20 January 2015 - Extraordinary General Meeting

The Society Chairman opened the Extraordinary General Meeting called to determine the future of the Society. There were 24 members present who discussed the problem of not being able to find volunteers to take over as officers and committee members for the next Society year, as is required by our Constitution and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Although everyone was reluctant to take the step, no other solution discussed seemed possible. It was therefore proposed and approved by the majority present that we should formally wind-up the Society.  The formal minutes of this meeting will be circulated to members in the near future.

The consequence of this is that after our year-end, on 31 March 2015, the Alloway and Southern Ayrshire Family History Society will no-longer exist.  This Website will be taken off-line and archived and any assets held will be disposed of as detailed in the Constitution.

Sorry about this...
John Weston, Webmaster

What's new in the Carnegie Library, Ayr?

For anyone local or visiting Ayr, the Carnegie Library have notified us of changes to their facilities, which include free access to Ancestry Library Edition and FindmyPast.  Since we will not be able to offer Workshop Sessions due to the Church Hall refurbishments, this could be of interest so I've copied their opening paragraphs below:
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Who do you think you are?
Explore your family history at the Local and Family History department in Ayr’s Carnegie Library. The department houses a unique collection of books, pamphlets, directories, maps, plans, local newspapers and photographs. Members of the public who wish to conduct their own family history research are welcome to visit the department to use the resources we have available. The most frequently used items are available for readers to browse through and select for themselves, but some of the stock is stored ‘behind the scenes’ and is obtainable on request.

Staff will help identify appropriate sources and give guidance on using the collection. We are happy to help with enquiries anytime, but if you would like to book a ‘Starter Session’ with regards to family history please contact us and we will give you a timeslot and information on what you need to bring along to help get you started with your research.
New for this autumn
The Carnegie Library will be holding a number of Beginner’s Family History Classes this coming winter (dates still to be confirmed). If you would like to embark on this fascinating journey to your family’s past keep an eye on our blog posts for details.

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Check-out the links above and plan your visit. For a copy of the full notice we received, contact our secretary using the "Contact" page

John Weston

Mitchell Library F.H. Research Centre, Glasgow.

Glasgow Libraries have opened a brand new family history ‘one stop shop’ on Level 5 of the Mitchell Library, enabling you to research your ancestors from cradle to grave and everything in between.  The new centre brings together the City Archives, NHS Archives, Registrars Genealogy Service and library Special Collections for the first time.

It houses all the major resources to help you trace your family history in Glasgow and throughout Scotland – from Census and Birth, Marriage and Death records, to Poor Law, Church Records, Hospital Records and many more. There you can discover vital genealogical information about your ancestors that will help you feel part of their everyday lives.

In particular, The Mitchell holds many Family History collections for Glasgow and the west of Scotland that can help you add that missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle to your family history.  But it is more than just old records, it is the stories that these records reveal – sometimes sad, sometimes funny – that is most interesting and allows you to build up a picture of ordinary people and their often very extraordinary lives.

Glasgow Libraries have also launched a new Family History website: www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk. Here you can learn more about all these collections and records, discover their range of online resources, find out the latest news in our blog or when the next Family History event or workshop is taking place. So whether you are a Family History novice or already an experienced researcher, The Mitchell is a must for family historians everywhere.

For more information, visit www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk or email familyhistory@glasgowlife.org.uk. You can also visit their stand at "Who Do You Think You Are? Live" at the SECC, Glasgow on 29-31 August. See: www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com

Barbara Finlay - received from SAFHS

British Newspaper Archive

The British Library’s newspaper collection is now available on their website. The online archive - a collaboration between technology firm Brightsolid and The British Library, launched the first 4 million pages of the Library’s digitised newspaper collection in 2011.

The new website allows you to search for papers on specific days or using keywords. Very useful for researching ancestors.

A further 36 million pages will be scanned daily over the next ten years. 
See: www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.

Barbara Finlay

LDS Family History Centre in Ayr

The Family History Centre within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2 Mossgiel Road, Ayr KA7 3DL is open to members of the public at no charge each Thursday between the hours of 10am and 1pm. Telephone 01292 610632.
See the website www.familysearch.org for further information.

Barbara Finlay

Valuation Rolls in Scotland

The Valuation Rolls in Scotland Go Online for the First Time
The ScotlandsPeople Team is delighted to announce the launch of the Valuation Rolls (VRs) in Scotland for 1915.

This is the first time that the rolls have been published online, allowing genealogists, local historians and other researchers to view images of entries in the rolls. Fully searchable both by name and address, the Valuation Rolls provide a fascinating snapshot of Scotland during the First World War, and will be a valuable resource for family history researchers.

What Do the Rolls Contain?
The rolls record the names of owners, tenants and occupiers of each property, unlike the full lists of family members to be found in the censuses. Usually the named person is the head of the household, but sometimes a husband and wife might be listed. Frequently, the wife is the named tenant of rented property. 

Why Were the Valuation Rolls Set Up?
The Valuation Rolls were created so that the authorities could set local rates. The purpose was to assess property by its annual rental value. This was either the value of the rent paid by the tenant, or a notional rental value if the owner occupied their own property. The burgh and county assessors did not list properties individually that were worth below £4 annual rental value.

Special Introductory Offer for the Launch of the Valuation Rolls
To celebrate the launch of the Valuation Rolls (VR), for an introductory period, the cost of viewing a VR image will be will be 2 credits rather than 5.

The View from the Keeper of the Records
Registrar General and Keeper of the Records, George MacKenzie, said:
"We are making available details about property owners and tenants which will be invaluable for people researching their family history, the history of their house, or their local area. The rolls are very useful when used in conjunction with other records, especially the census and statutory registers that people can also search through ScotlandsPeople.”

The View from brightsolid
Chris van der Kuyl, the CEO of brightsolid, who operate ScotlandsPeople for the National Records of Scotland, said:
“The publication of the Valuation Rolls on the ScotlandsPeople website is another piece in the jigsaw for helping people to trace their Scottish ancestry. Everyone at brightsolid is very excited by the launch of these new records, which will complement the 1911 Census records that we published on the ScotlandsPeople site just last year.” 

From Crofts to Castles...
The 1911 Census records provide a snapshot of Scotland on the brink of the First World War. The Valuation Rolls allow researchers to carry the story of their ancestors forward into a time of upheaval and change brought about by war.

Every kind of dwelling can be found in the rolls, from crofts to castles, and they reflect the drift of people from rural areas into our towns and cities, as well as the continuing industrialisation of Scotland.

Working premises include shops, offices, factories, football stadiums, churches, cinemas, swimming baths, railways and even lighthouses. This is a fascinating insight into where and how our ancestors lived.

Who Will Be Interested in the Valuation Rolls?
These new online records will be interesting both to people in Scotland and to the Scottish diaspora across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. 

To browse or search these new records, visit the the ScotlandsPeople website.
Vouchers are available from ASAFHS. Contact the treasurer for details using the "Contact" page.

Carnegie Library resources, Ayr

We have been notified that the Carnegie Library in Ayr have renewed their subscription to "Find My Past" website which now has the 1911 English and Welsh Census added. It also has the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 Scottish Census for the whole of Scotland. It does not have access to the original but the transcriptions are very good. It would save a lot of Scotlandspeople vouchers! "Find My Past" is available on the two PCs in Local History.

Patricia Weston

Members Only Area

The Website's Members Only area is open and being used - are you missing things?

Have you got your personal access information?

We will only send access information to a member's verified email address.  To start this process, members should send a message using the "Members access request" - "Register here ..." link on the "Member's login" page, available from the "Home" page menu. This should contain your name, membership number and email address. Also, as a security measure, please include your postal address and telephone number. None of the information given here, other than your name, will appear on the Website since it isn't even stored there. Please do not sent this request to the Membership secretary or to any other office holder. It might take an extra-long time to get processed or get lost...

After checking your details, we will send a first-time Username and Password. This should be used as soon as possible to gain access to the "Change password" page where you can set your own Username and a secure Password known only to yourself.   Please then logout and back in again to test your new personal access data. You can then explore the Members Only area and, in the "Forums" section, practice using its features in the "Practice" Forum and then why not introduce yourself in a new Topic in the "Introductions" Forum?

This area will only be successful if YOU use it, referring to the Online Library, asking questions, providing answers, taking part in debates, etc.  Please contribute to the Forums and give us feedback on things you would like to see here and any problems you have.  If you are unable to get to meetings, this is your access to the Society.

John Weston

ScotlandsPeople Updated

ScotlandsPeople have notified us that indexes available at the Centre are now much closer to those used for civil registration.

For the future, they plan to update the indexes at regular intervals.

Any errors found in indexes may be reported to the staff in the search rooms.

You can visit the historical search rooms without charge in General Register House if you have a reader's ticket. To create a reader's ticket they need two passport size photos plus photographic ID and proof of your current address. 

Customers can view both original documents and virtual volumes. Examples of records that can be viewed include valuation rolls, Kirk session records, some wills and testaments after 1901, sasine records and much more.

To speak to staff phone 0131 535 1334.

Patricia Weston

Forum RSS Feed

Members can now get automatic notification of postings or changes to a Forum without having to keep going to the "Forums" section to see if anything has changed.

To use this feature, log into the Members' only area and, in the "Forums" section, click on the orange "RSS Feed" button on the top right of the Forums list page.  This will lead you through the procedure to include a pointer to the feed in your email reader, web browser or other RSS reader program where you will receive a dated notice of each update and to which Forum it was made.  This message will also contain a direct link to the Forum, via the log in page, so you can quickly see if you can contribute to the discussion.

For simplicity, this feature will currently only notify you of changes at the Forum level, so you will have to log on to see which Topic has been changed. For more information about RSS feeds, see Wikipedia.

John Weston

Journal Contributions

We're always looking for interesting articles...

If anyone out there can come up with an article for the Journal or for inclusion in our Members Only Library, the Editor would be delighted to hear from you!  Please send any contributions via the Contact page to the Editor, or hand them in at our meetings.

Research requests

Please note that requests for research, from people unable to visit our area personally, can only be undertaken for ASAFHS members. We have seen a dramatic increase in research requests from non-members via this site so please make sure you have sent in your membership application and have received your membership number before making a request.

This service is provided on a "best efforts" basis by local members, co-ordinated by our Research Officer. The only charges you will see are those to cover out-of-pocket expenses, with no charge for the time they take. You may care to express your appreciation of this service by a personal donation to the club funds, sent to the Research Officer.

What's this section for?

This is an example of what can be written here, including pictures.

This section of our website will contain Meeting and Visit reports, Activity news, Pictures, - in fact, anything that may be of interest to the society members, provided by named individuals.

Initially, this will be managed centrally, with society members sending contributions via e-mail to the webmaster. Eventually, it is intended to give direct access to those who create the content, once they have been shown how to use a "Blog"...

John Weston