Opening up the doors again!

If you are wondering what I have been up to recently, there are a number of things!

Life has been pretty strange for all of us lately. Covid-19 and the pandemic it brought to the world has been a strange and difficult time for many. For the genealogist it certainly put limits on what we can do and not do. Archives, libraries, museums and family history centres being out of bounds has turned most of us to the internet to keep going.

With www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk www.findmypast.com and www.ancestry.co.uk we have thankfully been able to continue some research. There are other websites that have been useful and there has been a good use of lockdown time to produce new records to go online. Find My Past have just added over 3 million Scottish BMDs to their ever expanding Scottish collection. Five additional Scottish Newspapers were also added to the British Newspaper Archive and that can be viewed with a FMP subscription or by subscription to the https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

As more of us took to Zoom and online video conferencing, talks, lectures and genealogy conferences became the norm. I was privileged to be asked to take part in one of the www.scottishindexes.com conferences last year. Graham and Emma Maxwell, a husband and wife team have organised to date 10 online conferences that have been viewed live by people from all over the world and in different time zones. I have also since joined in as a panelist at a couple of their live Q&A sessions.

My own family tree has also been added to, thanks to first the arrival of two grandchildren. Then earlier this month we met our third after a slightly earlier than planned appearance, but all is well. There have been a few other dates added along the way, with my Uncle, a Star Wars fan, passing away on May 4th last year....ironic!

If you would like to 'chat' to me about researching your family history then please get in touch, email:scotsgenie@btinternet.com

Alison