If you’re thinking of doing research at the Suffolk Archives, think again.

The new archives building in Ipswich is closing for three months starting in October.

Two archives branches have been closed for economic efficiency since the end of August. The journey by train from the previous branch location in Lowestoft to Ipswich takes no less than 80 minutes,

Find out more at https://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/branch-closure-news/.

 

Dictionary of Selected Welsh Biographies, 1011-1969 has been added to Ancestry as a Web database.

The original, at the National Library of Wales (https://biography.wales/), has “over 5,000 concise biographies of individuals who made a significant contribution to national life, whether in Wales or more widely.”

Searching with Free Text at the NLW site for Canada surfaces 74 people, 63 males and 10 females. Canadian yields 15.

David Thompson (1770-1857) is the only one I immediately recognized.

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

The Ten Most Famous Quotes of All Time
The following are from The 365 Most Famous Quotes of All Time published by The Medium Newsletter.

1. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” — Jesus Christ
2. “Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered.” — Julius Caesar
3. “I know that I know nothing.” — Socrates
4. “Cogito ergo sum. I think; therefore I am.” — René Descartes
5. “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” — William Shakespeare
6. “Carpe diem — Seize the day.” — Horace
7. “With great power comes great responsibility.” — Stan Lee
8. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky
9. “Fortes Fortuna adiuvat — Fortune favors the bold.” — Virgil
10. “Knowledge is power.” — Sir Francis Bacon

Not included are:

There are two types of people in the world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete information.

There are three types of people in the world: those who can count and those who can’t.

Gresham College
The new session starts on Wednesday, 11 September.

S -LL -OOO-WWWW
Has anyone else been having problems with the OGS website? Most of the genealogical society sites respond in 1 – 2 seconds, too fast to time on my stopwatch. The OGS site took at least 15 seconds, and in one trial more than 30 seconds.

LAC refuses to implement order from Information Commissioner

 

As I write this, the Saturday forecast for Ottawa shows a 100% chance of rain until 6 pm, making gardening plans a bit of a washout. So, what else can you do?

One excellent option is to check out the free Legacy Family Tree Webinars, which kicked off the Webtember series on Friday. You can find links to the available presentations here.

I enjoyed Gena Philibert-Ortega’s 10 Things You Don’t Know About Cemeteries on Friday. While it’s focused on the U.S., much of the information is helpful no matter where you research.

For those with Birmingham ancestry like me, I recommend Mike Sharpe’s Researching Your Birmingham Ancestors. It’s a clear and easy-to-follow guide packed with useful insights.

The Webtember series is free for everyone until the end of the month. However, while the webinars are free, you’ll need a subscription to access the handouts.

You are invited to sit back in comfort at home with a beverage of your choice and enjoy my talk ‘Twas a Dark and Stormy Night: Connecting Weather and Personal Histories.

Join us at the OGS Ottawa Branch virtual meeting, starting at 1 pm on Saturday, 14 September.

Register in advance for this Zoom presentation at

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ode2srDsrGtAXhfOaQv62C34WuLClhA6k

All Ottawa Branch monthly presentations are free and open to the public.

From Active History: Sean Graham speaks with Marth Hanna, author of Anxious Days and Tearful Nights: Canadian War Wives During the First World War.

“We discuss Martha’s entry into the world of First World War letters, the challenge of tracking down letters from over 100 years ago, and how women on the front lines managed their relationships with significant others fighting the war. We also chat about censorship of letters, the challenge of what to share and what to hide from your spouse during the war, and what happened to relationships following the war.”

https://activehistory.ca/blog/2024/09/04/letters-of-the-first-world-war-whats-old-is-news/

It’s here, as promised.

The  redesigned site “make(s) accessing Scotland’s records easier than ever with quick, simple searching of our birth, marriage, death and census records.”

You’ll still find the same records documenting the lives of millions of Scots over centuries, as well as recently added record sets, including

Church records
Taxation records
Employment records
Prison records
Wills & testaments
Maps & Plans, and much more

There’s also a “streamlined certificate-ordering process that gives you speedy access to vital documents” and “a new, dedicated help and support section that will help if you encounter problems.”

To search Scotland’s People’s records, you need to be logged into your account or register. Fortunately, the account details saved on my computer continued to work. The site recognized a document I’d purchased years ago and displayed it without requiring me to purchase it again.

A new edition of Documenting Your Canadian Ancestors who served in World War One (1914-1918) or World War Two (1939-1945) with the Canadian Navy, by Kenneth Cox is now out from Global Genealogy. This updated 2024 edition includes more information on WW1 Merchant Seamen records.

Also reissued recently is Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation (pre-1867) Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4,
by Donald Whyte. There’s more information here.

A little bird told me a new book is in preparation to be published by Global.

When researching family history, we rely on well-known sources like birth, marriage, and death/burial records (BMDs and BMBs), censuses, probate records, and documents preserved by family members. These are invaluable, but are you exploring the full range of resources available?

Digitized newspapers and city directories have more recently become key research tools. However, other publications also offer unique insights into your ancestors’ lives. Are you making the most of them?

For instance, MyHeritage offers several specialized databases that can greatly expand your research, such as the “Historical Books – Index of Authors and People Mentioned, 1811-2003” with 494,146,925 entries, “Authors of Scholarly Articles” with 276,246,210 entries, and “Inventors of Historical Patents” with 258,995,128 entries.

I recently explored the patent database using the surname Allcroft, which is connected by marriage to my family line. Walter Lacey Allcroft, the son of businessman, philanthropist, and Member of Parliament John Derby Allcroft, was an engineer who registered seven patents. One of his patents, titled “Motor Road Vehicles,” pertains to steering mechanisms for vehicles with short swivelling axles and includes methods for preventing axle binding on pivots. The axle socket is conical at both ends, with vulcanized fibre bushes inserted into it.

While these technical descriptions may not seem particularly exciting, they offer valuable insights into Walter’s career and interests during a productive period of his life. Additionally, he is mentioned 18 times in the Historical Books database, providing further context for his achievements and contributions.

Exploring such resources can uncover fascinating details about your ancestors’ lives, offering a richer, more comprehensive understanding of their world.

Teresa at Writing My Past posts only about once a month. She blogs about “my genealogical research adventures and (I) explore the people and events from my family’s history…”

A 2 September post, Deaths of a father and son…
looks into the typhus and typhoid fever deaths of the husband and eldest son of Sarah Taylor in the spring of 1865 in London.

Do you know the difference between typhus and typhoid?

Teresa explores a range of resources for these deaths and looks into the historical context of the diseases.

Recommended,