366 Days of Genealogy

Once a day on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page a new post is shared. There is a theme for each month and December’s was census records. This is the last post for the 366 Days of Genealogy.

In 2013 on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page we are doing 52 Weeks of Genealogy. Each Friday I post a tip and suggestions that follow a monthly theme.

December 1

The topic for December is census records. When people think about doing census research one of the first places they look is Ancestry where you can find census records for many countries.

December 2

For English census records check out Findmypast

December 3

In the United States there is FamilySearch which also has census records from other countries.

December 4

Cyndi’s List has a list of census records for the United States.

December 5

A Genealogy Research Guide has a list of free US census sources.

December 6

When you are researching US census records don’t forget to see if there are any state or territorial censuses taken between the federal census years.

December 7

You can find US census records on Worldvitalrecords.

December 8

The Census Finder will help you find free census resources for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Native American, Norway and Sweden.

December 9

The Library and Archives Canada website have a list of all the places you can find Canadian census records online. Just remember that some of these records may not be complete yet.

December 10

Automated Genealogy is a good place to look if you can’t find someone in a census database somewhere else. This is a free website and the index is good. Right now you can look at the 1901, 1911 Canada census and the 1906 Northwestern Census, the 1851 census for New Brunswick and the 1852 for Canada East and West.

December 11

The 1851 Canada census had some difficulty getting started so some of it was taken in the first part of 1852.

December 12

Did you know that some areas of Canada including Ontario have census records earlier than 1851? They are usually head of household and may need to be viewed either locally or the Archives of Ontario. Some are available online.

December 13

Did you know that the 1871 Canada census has a mortality schedule and it lists the people who died in the previous twelve months?

December 14

You can also find out the lot and concession number for the land on which your ancestors lived in Ontario by looking at Schedule #4 of the 1871 census. You need to know the page and line number on the personal census to cross reference it. Each section of the census has mortality and Schedule #4 starting at the end of the personal census.

December 15

The 1901 and 1911 Irish census is available to search online for free. Don’t forget to check all the pages of the census that relate to your family. You might be surprised by what you find.

December 16

The Irish census records prior to 1901 were destroyed but some fragments still survive. Check out John Grenham or James G Ryan’s books for the county you are researching to see if any survive for that area.

December 17

For Scotland the first place to check for census records is Scotlandspeople.

December 18

If you want to save a little money in your search then Ancestry and FamilySearch have the indexes for the Scottish censuses online. You can check them out and if you find them then you have the reference you need to find them on ScotlandsPeople fairly quickly.

December 19

In the 1841 Scottish census they do not provide relationships or household connections on the census. The place of birth is either inside or outside the county where the census was taken.

December 20

Do you have family on censuses in Canada, the United Kingdom, United States or Ireland? Then you might consider using Lost Cousins. Read the instructions carefully as they use a specific format. It is free to upload your information but you pay a fee to contact a link. Sometimes they offer free access periods. The newsletter is full of useful information.

December 21

In a lot of early census records the ages might have been rounded up or down to the nearest five for adults. Keep this in mind when you are calculating ages.

December 22

Information found on the census can be questionable but it is a good place to start. Remember that the person providing the information might have guessed at ages and places of birth. If a father was giving ages for a long list of children he may have gotten a few wrong.

December 23

When you are doing census research find out the dates of enumeration. This can be important if you are looking for a family but they are not found. It could be they weren’t in the area yet or had recently moved on to a new place.

December 24

Try and think about what your family may have been doing during the time of the census. The 1901 Irish census was taken on 31 March 1901. My Great Grandmother was not found with her family because she married on March 12th.

December 25

I found one Irish ancestor who normally lived in Tipperary in the English census in 1901 because she was visiting her Aunt in Derby.

December 26

Don’t forget to check the FamilySearch Wiki for information on census records for all countries.

December 27

Did you know that there was an index for the 1841 New South Wales Australia census? You can search it online for free but if you want a copy it costs $15 AUS plus postage.

December 28

If you are searching for census records in New Zealand the pre 1966 records have been destroyed.

December 29

Familiarize yourself with the details and background as to how and why the census was taken. This will help you with your research.

December 30

Don’t just think of a country wide census. In Ireland the local churches often took censuses of their parish. I found one for 1831 which listed the head of the house and then the rest of the household were listed as: number of males, number of females, number of male servants, number of female servants. It also provided the townland where he lived. I have found church censuses in other countries as well.

December 31

Next time you fill out your census forms please remember the family members who may be searching for information on you in the next 100 years. In Canada this means ticking the little box that says you allow this information to be released otherwise it will never be released to the public.

To follow the new 52 Weeks of Genealogy all you have to do is “Like” Blair Archival Research.

©2013 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

Once a day on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page a new post is shared. There is a theme for each month and November’s was Scotland. You will get bonus posts relating to the theme but only on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page these will not be posted on the monthly blog review.

November 1

The topic for November is Scotland. Scotland has a lot of information available online. The first place for anyone researching Scotland to check is ScotlandsPeople. You will need to register to search the indexes and purchase credits to view the images.

November 2

ScotlandsPeople not only have online databases they have helpful resources to aid you in your research.

November 3

ScotlandsPeople is a pay per view website but you get the images of the records which is almost as good as seeing them in person. Sometimes there are mix ups but in my experience they have always been quick to fix them and offer assistance.

November 4

You find census records, civil registration, OPRs and Catholic baptism registers at ScotlandsPeople but you will also find Wills and Testaments from 1513-1925.

November 5

The National Library of Scotland has an online database of maps.

November 6

The NLS also has an online database of Post Office Directories.

November 7

The NLS have many choices in their digital gallery to help you learn something new about Scotland and your ancestors. It is a great place to fill in some of that background for your family history.

November 8

Did you know that there are settlements of Scots in Argentina? You can find out more at “The Scots in Argentina (including Argentine and Chilean Patagonia) 1800-1950.”

November 9

You can find more Scottish Directories at Internet Archive.

November 10

The National Library of Scotland has a page called “Scots Abroad: Stories of Scottish Emigration” where you can find out more about the experiences of Scottish emigration.

November 11

The Scottish National War Memorial honours nearly 150,000 Scottish casualties from the First and Second World Wars and other campaigns after 1945.

November 12

The University of Aberdeen has a Scottish Emigration Database which has records of 21,000 passengers from 1923 and 1890 to 1960. They left from Greenock and Glasgow to non-European ports.

November 13

The National Archives of Scotland have a list of guides to help you with very specific records.

November 14

A rather obscure database is “Historic Hospital Admission Records Project (HHARP)” which has a database of records for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow and it covers the period from 1883 to 1903. You can search admission records by name and year of birth.

November 15

Trying to find a place where a specific record might be held? The Scottish Archive Network is an online catalogue for 52 archives around Scotland.

November 16

The Scottish Archive Network has a great Research Tools section.

November 17

You can find digital images of the “Glasgow Herald” at Google News.

November 18

If you are looking for information on burials in Scotland then try Deceased Online. They cover most of the United Kingdom and the list of cemeteries in Scotland is growing daily. This is a pay per view website. You can click on Database Coverage to see what cemeteries are included.

November 19

Don’t forget to join the local family history society for the town or county where your ancestors came from in Scotland. They are a wealth of information and not everything is found online. The Glasgow & West of Scotland Family History Society is a good choice.

November 20

The National Museums of Scotland have the Scottish Life Archive. Their aim is to collect and preserve items relating to Scotland’s “material culture and social history.”

November 21

The Statistical Accounts of Scotland (1791-1845) is a good resource for Scottish research.

November 22

Electric Scotland is a place to find some reference material. They have books, history, gazetteers and many other items. The site is rather full visually and sometimes you get pop ups but don’t let those put you off because you may find something really interesting.

November 23

If you have Orkney ancestors then check out Find Your Orkney Ancestors.

November 24

One gem I found in my research was “The Diary of Thomas Scott of Dalkeith his voyage to Australia on the ship “Skelton” from 13th June to 27th November 1820.” I have collateral lines that went to South Australia in 1825 and 1830. This gives me a small idea of the kinds of things they went thorugh on their way to Australia.

November 25

“Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry” Third Edition by Kathleen B. Cory Revised & Updated by Leslie Hodgson is a good book to help with your Scottish research.

November 26

Another good book is “In Search of Scottish Ancestry” by Gerald Hamilton-Edwards. Both yesterday’s book and today’s are older books but they are good resources to help you find out about the different Scottish records.

November 27

Chris Paton has a book called “Discover Scottish Church Records” which should be in everyone’s library.

November 28

Another of Chris’ books is “Researching Scottish Family History.”

November 29

I like Dave Moody’s “Scottish Local History An Introductory Guide” it helps with the background research to your Scottish family history.

November 30

As I have said with other countries you always need a good gazetteer. I use “The Gazetteer of Scotland 1882” by Rev. John Wilson.

To get a new tip each day all you have to do is “Like” Blair Archival Research.

©2012 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

Once a day on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page a new post is shared. There is a theme for each month and October’s was church records. You will get bonus posts relating to the theme but only on the Blair Archival Research Facebook page these will not be posted on the monthly blog review.

October 1

This month we are going to look at tips that will help you with your church research. The first thing to remember is that your family may have practiced a particular religion but when it came to baptism, marriage and burial it may have been a case of the closest church available, particularly if they lived a fair distance from their church of choice.

October 2

When researching the parish of your ancestors remember to search the surrounding parishes in case they may have decided to frequent the churches in those parishes. You never know they may have had a falling out with their church and started worshiping in another.

October 3

Ancestry.ca has the Drouin Collection (1747-1967) an index of Catholic Church records in Quebec and Ontario.

October 4

Did you know that in the very early days of settlement in Ontario if a couple wanted to get married and there was no church within 20 miles of their home that they would put a notice up on a tree in the town to announce their intention to marry. If they got no objections they were married. This must have happened in other places as well.

October 5

Did you know that the United Church of Canada began in 1925 and was created from congregations that were Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist? If you can’t find your people in the archives for those churches try the United Church.

October 6

The Public Archives and Record Office of Prince Edward Island have a Baptismal Index that spans roughly from 1777 to 1923.

October 7

There is an indexed called Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register for the Province of Ontario.

October 8

A great book for Irish church records is “Irish Church Records” By James G. Ryan published by Flyleaf Press.

October 9

There is a free searchable database at Ancestry.com’s ProGenealogists website called “Church of Ireland Parish Registers and Vestry Minutes at the RCBL in Dublin” RCBL is Representative Church Body Library.

October 10

Irish Genealogy which is part of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has a searchable database for church records. This is a work in progress and more are being added each month. These records refer to both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. You will find some Presbyterian records for Dublin.

October 11

Are you looking for Diocese and Parishes for the Church of Ireland? You can search their webpage to find current information. You will find the current minister and contact information. You may also find a website that could provide you with more information.

October 12

Want to get really confused about the history of the Scottish church? A copy of “Burleigh’s Chart of Scottish Churches” is a must in any genealogist’s library. You can find a reproduction in Kathleen B. Cory’s book “Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry.”

October 13

In Scotland sometimes a couple just had to announce their intentions to marry to people in their town and they were considered married. No record in a church or civil registration had to be made. This is one variation of an Irregular Marriage.

October 14

The ScotlandsPeople website has church registers for the Church of Scotland (Old Parish Registers OPRs) and the Roman Catholic births and baptisms.

October 15

Trying to find a parish in England? See if the Parish Locator can help. You can even find the distance between two parishes to see if your ancestors may have traveled to another parish to worship.

October 16

Another free resource is Online Parish Clerks (Genealogy) which is still a work in progress and covers only a few counties. They are looking for volunteers so if you can help I am sure they will appreciate it.

October 17

Ancestry.com has some location and date specific church records for England: London, West Yorkshire, Dorset, Warwickshire and Liverpool to name a few.

October 18

Ancestry.com also has some location and date specific church records for the United States. It appears to centre on the eastern states.

October 19
FamilySearch has a long list of christenings and burials in their catalogue for the United States.

October 20

FamilySearch has a database called “Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959” and one called “Canada Deaths and Burials, 1664-1955” these are general databases but the births and baptisms is a much larger database. Some of the information may be from the old International Genealogical Index.

October 21

FamilySearch has a database called “New Brunswick Births and Baptisms, 1819-1899” with over 22,000 records. There are Catholic records for Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia on FamilySearch.

October 22

If you are looking for Irish Catholic registers that are available to the public then check the online catalogue listing at the National Library of Ireland. They are working on digitizing this collection and putting it online.

October 23

FamilySearch has a database called “Ireland Birth and Baptisms, 1620-1881” which contains nearly 5,300,000 records. This is based on the International Genealogical Index.

October 24

The FamilySearch Wiki has a section called “England Church Records.”

October 25

They also have one called “Ireland Church Records.” They also get specific with Irish church records with pages for Church of Ireland, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church History and Quaker.

October 26

Don’t assume that because you found a couple in a marriage index for Ireland that they married there.

October 27

The FamilySearch Wiki has a page on “United States Church Records.”

October 28

You will find a page for “Scotland Church Records” on the FamilySearch Wiki.

October 29

They have one on “Australian Church Records.”

October 30

And they have one on “New Zealand Church Records.”

October 31

Remember that church records are subject to the whims of the people taking care of them. Sometimes you will find them in the attic or basement of the family of one of the ministers of the church. They took them with them when they left/retired. They are also subject to natural disasters and the ravages of time.

To get a new tip each day all you have to do is “Like” Blair Archival Research.

©2012 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved