New RootsMagic 7 COMPARE FILES Feature - My Way!

WOW! I'm impressed! The new version 7 of RootsMagic has added a new "compare files" feature and I found a slick use for it.

I use RootsMagic as my my main family history software. However, I also use FamilyTreeMaker mainly to download my Ancestry tree information. But, the problem has been trying to get the info from my FTM file into my RootsMagic file without having to individually download any documents or events I want to save to my home files. I also didn't want to have to go through every single person and compare my FTM file with my RootsMagic file by having both software packages open and having to retype any differences I find. I've been avoiding it like the plague!

RootsMagic's new feature just saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of tedious work. Here's what I did.

1. I opened and synced my FTM file.

2. I exported a gedcom 5.5 file from my FTM file and gave it a name to remind me where the gedcom file came from.

3. I created a new RootsMagic 7 database with the same name I assigned to the gedcom file. (or any name you want)

4. I imported the gedcom file into the new RM file I had just created.

Now...

5. I opened my main RootsMagic 7 file.

6. Select FILE -- COMPARE FILES and then I selected the new RM file I created from the downloaded FTM gedcom.

During the comparison process you will see the status of the comparison.

Here is what the comparison displays. You can click on the column headers to resort.

As you can see there are little empty boxes displayed to the left of some events. Selecting a box allows you to pass the specific data from one file to the other. And you can EDIT your person from within the Compare File box. So if I find something in my Ancestry tree file (on the right) that I want to add to my RootsMagic tree file (on the left) I can just click the box and RootsMagic will pass the info to my main file.

Also, there are icons under the "S" for Sources (or a camera under the "M" for media). I can click on any of the icons like this check marked one.

When I do, this is what appears.

Now I can copy one or all of my sources found using my Ancestry tree (on the right) directly into my main RootsMagic file! To transfer just some of them click on the individual boxes.

I don't have to complete the entire list on the COMPARE file. If I close the COMPARE file it will eliminate the comparisons that I already worked. Then when I open the file again and do another COMPARE FILES I can just continue with whatever records are listed. Eventually, I can just delete the RootsMagic file that I created from the FTM file.

If you also use FTM, you probably know that when you  sync your file, all the documents and pictures that are attached to your Ancestry tree end up on your computer. They are stored in your "Documents/Family Tree Maker" folder on your computer. 

(I used to copy some of those media files into the same folder where I store my RM media, but that was a real pain, besides taking up valuable space).  Here is what displays on the comparison file if there is media (click on the camera icon). Now all I have to do is copy the media link into my main database and no more copying of those FTM images! RootsMagic now knows where that media file is located and points to it.

Now, you can also receive a copy of a file from a "cousin" or an old database and compare the files and clean up your data. This is a fantastic new feature!! Enjoy!!

NOTE TO LDS MEMBERS: When the final step of the Ancestry/FamilySearch feature is added, you will be able to pass Ancestry sources from your tree into the FamilySearch Family Tree. Then you can download each source directly into your RootsMagic file. 

MyHeritage and RootsMagic Integration - My Experience

With today's announcement of the integration between MyHeritage network and the new release of RootsMagic Version 7, I took the opportunity to test drive the process - and I like it!!

This is a great opportunity for everyone, especially for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who recently were provided access to MyHeritage and it's great Smart-Matching research tools and, for all RootsMagic users around the world.

I have had a family tree(s) on MyHeritage for several years and have found many, many of my ancestors located in other family trees on MyHeritage. As more and more sources are being added (or linked) into MyHeritage I have been letting MyHeritage find the records and sources for me - while I sleep as it searches my tree for matches to other trees and to record set sources!

So many of us in the United States and other countries, including myself, have ancestors from Europe. MyHeritage came into existence in 2003 and began acquiring small genealogy family tree companies throughout Europe. Since then they also acquired Geni.com which includes family trees from around the world. The great benefit I have found is that many of my ancestor's descendants still live in Europe and have created trees (and some are very well documented)! Now, as I link to these trees I am finding "cousins" and their trees that are helping me extent my tree in a fantastic way.

I am also a dedicated user of RootsMagic software. Today's new version 7 provides me a direct link to those "source hints" that are located in both MyHeritage and also in FamilySearch sources.

By selecting the "light bulb" icon next to a person's name as seen here, 

If you don't use FamilySearch LDS features, you won't see the other two icons. You can create a free FamilySearch account and the gray/blue tree icon will display.

you will then see this pop-up.

As I click on the pending "number" of possible sources or matches, the applicable web page opens and displays the source/match. When I confirm or reject them the numbers will change and be added to the confirmed or rejected columns. If I want to save the MyHeritage source to RootsMagic I have to create a source for each fact/event. Yes, it would be great if it automatically saved to my file! But, hopefully, that may be a feature in the future. However, the link to those hints stay in my database behind the little "light bulb" icon on each person in my database.

One thing to keep in mind that is very important....  If the person in your RootsMagic tree is also in MyHeritage or FamilySearch (entered by anyone) then those source hints will display. So you can still compare and match with records in either one. Also, not every data set in FamilySearch is searched by this process, so you will eventually want to search deeper for more sources that the hinting feature does not find. (this paragraph has been edited based on comments below)

So if you have any questions or find something that is incorrect as listed above, post a comment and I will try to answer you.

Joint Announcement Between MyHeritage network and RootsMagic software

Early this morning, an announcement by MyHeritage's network, and RootsMagic software, jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ and Record Matching technologies have been integrated into RootsMagic’s latest Version 7 of its popular genealogy software (released today). This enables RootsMagic users to discover the life stories of their ancestors thanks to highly accurate matching between their family trees and millions of family trees and billions of global historical records available on MyHeritage. This same technology will take place with the United Kingdom's Family Historian software in mid December.

RootsMagic, first released in 2003, is an award winning genealogy program for documenting and preserving family history. Its latest version 7, released this week, includes among its highlights a new feature named WebHints powered by MyHeritage matching technologies that transforms the program into a powerful research tool. WebHints also include hints from genealogy website FamilySearch for authenticated users. Information sent by RootsMagic to MyHeritage for matching is never collected or shared, and is deleted after matching to ensure the complete privacy of RootsMagic users and their data.

MyHeritage enables millions of families around the world to discover, share and preserve their family history on the MyHeritage website, mobile apps and desktop applications. In addition, MyHeritage is well known as a technology innovator. Its flagship technologies, Smart Matching™ and Record Matching, which generate automatic discoveries based on MyHeritage’s huge international database of family trees and historical records, are sought after within the family history space. Leading genealogy organizations are partnering with MyHeritage to integrate these technologies into their products.

“MyHeritage matches are a very exciting feature”, said RootsMagic, Inc.’s Vice President, Michael Booth. “It was like magic to me when the WebHints were first wired into RootsMagic and I opened my file and saw all the matches appear. I spent hours exploring and discovering newspaper articles, certificates, and records that I had never seen before. Our initial testers are also reporting that they have been having so much fun exploring the MyHeritage matches that they have had to pull themselves away to test the other features.”

“We’re thrilled to provide RootsMagic – an acclaimed genealogy software among the most popular in the USA – with our powerful matching technologies” said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “This partnership will significantly accelerate discoveries for RootsMagic users and will expand the tremendous reach of MyHeritage.”

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history. As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages.
www.myheritage.com

About RootsMagic, Inc.

For over 20 years, RootsMagic, Inc. has been creating computer software with a special purpose - to unite families. One of its earliest products, the popular Family Origins software, introduced thousands of people to the joy and excitement of family history.

That tradition continues today with RootsMagic, its award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing family history fun and easy.
www.rootsmagic.com

_______________

Coming: My experience with the integration...

Join the 24-Hour Worldwide Indexing Event - and Hangout!

Join volunteers from around the world on July 20 and 21st for an international history-making event! The goal is to get OVER 50,000 indexers and arbitrators to submit at least one batch during the 24-hour period. Even if you have never indexed before, this is the time to get started.

Only hours away!

This is going to take everyone's help. Even yours! No matter what language you speak or read you can add to this event. It's been two years since the first Worldwide Indexing Event and a total of 49,025 people participated. Let's beat that old record!

You can work on any project you like but FamilySearch suggests that you work on the following projects in your native language, if possible. 

• US—Obituaries, 1980–2014
• US—Passport Applications, 1795-1925
• US, New Orleans—Passenger Lists, 1820-1902
• UK, Manchester—Parish Registers, 1787-1999

If you haven't had a great deal of experience I'd suggest you give the obituaries a try. Even though they are listed under the "intermediate" category, rather than "beginner", you will find most of them typewritten. You just need to identify the people listed in the obituary by type, i.e. deceased, family, other. Be sure to look at the project instructions included with the download. Most of the these batches include only five obituaries.

The record-setting even begins at 00.00 coordinated universal time (UTC) on July 21st. Here are a few times based on time zones. All event times end 24-hours later.

US Eastern Time Zone - 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20th

US Mountain Time Zone - 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20th

US Alaska, Anchorage - 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20th

England, London - 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 20th

Australia, Sydney - 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 21th

Come on and join in the fun! Let's make this happen and help families around the world find their ancestors!

And, if you really want to have a great time and jump into the excitement, join our own DEAR MYRT online! She is hosting a 24-hour GeneaSleepOver hangout on air! For all the fun details jump on over to her site. It begins at 6:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight time on Sunday evening. And, if you have never participated in one, this is the one to start with!

Let's break the record!!

UVTAGG July 10th Saturday Seminar - Come Join Me!

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG will be on Saturday, 10 July 2014, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  Information about the Group, meeting location,  main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website  http://uvtagg.org. The meetings are free and open to the public. 

Map of the Meeting Location
 Whether your ancestor was a Smith, Jones, Brown, or Johnson, Juliana share some tips for tracking them down on Ancestry.com and beyond. Using charts, spreadsheets, and a little common sense, you’ll leave this class with some ideas for narrowing your search.

Juliana Szucs Smith has been working for Ancestry.com for more than 15 years. She began her family history journey trolling through microfilms at the tender age of 11 with her mother.  She has written many articles for online and print genealogical publications and wrote the “Computers and Technology” chapter of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Juliana holds a certificate from Boston University’s Online Genealogical Research Program, and is currently on the clock working towards certification from the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

After the main presentation the following classes are scheduled:

(1)   Getting the Most From Your Discoveries, by Juliana Szucs Smith;  

(2)  Using LDS Partner Web Sites:  Find My Past, by Sue Maxwell;

(3)   MAC: IProblems, IGetStarted, and IHelp, by Ron Snowden;  

(4)  Ask An Expert (Personal Help), by Don Engstrom & Finn Hansen;  

(5)  Video from last month’s main presentation, Are You Your Own Brick Wall?, by Beth Taylor;

(6)  Ancestral Quest, by Gaylon Findlay;  

(7)  Legacy, by Marilyn Thomsen;

(8)  RootsMagic, by Bruce Buzbee. 

  The meetings are always open to the public and generally open with announcements that include what is happening in technology that effects family history work. A featured guest speaker will then make a one hour presentation on a topic of general interest relating to some aspect of technology and genealogy. 

Is this a WIN-WIN? Findmypast acquires Mocavo

Yesterday, two major players in the genealogy community announced that Mocavo was being acquired by Findmypast.  You can read the fine details here Findmypast announcement and Mocavo announcement.

It’s always a guessing game when two major players in the genealogy community join forces, one acquiring another, or merging to become one. I find myself second-guessing the motives and where the win-win might be in the transaction.  So here is my take ...

Mocavo.com, a privately held internet company based in Colorado, first launched in March of 2011 as an index to all free online genealogy information. It searches the National Archives, Library of Congress, FreeBMD, Find A Grave, Rootsweb, Archives.org and many others, including many U.S. state archives, message boards, family trees, and the many genealogy web sites built by you and me. It finds many records that you could find individually by searching each and every site, but it does it in one search from their site. In just the past couple of years, Mocavo.com has added their own acquired records including millions of pages of yearbooks. They also have a paid version that has added benefits. Later in 2011 they launched Mocavo.co.uk, expanding beyond the U.S. 

The following year Mocavo acquired ReadyMicro, a company that specializes in digitization and preservation services. So Mocavo was already beginning to expand their business model to include acquired records and become more than a genealogy search engine. 

Cliff Shaw, the original founder of Mocavo, is the technical brain. Among the various backers behind Mocavo is our own fellow genealogist, Michael J. Leclerc who is a former director at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and a former board member of APG and many other positions. He added the genealogical brains to Mocavo a year later in 2012. 

Cliff Shaw was also the founder of GenForum that was later sold to The Learning Company/A&E Television Networks; founder of Pearl Street Software that was sold to MyHeritage; founder of ProtectMyPhotos which eventually became PicStreem and then BackupMyTree.com (an automatic backup service for family trees). BackupMyTree was acquired by MyHeritage in 2012. MyHeritage is now well known for its Smart Matching search techniques.

Are you seeing a pattern here?

Findmypast has been around since 1965 in various forms, beginning as a small group of professional and probate genealogists.  It is a privately held online genealogy service owned by a UK company, DC Thomson Family History (previously known as brightsolid). Back in 2003 the website was known as “1837online” which was a pay-per-view service that allowed access to BDM registers from the General Register Office (GRO) in England. Gradually they added many records including the UK censuses. 

In 2009/10, Brightsolid acquired both Genes Reunited (British newspapers) and its sister company, Friends Reunited (social network), both UK companies. In 2012, they created a partnership with the British Library to publish 100 years of the UK electoral registers. They have since partnered with FamilySearch, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Society of Genealogists, and the UK National Archives. 

And another of our brilliant genealogists, D. Joshua Taylor joined Findmypast as Business Development Manager and is now the Data Strategy Manager – North America and the lead genealogist. He also is a former director at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and was a featured genealogist on “Who Do You Think You Are”. He currently serves as the President for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).

See more connections and patterns?

Interestingly, Findmypast has had its fair share of controversy recently after changing their website interface and subscribers voicing their difficulty with the search engine.  Plenty of complaints were made directly to the company and throughout the genealogical community. The company shared in the news media, just two months ago, that they would “listen to customers’ feedback and make the necessary improvements as quickly as possible”. 

Findmypast has been suffering from the same out-of-date technology issues that Ancestry faced with their switch to the “new search” and dropping “old search”, and even FamilySearch has been dealing with the changes from newFamilySearch to the current FamilySearch. Old technology is something we all have to deal with, whether it’s with a company we do business with, a software package we purchase or use (think PAF being discontinued), or even the vehicle we drive (don't you just wish you still had that old clunker you loved so much?). Technology changes faster than most other areas of our lives and is a very costly and difficult part of any business. It required CHANGE and ADAPTATION on our part, as well.

So, looking at the latest announcement from Findmypast and Mocavo, and all the above details, this acquisition makes perfect sense to me. There are some heavy hitters with significant technical and genealogical knowledge finding ways to join forces, blending their various expertise to make their businesses stronger and provide us, as users, additional and better products. Besides that, I see some of the successful entrepreneurs in this industry who have terrific ideas that become very successful. After they grow it to the best it can be, they sell it off to another company who has the need giving the seller the capital to either move on or further enhance their product. I see the perfect WIN-WIN for everyone. So I’m excited for this change and look forward to both Findmypast and Mocavo becoming better than they were yesterday! Mocavo needs capital and Fndmypast needs better search capability. The two companies can remain somewhat independent but share in the knowledge each offers. 

Think Findmypast, MyHeritage and FamilySearch partnerships! Also, a terrific WIN-WIN!

Riverton FamilySearch Library - Free Seminar - June 21st

The Riverton FamilySearch Library will host a free seminar on

Saturday, June 21st, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.

that will offer help to genealogists of all skill levels.

Puzzilla: My Work Is Done? Or, We’ve Only Just Begun!

If you were navigating in a deep forest, how helpful would it be to have a view from above? We will introduce the Puzzilla.org descendants viewer, recognize patterns and methods for finding work that remains to be done, and discuss basic concepts that new researchers need to understand to find missing relatives.

Bill Harten founded UNIConnect in 1997 and is the creator of the UNIFlow process definition language, process tracking database, and UNIFlow quality compliance engine. He is known globally for being on a team that invented the GEDCOM format used to exchange computerized genealogical information and campaigning around the world for its establishment as a standard, resulting in its use in almost every genealogical database program developed since 1985, including many hundreds of independent software products worldwide. He has lectured widely, consulted, and taught advanced courses on LIMS, informatics, and genealogical computing around the world. He has consulted on informatics practices by invitation of the Russian State Historic Archive at their repository in St. Petersburg and published recommendations on informatics practices at the request of the US National Archives in Washington D.C.

He was on a team that invented the high-performance database technology used in the LDS Church’s huge FamilySearch genealogical database on CD and is recognized in the database community as a world expert on database architectures for extreme computing requirements. He has developed several high-performance engines for matching complex genetic profiles and genealogies. In an experimental system, his matching engine was able to search a simulated copy of the FBI’s national criminal DNA database of 50 million samples in 0.1 seconds.

He holds US patent 6904412 for an invention that uses artificial intelligence concepts to implement a comprehensive legal and regulatory compliance and workflow engine for the mortgage industry, enabling and documenting compliance with all federal requirements, plus the bewildering different requirements of all 50 US states. He is active in presenting and publishing papers in the laboratory and genealogical technology communities. He earned an MS degree in Computer Science and BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University in 1977, is a Sun-certified java developer, and has completed post-graduate work in artificial intelligence at the University of Utah.

Following the keynote presentation from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., two blocks of four classes each are offered that cover topics of interest for beginning, intermediate, and advanced family history enthusiasts.

10:10 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

·         “Internet Sources for Locating Your 19^th Century German Ancestor” -- Baerbel Johnson

·         “Legacy 8: An Update for the Future” -- Carl Holland

·         “Googling for Grandpa” -- Bret Peterson

·         “Fast and Accurate Online Searches” -- Van Celaya

11:20 a.m. Choose one of the following four classes:

·         “What’s New in German Research on the Internet” -- Baerbel Johnson

·         “LDS Pioneer Research” -- Steven Sorensen

·         “Make Family Memories: Tell Your Story Today” -- Joan Gust

·         “My Tree Is Full; Now What?” -- Carol Moss

Registration is not required for this free seminar. The Riverton FamilySearch Library is located in the LDS Riverton Office Building at 3740 West Market Center Drive. The facility is near the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 13400 South, just east of The Home Depot.

Free Saturday Seminar at Riverton Family History Library

Saturday, May 17, 2014 / 9:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

The library offers a free seminar the third Saturday of each month, except for July and December. An opening session is held at 9:00 a.m. featuring a keynote address. Following this session attendees are offered four choices of presentations at both 10:10 and 11:20 a.m. 

The address for the library is 3740 West Market Center Drive (13175 South), Riverton, Utah. If you take Bangerter Highway and exit at 13400 South, you will see the building to the northeast behind Home Depot and across from Kohl's.

9:00 a.m.

Keynote Address - "Let's Get Your Book Ready to Print"- Carol Holland

10:10 a.m.

"Ancestral Quest Basics: Getting Off to a Good Start" - Bud Wood

"Are You Your Own Brick Wall? Common Genealogy Mistakes and Their Solutions" -Beth Taylor

"Pictures Past, Present and Future" - Jens Nielsen

"In-laws and Outlaws: The Bylaws of Teaching Youth About Family Skeletons"- Janet Horvorka

11:20 a.m.

"Are Your Personal Genealogy FIles Messed Up? Are They Multiplying? Are They Lost? Do Your Photos Disappear?" - Bud Wood'

"The Tired, the Poor, the Huddled Masses, and the Wretched Refuse: U.S. Immigration, 1820-1954" - Beth Taylor

"Capturing My Ancestors' Lives: A Guide to Writing Family Histories" - Michael Grimshaw

"Tear Down This Wall!"- Scott Fisher

New Features and Content from Ancestry.com

Over the last several weeks Ancestry.com has added some new features and some new content to their site. Check these out...

Ancestry.com New Features

New Paging Control for Sweden Church Records

The Sweden Church Records is an important collection for those doing Swedish research. This unique collection contains over 20 million images, but no name index.  You would typically browse or search by location and date to narrow down the images you need to evaluate.

Some of these images have hand-written cross references to other pages in the collection. These page numbers do not correspond to image numbers. We have implemented a Page Number control in the interactive image viewer that helps users get to the correct page number.

Save an Image after Browsing

Prior to this update, if you did any browse action after coming into the interactive image viewer - next page, previous page, changing a setting in the browse breadcrumb – and tried to save the image, your only option was to "Save to Computer" unless you opened up the Index panel, selected a person, and then clicked Save. There was similar, but worse, experience on the old Content Viewer.

Now, you can select the person (record) on the image that you want to save and select the person in the tree you want to save it to in one simple step.

  

  

Updates to sliding controls for search results

We are expanding the functionality of the sliding controls in your search results to allow more of the fields entered in the search form to be controlled by sliders – up to 10 fields. Additionally, we have improved the display of the fields entered that are not editable with sliders. With this update users can expand the section of fields below the sliders to see all of the entered search criteria.

 NOTE: These sliders actually save time in searching with Ancestry. They are exactly the same categories as previously available, but now you don't have to back up to the prior page, or edit the search, and then run the search again. It cuts out a lot of load time by performing the functions on the same page. 

Ancestry.com April New Content

U.S., Military Registers, 1862–1970 (update)

Records (new): 657,627

More men and women guarding the home front. 

London, England, Selected Poor Law Removal and Settlement Records, 1828–1930 (update)

Records (new): 72,000

We’re adding Bethnal Green Settlement records this month. According to the Guardian, while Bethnal Green has developed some trendy spots of late, including a boutique hotel, there are still “alleys that look like they’d do you mischief.”

Savannah, Georgia, Registers of Free Persons of Color,

1817–1864

Records: 11,329         

Prior to changes brought on by the Civil War, free persons of color in Savannah had to register with the city. An 1839 ordinance also required owners of slaves and guardians of free persons of color to register and obtain badges before permitting their charges to be employed. You’ll find those registers here.

  

Florida and South Carolina, Airline Passenger Arrivals, 1907–1957

Records (new): 17,518

Among the records from ships and planes being added in this update are alien and Chinese crew lists for vessels arriving at Charleston.

  

 

New South Wales, Australia, Butts of Marriage Licenses, 1813–1835, 1894

Records: 1,300           

Registers and butts for marriage licenses issued in New South Wales, Australia, 1813–1835, 1894. A butt is the portion of a certificate that remains in a certificate or license book. (It’s also the object of a joke. Which we won’t be making here.)

Texas, Naturalization Records, 1881–1992

Records: 219,154                   

This database contains original U.S. naturalization records from the state of Texas. For people applying to be citizens of the U.S., not Texas. Just to be clear.

New South Wales, Census and Population Books, 

1811–1825

Records: 55,887                     

Find out who was who, where, worked for whom, and owned what in these population, land, and stock books from New South Wales, 1811–1825. (While some of the records do count cattle, they are not listed by name.)

Isle of Wight, England, Methodist Registers, 1813–1937

Records: 17,241                      Images: 4524

How’s this for a curious fact: The Isle of Wight is the smallest county in England—at high tide. It was also home to various Wesleyan Methodist, United Methodist, Primitive Methodist, and Bible Christian congregations whose baptism and marriage records you can find in this collection. (Queen Victoria and Jimi Hendrix both visited the isle, but neither was a Methodist.)

  

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Passenger and Crew Lists, 

1901–1954 (update) 

Records (new): 1,236,035

We’re adding 1.2 million new records to this index to manifests of aliens arriving at San Juan and Ponce, Puerto Rico. In them, you might discover anything from where these folks came from to details on their luggage.

  

Brazoria County, Texas Marriage, 1870–2012 

Records: 210,399       

Brazoria County bills itself as the place “Where Texas began.” Since these are Brazoria County marriage records rather than birth records, we can’t confirm that. 

New South Wales, Australia, Convict Applications for the Publication of Banns, 1828–1830, 1838–1839

Records: 3,309           

During these early years of New South Wales history, convicts who wanted to marry had to get official permission. Applications can provide everything from name and age to an applicant’s sentence and year of arrival or even comments on his (or her) character. Plus, these folks lived in places with great names, like Bathurst, Sackville Reach, and Field of Mars.

  

Manchester, England, Non-Conformist Births and Baptisms, 1758–1912

Records: 197,227  

     

Manchester, England, Non-Conformist Marriages, 1758–1937

Records: 103,637       

Manchester, England, Non-Conformist Deaths and Burials, 1758–1987

Records: 97,860                     

Manchester has been inhabited since the Romans pitched up in 79 A.D. John Dalton came up with atomic theory in Manchester. Rolls and Royce met here. And it’s the birthplace of the oldest professional football league on the planet—as well as these free-thinking folks who told Henry VIII they didn’t want to be a part of his new church, thank you very much.

Germany, Confederation of Jews, 1930–1944 

Records: 1,662

The Confederation of Jews in Germany (Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland) became a repository for thousands of documents that have been recorded on microfiche. This database contains a list of people with files in the collection and the relevant fiche number.

Germany, Sachsenhausen Deaths, 1938–1942 

Records: 1,504

In the early years of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienburg, north of Berlin, deaths in the camp were recorded at the Oranienburg civil registry office. Including these.

Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906–1962

Records: 2,477,238    

The thing about death records like these is they provide a summary of a life: name, address, gender, race, age, parents’ names and birthplaces—you get the idea. Our first installment to this database includes records for 1906–1924.