Newsletter - 15th June 2018
Birthday competition: winner revealed
1966 and all that - how you could be a World Cup winner in 2018
Ancestry updates ethnicity estimates
Save 10% on 12 month subscriptions to Findmypast EXCLUSIVE
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Don't
miss out on DNA offers ENDING SOON
Historic maps of Northern Ireland online
Searching for baptisms at Ancestry?
50th anniversary of Helen Keller's death
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I'm not thinking of the year,
or even the date - but the time of day. Or, more likely, the time of night -
because an analysis of 5 million births in England between 2005 and 2014
carried out by researchers at University College London has shown that the most
common time for babies to be born is 4am, with the majority appearing between
1am and 7am (you can read a report here on the BBC News
site). I recall my mother telling me that I was born at a quarter to six in the
morning (or was it a quarter past?), but in England & Wales the time of
birth isn’t usually shown on birth certificates - the exception is for multiple
births - so we don’t usually know precisely when our ancestors were born,
though on very rare occasions the time of birth is shown in the baptism
register.
But assuming that the timing
of our ancestors' births followed a similar pattern, and
bearing in mind that most births took place at home prior to the 1930s, it must
have been quite a challenge for our forebears - not only would someone have had
to fetch the midwife in the middle of the night (assuming she hadn't already
been called out), in most cases there would have been no electric lighting or
running water. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when many city
dwellers were living in slums, there would have been additional complications -
I can only imagine that relatives and neighbours helped out
by looking after the other children.
Note: the time of birth is shown on Scottish birth
certificates.
Birthday
competition: winner revealed
Over 400 members took part in
my 14th Birthday competition, and while the draw was completely random (using
the random number generator at Random.org) the choice of winner couldn't have
been more appropriate. Muriel, who lives in Hampshire, joined LostCousins in our very first month - May 2004!
Congratulations to Muriel, who
receives an Ancestry DNA kit, and consolation to all of those who didn't win on
this occasion. But there's another competition starting soon - and in the next
article you'll find out how you might benefit, even if you know nothing at all
about soccer.
1966 and all
that - how you could be a World Cup winner in 2018
A good proportion of the
world's population will be glued to their televisions and smartphones now that
the 2018 World Cup is under way, so it's a real challenge for family history
websites to attract attention. I don’t know what other sites are planning but
I've come up with a novel idea! Here's how it works....
When you purchase a LostCousins subscription on or before 27th June enter the
code WORLDCUP on the Subscribe page (and click CALCULATE) to enter my World Cup
competition. The price won't change, but if England match their 1966
achievement by winning the 2018 World Cup I'll give you an extra year's
subscription completely free!
Note: this offer applies to all subscriptions
purchased using the WORLDCUP code, whether single or joint, new, lapsed, or
renewal. If you have an existing subscription there's nothing to prevent you
renewing early, so long as your subscription expires in less than a year's
time.
In 1966 I was fortunate to be
at the quarter-final match when England defeated Argentina - though it was a
game that was less memorable for the football than the walk-out by the
Argentines after their captain was sent off (a bit like the House of Commons on
Wednesday). How did I get manage to get a ticket? I waited outside the ground
until the game was about to kick-off, then bought one from a ticket tout for
little more than face value.
Last week the Daily Mail revealed
that research into the ancestry of Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick in
England's final victory, had proven that his Blick
ancestors hailed from Gloucestershire rather than Germany.
Ancestry
updates ethnicity estimates
As part of the research Sir
Geoff tested his DNA - probably with Ancestry, judging by the statistics that
the Daily Mail showed in their
article. And as all regular readers of this newsletter will know, I regard
ethnicity estimates as for entertainment only (with the
possible exception of those from Living DNA).
But I may have to revise my
views on Ancestry's ethnicity estimates - they're in the process of updating
their estimates following an increase in the size of their reference panel from
3000 to 16000, and the difference this makes to my results is impressive:
Bearing in mind that my
research to date has revealed no ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, or Wales,
and just 6% from Germany, the new figures look much more realistic. And my
brother's estimate, previously very different from mine, is now very similar.
However, it's worth bearing
in mind that what Ancestry describe as England & Wales seems to include
northern France, Belgium, Holland, and even part of Germany - as you can see
from the map that accompanied my revised estimate.
It's too early to say whether
this update is going to please everybody, but I'd encourage you to post your
comments in the discussion on the LostCousins forum
(if you’re not already a member you may find an invitation on your My Summary page).
But no matter how accurate
these new estimates they're going to be of more help to family historians in
the New World than those in Europe - knowing that 87% of my ancestors came from
England & Wales isn't going to help me knock down any of my 'brick walls',
whereas for someone in North America or Australia it could be much more useful.
The best use of autosomal DNA
tests is, of course, to find cousins - because some of those cousins will be on
the other side of our 'brick walls'. Ancestry has by far the largest user base,
which means that you'll find many more cousins that at any other site, but it's
also the easiest site to use, especially if you’re new to DNA.
There are all sorts of fancy
tricks that the experts have devised, but I've tried most of them and decided
that they're more trouble than they're worth. Nobody who tests with Ancestry
and follows the strategies in my Masterclass is ever disappointed, so my advice is
to keep it simple.
Save 10% on 12
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Until Sunday 24th June you
can save 10% on most NEW 12 month subscriptions at Findmypast, and because Findmypast
reward loyalty, you'll have an opportunity to renew at a discount (currently
15%) in a year's time! Please note that the Pro
and Ultimate subscriptions include exactly the same records and features as the World subscriptions.
SAVE 10% on 12 month Plus and Pro subscriptions at Findmypast.co.uk
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Apart from the Plus subscription,
which includes British and Irish records (and excludes newspapers), each of
these subscriptions include virtually unlimited access to ALL
of Findmypast's historical records and
newspapers from around the world, including the 1939 Register, their
fast-growing Catholic records collection, military records, migration records,
and parish registers for many counties in England and most of Wales (plus
transcribed records for many other counties). They also have an amazing
collection of Irish records, and an impressive collection of records from
Australia and New Zealand.
Note: these offers are for new subscribers only
(though I suspect that lapsed subscribers can also benefit); if you have an
existing subscription neither Findmypast's offer nor
my offer below will apply, but bear in mind that if
you have an existing 12 month subscription you'll qualify for Findmypast's Loyalty Discount for renewals (currently 15%).
Get a free LostCousins subscription
LostCousins can only benefit when you use a link that I've provided and your purchase is tracked as coming from the LostCousins site. So I'm once
again offering a free subscription to members who go out of their way to take
up Findmypast's offer using my links and
ensure that your purchase is tracked - this means that the total savings you
make can be as much as £28. But please read the terms and conditions below so
that you don't miss out - and check with me before making your purchase
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Don't miss out on
DNA offers ENDING SOON
Ancestry's offer in Australia
and New Zealand has ended, but if you live in the UK, the US or Canada you can
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Ancestry.co.uk (UK
only) £63 plus shipping SAVE 20% - ENDS SUNDAY 24TH JUNE
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See the last issue for
details of offers from FTDNA,
23andMe, and Living DNA, all of
which end this Sunday or Monday..
Between 1946 and 1969 there
were 126 illegal adoptions arranged in Ireland by the Catholic agency St
Patrick's Guild according to an apology by the Irish government, but one
adoptee featured in this article
in The Guardian claims that the number could be in the thousands.
The first law to regulate
adoption in Ireland was passed in 1952, but it has been estimated that over
100,000 children have been separated from their parents through adoption or
fostering since 1922 according to the Adoption Loss website run by The Natural
Parents Network of Ireland (you can read more about the history of adoption in
Ireland here in a
submission from the organisation to government).
This might seem irrelevant to
most readers of this newsletter, but if you take an autosomal DNA test you may
well be contacted by people who were adopted, and are
trying to trace their birth families - please do your best to help them.
Historic maps
of Northern Ireland online
Many readers have used the
historic Ordnance Survey maps of Britain at the National Library of Scotland
website (see my October article
for more information), so I was interested to learn that the Public Record
Office for Northern Ireland now has online maps for the six counties - you can
find them here.
Searching for
baptisms at Ancestry?
As regular readers will know,
I generally advise searching individual records sets, rather than carrying out
global searches - and currently there's an extra reason for doing so when
searching for baptisms at Ancestry. When you carry out an All
records search, or search Birth,
Marriage & Death, including Parish specifying a year of birth won’t
work unless the birth year is shown in the transcribed record. In other words,
if there's a baptism date, but no birth date or year, the record won’t be
found.
I've discovered a way round
this, which is to use the Any event
field - but it's not an ideal solution. However, when you search an individual
record set, such as London,
England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917, a birth year
you specify will match with either the birth year or the baptism year. This
applies even if both dates are included in the record and the events took place
in different years, ie if someone was born in 1813
but baptised in 1814 specifying a birth year of either 1813 or 1814 will find
the record.
It's because I almost always
search individual record sets that I hadn't noticed this problem myself - but
however you prefer to search it's important to be aware that this problem
exists (though hopefully it will be fixed before too long).
Note: I first read about the problem on the SoG Mailing List and posted my solution there earlier this
week - if you’re an SoG member it's well worth
joining the list as the contributions are of a generally high standard.
50th
anniversary of Helen Keller's death
As a young boy I heard the
remarkable story of Helen Keller, but I didn’t realise then that she was still
alive - indeed, it was only earlier this month, when The Guardian commemorated the 50th anniversary of her death with
this short video,
that I knew that she lived until 1968.
In my November 2007 newsletter
I wrote about Olive Riley, who at 108 years old was the oldest LostCousins member at the time, and quite possibly the only
person born in the 19th century to have ever joined. Sadly Olive died the
following year, but if you follow this link
to that newsletter (it’s in PDF format) you'll be able to watch the documentary
that was made about her life.
I'm writing about Olive again
because this week I was contacted by her grand-daughter Suellen, who tells me
that her own mother, Olive's daughter, turned 100 on 22nd May this year. If
there is anyone reading this article who is related to Olive Riley (née
Dangerfield) I'd be happy to put you in contact with Suellen.
I suspect that some of you may have been wondering why
I hadn't reviewed the latest novel in the Forensic Genealogist series from
Nathan Dylan Goodwin, even though it was released in February. The truth is that, for me at
least, reading a good genealogical mystery is a pleasure to be savoured - so
I've been waiting until I had the time to really enjoy Morton Farrier's latest
case.
Once again
the author has carefully built the story around real places, real people, and
historical facts - and whilst the tale itself is fictional, it's so well
written that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was true. Indeed, when I read
that a key part of the solution had come from an Ancestry DNA test, followed by
research at the LostCousins website it seemed very
believable indeed!
There are two main threads
running through the book - one that follows the storyline in the 1820s, and one
that follows the action in the present day - but even though we have 'inside
knowledge' not available to the hero the plot is so cleverly constructed that
it's not all obvious how it is going to play out. Indeed, I found myself
constantly revising my theories about the eventual outcome right up to the
point where Morton sets out the evidence and presents his conclusions to his
client.
I also found myself caring
about what happened to the characters, and not just those in the present day -
though because Morton Farrier and his extended family will be back in the next
book (and two of them had supporting roles in the investigation) they were at
the forefront of my mind.
Sometimes books of this genre
contain a little too much violence for my liking, but that certainly isn’t the
case here - true, there is a murder at the heart of the story, but it took
place nearly 200 years ago. Talking of murders, there's a link between the book
and the riddle of the Somerton Man, which I wrote about in the last newsletter
- a complete coincidence, I assure you, since I only discovered the connection
after finishing the book!
You don’t need to have read
the previous books in this excellent series to enjoy the latest instalment,
because there are subtle reminders of the key subplot - but I've enjoyed every
single one, so I'm sure you will too (you'll find links to my reviews of the
earlier books here).
I bought the Kindle version
of The Wicked Trade, though there's
also a paperback if you prefer the old ways - either way I'd thoroughly
recommend this latest instalment! As usual you can support LostCousins
by using the links below, even if you end up buying something completely
different.
Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Amazon.ca
I'm currently reading My History
- A Memoir of Growing Up, by Antonia Fraser, who I met recently at a
literary lunch. In the early 1970s I used to know her (first) husband,
who was a non-executive
director of the small merchant bank where I worked after leaving university, but
it was first time I'd had the pleasure of meeting Lady Antonia herself. Best
known as a writer of historical works, she was once considered one of the most
beautiful women in Britain - a 1979 New
York Times article describes her as "tall and voluptuous" and quotes
an admirer who called her "the most romantic sexy woman - wildly
attractive because she is so alive to everything".
Now in her 86th year she is
still very alive, and still writing historical works - also on my pile of books
to read is her latest epic, The King and the Catholics - The Fight for
Rights 1829, which describes the discrimination and prejudice faced by
Catholics in Britain prior to the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829. It's a
topic I've encountered when reading other histories, though I hadn't quite
appreciated how extreme some of the opinions were - the Gordon Riots of 1780
were the "largest, deadliest, and most protracted urban riots in British
history", and it's with these that the book begins.
With all the stories in the news about online hacking
it's easy to forget that some fraudsters rely on more primitive approaches,
such as recovering documents from recycling bins. Shredding everything is
impractical for most of us, and wasteful (some councils are unable to recycle
shredded paper), whilst removing the address labels from cardboard boxes can be
a tedious chore.
I was therefore delighted to
find this handy little gadget which renders confidential information unreadable
by obscuring it with a mass of what look like Chinese characters - and probably
are, since it's made in China. Amazingly it cost me only £2.99 (including
postage from China!), and arrived in less than 3 weeks
- you can pay 2 or 3 times as much for the same item from an English supplier,
but I can’t see the point in using a middleman (or, should I say, middleperson)
unless you’re in a desperate hurry.
I'm glad to say that thanks
to the precautions I take I've never knowingly suffered from my recycling being
misappropriated, though I know all too well that the danger exists because a
credit card statement which never arrived in the post led to several fraudulent
purchases being made (fortunately I got a full refund from the bank involved).
Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Amazon.ca
This is where any
major updates and corrections will be highlighted - if you think you've spotted
an error first reload the newsletter (press Ctrl-F5) then check again before writing to me, in case someone else has
beaten you to it......
I've had to hold
over a number of articles until the next issue, but
don't worry - I'll be back again soon!
Peter Calver
Founder,
LostCousins
© Copyright 2018
Peter Calver
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