Returning to the Archives: Glasgow City Archives @ The Mitchell

Photo by Glasgow City Archives

Earlier this week, Glasgow City Archives re-opened, much to the delight of many researchers.  Things are a bit different, so I’ve highlighted some of the changes to access along with links to more information and booking details.  For those who can’t go in person, I offer a research service, or you can check out their online resources (link at the end of this post).

There is no current information on access to ScotlandsPeople via the Registrar service in the building.  Any announcements regarding this re-opening will be made on this Glasgow Council web page.

Glasgow City Archives

The Archives' new opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only, between 11am and 3pm, and appointments are essential.  These must be booked at least one week and no more than four weeks in advance, and can be for no more than 3 hours at a time. The North Street entrance to the building is currently closed and only the Granville Street entrance is in operation, with queuing when necessary.

The archives staff will provide an advisory service in advance of your visit, with suggestions on what sources will best suit your research purposes.  You'll be able to pre-order up to six documents to view during your appointment.

For full details of the arrangements to visit the archives, see their Frequently Asked Questions. 

The booking form on this page should be filled in to apply for your appointment and submitted by e-mail.

Alternative online family history resources are listed on this page, under the Special Collections and Glasgow City Archives section. There are a variety of databases you can search online, including church and militia records.

The Virtual Mitchell website has an extensive collection of historical photographs of Glasgow buildings, which you can search by area, street, or subject. 

Special Collections at the Mitchell Library

The Special Collections department of the Mitchell, on the same floor as the Archives, is also open, under restricted conditions.  Of particular interest to family historians are their newspaper collections, microfilm records, monumental inscriptions, and local history books. 

In future blog posts I'll be following the re-opening of other archives, and sharing information about those record offices that are starting to welcome visitors once more.

Give More, Get More - Family History Society Projects

Glasgow Cathedral from the Necropolis graveyard

In this post, learn about organisations that are running projects to benefit genealogists, how you can help them, and discover some completed projects that you may find useful in your own research.

Current Projects Looking for Volunteers

Experienced family historians will already have the perfect skills to bring to projects like these.  If you choose a project in an area that you're familiar with, you'll be able to contribute your local knowledge of place and family names. 

Glasgow & West of Scotland FHS  This group is currently working on Baillieston Churchyard and Glasgow Cathedral burial ground.  The reopening this week of the Mitchell Library will mean the society's Glasgow Pedlar project can start again. 

Dumfries & Galloway FHS  Their ambitious graveyard transcription project aims to record the monumental inscriptions of every cemetery and kirkyard in the two counties.  No matter where you live in the world, you can help with this, as transcription is from the society’s collection of headstone photographs. 

Family & Community Historical Research Society (FACHRS)  Here you have a choice of projects to get involved with, both long- and short-term, currently Parlour Maids and Communities of Dissent as well as a COVID-19 Pandemic project.

Completed Family History Society Projects

These online resources are free for anyone to use.

Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society (in conjunction with Lancashire Archives) produced an index of seamen on Crew Lists of registered vessels from Preston, Fleetwood, and Lancaster for the mid-19^th and early 20^th centuries.

The Federation of Family History Societies is co-operating with the National Archives to create a database of the English Manorial Documents Register.  You can search the Register and learn more about these records on the website.

Webinar

Troon @ Ayrshire FHS are promoting a free webinar on Thursday 29^th October, “Finding Your Scottish Ancestors in Canada”.  Pre-registration is essential for this Zoom presentation.

And this is just a fraction of the work that's being carried out by family and local history societies and other heritage groups around the world.  Use those research skills you've developed to search for a society that you can donate your time and talents to.  Archives and local history libraries are good places to find out about groups that need volunteers, and if you live in Britain or Ireland, GENUKI has a handy list of links to genealogy and special interest societies' websites.

Doctor Who or Genealogy? You Decide

Last week, in the UK, the TV genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? had a military theme as it researched the great-uncle of Doctor Who actor Jodie Whittaker.  Some of the records used on the show to document his life are available online or in record offices. Note: In this post I'm not listing sources that presently charge for these records.

1901 census – for England & Wales, this is available via FamilySearch. You will need to be signed in to your account, or be viewing the record at a FamilySearch centre or affiliate.  Some of FamilySearch's records, such as the 1901 census, are subject to partnership viewing restrictions.  For Ireland, search on their National Archives website; for Scotland, images of the census may be accessed on microfilm at a public library, archive, or family history centre.

WWI Medal Card (WO 372/7/115041)

WWI Medal Cards – these are currently free from The National Archives (Kew). Registration with the website is required before you download the documents.  The web page includes a helpful guide to interpreting the different formats of medal card for this period.

War Graves - it's free to use the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website to find the names of war dead.  Additionally, the CWGC has very recently launched Our War Graves, Your History to promote local involvement in activities such as guided walks, family events, and public talks. Find out more about the work of the CWGC through their outreach programme, which includes virtual talks offered to community groups and schools.  Download their free War Graves app to help you locate memorials and headstones in your area.

This series of Who Do You Think You Are? begins with just four episodes.  The producers have expressed the hope that further instalments will be filmed at a later date.

Searching for London Ancestors

 

Temple Church, London

Libraries and archives are starting to reopen under special conditions, such as pre-booking a seat or specific records.  It’s always a good idea to check opening hours and other arrangements, and that’s especially true at a time when repositories are restricting the numbers of visitors per day, as well as the number of documents you can order or view in one visit.  Some of the first sites to welcome researchers in person again are in London.

The National Archives at Kew have been open for a few weeks now, but they continue to offer free downloads of records that are already available in digital format.  As this will probably return to being a paid service, find out what they have that's of use to your research, and get your free documents while you can!

If your focus is on the City of London, the Guildhall Library has excellent resources for that area, such as parish records for many of the oldest churches, including some that were destroyed in the Second World War.  For those planning a trip to the Library once it's open again, its virtual open day should be of interest.

The Library recently had a reprieve from controversial proposals that would have seen it merged with London Metropolitan Archives, which hosts a myriad of original sources, including workhouse, electoral, and school records.  They have a comprehensive guide to London family history research and a video introduction to using the archives.

For those of us who can't visit in person, certain relevant collections are available online.  One of the lesser-known ones is the Consistory Court Database, which covers the late medieval period in London.  Although an ecclesiastical body, the consistory court governed all aspects of life, including debt, marriage, defamation, and probate matters.

If you’re investigating the life of someone who lived and worked in London, they may appear in the records of London’s Livery Companies, who provide lists of apprentices and freemen. Trades such as chandlers, musicians, salters and goldsmiths feature in these fascinating rolls.

To learn more about ordinary Londoners through social history, check out London Lives.  Its resources include a database of convicted criminals who were transported to Australia.  Some fascinating cases are highlighted and will give you an idea of what kind of information can be gleaned from these records, which also cover the Old Bailey - this has its own separate searchable database of criminal trials from 1674 to 1913.

Finally, you may think of joining a family history society that covers the part of London your forebears come from.  GENUKI has a useful guide to the various groups that take in London and the surrounding areas.  Many societies are taking to video conferencing as a way to include their members near and far in meetings and workshops.  And they are continuing with traditional FHS routes like magazines, newsletters, and registers of members' surname interests.

Family History Events Go Global

Since the pandemic cancelled a lot of family history fairs, shows and conferences, the organisations that run them have adapted their plans to allow events to go ahead online.  In the UK, Family Tree was Virtually Live in April, and more recently the Family History Show, which usually takes place in York and London, moved online, with another event planned next year (see below). 

In this post I list some forthcoming virtual family history events. They feature speakers on a vast range of genealogical subjects that will suit all interests and levels of research experience in the records of many countries.  Some are free, others have a registration fee, but all allow access to videos of the talks for some time after the event. 

Many include a firm favourite at traditional family history shows: the exhibitors’ stalls.  Family and local history societies, archives, and record-keeping organisations offer advice and publications, while universities, genealogy supplies companies, and big-name record and DNA test providers will be selling their wares – all virtually, of course.  Some shows have an “Ask the Expert” consultation service which you may need to register for when you book your ticket.

The innovation of moving events online has had the positive side-effect of making them available to a much wider audience than before.  Hopefully this won't be ditched completely once the physical events start up again (whenever that is) - it would be such a shame to invite the world to your party once, only to revert to the original format once it's safe to do so.

Anyway, here are some dates for your diary.  Full details of their programmes and how to register are on each website.

Scottish Indexes Conference – 10 October (free)  Considerately held twice over one day to accommodate viewers in international time zones, this conference is great for researchers tackling their Scottish family tree.  Some of the talks from their previous events are also still available. 

Family Roots Conference – 23-24 October (US$29)  Here there are a wide range of workshop topics to choose from (I should declare an interest as I’m presenting three of them 😊 ). And a special event for young people is scheduled on the Saturday.

Really Useful Family History Federation Show – 14 November (currently £5 early bird price)  As well as expert speakers, there will be free advice for all ability levels provided by experienced volunteers from FamilySearch.

The Family History Show  – 20 February 2021 (£6)  Like many of these shows, this is sponsored by some large genealogical organisations who benefit from being affiliated with high-profile events, particularly online ones.  Some of them also appear as vendors, such as Discover Your Ancestors magazine.

RootsTech Connect – 25-27 February 2021 (free) The biggest family history show goes truly global with an online version. EVERYTHING will be free to view, including hundreds of classes, tips & tricks quick videos, and keynote addresses by celebrity speakers.

If you find an event that looks good for you, register your interest as soon as possible, to give the organisers an idea of attendance numbers - this will help them plan for any technical issues.