PERSI for Genealogy and More Updated Genealogical Records for a New Year!

With an update to PERSI for genealogy, Pennsylvania birth and death records, and a tidbit or two from the United Kingdom and Scotland, you will start this year off right! It’s a new year and we are ringing in some great new and updated genealogical record collections.

dig these new record collections

PERSI for Genealogy

A monthly PERSI update has been added at Findmypast. With over 67,000 new articles and five new titles, the Periodical Source Index is the go-to source for those looking for stories of their ancestors. The new titles cover the American Historical Society, Chicago, Maryland, and British family histories & heraldry and will allow you to discover articles, photos, and other material you might not find using traditional search methods.

To fully appreciate PERSI as a genealogical tool, read our previous blog post “PERSI for Genealogy: the Periodical Source Index.” And you’ll find more related articles at the bottom of this article.

Pennsylvania – Birth and Death Records

This week, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania released the 1911 births (105 years old) and 1966 death records (50 years old) to the public. This makes birth records publicly accessible from 1906 through 1911, and deaths 1906 through 1966. This collection index is free through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission portal.

Ancestry.com offers these records in digital form as well, but there is a subscription cost to use Ancestry. However, Pennsylvania residents can access these records free of charge through Ancestry.com Pennsylvania.

To access the index only, start with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission page on Vital Statistics for links to the indexes. You need to know the year of the event and the surname. If you do not know the year, you can search several years, one by one. These indexes are not digitized but are PDF files of the ones the State uses. If you locate a state file number for a certificate, you can order it from the State Archives.

However, if you are a Pennsylvania resident, you will be able to access the certificates digitally using the link to Ancestry.com Pennsylvania as mentioned above.

United Kingdom – Huntingdonshire – Marriages

New at Findmypast this week, the Huntingdonshire Marriages 1754-1837 collection contains over 1,000 names taken from 26 volumes of marriage records from the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire. These records will allow you to discover when and where your ancestor was married.

Scotland – Roxburghshire – Patient Registers

Also at Findmypast, explore the Roxburghshire, Kelso Dispensary Patient Registers 1777-1781. These registers contain over 1,700 names that list the date and outcome of patients’ treatment (such as cured, relieved of symptoms, or died). This may be particularly helpful for those unable to find a death date.

It should be noted that these are transcriptions only and you will not be able to see a digital image of the original.

More PERSI for Genealogy Articles

PERSI Digitized Collections Gaining Ground

New FindMyPast Hints Help Find Records

The Genealogy Gems Podcast Premium Episode 135: CompaGenealogy Gems - Family History Podcast and Websitersion of Google Scholar & PERSI (Premium Member Subscription Needed)

 

We Dig These New and Updated Genealogical Records


We have a new title for our Friday series, but it is still your go-to list for new and updated genealogical records! Here is this week’s suggestions for Australia, North Carolina, and Florida. Happy hunting!Dig_Records_First_Image

AUSTRALIA – MILITARY

Fold3.com has added WWI Service Records for Australian soldiers to their website. This collection contains service dossiers for the Australian Imperial Force, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, Australian Flying Corps, and the Australian Army Nursing Service. It also has depot records for those serving at home. Records found in this collection are administrative files that only provide a general overview of the individual’s service. Further information may include details about casualties, wills, medals, pensions, mail, and personal effects.

UNITED STATES – NORTH CAROLINA – LAND GRANTS

Ancestry.com now offers the North Carolina, Land Grant Files for 1693-1960 for those researching this area. Organized by county name, these records offer warrants, surveys, and sometimes a hand drawn map. Additional information may include:

  • Certificate number
  • County
  • Name of grantee
  • Number of acres
  • Date the grant was issued
  • Entry Book and page number
  • Location description

UNITED STATES – FLORIDA – PASSENGER LISTS

Florida, Passenger Lists, 1898-1963 is a record collection provided by Ancestry.com. It is an index-only of passenger lists of ships and airplanes arriving from foreign ports to various Florida ports. The names found on this index are linked to images of the passenger lists, which were copied from the NARA microfilm. Information you might find on these indexed records include:

  • Given name and surname of passenger
  • Age, sex, and ethnicity/nationality
  • Birthplace and last residence
  • Name of friend or relative
  • Final destination
  • Port of departure and/or arrival
  • Date of arrival and/or departure

RESEARCH TIP:

Many passenger list forms from the twentieth century are two pages long. You should click the Previous and Next buttons to make sure you are seeing the all the information.

We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online

Here are this week’s collections of new genealogy records online. Included are Scotland mental health records and, in the U.S., WWII draft registrations, WI probate and NY marriages and deaths. 

SCOTLAND – GLASGOW – MENTAL HEALTH. Arranged by county, the pages contain details of all licensed institutions operating in 1857 when a special report of the Royal Lunacy Commission was being prepared. The Mental Health Institutions Index will give you the information you need to order the entire record.

U.S. – MILITARY. Eight new states have been added to the U.S. World War II Draft cards, 1942 on Fold3.com. New states include North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Mexico, Washington DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These draft cards are a collection of The Fourth Registration, also known as “old man’s registration.” Men participating in this draft were born on or between 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897.

U.S. – WISCONSIN- PROBATE. Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records for 1800-1987 have been updated at Ancestry.com. This collection includes images of probate records for approximately 50 percent of Wisconsin counties. Wills, Letters of Administration, Guardianships, Inventories, and Bonds are just a few of the great gems you will buy erectile dysfunction medication online find there!

U.S. – NEW YORK- MARRIAGES. FamilyTree.com is offering a new digital index for New York City marriages, 1908-1938. This index is free and open to the public. Once you have found an ancestor using this index, you can write to the NYC Clerk to request a copy of the full record for $10.00. A full record may inlcude the marriage record, applications, affidavits, and licenses.

U.S. – NEW YORK – DEATHS. Our friend at Extreme Genes let us know about the recent addition of the 1966 deaths for New York State Death Index. Free and available online, this database covers deaths in New York State for 1957 – 1966. Decedents name,  sex, date of death, and age at death are given in the index.

Be sure to check in next week to see what’s new in genealogy collections. Afraid you will miss the post? Sign up for Lisa’s free weekly e-newsletter so you will get future updates. Just enter your email address in the signup box at the top of this webpage. You’ll also receive a free e-book with Lisa Louise Cooke’s Google search strategies for genealogists.

Census Research Tip: Why Look at the Same Thing Twice

When may it pay off to look at the same records or indexes twice? When you can compare them on different genealogy websites. Here’s an example for this census research tip. census research tip

You’ve probably noticed that some record sets are available online at multiple websites. At each site, the images and indexes you find may be a little different. Online tools for viewing and searching at each site may also be different.

For example, a digitized image may be faded, dark, blurry, blotchy, cut off, or otherwise unreadable on one website but clearer on another site. Here are two images from the first few lines of the 1880 U.S. Federal Census taken in Bay Minette, Baldwin, Alabama. The first image comes from HeritageQuest Online (available at public libraries) and the second is from Ancestry.com. See the difference?

 

 

As you can see, depending on which line you’re reading, one image may be clearer than another.

Here’s another census research tip: The online tools available at each site are different, too. At HeritageQuest Online, you can view the image at original size, 200% or 400%, and you can look at the image as a negative, which sometimes helps faded text stand out a little more. Ancestry.com lets you zoom in and out, magnify specific areas, and rotate the image or view it in mirror form (in case you’re trying to read backward text bleeding through from the other side).

More Gems for Online Genealogy Research

HeritageQuest Online Gets Better with Ancestry’s Support

4 Tips for Getting the Most out of Ancestry.com

Genealogy Gems Premium podcast episode 125: HeritageQuest Online, Ancestry Library edition and other great genealogy resources at the public library (Available only to Genealogy Gems Premium website members)

 

We Dig These Gems! New Genealogy Records Online

Here’s our weekly roundup of new genealogy records online. Should you search for your ancestors in any of these databases?

BRITAIN, MERCHANT SEAMAN. Findmypast.com has added nearly a quarter million records to its 1918-1941 database of British Merchant Seaman.

IDAHO VITAL RECORDS. New indexes of Idaho births (1861-1911) and deaths (1938-1961) are now searchable for free at FamilySearch.org.

ILLINOIS DEATHS. Over 3.7 million records have been added to a free index of Cook County, Illinois deaths at FamilySearch.org. Cook County is home to the city of Chicago.

INDIANA CHURCH RECORDS. A new database of Indiana United Methodist Church Records(1837-1970) is available at Ancestry.com. According to the collection description, “The registers may contain baptisms, marriages, burials, memberships, and lists of clergy.”

IRISH BIRTHS, BAPTISMS AND MARRIAGES. Complementing recent online Irish parish records collections are two databases of Non-conformist church records (meaning those not in alliance with the Church of Ireland) now at Findmypast: births/baptisms and marriages.

ONTARIO BIRTHS. FamilySearch has added over 125,000 indexed records to its collection of Ontario, Canada birth records.

UNITED STATES and NEW ZEALAND ARTICLES. Findmypast.com has updated its PERSI database with over 45,000 new indexed entries and images. Ten publications spanning 1883-1984 include articles covering several New Zealand and several U.S. states, including Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Utah.

VARIOUS MARRIAGE RECORDS. FamilySearch.org has published or updated several new free marriage records collections. Click here to see the full list, which includes British Columbia, Durham (England), Indiana, Kansas, Liberia, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah.

Try These Two Powerful Tools for Finding Genealogy Records OnlineDon’t see the records you hoped to among these new genealogy records online? Click here to read a blog post on two powerful tools to help you search for elusive records.

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