What's New in Local and Family History

Local and Family History A-Z
 

What's new in local and family history 'Spotlight' newsletter What's new on the Gateway to the Internet

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What's new - 1st July 2008

New Ireland resource on Ancestry Library Edition

• 'Ireland, Index to Griffith’s Valuation, 1848-1864' has recently been added to Ancestry Library Edition
• This database has references to about million individuals who occupied property in Ireland between 1848 and 1864. The valuation determined "...the value of all privately held lands and buildings in rural as well as urban areas to figure the rate at which each unit of property could be rented year after year. The resulting survey was arranged by barony and civil parish with an index to the townlands appearing in each volume..."
• Griffith's Valuation "....is a record of extreme importance since no census material of the nineteenth century has survived......For those seeking information on their Irish ancestors, it provides more than just names and locations of residences. Griffith's Valuation is, effectively, the only detailed guide to where in Ireland people lived in the mid-nineteenth century and what property they possessed. In addition to providing the name of the householder, Griffith's Valuation provides a map reference number to help you identify and perhaps locate property"

New Australian immigrants databases on Ancestry Library Edition

• Two new databases that may help you trace ancestors who emigrated to Australia have been added to Ancestry Library Edition. Many of the records contain additional information such as name, age, education and occupation. The databases are:

New South Wales Assisted Immigrants Passenger Lists 1828-1896

Assisted immigrants were individuals whose passage was either subsidised or paid for by another person or through an agency. They were largely skilled workers, in service or agricultural labourers

and

New South Wales Unassisted Immigrants Passenger Lists 1826-1922

Unassisted immigrants paid for their own passage

Hertfordshire Names Online

• At Hertfordshire Names Online you can search for names in the various indexes at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies service
• Indexes include apprentices, fatalities, marriages, newspaper picture indexes and more
   

22nd May 2008

House History

• Some key web sites for anyone seeking to trace the history of their house have been added to the Gateway to the Internet at Homes and housing > House history
• If this subject interests you, take a look also at our introductory guide History of your house top tips

8th May 2008

'The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913' - a major update

• A major update to the web site The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913 has added 100,000 trial accounts published between 1834 and 1913
• The web site now provides 'a fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court'
• Other features have also been added in this update including

- the texts of all 'Ordinary's accounts' published between 1690 and 1772. These are 'richly detailed narratives of the lives and deaths of convicts executed at Tyburn'. They have been linked to the relevant trials

- historical background information on 'Transport', covering horse-drawn coaches and omnibuses, water transport, railways and trams and motorised transport

- historical background information on 'Chinese communities'

• Other historical background information topics include 'Crime, justice and punishment'; 'London and its hinterlands' at different periods, including population, built environment, social and occupational structure, culture and politics; 'Currency, coinage and the cost of living'; Gender roles'; 'The Old Bailey Courthouse'; and a 'Glossary'
• Other articles in the 'Community histories' section are 'Black communities', 'Gypsies and travellers', 'Homosexuality', 'Irish London', 'Jewish communities' and 'Huguenot and French London'
• For full details of the new update see the site's page What's new: changes to the Old Bailey website in April 2008

Slave registers database updated on Ancestry

• The database 'The Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812 - 1834' has been updated on the Ancestry Library Edition web site.
• Information available on these records includes: name of owner, parish of residence, name, gender, age, and nationality of slave
   

16th April 2008

New issue of 'Spotlight'

• The Spring 2008 issue of the Spotlight newsletter is now available below
• This issue focuses the spotlight on church decoration, along with related history and people
• Open Spotlight now and enjoy glimpses of history from around the county

Family Records Centre closed

• Family Records Centre closed in March 2008. The services formerly offered by The National Archives at the Family Records Centre (FRC), relating to census returns, wills and other sources, are now available at The National Archives at Kew
• For the arrangements made by the General Register Office (GRO) for the services formerly offered at the FRC, relating to births, marriages, deaths, adoptions and civil partnerships, see the link to the GRO's press release on the issue
• For details of how you can view these resources online and in Bedfordshire libraries, see the sections on censuses and births index and marriages index and deaths index and in the Local and Family History A-Z

10th March 2008

New local history blog

• A new local history blog called Bedfordshire History has been started by the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society
• Visit the blog for news, book reviews and more. The blog also invites your comments and contributions

New feature on Findmypast.com web site

• A 290,000 name index listing 77,000 shareholders in the Great Western Railway and, in some cases, their spouses or executors is now available on Findmypast.com. The index is provided in association with the Society of Genealogists. Details are in the Occupations section of the web site

First World War medals index on Ancestry

• You can now search the 'British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920' on the Ancestry web site. You can search Ancestry Library Edition free in any Bedfordshire library. See Using Ancestry Library Edition below
• The new database contains the 'Medal Rolls Index', or 'Medal Index Cards'. The first part of the collection contains the records for approximately 2.1 million people, which is approximately half of the total collection. The records in this first online batch cover a wide range of surnames from all alphabetical ranges
• You can search the records by first and last name and by corps, unit or regiment. The cards were created by the Army Medal Office (AMO) near the end of the First World War

Using 'Ancestry Library Edition'

• You can search 'Ancestry library edition' free in all Bedfordshire libraries. If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click search Ancestry library edition to go straight to the free web site

• For more details, and for the easiest way to find the databases you want, see Ancestry Library Edition tips in the Local and family history A-Z
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at http://www.ancestry.com

Recent local and family history books

• Click the titles below for catalogue details of some recent local history books:

Recent local and family history history books

Hidden treasures: Bedfordshire: (An anthology of poetry written by 8-11 year olds) edited by Simon Harwin

Up up and away: Bedfordshire edited by Lucy Jeacock

Bernard West's Bedfordshire: A selection of his sketch-books from the Bedfordshire Magazine 1947-98 edited by Gordon Vowles

Lost villages of Bedfordshire by Dick Dawson

A history of the county of Northampton (Victoria County History)

Debrett's peerage and baronetage 2008

7th January 2008

New additions to 'Ancestry library edition'

• Here are some recent additions to the 'Ancestry library edition' web site
• You can search 'Ancestry library edition' free in any Bedfordshire library. For details, see Using Ancestry library edition below
   

First World War service records 1914 - 1920

• Surviving army service records from the First World War are being added to 'Ancestry library edition', although unfortunately about 60% of the service records were destroyed during the Blitz
• The records are being added to an 'Ancestry library edition' database called 'British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920'. It contains the surviving service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who served in the First World War and did not re-enlist in the army before the Second World War
• The records are being added in batches. The first batch contains records for surnames beginning A-C (plus a few other names whose records were misfiled according to surname sequence). Records for other surnames will be added in due course
• The records come in a variety of forms, including:

Attestation forms (the form completed by the individual on enlistment)

Medical history forms

Casualty forms

Disability statements

Regimental conduct sheets

Awards

Proceedings on Discharge

Cover for Discharge Documents

Index Cards

• Information available in these records includes:

Name of soldier

Age

Birthplace

Occupation

Marital status

Regimental number

Date of attestation

Physical description
 

Historical British phone books collection completed

• The database 'British phone books, 1880-1984' is now complete
• It includes all British phone books published between 1880, the year after the public telephone service was introduced to the UK, and 1984
   

Using 'Ancestry library edition'

• You can search 'Ancestry library edition' free in all Bedfordshire libraries. If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click search Ancestry library edition to go straight to the free web site

• For more details, and for the easiest way to find the databases you want, see Ancestry library edition tips in the Local and family history A-Z
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at http://www.ancestry.com
   

7th December 2007

New family history top tips

• Afro-Caribbean family tree top tips
• South Asian family tree top tips
• Irish family history top tips
• Jewish family history top tips

Armed services information

• Veterans UK is the official gateway to all information relating to armed services veterans
• Guides you to information on service records, medals and more
• One of the pages the web site leads you to is the Ministry of Defence British Armed Forces Medals page where you can download a booklet giving colour pictures and details of medals awarded during service in the British Armed Forces
   

15th November 2007

How to read old handwriting

• If you would like to learn how to decipher old handwriting on historical documents take a look at the new section Old handwriting added to Gateway to the Internet > Languages and Writing
• There are links to brief introductory guides for beginners and to more in-depth tutorials. See especially the National Archives Palaeography pages
• What does palaeography mean? It means the study of old handwriting and manuscripts. The word can also mean the old handwriting itself

Recent local history books

• Click the titles below for catalogue details of some recent local history books:

Recent local history books

Ampthill in my bones: essays and incidents  remembered by Andrew Underwood

From Grand to Grove: entertaining South  Bedfordshire by Eddie Grabham

Monty's turn: taking my chances by Monty Panesar

Echoes of England, the 8th Air Force in World War 11  by Martin W. Bowman

Vol 86. The Bousfield diaries: a middle class family in late  Victorian Bedford; edited by Richard Smart. Bedfordshire  Historical Record Society

29th October 2007

Armed Services Memorial

• The Armed Services Memorial at The National Memorial Arboretum in Alweras in Staffordshire is 'first national memorial dedicated to the men and women of the United Kingdom Armed Forces (Regular and Reserve) killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since the Second World War'
• The memorial's web site includes a Roll of Honour database that you can search by name to see whether the name is included on the memorial and/or on the written Rolls of Honour, held in London, which list all those who have died in service since the end of the Second World War regardless of the cause of death

Pre-1837 non-parochial records now online

• A new web site BMDRegisters.co.uk, 'The official non-parochial BMDs service', has started putting online unpublished non-parochial registers from 1534 to 1865
• They cover people whose key life events were not registered in the Anglican registers and include key non-conformist registers such as Presbyterians, Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists
• The registers include births and baptisms, marriages, and deaths and burials

Postcards and newsreels on Ancestry

• The Ancestry web site includes more than just words - it has some fascinating images and newsreels too
• At the Ancestry home page, click 'Search' then scroll down and click 'Photos and maps' in the menu at the right of the screen
• Here you can see links to several collections of photographs and postcards. One of these is the 'Historical postcards collection 1893-1963', which contains postcards of many countries, including England. Click on the collection link then scroll down to see the list of countries. Click on a country then click on a town
• At 'Photos and maps' you can also view all 267 issues of the 'United News' newsreels produced by The U.S. Office of War Information (OWI). This organisation was created during the Second World War and part of its role was to oversee U.S. propaganda and promote patriotism. As part of this role it produced the 'United News' newsreels

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click search 'Ancestry library edition' to use Ancestry free

• For more details, see the 'Ancestry library edition' information pages in the Local and family history A-Z
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at http://www.ancestry.com

1911 census

• A limited service for 1911 census information is now available from the National Archives. A specific addresses in the 1911 census must be supplied as there is no surname index
• The service is more expensive than the online service is likely to be and National Archives recommends that 'you will get much more value out of the 1911 census if you are able wait until the online service is launched'
• Details are at National Archives 1911 Census

General Register Office to become part of the IPS

• The General Register Office (GRO) will become part of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) from 1 April 2008. For details, see the GRO announcement Registration transfer
• At the moment the GRO is part of the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which itself is to undergo a change, coming under the supervision of a new Statistics Board from April 2008. For details, see the ONS page Statistics Act,  Royal Assent, new era for statistics welcomed
   

24th September 2007

Australian convict transportation registers now on Ancestry

• Australian convict transportation registers are now on the Ancestry web site
• At the Ancestry home page, click 'All databases', then browse to find the 'Australian convict transportation registers' database in the alphabetical list
• You can search 'Ancestry library edition' free in any Bedfordshire library.

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click search 'Ancestry library edition' to go straight to the free web site

• For more details, see the 'Ancestry library edition' information pages in the Local and family history A-Z
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at http://www.ancestry.com

Free Ancestry 'Learning Centre' pages

• On the main Ancestry.co.uk (or Ancestry.com) web site (not on the 'Ancestry library edition' site) there are free Learning Centre pages where you can read hints and tips on how to start your family history research
• A new Family facts section has been added there giving, for example, distribution of surnames in the UK, main occupations for a given surname (compiled from heads of households in the 1881 census) and statistics related to emigration

New free social networking feature on Familyrelatives.com

• Familyrelatives.com now has a free social networking feature, enabling users to communicate and share family history research with others

Local statistics

• The latest edition of Bedfordshire County Council's annual publication 'Population estimates and forecasts' is available  online
• At the Population estimates and forecasts page, click the link 'Population estimates and forecasts' to save or open the 'Population estimates and forecasts 2006' file
• 'Population estimates and forecasts 2006' gives the quick and easy way to find key population statistics for Bedfordshire districts and towns and villages
• It gives not only census 2001 figures but also estimated figures for mid-2005 plus forecast figures
   

24th August 2007

Woburn rock festival August 1967

• Did you know that 'Flower Power' is said to have taken off in the UK with a rock concert in Bedfordshire?
• The Woburn Rock Festival took place at Woburn Abbey on 26th - 28th August 1967 and featured the Small Faces, Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Jeff Beck Group, The Bee Gees, The Alan Price Set, Marmalade and many more
• For more details, including photos, see the web site The archive: a history of UK rock festivals. In the list headed 'The Festivals' there is a link Festival of Flower Children. Woburn 67
• There was another rock concert at Woburn Abbey the following year, headlined by Jimi Hendrix. Details and photos are at the same web site, The archive: a history of UK rock festivals. In the list headed 'The Festivals' there is a link to Woburn 68. (This time Hendrix played to crowds, unlike the year before at the California Ballroom in Dunstable when it was easy to stand and watch right in front of the stage!)
• The significance of the 1967 event is recognised in a work by the official body National Statistics in a book called 60 years of social survey 1941 - 2001. The book's 1967 - 1968 timeline says 'Woburn Rock Festival heralds era of Flower Power'

(You need to have Adobe Reader software on your pc in order to read this book. If you do not have it already, you can download it free from the Adobe web site)
 

15th August 2007

Empire's children

• Empire's children is a new Channel Four web site full of useful family history and general history resources for anyone with connections to the British Empire
• To find country-specific tips on how to research your family history, click the 'Research your Empire Story' button at the top of the web site's home page, then click the country you need from the list
• The web site accompanies a Channel 4 television series which 'explores the final days of the British Empire and examines its legacy, revealing the imperial backgrounds of six British celebrities'

Recent books

• Click the titles below for catalogue details of some recent local history books:

100 years of Hexton compiled by Mrs Ashley Cooper

I can remember: village life recollected in the words
of people from Tilsworth Bedfordshire edited by Joan Schneider

Images of Tempsford: split seconds in time through the eye of the lens
compiled by Steve Cooney

Selling sparrows: victims or villains: a true story of crime
in 19th-Century Bedfordshire and convict transportation to Australia by Judy  Wright

The United Counties story by Robert Cook and Andrew Shouler

New additions to the Ancestry web site

• Here is news of some recent additions to the Ancestry web site
• You can search Ancestry free in any Bedfordshire library. For details, see Using Ancestry below

First World War pension records 1914-1920

• The 'British Amy WWI pension records 1914-1920' database on Ancestry is now complete
• You can search service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who were discharged from the Army and claimed disability pensions for service in the First World War. These were also men who did not re-enlist in the army prior to the Second World War
• The pension records contain a variety of forms, including:

  Attestation forms - the form completed by the individual on enlistment

  Medical history forms

  Casualty forms

  Disability statements

  Regimental conduct sheets

  Awards
   

• Information available in these records includes:

  Name of soldier

  Age

  Birthplace

  Occupation

  Marital status

  Regimental number

  Date of attestation

  Physical description
   

Third batch of historical telephone directories

• A third batch of British telephone directories has been added to Ancestry's database of 'British phone books, 1880-1984'
• The database currently contains 1266 phone books and provides 'near full county coverage for England as well as containing substantial records for Scotland, Ireland, and Wales'
   

Using Ancestry

• In any Bedfordshire library you can search free all the Ancestry resources on a version of the web site called 'Ancestry library edition'

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click search Ancestry library edition to go straight to the free web site

• For more details, see the Ancestry library edition information pages in the Local and family history A-Z
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at http://www.ancestry.com
   

6th August 2007

New 'Spotlight'

• Available now -  the new Spotlight, Summer 2007, your fully illustrated local and family history newsletter!
• Feature articles, Virtual Library highlights and more....

Find notable people associated with a particular place

• You can find details of many notable people associated with a particular town or village in Bedfordshire by going to Local and family history > Places, then clicking a place name and then clicking 'People'
• You can find many more names, some well-known, some much less so, in the Oxford dictionary of national biography (ODNB) because you can search all the words in the full text of this vast work
• To find all mentions of a place, enter the place name in the search box headed 'Search for words in text', which you will see on the start page of the ODNB, and click 'Go'
• To find mentions of the place only when it relates to a significant 'life event' (eg birth, baptism, education, residence, death or burial), scroll down to 'Advanced search' on the start page of the ODNB and click 'People'. Under 'Places, dates, life events', enter the place name in the 'Place' box, then scroll down and click 'Search'
• Of course, many towns and villages have the same names as other towns and villages elsewhere, so be sure to check that any results are giving you the one you want!
• Use your library card and PIN to log in to the Oxford dictionary of national biography. If you don't have a library card, you can join the library now. If you don't have a PIN, you can request a PIN now

Revised pages

• Details of Town guides and directories and County guides and directories have been revised
   

2nd July 2007

New free online biography index

• You can check the freely available Oxford biography index for basic details of over 55,000 notable people from British history
• The index gives you full names, birth and death dates, alternative names, maiden names and fields of activity
• You can search the index by using a general search engine. Just add odnb after the name you are searching. For example, type john bunyan odnb or eleanor of castile odnb
• You can also browse the index to look through similar names and find the one you need or to check the correct spelling
• The index includes everyone in the full Oxford dictionary of national biography (ODNB) so you can also use it to check whether there is an article on someone before you log in to the full dictionary
• You can search the index whether you are logged in to the full dictionary or not. However, to read the biographical articles just use your library card and PIN to log in to the Oxford dictionary of national biography. If you don't have a library card, you can join the library now. If you don't have a PIN, you can request a PIN now
• Find out more at the Oxford biography index page
   

21st June 2007

Revised pages

• Details of Electoral registers and Poll books have been revised

Recent books

• Click the titles below for catalogue details of some recent local history books:

A picture postcard romance in Edwardian Bedfordshire: Arthur Peer of Ampthill to Ethel Wildman in Derby edited by Andrew Underwood

Pictorial memories of Sandy by Sandy Historical Research Group

Plain Mr Whitbread: seven centuries of a Bedfordshire family by Sam Whitbread

Dunstable and district at war, from eye witness accounts compiled by Jean Yates

From country boy to weatherman, a Houghton and Dunstable youth by George Jackson

The spy capital of Britain: Bedfordshire's secret war 1939-1945 by Stephen Bunker

How Bedfordshire Voted 1685-1735 - The Evidence of Local Poll Books by James Collett-White (Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume 85)

Chalk on my shoes: memoirs of a Chilterns childhood by Keith T. Norcott

Heroic endeavour: one attack, a Victoria Cross and 206 brave men by Sean Feast

My neck of the woods: a childhood in Bedford's Black Tom by Violet Tompkins

Biggleswade by Ken Page
 

17th May 2007

'Bedfordshire and the secret war'

• Find out about Bedfordshire's role during the Second World War in the propaganda battle with Germany and in the secret war of spies and espionage. See Mid Bedfordshire District Council's new web site Bedfordshire and the secret war which gives an online version of a new booklet

Bedfordshire Women's Land Army

• On the Virtual Library you can see a large archive on the Bedfordshire Women's Land Army in our Local and Family History > Subjects > Second World War section
   

17th April 2007

British historical population statistics online

• A major new web site Online Historical Population Reports (OHPR) gives you online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937
• 200,000 pages of census material (population, economy, society) and registration material (births, deaths, marriages and medical statistics) for the British Isles have been digitised
• You can search or browse the reports and discover detailed historical statistics for your area. For example, click 'Search' and enter 'Bedfordshire' or your town or village
• This web site has been added to the Statistics and Prices: UK section of the Gateway to the Internet

Revised pages

• Telephone directories pages in the Local and family history A-Z have been revised recently

3rd April 2007

Revised pages

• Several topics in the Local and family history A-Z have been revised recently. These are Photographs and prints, Local newspapers, Local magazines, Illustrated London News, Highway Board minutes, Poor Law minutes
   

 

5th March 2007

Passenger lists now online

• Ancestors on board is a new web site giving you UK outward passenger lists for long-distance voyages leaving the British Isles from 1890 (the first time there was an official requirement to keep them) to1960
• The lists cover passengers leaving for destinations including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and USA ports such as Boston, Philadelphia and New York
• You can keep up with new family history and related web sites at What's New on the Gateway to the Internet
   

New additions to the Ancestry web site

First World War pension records

• A new pension records database has been added to Ancestry. It contains service records of non-commissioned officers and other ranks who were wounded in service in the First World War and who were subsequently discharged from the army
• At present only pension records for surnames beginning with A and B are online, but a further update covering all remaining surnames is scheduled for early autumn 2007
• You can read further details about the pensions records and the kind of information they may give you at British Army WW1 Pension Records 1914-1920 Release One

Second batch of old telephone directories

• A new batch has been added to Ancestry's collection of British telephone directories. You can now search directories covering London, the South East, Eastern Counties, North West England, the Midlands, Scotland and Ireland
• For more details, see British Phone Books 1880 - 1984 Release 1 and 2

Using Ancestry

• You can use Ancestry free in any Bedfordshire library.

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click Ancestry Library Edition to go straight to the web site

• For more details, see 'Ancestry' and 'Ancestry Library Edition'
   

8th December 2006

• Old phone books are now on the Ancestry.co.uk web site. 'Ancestry' is adding British telephone directories from 1880 to 1984, in stages. Currently the database contains 430 phone books covering London and large parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, and Surrey
• You can search the 'library edition' of 'Ancestry' free at all Bedfordshire libraries!

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click Ancestry Library Edition to go straight to the web site

• For more details see Ancestry and Ancestry Library Edition
   

23rd November 2006

• Take a look at the illustrated features and news in the new November edition of the 'Spotlight' newsletter below
   

9th November 2006

• New sets of pages added on Notes and queries, Gentleman's magazine, Victoria County History and Ephemera

                                   
 

16th October 2006

• You can now search the 'library edition' of the well-known Ancestry web site  free at all Bedfordshire libraries!
• You can search and view all England and Wales censuses 1841 - 1901, and much more, free!
• For more details see What is on 'Ancestry Library Edition?

• If you are using a computer in a Bedfordshire library now, click Ancestry Library Edition to go straight to the web site

• For details of computer use at Bedfordshire libraries please see IT in Libraries

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'Spotlight' newsletter

• Please click on the links below to see copies of our local studies and family history newsletter 'Spotlight'. You will find information about new library services for local and family historians, links to interesting web sites and much more!
• Click the link below to open the 'Spotlight' newsletter. (You need to have Adobe Reader software on your PC in order to open the file. If you do not have it already, you can download it free from the Adobe web site.)

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What's new on the gateway to the Internet

• New sites are frequently added to the Gateway. You can keep up-to-date by checking What's New on the Gateway to the Internet.

 

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Page last updated: 1st July 2008

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