These collections include birth, marriage, and death records, parish registers, newspapers, passenger lists, and court records that document everyday life in Ireland.
Over the past year, MyHeritage has greatly expanded its Irish collections, adding tens of millions of new records.
One of the most recent additions this year is the Ireland, Petty Sessions Court Registers, 1828–1926, a collection containing more than 23 million records. Petty Sessions courts handled minor civil and criminal cases across Ireland. The registers occasionally mention local political activists and community figures, offering insight into social and political tenions of the time.
Wednesday, March 18, 7:00 p.m. — Thunder Bay District Branch Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 by Steven Schwinghamer
Over one million people entered Canada through Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 1928 to 1971. These newcomers included farm labourers recruited by the railways, Second World War soldier dependants, post-war refugees, and families fleeing conflict, such as Hungarians escaping the 1956 Soviet crackdown. Historian Steven Schwinghamer from the Canadian Museum of Immigration will explore the history of this remarkable site and how ocean-immigration documents can help us understand the journeys our own families may have taken. Register to watch online.
Friday, March 20, 7:00 p.m. — Niagara Peninsula Branch The Servos Family Journey: A Story of Bravery, Loyalty, and Determination by David Servos
This presentation traces the remarkable journey of the Servos family, from their origins during the Serbian-Ottoman conflicts in the 1400s through centuries of migration across Europe, ultimately settling in North America. Their story is defined by bravery, loyalty to monarchies, and perseverance through upheaval — from military service in Germany to Loyalist trials during the American Revolution. Key United Empire Loyalist figures like Christopher Thomas and Captain Daniel Servos, played a pivotal role in early Niagara settlement. “Palatine Hill” became a family legacy and historic site in Niagara-on-the-Lake, symbolizing their enduring impact. The family’s story spans wars, migration, economic enterprise, and contributions to Canadian heritage, culture, and preservation. Register to watch online.
Saturday, March 21, 10:00 a.m. — Kingston Branch Last of the Edwardian-Era Liners: S.S. Keewatin and the Legacy of Passenger Travel on the Great Lakes by David Mitchell
The Great Lakes Museum is home to the S.S. Keewatin, the last remaining steam-driven passenger-liner in the world. Built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1907, she served as part of the Canadian Pacific line until 1965, providing a short cut across Lake Superior from Port McNicoll, Ontario to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Join us and discover what life was like aboard this luxury liner in the hay days of steamer travel.
This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at the Kingston Seniors Centre, 56 Francis Street, or register to watch online.
Saturday, March 21, 1:00 p.m. — Quinte Branch FamilySearch Full Text Search Feature is a Game Changer in Family Research by Amber Godfrey
Being able to do a full text search of probate and land records on FamilySearch has completely changed the way that family historians and genealogists are able to use these documents. Indexing on the major research websites usually covers only the main person in a document and these types of records are full of names – spouses, children, parents, siblings, other relatives, FAN 8 (Friends, Neighbours and Associates) and more. Amber will show us how to search the records efficiently and give examples of the kind of information you can find within them. She has found detailed wills and estate inventories, guardianship records for minor children, deeds with very specific boundary descriptions and much more!
This is a hybrid meeting. Attend in person at St. Matthew’s United Church in Belleville or register to watch online.
Sunday, March 22, 2:00 p.m. — Halton-Peel Branch The British Home Children: Canada’s Forgotten Legacy by Lori Oschefski
Join Lori Oschefski, founder of Home Children Canada for a presentation on the history of the British Home Children and the challenges these children faced. Learn about key resources for research and the vast contributions over 100,000 Home Children made to Canada’s development as a nation. Register to watch online.
For more gems like these throughout the week, join the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group. When you submit your request to join, you will be asked to answer two quick questions about your family history research.
The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) will host two presentations and an online social during their monthly hybrid meeting on Saturday, March 14. You can attend for free either in person or online.
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. EDT Tips for Using FamilySearch’s Full Text Search by Ken McKinlay Ken McKinlay will provide some tips and tricks to help us find those previously overlooked or hard to find records on FamilySearch. The application of AI-driven handwriting recognition technology in FamilySearch’s search has opened up the records to genealogy and family history researchers in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, we would consider ourselves fortunate if we came across a collection where the principal names had been indexed. Now, practically all the names and words in many digitized collections have been indexed for us.
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. EDT Thistles and Cedar, Hearts Entwined in War by Wendy Jocko Wendy Jocko will tell the story of the marriage between her Scottish-born mother and her Algonquin First Nation father. Williamina Barr McKay, an orphan, had survived childhood trauma when she met the Algonquin soldier Leo Alexander Jocko during WW II, married him and moved to Canada. Their intercultural marriage weathered initial hardships in rural Canada, a decade-long separation, and eventual reconciliation, creating a family that embodied both their rich heritages, a microcosm of Canada’s multicultural tapestry.
Online social After the presentations, BIFHSGO will invite online attendees to turn on their video and microphone for an online social.
Attend in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall, Ottawa, and use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street, or register to watch both presentations online.
Did your ancestor go under the knife? You can perhaps find out in Findmypast’s latest family history records.
Surgeons’ Case Books, University College London, 1836-1851 Did your ancestor end up in the unfortunate circumstance of requiring surgery in Victorian London? This collection of surgeons’ case books from University College London, covering 1836 to 1851, preserves detailed clinical records created at a formative moment in British medical history. The volumes record individual patients treated in hospital, noting names, ages, occupations, symptoms, diagnoses, operations, and outcomes.
These records provide incredibly rich details of our ancestors, including summaries of the procedure, revealing how illness, injury, and surgical treatment affected everyday lives in early Victorian London, while also illustrating the kinds of conditions brought to one of the capital’s leading teaching hospitals. There are over 16,000 new records to delve into.
Britain, Register Of Anaesthetics 1909-1911 Did your ancestor undergo surgery in the early 20th century? This unique collection of registers of anaesthetics from Britain covers 1909 to 1911. In over 2,200 unique records, you can discover the administration of anaesthesia during surgical procedures at a time when modern operative medicine was becoming increasingly specialised. The registers typically note the patient’s name, age, date of operation, type of anaesthetic used, the surgeon responsible, and observations on the patient’s condition before, during, and after treatment.
New Irish newspapers for St. Patrick’s Day Plus, Findmypast is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the following four new Irish newspapers, plus they’ve updated more than 20 other Irish papers.
Cork Free Press, 1910-1913, 1915
Saturday Record (Ennis), 1898, 1900, 1902, 1905-1906, 1909-1910, 1912-1929, 1931-1936
Ulster Times, 1836-1843
Western News and Galway Leader, 1878-1892, 1899-1903, 1905-1926
This is quite a week for the Ontario Genealogical Society. They will be hosting seven virtual presentations, covering topics from artificial intelligence and cemeteries to Ireland and Romania. All are free and open to the public.
The following take place in Eastern Daylight Time.
Monday, March 9, 7:00 p.m. — Oxford County Branch Gone but not Forgotten, Digging Deep into Thoroughly Documenting Cemeteries by Lori Carter
Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 p.m. — Essex County Branch A River Runs Through Us by Elaine Weeks and Chris Edwards
The 10th book by local authors, Elaine Weeks and Chris Edwards examines the unique relationship and shared history between Windsor and Detroit.
In this webinar, the authors will discuss their inspiration for the book, what they learned while writing and designing the book, why it’s important reading for those on both sides of the river for understanding and appreciating how unique this relationship and history is, and how things that happened on both sides of the river actually changed the world. Register to watch online.
Wednesday, March 11, 1:00 p.m. — Ireland SIG Using landed estate records: tracing families in the eighteenth and nineteenth century by Gillian Hunt
Friday, March 13, 7:00 p.m. — Kent Branch Diaries Uncover the Daily Lives of Rural Families by Catharine Anne Wilson
Join Cathy as she tours the Rural Diary Archive website and invites you to explore old diaries (including some from Kent County), the nature of diary writing, and the value of diaries for historical research. The Rural Diary Archive website showcases over 200 Ontario diarists (1800-1930). It includes the full text of selected diaries for the public to freely read, search, and transcribe online. Her presentation identifies several Kent County diaries, the value of diaries, and how to use them for your own research. Register to watch online.
Saturday, March 14, 11:00 a.m. — Eastern European SIG Romania: More than Dracula by Vicki Albu
When people think of Romania, many immediately mention Dracula. Learn the real story of Vlad Tepeş and his connection to Bram Stoker’s famous vampire, then explore the rich history, culture, and genealogy resources Romania offers. The presenter will share experiences from a 2016 visit, including hiring professional genealogists and tour guides and a visit to a branch of the National Archives of Romania. This session is ideal for anyone interested in Romania, whether or not they have Romanian ancestry. Register to watch online.
Sunday, March 15, 11:00 a.m. — Simcoe County Branch The Heir and Devisee Commissions of Upper Canada by Linda Corupe
The Heir and Devisee Commission (1797-1854) was established to clarify the titles to lands in Upper Canada. Join us while Linda teaches us about Heir and Devisee Commission, the records that were created, why they are valuable to genealogists, and how to access them. Register to watch online.
Findmypast plans to expand the capacity of its digitization studio in Boston Spa, Yorkshire, England to invest further in the scanning of both paper and microfilm titles of newspapers.
The investment comes after the company, in partnership with the British Library, reached the milestone publication of 100 million, fully searchable, digitized pages, reinforcing Findmypast’s position as the unrivalled leader in British and Irish newspaper digitization.
Over the next three to four years, Findmypast’s Boston Spa studio, based at the British Library, will increase its output by more than 60 percent in paper titles and over 80 percent in microfilm titles.
The move to digitize underutilized resources from diverse titles reflects the shared vision between Findmypast and the British Library, who have been collaborative partners on digitization projects, such as the British Newspaper Archive since 2010. It cements Findmypast as the go-to resource for British and Irish family resources.
This increased capacity will focus on under‑represented Commonwealth and South Asian newspapers in the British Library’s collections. Digitizing them will help build a more equitable, accessible historical record for South Asian diaspora communities in the UK, North America and beyond, ensuring that more families can connect with the stories that shaped them.
This investment marks the next major phase in Findmypast’s long‑term strategy to increase scale, broaden scope and deepen the historical context available to both academic and family history researchers.
For more gems like these throughout the week, join the Genealogy à la carte Facebook group. When you submit your request to join, you will be asked to answer two quick questions about your family history research.
MyHeritage yesterday introduced Scribe AI, a very exciting new feature that transcribes, translates, and interprets historical family documents and photos.
Anyone can use Scribe AI for free on a limited number of images at myheritage.com/scribe-ai, with extended use available to subscribers.
Simply upload an image file of a scanned handwritten letter, an old photograph, a gravestone, or a coat of arms, and Scribe AI will generate a clear transcription, translate it into your language if necessary, explain symbols and context, and suggest next steps for your research.
MyHeritage warns that their new feature is highly addictive — and I agree.
I own copies of a number of handwritten 19th-century Quebec notarial records. These records are incredible finds, but they can be tedious to read and decipher because of the handwriting.
So, I gave Scribe AI a try.
A four-page 1870 Quebec notarized lease agreement wasn’t a challenge for Scribe AI.
The following is what I saw after uploading my great-great-grandfather’s four-page lease agreement that he signed in February 1870.
AI Scribe provided historical context, details mentioned, key finds, and a full transcription of the document I uploaded.
Here’s some of what I saw after I uploaded the lease agreement.
……. Historical context You are examining a notarial lease agreement executed in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on February 22, 1870. This document formally records the rental of a residential property (a wooden house on Courville Street) in Montreal.
It provides valuable historical context regarding the socioeconomic status of the individuals involved, explicitly noting their working-class trades: James Young as a “brassfinisher” and Edwin Morey as a “printer.” The document’s creation by a Public Notary (P. Mainville) reflects the civil law tradition prevalent in Quebec, where notaries are responsible for drafting and archiving significant property and contractual agreements. The pre-printed form with handwritten fill-ins demonstrates the standardization of legal and real estate practices in late 19th-century Montreal.
Details mentioned
Principal Individuals
James Young
Role in Document: Lessor
Occupation: Brassfinisher
Residence: City of Montreal (A marginal note also references “St Jean Baptiste Village, parish of Montreal”)
Edwin Morey
Role in Document: Lessee
Occupation: Printer
Residence: City of Montreal
Associated Individuals
P. Mainville
Role in Document: Public Notary (N.P.)
Residence: Parish of Montreal
Smith
Role in Document: Neighbor (property bounds)
Casslet
Role in Document: Neighbor (property bounds)
Edward Gauthier (or representatives)
Role in Document: Neighbor (property bounds)
Key Events
Event Type: Lease Agreement
Date: February 22, 1870
Location: City of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada
Geographical Locations & Property Details
Property Leased: A wooden house located at number 18 Courville Street, in the St. Lewis ward, City of Montreal. Bounded in front by Courville Street, in the rear by Smith, on one side by Casslet, and on the other side by Edward Gauthier.
Key Findings This document is a one-year lease agreement between James Young (a brassfinisher) and Edwin Morey (a printer) for a wooden house located at 18 Courville Street in Montreal.
The lease was set to commence on May 1, 1870, for an annual rent of $78, payable in monthly installments of $6.50.
The agreement was officially notarized by P. Mainville on February 22, 1870, and includes standard stipulations regarding property maintenance, taxes, and subletting.dfaf
Transcription (Note: Here, I’m only showing a portion because the document and transcription are lengthy.)
No 805. The 22d February 1870. Lease by Mr James Young to Mr Edwin Morey. Minute
Before the undersigned Public Notary duly commissioned and sworn in and for that part of the Dominion of Canada now constituting the Province of Quebec residing in the parish of Montreal.
Personally Appeared, Mr James Young, of the City of Montreal, brassfinisher.
WHO did and do hereby Let and Lease for the term of one year to be computed from and after the first of May next unto Mr Edwin Morey, printer of the City of Montreal present and accepting Lessee for himself, hereto during the said term, that is to say:
A certain wooden house situate in the St Lewis ward, in the City of Montreal, being the number eighteen in the Courville Street, bounded in front by the said Courville Street, in rear by a named Smith, in one side, by a named Casslet and in the other side by Edward Gauthier or representatives, with the use of the yard and every the buildings thereon erected. …….
At first glance, I noticed one error. The ward was called St. Louis, not St. Lewis, but the writing certainly looks like Lewis.
The text is presented well, making it easy to read and understand. Instead of an endless run on words, without a break between paragraphs, each section is well laid out, such as part of the full text transcription displayed below.
Bottom line: I’m very, very impressed with MyHeritage’s Scribe AI. If you don’t hear from me for a while, you’ll know what I’m busy doing.
