RootsTech London Bound, tips you should think about

The ExCel area looking up the Thames
to London. Oct 2019, by Author

I was at RootsTech London in October 2020, and I loved it. However, I have heard people in the expo hall stating, “how in the world would they get there?” Well, let me give you some ideas that helped me get there, which saved me time and money.

Airport to London: Fly into London City Airport. Do everything you can do fly into here. It is across the street from the ExCel! Plus, it was less than £5 to take a cab across the river to my hotel. Convenient, quick, and you do not have to deal with London traffic or the Tube. 

Airline: I love, love, love flying Aer Lingus. Unfortunately, they do not go to every city in the US, but for a discount overseas airlines, they are great. If they fly to your area, check them out.

The Dublin Secret: There are 16 airports in the world where you can clear US customs in that country. Dublin is one of these airports.  What does that mean for you? Well, you fly back to the US on a domestic flight and do not have to clear customs when you land, which can be a nightmare. I love flying for 5+ hours, walking off the plane, getting my bags, and heading home. For me, it means cutting out the 3+ hours of standing in line here in the US after a long flight.

Well, there are a few things you can think about for the time being. Maybe one of these will help you make your London dream come true. I will have more tips in the weeks ahead!

Curious about RootsTech London: View the live stream

Like other RootsTech events, there will be a live stream of select lectures this week in London. For those who are unable to travel to the site, this is a great way to get a taste of what is occurring there. 

You can view the whole schedule online here. There are three presentations scheduled each day of the conference at 9 am, 11 am, and 1pm. The 11 am time is the keynote presentation for the day.

Thursday:
9:00 A.M. BST
Comparing the Genealogy Giants: Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, and MyHeritage – Sunny Morton
This session prepares genealogists for one of the important questions they must routinely ask about their research: “Which genealogy websites should be I be using right now?” This comparative introduction showcases four global powerhouse websites: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com. Attendees will meet each site and learn about its priorities and target audiences. They will see how their statistics stack up for historical record content and family trees and see an introductory comparison to their DNA tools. They can compare subscription costs and learn about free access options, including Family History Center access. Perhaps most valuably, they’ll hear an industry insider’s tips on each site’s best features—and cautions or challenges for working with each one.

11:00 A.M. BST
Thursday General Session Featuring Dan Snow
Dan Snow is a popular historian, broadcaster, and television presenter. Snow was born and raised in London. Having graduated from Oxford University, he went on to present military history programs with his father, Peter Snow. Their series Battlefield Britain won a BAFTA award. He has appeared regularly on the ONE show on BBC1 and has contributed to several books, including Death or Victory, The World’s Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields, and The Battle of Waterloo Experience. Snow will speak to the audience, sharing stories and his own experience with family, history, and everything in between.

1:00 P.M. BST
Discover Your Family at FamilySearch: Photos, Stories, and Memories – Gregg Richardson
Discover. This is a word that is relatively new to the genealogy world. Genealogy is not only about researching records for the dead, there is also relevant discovery to be had for yourself … for the living. We will demonstrate simple activities that you can do with other family members. We’ll also walk through how to add photos of living family and write and record memories for anyone in your tree. 

Friday:

9:00 A.M. BST
A Strategic Approach to Irish Genealogy – Maurice Gleeson
Researching Irish ancestral lines used to be extremely difficult, but the last 10 years has seen a huge increase in the digitization and indexing of Irish records, many of which are now available online. The trouble is that many people are not aware of how much easier Irish research now is. They don't know where to find the records, and they are not comprehensive in their approach to Irish research. This presentation pulls together the various sources for Irish records, many of which are freely available online, and provides a strategic approach to accessing the relevant records for your own Irish genealogical research, maximizing the chances of successfully breaking through brick walls in your Irish research. Technical aspects discussed during this presentation include checklists, blog posts, specific websites, search techniques, and organizing your research.

11:00 A.M. BST
Friday General Session Featuring Kadeena Cox, Nick Barratt, and Steve Rockwood
Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International, will explore the connections and belonging that come through family history. Kadeena Cox has lived an incredible story, and she is going to share it with the RootsTech community. Cox is a Paralympian with multiple gold medals to her name. She won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics. These medals made Cox the first Briton in 32 years to take gold in two sports at the same Paralympics games. Cox has broken records, won medals on the world stage, and made her country proud. She will take to the stage to share her story, her family, and her inspiring spirit of determination and courage. Nick Barratt will act as the RootsTech London emcee. Barratt is known for his work on Who Do You Think You Are?, House Detectives, Hidden House Histories, Secrets from the Attic, and Missing Millions. Barratt is a committee member for the Community Archive and Heritage Group and president of the Federation of Family History Societies.

1:00 P.M. BST
Tracing 20th Century English Ancestors: The Joys and Challenges — Else Churchill
Many researchers beginning their English family history discover that researching in the early 20th century can be quite challenging. Death certificates don't give the place of burial. There will be missing census information. Rising levels of cohabitation and divorce make finding marriage information difficult. The devastating effect of two world wars, increased migration, and other developments can make finding an ancestor challenging. This talk will look at the sources and techniques that might help overcome those challenges.


Saturday:
9:00 A.M. BST
DNA is Dynamite: How to Ignite Your Ancestral Research — Michelle Leonard
This session will provide an overview of the basic information required to understand the three main types of DNA tests available for ancestral research. Michelle will explain how each test works and cover the inheritance patterns of the different types of DNA that can be tested, including the importance of the X-chromosome. She will talk attendees through the first steps they should take once their results arrive and provide easy-to-follow hints and tips on how to get the most out of test results. Practical real-life examples will illustrate how DNA testing can be used to connect with previously unknown cousins, break down brick walls, and confirm the accuracy of family trees.

11:00 A.M. BST
Saturday General Session Featuring Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond is known internationally for his talent as a singer, songwriter, actor, television series host, and best-selling author. After years of entertaining crowds, inspiring more than a few dance parties, and making memories around the world, Donny Osmond is coming to the RootsTech stage in London to share his story, his talents, and his passion for family history. Osmond will be sharing stories about connection, finding family, and his deep connection to the UK.

1:00 P.M. BST
Getting Started with DNA – Debbie Kennett
DNA testing is an essential tool for the family historian and has the potential to provide answers that can’t be found from the paper trail alone. The large genetic genealogy databases are helping to reunite long-lost cousins and break down long-standing brick walls. But if you’ve not yet been tested, it can be very confusing trying to decide how a DNA test can help with your research and working out which test you should be taking. In this session you will learn about the three different tests—Y-chromosome DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA—and how you can apply them to your research. The talk will be illustrated with case studies and some inspiring real-life stories.

Press Release: 1939 Register Release a Watershed Moment For Americans Searching Family Root

 Eve of WWII Population Survey For England and Wales Now Available Online

1939 Register Release a Watershed Moment For Americans Searching Family Roots

LONDON, November 2, 2015 – Today the newly digitized records of the 1939 Register will be launched online by Findmypast.com, a world leader in family history, in association with The National Archives of the United Kingdom. This important record set is a landmark moment in genealogy, as well as an entry point for Americans of British descent searching for relatives in England and Wales at the start of war.  

Joshua Taylor, professional genealogist, says, “The 1939 Register is one of the most important document releases for genealogists in recent history. A comprehensive record of the civil population on the outbreak of war, it’s a wonderful point of entry for Americans with British roots looking to build their family trees. It also offers an opportunity to compare two great nations as they entered and readied for war. By looking at the 1940 US Census data in comparison to the 1939 Register it’s interesting to see that Americans were on average younger, more likely to be married and men were more plentiful with higher rates of employment than English and Welsh men.” 

US LIFE IN 1940 VERSUS LIFE IN ENGLAND AND WALES IN 1939

·         The civilian population of England and Wales recorded in the Register in 1939 was 41 million, living in 12 million households, with an average of 3 people living in one household. In 1940 in the United States, the population was 132.2 million, living in 35 million households, which is an average of 3.7 people per household. 

·         In England and Wales the average age was 33 for men and 35 for women, compared to the US median age, which was 29 for both men and women according to the 1940 Census.

·         In 1940 in the United States, 50.17% of the population was male; 49.83% was female compared to 53% female and 47% male in England and Wales.

·         The 1939 Register reveals that almost 50% of women in England and Wales fulfilled a domestic role, either unpaid at home or in service. In America in 1940, by comparison, 57% of women were devoted to full-time domestic duties, but were not counted as part of the labor force therefore the number one occupation for women was clerical worker.

·         The highest occupation registered for English and Welsh men was ‘retired’, with ‘clerk’ as second. For US men the top two areas of occupation were manufacturing and agriculture.

·         In England and Wales in 1939 the divorce rate was 0.1% compared to 46.2% being married, 45.6% single and 6.5% widowed.  In 1940 in the United States, 61.07% of the population 15 and over was married.

The 1939 Register also puts numbers to London’s evacuations. At the beginning of September 1939, under the threat of German bombing, 1.5 million children, women and disabled were evacuated. The 1939 Register, which was taken at the end of September, shows only 2% of the population in London was aged 0-10.

Dubbed ‘The Wartime Domesday Book’, The 1939 Register is the most comprehensive survey of the population of England and Wales ever taken. In September 1939, WWII had just broken out. 65,000 enumerators were employed to visit every house in England and Wales to take stock of the civil population. The information that they recorded was used to issue Identity Cards, plan mass evacuations, establish rationing and co-ordinate other wartime provisions.

Comprising 1.2 million pages in 7,000 volumes and documenting the lives of 41 million people, the 1939 Register opens a window to a world on the brink of cataclysmic change. Each record includes the names of inhabitants at each address, their date of birth, marital status and occupation. It’s the only surviving record of the population between 1921 and 1951, it bridges a 30-year gap in history and serves as a significant source of data for historians and genealogists alike.

FAMOUS LIVES DOCUMENTED IN THE 1939 REGISTER INCLUDE:

Joseph Kennedy – The special relationship between Britain and the United States is underlined with these records. The father of President John F. Kennedy, Joseph was in the UK at the time of the 1939 Register, with the future President himself present in the House of Commons during speeches endorsing British entry into the war just before the register was taken. Joseph Kennedy is listed as ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time. Perhaps lacking the attributes that made his son such an iconic leader he would later resign from his post in November 1940 due to his defeatist attitude, reputedly prompting a British civil servant to say “I thought my daffodils were yellow until I met Joe Kennedy”. 

The real life M – As Spectre looms large at the box office and the world wonders if James Bond will escape another tight scrape, the real life inspirations for the Bond books can be found in the 1939 Register on the eve of war. Hugh Sinclair (given the codename ‘Quex’) was director of British Intelligence and set up the Secret Intelligence Service (also known as MI6). He bought Bletchley Park with his own money and set up a wartime intelligence station. Although in 1939, (listed as a retired Admiral with no mention of his intelligence work), he was suffering from cancer which he would die of a month later, the year before he reported on Adolf Hitler to the Prime Minister, describing him as a dangerous megalomaniac not to be trusted. The report was buried because it didn’t align with appeasement policies of the time.

The Beckhams – Victoria Beckham’s life today is a world away from her maternal grandfather George Cannon who was working on the London Docks and living in Tottenham, with her paternal grandfather not so far away in Edmonton earning his keep as a French polisher.

David Beckham - may have inherited his skill on his feet from his great grandfather Edward Charles Beckham’s sea legs, he was listed in the 1939 Register with his wife, living in Wood Green and serving in the navy. Further records on Findmypast give a full physical description of Great Grandfather Beckham, showing he was 5 foot 3¾ foot tall with fair hair, blue eyes and fresh complexion.

Anthony Hopkins – Famously attached to his Welsh roots and known to visit the house he grew up in when he returns to the UK from his home in the United States, his 1939 Port Talbot home can be found in the register where his parents the baker Richard and housewife Muriel lived.

Britney Spears – The grandmother of pop singer Britney Spears was listed in the 1939 Register with her parents George & Lillian Portell in Finchley, London. She would later become a ‘GI Bride’, marrying an American soldier and leaving the UK at the end of the war for a new life in Louisiana.

Simon Cowell – The paternal grandparents of Simon Cowell were living in Chigwell on the eve of the Second World War.

Payment Details

The Register is free to search. There is a charge to view the records with different pay per view packages starting $10.95. Owing to data protection, there will be some closed records at the time of launch, either because the individual recorded is still living and less than 100 years old or proof of death has not been verified. At launch 28 million records will be searchable. The Register will be updated weekly.  Findmypast, working with The National Archives, will have an ongoing process to identify records, which can be opened on proof of death provided either by matching against robust data sets or supplied by users.  Records will also be opened as people reach the age of 100 years+1 day. 

Note to editors:

The 1939 Register collected information based on self-definition, allowing the majority of occupations to be recorded without supervision or standardization. This created an extraordinarily detailed and rich record of the population, with over 12 million unique occupations recorded. The statistics presented here were created through Boolean searches based on the most common terms for each occupation and are intended to be indicative rather than definitive.

About Findmypast  

Findmypast (previously DC Thomson Family History) is a British-owned world leader in online family history. It has an unrivalled record of online innovation in the field and 18 million registered users across its family of online brands, which includes Lives of the First World War, The British Newspaper Archive and Genes Reunited, amongst others.

Its lead brand, also called Findmypast, is a searchable online archive of over four billion family history records, ranging from parish records and censuses to migration records, military collections, historical newspapers and lots more. For members around the world, the site is a crucial resource for building family trees and conducting detailed historical research.

 

In April 2003, Findmypast was the first online genealogy site to provide access to the complete birth, marriage, and death indexes for England & Wales, winning the Queen’s Award for Innovation. Since that time, the company has digitised records from across the globe, including the 1911 Census, which they digitised in association with The National Archives. www.findmypast.co.uk

About The National Archives

The National Archives is one of the world’s most valuable resources for research. As the official archive and publisher for the UK government, and England and Wales they are the guardians of some of the UK's most iconic national documents, dating back over 1,000 years. Their role is to collect and secure the future of the government record, both digital and physical, to preserve it for generations to come, and to make it as accessible and available as possible. The National Archives brings together the skills and specialisms needed to conserve some of the oldest historic documents as well as leading digital archive practices to manage and preserve government information past, present and future. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/  http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ 

For the latest stories, follow the Press Office on Twitter @TNApressofficer

RootsTech London Day 1

I arrived safe and sound in London yesterday. It was an adventure, ask me about it sometime. Plus, I just learned that the new iPad update and the Blogger app do not like each other. I am writing these posts through the web interface which is having issues. Like...I cannot upload images. Sigh. For images you will have to go over to my Facebook page until I get this figured out! (Edit, I figured it out!)

Anyway, it was all in preparation for today. Day 1 of RootsTech London. This post covers news from the Ancestry breakfast and interviews with Dan Snow, Nick Barrett, and Alison Kung.

Ancestry Breakfast
The day started with an ambassador breakfast with Ancestry. First, let me tell you that the venue was amazing. A yacht turned into a floating hotel and restaurant. Yup, you heard that right. Look up Sunborn London Yacht Hotel for more details.

Besides to good food and catching up with friends we learned a lot about what is coming up for the company. Todd Godfrey, Vice President for Global Content, started the morning. I was very excited to hear about the plans for the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII.

With that celebration Godfrey announced they will be releasing TODAY a new collection for the UK. WWII Artillery Tracer cards for 1 million soldiers are now available to search. These cards contain the movements of all artillery soldiers for the army detailing all the movements they made during thier service.

In addition there are a significant number of European records being released. First, 30 million Danish Church records were released last week. For those interested in French records hold tight! They were given access to the French archives and through the partnership will start posting more and more digitized records from the entire country. Keep your eyes open for announcements!

John Erickson, Senior Director for Product Management, spoke about the website and upcoming developments for the platform. We all appreciated his statement that his teams loves feedback from bloggers and ancestry groups. Which we took as thee green light to give more feedback!

Erickson called to our attention a few new features that I wanted to make sure you all new about. One I was excited to hear about was inventory management for tree hints. In the past hints would sit in your queue until deleted. Now, with thier new feature, hints that become irrelevant after tree updates will be removed from your hint queue. I was relieved to hear that because I have to set aside days to just delete hints. It really is a chore, especially if you know they are wrong.

You may also have noticed the hints also give you the chance to give feedback on why or why not you accepted it. This will assist future hint creation, so think about taking the time to give feedback.

Finally, they are also giving more options for parentage suggestions. I am sure you have seen the parental hints on some lines. If you have not, Ancestry gives hints for possible parents to your tree based on other trees. Now they will also give information on if the parent hint is a non-biological relationship. For those of you who have ancestors with multiple spouses this will be handy.

Barry Star, Director of Scientific Communications and Research, spoke about developments in ethnic communities and regions. Which was fascinating, and not only to me. The number of regions was just updated from 43 to 60 by doubling the size of reference populations. This was done by including more samples from around thee world and allowing people with less than 100% of an ethnicity into the pool. By doing that people in North America and Oceania will have better results into thier ancestral heritage.

Following onto that the communities have increased to over 900 world wide. With 423 in Europe alone. These increases are important for researchers as they show migration patterns around the world  on a larger scale.

The last speaker was Crista Cowan, Corporate Genealogist, who gave us information on the genealogical research side of the company. Out of the 1600 employees at Ancestry 200 are researchers, approximately 150 with ProGenealogists. The roughly 50 corporate genealogists assist with research for PR like advertisements and television.

Dan Snow
If you are not familiar with the name Dan Snow I bet you know his work. As a historian Snow has presented on numerous BBC and PBS shows since 2002. Today he was the keynote speaker and shared with us amazing stories about his family. Perhaps you saw it on the live stream?

In our group interview he delighted us with more family stories. Several people filmed the interview and when I have those links I will post them to social media and update this blog. I asked him about his opinion on social history within genealogical research. To my joy he told me it was crucial.

Which, if you have ever heard me talk on this subject you will know that I am all about the social history. Snow was adamant that without an understanding of social history you cannot understand the person you are studying. While in the past history was about the framework (names, dates, places) you cannot truly begin to understand a person (or thier genealogy) unless you look at the nuances of thier lives. Which, I agree with wholeheartedly.

Nick Barrett
Dr. Nick Barrett is an amazing historian who is the current Director of the Senate House Library at the University of London. You may also remember him as a presenter on they early UK series WDYTYA and other genealogical programs.

I was also able to ask Barrett about his thoughts on social history and genealogy. As a true historian and genealogist he gave a wonderful answer about how the two cannot live without the other. In his answer he told the group that all forms of historian are crucial for research and each need to talk to the other. That final point I think is the key, and something which needs to occur more often than it actually does.

He also told us about an interesting collaboration occurring between historians and genealogists. Have you seen #HistoriansCollaborate floating around online? Started in January 2019, this hashtag is being used for those historians and genealogists who are working together to solve problems. Check them out, they are everywhere!

One question which was asked by the group concerned how he thought family historians could better contribute to the community (history, archives, etc). Barrett said something which I know I can do better at. We, as the family historian, need to add the context to the records before that knowledge is lost. I was floored about how simple an answer, but it does make sense. Once the holders, or creators, of the record are gone the stories and context under which it was created will also be gone. It was essential a call to arms to annotate your files!

Alison Kung
Alison Kung is the head of Ancestry product at 23andMe answered questions from the media pod on aspects of the genealogical side of 23andMe. While it was a short interview (hoping to have another session later) she did tell us a few things I found interesting.

23andMe surveyed users and found that 52% of those that responded did not know how to get started on thier genealogy research. I found that very surprising, showing that there is a large part of the DNA testing market which needs more help from genealogists. Perhaps that is why we do not get answers back?

This survey is what prompted the October 1st release of the auto building family tree feature. For those who do not know about this feature, 23andMe takes your matches and builds a tree out to the 3rd cousin range based on your tree information and your matches tree information. It is still in Beta, and Kung stated that they are still working on the feature before they go further out. However, for those who do not know a thing about genealogy research this may be the type of start they need.

RootsTech London 2020

During Steve Rockwood’s keynote address, he and Jen Allen announced the opening of RootsTech London! Mark your calendars for November 5 – 7 at the ExCeL. Take advantage of the early-bird pricing and secure your seat now. Full passes are £79 and day passes for £39.   

Start planning by checking out my previous London RootsTech 2019 Posts here. 

RootsTech: Day 2

Much later start to the day but still a great buzz to the venue! Plus, with London Comic Con is in the same building. Yes, costumes and genealogists, this is my dream come true!

Jen Allen

Jen Allen is the Director of Events for FamilySearch and gave us an interesting perspective into the running of RootsTech London. Which, while not as large as Salt Lake City, is still very impressive. We had a lot of questions about how this was set-up to if they are considering to hold it again. So, here is a summary of what I was told about RootsTech London.

For those who have traveled out of the US, you will understand the sentiment of we all my speak English but American and British are not the same. At all. No really. Allen commented that it was interesting over the last year of planning to make sure everyone was on board with exactly what was needed and the terminology was understood. I feel you!

As of Friday morning there were 3,000 paid participants on site with an estimated 6,000 with walk-ins and free tickets. Which is fantastic for the inaugural event, and bigger than they expected. Out of those numbers she estimated there are 350 people from North America (US and Canada) and 50-60 Australians in attendance. Who, let’s be honest, get the “travel furthest award.” But, as expected 80% of attendees are UK based. 

The mission of having people connect to one another is felt through out the event and exhibit hall. Saturday will be family day with 18 stations, including an additional hall, for children’s activities. This was an event they did not know if it would be a hit here like it is in the US. We will see! But, having the extra hall where kids can go when they are done should help alleviate  some of the Saturday issues in the states when kids start to get distracted. 

If you are in attendance Allen wants to hear from you! Feed back is crucial to FamilySearch’s decision on if they will or will not have another international RootsTech in the future. I say international because there is an thought that maybe it will be a traveling event going to different international cities every other year. What do you think?

Tamsin Todd and Ben Bennett

Tamsin Todd, CEO of Find My Past, and Ben Bennett, Vice President US, gave a few interesting updates and insights into the FMP products. Here in the UK they are currently gearing up for the release of the 1921 Census. If you have UK ancestors at that time make sure you get your records in order to find those people!

FMP are still locating, and would like to hear from, archives who are interested in partnerships. This is something I feel all under staffed and under funded repositories should look into. Why? Well, FMP will digitize your records first of all. But, more importantly, it is a great way to monetize your collection. Yes, repositories still own the copyright, they only license FMP to use the documents. This means a portion of each view credit goes to the institution. Why are more not taking part in this?!

Partnerships also include Newspapers! More are coming into partnerships with FMP, which I found very exciting, and there are going to be BIG announcements in the next few months. No scoop...they wouldn’t tell us either! As more and more publications realize they keep the copyright and are only licensing with FMP I hope we will see greater numbers go to them. It is another underused research tool.

One theme stressed by both Todd and Bennett was the concept of “and” in thier company. Specifically, they want to be useful and known for being a resource for experienced genealogists “and” the casual user trying to find information on their ancestry in the British Isles. For most of the people with long roots in the US this is key. Many of us have BI roots, but how many of you have actually trawled through the FMP site? It truly is underused by many of us.

Night on the Town
Last night I skipped out on the concert and on a while went with a friend to the Natural History Museum Last Friday event. They and the V&A have events on the last Friday of the month with specific themes and later closing (open until 9pm). Last nights theme was Dr Who! OMGOMGOMG!!!!! I may like Dr Who a bit.

First of all, if you like museums you should really check it out. The building is beautiful, a true church built to science. Inside the displays really are the best of the best England has to offer. I could have spent all night there and hope to make  another trip while I am still here.

RootsTech London Keynotes

The final Keynote speaker for RootsTech 2019 London was announced this morning. For those who will be there, or still thinking about going, here is the lineup! I know I am looking forward to hearing from the UK Celebrities Dan Snow and Nick Barratt. I have seen them in several programs and would love to hear their family stories.

Dan Snow: Dan Snow is a historian, broadcaster and television presenter. He was born and raised in London, and remembers spending every weekend of his childhood being taken to castles, battlefields, country houses and churches. He developed a great love of history which he went on to pursue at Oxford University. While there he also rowed in the Boat Race three times. He left Oxford and immediately started presenting military history programs with his father, Peter Snow. Their series, “Battlefield Britain”, won a BAFTA award. He went on to make programs around the world on a range of historical topics. He has presented shows such as “Armada”, “Grand Canyon” and “Vikings”. He has a regular slot on the ONE show on BBC1 and is also part of the BBC Events team presenting anniversary programs commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the landings at Gallipoli in 2015. He has written or contributed to several books including ‘Death or Victory;’ the story of the siege of Quebec in 1759, ‘The World's Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields’ and most recently ‘The Battle of Waterloo Experience’.

Donny Osmond: Osmond’s successful career as an entertainer has spanned 5 decades. He is known internationally for his talent as a singer, songwriter, actor, television series host, and best-selling author. Osmond has performed since the age of 5 in such productions as The Andy Williams Show, The Osmonds, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and most recently with his sister in their Vegas show Donnie and Marie.

Nick Barratt: Nick Barratt is known for his work on Who Do You Think You Are?, House Detectives, Hidden House Histories, Secrets from the Attic, and Missing Millions. He has authored several books, including Lost Voices from the Titanic, The Forgotten Spy, and The Restless King. In 2016 he was made an Honorary Associate Professor of Public History at the University of Nottingham. He is a committee member for the Community Archive and Heritage Group, and President of the Federation of Family History Societies.

Steve Rockwood: Steve Rockwood was elected as CEO of FamilySearch International on 1 October 2015. Prior to joining FamilySearch, Rockwood specialized in creating unique service offerings for worldwide customers of such brands as MasterCard International, AT&T, Disney, Office Depot, and Citibank among others. He was also a successful entrepreneur building two companies from the ground up that were later acquired by larger companies.

x

Press Release: New Irish Record Sets Released from FMP

Online publication of significant record set reveals the stories behind the Easter Rising

and Ireland under Martial Law

17 April: Findmypast launches online today the most complete collection of British War Office records  relating to the Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence from 1916-1921. The collection, digitised from original records held by The National Archives in Kew, reveals the struggles of life under Martial Law in Ireland, and demonstrates how events under the occupying military served to galvanise support for the rebels.   

Totalling more than 75,000 records, the collection will be free to access for ten days at Findmypast.ie from today, 17 April, in advance of the 100^th anniversary of the Easter Rising on    24 April 2016.

More than 3,000 people were injured or killed in a conflict which saw three civilians killed for every one rebel. The records reveal the impact that the conflict had on men, women and children across Ireland. There are eye-witness accounts, interviews with civilians and reports of the trials of the leaders of the Rising and their sentences of execution.

The once classified records shine new light on the subsequent period of Martial Law in Ireland which was declared by the Lord Lieutenant in 1916, including the War of Independence, when the British military assumed control of the executive, judiciary and legislative arms of the entire country.. The contents of the collection provide a picture of what life was like for ordinary citizens in Ireland during this turbulent time.

The 25,000 search and raid records show the efforts of the military and police to discover arms, ammunition and seditious material through thousands of raids as well as their search for individuals associated with Sinn Féin, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Army. Members of the public accessing the records on Findmypast will find the names of the thousands of people who were detained and interned in prisons in Ireland, England and Wales and tried by courts martial, including the names of prominent nationalists and elected officials.

Military correspondence between the barracks in Dublin and the War Office in London grants new perspectives on the motivations and fears of the British Army leadership. The movements and actions of several key nationalist figures are also documented, including those of James Connolly, Eamon De Valera, Thomas Ashe, Joseph MacDonagh, Arthur Griffith, Padraig Pearse and Francis and Hannah Sheehy Skeffington and Countess Markievicz.

Key items from the collection include:

·         Daily situation reports sent by the British Army from Dublin to London between 24 April and 12 May 1916 documenting events during the uprising

·         A report from the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief confirming the execution of iconic Irish socialist and rebel James Connolly, who owing to injuries sustained in the conflict had to be strapped to a chair before being shot

·         Court martial reports sentencing prominent nationalist, politician and suffragette Countess Markievicz to two years in prison for “assisting and promoting crime and murder”

·         Witness statements from civilians caught up in the Rising

·         Documents authored by Michael Collins seized from a safehouse used by the nationalist figurehead

·         Details on raids of pubs such as the Brazen Head, hotels, nationalist club houses such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and thousands of homes

·         An urgent and secret warning from Sir C Spring Rice, British Ambassador in America, of gun running in Ireland

·         A telegram to the Prime Minister to report the expected surrender of the rebels from the Lieutenant General John Marshall

·         Internment files including the personal letters from prisoners or their relatives testifying to their innocence

·         Details on the hunger strikes of interned prisoners

·         Secret documents that reveal the British Military’s own concern with some of the behaviour of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)

The collection was digitised in partnership with The National Archives in London and contains documents from their WO35 series, War Office: Army of Ireland: Administration and Easter Rising Records. Totalling more than 110 million records, Findmypast has the largest Irish family history collection available online.

Brian Donovan, Head of Irish Records at Findmypast, comments:

“These records constitute an extraordinary resource which will transform the search for answers about our ancestors' activities during 1916 and the years that followed. While those who fought were small in number, the war impacted on the lives of ordinary people in many ways. We’re extremely fortunate to have these records to help us make some sense of it.”

Neil Cobbett, Irish records expert at The National Archives, said:

"This represents a major contribution and potentially a vast step forward for public understanding of these events from all points of view.  It will really help to throw light on the actions of participants and the whys and wherefores of what happened.  Whether you are a researcher seeking answers to some of the bigger questions, or a family historian or biographer, this collection will help you in your historical research, or in finding out about your forebear's or other participant's involvement."

About Findmypast

Findmypast (previously DC Thomson Family History) is a British-owned world leader in online family history. It has an unrivalled record of online innovation in the field and 18 million registered users across its family of online brands, which includes Lives of the First World War, The British Newspaper Archive and Genes Reunited, amongst others.

Its lead brand, also called Findmypast, is a searchable online archive of over eight billion family history records, ranging from parish records and censuses to migration records, military collections, historical newspapers and lots more. For members around the world, the site is a crucial resource for building family trees and conducting detailed historical research.

In April 2003, Findmypast was the first online genealogy site to provide access to the complete birth, marriage, and death indexes for England & Wales, winning the Queen’s Award for Innovation. Since that time, the company has digitised records from across the globe, including the 1911 Census and the recently released 1939 Register which they digitised in association with The National Archives.  www.findmypast.co.uk

About The National Archives

The National Archives is one of the world’s most valuable resources for research and an independent research organisation in its own right. As the official archive and publisher for the UK government, and England and Wales they are the guardians of some of the UK's most iconic national documents, dating back over 1,000 years. Their role is to collect and secure the future of the government record, both digital and physical, to preserve it for generations to come, and to make it as accessible and available as possible. The National Archives brings together the skills and specialisms needed to conserve some of the oldest historic documents as well as leading digital archive practices to manage and preserve government information past, present and future.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk / http://www.legislation.gov.uk/