The Society of Genealogists has added the evidence records of those candidates taking the Civil Service examinations, between 1855 and 1939, to their SoG Data Online. Members of the Society will be able to view the original documents, after logging in, while non-members can search for a name in the collection, but are not able to view the documents.
The records were originally created when candidates for the examinations had to provide proof that they were at least 21 years old. The evidence, which they submitted, very often would have been their birth certificate or sometimes a certified extract from a baptismal register. In some cases these documents were simply not available and so all manner of alternative evidence was produced, such as Indian horoscopes drawn up at a child’s birth.
The SoG says that the geographical spread of the collection is extremely wide with many births recorded from Ireland, the Channel Islands, Malta and Gibraltar plus others for British people who were born all over the world and especially in India.
The surviving documents only include evidence of birth for a small proportion of Civil Servants, some 60,000 people in all. However the collection may provide vital evidence of an ancestor’s birth date that would be difficult or impossible to prove otherwise and so break down a brick wall.
This Sunday the 25th January 2015, if you are in the area, why not head along to the Bracknell Family history Fair?
Many stalls and talks given by experts. Well worth a look!
The world's largest Family History show is being staged at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre this year from the 16th to the 18th April 2015, moving to the Midlands after many years exhibiting in London.
Tickets are on sale at: http://www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/
An interesting piece of news from the BBC reports on how scientists are investigating the murder of a man in Northampton in 1930. At the time, the man's badly-burned body was examined and samples taken during a post-mortem examination at a pub near the crime scene in the village of Hardingstone. The perpetrator was soon caught but the body was never identified.
Decades later, a woman was investigating her family ancestry when her grandmother revealed her long-held belief that her uncle was the man burned to death in a car.The uncle, William Thomas Briggs, left his home in London for a doctor's appointment in November 1930, but disappeared and was never seen again. "My family were convinced that William was the victim," said Samantha Hall, whose grandmother had confided in her.
The family were put in touch with the University of Leicester and the team that successfully identified King Richard III whose bones were found under a Leicester car park in 2012.
"The scientists were able to obtain a full single male mtDNA profile from the slide to compare to the family," a spokeswoman for the team said. The result is due to be revealed to Ms Hall shortly. There's more details available from the BBC website.
Latest news from TheGenealogist is they have significantly reduced the prices on their DNA tests. You can now buy a test for under £50! Some of the other more extensive tests offer savings of over £100 and £150 too.
DNA tests make ideal Christmas presents for genealogists or even for yourself. With the reduction in price, they are definitely worth having a look at to possibly help break down that break wall or find that missing ancestral link you've been struggling with.
There are three types of test offered by TheGenealogist to choose from:
MtDNA - Traces your maternal (Mother's) line, this test can be taken by males and females.
YDNA - Traces your paternal (Father's) Line and this test can only be taken by males (But you can ask a male relative to take it if you are female) as YDNA is only passed from father to son. Family Finder - Ideal for genealogists, this test traces both lines and gives you information on the geographic regions your ancestors are from. This test can be taken by both males and females and can show matches within approximately 5 generations.
If you'd like to know more visit http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/dna
An ideal Christmas gift? DNA testing prices now reduced by TheGenealogist
This Saturday (12th October) sees the annual Glamorgan Family History Society Fair. It promises to be another popular fair held in South Wales at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre, Merthyr Tydfil from 10am to 4pm.
Both admisssion and car parking are free and there's also a number of free talks available to attend. If you'd like to make it along and need more details visit the Glamorgan Family History Society website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wlsglfhs/openday2013.htm
Glamorgan Family History Fair on Saturday 12 October
English or Welsh family tree brick walls? Why not get some help?
There's a well received beginners level course, delivered weekly to your computer to study when you want, which offers information packed, step-by-step tutorials. Provided by Nick Thorne (a.k.a. The Nosey Genealogist), it's great for those people new to family history who would like some expert guidance on how to find their way around those potential difficulties and pitfalls that we all stumble across when researching our family history.
Also of great benefit to those who are a bit more advanced, this course quickly takes the student on to look at the many different record sets and archives that you may not have thought to look. Places that your ancestors may be hiding in full sight.
Nick Thorne is a leading family historian (with a number of years of researching family histories behind him) and in the course there are also some contributions from Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content from TheGenealogist.co.uk
Topics covered in the 12 months include:
The census collections; The Parish records; The Parish Chest; Dade Registers; County Record offices; Nonconformist; Religious records; Clandestine marriages; City and Town Directories; Census substitutes; Apprentices; Professionals; Army ancestors; Royal Navy ancestors; RAF forebears; Merchant Navy ancestors; Illegitimacy; The Workhouse; Poor Law; Death records; Burial; Wills; Rural ancestors; Bankrupts; Black sheep; Genetics and DNA; Occupations; Maps and Charts; The National Archives; Family Search Centres; Passports; Manorial records; Old Newspapers and much more!
It costs £9.95 a month but there's currently a special trial offer available. It's well worth checking out at http://familyhistoryresearcher.com/trialoffer/
New online family history training course
Here are some of the things people are saying about this course:
"You communicate in an understandable way! Thank you for the modules that I have had so far." P. Martin."I have enjoyed the time as a FHR member and thank you for your helping hand in trying to solve a problem printing out the guides." T. M. U.K."I would like to thank you for the resources, which I have received weekly, they are very interesting and informative, also a big thank you for thebrilliant customer service." P. Beilby."I am finding the course very useful, even though I have been doing family history for many years." Kind Regards, H. Stephens.
One of the latest podcasts available from The National Archives covers that all too frequent problem for family historians- hitting those genealogical brick walls. This podcast from Dave Annal provides some strategies to help you get around those brick walls and dead ends in your research.
Dave Annal pays particular attention to getting the most out of online databases and advanced techniques such as 'family reconstruction'. If you'd like to find out more you can listen to the podcast at the TNA website hereDave Annal worked at the National Archives for ten years, at the Family Records Centre and at Kew. He is now a resident expert on Your Family History magazine.
This forthcoming Saturday (15th June) sees the Southern Family History Day run by the Wiltshire Family History Society. It's at Wilton Community Centre, Wilton, SP2 0DG from 10am to 3.30pm and entry is free.
There will be a number of Wiltshire Family History Society books and publications as well as a selection of other suppliers. There is also a couple of free talks well worth going along to see. Jean Bunting of the Census Detectives has a talk on 'Making sense of the Census' at 11am and Mark Bayley from S&N Genealogy is giving a talk on 'Breaking down those brick walls' at 1pm.
There is free parking on site, so if you're in the area make sure you go along! There's more information at the Wiltshire Family History Society website
Oxfordshire Family History Society has launched a new project offering two free DNA tests to members of their society. It is open to members only who have at least 3 generations of Oxfordshire ancestors going back into the mid-19th century or earlier.
All you have to do is submit 400-600 words on why you feel a DNA test would be useful to help you discover more about your Oxfordshire family/families using DNA, including a short summary on your family and your family history 'brick walls'. Send to [email protected] before 30th May 2013. Terms and conditions apply and are available from the Editor of the Oxfordshire society.
If you are not yet a member of the family history society, but have Oxfordshire ancestors and want to enter the competition, then why not join? It's well worth the cost of the membership to have a chance of winning a DNA test. See www.ofhs.org.uk for membership details.
If you'd like more information in general regarding DNA testing for family history research, please use this link.
