Since the magazine name change earlier this year from 'Your Family History' to 'Discover Your History', we've now read a few issues from the new editorial team. There was a note of surprise in the genealogy world when the magazine changed its format and style but the new version is both a good read and educational in its choice of topics.
With an emphasis on social history, the magazine appears to complement the other magazines on the market and offer something slightly different. With in-depth articles on how life used to be, it's a good entertaining read.
If you haven't seen it yet, there's more information on their website.
If you have seen a recent issue, we'd love to know your thoughts!
As we enter the month of December, here's a Christmas gift suggestion for a fellow family historian or even a seasonal treat for yourself!
The full range of 2014 Family Tree Maker software available is now available in stock to purchase from S&N Genealogy Supplies.
What's New in Family Tree Maker 2014?
Improved TreeSync — lets you easily synchronize your tree in Family Tree Maker with an online Ancestry.com tree.
More organizational tools — stay organized with new tools that let you sort children automatically by birth order and view people by location, grouping them by country, state, county, and city.
New and improved charts and reports — more options and views let you display an individual’s ancestors, spouses, and children together. Also, the Index of Individuals Report has been expanded with options for anniversary, birthday, and contact lists, and more.
New tree branch export — a new export option makes it much simpler to export a single branch of your tree.
More editing options — save time with the ability to copy and paste facts including related source citations, media items, and notes.
As someone with a large collection of slides and negatives gathered over the years, I took the decision to invest in a 'Slide and Negative Scanner' a few months back. It was well worth it.
Slides and negatives can be difficult to view and are often passed down from one generation to the next. With modern technology they can often be forgotten and just left in a cupboard.
This is where the Slide and Negative Scanner comes into its own. No longer do you have to set up bulky slide projectors to view those old images. The Slide and Negative Scanners are light and easy to use, you can view your slides or negatives quickly and easily and then store the images on a memory card and transfer the images to your computer by a USB lead.
Available in a 14 Megapixel or the lower specification standard 5 Megapixel version, no family historian should be without one. I've been really impressed with mine. Do you have one? We'd be interested in your views on how the scanners have helped you view your slide collection.
If you're thinking of a Christmas present, or would like to treat yourself, there's a new range of scanners available from S&N Genealogy Supplies. There's more details here at http://www.genealogysupplies.com/product/Slide-Negative-and-Film-Scanners/intro
Ideal for bringing those forgotten pictures back to life!
A new initiative was launched last week at The Houses of Parliament with a joint project by The Archives and Records Association (UK and Ireland) and The National Archives to raise awareness of archives, their value to society and the impact they have, every day, on individual lives.
Clem Brohier, Acting Chief Executive of The National Archives, was joined by MPs, Lords, archivists, guests and campaign ambassadors at the parliamentary launch, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Archives and History.
The campaign is aiming to encourage people to visit archives. So far, hundreds of local, specialist and national archives across the UK and Ireland have been holding events, open days and exhibitions to showcase highlights from their collections.
Caroline Williams, President of The Archives and Records Association remarked: "Public awareness of the role of archives is essential. Especially in the difficult times we find ourselves in. There are too many people who do not understand what an archive is or what an archivist does. We hope this campaign will bring many new people to an archive - in person or online."
There's more details on the initiative at: http://www.exploreyourarchive.org/
Acting Chief Executive of The National Archives, Clem Brohier, introduces the new initiative
In a busy week for TheGenealogist , there's another set of records now available online for Diamond subscribers. Over 18,000 new records are now accessible online from the ‘National Union of Teachers’ War Records from 1914 to 1919. These records include a list of teachers who joined the forces, those who received honours, and also those who were sadly killed, plus other information relating to the National Union of Teachers during the war.
Covering all N.U.T. members who served in the war and also discussing issues of the time, there's details on pensions, salary levels of teachers who joined the army and fund raising for relief in Europe.
The records are a comprehensive list of members of the National Union of Teachers who served in the Great War. The teaching profession and its members responded to the great nationwide pressure to ‘do their bit’, with most male teachers of service age answering the call to arms.
The records provide an interesting insight into how a specific profession and its union coped with the events of The Great War. Taken from the National Union of Teachers War Records 1914 to 1919 publication, the records can be found in the War Service Lists in the Military Records section on TheGenealogist. There's more details available at http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/news.php#latest
Teacher Jack Harrison was rewarded for outstanding bravery in World War One
Latest news from TheGenealogist is the release of specialist records dedicated to the Royal Navy actions at The Battle of Jutland in World War One.
Available to Gold and Diamond subscribers to TheGenealogist is a full record set of the Royal Navy servicemen killed or wounded in the battle. TheGenealogist is the only family history site to provide a complete specialist section devoted to these particular records.
The new Battle of Jutland records provide a full list of the men killed or wounded in the battle, with their rank, name of ship and date of death taken from official Admiralty sources. Records of the men lost range from Rear Admiral Robert Arbuthnot, commander of the 1st Cruiser Squadron who went down with his flagship HMS Defence, to 16 year old Jack Rutland who although mortally wounded stayed at his post on board the damaged HMS Chester.
For more details go to http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/news.php#latest
The major naval battle of World War One
HMS Warspite and Malaya- two of the Royal Navy ships involved in the battle
If you're looking for early Christmas presents for a fellow family historian, then it may be worth taking advantage of this current offer from S&N Genealogy as reported in their latest email newsletter.
With certain Family History Springback Binders ordered before the end of November, you receive a FREE fold-out seven generation ancestor chart, which has been designed specifically for the Springback binders. If you'd like more information go to http://www.genealogysupplies.com/product/Springback-Binders/intro
To mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F Kennedy, The National Archives have digitised the British Government's reaction to the events in 1963 and made it available online.
The file, known as 11/4582 includes the draft statement prepared for then Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home in which he told the nation: "You have heard the dreadful news. I find it almost impossible, as I expect you do, to accept the fact that President Kennedy is dead."
The file also includes the telegram messages from The Queen and former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to President Kennedy's widow.
There's more information available from the TNA website at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/891.htm
If you live in or are visiting the South Devon area, you may want to take advantage of a free local family history event In Newton Abbot, Devon this weekend. It's a 2 day event, starting today and continues on Saturday 16th November from 9am to 3.30pm.
It's run by the South Devon Family History Club, along with Devon Family History Society, and is the sixth Family History Weekend they have organised.
The event will be held at the Passmore Edwards Centre in Newton Abbot.
It should be of interest to family historians of all levels. There will be researchers on hand to help with all those frustrating genealogy queries we all come across!
Latest news from The National Archives is the final set of records relating to' colonial administration' will be available to view in the reading rooms at the TNA from Friday 29 November 2013. Within this new release are records from Malta, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, West Indies and many other countries. The National Archives have been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to transfer and release these colonial administration records.
The material reflects events in the territories generally (pre-independence from Britain) and Her Majesty's Government's views at that time. If you had an ancestor or relative living or originating from these countries, the new release of records may be a useful read to find out more about life in that country at that particular point in time.
There's more information available from The National Archives website at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/890.htm
