What's new in Ancestry and findmypast?

Ancestry

• London, England, Poor Law Hospital Admissions and Discharges, 1842-1918 - Infirmaries attached to workhouses were used to provide some relief for the impoverished elderly, chronically ill and anyone who suffered from one of many ailments prevalent at the time.
• UK, WWII Alien Internees, 1939-1945 - Details of foreign nationals interned by the British government during World War Two.

findmypast

• Britain, marriage licences comprise licences obtained in Bedfordshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, London, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. There is a mixture of handwritten and typed record books from 1115 until 1906.
• Lancashire Wills & Probate 1457-1858 - These records include an image of the index books which will give you details about the type of material available, the probate year, and your ancestor's occupation and residence.
• 1939 Register update - Over 287,000 additional 'open' records have been added to the 1939 Register.

Free access to these and other online resources is available on any library computer if you are a library member.

Family History books you may have missed...

There's not many new books out at the moment so here's a few recent ones that may have slipped past.

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy (2016) Blaine T Bettinger

Unlock the secrets in your DNA! This plain English guide is a one-stop resource for how to use DNA testing for genealogy. Inside, you'll find guidance on what DNA tests are available, plus the methodologies and pros and cons of the three major testing companies. There's also advice on choosing the right test to answer your specific genealogy questions. Once you've taken a DNA test, this guide will demystify the often overwhelming subject and explain how to interpret DNA test results.

Tracing history through title deeds, a guide for family and local historians (2017) N.W. Alcock

Property title deeds are perhaps the most numerous sources of historical evidence but also one of the most neglected. A sequence of concise, accessible chapters explains why they are so useful, where they can be found and how the evidence they provide can be extracted and applied. Family historians will find they reveal family, social and financial relationships. Local historians can discover from them much about land ownership, field and place names, the history of buildings and the expansion of towns and cities.

Tracing your nonconformist ancestors (2017) Stuart A. Raymond

In the mid-nineteenth century almost half of the English population were Nonconformists and there were very few villages where there was not at least one Nonconformist chapel. Stuart Raymond identifies the numerous websites, libraries and archives that local and family historians need to consult. Most Nonconformist denominations are discussed; not just the mainstream Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers and Methodists, but also obscure sects such as the Muggletonians and Glasites. There is even mention of two groups who regularly appear on our doorsteps today: Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons.

Scottish genealogy. 4th ed. (2017) Bruce Durie

This fully revised and updated fourth edition of Scottish Genealogy is a comprehensive guide to tracing your family history in Scotland. Addressing the questions of DNA, palaeography and the vexed issues of clans, families and tartans, and with a new chapter on DNA and genetic genealogy, Bruce Durie covers both physical and electronic sources. In doing so he explains how to get beyond the standard "births, marriages and deaths plus census" research, and reminds the reader that there are more tools than just the internet.

Family and Local History Events

Our popular Family History talks and workshops continue with Starting your Family History a successful new addition to our range. Keep an eye on our What's On in Libraries pages to see if we are coming to a library near you!

Over at West Sussex Record Office their Coffee Time Workshops are booking up fast! Or maybe you are interested in a talk on Tuesday? Forthcoming talks include Chichester Festival Theatre on 30 April and D-Day 75: West Sussex on 28 May. Visit the website for more details.

What's new elsewhere?

We regularly give you details of new records being added to Ancestry and Findmypast but what about elsewhere on the internet?

• Familysearch post articles about new records every week (or two) with details of how many records have been added and whether they are transcriptions or include original images.
• British Newspaper Archive lists titles that have been added to over the last seven days. It shows whether it’s a brand new title or more years added to an existing title. You can also see what’s coming up.
• FreeBMD - while it doesn’t tell you exactly what’s been added it does tell you when the database was last updated. You can also view percentage charts to see the progress of coverage for Births, Marriages or Deaths.
• Family Tree and Who Do You Think You Are? magazines both have news pages giving details of new records and archives, events, TV programmes and other family history related news.

Looking for ancestors who may have lived in the Weald?

Have you found The Weald website? http://theweald.org/home.asp

This site is packed full of digitised resources for the Weald of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. It catalogues the people, places, maps, drawings, writings, directories, books etc. that are over 70 years old into one integrated database. You can find such material as transcriptions of various parish registers, genealogical pedigrees of numerous families as well as pictures of people and places. The resources are conveniently organised by the relevant towns or villages which helps when looking to see what information is available for a specific place. The site is continually being updated as information becomes available so it is always a good idea to check to see what’s new.

The Weald is just one example of a website that has been created to help with researching ancestors from a particular area. It is always worth investigating to see whether there’s a website out there to help you with your family research. If you can’t find anything obvious contact the local history society for the area you are investigating. They should be able to point you in the right direction!