Chester Wills Collection 1519-1940 available on the National Wills Index!

Search the Index FREE, then purchase and view original documents online.

Over 130,000 probate records held at Cheshire Record Office have been digitised, and these images can be purchased with Pay per View credits and viewed directly from the index records. A portion of the probate records held at Lancashire Record Office have been digitised and can also be purchased with Pay per View credits and viewed directly from the index records.

Simply Register or Login to search the Indexes and uncover some of your family’s hidden gems.

Wills can provide an extraordinary amount of information about your forebears, but most people probably have never had the chance to delve into these documents to see what they can learn. Family relationships can be highlighted by viewing these wills, such as that of Hugh Williams ([Wirral: 4012107_00954]).Hugh Williams was engaged in the "Chester trade" in between Dublin and the Wirral. He was from Dublin, and died there in 1784, but lived in Parkgate. He had commanded the brig "Fame", of which his son William then became commander. Hugh owned 5/16ths of the ship, and left 1/8th to William. He left a sixteenth each to his other sons, Henry and Joseph, and to his wife, Elizabeth, desiring them not to dispose of the shares while William was in command of the vessel. The rest of his estate (unspecified) he left to be shared equally among his three sons - nothing more to his wife. He appointed Joseph Hayes, of Neston, as his executor. All this information comes from his will.

  See full information on Chester Wills Collection 1519-1940

Dublin Directories now on Origins.net

Dublin Directories now available on Irish Origins The first 25 of 176 Irish directories, covering the years 1636-1900, are now available for searching on www.origins.net.
About Irish Directories:  Ireland’s turbulent history not only affected those living in Ireland but also affects those of us researching Irish ancestors today. From the 12th century the English crown had a claim on Ireland and from 1801 (Act of Union) until 1922 the whole of Ireland was officially ‘British’. Additionally although the vast majority of the population was Roman Catholic the penal laws discriminated against these and others who were not members of the established church – the Church of Ireland.	About Dublin Directories collection
This has dramatically affected the records generated within Ireland – many records generated at a more local level on the 'British mainland' where never generated in Ireland. This coupled with the loss of many records in the destruction of the Irish Public Records Office (Four Courts) in 1922 (during the 'troubles') has created important subsets of printed Irish material that have achieved a higher level of importance than their English counterparts. Irish Directories fall into this category. Irish directories are an excellent source, often supplying information not readily available elsewhere. These directories are often the only source that actually states someone’s exact occupation. A will may describe them as a 'merchant' whereas the directory will identify them as an 'ironmonger', 'grocer' or 'wine merchant' etc. Precise address and parish of residence are also commonly given. The only people generally excluded from these directories are the poorest members of society small tenant farmers, landless labourers and servants.

British Origins  National Wills Index  Irish Origins  Scots Origins Yorkshire Marriage Bonds and Allegations: Top tips Top Tips!   York Marriage Bonds and Allegations Index 1613-1839 Prior to the establishment of a centralized civil registration system for England and Wales in 1837, marriage was controlled (as were many other things) by the church. This ecclesiastical system required notification of the proposed marriage either through the publishing of banns over the three weeks preceding the marriage, or by procuring a marriage licence from the appropriate church court. The actual licence itself was given to the parties being married so rarely survives. However an 'Allegation' i.e. a statement made by the parties affirming their intention to marry, was kept by the Diocesan registry. With it would be 'Bonds' – assurances by bondsmen – often friends or relatives (one of whom was usually the groom himself), in which the sureties undertook to ensure that the couple would be married in a specific church or chapel.  Copies of original documents can be ordered online. Origins.net Index to The Dean and Chapter of York's Marriage Bonds and Allegations covers over 150,000 marriage licences from 1613 to 1839. Apart from the Diocese and the Archbishop's peculiar jurisdiction of Hexhamshire in Northumberland, the index also includes parishes in Durham, Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. * Please note: Orders for copies of original documents may take longer than the standard 28 days to be delivered, but we will deal with all orders as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.   More about York Marriage Bonds and Allegations Index 1613-1839   Read full Top Tips Origins.net offers subscription access to a wealth of unique and hard to find datasets, dating back to the 1200s from Britain and Ireland. Collections include: Marriage, Baptism, Burial, and Apprentice records, Poor Law, Passenger Lists, Griffith's Valuation, Court records, Military records, Electoral Registers, Irish Directories PLUS the National Wills Index – the principal online resource for pre-1858 English probate material.  Find us on Facebook  Find us on Twitter: @originsnetuk You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website www.origins.net. If this newsletter does not display correctly, click here. If you no longer want to receive this newsletter unsubscribe. Origins.net, The Hoxton Mix, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE support@origins.net Copyright © 1997-2012 OMS Services Ltd. All rights reserved. Privacy policy

Somerset Medieval Wills Abstracts 1385-1558 on the National Wills Index

This volume contains full abstracts (summaries) to wills for Somerset testators proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. These abstracts contain a complete summary of the details contained within each will and includes all names and places (testators, executors, witnesses and beneficiaries) plus incidental information such as relationships and occupations where found in the original documents.

  More about Somerset Medieval Wills Abstracts 1385-1558

New ImageViewer on Origins.net!

Over the past few months, we have listened to customer feedback and have developed a new image viewer for Origins.net. This allows easier searching for all users, including those accessing Origins.net from a Mac.

One of the best ways to check out the ImageViewer is to browse the Children’s Employment Commission of 1842.

This huge government publication contains evidence on the employment of children. Evidence is given by interviews with employers, adult workers and children, relating to work and lifestyle conditions. This fascinating and vivid resource provides detailed information on early 19th century social conditions in the manufacturing areas of Great Britain and Ireland. 

  Browse the Children’s Employment Commission FREE using the new ImageViewer!

After logging in click Use Origins.net ImageViewer and set your image viewing preferences to Origins.net Java plug-in. Click here for Help using the new viewer

Additonal Kent Probate Indexes 1440-1857

Kent probate indexes now available on the National Wills Index include:

• 28,031 wills - West Kent Wills Index, 1440-1857
• 27,812 inventories - Kent inventories 1571-1842.

The following courts are covered:

• Diocese of Canterbury, Archdeaconry Court
• Diocese of Canterbury, Consistory Court
• Diocese of Rochester, Archdeaconry Court
• Diocese of Rochester, Consistory Court
• Peculiar of Cliffe

Future updates will include the Deanery of Shoreham and East Kent probate indexes.

 About Kent Probate Indexes 1440-1857

Kent Probate Indexes 1571-1857 on the National Wills Index

Kent has the largest collection of probate records of any English county but there are as yet no published indexes to much of this material. Indexes to all of these records will become available on the National Wills Index (NWI) in 2012.

The first Kent probate indexes to become available on the NWI include:

• 13,413 wills from the Archdeaconry and Consistory Courts of Rochester,
• 27,812 surviving paper inventories of Kent testators.

 About Kent Probate Indexes 1571-1857

Middlesex Baptisms Index 1538-1751 on British Origins

Middlesex Baptisms Index 1538-1751 on British Origins The Middlesex Baptisms dataset records nearly 100,000 baptisms (nearly 300,000 names) in Middlesex and London which are not included with the International Genealogical Index (IGI). In nearly all cases the names of the parents are given, often maiden name, and sometimes details including occupation and birth date. Middlesex Baptisms Index 1538-1751

Origins Network Genealogy News: October 2008

* 25% off subscriptions for ONE WEEK only
* NEW search in Origins Store
* NEW records on British Origins
* Children's Employment Commission Part II
* Origins Network Discussion Group

*Dig up your ancestors this Halloween with our frighteningly good offer!

Origins Network is offering a 25% discount on all subscriptions for ONE WEEK only from 31 October - 7 November 2008. To take advantage of this offer, simply enter "HALL2008" in the promotional box on the sign up or checkout pages before paying. Read a first hand account of Halloween in Scotland

* NEW search in Origins Store! Now search over 3000 books and CDs
Over 3000 books and CDs in Origins Store are now searchable, by free text, title, author, ISBN or keyword.These products, sourced from genealogical and historical publishers, are highly valuable for anyone with an interest in Family History Research or for those simply wanting to know more about history or social history in general. Subjects include: Parish Registers, Censuses, Migration, Military, Employment, Wills & Probate, Politics, Local History, Travel & Topography, Directories & Almanacs, Maps, and much more.Type your area of interest into the Origns Store Search box and see what gems may be found! Search or browse Origins Store

* NEW on British Origins! Additional London Apprentice Records plus Yorkshire Wills!
Origins Network has now added more London apprentice records to London Apprenticeship Abstracts 1442-1850. Records of the Livery Companies of London are one of the greatest archival treasures of the world. For the family historian, they can provide an immense amount of genealogical and biographical details on members. This collection now contains over half a million names of apprentices, parents, and masters. We are pleased to announce these records are now available to British Origins and Total Access subscribers. PLUS Additions to York wills indexes A further 34,000 index records, for the years 1842-1853 have been added to the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index. Hard copies of all these indexed wills can be ordered online.
Click here to Sign up or Try a FREE search on Origins Network

* Find out how your ancestors lived in their own words
Children's Employment Commission Part II - 1842 is a government publication containing evidence on the work and lifestyle conditions of children.Evidence was collected from personal interviews with hundreds of children and young adults, as well as parents, employers, clergymen, medical men, magistrates, teachers, and others.This extraordinarily rich and vivid resource gives detailed information on early 19th century social conditions in the manufacturing areas of Great Britain and Ireland.
Browse the report for FREE on Origins Network or Buy the report on CD in Origins Store

* Connect with other Origins Network subscribers
Share ideas, experiences and establish contact with other subscribers via our Origins Network Discussion Group. Membership is free and voluntary. Any member can contact the group and receive emails that other members send to the group. Members can also chat to each other in real time using the web interface.
Find out more about the Discussion Group

Origins Network expands Store

The greatly enhanced Origins Store now features over 3000 books and CDs, covering a vast range of topics of interest to anyone interested in family or local history or history generally.Either for serious gifts or stocking fillers, visit: www.originsnetwork.com/store/store.aspx to browse through 1000s of products on hundreds of topics!

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The Origins Network is pleased to announce the addition of a new dataset on
British Origins PLUS the updated Origins Store.



Boyd’s Marriage Index - Supplement
While Boyd's Marriage Index is the largest index of pre-1837 English marriages, it is estimated that only 15% of marriages for the period are included.

Cliff Webb has undertaken to "fill in the gaps" for the City of London and Middlesex, to the extent that is possible from surviving records. This "Supplement" is integrated in the British Origins database with Boyd's index records, so that Boyd's Marriage Index and the Supplement may be searched simultaneously.

This is an on-going project. In the first batch of new records for London and Middlesex nearly 96,000 marriages have been indexed (nearly 200,000 names); over 50,000 City of London marriages and 46,000 for Middlesex. These include 3,100 Jewish marriages from Bevis Marks and the Great Synagogues, 3,160 Roman Catholic marriages, and 862 Huguenot marriages.

Please note that the marriages included in the Supplement are not available anywhere else online.

Click here to view number of marriages, periods and parishes/churches in the Supplement

To access all of the Origins Network records, please go to www.originsnetwork.com/signup-info.aspx


Origins Network re-launches online Store!
Origins Network is proud to announce the re launch of Origins Store – now featuring over 3000 books and CDs!

Visitors to the store can browse through various categories such as Music, Military, Employment, Church Registers, Immigration, Peerage, Heath, Family Histories and much more! There is huge range of products from social history books such as “The Education and Employment of Girls in Luton, 1874-1924” or the fascinating “Dialects, Proverbs and Word-lore” to the more academic products such as “The Burke's Peerage & Gentry Collection” or “Oliver Cromwell's Letters and Speeches” (published 1846).

Searches can be narrowed down by country and then by area and have been sourced from various reputable genealogical and historical publishers such as Archive CD Books, Boydell & Brewer, The Society of Genealogists, Burke’s Peerage & Gentry, The Borthwick Institute and Eneclann.

All of these products are highly valuable for anyone with an interest in Family History research or for those simply wanting to know more about history or social history in general and there are prices available to suit every pocket!

Visit www.originsnetwork.com/store/store.aspx to browse through our thousands of titles and enjoy getting more out of your family history research!
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website: www.originsnetwork.com.

To access all of the Origins Network records, please go to www.originsnetwork.com/signup-info.aspx

Free Genealogy Vouchers!

Free Genealogy Vouchers!The Origins Network (www.originsnetwork.com), specialists in British and Irish genealogy, is offering free 24 hour access vouchers for both British and Irish Origins to the first 200 people who sign up!*Visit: http://www.originsnetwork.com/thanksgivingoffer.aspx for more information and details of how to register.

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Free Genealogy Vouchers!

Free Genealogy Vouchers!The Origins Network (www.originsnetwork.com), specialists in British and Irish genealogy, is offering free 24 hour access vouchers for both British and Irish Origins to the first 200 people who sign up!*Visit: http://www.originsnetwork.com/thanksgivingoffer.aspx for more information and details of how to register.

read more | digg story