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TheGenealogist adds new War Memorial records and property records for Hitchen

TheGenealogist has added 56,924 new individuals to their War Memorial collection, bringing the total number of fully searchable War Memorial Records on TheGenealogist to over 665,000.

 

These fully searchable records have been transcribed and their location plotted to allow subscribers to find the names of ancestors that paid the ultimate sacrifice.

 

War Memorials come in various types. Photos ⓒ Mark Herber

 

These War Memorials, from the UK and abroad, can provide us with useful details about our ancestors revealing organisations and places that they had belonged to. 

  • War Memorials can divulge links to a community, village, town etc
  • Workplace memorials can tell us where they had worked before the conflict 
  • Organisation monuments and plaques honour past members that fell
  • Former pupils and staff of a school or university are remembered at the institution
  • Names in a church, or other places of worship, tell us about religious affiliation

This release includes images from war memorials of a variety of shapes and sizes and have been fully transcribed. Covering the war dead from various conflicts including the Boer War, the First World War and World War II an ancestor’s inclusion on a memorial can be profoundly moving to find, especially as so many of the war dead will have no actual grave for us to visit. 

 

Hertfordshire Records and Maps

Also released this week are over 33,000 Lloyd George Domesday Survey records for the Hitchen area of Hertfordshire where we find the occupation and ownership records of people from across the social strata. These link through to highly detailed contemporary maps to show exactly where your ancestor lived. You can then see how the area changed over time with TheGenealogist’s powerful MapExplorer. 

 

These newly released records include the childhood home of the King’s beloved grandmother.

 

Discover More

To find out more about both of these releases, you can read TheGenealogist’s Featured Article: The Queen Mother’s childhood home and the Australian Hero killed on the streets before her coronation. https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/the-queen-mothers-childhood-home-and-the-australian-hero-killed-on-the-streets-before-her-coronation-1695/ 



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See the census in greater detail than ever before!

TheGenealogist launches 3.4 Million brand new enhanced census images

Researchers using TheGenealogist will now have access to the highest resolution and quality 1851, 1861 & 1871 census images for England and Wales ever seen online with vastly improved readability revealing even faint writing in pencil.

 

Building on the success of their previously upgraded 1891 census image release, TheGenealogist has now significantly improved the image quality of all its 1851,1861 and 1871 census images as well.

 

Clearer Images of the 1861 census finds Charles Dickens and family

 

 

TheGenealogist’s new images can really make a difference - Comparison of Old and New

 

Replacing the old bitonal images with high-resolution greyscale census images reveals  the details in the census columns or margins and where previously faint writing, shadows or pencil marks could render an image unreadable. 

 

Mark Bayley, Head of Development at TheGenealogist said:
“We’re extremely proud to announce this tremendous leap forward in clarity and readability. Thanks to the latest technology and many years of hard work, we now have the best possible images for the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 census for England and Wales. It’s remarkable just how much extra detail you can see in these images.”

 

 

 

TheGenealogist’s “Deep Zoom” images have over 5 times the resolution of previous images and yet are still fast to view, thanks to the technology used in their image interface. Writing appears sharper on the new images and allows you to zoom in to reveal what would otherwise be illegible words on other sites. In addition TheGenealogist has the benefit of searchable occupations and addresses on their census transcripts, making them quicker and easier to find.

 

Read TheGenealogist’s article:  Murder in the margin! https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/murder-in-the-margin-1688/ 



About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

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Take a look at April's Discover Your Ancestors Periodical

In the April 2023 issue of Discover Your Ancestors:

Easter uprisings: Rachel Bates explores some entertaining Easter customs of yesteryear


Your merchant navy photographs: Simon Wills presents a useful pictorial guide to the details that can aid research into maritime forebears


Master and commander: Lynsey Ford pays tribute to the resilience and human endurance of an Elizabethan ancestor


The quartermaster and the iceberg: Nick Thorne finds a Titanic survivor in the records


Completing the set: Keith Gregson reports on how groundbreaking online tools have breathed new life into his family history studies


History in the details: Materials – feathers

Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:

  • 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
  • Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
  • Free data: Titanic passenger list
  • Free ebook: Navy List 1904 - January

https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/subscribe/

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Society of Genealogist has launched its new events page

 

The Society of Genealogists (SoG) has revealed their new events page to the world: https://members.sog.org.uk/events
It's nice and clear allowing you to browse by topic, or date, or search for your favourite speaker.
 
From brushing up on your genealogy skills to delving into social history, there’s something for every family historian here. Take a look at this link and find an event now: https://members.sog.org.uk/events
 
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Find your Infamous Ancestors

These records cover wanted persons, absentees and deserter records in TheGenealogist’s latest release

 

Over 56,000 individuals and 20,802 further aliases from The Police Gazette have been released by TheGenealogist covering the years 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931 and are now available to Diamond subscribers in their Court and Criminal Records Collection.

 

Searchable by name, alias, offence among other keywords, these records have been transcribed by volunteers from UKIndexer to provide an effective resource for discovering descriptions of our wayward ancestors.

 

MEPO 6 on TheGenealogist includes the Police Gazette for 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931

 

These newly released Police Gazette records (sometimes known to researchers by its historic name of Hue and Cry) are a part of the MEPO 6 criminal records on TheGenealogist that also include Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers.

 

The images of the pages from the Police Gazette publication on TheGenealogist were originally published by the Metropolitan Police and circulated to Police forces in the British Isles. They include a number of portraits of the offenders and always give descriptive written details of the individuals. Expect to see the names of persons charged who were known but not in custody, and also the description of those who were not known, their appearance, dress, and every other mark of identity that could help identify the person. Also included in the Police Gazette were the names of accomplices and accessories, with every other particular that may lead to the apprehension of the individuals

 

Wanted for Theft and Desertion

Sections of the Police Gazette were devoted to “Deserters and Absentees” from the military and those “Discharged for Misconduct”. These provide interesting details about ancestors missing from the Army and the Navy. As an example we can find Albert Eyre, 45, a Colour-sergeant in the 1st Battalion Royal Rifles Reserve Regiment. He appears firstly in the alphabetical list on the front page of “Deserters and Absentees from Her Majesty’s Service” in January 1901.

 

Albert Eyre in the portraits of persons wanted and list of Deserters and Absentees from the Police Gazette 

 

Eyre then warrants several mentions, including a photograph of him, on the inside pages of subsequent editions. He had by then also become wanted, along with a female accomplice, by Portsmouth Police for “Stealing a considerable amount of Money.” The fugitive was described as: age 45, height 5 ft. 5 in., complexion sallow, hair brown, moustache and imperial dark, eyes grey; dress, black overcoat, dark suit, grey cap.

 

We can read that he had left Portsmouth accompanied by an unnamed woman whose unflattering description is also published: age 23 (looks older) height 5ft. 5 in., stout build, complexion sallow, hair (short) dyed auburn colour, 1 front tooth deficient.

 

TheGenealogist has an extensive Court and Criminal Records collection that can be used to discover trouble-making ancestors that include the MEPO 6 records that embrace Registers of Criminals as defined by sections 5-8 of the Prevention of Crimes Act 1871, with examples of the Police Gazettes. 

 

Read TheGenealogist’s featured article where a search of the MEPO 6 Criminal Records discovers female gang leaders known as the Queen of the Forties: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/the-queens-of-the-forties-1683/ 

 

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Discover Your Ancestors Periodical online magazine

 

If you like family or social history then this online publication will be right up your street!

In the March 2023 issue of the Discover Your Ancestors Periodical you can read the following great articles:

 

Meet the court leet: Archivist Rachel Bates reveals how court leet records can provide a fascinating window into early modern society, as well as aid family history research


Discovering Rugby, Tennessee: Helen Baggott tells the story of a utopian community which didn’t quite work as planned, but has left an interesting legacy for today


Shocking times: Nick Thorne traces historical records for Hertha Ayrton, a pioneering British engineer and scientist overlooked because of her gender


The madness of Ilda Orme: How do you finish writing a biography when you don’t know how the subject’s life ended? Follow Nell Darby on a fascinating and frustrating quest


The father of self-help: Lorraine Schofield tells the story of Samuel Smiles


History in the details: Materials – rubber

Sign up today for only £24.99 and receive the following:

  • 12 monthly issues of the Periodical
  • Access to 500,000,000 birth, marriage and death records
  • Free data: Titanic passenger list
  • Free ebook: Kelly's 1931 Directory of Bromley; including Bickley, Chislehurst, Orpington and District

https://discoveryourancestors.co.uk/subscribe/

 

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Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies Launch

Here is News of an online event Tuseday 9th May 2023:

 

The Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (SIGS) has been established with the aim of developing new courses, supporting innovative genetic genealogy research, and working alongside a growing network of partners and organisations.

The launch of this exciting new venture will showcase the research, projects, and opportunities to get involved in the work of the Institute.

Hear from guest speaker Professor Turi King who will talk about the interdisciplinarity aspects of genealogy, the development of genetic genealogy and how she uses genealogy in her work and research. 
 
Online event Tuseday 9th May 2023:
 
 
 
 
 
More about the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies:
 

An initiative to promote world-leading genealogy education, events, and research has been launched at the University of Strathclyde.

The Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (SIGS) aims to deliver academic excellence through the creation of new courses and research opportunities to run alongside the University’s long-standing world-leading postgraduate programme.  

The Institute, based in Strathclyde’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL), will also build on the success of the University’s genetic genealogy research projects and work with experts, organisations, and other faculties at Strathclyde to grow a thriving research community for anyone with an interest in family history.

The University is already home to a well-established variety of learning opportunities in the subject, ranging from beginner level short courses and free online courses to a world-leading, online Masters degree and a PhD pathway in History with Genealogical Studies.

The creation of the Institute will facilitate the development of collaborations, driven by a growing international appetite to discover ancestors, build family trees and better understand results from genetic genealogy tests. Coupled with research expertise and in-house knowledge, this will ensure course content is continually refreshed with the latest documentary and genetic research findings.

Tahitia McCabe has been appointed as Head of the new Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies. Tahitia held the position of Course Director for the Genealogical Studies Masters programme for nearly 10 years and brings a huge amount of knowledge and expertise to the role.

A new Course Director, Dr Calista Williams, has also been appointed. Calista previously worked for the University of Aberystwyth’s Lifelong Learning Department, where she headed up their genealogy short course programme.

https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/news/strathclydeinstituteforgenealogicalstudieslaunched/

 

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You can now explore Wales in the 1830s with the Welsh tithe maps in the Map Explorer™ tool

Five Welsh counties Tithe Maps are now georeferenced to modern and historic maps

TheGenealogist has linked the tithe maps for the Welsh counties of Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Monmouthshire to the Map Explorer™. For the first time TheGenealogist’s subscribers are now able to use these Welsh tithe maps, georeferenced to a variety of historic and modern maps. This will allow the researcher to see how the area has developed from Victorian times through to modern day.

 

General View Ebbw Vale

 

The tithe survey came about as a result of the Tithe Commutation Act 1836 designed to change tithes from a payment in kind to a monetary payment. These records are useful for researchers in that they record the names of owners and occupiers, from all levels of society at this time, and give details and value of their holdings. 

 

Originally tithes were made in kind (crops, wool, milk, young stock, etc.) and were collected mostly for the support of the parish church and its clergy. Generally representing a tenth of the yearly production from cultivation or stock rearing, almost all Welsh parishes were subject to this levy at this time.  

 

With Map Explorer™ researchers have the ability to display a variety of historical and modern maps so that family, social and house historians are able to view the same plot of land throughout time. Often this will reveal a landscape that has completely changed over the years, as we discover in this week's case study of a house developed in Victorian times. 

  • Total of 421,260 georeferenced tithe plots join those already released for England
  • 570 georeferenced maps have been added in this release 
  • Map Explorer™ now has a total of 5,630,801 georeferenced plots linking to Tithe records across 12,374 total georeferenced Tithe maps

See TheGenealogist’s article: Tracing a House in the Monmouthshire tithes to modern day https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/tracing-a-house-in-the-monmouthshire-tithes-to-modern-day-1678/ 




Find out more at TheGenealogist.co.uk/maps/



About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

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TNA Webinar ┃Researching your family history: 20th Century sources

News from The National Archives (TNA)

Join The National Archives (TNA)'s experts as they introduce you to the key 20th century sources for family history, including the 1939 Register, and the census records.

You will learn how to maximise your use of these popular sources, setting you on your way to discover more about your family tree.

This webinar is presented by Jessamy Carlson, Family and Local history engagement lead at TNA.

Tuesday 16 May at 14:00

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researching-your-family-history-20th-century-sources-tickets-546100309727

 

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New Release: 1871 UK Census households now plotted on Map Explorer™

The 1871 Census for England, Scotland and Wales has, for the first time, been georeferenced on TheGenealogist. This is the process of linking a record to a geographical spot and means you can now see where a household stood with links to detailed maps on the powerful Map Explorer™. This is set to make investigating the places where ancestors lived in this year even more interesting for family and house historians. 

 

Viewing a household record from the 1871 census on TheGenealogist will now show a map pinpointing its location. Clicking through from this preview map opens the powerful Map Explorer™ with its georeferenced modern and historical maps. This then enables subscribers to explore their ancestors’ area in much greater detail than on other census sites.

 

1871 census household pinpointed on Map Explorer™ 

 

Joining the earlier census releases, which saw the 1911, 1901, 1891 and 1881 census linked up to the powerful mapping tool, researchers can now easily identify with just the click of a button where their forebears had once lived and get a sense of the routes their ancestors used. 

 

Using these linked maps allows researchers to trace the thoroughfares that ancestors may have walked down as they went shopping, or popped into their local pubs for a drink. Researchers can likewise, work out the routes that their forebears may have taken to get to their nearby churches, or find the shortest way to their places of work and the direction they needed to go in order to reach their nearby park for relaxation. Historical maps can also reveal where the nearest railway station was to their home, important for understanding how our ancestors could have travelled to other parts of the country to see relatives or to visit their hometown.

 

With this powerful resource, Starter, Gold and Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist can look into their ancestors’ neighbourhood from home on their computer screens, or even access the census and the relevant maps on their mobile phone as they walk down the modern streets.

 

The Greater London Area, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire along with most towns and cities can be viewed down to the property level, while other parts of the country will identify down to the parish, road or street.

 

Albert Mansions and Albert Hall

 

In this particular census year, Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall, Gilbert and Sullivan premiered the first of their light opera collaborations at the Gaiety Theatre in London and a technologically advanced lighthouse was switched on near Tyne and Wear. 

 

Read TheGenealogist's article “Putting 1871 on the map” to discover more as Nick Thorne takes a look at events in 1871 and brings context to the census records. https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/putting-1871-on-the-map-1673/ 

 

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

 

 

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