Thursday, March 31, 2016

I'm OFF For a Week

Sorry everyone ... I've been slow and sporadic at posting for the past while. Holidays sometimes become quite hectic, and such is my reason. We have less than one week left in Victoria, and tomorrow are heading up to Tofino for a few days before we fly home. My intentions have been so good!! I have saved every single item of interest but, for anyone who has never hosted a blog, it takes quite a bit of time to share those posts ... and I've just not had that time. So in a week or SO I'll be much better at time management. haha

However, I will happily share with you that the new head librarian for the Prairie History Room at Regina Public Library has finally been appointed, AND he's already been in touch with me to see what we can come up with for Fall 2016. Looking forward to working with him!! See even when I'm not working, I'm sort of working. haha


Cheers all and thanks for your patience,
The weather has turned so totally perfect our here, F I N A L L Y! Almost time for home. Figures, right? haha

Pat xo

Monday, March 21, 2016

Irish RC Transcripts - Compared

John Grenham has another interesting article comparing the transcripts between Ancestry and FindMyPast. Who knew? Did you realize that both companies transcribed the RC Parish Records and have made them available on their own separate webistes? How many got conned into buying two subscriptions? haha Well before you beat up on yourself, be sure to read what Mr. Grenham has discovered so far. http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/irishroots/2016/03/21/how-good-are-the-new-ancestryfindmypast-catholic-transcripts/



Cheers,
Pat

Registry of Deeds Guide - Irish

Seems like I've posting an awful lot of Irish lately. I'm not complaining because we can use all the help we can get!!

The Registry of Deeds was to prevent lands passing back to Catholics in 1708. I've searched it numerous times, sporadically, and without much enthusiasm because my folks were poor Irish Protestants or Presbyterians. Maybe I should take another look!! After briefly reading through this Guide I can make a more knowledgeable attempt. Hey it's FREE so why not? http://www.irishancestors.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Researching-Registry-of-Deeds.pdf


Happy Searching Everyone!!
Pat

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Americans Moving to Canada

Hahaha it's not what you think and has zero to do with Donald Trump. This is an interesting site dealing briefly with Americans moving to Canada beginning with the American Revolution, blacks fleeing for freedom, Prairie Pioneers, Draft Dodgers, right up to Bush-era Escapees. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/03/09/moving-to-canada-an-american-rite.html


Cheers,
Pat

Mills of Northern Ireland

If your family was like mine, they were weavers or at least made their meager living through the flax fields and mills of Northern Ireland. This is an interesting look at those mills and the variety of workers that contributed to the Irish linen industry. I had mostly weavers in my family, but did find a scutcher as a 2x great grandfather in County Down. I have lots more to read on this site, but we can read together perhaps? http://www.millsofnorthernireland.com/


Cheers,
Pat

NEW Irish e-book

Claire Santry has just published a new b-book with genealogy records from 2011-2015. Claire is one of my top go-to persons regarding Irish genealogy. Read all about what she's done here http://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2016/03/new-irish-genealogy-records-2011-2015.html


Cheers,
Pat

Germans from Russia Settlement Locations

A map of the names and locations for colonies founded by Germans who immigrated to Russia between 1763-1862. Ancestral names are normalized as follows: colony, district, area, country.

Looks pretty interesting, although I am not part of this group I know many people who are. Hope this helps. It's a work in progress. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zFmiOKDRna9c.kQytbv16tO3g


Cheers,
Pat

Irish Maps

This is part of a huge site, with this specific section mostly dealing with toponymy resources - maps, maps, and more maps! Have a go guys! http://www.logainm.ie/en/res/


Cheers,
Pat

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

FindMyPast $1.00

FindMyPast if again offering one month's access for $1.00 or 1 Euro or 1 pound Sterling. It's a great deal. Always a good idea to uncheck the little box that will continue your subscription past the one month as you'll be charged normal fees. It's easy. Just read! This offer is for new and lapsed subscribers only. Thanks to Thomas MacEntee for sharing this. http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-bargains-wednesday-9-march-2016/
There are other bargains too ... keep reading on his site.


Cheers,
Pat

Irish Statistics

I really like this website. It's not so much searching for ancestors - and you won't find names - as it is finding stats that sometimes put details into perspective. For instance you can compare the numbers of births within marriage, and those outside marriage for 1916 and 2012 ... and you can do it by Irish county!! Pretty interesting, and would add some 'texture' and interest when writing your family history if you cared to include it. There's much more here too. Have a peek http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-1916/1916irl/bmd/


Cheers,
Pat

Surname Mapping Tool

I seldom spend time with these sites, but this one seems different. Anyway, it's FREE so what have you got to lose? haha http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/name-mapping-website-shows-the-roots-of-your-surname/news-story/c9f894c19c83853f9278b622a4619db7


Cheers,
Pat

20 FREE Websites

Here is a list, and links, to twenty FREE and (Relatively) New Genealogy and Family History Resources, 2016. Thanks to the National Genealogical Society for this. I see several interesting, and almost new, websites ... some that are very specific. Have a peek here http://upfront.ngsgenealogy.org/


Cheers,
Pat

Writing Help From An Expert

If you've ever tried writing up your family history you'll quickly realize it may not be quite as simple as you hoped. For many of us, the writing part never gets done. So along comes my friend Lisa Alzo who has posted some help on another friends website - Lisa Louise Cooke's of Genealogy Gems fame. I've written about both these talented ladies many times. Have a look http://lisalouisecooke.com/2016/03/scrivener-for-genealogy-writing-family-history/ . Best of luck writing!


Cheers,
Pat

Placenames Database of Ireland

This website is worth a look around - not just by scrolling down, but look across the top as well. Lots of interesting links. You can even learn how to pronounce some of those place names that we all usually mangle. Give it a whirl!! http://www.logainm.ie/en/


Cheers,
Pat

Top 100 Genealogy Websites for 2016

The header says it all. Have a look here http://www.genealogyintime.com/articles/top-100-genealogy-websites-of-2016-page01.html


Cheers,
Pat

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Happy Birthday Dad

Today, March 6th was my Dad's birthday. He was born today 1900. He died May 1st, 1956. 56 years old. He's now been gone more years than he lived. I barely remember him. How sad for us all.


Pat xo

BYU TV Relative Race

Is anyone else watching BYU Relative Race? http://www.byutv.org/watch I've seen both episodes, week 1 and 2. It's not riveting TV, but not bad. Anyone else?


Cheers,
Pat

British Links

I'm not talking about golf. haha

Just came across this group and the pamphlet they have published. I have never heard of them before, but the numbers of interesting websites they've included seemed worthy of sharing. They are called the Federation of Family History Societies. You can find them here http://ffhs.org.uk/ Click on their FREE GUIDES.


Cheers,
Pat

Guess Who's Speaking to the Victoria Genealogical Society?

I am happy to have been invited to present to the Victoria Genealogical Society March 10th, 2016 as part of their Speaker Series. http://www.victoriags.org/

Usually it was only my Mom who called me Patricia, and then only when I was in some sort of little kid trouble ... you remember, when you got called by allllll your names? haha So not sure how I ended up being called Patricia in Victoria, but it's OK with me. LOL

I'm looking forward to meeting this group - they tell me there could be around 100 at my session. Isn't that totally awesome for a monthly get-together? Good on ya Victoria!


Cheers,
Pat

Come Play With Me in Edmonton, June 10 - 11, 2016

So we've been working on this for some time, and today the registration went live, along with the advertising. http://albertaresearch2.blogspot.ca/p/genealogy-in-park-presents-pat-ryan_23.html
Super job as always girls - Shannon & Tammy.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE speaking in Edmonton! If you've never been to one of their genealogy 'affairs' [haha] this is the year to join in. I am so happy to be the chosen instructor for their second Genealogy in the Park series. Two days of fun, sharing, camaraderie, learning, and networking are waiting for you. And the reason I LOVE speaking in Edmonton is because of the people of course. They're a GREAT welcoming group!! Oh and the setting is sure to please. For anyone driving in from Lloydminster, Battlefords, Saskatoon, PA, Melfort, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina, Indian Head and all places in between and around, Sherwood Park comes before Edmonton proper so no big city traffic to contend with. Yet the big city sights are close by if you're up for some shopping or visiting.

Your garden and crops will be 'in', but not 'up'. You've got time. Treat yourself! Come play genealogy with me ... in the Park!!


Cheers,
Pat

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Peter Robinson Settlers - Irish

Do you know about this group? More than 2,000 Irish were brought to Canada in the 1820s through this mans experiment. Most came from County Cork. Read more here http://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/news/peter-robinson-settlers. For anyone interested, just doing a Google search will bring up tons of links.


Cheers,
Pat

Become a Master Searcher on Ancestry

Thanks to the Ancestry Insider for this. I picked up some tips here!!


"When you know what goes on behind the scenes when you push that search button, you are going to be a much better searcher and you’re going to get better results, said Anne Gillespie Mitchell of Ancestry.com. Anne gave a presentation titled “Become a Master Searcher on Ancestry” at RootsTech 2016. Anne has worked for Ancestry for seven years, including some time as the Search product manager.

Say you search for John Smith, lived in Virginia, and born in 1879. Ancestry searches more than 16 billion records and it finds every record with first name “John.” It finds every record with last name “Smith.” It finds every record mentioning any place in Virginia. And it finds every record with a birthdate close to 1879. Ancestry combines all four of these groups, which is why you get 38 million results. It is possible to get just the results you want by telling the search engine what you want it to do. “You have to know how to talk to the search engine,” she said.

Anne gave us several tips on how to do that.
Tip #1: Start with the basic facts. Starting a search from your family tree has its place, but sometimes it pulls in so many results, it’s hard to find something in particular. There are times when you should start from scratch, specifying just four basic facts: first name, last name, a date, and a place.

Tip #2: Understand how names are searched. “If you know how to control them with filters, you will have control of your results, and you will start finding who you’re looking for,” Anne said. After entering a name, click Exact under the name and set name filtering to work the way you want it to work. The name filters are sticky. Whatever you set them to will continue to be used on subsequent searches.
Be aware that the last name must appear in some form in each result, but the first name doesn’t have to unless you tell it to.

Tip #3: Wildcards are a powerful tool for dealing with name variations. Anne uses “G*L*SP*” to search for variations in her Gillespie maiden name.

Tip #4: Location can be a key search term. The location of an event is often highly accurate. This is because events were usually recorded where they occurred and since indexers are not keying in a different location for every record, Ancestry can set the location without a lot of errors.
When you are searching a census and you know the county, put it in the “Lived In” field. (“Lived in” and “residence” are the same.) Start by specifying your location as exactly as possible. Include district name and number in the keyword field. (Anything that appears anywhere in the record details that can’t be specified in a search field can be searched in the keyword field.)
If you specify location for “Any event,” all records will be returned that specify that location in the record in any capacity.

Tip #5: Filter by location. This is a capability you may not be familiar with because few websites besides Ancestry offer it. Select the location from the dropdown list. Then use the filters to include nearby locations. This helps because our ancestors sometimes crossed county or state lines to do something like marrying or recording a deed.

Tip #6: Limit your scope. At the bottom of the search form you can exclude trees, photos, or stories and publications. The setting is sticky, so it will be used for subsequent searches.

Tip #7: Use Collection priority to set the national focus. This is useful for focusing research in the records of a particular country, such as England or Canada. Be careful, this setting is also sticky.

Tip #8: Search records by type. Certain types of records, like census records, easily float to the top of Ancestry search results. However, some record types, like military records that lack a birthdate and residence, may never be found by global searches. Anne recommends searching by record type. Census records are a good type to search first.
To search military records by conflict, visit http://www.ancestry.com/cs/militaryrecords. That is the only page on the site where that is possible.

Tip #9: Use the Category result list. Above the top search result is the choice to see results by records or by categories. Select categories to see which collections have matching records.

Tip #10: Search a single collection. Searching a single collection is another good way to avoid thousands of unwanted results. The search form shows what fields were indexed for that collection and often include fields not available in the global search form.

Tip #11: Read the collection description. The collection may not include the records you need; the description may warn you of that. It will tell you where the collection came from, which helps you decide how trustworthy the information is.
”Control your results and learn how to do it really well,” Anne said. “You’re going to find more things.”

View Anne’s complete presentation on the RootsTech website https://www.rootstech.org/video2/4742569944001


Cheers,
Pat

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Latin Genealogical Word List - RC Records

Nearly all Roman Catholic church records used Latin to some extent. Latin was used in the record of most European countries. Here's a very helpful list https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Latin_Genealogical_Word_List


Cheers,
Pat

Ancestry Offers FREE Irish Catholic Records

Well not sure why, but Ancestry is offering FREE access to searching Irish Roman Catholic records for the entire month of March 2016. Never look a gift horse in the mouth!! Go for it, but don't be surprised if you need to do your searching in off peak hours ... just like FindmyPast. Here's an article explaining Ancestry offer http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/free-online-access-to-treasure-trove-of-irish-parish-records-1.2555672

Ancestry http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/whats-new?o_iid=59943&o_lid=59943&o_sch=Internal+List

So that should take care of March! haha Happy Searching Everyone!!


Cheers,
Pat

FREE Irish Records Mar. 1 - 7, 2016

FindmyPast has made their entire Irish collection of over 110 million records freefrom 01 March until 07th of March. 2016. That's a very generous offer. You may want to try your searches during various times of the day and night as I suspect they will be VERY busy! As of right now, 11:30am Pacific time the site has an apology and that they are working to correct the technical difficulties.

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-ireland-records?_ga=1.192951909.995290238.1403021407


Cheers,
Pat

10 Million Irish Catholic Parish Records FREE, Forever

Well you can't beat FREE, right? FindmyPast has made this offer beginning 01 March, 2016. So what are you waiting for?! I'm going to do some searching in here, even though, to the best of my knowledge, my family were not ever RC ... but there's always that slim chance. And best of all the records are indexed!! Happy Searching everyone!https://blog.findmypast.co.uk/10-million-new-1632616369.html


Cheers,
Pat

Are You Sure They're Your Ancestors?

Another excellent article written by Family History Daily! Snoop around this site as there are other topics to read. http://familyhistorydaily.com/


Cheers,
Pat

Scottish Church Records

I have used the Scottish Kirk Session records lots. There is a very good article written by Chris Paton, explaining what these records are about, and why they were created. The only thing I noticed missing in his article, is a mention of these records types that have been microfilmed by the LDS Church. The films are what I used, but of course that was back in the 'dark ages' before online access became expected. Haha.

When I talk with researchers in the British Isles, I always note they seldom (like never) use the Family History Centres to view films. My experience, when I was in Scotland and Ireland, is probably indicative of why. Residents there are used to the original records being available to them within a short stroll downtown, or a short drive to the archives. This works for those who remain living in the same area as their ancestors lived. Those of us who do not live in Scotland need to learn other options and the LDS films are the BEST and the CHEAPEST and the most RELIABLE option. The films are exact copies [pictures] of the original records. If you've not been using familysearch.org you really need to learn how. My Scottish grandmother's family stayed in the same area for at least 400 years. I found a film, one film, that holds all those records - BMDs, and miscellaneous other records, covering those families for 400 years! Total cost to me was less that $15.00. Amazing, right?

So off my soapbox now, and back to the kirk session records. Read the article about "sitting on the penitents stool" here http://www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk/sitting-on-the-penitents-stool/

The article includes some links. I found it slightly challenging to use the link to locate details about the kirk session records, so am including a direct link here http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/church-court-records-online Of special interest is the fact these records will begin becoming available on ScotlandsPeople in 2017. This site is excellent, but realize that it is a pay site.


Cheers,
Pat