Month: October 2024

The following is an update from MyHeritage DNA.

For a few more days, until Sunday 13 October 2024 at 11:59 pm, you can upload your DNA data to MyHeritage and get full access to all DNA features for free, forever! Uploads from Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA (Family Finder) and 23andMe are supported.

You’ll receive free access to all advanced DNA features including the Ethnicity Estimate and Genetic Groups, DNA Matches, and all tools to analyze your relationship to your matches, saving you the usual $29 unlock fee per file.

https://www.myheritage.com/dna/upload

The following is a news release from the Department of National Defence.

Oct. 2, 2024 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have confirmed that the grave of a previously unknown soldier is that of Corporal William Benjamin Cunningham, a Canadian soldier of the First World War. Corporal Cunningham was buried as an unknown soldier in Tyne Cot Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium, in 1920. The identity was confirmed through historical research conducted using numerous archival sources including war diaries, service records, casualty registers, and grave exhumation and concentration reports.
… more

A curious follow-on Facebook post from the Canadian Expeditionary Force Research Group 1914-1919 laments lack of credit given to Norm Christie in his book Sacred Places Volume I in 2011.

In the past week, as of 6 October and since 29 September, 64,333,829 additional records, that’s 20%, have been added. They are all for the USA.

Steve Little and Mark Thompson explore AI developments.

This week’s episode includes, at 23:26, FamilySearch Full-Text Search Adds a Million Canadian Probate and Homestead Records. It’s good to have a section in the podcast specific to family history alongside developments useful for family history like any other undertaking.
It’s not only Canadian Probate and Homestead Records. The most recent inventory top five are:
United States of America (316,083,898)
Canada (22,499,169)
Australia & New Zealand (12,515,981)
United Kingdom and Ireland (6,038,961)
Mexico (1,885,093). 

Other podcast content includes some impressive illustrations of ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode.

https://blubrry.com/3738800/136852759/ep15-talking-with-your-chatbot-is-now-a-reality-familysearch-adds-canadian-records-to-full-text-search-new-responsible-ai-use-series-begins/

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

All About That Place 2024
Short videos on the Society of Genealogists YouTube Channel. Here’s one that spoke to my family history interest.

“Why do people who “don’t play games” play Wordle? 

Ancestry Find a Grave indexes were updated in early October.

BIFHSGO Virtual Annual Conference
Teaghlach Gaelach: A Celebration of Irish Family History
26-27 October 2024
Registration is open!

The S&P500 Knows Who’s Going To Win The Election | Better Than Election Polls
So far this year the S&P 500 has gained +1,008.24 (21.26%).

Thanks to this week’s contributors: Anonymous, gail benjafield, Judy Humphries, Teresa, Unknown.

England Directories
This new collection consists of over 10 million transcriptions from 327 directories covering the mid-18th century through the early 20th century.

Business Directories: Highlight local businesses, their owners, and trades, offering insight into economic activities and commercial networks of the time.
Residential Listings: Many directories provide alphabetical listings of residents, allowing for research into family history and property ownership.
Government & Official Information: Listings of local officials, government offices, and services, reflecting the administrative structure of towns and regions.
Local Topography & Historical Context: Some directories incorporate descriptions of towns, points of interest, and notable landmarks.

The directories span various locations, north, south, east and west counties, from major cities like London and Liverpool to smaller towns such as Leicester, Swansea, and Lincoln.

Jersey, Huguenot Abjurations 1685-1815
These 693 transcript records document the history of the Huguenots – a French Protestant group who moved to escape persecution – in Jersey between 1685 and 1815.

Britain, Royal and Imperial Calendars 1767-1973
This collection of British calendars now contains an additional 4,395 browse-only images, which are from intermittent years between 1844 and 1926. Many years incorporate a civil service list.

Newspapers
Two titles are added this week: Garstang Courier, 1994, 1998, and Horsham Advertiser, 1997-1998.

A couple of the feature articles in the November issue are:

Demystifying Ancient Egyptian Mummies
Myths often stem from a combination of misunderstandings about ancient Egyptian culture, sensationalized accounts from early Egyptologists, and the influence of popular media. Campbell Price’s article on ancient Egyptian mummification practices exposes more myths than facts. From debunking curse myths to exploring the realities of embalming techniques and even the preservation of pets, this feature offers a scholarly yet accessible approach to a subject that has long captured the British public imagination.

Female Criminals Through the Ages
I immediately thought of Bonnie (Parker), of Bonnie and Clyde. Rosalind Crone’s list in this article includes six British women: Alice Diamond, Fanny Davies, Sarah Russell, Mary Willcocks, Tilly Devine, and Violet Charlesworth, who made their mark on the criminal underworld from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Baby farmers like Amelia Dyer don’t rate. The only Canadian who came to my mind is Karla Homolka.

Other feature articles are:

Medieval Power Play: Richard II vs Henry IV
The Forgotten Prince in the Tower
Understanding Nazi Motivation
SAS Hostage Drama.

Track my archival order (TMAO is an online feature that allows you to track the status of your archival consultation orders at 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa. It offers real-time updates and details on your orders for those with an LAC My account.

Read the LAC blog post at https://thediscoverblog.com/2024/10/01/track-your-archival-orders/.

It’s unclear whether this replaces the previous email notifications.

On 26 September, the Public Archives of New Brunswick added 338 more archival photographs to its online database! Photos are added monthly: 1,405 in August and 736 in July. There are currently 3,406 digitized images available.

https://archives.gnb.ca/Archives/?culture=en-CA

Access a wide range of place data throughout England to build a detailed picture of what culture and creativity looks like in a specific area.

Data from Arts Council England Users is mapped to show investment in culture and creativity. Over 200 other data indicators, mostly from the 2021 census, tell about people and places across the country. Areas of relative wealth and poverty remain the same for decades, if not centuries.

https://culture.localinsight.org/#/map

Subscribers to TheGenealogist can now view the locations of over 18.4 million individuals recorded in the 1841 census. Locations may be the parish, street or even house.

The Genealogist has also posted The Remarkable Journey of Working-Class Nurse, Eliza Roberts, Who Defied Expectations and Helped Shape Modern Health Care.