New Brunswick Deaths to 1969 Available

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick recently published 4,922 digitized images of death registrations for 1969.

The following Record Series are available in the Vital Statistics Search Engine. 

Births

Index	Description	Years	Records	Last updated
141A1b	Index to Late Registration of Births	1810-1924	112,418	2020-03-13
141A1c	Index to Late Registration of Births: County Series	1869-1901	2,294	2019-09-10
141A2/2	Index to County Birth Registers	1800-1919	87,968	2020-03-09
141A5	Index to Provincial Registrations of Births	1870-1924	169,725	2020-02-25

Marriages

Index	Description	Years	Records	Last updated
141B7	Index to New Brunswick Marriages	1847-1969	286,109	2020-03-20

Deaths

Index	Description	Years	Records	Last updated
141C1	Index to County Death Registers	1885-1921	40,447	2019-12-30
141C4	Provincial Returns of Deaths	1815-1919	84,191	2020-03-13
141C5	Index to Death Certificates	1918-1969	246,718	2020-03-12

The Nebraska Death Index (1904-1968) online and free

Sample Page Nebraska Death Index

The Nebraska Death Index (1904-1968) is now online and free, the first time this data has ever been available to the public at all, in any format!

This is a free searchable database of 185,806 deaths in the state of Nebraska between 1956-1968, and free digitized images of the approximately 1.4 million entries in the death index for the years 1904-1955.

Looking for information on somebody who died in Nebraska? You can do a search in this database for the records from 1956-1968, or browse through newly digitized images of the index for the records from 1904-1955.

Genealogists can thank Reclaim the Records for this gift.

Finding Burial or Death Records Before 1869 in Ontario

Norma asked Olive Tree Genealogy about her 2nd great-grandfather who died in Ontario Canada in 1855.

I have not been able to find death record and/or obituaries for my 2nd great-grandfather and his eldest son, John Bergey.

Henry S Bergey, wife Elizabeth Clemmer, and their first three children moved to Waterloo County around 1848. Three daughters were born between 1849 and 1854 in Waterloo.

My curiosity is about cause of death of both father, Henry S. Bergey, d. 17 Feb. 1855 and eldest son, John Bergey, d. 21 February 1855.

Olive Tree Genealogy answer:

Norma, vital records were not registered in Ontario before 1869. That means that deaths in 1855 should be sought in local church burial records and cemetery records. However, even if found, the cause of death is unlikely to be recorded. 

You might check local newspapers of the time (if there are any to be found) to see if you can find a death notice. 

Here is an example of a death notice published Feb 7, 1855 Globe & Mail

But don't overlook finding out what diseases might have been happening in February 1855. Perhaps there was a cholera or diptheria outbreak, and this would likely have been noted in a newspaper.

Family Bibles or letters might hold clues. Check with older relatives or on E-Bay just in case. You never know what you might find!

AncestorsAtRest.com has many death records online, including coffin plates and funeral cards. You may want to take a look there.

Don't Let Family Lore Confuse You!

Shannah wrote to ask Olive Tree Genealogy about her Great grandfather William James Twiss

I have been trying to find out where my Grfa., TWISS, William James, had "landed" for over ten years, to no avail, from Cty. Cork, Ireland to New York, USA..  He was a mere 17 year old, at the time.  

The story I was told was that it was my Grfa. who had left Cork, Ireland, from Sept. to December of 1887 (I believe these are the months) on the Barque Julia, from Edinburough to Cork and to New York.  This particular Barque was a ship of supplies and the Captain was a friend of my Gr-Grpars., TWISS, Francis Edward Day, Sr..  It was my Grfa. who had suggested that he, himself, come out to Canada, first and they allowed it but he must go with someone they knew.  It was only a few days' trip and have researched into several ports along the eastern coast to no avail.  When he had landed, he had stayed with friends of his pars., (never knew who they were) Francis Edward Day and Ellen THOMPSON, in New York for a while then travelled up into BINBROOK, Wentworth Cty., Ontario, Canada to stay with our cousins/family there while his own pars. arrived through Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the following springtime.

 Shannah - 

Here is what I found which does not seem to agree with your family lore. That is not unusual as family lore can be family myth and is often incorrect or confused. Don't let it lead you down the wrong path when researching!

Source: Ancestry.com

Ed Twiss, age 40, farmer, his wife Ellen age 40 and three daughters Sarah
(20) Mildred (17) and Marcella (17) arrived 4 September 1888 at Halifax  on
board the steamer Peruvian. Their destination was noted as "Victoria BC"
Your ancestor is not with them on this journey.

The 1901 Census for British Columbia shows the family as Edward D. Twiss born 1839 Ontario, his wife Ellen born 1842 Ireland and two children - your ancestor William born 1872 Ireland and his sister Marcia born 1877 Ireland. Their year of immigration of Ellen and her children is given as 1889. 

We find Edward Day Twiss dying in July 1925 in British Columbia and his son William James dying in February 1953 in Vancouver British Columbia. His death registration found on FamilySearch indicates his date of birth as 11 November 1869, his father as Edward Day Twiss, his mother as Ellen Thomson and his wife as Sadie Jewell Brenton.

There are several death records on FamilySearch for your siblings of your William James Twiss: Mildred Jemima Twiss born 22 Sep 1868; Sarah Helena Nash Keen born 1866 in Kerry Ireland; Marcella Ellen Moodie born 22 Mar 1875 in Co. Kerry. Also William James Twiss marriage record 05 Jul 1906 shows he was born in Kerry, Ireland too. All these records come with images - how lucky is that!

I did find a few other items that might interest you - namely the marriage of William's father Edward to Ellen Thompson in Killarney Ireland. Her father is recorded as James Thompson. This might give you clues for more research in Killarney for the family.

 I found the birth of another son named Edward born 05 Sept 1872 in Ireland to Edward D. Twiss and his wife Ellen Thompson. Sarah Helena Twiss' birth was also found in the Irish birth records and her place of birth is recorded as Castle Island, Kerry Ireland. 

I am beginning to envy you all the records for your ancestors! And best of all here is your ancestor William James Twiss. A second birth record for William shows his place of birth as Annascall, Kerry Ireland. Now you have an exact date of birth and a location. Armed with this new information you have a lot of clues to help you in your search.

Summary of my findings:
Edward Day Twiss married Ellen Thomson/Thompson daughter of James in 1865 in Killarney, Kerry Ireland.  They immigrated to Canada 1888

Children:
* Sarah Helena Twiss  born 1866 in Castle Island, Kerry Ireland md 1 Nash m2 1893 B.C. John Keen, immigrated to Canada 1888
* Mildred Jemima Twiss born 1868 Castle Island, Kerry Ireland immigrated to Canada 1888
* William James Twiss born 1869 Annascall, Kerry Ireland md. 1906 B.C. Sadie Bointon
* Edward Twiss born 1872 Ireland
* Marcella Ellen Twiss  born 22 Mar 1875 in Kerry Ireland md. Walter Moodie
immigrated to Canada 1888

A Challenging Upper Canada (Ontario) Puzzle

Bob S. asked about a challenging ancestor named John Smith. Since Bob's query was very long, I took bits and pieces to respond to.

I have hit a brick wall with with my 2nd great-grandfather John Smith. Based on information that I have been able to find he was born between 1817 and 1826. Most information said that he was born in Canada, but his sons death registration said that he was English. He was a widower when he married my 2nd great-grandmother, Susannah Powles(s), on Jan. 13, 1856 at Christ Church, Tyendinaga, Hastings

Bob - First let me say what terrific research you have done already on this elusive ancestor. I am sorry I can't include everything you sent me here in this blog post.

Searching Land Records

I found a property owned by John M Smith but it said it was Lot 37 in Concession III.  Think that it is the same Lot/person because of proximity but am not familiar with these records.. I also tried looking for property that John Smith indicated on 1851Census.  I think that this is my John Smith but am not positive.  He listed in column "Residence if out of Limits" as "4th Con Richm"  which I interpreted as IV Concession in Richmond, Lennox County which is adjacent to Tyendinaga.  Searching the map for Richmond, Lennox at http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/.../fro-m-richmond.jpg.  I found a J Smith listed as owning property in Concession III Lots 13 and 14 on the 1880 map.  I am not sure if we would have retained that property (if it was his).

The first thing I want to suggest re this land confusion is that you consult land records. I have written extensively about searching for land records in Ontario and you may wish to familiarize yourself with what is available for Ontario Land Records. I suggest you start with the CLRI and also the Abstract Indexes to Deeds for all these properties you have found.

The Computerized Land Record Index (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants of Crown Land, sales of land from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants. If your ancestor settled anywhere in Ontario and he was the first time owner of Crown Land, he should be on these lists.

The Abstract Indexes to Deeds are the indexed record of every transaction on a plot of land from Crown ownership to the present day. Using the Abstract Indexes to Deeds you can check for every instance of your name of interest on that parcel of land.

There was a property dispute between Susannah's children and grandmother and Indian Department has file that mentions the property description (part of Lot 38 Con 2).  I think that I have found this on the maps linked to the OliveTree website but the location appears to be off somewhat (lot 37 Con III).  Are these the same lots just different descriptions? 

No those are not the same lot but they were close, perhaps even bordering on each other. Each farm could be quite large so conceivably the lots could touch even though they are on different concessions.  

Formulate a Working Theory

Next - I took a look at that 1851/52 census for John who was visiting other Smiths. I suggest you formulate a theory (which you will work to prove or disprove) that they are his relatives, and quite possibly close relatives such as a father (or mother) and siblings. Research each of the Smith individuals found there and try to find something that links them to John. The following articles may be of help to you.

From Theory to Fact: 30 Years in the Making

Turn a Genealogy Guess Into a Working Theory

Assumptions vs Working Theories - The Good and the Bad

Also, you no doubt noticed the "F" in the column for Place of Birth for those Smith individuals in that 1851/52 census. You didn't ask what it meant so you may already know this, but for those who do not know, here is the official explanation in instructions to census takers in 1851:

"The BIRTH PLACE of each person: you will here note that those born of Canadian Parents are to be marked with an F." [Source: http://www.prdh.umontreal.ca/census/en/uguide/enum_1852.aspx] 

Coffin Plates & Other Death Records

  [I] have what appears to be a plate from a casket or box that indicated he died on Dec. 16th, 1888, aged 71 yrs 5 months.

This is a coffin plate. These were engraved with the deceased's name and death date and sometimes with more information, then placed on top of the coffin during the funeral. After the funeral, the plate was given to the family as a memento. You can read more about coffin plates on the AncestorsAtRest website where over 450 are shown with photos.  It is very possible that John's death was not registered. Even though it was mandatory to register a death, many people did not comply as it cost money and sometimes the trip to the Registry office was too difficult to make in the winter.

I suggest you try church records for the burial information. Check the census records to find out what religion John was, then look to see what church he might have used. Then check Ontario Archives to find out if that church has any surviving records.

Summary

I feel that your best bet is to trace those other Smiths John is visiting in 1851. It will be a lot of work but I believe well worth it. Check and compare every record you can find for them, including John. Are their similarities in the names of their children? In their places of birth? These are just a few of the questions you might ask yourself.


The land records should also help - often sons received land from fathers.

Best of luck!

Index to Anatomy Registers in Scotland

Search the Index to Scottish Anatomy Registers

The supply of bodies for dissection by anatomists and medical students was regulated by the Anatomy Act of 1832. From 1842, the Inspector maintained registers of bodies supplied to the medical schools around Scotland.

The registers start in 1842, and continue up to 1949. They generally provide the following information:

• name
• age and sex
• last residence
• date and place of death
• cause of death, and by whom certified
• time of removal
• place to which removed (i.e. the institution) and teacher
• date and time which the body was received
• from whom the body was received
• date and place of burial

If you are lucky enough to find an ancestor in the index you will see their date of death and age as well as location of death. You can then order a copy of the record.

Have You Found an Ancestor's Coffin Plate?

May 15, 1790 Coffin Plate Manufacturer's Ad

The history of Coffin Plates or casket plates is a long but not very well documented one. Coffin plates are decorative adornments attached to the coffin that contain free genealogical information like the name and death date of the deceased.

Coffin Plate Thomas Dalton 1829

Generally made of a soft metal like lead, pewter, silver, brass, copper, zinc or tin. The different metals reflect the different functions of the plates, or the status and wealth of the deceased. For a basic funeral, a simple lead plate would be lettered with the name, date of death and often the age of the departed, and nailed to the lid of a wooden coffin. But high status people could afford a plate of a more expensive metal and elaborate design.

The oldest coffin plates that I have seen date from the 17th century (1600~1699) and were at that time reserved for people of some stature. As time went on more people were able to afford the luxury of a Coffin Plate and with the coming of the industrial revolution the cost of the plates went down so much that by the middle of the 19th century almost every family could afford to have one put on the coffin of their loved one. ^FN1

Some of Brian L. Massey's private collection of Coffin Plates

These are just the start of the over 150 coffin plates that are online on Ancestors At Rest.

Geo W Abbott 1860~1879 Found in U.S.A.
Henry M Adams 1838~1900 Found in U.S.A.
Sarah A Adams 1824~1877 Found in U.S.A.
Sophia Jane Aitcheson 1862~1904 Wellington County Ontario.
Samual Adam 1799~1874
Lucy Andrews 1790~1869
Robert Andrews 1786~1870
Lauuelina Jane Armand 1841~1866 Massachusetts.
Mary M Atherton Found in New England
Wilbert Avery 1860~1890 Found in Massachusetts.

Continue searching for your ancestor at Index to Coffin Plates

^FN1Important Note: Brian L. Massey wrote this article and more, all of which is published on his AncestorsAtRest.com website. It was taken without permission and posted verbatim on Wikipedia. Trying to get it taken down has been unsuccessful.

Funeral Cards - an Overlooked Genealogy Resource

Funeral cards are an overlooked free genealogical resource. They often contain both the Birth date and Death date and can be used as a substitute for vital records. Technically they are not a substitute for vital records as the person giving the info might not have known for sure when the deceased was born or died but they can be used with caution, just as genealogists should use death certificates.

Unfortunately these valuable resources are scattered and there has not been a single repository for this resource until now. AncestorsAtRest.com is working on  creating the largest funeral card database online.

To view the list of funeral card names, please choose a Funeral Death Card by location or by Surname Letter. Please Note: A lot of the funeral cards and Memorial cards on Ancestors At Rest do not have a known location so it is important that you look for the ancestor you want to find by surname.

 

 Choose from the following:

[A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I,J][K][L][M][N][O][P,Q][R][S][T][U,V][W][Y][Z]

FInding Nancy Longstreet Part 5 (The End)

The online family tree I was using for clues to further research had John Longstreet's death as 14 September 1868 in Erin, Wellington County Ontario. There were no sources provided to support this and since this date is before mandatory registration of deaths, there was no death registration to be found.

My next decision then was see if I could find some proof of his death. For that I could search church records, burial records, cemeteries, and wills.

Agricultural Census

I also thought I'd take a look in the Agricultural census for 1851 and 1861 for John Longstreet in Caledon. John wasn't found but his son Henry was found living on Concession 6, Lot 10 in Caledon Township in 1861. So I could also have a hunt in the online Land Records for Ontario and see if John was there and when he first bought land.

Fields: Name, Concession, Lot #, Total Acres, Acres cultivated, Acres with crops

Land Records

I would need more time to find the Abstract Indexes to Deeds for Lot 10, Concession 6 in Caledon on the online Ontario Land Record site, so I headed out in another direction. It was beginning to feel like I was floundering around so I decided to just do some Googling, see what turned up when searching under John or Nancy's name. I'd mull over what I'd found so far and where to turn next while doing some simple searches online.

An exhaustive internet search turned up a little tidbit of information on a message board where an individual said that Abigail Longstreet Snyder was named in her father John's will. No other details were given. No sources, nothing. But.... a possible will!!?? My spidey senses tingled. I decided to drop everything and go on a hunt for this will if it existed.
 
I didn't think that the family tree notation of John dying in Erin, Wellington County made sense, so I went to the Archives of Ontario website to look at what was available for wills in Peel County. It made more sense to me that since some of John's children stated they were born in Caledon, and John was last found in 1861 in Caledon, Peel County, he may have still been there in 1868.

Surrogate Court Records

From Archives of Ontario website I learned that if John had a will it is probably found on the following film: GS1, Reel 563. That covers Estate Files 1-80, years 1867-1868. Archives of Ontario Peel County Surrogate Court Records also suggests it is wise to look up the application in the Docket Books on microfilm GS 2, Reel 146. The estate file number will be listed at the top of the application.

These films are not online and since I cannot access the Archives myself I hired my friend Sue de Groot at researchbysue@sympatico.ca to look for me and copy a will if she found one.

Bingo!

John's will was found. The microfilmed Docket Book shows us that John's will is #67 on GS1 Reel 563

"10 October 1868. John Longstreet, late of the Township of Caledon in the County of Peel, farmer, died 14th day of Sept. 1868"

Executors were Noah Herring, farmer, and Francis Longstreet, labourer

John's will was quite long and rather than transcribe it, I have extracted names and bequests as follows:

To Francis Longstreet, my son, the 5 acres I now occupy, with house and all personal property on 5th Concession W.H.S. Township of Caledon. Westerly corner of the Southerly Quarter Lot 10. Also 5 acres of land on the 6th Concession between the lot I deeded to Wm. Long and that hereafter willed to my son Henry Longstreet.

To my son Henry Longstreet, 25 acres of land on 6th Concession of Caledon, W.H.S. being part of the Southerly quarter of Lot 10 on condition that within 5 years of my death he pays to my son Francis Longstreet $200.00

To my daughters Matilda Smith and Mary Long each $5.00. To my sons Samuel, Richard, and John each $1.00. To the remainder of my daughters Nancy Ann Fisher, Betsy Ann Lawrence, and Abigail Snyder each $1.00

6. My son Francis to take good care of, and maintain, my beloved wife during her life and also pay her funeral expenses at her death.

John signs with an X for his name

Inventory

There are several other legal papers and documents with John's will. All in all a total of 12 pages of documents is in the file.

Conclusion

Nancy Fisher's father has been found. She is named as the daughter of John Longstreet in his will dated 1868. It is possible that her mother was John Longstreet's second wife whose name is thought to be Mary aka Phoebe Bear. But finding proof of the second wife is another research project for descendants to tackle.

Now let's look at the summary of theorized children of John Longstreet which I prepared for Part 4 Finding Nancy Longstreet. We need to see which children are now proven by John's will.

Samuel Longstreet IN THE WILL
Born ca 1814 USA (some records indicate he was born 27 Feb. 1814)

Richard Longstreet  IN THE WILL
born ca 1816 USA (New York?)

Sarah Catherine Longstreet NOT IN THE WILL
We must not assume she is not a daughter just because she is not in the will. She may have died before 1868. She may have been disowned. More research would be required by her descendants.

Henry Longstreet  IN THE WILL
born ca 1823 (29 March 1823?)

Nancy Ann/Elizabeth Longstreet IN THE WILL
born ca 1823
married George Fisher

Betsy (Elizabeth) Ann Longstreet  IN THE WILL
born ca 1825
married William Lawrence

Abigail Longstreet  IN THE WILL
born ca 1835
married Calvin Murray Snyder

John Longstreet s/o John & Mary (Phoebe?)  IN THE WILL
born ca 1836 (25 October 1835?)

Mary Longstreet d/o John & Sarah  IN THE WILL
born 1839
Married William Long

Matilda Longstreet probably d/o John & Sarah  IN THE WILL
born 11 May 1843
married Jacob Smith

Francis Longstreet s/o John & Sarah  IN THE WILL
born 22 May 1845

I hope my readers have enjoyed following along with me on my quest to find Nancy Longstreet Fisher. If you found my research or the process I used helpful, please consider a donation to support my continuing to bring free genealogy online for all.

Here are the links to all 5 parts of this series

https://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/finding-nancy-longstreet-part-1.html
https://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/finding-nancy-longstreet-part-2.html
https://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/finding-nancy-longstreet-part-3.html
https://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/finding-nancy-longstreet-part-4.html
https://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/finding-nancy-longstreet-part-5-end.html 

A New Cemetery Walk Uploaded

St. Columbkill Roman Catholic Cemetery, Uptergrove, Simcoe County Ontario is now online on Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube channel. 

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

What are Cemetery Walks? They are photographs of gravestones in cemeteries, converted to a video.

My husband and I stop at cemeteries whenever we can. We then photograph as many tombstones as possible. Sometimes we can photograph an entire cemetery. Sometimes we can only take pictures of part of the cemetery. We always try to return to finish a cemetery if we can.

New Jersey Death Records 1848-1878 Online

Do you have New Jersey ancestors?  You can now search New Jersey death records from May 1848-May 1878 on the State Archives' website! Over 300,000 entries. See Searchable Databases and Records Request Forms on the New Jersey Archives website.

Search for an ancestor or a surname, select any of interest and they are put into your shopping cart. You can then pay for the full record. 

 

 

The Peer family left New Jersey for Upper Canada (present day Ontario) after the American Revolution. I was excited to see that the New Jersey Archives has earlier records pre 1800 and hope to have time to search them all next week!

Paved Over African American Cemetery

 Laurel Cemetery opened in 1852 as the first non-religious cemetery for Baltimore’s African-American community. Many well-known black individuals were buried there, but in 1950 the cemetery was moved. Paved over, a shopping mall was built on top of the original cemetery.

Representative Photo

But a question remains - are there still bodies buried beneath the shopping mall?

Ron Castanza, a professor at Baltimore College, set out to find answers. He applied for permission to dig in the grassy area where the shopping mall sat. Over time, the team found two headstones without names. They found bones and the metal handles and nails of coffins.

Read the full story at Rediscovering the African-American graveyard beneath a Baltimore shopping center

Coffin Plate of Patrick Dalton died 1879

Olive Tree Genealogy is sharing this coffin plate with permission of my Facebook friend Dan Lynch:

Hoping to return a found family treasure to the right descendants. 

Silver cross engraved Patrick Dalton, Died Aug 4. 1879, Aged 67 Yrs 5 Mos (Estimated birth March 1812). 

Measures approx 8x6 inches.

Dan has given me permission to add this to the collection of coffin plates on AncestorsAtRest.com

 

 

 

Rescued Funeral Cards Ditson-Welch Families

 Another Funeral Memorial Card has been rescued. I can't pass these by when I see them in flea markets or antique stores, and my latest find is for the Welsh & Ditson families in Collingwood Ontario.

On the left is Mary Elizabeth Ditson Welsh's Memoral Card from 1934. It reads:

Died in Collingwood on Wednesday January 10, 1934, Mary Elizabeth Ditson beloved wife of Joseph P. Welsh, Aged 58 years 

The other side of her card provides the funeral details.
The Funeral Service will be held at the family residence, Hurontario Streeet, on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock to be followed by a further service in The Church of the Brethen to Christ, Sixth Lane, Nottawasaga. Interment in the Church Cemetery.

Mary Elizabeth's mother Martha's funeral card was also waiting for someone to rescue it and here it is:



Died in Collingwood on Thursday April 12, 1917, Martha widow of the late S. Ditson, Aged 72 years.

The other side of her Funeral Card gives the details of the funeral:

The funeral will take place from the residence of her daughter Mrs. Joseph Welch [sic], Hurontario Street, on Saturday afternoon April 14th at half-past one o'clock, for the Sixth Line Cemetery. Service at the house at one o'clock

 More funeral cards can be viewed at AncestorsAtRest.com

Rescued Funeral Card Louis Burmister age 22

Original Funeral Card owned by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

This is another rescued Funeral Card. Louis Burmister was a young man with his whole life ahead of him when he died in 1886.

His Funeral Card reads:

Died at Collingwood on Monday June 21st, 1886, Louis Burmister, aged 22 years and 9 months.

Funeral will leave the family residence, Cedar Street on Thursday June 24th at 1:30 p.m for the Dunkerd Cemetery.

After rescuing this card from a flea market I wanted to give Louis a voice. I began my search at Ancestry. 9 year old Lewis (sic) is found in the 1871 census for Puslinch Township Wellington County Ontario with his rather large family of parents Ludwig (54) and Fredericka (33) and his 5 siblings ages 2 to 13.

Anyone interested in having this Funeral Card can contact me by leaving a comment on this blog post. Be sure to provide your email address.

Burials at Highgate Cemetery London UK Now Online

Highgate Cemetery in London England is chock full of very well-known personalities such as Karl Marx, Christina Rosetti, George Elliott, and my personal favourite - scientist/Mathmatician Michael Faraday. Singer George Michael also lies there.

Details of all 160,000 burials between 1839 and 2010 at the cemetery have now been made available online. Deceased Online has been digitizing the burials for the public to freely consult. There is a small fee to download the actual record.

Read more on the Evening Standard Highgate Cemetery reveals all 160,000 burial records for first time

Interment.net Adds 1.4 Million Cemetery Records

The following Press Release was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy.

Interment.net Adds 1.4 Million Cemetery Records

(August 1, 2016, San Diego, CA), In the month of July 2016, Interment.net added 670,276 cemetery records to its online archives, covering 87 cemeteries across 23 states. It's the largest one-month publishing effort in the website's history.

View the full list of July's transcriptions here:

http://www.interment.net/whatsnew/20160707.htm

All in all, nearly 1.4 million records have been added when you include the previous months of June and May 2016.

The accelerated rate of expansion comes from a renewed effort to reestablish Interment.net as the top destination for cemetery records.

"We launched Interment.net in 1997 back when USGenWeb Archives was the only genealogical source of cemetery records", says Steve Johnson, publisher and founder of Interment.net. Interment.net quickly fostered a volunteer base that contributed thousands of transcriptions from cemeteries all over the globe."

But back then, acquiring records in digital form was not easy to come by. Many cemeteries still kept paper records. Those that had computer databases were not able to easily export their data. Thus, Interment.net relied heavily on volunteers to visit cemeteries and transcribe inscriptions.

Today, however, most cemeteries are able to easily export their digital records to textfiles or spreadsheets.

"We're presently updating records for all national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries", Johnson added. "We're also adding records from thousands of municipalities, counties, cemetery associations and districts."

Interment.net is a free online archive of cemetery transcriptions. Records are acquired from government offices, private cemeteries, and from volunteers who transcribe inscriptions.

Visit Interment.net to publish your transcription.

Announcement re 100 Million Dutch Records on Ancestry

The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy yesterday:

More than 100 million birth, marriage and death records from the Netherlands are available online for the first time thanks to an agreement between Ancestry.com, the leader in family history and consumer genomics and CBG, the Netherlands Centre for Family History.

The collection is made up of indexes of civil registration records, population registers, church registers and family announcements from a comprehensive network of archive organisations within the Netherlands. Most of the records cover events from the 19th and 20th Century.

To date this collection has only been available in its entirety via the dedicated WieWasWie database, as operated by the Netherlands Centre for Family History. Now these records can be accessed and shared by Ancestry’s 2.5 million family history enthusiasts around the world.

Nikolai Donitzky, Ancestry’s Managing Director of Content for Europe, comments: “The Centre for Family History and regional archives have done a remarkable job in gathering and digitizing these records across the country. We are delighted to help share this extensive collection of Dutch records with a worldwide audience.” Leo Voogt (Executive Director of CBG) adds: We have worked with the archive community in the Netherlands to provide a unified window on all our joint genealogical records. Working with Ancestry.com will generate an enormous additional audience for these holdings and will drive new traffic to the sites of the participating institutions in the Netherlands.

The collection is available on Ancestry.com from 6th June, 2016.