Friday, January 07, 2011

Society of Genealogists' collection now online at findmypast.co.uk

The following is from FindMyPast.com


SOCIETY OF GENEALOGISTS’ COLLECTION NOW ONLINE AT FINDMYPAST.CO.UK
o   Over 9 million family history records available online today
o   Findmypast.co.uk to host Society’s collection in centenary year

Today the Society of Genealogists in London and leading family history website findmypast.co.uk have published online over 9 million records from the Society’s unrivalled collection at findmypast.co.uk.

Among the records going online today are:
  • Boyd’s Marriage Index containing over 7 million names from 1538 to 1840
  • Boyd’s London Burials 1538-1872 containing 240,000 names
  • Faculty Office Marriage Licence Allegations 1701-1850
  • St Andrew's Holborn Marriage Index 1754-1812      
  • Vicar-General Marriage Licences Allegations 1694-1850
  • St Leonard Shoreditch Burials 1805-1858 and Workhouse Deaths 1820-1828, online for the first time
  • Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills Index 1750-1800

Today searchable indexes and transcripts have been added to the website, and customers will be able to order copies of the originals for some of the records from the Society of Genealogists.

In the coming weeks further records will be added to the website including Bank of England Wills Extracts containing 60,500 names, including images, and Apprentices of Great Britain containing 350,000 names.

Findmypast.co.uk has been working in partnership with the Society of Genealogists for a number of years to make the Society’s collection available to a wider, international audience. Earlier projects were Civil Service Evidence of Age and Great Western Railway Shareholder records.
Anyone with a full subscription to findmypast.co.uk will be able to access all the records within their existing package. Otherwise they can be viewed with PayAsYouGo credits.
Members of the Society of Genealogists will be able to view the records for free via their existing membership login to the Society of Genealogist’s own website at www.sog.org.uk .  The records will be added gradually during 2011.
Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.co.uk, said, Findmypast.co.uk warmly welcomes the addition of these amazing records from the Society of Genealogists’ collection and looks forward to working with the Society on bringing these records to a wider, international audience in the Society’s Centenary Year and beyond. Family historians will find the records an invaluable aid to their research.”

June Perrin, CEO of the Society of Genealogists added: “The Society of Genealogists is delighted to be working with findmypast.co.uk in widening the audience for these wonderful resources.  It is a great boost to the start of the Society’s 100th year.  We hope the records prove extremely useful in the search for that ‘elusive’ ancestor.”



Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.

Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.

Findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records.

In November 2006 findmypast.co.uk launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

As well as providing access to historical records, findmypast.co.uk is also developing a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.

In April 2007, findmypast.co.uk’s then parent company Title Research Group received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast.co.uk was acquired in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company who were awarded The National Archives’ contract to publish online the 1911 census, which it launched in January 2009.


About the Society of Genealogists

The Society of Genealogists is the UK’s largest Family History Society. Founded in 1911 its objects remain to “promote encourage and foster the science and knowledge of genealogy” by “creating a safe depository for pedigrees and other manuscripts”. The Society’s remarkable library today houses unique genealogical collections along with copies of source materials, indexes and finding aids. The Society’s family history education programme is the largest in the country and the Society continues to be a leading genealogical publisher. Its first premises were in the rooms of one of the Founders George Tudor Sherwood at 227 Strand, London. The Society is now in its fifth building.  The Founding Fellows, Members and Associates would, we hope, be proud of the Society’s modern achievements as it has grown to be the UK’s National Library and Education Centre for Family History.

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