The Society of Genealogists has received the following family history news update from Ancestry:

Ancestry.co.uk, has enhanced its product range by adding Living Relative Search - a service new by PeopleTracer to help Ancestry members locate living UK-based relatives.

Peopletracer is a newly formed people-tracing company from one of the UK’s leading data specialists, Tracesmart. Its founders have more than ten years’ tracing experience locating thousands of people.

In addition to building their family trees and searching 870 million UK historical family history records, Ancestry.co.uk members can now also trace lost or just discovered living relatives

Living Relative Search is a fast and convenient way of finding living relatives living in the UK. To start the search, members just need to type in the name of the family member and click ‘search’. A more refined search can also be conducted by entering the relative’s last known location or exact address.

The data is sourced from the Edited Electoral Rolls, 2003-2011, telephone directory records, land registry records and Google maps, and is regularly updated to ensure that the most accurate search is always being carried out.

Angela Wiseman from Ancestry.co.uk comments: “Increasingly, we hear stories of our members finding, or wanting to find, recently discovered relatives, so we’re very excited about providing them with the necessary tools to make connections with living family members as well as their ancestors.”

Mike Trezise from Peopletracer comments: “Working with an established brand is very exciting and will hopefully help a significant number of people connect with lost relatives.”

Click here to start tracing your lost relatives now.

Technorati Tags: Ancestry, family history, genealogy

Findmypast (sponsors of the Society of Genealogists’ centenary year and host of some 9 million names from the SoG online Library Collections)  have had a busy time recently. The Society has received the following update of new ventures and online family history records relating to the British in India.

Selections from the India Office Records and a century of electoral registers will be made online

The British Library and family history website www.findmypast.co.uk are to digitise a treasure trove of family history resources held by the Library, making them available online and fully searchable for the first time.

The project will involve the scanning of UK electoral registers covering the century that followed the Reform Act of 1832, along with records of baptisms, marriages and burials drawn from the archives of the India Office. When available online, these collections will enable historians, genealogists and family history researchers to make connections and track down details of ancestors and others at the click of a mouse – work that would previously have necessitated visits to the Library’s Reading Rooms and many hours of laborious manual searching.

The British Library holds the national collection of electoral registers covering the whole of the United Kingdom.  The registers contain a vast range of names, addresses and other genealogical information.
“Digitisation of the electoral registers will transform the work of people wishing to use them for family history research,” said Jennie Grimshaw, the Library’s curator for Social Policy and Official Publications. “Printed electoral registers are arranged by polling district within constituency and names are not indexed, so the process of finding an address to confirm names of residents is currently incredibly laborious. Digitisation represents a huge breakthrough as users will be able to search for names and addresses, thereby pinpointing the individuals and ancestors they’re looking for.”  
The other holdings included in the large-scale digitisation are drawn from the archives of the East India Company and the India Office. These records relate to Britons living and working in the Indian sub-continent during the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, up to Independence in 1948. They include over 1,000 volumes of ecclesiastical returns of births, marriages and burials, together with applications for civil and military service, and details of pension payments to individuals.

Antonia Moon, curator of post-1858 India Office Records said, “These records are an outstanding resource for researchers whose ancestors had connections with British India, whether as servants of the administration or as private inhabitants.”
The partnership between the British Library and findmypast.co.uk followed a competitive tender process and will see five million pages of UK electoral registers and India Office records digitised over the next year. The resources will become available via findmypast.co.uk and in the British Library’s Reading Rooms from early 2012; online access will be available to findmypast.co.uk subscribers and pay-as-you-go customers – access to users in the British Library Reading Rooms will be free.

Simon Bell, the British Library’s Head of Licensing and Product Development, said: “We are delighted to announce this exciting new partnership between the British Library and findmypast.co.uk, which will deliver an online and fully searchable resource that will prove immensely valuable to family history researchers in unlocking a treasure trove of content that up to now has only been available either on microfilm or within the pages of bound volumes. The Library will receive copies of the digitised images created for this project, so as well as transforming access for current researchers, we will also retain digital versions of these collections in perpetuity, for the benefit of future researchers.”

Elaine Collins, Commercial Director at findmypast.co.uk, said: “We’re very excited to be involved with this fascinating project. The electoral rolls are the great missing link for family historians: after censuses and civil registration indexes, they provide the widest coverage of the whole population. To have Irish and Scottish records alongside England and Wales is also a huge advantage. These records will join the 1911 Census, Chelsea Pensioner Service Records and many more datasets available online at findmypast.co.uk, which enable people to make fantastic discoveries day after day.”

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, findmypast.co.uk, genealogy, Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists has received the following notice -

REEL HISTORY OF BRITAIN  on BBC TWO  with MELVYN BRAGG

NEEDS YOUR FAMILY STORIES FOR A BRAND NEW BBC2 HISTORY SERIES SHOWING HOW ORDINARY BRITISH PEOPLE LIVED FOR OVER 100 YEARS…

Do you remember or have any everyday family stories or photos about…

If you have a story to tell on these topics and many more, then we want to hear it. Your story, photo, diary or home movie could play a major role in the telling the history of Britain. You could even feature on the programme.

For more information

Phone: 0161 244 3289 Email: reelhistory@bbc.co.uk

Write: The Reel History of Britain, BBC Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 1SJ

(standard geographic charges apply and calls may be included in your telecoms provider’s call package. Calls from mobiles may be higher)

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy

 Roehampton University is offering a special discount and early booking  offer to Society of Genealogists Members wishing to attend the Early Modern Ancestors Day on 18 June.

Anyone who didn’t get the opportunity to hear John Price’s excellent exposition of using the  17th Century Hearth Tax and the work of the Centre for Hearth Tax Research at at the recent SoG study day on pre 1841 research, can get another chance to hear John and other experts talk on early modern records of interest family historians.

This one-day workshop will provide information and training on how to access and employ documents, including the hearth tax and loyalty oaths and other early modern records, for genealogical research.

The morning session is composed of a series of introductory presentation outlining the context, structure and contents of early modern documents.In the afternoon there will be a programme of practical workshops across a range of skill levels where delegates will learn the palaeographical and IT skills essential to accessing the sources.

The event will conclude with a keynote lecture from Professor David Hay, examining the wider context and implications of “Surnames and the Hearth Tax Returns” followed by a drinks reception.

Lectures:

Prof. David Hey (University of Sheffield), Surnames and the Hearth Tax Returns

Dr Edward Vallance (Roehampton University London), ‘Sources to Swear by’: Researching your 17th & 18th Century Ancestors

Peter Seaman (formerly of The National Archives), The Hearth Tax: a Census for the 17th Century?

Dr John Price (Centre for Hearth Tax Research), Sourcing the Sources: Locating and Accessing Hearth Tax Records

Workshops:

Practical Palaeography: Approaching 17th Century handwriting
Advanced Palaeography: Reading and interpreting texts
IT and Internet Resources: Finding and accessing resources
IT and Databases: Understanding and analysing data
These workshops, with an onus on practical advice and assistance with specific tasks or queries, will be led by a team of experts, including:

Dr Simon Dixon (Research Fellow, Queen Mary, University of London)

Dr Elizabeth Parkinson (Senior Research Fellow, RU)

Dr Edward Vallance (Reader

Date: 18th June 2011
Time: 9.30am – 6.30pm
Venue: Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University London

Tickets:

** 30% discount on bookings before 1st April 2011**

Ticket prices include: all presentations and workshops; lunch and all refreshments; and entry to the keynote lecture and drinks reception.

Advanced booking: £70.00 (book before 1st April 2011)
Standard booking: £85.00 (after 1st April 2011)
Late booking: £100.00 (after 1 June 2011)

Special Offer for Society of Genealogists Members

Quote SOG220111 when booking online before 1st April 2011 to receive a free copy of Putney and Roehampton in 1665: A Street Directory and Guide by Dorian Gerhold (worth£9.50)

Bookings can be made for this event via the Roehampton University Online Store

Information about the Roehampton University Centre for Hearth Tax Research  and the early Modern Study Day can be found online at http://www.hearthtax.org.uk/

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy, Hearth Tax

The Society of Genealogists Family History Show will again take place as part of the Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE National History Show – 25-27 February 2011.

The Society will be waiving its £10 joining/administration fee for anyone who joins the Society at Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE 2011. Come and find us at stand 1025.

BUY 2 FOR 1 TICKETS!

Tickets for Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE! 2011 are now on sale, starting the countdown to another packed weekend of inspiration for family historians around the country.

As well as the chance to get advice from experts, history societies and representatives from all the major online resources, famous faces from Who Do You Think You Are? will again be on hand to share their experiences of filming the TV show. As well as offering a great line-up of speakers and experts, this year’s event will be expanding into a new hall. We look forward to seeing you all there!

We’re giving you the chance to buy two adult tickets for £25 – that’s a saving of £22*! To claim this special offer and get your tickets to the country’s biggest and most comprehensive family history event, simply call 0844 873 7330 or visit the Who Do You Think You Are? Live website and quote SOG2425 today! Show tickets will also be available from the SoG bookshop as usual.

* £2 transaction fee applies. Usual ticket price £22. Two for £25 offer ends 19th February 2011.

(note this is not a BBC event)

The Society of Genealogists’ Family History Show began in 1993 at the Royal Horticultural Halls. Now in its 18th year and supported by TheGenealogist.co.uk, the Family History Show is a highlight of Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE and we are delighted to be back for our fifth year working together.

As the UK’s largest collection of family history societies and specialist exhibitors, the Society of Genealogists’ Family History Show is the perfect place to learn about local research resources and have your questions answered by local and regional experts. Also featuring will be specialist researchers and businesses that can provide expertise on a range of topics and products, helping to make the Family History Show a rich resource unlike any other.

The Society of Genealogists Workshop Programme will also once more be a major feature of the event. With over 100 workshops and seminars on a range of subjects, this is a feature that no family historian can afford to miss. Tickets are free at on the day but can be pre-booked to ensure you get your place at the workshop most relevant to your search: www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk, sponsor of the Society’s Centenary Year and now host of the SoG’s online data is one of the top family history websites, offering an extensive collection of census transcripts and images, parish and nonconformist records and a selection of unique search tools to maximise your experience using this site. Visit the team on stand 825 to find out more.

Ask the Experts – get a 20 minute one-to-one session with an expert. Ever felt like you wanted to speak to someone face to face who could help you with a problem? A visit to this area of the show is a must for anyone who is stuck and needs help or is a beginner looking to start their family history research.

The Military Pavilion will be making a welcome return to Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE. Countless family historians will have discovered military ancestors and, if you’re one of them, you can’t afford to miss it.

As well as a host of specialist exhibitors, be sure to visit the DNA Workshop, supported by Family Tree DNA, which will feature renowned international expert speakers to help you to use the latest advances in genetics to further your research.?

If you are further along with your research you could really benefit from the Who Do You Think You Are? Live Conference Ticket available on Sunday 27 February. It includes entry to three exclusive lecures and a networking longe where you will be welcomed as a Conference Ticket Holder. The exclusive lectures are:
            12.00 How to make Google Work Harder for Your Family HIstory With LIsa Cooke
            13.00 Surnames, DNA and Family History with Dr Turi King
            14.00 Are YOur Ancestors Frozen in Time with Claire V Brisson Banks

One Day Conference Ticket holders can also benefit from a complimentary “My Ancestors” Publication if you join the Society of Genealogists at the show.

Technorati Tags: Family History News, Society of Genealogists, Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2011