Resource Tips From a Pro

When it comes to genealogy resources, we all appreciate the essential, love to come across the innovative, and are . . . well, delighted . . . by the delightful. Even if you don't live in Canada or have Canadian ancestry. you may be interested to read the recent article by Tammy Tipler-Priolo, "Essentials, Innovations & Delights," on BayToday.ca, as the author shares favorite resources used in her own "everyday research business." Among those mentioned are resources for Canadian, French Canadian, English, Irish, and Scottish research. When I was working in the software industry, in the field of human factors, the most successful programs went beyond functional to delight the users, which meant, exceeding expectation. To call a resource delightful is high praise, indeed.

New online Wales and England burial records date back to 1538

According to an article today in ic Wales, "New online family research sources," online family tree researchers will be able to delve 300 years further back into their histories from today, thanks to a new register of burials in Wales and England. The database, available on www.findmypast.com, dates back to 1538, predating the centralised registration of deaths in Wales and England, which began in 1837. It includes details of more than 13 million burials contained in parish registers, non-conformist registers, Roman Catholic, Jewish and other registers as well as cemetery and cremation records. All the records are cross-searchable, making it possible to search for ancestors by surname without needing to know where in the country they came from.

England & Wales Birth Marriage and Death Indexes 1837-2005

Noted on the Ancestry.co.uk web site is the addition of its Birth, Marriage and Death Index collections - registration records of every Birth, Marriage and Death recorded in England and Wales for 2005. With 1 million plus names, Ancestry.co.uk is currently believed to be the only site where you can view the complete Birth, Marriage and Death records for 1837 to 2005 inclusive.

Index to Irish Marriages, 1771-1812 online

The Index to Irish Marriages, 1771-1812, has been added to the Ancestry.com database. According to Ancestry, this database was originally published in London in 1897 and contains the names and marriage dates of Irish and English marriages. The information in this database was abridged from the pages of “Walker’s Hibernian Magazine,” from its first issue in 1771 until its discontinuance in July, 1812.

Researching the origin of immigrant ancestors

When researching your family, especially in the United States, you will eventually come across an immigrant ancestor. Learning more about that ancestor before they came to America can present many challenges. In her article, "Origins of Immigrant Ancestors," Karan Pittman provides some general information on researching immigrant ancestors, with an emphasis on records and resources for England.