Episode 204
The Genealogy Gems Podcast
Episode #204
with Lisa Louise Cooke
Canadian expert Dave Obee shares the story of the Canadian home children tips on newspaper research. Also in this episode:
New site features at MyHeritage, including improved DNA ethnicity analysis (it’s free?upload your DNA!);
An excerpt from the Genealogy Gems Book Club interview with Fannie Flagg about The Whole Town’s Talking?and a great summer reading idea;
A detailed get-started guide to British Isles research: Terminology and census/civil BMD record tips from Kate Eakman at Legacy Tree Genealogists
Why so many weddings are traditionally held in June.
[display_podcast]NEWS: DNA AND CATALOG UPDATES AT MYHERITAGE
MyHeritage.com: DNA ethnicity estimate updates and new collection Catalog
View an example of the new ethnicity analysis presentation here: https://vimeo.com/218348730/51174e0b49
3 top uses for the new MyHeritage catalog (with additional details and commentary)
MyHeritage Quick Reference Guide (Newly-updated in 2017)
Genealogy Giants: Comparing the 4 Major Websites. This brand new, comprehensive guide helps you answer the question, “Which genealogy websites should I use?”
MAILBOX: BOOK CLUB COMMENTS
Companion video recommendations:
Genealogy Journey: Running Away to Home video (click here to see the book)
“You Came and Saved Us” video with author Chris Cleave, Everyone Brave is Forgiven
Alan Cumming on Who Do You Think You Are? Episode summary
Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming
For more information: www.nwgc.org
Lisa Louise Cooke uses and recommends RootsMagic family history software. From within RootsMagic, you can search historical records on FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com and MyHeritage.com. In the works: soon RootsMagic will be fully integrated with Ancestry.com, too: you’ll be able to sync your RootsMagic trees with your Ancestry.com trees and search records on the site.
Learn more or sign up for Backblaze here.
Keep your family history research, photos, tree software files, videos and all other computer files safely backed up with Backblaze, the official cloud-based computer backup system for Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems. Learn more at http://www.backblaze.com/.
INTERVIEW: DAVE OBEE
Continuing our celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday!
Dave Obee is an internationally-renowned Canadian journalist, historian and genealogist. Dave is a columnist for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today (formerly Family Chronicle). Dave has also written about family history for Canada’s History and Your Family Tree in the United Kingdom.
Put Dave’s books on your shelf – you can get them here.
Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide
Counting Canada: A Genealogical Guide to the Canadian Census
Destination Canada: A Genealogical Guide to Immigration Records
Making the News: A Times Columnist Look at 150 Years of History
Canada research tips:
Look in newspapers for ship crossings, notable people sailing, approximate numbers of passengers etc.
Don’t just rely on search engines for digitized newspapers. Browse the papers where you find some hits.
Canada Home Children: Watch and Learn
Forgotten, an award-winning documentary (watch the trailer here)
Childhood Lost: The Story of Canada’s Home Children documentary (watch it on YouTube)
LEGACY TREE GEM: ENGLISH PARISH RECORDS
Visit Legacy Tree Genealogists: http://www.legacytree.com/genealogygems
Read a companion blog post on English parish records, with several image examples and links to the resources Kate Eakman recommends.
Legacy Tree Genealogists provides expert genealogy research service that works with your research goals, budget and schedule. The Legacy Tree Discovery package offers 3.5 hours of preliminary analysis and research recommendations: a great choice if you’ve hit a brick wall in your research and could use some expert guidance.
GENEALOGY GEMS BOOK CLUB: FANNIE FLAGG INTERVIEW
The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg
Genealogy Gems Premium website members may hear this entire conversation in the upcoming Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast episode #148.
BONUS CONTENT for Genealogy Gems App Users
LINK IMAGE TO: http://lisalouisecooke.com/get-app/
If you’re listening through the Genealogy Gems app, your bonus audio content for this episode comes from Melissa Barker, the Archive Lady, in honor of International Archives Day on June 9. The Genealogy Gems app is FREE in Google Play and is only $2.99 for Windows, iPhone and iPad users
Start creating fabulous, irresistible videos about your family history with Animoto.com. You don’t need special video-editing skills: just drag and drop your photos and videos, pick a layout and music, add a little text and voila! You’ve got an awesome video! Try this out for yourself at Animoto.com.
MyHeritage.com is the place to make connections with relatives overseas, particularly with those who may still live in your ancestral homeland. Click here to see what MyHeritage can do for you: it’s free to get started.
PROFILE AMERICA: June Weddings
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Lisa Louise Cooke, Host and Producer
Sunny Morton, Editor
Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide, Content Contributor
Lacey Cooke, Service Manager
Vienna Thomas, Associate Producer
Check out this new episode!
We Dig These Gems: New Genealogy Records Online
We learn about so many fantastic new genealogy records online every week. So each Friday we round up several of them for you to glance through. Watch for databases and documents that your ancestors might appear in–but also watch for the kinds of records that may be out there already, that you haven’t yet looked for. This week: British women in World War I, Polish-American marriages, Irish vital records, Canadian travel photography, Scottish artifacts and documents and a Louisiana (US) press archive.
WWI WOMEN. FindMyPast has posted over 9,500 UK records that illustrate the various roles played by woman during the Frist World War. These include:
- Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Service Records 1917-1920. It’s a relatively small collection but rich in material on each woman.
- British Women’s Royal Naval Service officer files 1917-1919 (ADM 318) details the service history of women who served as officers in the Women’s Royal Naval Service during the First World War.
- British Women’s Royal Naval Service Ratings’ Service Registers 1918-1919 contains the details of nearly 7,000 enlisted women who served as Wrens during the First World War.
- British Women’s Royal Air Force Service Records 1918-1920 is an index of 31,090 Women’s Royal Air Force service records held by The National Archives.
POLISH-AMERICAN MARRIAGES. A new database of Polish-American marriages has been posted by the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast.
According to a press release, “This database contains the names of couples of Polish origin who were married in select locations in the Northeast United States. The information was taken from marriage records, newspaper marriage announcements, town reports, parish histories or information submitted by Society members. The time period generally covered by these lists is 1892-1940. It includes the States of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. Connecticut and Jersey City, NJ will be added at a later date.”
IRISH BMD. Over a million records appear in a new database of Irish records of the city and county of Derry~Londonderry and Inishowen, County Donegal. Entries span 1642-1922 and include:
- Pre-1922 civil birth and marriage registers,
- Early baptismal and marriage registers of 97 churches,
- Headstone inscriptions from 118 graveyards, and
- Census returns and census substitutes from 1663 to 1901.
Click here to access these records (and other County Derry resources) at RootsIreland,ie (subscription required).
CANADIAN TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY. A small but visually rich collection of pictures promoting Canadian tourism is now at Flickr Creative Commons. Use these to explore places your ancestors may have visited (and the images that may have lured them there) if they vacationed by rail in the 1800s or early 1900s. (Click here to learn more about finding great historical photos at Flickr Creative Commons.)
SCOTTISH ARTIFACTS AND DOCUMENTS. A new digital archive at Historic Scotland has launched an online database of 400 artefacts now includes over 400 artifacts important to Scottish history. Everyday household objects, ship models, coins, weaponry, bits ‘n bobs of old homes and buildings, industrial machinery and miscellaneous photos, books and ephemera are all browsable on this site. It’s a great place to look for images that help illustrate your Scottish ancestors’ history.
LOUISIANA PRESS COVERAGE. The Louisiana Digital Media Archive has launched as “the first project in the nation to combine the media collections of a public broadcaster and a state archives,” according to its site description. “This ever-expanding site contains a combined catalog of thousands of hours of media recorded over the past half-century. You can see interviews with Louisiana civil rights pioneers, notable political figures, war heroes, artists and literary icons. You’ll have a front row seat to Louisiana history through video of historic events. You can also visit remote and endangered Louisiana places and cultures.”
Not sure how to find record sets like these for YOUR family history? Here’s a tip! Set up a Google Alert. Say you want to know whenever new material on Polish-Americans in Detroit is found by Google’s ever-searching search engines. Click here to learn how to set up this search (or any other) Google Alert for genealogy.
This tip comes to you courtesy of the book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox, Second Edition by Lisa Louise Cooke–the fully-revised 2015 edition that’s packed with strategies that will dramatically improve your ability to find your family history online.
Interview with Crista Cowan of Ancestry.com on the 1921 England and Wales Census (Audio podcast)
SHOW NOTES: In episode 291 of the Genealogy Gems podcast, I’ll be discussing the launch of the 1921 England and Wales census on Ancestry with Crista Cowan, Ancestry’s corporate genealogist. The census covers 38 million people and is significant for several important reasons which Crista will explain. She also highlights the importance of understanding the context, including the delay in census day due to a potential worker strike, the impact of World War I on marital status, and new employment details. Our conversation also touches on the use of AI for indexing and the importance of family history storytelling. Listen in as Crista shares her answer to the question “what are you most excited about for the future of genealogy?” Then we’ll expand beyond the 1921 census as Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, shares strategies for identifying your old family photos from the 1920s.
Listen to the Podcast Episode
To Listen click the media player below (AUDIO ONLY):
Download this episode’s show notes. (Premium Membership required. Join today.)
A Conversation with Crista Cowan of Ancestry.com
Fast Facts from the interview about the 1921 Census of England and Wales at Ancestry.com:
• The 1921 England and Wales census is now available on Ancestry.com for users with a World Explorer or All Access subscription.
• Ancestry estimates that around 10-11% of the U.S. population will be able to find close family members in the 1921 Census of England and Wales (according to the 2020 American Community Survey). This suggests that a significant portion of the U.S. population, around 1 in 10 people, have ancestors from England or Wales that they may be able to locate in this new census record collection.
• The 1930 US Census lists over 850K people with a birthplace in England with over 100K of those likely to be found on the 1921 England and Wales Census.
• The 1921 Census of England Wales was conducted on June 19th, 1921, and captures a critical moment in history. It offers a look into the lives of roughly 38M individuals, including those who survived the war and the infamous 1919 flu pandemic.
Head of household completing the 1921 England and Wales Census (image courtesy of Ancestry.com)
• The next England and Wales Census will not be available until 2051 given the records of 1931 were destroyed during the Second World War and no census was taken in 1941 – adding to the significance of this release.
• Demographic Shifts: 1.7 million more women than men in England and Wales, largely due to the loss of men during WWI.
• This census is the first to include details about employment, including the name and address of the employer and the materials used in the occupation.
• The census was originally scheduled for April 24, but it was delayed until June 19 due to a threatened worker strike. This resulted in an increase in the population count in resort towns and holiday destinations.
“Fill Up the Form Day” for the 1921 England and Wales Census (image courtesy of Ancestry.com)
• The census forms asked for information about the people who were living in a household on the night of June 19, regardless of their usual residence.
• There are 25 different forms for the 1921 census, including separate forms for institutions, the armed forces, prisons, and Merchant Marines.
• This census is the first for England and Wales to record divorces.
• There was an increase in the number of widows listed in the census, likely due to World War I.
• People were more likely to report their age accurately in the 1921 census than in previous censuses where they were encouraged to provide round numbers.
• The Scottish census was taken at the same time as the England and Wales census, but the forms were separate.
• Northern Ireland was not included in the 1921 census because they were in the middle of their war of independence.
• Ancestry.com uses artificial intelligence to index handwritten census records.
• Ancestry.com is working on using AI to make search results more findable and to help people connect the dots between different records in their family trees.
Get Answers to Questions about the 1921 England and Wales Census (Timestamps)
Navigate the podcast quickly with the help of these timestamps on the top questions answered in this episode.
• 01:45 – When was the 1921 census officially available?
• 03:13 – Is the 1921 census available to all Ancestry users?
• 03:38 – When was the 1921 England and Wales census conducted, and how many people did it cover?
• 06:15 – When will the next England and Wales census be available?
• 10:18 – How the census was conducted
• 17:59 – Women and their changing roles as reflected in the census.
• 20:50 – The Marriage Column.
• 22:41 – The accuracy of ages provided.
• 24:28 – Who might not appear in the 1921 census, even though they were physically there or nearby?
• 28:45 – How AI faced the challenges of handwritten census entries.
• 32:51 What is Crista most excited about these days when it comes to genealogy and what’s coming next from Ancestry.com?
Identifying Photos from the 1920s with Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective
Maureen Taylor’s expertise as a photo detective can help you unlock the stories behind family photographs from the 1920s in several ways:
1. Identifying clues in the photographs
Look for details like the clothing, hairstyles, technology, and background elements to help date the photographs and provide context about the time period.
2. Considering the physical format
Examine the size, paper type, and borders of the photographs to determine the camera and printing methods used. These can offer insights into when the photos were taken.
3. Exploring the context
Review the full set of family photographs, not just individual images. This can reveal patterns, missing pieces, and the broader story behind the photos.
4. Asking questions
By asking thoughtful questions about the photos, it can help uncover hidden details and stories that the family may have overlooked or forgotten over time.
5. Providing a fresh perspective
Asking a friend, fellow genealogist or an expert like Maureen to review your photos can bring a new lens to examining the photographs, spotting details and connections that the family members may have missed due to their personal connection to the images.
Visit Maureen Taylor The Photo Detective.
Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:
Lisa Louise Cooke on Instagram
Facebook.com/genealogygems
Genealogy Gems on Pinterest
Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel
Comment below:
What would you like to see next from MyHeritage? Longer clips? Full video editing capabilities? The ability to purchase a larger number of videos?
Resources
- Download this episode’s show notes. (Premium Membership required.)
Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member
Premium Members have exclusive access to:
- Our extensive archive of genealogy video tutorials
- The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast
- downloadable ad-free show notes PDF cheat sheets for all videos and podcasts.
Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership.
Our Sponsors:
MyCanvas
Receive a 10% discount on your first MyCanvas order with code GGEMS
Archives
Archives makes research quick and easy with an intuitive approach to genealogy.
Newspapers.com
Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems
MyHeritage
Order your MyHeritage DNA Kit today.
Genealogy Gems Podcast App
Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter
Sign up today here. The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership.
Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:
Yay! More Digitization of Genealogy Records at the National Archives (US)
The US National Archives has signed agreements with FamilySearch and Ancestry to put more of the Archives’ unique genealogical treasures online. We think that’s worth shouting about!
The National Archives has been working with FamilySearch and Ancestry for years to digitize genealogical treasures from its vaults. Contracts have been signed to continue efforts with both partners to digitize even MORE genealogy records at the National Archives: MORE birth, marriage, death, immigration and military service records! Here are some highlights from the contract:
1. Partners will now “be able to post segments of large collections immediately, rather than waiting for the entire collection to be completed.” This sounds familiar to users of FamilySearch, which regularly dumps un-indexed chunks of digitized content onto its site just to make it available faster.
2. The updated agreement contains provisions to protect “personally identifying information.”
3. Ancestry will have a shorter time period (by 12-24 months) during which they have exclusive rights to publish the images together with the index. After that, the National Archives can put the material on its site and/or share it with other partners.
4. The National Archives “will continue to receive copies of the digital images and metadata for inclusion in its online catalog….The public will be able to access these materials free of charge from National Archives research facilities nationwide [not online]. Ancestry.com makes the digitized materials available via subscription.”
What kind of data is already online from The National Archives?
FamilySearch and Ancestry already host digital images of millions of National Archives documents: U.S. federal censuses. Passenger lists. Border crossings. Naturalization records. Compiled military service records. Freedman’s Bank and Freedmen’s Bureau records (the latter are currently being indexed). Federal taxation records. And the list goes on! According to the press release, before these partnerships began, “many of these records were only available by request in original form in the research rooms of the National Archives.”
Click here to search all the National Archives content on Ancestry (more than 170 million images; subscription required to view).
Just in case you’re wondering (and I was wondering), The National Archives isn’t playing favorites with their partnerships. This list shows that a National Archives partnership is pending with Findmypast. They’re already working with Fold3. I wasn’t surprised to see the John F. Kennedy Library on their list, but I wouldn’t have guessed the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland!
Click to read more National Archives gems on our website:
Celebrate the U.S. Constitution with National Archives Resources
National Archives Digitizing Projects: Colonial, WWII, Jewish and More
National Archives Regional Facilities Closing or Consolidating