Saturday, December 29, 2007

FindMyPast.com news update

I have registered for www.FindMyPast.com, one of the United Kingdom database subscription web sites, but I haven't subscribed. They send out a regular newsletter to registered people and subscribers.

This month, they are offering a 20% off deal for 2008 subscriptions - choose either 20% off subscriptions or an extra 20% free pay-per-view units - whichever suits you better. But hurry - this offer is only valid until midnight (UK time) on December 31st 2007. Subscription options are at http://www.findmypast.com/paymentOptions/subscriptions/index.jsp.

In the last newsletter, they summarized their work for 2007:

It's been quite a year on findmypast, the site's changed a great deal in the last twelve months, whilst maintaining the same high standards of accuracy and quality. We've added millions of records - just to refresh your memory 2007 saw us launch:

* New decades for the Passenger Lists - now covers 1890-1939 with the final two decades to come in the new year
* Parish records from the
National Burial Index and City of London Burials
* The 1871 census is now 75% complete, and the 1881 census transcriptions are available to search, for free
* The
Civil Service Evidence of age, Royal Naval Division Casualties and Divorce and Matrimonial Causes records

As well as all of these new records 2007 also saw the launch of the innovative, free and entirely online Family Tree Explorer, as well as a new viewer which means looking at the original historical records on findmypast is now simpler than ever.

FindMyPast also asked their subscribers for stories about using the web site and databases, and selected these persons (now they're on the Internet too!):

* Tom Wingate - a great-uncle who had three funerals, many years apart
* Roger Manley OBE - an amazing coincidence with a Lord
* Adrienne Coward - uncovered a family tie to George Eliot
* Evelyn Dick - a tale of a goldsmith and an heirloom
* John Brown - an eminent ancestor
* Steve Kirby - a matter of living relatives
* Ron Whitmore - name changes and emigration
* Jan Lawrence - a poignant family name
* Marian Gill - a family reunion
* Janet Peters - identified an ancestor on board the Moreton Bay

Read all ten of these fascinating stories in full here .

While I have significant English ancestry, almost all of them came to America before Civil Registration and the Census Records. Therefore, I don't subscribe to www.FindMyPast.com, but I like to stay informed about UK and Ireland resources so that I can help other people in their research.

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