Latest news from TheGenealogist is the release of over 1.5 million parish records, covering the counties of Essex, Worcestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset. Combined with the new record releases is a new look search layout making it easy to use on all devices.
The records cover the period from the mid 1500s to the early 1900s. The parish record collection can be searched by name, spouse's name, father's name, mother's name, birth date, baptism date, marriage date, burial date and by parish using the SmartSearch features available on TheGenealogist.
For more details please go to TheGenealogist website.
The following is a plea from Shirley Williams of the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in Caernarfon.
We at the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in Caernarfon are starting the mammoth task of looking for photos of individual soldiers from the RWF who were killed in the Great War. We are trying to put each man’s name on display on a screen on the centenary of his death and would dearly love to be able to add a photograph of each man to go with his name. It is a huge undertaking as there were over 10,400 men from the RWF that were killed. But even if we only get a fraction of the photographs we believe it is worth doing. Many of the RWF were from all over so we are asking please could you help? You can help us by circulating our plea to anybody who is interested. Many families have photographs tucked away so this might prompt them to seek them out. We accept scans or copies and any that appeared in newspapers, which often carried obituaries including photographs. We need as much information as possible to go with the photo to make sure we fit the right photo to the right man – but sometimes a name and date of death might be all we need. Email us on [email protected] for more details or to send us a photo. You can also follow our progress on Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Welch-Fusiliers-Museum/146060182083938
Photos of the Royal Welch Fusiliers are now sought
In a flash the major family history show of 2014 has been and gone. Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2014 at London Olympia (and its new opening days of Thursday to Saturday) seemed to generate a healthy number of visitors. Attendees were steady although it was felt not exceeding the levels of previous years.
However, there was a healthy number of exhibitors and as expected a focus on the commemorations of the start of The Great War, with the Imperial War Museum present. All the usual main family history websites were present in what was as ever, a very enjoyable family history exhibition. Did you attend or exhibit, let us know what you thought of Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2014!
Mark Bayley of TheGenealogist delivers one of his popular talks
Latest news from S&N Genealogy Supplies is the release of a new parish record download, from the parish records of London Bishopsgate St Nicholas Acons. Included in the set of records is the parish book that amazingly survived the Great Fire of London when the church was destroyed in 1666.
If you want to get your hands on the data records quickly, this parish record collection is available as an instant download.
There's more details available from the S&N Genealogy Supplies website.
New parish records download available from S&N Genealogy
With 2014 marking the centenary of the start of The First World War, the premier family history exhibition 'Who Do You Think You Are Live? has announced a special 'Military History' area on the Gallery Level of the show hall at London Olympia.
The confirmed exhibitors include The National Archives, the RAF Museum, Belgian Tourist Board, BBC History and the National Army Museum.
The event starts on Thursday 20th February 2014 at 9.30am and more details can be found at the Who Do You Think You Are? website
If you like to keep up with the latest news and developments in the world of family history, then the new online periodical 'Discover Your Ancestors' could be just what you're looking for. Also packed with various interesting articles on all aspects of family history research, it's a must read for all genealogists.
And if you'd like to win a free sub...
The latest competition run by TheGenealogist is currently available to enter on Facebook. It’s a ‘name the place’ competition and there’s a 100 free 12 issue subscriptions to ‘Discover Your Ancestors’, the online family history periodical up for grabs.
If you’d like to enter the competition, go to https://www.facebook.com/thegenealogist?ref=hl
New facebook competition to win online periodical 'Discover Your Ancestors'
The National Archives have an interesting free talk scheduled for Thursday 13 February, entitled 'Spies like us: the secret life of Ernest Oldham'.
Presented by Dr Nick Barratt, author and TV presenter, the talk is of interest to anyone keen to find out about the past work of the security services and the files stored on their work at The National Archives. The security service files are held in 'series KV 2' and include fascinating details on many ordinary people, such as Foreign Office clerk, Ernest Oldham, who entered the world of espionage in the 1920s and 1930s, often with tragic consequences.
There's more details available on the free talk from The National Archives website.
The story of Ernest Oldham and the world of espionage
The website change.org which gives people the opportunity to raise petitions for causes they believe in and to gather support is promoting a petition raised by Ailsa Burkimsher Sadler.
Ailsa is campaigning for changes to the format of the marriage certificate. Her petition raises the following points, quoting directly from her petition page on change.org :
"In England & Wales mothers' names are not on marriage certificates.
This is not fair.
This is 2014.
Marriage should not be seen as a business transaction between the father of the bride and the father of the groom.
This seemingly small inequality is part of a much wider pattern of inequality.
Women are routinely silenced and written out of history.
There is space for the name of the Father of the Bride and the Father of the Groom and their occupations. On civil partnership certificates there is space for mothers, and on Scottish and Northern Irish marriage certificates."
Over 20,000 people have already signed the petition. As well as for equality, the more information there is on a marriage certificate will also benefit family historians and researchers in the future who will be glad of the extra family information! If you'd like to get involved in the campaign go to the change.org website
For those that haven't seen it or aren't on the mailing list, the new edition of the free email news from S&N Genealogy Supplies is now available to download. With all the latest news on new record sets from TheGenealogist and also new downloads and directories available to purchase from S&N, as well as archival products, it's well worth taking a look at.
There's also a competition to win a pair of tickets for the forthcoming Who Do You Think You Are? Live Show at London Olympia. To download a copy of the email news, go to the S&N Genealogy Supplies website.
The Imperial War Museum have announced that TV historian Dan Snow will be a special guest at Who Do You Think You Are? Live at London Olympia. Dan has been chosen as their official ambassador of their 'Lives of the First World War' project and will be attending the Show on Thursday 20 February.
For your chance to meet Dan Snow, there's more details on the Who Do You Think You Are? Live website.
Dan Snow will be appearing at Who Do You Think You Are? Live
