What's New in Local and Family History
Archive

8th January 2009

New issue of 'Spotlight'

• The new Winter 2008 issue of the Spotlight newsletter, PDF file (1343 KB), is now available
• This time Spotlight takes you back through music history, with images of old Bedfordshire music publicity, photographs, songs and much more
• Open Spotlight now for an issue packed with fascinating articles
• If you do not have Word software, you can download a free Word Viewer from the Microsoft Download Centre, at the 'Home and Office' section

Major databases added to Ancestry Library Edition

• Major databases have recently been added to Ancestry Library Edition - three on individuals who served in the First World War and one on individuals who were doctors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
• You can search Ancestry Library Edition free in all Bedfordshire libraries
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at Ancestry.com
• The recently added databases are:

England, The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918

• Contains eleven volumes from the fourteen-volume series 'The National Roll of the Great War'. It also contains the 'Birmingham Roll of Honour'
• The 'National Roll of the Great War' gives short biographical sketches of British soldiers who served in World War I, including some who died
• The volumes contained in this database cover soldiers from the following areas: 

• The three volumes of the 'National Roll of the Great War' that are not included in this database cover Bradford, Bedford, Northampton and more of London

UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919

• Gives details of over 703,000 individuals who died in the First World War
• Information listed about an individual may include:

British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918

• A collection of cemetery and memorial registers from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The collection covers registers from about 250 cemeteries out of the the total of over 2000 cemeteries in about 150 countries
• Each cemetery register generally provides details on who is buried in the cemetery and where they are buried. Some entries have additional details provided by record offices and next-of-kin
• The memorial registers list the names of individuals with no known grave

UK Medical Registers, 1859-1959

• The database contains digitised volumes of the 'UK Medical Register' listing all the names of doctors who were licensed to practise in the United Kingdom and abroad from 1859-1959. It also includes foreign doctors who qualified in Britain
• The books were published annually, but the registers have been digitised only at 4-year intervals
• In addition to names, the registers also list each doctor’s residence, qualification, and date of registration

Recent local and family history books

• Here are some books recently added to the local and family history collection at Bedford Central Library
• For details and to check for copies at other libraries, please see the library catalogue. Go to the Virtual Library's home page and click 'New Online Library Catalogue'

26th November 2008

1911 census

• The information in the 1911 census (with the exception of some sensitive information) will be released, in batches, from 2009. This is three years earlier than its expected 100 year closure period
• The 1911 census holds information on 36,070,492 people and will include more details about individuals than has been given in previous censuses
• The project is being managed by the online genealogy provider findmypast.com
• For more information, see the official 1911 census web site

Recent local history books on a railways theme

New military collection on Familyrelatives.com

• The family history web site Familyrelatives.com has added a new collection of databases of military records

4th November 2008

BBC's 1918 - 2008: 90 years of Remembrance campaign

• Discover the BBC's Remembrance campaign commemorating the 90th anniversary of Armistice, 11th November 1918, at 1918 - 2008: 90 years of Remembrance
• You can add your own memories of family members who served in the war, search an online 'Memorial Wall' of records submitted, find out about remembrance events and radio and television programmes

This month on Ancestry.co.uk - free access to key military records during November 2008

• To mark this 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, you can search and view key military records free during November 2008 on the Ancestry web site, which normally charges, as well as on the Ancestry Library Edition web site in Bedfordshire libraries, where they are free at any time
• The collections that are free on the Ancestry web site this month are:

• For guidance on how to find these collections on Ancestry Library Edition, see Online records on Ancestry at the page Where can I find armed services records?

First world war history resources and poetry archives

• For more information resources on the First World War, see the Information and reference > What's new page

29th October 2008

UK incoming passenger lists for 1878 to 1960 now online

• You can now search on the Ancestry web site for incoming passenger lists 1878 to 1960
• The records are for both immigrants and tourists arriving in the United Kingdom by boat from ports outside Europe and the Mediterranean
• The records may include: name of passenger, their birth date or age, port of departure, port of arrival, date of arrival and vessel name
• The lists were digitised in partnership with The National Archives. You can read more about them on the National Archives news page
• You can search Ancestry Library Edition free at any Bedfordshire library. You can always find the log in link at A-Z local and family history
• In addition to the free use in libraries, you can search the collection free at Ancestry.com but there is a charge for viewing the full entry and downloading images of the passenger lists

24th October 2008

Historical medical terms

• It can often be difficult to understand old medical terms in old documents, for example in the sections on cause of death in death certificates
• Antiquus Morbus and Diseases and Medical Terms for Genealogists are two web sites that give you explanations of many of these old medical terms and obscure diseases
• You can always find them at the Gateway to the Internet > Health and care > History

Irish family history

• A collection of Irish family history records has been added to the web site Familyrelatives.com
• For more information on finding Irish family history, see Irish Family Tree Top Tips

24th September 2008

New and forthcoming on Ancestry Library Edition

New - Royal Aero Club Members

• Do you think you may have early aviators in your family? If so, you could search the collection 'Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950', recently added to the Ancestry Library Edition web site
• This collection "contains approximately 28,000 index cards and 34 photograph albums of aviators who were issued with their flying licences (certificates) by the Royal Aero Club from 1910-1950. These included the first military and naval personnel to become pilots. Information listed on the index cards about the pilots includes: name, birth date, birthplace, nationality, rank or profession, date and place of certificate, and certificate number"
• You can search Ancestry Library Edition free at any Bedfordshire library. You can always find the log in link at A-Z local and family history
• To find 'Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950' on Ancestry Library Edition, click 'Search' near the top left of the Ancestry Library Edition home page, then scroll down and click 'UK and Ireland', then click 'England'
• At the resulting page, scroll down to the section headed 'England Historical Records', then scroll down to the subsection headed 'England Directories and Members Lists'. At the end of that subsection click 'View all...England Directories and Members Lists'
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available on subscription at Ancestry.com

Forthcoming - Free access to key military records during November 2008

• To mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, you will be able to search and view key military records free during November 2008 on the Ancestry web site as well as on Ancestry Library Edition
• Normally you would be able to search and view these records either free on Ancestry Library Edition in any Bedfordshire library or by subscribing to Ancestry for use anywhere, but during November they will be free on Ancestry too
• The collections that will be free for you to access from anywhere are:

• For guidance on how to find these collections on Ancestry Library Edition, see Online records on Ancestry at the page Where can I find armed services records?

Forthcoming - the London Metropolitan Archives collection

• From Spring 2009, you will be able to view on Ancestry the huge collection of historical records of London life held by the London Metropolitan Archives, the UK's largest local authority record office
• The records, covering over 400 years, will be released in stages and will include Church of England archives, wills, school admission and discharge registers and much more
• For more information, see London Metropolitan Archives in partnership with Ancestry.co.uk

BBC's 1918 - 2008: 90 years of Remembrance campaign

• The BBC will be running a campaign to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Armistice, 11th November 1918
• As part of this campaign, the BBC will, from October 22nd 2008, invite members of the public to post to an online wall of remembrance their First World War artefacts, photographs and memories about those who served
• Find out more at 1918 - 2008: 90 years of Remembrance

18th September 2008

Vital Records Index British Isles now on Ancestry Library Edition

• The Vital Records Index British Isles is now available on the Ancestry Library Edition web site
• For details of the content and of how to find it on Ancestry Library Edition, see Vital Records Index
• You can search Ancestry Library Edition free in all Bedfordshire libraries
• In addition to free use in libraries, the Ancestry web site is also available by subscription at Ancestry.com

1st September 2008

New free surname distribution site

• You can enter a surname at Public Profiler WorldNames and see a map of its distribution in countries around the world
• The information comes from a database compiled by geographers at University College London from electoral rolls and telephone directories, giving data on a billion people in 26 countries
• The site also lists the top regions and cities for each last name and tells you which of 6.5 million first names are most closely associated with different surnames

Pigot's Trade Directories

• Pigot's Trade Directories 1830 - 1839 are now searchable online on the web site Familyrelatives.com

Recent local history books

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

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:

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

'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. (For the Spring 2008 and earlier newsletters, 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.)

Spring 2008 pdf file 548KB	August 2007 pdf file 1,506KB	November 2006 pdf file 663KB
May 2006 pdf file 325KB	October 2005 pdf file 105KB	April 2005 pdf file 472KB

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