Findmypast Friday: New Zealand Cemeteries, Scottish Inscriptions, and Newspapers

  I received this information from Findmypast today:

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There are over 200,000 additions to discover this week.

Remembering the lives of your global ancestors got easier this week, as we've added 207,233 cemetery records from across New Zealand and 27,070 Scottish monumental inscriptions.

From Christchurch to Glasgow, these new additions may reveal key details about the lives and deaths of your ancestors.

A new South London title also joined our newspaper collection this Findmypast Friday.

New Zealand Cemetery Records

If you've got Kiwi roots, there are cemetery records from nine New Zealand districts - including Tasman, Christchurch and Clutha - for you to discover.

Scotland Monumental Inscriptions

We added records from two Glasgow cemeteries to this set. Whether they lived to an old age or had their life cut short by war, your ancestor may be commemorated in these records.

From Bromley to Ballymena...

We've added 307,800 new pages to our newspaper archive this week, with a brand new Bromley addition and updates to 67 existing titles.

New titles:

• Bromley Local Guide and Advertiser, 1910-1919, 1930

Updated titles:

• Ampthill & District News, 1947–1959
• Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, 1993, 2004
• Banbridge Chronicle, 1876, 1968
• Banbridge Leader, 1994, 2003–2004
• Batley News, 2004
• Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 1986, 1993–1995
• Belper News, 2004
• Berwick Advertiser, 1983, 1986, 2004
• Beverley Guardian, 1889
• Bridlington Free Press, 1859–1860, 1890–1896, 1899–1905, 1914–1923, 1991, 2004
• Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press, 1984
• Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News, 1996, 2004
• Buxton Advertiser, 2004
• Campbeltown Courier, 1989
• Carrick Times and East Antrim Times, 2003–2004
• Chorley Guardian, 2004
• Coalville Times, 1950
• Coleraine Times, 2003
• Commercial Daily List (London), 1868
• Cumberland Pacquet, and Ware’s Whitehaven Advertiser, 1873, 1875–1876, 1894
• Daventry and District Weekly Express, 2004
• Derbyshire Times, 1995
• Dewsbury Reporter, 2004
• Durham County Advertiser, 1831, 1834–1837, 1854, 1856
• Edinburgh Courant, 1705–1708
• Evening News (Waterford), 1915–1916
• Farmer’s Gazette and Journal of Practical Horticulture, 1897–1899, 1910–1919
• Fleetwood Weekly News, 2004
• Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, 1981
• Hawick News and Border Chronicle, 1952
• Hemel Hempstead Gazette, 1980
• Horncastle News, 2004
• Inverness Courier, 1981
• John o’ Groat Journal, 1994
• Kinematograph Weekly, 1949, 1961–1965
• Kirkintilloch Herald, 1986
• Lancing Herald, 2003
• Leamington Spa Courier, 1980
• Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian, 1992
• Littlehampton Gazette, 1981
• Liverpool Courier and Commercial Advertiser, 1911–1912
• London Daily Chronicle, 1855
• Londonderry Sentinel, 1984, 1986, 2004
• Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle, 1987
• Matlock Mercury, 1989, 2003–2004
• Mirror (Trinidad & Tobago), 1903
• Motherwell Times, 1988
• North London News, 1865
• Northampton Mercury, 1991, 2004
• Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, 1989
• Northern Warder and General Advertiser for the Counties of Fife, Perth and Forfar, 1873
• Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 1989
• Pontypool Free Press, 1865–1866
• Portadown Times, 2004
• Portsmouth Evening News, 1977
• Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser, 1830, 1912–1915, 1917–1918
• Retford, Worksop, Isle of Axholme and Gainsborough News, 1991, 2004
• Skegness Standard, 1989, 1991–1992
• South Eastern Advertiser, 1903–1906
• Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 1973
• Swindon Advertiser, 1915
• Warrington Examiner, 1910–1911
• Warwick Courier, 2003–2004
• Watford Observer, 1910, 1917–1918
• Wellington Journal, 1871–1875, 1910, 1912–1915, 1918–1964
• Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 1957–1963
• Worthing Herald, 1981

More on this topic:   scottish records  parish records

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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

 
The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/02/findmypast-friday-new-new-zealand.html

 
Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

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Added and Updated MyHeritage Record Collections - 31 January to 6 February 2025

 The following Record Collections were ADDED to or updated in the MyHeritage Collections Catalog during the week of 31 January to 6 February 2025:

• MyHeritage Family Sites (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5 2025, 95,391,887 entries
• MyHeritage members (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5  2025, 76,267,606 entries
•  MyHeritage photos & docs (Images), Updated Feb 5  2025, 446,721,327 entries
• Search Connect™ - Searches by MyHeritage Members (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5 2025,  451,151,277 entries
• Geni World Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5 2025, 360,144,033 entries
• FamilySearch Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5 2025, 1,167,666,976    entries
• Filae Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5  2025, 306,632,619 entries
• MyHeritage Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Feb 5 2025, 6,208,519,469 entries

• France, Church Baptisms and Civil Births (Birth Records), Updated Feb 4 2025, 171,240,855 entries.
• France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths (Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries), Updated Feb 4 2025, 162,322,111 entries.
• France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages (Marriage & Divorce), Updated Feb 4 2025, 140,303,613 entries
• New York City Passenger and Crew Lists, 1957-1963 (Passenger Lists), ADDED Feb 4 2025, 5,559,446 entries
• 1900 Sweden Census (Nordic Census), ADDED Feb 3 2025, 4,963,601 entries
• Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia Marriages, 1874-1899 (Marriage & Divorce), Updated Feb 2 2025, 7,665,864 entries 

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There are 2 ADDED record collections this past week, and MyHeritage now has a total of  7,453 record collections (an increase of 2  collections from last week), with  33,270,367,452 entries (a decrease of over 66 million entries).  The FamilySearch Family Tree added 0.0 million entries this past week.  

NOTE:  Two new collections were added this week. None of the family tree databases had a change in their entry count.  The reduction in number of total entries is unexplained. 

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a paid subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/02/added-and-updated-myheritage-record.html

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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Introducing MyStories: A New Service to Turn Cherished Memories into a Printed Keepsake Book

MyHeritage announced a new book creation service today that turns your, and my, family and life memories into a printed keepsake book.  

The MyHeritage Blog describes this new offering from MyHeritage here.  They note that:

For 21 years, MyHeritage has inspired millions of people worldwide to discover more about who they are and where they belong. While family trees, historical records, and photos are essential to family history, the stories and memories that bring them to life often go undocumented. MyStories ensures those precious stories are never lost.

This short video explains the offering:

The blog post explains how it works:

MyStories simplifies the seemingly daunting task of writing a memoir by sending the storyteller — either you or a loved one — one email per week with a thoughtful question about a specific memory or milestone, such as the story of meeting one’s spouse or words of advice for future generations. The storyteller can simply reply to the emails and attach any photos they would like to include. The questions can be modified to suit the storyteller and the focus of the book, and can be rearranged as desired. Storytellers can answer once a week over the course of a year, or at a different pace, according to their preference. 

When purchasing MyStories as a gift for someone else, the recipient will receive the email prompts directly. All it takes is an email — no technical know-how is necessary. The stories can be reviewed and edited at any time. Once the book is ready, the storyteller or the person who gave them the gift can customize the color, cover photo, and title, and the beautifully bound hardcover book will be printed and shipped to them.

The MyHeritage blog post has many more details about the book creation process and examples from the product.  Please read it for much more information about this product.

Several family historians had the opportunity to create a MyStories book before the launch of this product.  The MyHeritage blog post highlights three of them:

We gave some leading family history experts early access to MyStories and they came back with sparkling eyes. 

• Janna Helshtein author of DNA at Eye Level said, “I had no idea how many stories were hidden inside me. As soon as I started answering the questions, the stories just poured out. It was very emotional.” 
• James Tanner, author of Genealogy’s Star blog, commented, “As I get older, I have become aware of how little my 34 grandchildren know about me and my life. MyStories provides a way for me to make my life known for posterity, and to preserve the stories that make our family who we are.” 
• Randy Seaver, author of the Genea-Musings blog, declared, “MyStories is a winner! My children and grandchildren will be able to remember my stories for their entire lives! I’m getting a copy for each one of them.”

This product is not free for people to use.  The "Cost" section of the blog post says:

MyStories costs $99 and includes weekly story prompts and one hardcover, full-color printed book. Shipping within the United States is free, and international shipping is also available. MyHeritage customers with a Complete or Omni subscription enjoy a loyalty discount of $15 off their purchase of MyStories. The books can be edited and customized, and additional copies can be ordered for an extra fee. Each book can also be downloaded for free as a PDF file at any time, and saved to one’s family tree on MyHeritage as a digital asset for posterity.

The MyHeritage blog post summarization says:

MyStories is more than a perfect gift; it’s a bridge between generations and a way to ensure that personal stories are preserved and cherished for generations to come. Whether it’s a gift for a birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or “just because,” the MyStories experience is just as rewarding for the giver as it is for the recipient. Visit MyStories.com today to get started. Enjoy!

As noted above, I am one of the early "accessors" of this product.  I had limited time to do this.  I had a number of family stories already written on my blog and in a memoir in-work, so I used some of those stories and photographs to create my MyStories book.   I added 38 stories to my MyStories book and submitted them to MyHeritage.  

My MyStories book is in the mail from MyHeritage today.  When I receive my book I will show the cover and Table of Contents and will have more to say about the product.  

Thank you to MyHeritage for allowing me to participate in this product launch.

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a paid subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/02/introducing-mystories-new-service-to.html

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1647 Marriage Record of John Medcalfe and Mary Chickering in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - an opportunity to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history research and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1647 marriage record of John Medcalfe and Mary Chickering in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony:

The marriage entry for John Medcalfe and Mary Chickering is the first entry in the 1647 entries in the left-hand column:

The transcription of the information on this record is:

"1647   John Medcalfe & Mary Chickering was

married the 23 of the 1 mth" Sept. 2, 1724"

The source citation for this marriage record is:

 "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), "Dedham, Births, Marriages and Deaths," no page number (image 139 of 1916), John Metcalfe and Mary Chickering marriage entry, 23 March (1st month) 1647.

This is probably an Original Source record (because it appears to be the first Dedham town record book that starts in 1635, but it may be a transcription of the original copied later - it's difficult to tell) with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the name, death date and place of the marriage of John Medcalfe and Mary Chickering in Dedham town.

John Metcalf (1622-1690) was baptized 5 September 1622 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, the sonf of Michael Metcalf and Sarah Elwyn; he died 8 October 1690 in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He married Mary Chickering (1628-1698) on 23 March 1647 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Mary was born about 1628 in Ringsfield, Suffolk, england, the daughter of Francis Chickering and Anne Fiske; she died 15 March 1698 in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

John and Mary (Chickering) Metcalf are my 9th great-grandparents, through their son Michael Metcalf (1650-1691) who married Elizabwth Bowers (1654-1724) in 1676 in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

   

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Disclosure:  I have a paid All-Access subscription to Ancestry.com now.  Ancestry.com has provided a complimentary subscription and material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and has hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City, in past years.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/02/treasure-chest-thursday-1647-marriage.html

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  All comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately after posting.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 30 January to 5 February 2025

 Welcome to Genealogy Education Bytes, posted on Wednesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight some of the most important genealogy and family history education items that came across my desktop since the last issue.

1) Upcoming Conferences and  Institutes 

* Conference Keeper Calendar

*  RootsTech 2025 (Free/$$) - 6 to 8 March 2025 - Virtual (Free) and In-Person ($$) (Salt Lake City, Utah)

*  Australasian Conference 2025 - Connections: Past, Present, Future ($$) - 21 to 24 March 2025 - In-Person (Brisbane, Australia)

*   OGS 2025 Conference "Light Up Your Genealogy" ($$) - 30 April to 3 May 2025 - In-Person (Sandusky, Ohio)

*  NGS 2025 Family History Conference "Tales & Trails" ($$) - 23 to 25 May 2025 - In-Person (Louisville, Ky.)

2 ) Upcoming Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for and/or view webinars and classes.

*  FamilySearch Library Classes and Webinars (Free)

*  GenWebinars ($$)

* RootsTech 2024 On-Demand Sessions (Free)

*  THE Family History Show ($$) - 8 February 2025 - Online

*  2025 Legacy Family Tree Webinars series announced — adds members-only AI series and 173 new webinars

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Wednesday, 5 February, 11 a.m.:  Foundations in DNA 1 of 5: Introduction to DNA and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine Bettinger.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 7 February, 9 a.m.: 50 State-Level Digitized Memory Platforms You Don’t Want to Miss! by Diane L. Richard

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 7 February, 11 a.m.: Researching Your LGBTQ+ Ancestors by Michael J. Leclerc

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Tuesday, 11 February, 11 a.m.: Norwegians in the New World: Tracing Norwegian Immigrants in the American Midwest by Phoebe Cooper

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Wednesday, 12 February, 11 a.m.:  Finding Your Elusive Female Ancestors in Local Archives by Melissa Barker

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 14 February, 9 a.m.:  Creating Children’s Stories from Ancestral Lives by Michael John Neill

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 14 February, 11 a.m.:  Introducing 10 Million Names by Cynthia Evans

3) Recent Podcasts:

*  Ancestral Findings Podcast:   AF-1041: Uncover Hidden Genealogy Secrets in Your Local Library | Ancestral Findings Podcast

*  Ancestral Findings Podcast:  AF-1042: Florida: The State Capitals | Ancestral Findings Podcast

*  Maureen Taylor:  Episode 258: Exploring Project Kin: Barbara Tien’s Community for Storytellers and Genealogists

*  Research Like a Pro: RLP 343: Turn Your Family Tree into a Book with Rebecca Shamblin

*  The Family History AI Show:  EP23: AI Predictions for 2025: Agents, Local Models, Social Media Chatbots, Writing Tools, AI Costs Drop

4) Recent YouTube Videos:

*  Allen County Public Library:  Making The Genealogy Center Your Research Assistant With Emphasis on Jewish Family History Research

*  Allen County Public Library:  Piecing Together the Past: Tools and Techniques for African American Genealogy

*  Allen County Public Library:  Heritage Travel Top 10 Tips for Walking in Ancestral Footsteps

*  Allen County Public Library:  Ancestry.com - Beyond the Basics

*  Ancestry:  Vinny Shoreman's Family of Fighters! | Unearth The Past | Ancestry®

*  Ancestry:   Finding Family in Russia? | An Adoption Story | Ancestry®

*  BYU Library Family History:  Your Ancestors Paid Taxes: Using Tax Records to Find Your Ancestors -James Tanner (26 Jan 2025)

*  BYU Library Family History:  A Short History of Genealogy: A Personal Perspective - James Tanner (2 Feb 2025)

*  BYU Library Family History:  FS Intermediate 2: Duplicates in Family Tree 2: How to Resolve Them -Kathryn Grant (2 Feb 2025)

*  Carole McCullough Geneablogger:  February Tech Tip 1: Ancestry AI discovers details in records

*  Carole McCullough Geneablogger:  February Tech Tip 2: NoteGPT summarises YouTube videos

*  Cheri Hudson Passey:  GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Learning from Finding Your Roots Season 11: Episodes 1-4.

*  DearMYRTLE's Archive:  Mondays with Myrt - 3 Feb 2025

*  DearMYRTLE's Archive:  Myrt's BOOK CLUB - Chapters 3 & 4 (Research & Citations)

*  Ellen Thompson-Jennings - Family History Hound:  Unlocking Hidden Gems with FamilySearch and AI!

*  Family History Fanatics:  The Slow Process of Updating Family Search for 1,000 Men - Civil War Pt 9

*  Family Locket:  How to Record Multiple Relationships with DNA Matches

*  FamilySearch:  MyHeritage Sponsor Takeover

*  Finding Family DNA:  Finding My Father and Solving a 40-Year Mystery | Finding Family DNA | Ep. 22

*  Genealogy TV 2:  Genealogy Research - Using AI - Danish Emigration to U.S.

*  Genealogy With Dana Leeds:  Can You Trust AncestryDNA Relationship Predictions? (3 Tools Every Genealogist Should Know)

*  GeneaVlogger:  Investigative Genetic Genealogist Reviews The Breakthrough (Genombrottet)

*  Int'l Institute of Genealogy Studies:  DNA Thru Lines

*  Int'l Institute of Genealogy Studies:  English Records Jan 2025

*  Int'l Institute of Genealogy Studies:  Australian Records Virtual Meeting Jan 2025

*  Italian Roots and Genealogy:  Italian Genealogy Extreme Records‪@ItalianRootsandGenealogy‬ #italianancestry #italianheritage

*  Just Genealogy:  Land Records 101: Is It a Patent or Deed?

*  Legacy Carvers:  Are YOUR Ancestors Hiding in Church Magazines?

*  Lisa Lisson:  15 Quick Genealogy Tasks You Can Do Today

*  MyHeritage:  Introducing MyHeritage DNA Ethnicity Estimate v2.5

*  ProjectKin:  A Brief Chat in the Livestream with Janet Barrie

*  ProjectKin:  Office Hours in Gatherings | All About Using Video in Substack

*  Storied_Social:  The Family Treehouse Episode #25 Jenny Hawran

*  WikiTree:  Link Builders Cubicle Party (January 2025) w/host ‪@Robinson-27225‬‬

*  WikiTree:  New Member Q &A via Zoom with @fluteroots 2 of 2 (January 2025)

*  WikiTree:  WikiTree Tech Talk (January 2025)

*  WikiTree:  Ask Aleš: What Would You Like To Know About WikiTree Plus? w/host Greg Clarke (February 2025)

*  Write Your Family Story with Devon Noel Lee:  The Legacy Gift That Will Last Forever: Writing Your Family History

5) Did you miss the last post in this series - Genealogy Education Bytes -  23 to 29 January 2025?  Read all Genealogy Education Bytes here.

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NOTE:  If  I missed something important, please let me know in a comment or an email. 

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/02/genealogy-education-bytes-week-of-30.html

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share your comment on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at   randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. 

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.