Saturday, June 13, 2009

Facebook user names as an url

Facebook | Hugh Watkins
go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ to chose your own username as an url

My username has been set
I can now direct friends to facebook.com/hughw36.

Friday, June 12, 2009

MAPCO Map And Plan Collection Online : Map Of London 1868, By Edward Weller, F.R.G.S.

MAPCO Map And Plan Collection Online : Map Of London 1868, By Edward Weller, F.R.G.S.: "Map Of London 1868, By Edward Weller, F.R.G.S.
Revised And Corrected To The Present Time By John Dower, F.R.G.S.

This map originates from a large scale map of London compiled and engraved by Edward Weller F.R.G.S., issued in parts as supplements to the Weekly Dispatch newspaper during 1861 and 1862. The map consisted of nine sheets on a scale of 9⅜" to 1 statue mile. This map predates Edward Stanford's Library Map of London (Hyde No. 91) produced for the 1862 International Exhibition, and Weller's map is on a much larger scale than Stanford's 6" to 1 mile Library map.
The map was extremely popular with the map buying public, being reprinted numerous times, and as a result was included in the Dispatch Atlas published in early 1863. The plates for Weller's London map were purchased by Cassell, Petter & Galpin in mid 1863, and the map was immediately printed for sale by them. A copy of this printing is included in the MAPCO collection. Cassell declared that their "large map of London, as well as being the largest, is universally admitted to be the best map of London ever produced".

'A new and special survey' of London was commissioned by Cassell to update the map for publication in 1866. The work was undertaken by John Dower F.R.G.S, and resulted in a much updated and improved map that included proposed developments in London as well as the new buildings, streets and railways that had already been completed."

MAPCO : Map And Plan Collection Online: "MAPCO's aim is to provide genealogists, students and historians with free access to high quality scans of rare and beautiful antique maps and views.

The site displays a variety of highly collectable 18th and 19th century maps and plans of London and the British Isles, and also 19th century maps and engravings relating to Australia.

The MAPCO website is updated regularly, with new maps being displayed every month. Check back regularly to see what has been added.

Enjoy the MAPCO website. It is free!"

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Scotland and genealogy

Birth Death Marriage records Family history search Census family - ScotlandsPeople

1911 SCOTTISH CENSUS

The position in Scotland regarding access to the 1911 Census differs from that in England and Wales. The Census in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and Administration. Scottish legislation (Section 38 and 58 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002) exempts personal Census records from disclosure until after a 100 year closure period.

So, while 1911 Census information for England and Wales is being made available, the same does not apply to information in the Scottish 1911 Census.

The Registrar General for Scotland believes that this strikes a balance between the interest of the records to family historians and the privacy of the people recorded by the Census, some of whom will still be alive. People who completed the 1911 Census were promised confidentiality. Although that is a long time ago, it is important not to call into question the validity of the equivalent promise on modern Census forms. That could deter people from filling in the Census form, reducing the response rate and making the Census results (which are so important for many aspects of Scottish life) less accurate.

The Registrar General for Scotland plans to release the Scottish 1911 Census information just after the date of the 2011 Census (27 March 2011), by which time the 100 year closure period will have ended.

Twitter for Genealogists

Genealogy Insider - 10 Ways to Use Twitter for Genealogy: "Twitter isn’t just a place to exchange meaningless thoughts in 140 characters or fewer. For plenty of people, it’s a place to meet and learn from people who share your interests. Genealogy, for example.

Here’s how family historians can use Twitter in their research: and read the blog -- Genealogy Insider - 10 Ways to Use Twitter for Genealogy"

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

GENUKI: Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

1911census.co.uk blog

1911census.co.uk blog:

"All Welsh counties now released
June 9th, 2009

We are pleased to announce that all counties in Wales are now available on the site, a total of over 2.4 million individuals and over a million households.

As the 1911 census is the first where household schedules were preserved, you will find that some of the census returns are printed in, and completed in, Welsh rather than English - these amount to about 13% of the total schedules for Wales. To help those of you who are not native Welsh speakers but have Welsh ancestors, we have added a new section to the 1911 website which explains the Welsh returns and also provides translation tables to help you interpret your ancestors’ documents.

Our profound thanks to Geoff Riggs and the members of the Association of Family History Societies of Wales who have developed and made this information available - we are very grateful for your time and effort, and are sure that users of the site will appreciate your contribution hugely."

Index of Congregational ministers

Centre for Dissenting Studies : The Surman Index Online: "Charles Surman's extraordinary biographical card index of Congregational ministers was given to Dr Williams's Library in 1960. The Surman Index Online makes the contents available electronically via the internet for the first time. The index includes the names of about 32,000 ministers, and, where known, their dates, details of their education, ministries or other employment, together with the sources used. It covers the period from the mid-seventeenth century to 1972, and though it focuses on England and Wales, it includes Congregational ministers serving abroad provided they trained or served as ministers in Britain. Although intended as an index of Congregational ministers, it also gives details of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Presbyterians. The card index has been much used by academics and by local and family historians.

This open access online edition has been funded by a 'Small Research Grant' from the British Academy with further grants from the Congregational Memorial Hall Trust and Dr Williams's Trust. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support received from these bodies, without which the work could not have been undertaken.

This edition of the database is the property of the Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies. Citations should take the form 'The Surman Index Online, Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies, http://surman.english.qmul.ac.uk'."

Monday, June 08, 2009

The National Archives at Kew London UK

The National Archives at Kew closed to the public 29 June | The National Archives: "will be closed to the public at Kew for the afternoon of Monday 29 June from 14:00.

This is to enable us to brief all staff on a number of proposed changes at The National Archives.

You are invited to attend one of our open information meetings where Jeff James, Director of Public Services, will take you through these proposals. The meetings will take place at Kew:

• 12:15 on Thursday 2 July in the talks room, first floor reading room
• 10:00 on Saturday 11 July in the talks room, first floor reading room

We will be publishing this information on nationalarchives.gov.uk on 2 July 2009, for those unable to attend either meeting.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Sunday, June 07, 2009

moved from Geocities

Genealogy - JourneyMouse: "Getting into Genealogy

Genealogy is an on-off hobby that I pick up every now and again. Thankfully, none of the people I'm researching are going anywhere and none of them cares if I lose interest in them for months at a time.

Other members of my family were into genealogy before me, which is how I got into it. On the BECK side, my aunt (K Mary BECK) had already researched most of the BECK ancestry I now have on file before I was born. She also did a some research into the other families but the information that came to me was an ancestry tree- or a diagram showing her direct ancestors only. On the THOMAS side, a distant relative had put together a booklet of the descendants of William (Frederick) THOMAS and his wife Catherine (Carol).

So, most of my work has been checking and then expanding on the existing research. Which doesn't mean it is correct, of course!"

Genealogy Ireland

Genealogy-Irish Birth, Marriage and Death Record Finder:

by Brian Tannam

"Access all Irish Genealogical Archives
Dublin based-covering All Ireland . . . .

PLEASE NOTE......While lookups from anything listed on this website are free within reason I may quote a fee if the research you require involves visiting any of the various genealogical archives in Dublin, especially those charging "search fees" such as the GRO for civil birth marriage and death records.
Advice costs nothing and is given without the slightest obligation to hire me.


HELP ME [Brian Tannam] TO HELP YOU by keeping it short.
When communicating with me by email please NEVER SNIP earlier messages, just hit the REPLY button and include all previous messages every time

Consider exactly what YOU want first before emailing me.

When YOU decide what you require list the genealogical record or records required in the following way keeping it straight to the point.

Don't worry if you don't have all this information or if you're unsure about any aspect of it as I'll advise you afterwards as to whether or not you have enough information to work with.
List each requirement separately as per these examples - TIPS