FamilySearch announced in a press release today it is working with the UK family history Web site www.findmypast.com and The National Archives of the United Kingdom to increase access to select British historical records. The first major projects will provide access to millions of names of deceased British soldiers and seamen from the eighteenth to twentieth century.

Findmypast.com and FamilySearch were recently awarded licenses by The National Archives to digitize and make available both the Chelsea Pensioners retired soldiers records between 1760 and 1914, and the Merchant Seamen's collection of records dating from 1835 to 1941.

Labels: British research, FamilySearch

Earlier this month the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced that FamilySearch had added Jewish Family History Resources online to its substantial Jewish genealogical collection. The new Web page located at www.familysearch.org includes a Jewish genealogy database, a new research guide called Tracing Your Jewish Ancestors and information on thousands of Jews from the British Isles called the Knowles Collection. The Knowles Collection links individuals into family groups which are being added to continuously. The collection is available as a file that can be viewed and edited through most genealogy software programs, as reported in the Jackson Clarion Ledger, "FamilySearch adds Jewish research Web site."

Labels: FamilySearch, Jewish genealogy