For the last 30-odd days, Findmypast have been releasing and showcasing new record sets every week. In fact, sometimes every day. From military records to parish records, births, marriages, deaths and christenings, their records offer family, local and social historians an even greater chance to discover their ancestors. And these records are not only UK records…. they are from around the world.
Arriving in New York yesterday, I was delighted to see that my arrival was duly noted by Findmypast! The two newest records sets are New York City Death Notices 1835-1880 and Marriage Notices for the same period. Further back in the 100 in 100 Campaign are some highly detailed records covering parts of Ireland.
Finding Irish ancestors is notoriously challenging as records were destroyed, most notably when the Public Record Office was blown up in 1822. Surviving Irish census records from 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851 can be searched and viewed. Covering large parts of County Cavan, Fermanagh, Galway, Offaly (King’s), and Meath in 1821, Derry/Londonderry in 1831, Cavan in 1841, and Antrim in 1851, these censuses contain the details of over 600,000 people. Depending on the date of the census, the amount of information varies considerably – as it does in the censuses of England and Wales. However, many records list an individual’s name, age, occupation, townland, parish and address.
Shropshire Archives have worked in partnership with Findmypast to provide baptisms, marriages and burials 1538-1900 and banns 1760-1900, adding to an already significant collection of parish registers from various counties of England and Wales.
There may have been a fair few vocal individuals voicing their opinions regarding the recent changes to Findmypast but you cannot fault them for this 100 in 100 Campaign – records which we would otherwise have to painstaking trawl through after travelling to an archive…. in New York.
