospecting in Cavan during the 1860s and 1870s, to the coalfields of Lanarkshire in the 1880s. Coming to Canada, settlement was in the booming colliery town of Wellington, now part of Nanaimo. There, she married John Anthony ‘Jack’ Kemper, born in Dallas, Texas. Both of his parents were born in Germany.

Mark Carney is eligible for Irish citizenship, and maybe for US citizenship.

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 https://conferencekeeper.org/virtual/

Tuesday, 9 June

2:00 PM: Ottawa Virtual Genealogy Drop-In, for OGS Ottawa Branch. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86956419387

2:00 PM: ScribeAI: It Was There All Along…You Just Didn’t See It, by Janna Helshtein for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/scribeai-it-was-there-all-along-you-just-didnt-see-it/

2:30 PM: Catching the Waves: Italian Transatlantic Migrations to
the U.S, by Pamela Vittorio for Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/16501603

6:30 PM: Census Records in the Virtual Registry of Ireland, by Brian Gurrin for OGS Lambton Branch.
https://lambton.ogs.on.ca/events/census-records-in-the-virtual-registry-of-ireland-with-dr-brian-gurrin/

Wednesday, 10 June

8:00 AM: Researching the workhouse: 1945, by Rachel Kidd for the Norfolk Record Office.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researching-the-workhouse-1945-in-person-tickets-1982186226362

2:00 PM: Massachusetts Land Records: Tracing Property and Ancestors, by Seema-Jayne Kenney for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/massachusetts-land-records-tracing-property-and-ancestors/

Thursday, 11 June

Friday, 12 June

OGS Virtual Conference Starts.

11:00 AM: Land Records of Upper Canada 1 of 3: Crown Land Petitions, by Janice Nickerson for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/land-records-of-upper-canada-1-of-3-crown-land-petitions/

12:15 PM: Land Records of Upper Canada 2 of 3: Heir & Devisee Commission Files, by Janice Nickerson for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/land-records-of-upper-canada-2-of-3-heir-devisee-commission-files/

1:30 PM: Land Records of Upper Canada 3 of 3: Land Registry Office Records, by Janice Nickerson for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/land-records-of-upper-canada-3-of-3-land-registry-office-records/

Saturday, 13 June

9:00 AM: BIFHSGO AGM
10:00 AM: Great Moments
William Wallace: Family Myth, Brick Wall, Loyalist, by Carolyn Brown
Secrets: The Pullman Family Revisited, by Patty McGregor
Nottingham’s Old General, by Marianne Rasmus
https://www.bifhsgo.ca/events

A note from the OGS Quinte Branch reported that they continue to see an increase in visitors and website visitors, with the majority being US residents. The Bill C-3 legislation has seen an increase in requests across Ontario, as US residents are seeking baptism, marriage, and burial records to support their applications. It is approaching travel season, and many researchers have planned visits to our area and our Centre.

Ādisōke, a landmark co-location of Ottawa’s new Central Library and the main public space for Library and Archives Canada, is months away from opening. It’s one of the most significant developments in the National Capital Region in a generation. What does it mean for researchers?

For family historians, there’s a shared OPL/LAC genealogy space on Level 2 of Adisoke (let’s skip the accents), to be called the Family History Centre, staffed by both organizations and open to all. Both OPL and LAC databases will be accessible. Duplicate genealogy materials are to be weeded out. Whether to send them elsewhere is under review.

The Ottawa Room/Living Ottawa

The Ottawa Room at the current Main Branch has long been a quiet but valuable resource for local researchers. It’s a cramped space, more reminiscent of a storage room than a proper reading room, but it contains material hard to find elsewhere: City corporate records, including those for the OPL itself, dating back fifty years or more. The wide range of items is of genuine historical interest, even if their day-to-day demand is low.

When asked about plans for this material, OPL’s response was measured: the library is “currently reviewing which OPL corporate records will remain with Living Ottawa (a newly imagined Ottawa Room also on Level 2 of Adisoke) and which may be transferred to the City Archives at 100 Tallwood.” Some of what the Ottawa Room holds likely belongs in a proper archival setting rather than a public library. The City Archives is a logical home, but a concern is whether it’s adequately resourced to take on that role.

Worth noting, technology amenities, including a maker space, scanners and recording studios, are planned, so if you want to scan old family photo negatives or digitize an old home movie, the facility will be there.

LAC Research
If you’re concerned about consulting Canada’s vast documentary heritage, LAC’s Research Room, located on levels 3 and 4, is the place to go. It’s described as a bright, modern, and multifunctional space designed for In-depth exploration and study, with panoramic views in an environment that supports quiet work. You won’t get same-day access to archival resources; they will need to be transferred from off-site storage as at present.

The bigger picture

It is worth acknowledging that, with the Adisoke opening date still uncertain, it now looks to be in 2027; some decisions remain. Both organizations will be working through complex transitions.  Whether it be accessing locally significant historical material, the kind of thing you stumble upon in a cramped room at the present Main Branch, or having the space and equipment required for serious research in national records, the facilities look great. It is reasonable to keep asking questions to ensure the Adisoke facilities actually deliver the service we need and expect from these institutions after transitional glitches.

I’ll continue to follow developments and report back as the picture becomes clearer.

Miscellaneous items I found interesting this week.

Reminder: OGS Virtual Conference 12-14 June 2026
From Steamships to Microchips

Two new videos showcasing Scotland’s People services

Newspaper Finder
Newspaper Finder is a catalog(ue) to find “every newspaper that has a digital copy anywhere on the internet.” This initiative by Mitchell Lewis is worth trying before my previous favourite, The Ancestor Hunt, which hasn’t updated its Ontario list since November 2024.

FamilySearch Full Text search records added

Doing presentations for a family history society is good preparation for taking on a eulogy.
From Persephony, a reflection after making a BIFHGO presentation!

OGS AGM Postponed
The meeting scheduled for Saturday 5 June was postponed at the last moment. I saw the announcement in the OGS eWeekly at 6 am that morning, and subsequently found an email from the previous evening in my spam folder.  Apparently members had not been given the full Auditor’s Report to consult ahead of the AGM.  The meeting is to be rescheduled in the fall.

Every Gyles Anecdote (So Far) | QI Compilation

Thanks to the following individuals for their comments and tips: Ann Burns, Anonymous, Dawn Kelly, Gail, Sylvia Smith, Teresa, and Unknown.

At a BIFHSGO conference at LAC many years ago, Helen Osborn, author of Genealogy: Essential Research Methods, mentioned the London Library in a talk on London resources. It’s a private, membership-only institution going back to the mid-19th century.

If there’s someone in your tree who might have used the Library, the new London Library Digital Archive could be useful. It gives access to more than 70,000 historical London Library membership records dating from 1841–1950.

Who’s Who has nothing on the Library membership: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Fanny Cradock, Terence Rattigan.

There’s also Thomas Fairman Ordish, my relative, although not a direct-line ancestor. He appears from 1878 to 1903. I didn’t learn much I didn’t already know, just the name of a sponsor.

Scots Guards Memorials, 1779–1945

Findmypast has added 1,087 memorial records for the British Army’s Scots Guards for the 18th to 20th centuries. The collection covers men who fell in major conflicts including the World Wars, as well as those who served and died during peacetime deployments.

Military Service Memorial Collection, 1066–1946

Findmypast has also added 30,343 new records to its Military Service Memorial Collection, from 1066 to 1946. It now holds over 100,000 photographs and records drawn from more than 4,000 memorials across the UK, the former British Empire, and Allied nations.

You may be surprised at the detail, including name, rank, service number, campaign, death date, age, cause of death, burial place, residence, and parents’ names.

Newspapers 

This week’s newspaper update adds 312,589 pages across six new titles and updates to 31 existing publications.

New Titles

Updated Titles with Over 10,000 Pages Added

I highly recommend this compelling article in Active History. It follows Daniyal Elahi and Harris Elahi, two dedicated cadets with the Royal Canadian Army Cadets (337 Queen’s York Rangers in Toronto), as they uncover the forgotten story of Pte. Hasan Amat, a Great War casualty.

What makes this piece truly stand out is what happens after the archival file was closed. The cadets took their findings a step further, beautifully bringing to light the vital and often overlooked contributions of religious minorities in Canada’s military history.