Last update of 2021

Dear OGI-ers,

I hadn't planned on doing another update this month but Ancestry and Findmypast released new information for Devon.  Didn't want to leave it 'til next year!

Dartmouth in July 2021.  Can't wait to return to this type of weather!

I reuploaded the Findmypast data sets to include the new extended date ranges on many parishes.

The increase from the last update is a net gain of 3,241 data sets bringing the new total to 435,316.

A lot more content from the TINSTAAFL Marriage project as well.

Here is the breakdown:

• Ancestry Devon Parish Registers - 3,355 new data sets
• Cornwall OPC Database - 61 new data sets
• Findmypast Coventry Workhouse Death Records - 1 new collection
• Findmypast Devon Parish Registers - 2,374 new and updated data sets
• Gravestonephotos.com - 4 new cemeteries
• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 15 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes

That is about it for 2021!   I will be taking a well-deserved break from work and demanding hobbies (like the OGI) to spend some quality time with family.  I now have three of my five children living away from home so every Christmas our numbers go down it seems.  My oldest is coming back from the army for a week which we will enjoy.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and hope you, despite the recommended restrictions, are able to make some lasting memories and have a rejuvenating and uplifting season.

With warm regards to you all,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

More updates to round up 2021

Dear OGI Researchers,

On 11th of November, I uploaded 5,838 data sets.  Today, 2nd December, another update adding 290 new data sets brings the total on the site to 432,075.  

2021 has been a busy year for the OGI and has seen the data sets grow by 25,770.  Each of these was manually searched, verified and added.  The Online Genealogical Index has been featured a number of times in a variety of magazines, both online and in print.  This has boosted the visibility of the site and, hopefully, helped thousands of more users find their ancestors in online records.

This is a photo of a wintery church, unknown, but reminds me that by gathering more data, we can find our ancestors who have been "covered by the snows of time" for so long.

Here are the additions since the last blog posting.

• Ancestry - 714 parish registers
• Archive.org - 157 parish registers
• Billiongraves - 31 graveyards
• Cheshirebmd - 13 new data sets
• Cornwall OPC - 278 parish records
• Durham Records Online - 12 parish registers
• FamilySearch - 169 parish records
• Findagrave - 185 cemeteries
• Findmypast - 535 parish registers
• Findmypast - 848 parish registers
• FreeBMD - 26 districts
• FreeReg - 46 parishes
• Gravestonephotos - 46 cemeteries
• Isle of Wight FHC - 18 parishes
• Lancashire OPC - 522 data sets
• Lancashire War Memorials - 66 memorials
• Lancashirebmd - 122 data sets
• Roll of Honour - 44 memorials
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 30 churches
• War Graves Commission - 112 graveyards
• archersoftware.co.uk IGI batches - 1615 data sets
• cheshirebmd - 14 data sets
• churchmonumentsgazetteer - 58 churches
• cumbriabmd - 40 data sets
• forest-of-dean.net - 155 parish registers
• gloucestershire.gov.uk - 31 parish registers
• hertsdirect.org - 20 parishes
• ukga.org - 18 parish registers

As you can see, there are still dozens of sites releasing new information all the time.  I will stay committed to find these resources and post links on the OGI.

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm for the site in 2021 and I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Years.  I look forward to posting in 2022!

Warm wishes,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

November already?

Dear Fellow OGI-ers,

I was informed by some users that knowing if a place is spelled with or without dashes makes it hard to find the listed datasets.   I have, therefore, begun to add duplicate entries with alternate place spellings.  Hence a boost of 10,000 in the site total datasets today.

There are 3,668 new additions to help with your research.

Here are the details.

• Ancestry - Shropshire Parish Registers - 1,565 data sets
• Cheshire Civil Registration Marriages - 39 new data sets
• FamilySearch.org - Shropshire Parish Registers - 967 data sets
• Findagrave - 3 new cemeteries
• Findmypast - Roman Catholic Marriages - 8 new data sets
• Findmypast - Shropshire Parish Registers - 967 data sets
• FreeReg - 31 new Gloucestershire data sets
• Geneanet Cemeteries - 44 new cemeteries
• Gravestone Photos - 6 new cemeteries
• Lancashire Online Parish Clerks - 15 new data sets
• OPC Dorset - 7 new data sets
• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 14 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes

As you can see, a good month for Shropshire researchers!  

A lot of new data is coming to the public forum thanks to amazing projects run nationwide.  I will continue to add links to all useful resources for your benefit.

Thanks again to those who donate towards the site costs.  Every pound helps.  Please consider helping if you feel you are getting a good service.   

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

October Updates

Dear Friends of the OGI,

I sincerely hope you are well and having success in your genealogical pursuits.  Today, I have uploaded 1,633 new and updated data sets.  The majority are a refresh of the data held by the Cornwall Online Parish Clerk site, a truly remarkable achievement and highly recommended.  

The new total of data sets available at the OGI is 415,271.

Here is are the details about this month's update.

• Ancestry - Glamorgan, Wales, Workhouse Registers - 18 new data sets
• Cheshire BMD - 1 new Marriage data set
• Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 1,461 data sets
• Findmypast Essex Marriages and Banns - 6 new parishes
• Findmypast National School Admission Registers and Log Books - 19 new data sets
• FreeReg - 3 new data sets
• Gravestonephotos.com - 19 new cemeteries
• Lancashire OPC - 10 new data sets
• Staffordshire BMD - 2 new Death data sets
• Staffordshire BMD - 72 new Marriage data sets
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 19 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes

Thanks for your support and use of the site.  Big thank you to Jess Jarvis for his generous donation towards the running costs of the site.  

Please consider even a £1 a month Paypal donation as it all goes to keeping things running smoothly.  The site will always be free for all.

I wish you a pleasant autumn and will return with a new update soon.

Best wishes,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

September Updates

Dear Users of the OGI,

And welcome to the new researchers who found the site due to the excellent article in Family Tree Magazine in August.

This month, there are 112 new data sets added to the site including a large quantity from TINSTAAFL Transcripts and Gravestonephotos.com.  The current total of data sets on the OGI is 414,749.  This is lower than last month due to clearing out dead links and repeated data.  I want to create a useful and concise database without waste.

The church of St James in Coundon, County Durham.  There are 50 members of the Manners family buried here.  I have yet to find a genealogical connection but DNA has led me to this location.

Here is an overview of today's update:

• Findmypast Greater London Burial Index - 6 new cemeteries
• Findmypast Warwickshire Coventry Midwife's Birth Register
• FreeReg - 3 new parishes
• Gravestonephotos.com - 36 new cemeteries
• Online Parish Clerks Dorset - 1 new data set
• Somerset Parish Registers (lanefarm.plus.com) - 9 data sets
• Staffordshire Civil Registration Births - 1 new data set
• Staffordshire Civil Registration Deaths - 6 new data sets
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 29 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 4 new parishes
• Winterbourne Abbas Parish Registers - 5 new data sets
• Worcestershire burial databases (dudley.gov.uk) - 4 cemeteries

It is good to see new updates all the time which boost the chance of you finding that elusive ancestor.

Major projects coming soon involving the photographing and transcription of every headstone related to Church of England and Municipal cemeteries in England.   This project will take years but will add millions of names for researchers to investigate.

Thank you for your patronage.  It is really an honour to serve you in this way and help thousands find the data they need to track down ancestors.  

There are annual costs involved in keeping the site up and running.  Please help if you can even if just a £1 every month or so.  It all goes towards the costs.  There is a Donate option at the top and bottom of every page.

I continue to search for good resources and appreciate those who have contacted me with suggestions.  Use the Contact option to send me a message.  If you leave your email, I will personally reply.

Have a wonderful autumn.

Until next time, 

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

Hundreds of Memorial Brasses added

Dear Users of the OGI,

It has been a busy month or travel and home projects but I have kept an eye out for new resources for the site and finally uploaded 2,127 new data sets today.

The bulk of these are from the 1861 publication of the book "A Manual of Monumental Brasses" by Reverend Herbert Haines.  Monumental Brasses will include names, dates and relationships back to the 1300s.

Here is today's update list:

Archive.org - Monumental Brasses book (2020 locations)
Findmypast 

- Essex Baptisms and Burials - 12 new parishes

- Staffordshire Parish Registers - 4 new parishes

StaffordshireBMD - 11 updates
TINSTAAFL Marriages - 22 new parishes
TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 4 new parishes
OPC Dorset - 3 new data sets
Durham Records Online - 6 new data sets
Gravestone Photos - 4 new cemeteries
Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - 14 new data sets

The current total of data sets found at ogindex.org is now 415,464.

I know there are more hidden gems on Archive.org with a lot of genealogical information.  I have already personally reviewed over 214 thousand pages of documents looking for useful information.  Archive.org has old genealogical magazines and books containing lists of pedigrees, graveyard surveys, etc.  The OGI now has about 6,000 data sets linked to pages of Archive.org books.  As far as I know, no other site has this type of content.

Happy to finally get my hands on the August 2021 issue of Family Tree Magazine and read the article about the Online Genealogical Index.  Hopefully, some of you were introduced to the site through this article.

I will continue to search for useful genealogical data to help you with your research.

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

New Ancestry Staffordshire Collections added

Dear Users of the OGI,

An additional 1,737 data sets have been added to the Online Genealogical Database this week.  The majority are the new Ancestry Staffordshire Parish Register collections.  These cover Baptisms, Banns, Marriages and Burials from 1538 to 1900.  This brings the total of data sets on the OGI to 413,443.  Each one was researched, typed in and uploaded!  Seven years in and the OGI is still growing.  

I was very honoured to receive the personal project of former vicar Andrew Knight of Lougher, St Michael's parish in Swansea.  

He has transcribed each of the hundreds of headstones in the churchyard and ordered them by surname.  This is now available on the OGI under Glamorganshire or see it now here.

I hope the OGI can be a tool to preserve the projects of others unavailable elsewhere online.

Here are the details of the recent uploads:

• FamilySearch - 4 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 1 new parish
• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 8 new parishes
• Staffordshire Burial Search - 1 new churchyard
• OPC Dorset - 4 new data sets
• Gravestone Photos - 4 new cemeteries
• Durham Records Online - 8 new data sets
• Staffordshire BMD - 4 new death data sets
• Staffordshire BMD - 5 new marriage data sets
• Ancestry Staffordshire Parish Registers 1538-1812 - 491 data sets
• Ancestry Staffordshire Baptisms 1813-1900 - 361 data sets
• Ancestry Staffordshire Marriages and Banns 1754-1900 - 557 data sets
• Ancestry Staffordshire Deaths and Burials 1813-1900 - 288 data sets

Off to Devon next week but will keep an eye out for any new genealogical data coming my way to pass on to all of you lovely people.

I hope you have had a chance to see the Family Tree Magazine article about the OGI (also got a mention on the cover!).  It is an excellent article written by one of their editors with a few tweaks by myself.

Have a great summer and take some time to visit family.  Maybe you will discover some clues to your genealogical mysteries.

Best regards,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org

New Memorial Inscription Collections

Dear Users of the OGI,

I hope you are having a great summer so far.  Today, I uploaded 685 new record collections.  The majority of these are church monuments and memorial inscriptions.  As you know, a headstone can contain birth, death and family relationships so very useful for adding to your trees.  Here is one I found recently of my own 4th great-grandfather James Fletcher and his wife Eleanor (thanks BillionGraves!).  This is in Bracknell, Berkshire.  If anyone lives nearby, please send me a closeup minus all the ferns!

I am grateful to an OGI user who contacted me to recommend the Church Monuments Gazetteer and another who recommended the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society website.  The latter has an excellent memorial inscription index for hundreds of churches in those counties.  Please keep sending any recommended sites and I will add links to the database.

Here are the details about today's update:

• Ancestry Westminster Cemetery Registers - 8 new locations
• Church Monuments Gazetteer - 244 churches
• Dorset Memorial Inscriptions - 125 graveyards
• FreeReg - 28 new parish record collections
• Lancashire OPC- 9 new parish record collections
• Somerset Memorial Inscriptions - 246 graveyards
• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 17 parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 parishes

I have had some positive experiences searching in the OGI this week.  Today, I saw a message from someone looking for a burial in Ribbesford, Worcestershire but not sure where to look.  In less than a minute, I had searched the OGI, found the resource (the National Burial Index on Findmypast) and found the burial in 1743.  I wonder how long that individual had spent looking for that burial?  I made sure to let them know about how to use the OGI in the future.  Please pass the word along to other researchers as they will save hours of time and also promote the value of the OGI to others.

The issue of Family Tree Magazine with a two page article about the Online Genealogical Index goes on sale at the end of July (the August 2021 issue).  This is the UK version of the magazine (I think there is a USA version as well).

We are off to Paignton, Devon for a week when school ends in a couple of weeks.  I hope the weather will be as nice as in this photo.

I will continue searching for valuable genealogical resources online.  After 7 years of searching, the collection has now reached 411,706 data sets.  Each of these has been personally researched, tested and documented!  I am proud to advertise the hard work of many researchers around the world who have dedicated hundreds, even thousands, of hours recording the lives of our ancestors for our benefit.

Wishing you a warm, safe and relaxing summer,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

391 New Datasets uploaded

Dear Users of the OGI and readers of Family Tree Magazine!

I hope some of you found the site through the excellent article about the Online Genealogical Index (and me!) in the August issue of Family Tree Magazine UK which goes on sale in the next few weeks.

There have been two database updates on the 4th and 17th of June (a total of 391 new data sets) that may include some vital clues to your genealogical mysteries.

Here are the details:

• FamilySearch - 4 new Parish Register collections
• Findmypast: Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions - 301 graveyards
• FreeReg - 44 parish register collections
• GravestonePhotos - 7 new cemeteries
• Lancashire OPC - 7
• OPC Dorset - 7 new parish register collections
• Staffordshire BMD - 1 new death record set
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Projects - 17
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3

The above 391 additions contain tens of thousands of individuals.

I love this photo of Sheffield General Cemetery as it doesn't look like Yorkshire and reminds me of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland!

The total on the OGI is now at 411,042.  This total does go up and down as I clean out duplications or dead links.  Thanks to those users who report these.  I can usually find an alternative or use the amazing Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) to find a backed up copy of the old sites.  The OGI contains 2,883 links to dead sites now resurrected on this free service.

I am aware of many major genealogical projects on their way this year bringing more access to digitized microfilms and transcribed records for free.  Have you looked at the new Image Viewer at FamilySearch.org?  Type in a place and see a list of digitized films ready to view.  Most can be viewed by anyone in their own home.  Teams are working hard to get more films organized and accessible through the viewer so check back often.  Other projects will open closed collections very soon.  And I will continue looking for valuable genealogical resources to add to the Online Genealogical Index database.

Thanks for your interest and support.  Thanks again to those who donate to help towards running costs.  (And if you haven't done so, even £1 a month would be very welcome!)

Wishing you a warm and mask-free summer,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

Two more May updates

Dear Users of the OGI,

There were two more updates uploaded in May so I want to show the content here to track what has been done.  It may be useful for you to see which sites and counties have new information.  Findmypast updated their Carmarthenshire collection which has now been completely refreshed in the OGI database.

• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 12 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parish
• Findmypast Carmarthenshire Baptisms - 92 new and updated data sets
• Findmypast Carmarthenshire Marriages and Banns - 111 new and updated data sets
• Findmypast Carmarthenshire Burials - 83 new and updated
• Findmypast Middlesex Baptisms - 3 new parishes
• Findmypast Suffolk Early Burials Index - 34 updated parishes
• FamilySearch - 8 new parish registers and memorial inscriptions
• FamilySearch, IGI Batches - 613 updates
• Gravestone Photos - 5 new cemeteries

Current total on the site is 411,256

The August issue of Family Tree Magazine will have a two page article about the Online Genealogical Index.  It will go on sale the last week of June.  I am very grateful for their interest in the site and to spread the word.  Glad to see that my pet project started on a spreadsheet in 2014 is now regularly used by thousands.

Thanks again to those sharing donations towards running costs.  Really appreciate every penny.

Wishing you a warm June,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

Large new Norfolk Gravestone Collection added today

Dear Users of the OGI,

Findmypast has released an amazing collection of 47,170 photos of gravestones in Norfolk graveyards.  This collection is introduced on the What's New? section of the Findmypast blog.

"Norfolk resident Louise Cocker provided us with these amazing photos. Louise's mission is to document all of the graves and memorials in her home county and we'll be adding more to the collection over time."

What an amazing project!  You can browse each collection by graveyard/church.  There is no index linked yet to help you find specific family names.  Maybe that will come later.

With this collection of locations and other items referenced below, the current total of data sets stands at 411,234.

Here are details about today's upload:

• FreeReg - 7 new data sets
• Lancashire OPC - 8 new data sets
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 6 new data sets
• Findmypast, Norfolk Gravestone browse collection - 294 new data sets
• Cornwall, Mevagissey and St Goran Parish Records - 97 updated data sets
• Cornwall War Memorials - 329 new data sets
• Durham Records Online - 10 new data sets
• FamilySearchh - 29 new data sets (Bracknell, Berkshire Parish Record images)
• Gravestonephotos.com - 3 new cemeteries

I hope these will help you locate those allusive ancestors.  One day, I might find more of my missing Manners line through headstones photographed or transcribed by enthusiastic volunteers.  

Wishing you a good spring,

Tim Mannes

https://ogindex.org

Two new updates

Dear Users of the OGI,

There was a large update on 30th April and a small one today, 8th May.  Some of these items replace incomplete or updated data sets.

The current total on the site is now 410,553.  I just wish I had the time and energy to get the thousands of additional resources processed and online for all to use.  The site continues to grow and become more useful.  Thank you to those who have suggested some excellent sites to include (Trafford War Dead and Greater Manchester Blitz Victims are two) and for those reported dead links needing updating.  This helps me to make sure the site is useful and the best place to start before trawling through sites manually.  I have done that for you already!

Here is the list of the latest updates:

• Trafford War Dead (136 Memorials)
• FreeReg (42 new parishes in Essex, Oxfordshire and Derbyshire)
• Tinstaafl Marriage Project (18 new parishes)
• Tinstaafl Norfolk Baptisms (3 new parish)
• Greater Manchester Blitz Victims (31 locations)
• FamilySearch Northumberland Parish Register collection (5 new parishes)
• Gravestonephotos (10 new cemeteries)

Findmypast

• Devon Baptisms (49 new parishes)
• Devon Burials (32 new parishes)
• Devon Marriages and Banns (71 new parishes)
• Glamorganshire Baptisms (195 new and updated parishes)
• Glamorganshire Burials (168 new and updated parishes)
• Glamorganshire Marriages and Banns (199 new and updated parishes)
• Monmouthshire Baptisms (160 new and updated parishes)
• Monmouthshire Burials (152 new and updated parishes)
• Monmouthshire Marriages and Banns (149 new and updated parishes)

I hope this gives you the motivation to continue using the site and enjoy the new resources.  Please keep sending in your suggestions and corrections.  I really appreciate every one.  You are becoming my eyes and ears for improvements.

Thanks to those who have generously sent in a donation.  It really does make a difference and offset the costs incurred for hosting and the recent professional updates.  Very different from last year's site for sure!

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org

Large updates for Essex and Lancashire

Dear Users of the OGI,

Last night, an update of 1,576 new items was uploaded bringing the current total to 410,227 data sets on the site.

The major portion was for FreeReg in Essex and Manchester Ancestors for Lancashire.

The content is as follows:

• Manchester Ancestors - 1,094 War memorials in Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire
• OPC Dorset - 8 new data sets
• Durham Records Online - 8 new data sets
• FreeReg - 401 Essex parish data sets
• Gravestonephotos - 8 new collections
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Marriages Project - 16 new parishes
• Lancashire OPC - 28 new data sets

The use of the site has grown due to the articles in Who Do You Think You Are magazine and the recent online article by Family Tree magazine.  It will keep me busier responding to questions and reports of problematic links but will result in the site being more streamlined and accurate.

The FreeReg project will take many months to complete then I will work on FindaGrave updates and some FamilySearch IGI unnamed batches.  The site will continue to grow for many years to come!

Until next time,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

New Article in Family Tree Magazine

Dear Users of the OGI,

The Online Genealogical Index has been featured in an online article by Family Tree Magazine.  It will be published in the August edition of the print magazine available in July.

Read the online article here.

I am currently working on all updates from FreeReg since 2015 (when they had an active update index) so, over the next few months, there will be an expanded set of parish registers available there.

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement.  My goal is to help you find your ancestral records quickly and easily.

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

More updates in March

Dear Users of the OGI,

I am happy to see the site is getting more use as the word is getting out there thanks to two mentions in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine (January and April 2021).

In January, the OGI was included in the "50 Hottest Websites" list, a real compliment of the usefulness of the site.

In the April 2021 issue, the OGI was chosen as the Digital Pick Website of the month! (see page 85)

This has come just in time for the new look and feel of the Online Genealogical Index.  I hope the site will be a useful tool to all our new users.

There were two new uploads of data, one on 26th and the other 31st March.  The grand total is now 409,030 data sets on the site.  A data set can be a small collection of headstone transcriptions or tens of thousands of baptism records, for example.

Here is the breakdown of what has been added or updated:

• Archive.org (Suffolk and Essex) - 8 new Parish Register and Memorial Inscription collections
• Birmingham Burial Records - 15 Cemeteries
• Derbyshire FHS Parish Record Indexes - 247 data sets
• EssexandSuffolkSurnames.co.uk - 70 new Parishes
• Findmypast (additions and updates)
• Essex Monumental Inscriptions - 39 cemeteries
• Lincolnshire Monumental Inscriptions - 319 cemeteries
• Norfolk Banns and Marriages - 714 parishes
• Norfolk Baptisms - 713 parishes
• Norfolk Burials - 699 parishes
• FreeReg - 56 new Parish record sets
• Google Books (Suffolk) - 8 Parish Register collections
• Interment.net - 82 new cemeteries
• South Warwickshire FHS Parish Registers and Memorials - 869 data sets
• TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 8 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 1 new parish
• Warwickshire BMD at hunimex.com - 36 new Parish Registers

All these items were gathered in less than a week so it shows that when you seek, you will find!  So many more items to review and update so the OGI will grow for many years to come.

I would love to hear from you so please feel free to leave comments on this blog or send me a message from the site directly.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and for spreading the word about the site.

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

https://ogindex.org

Welcome to the new OGI!

Dear Users of the Online Genealogical Index,

Today is a big day as the new OGI was released last night!  Completely rewritten thanks to a skilled FamilySearch colleague of mine in Finland, Pablo.  We are still refining the new site and things will settle down even more in the next few days.

Pablo and I hope you enjoy the new look and feel, the speed of searching and the ability to filter the type of results you need.  The year range is more intelligent and will offer results that include all or a part of the search range as well as any collection that has no years (such as a cemetery).

Please feel free to reach out and suggest any changes or leave your comments here in the blog.  I am reachable anytime at contact@ogindex.org.

Today's update was a generous 1,879 data sets bringing the site total to 407,640.  This included the reupload of changed collections where year ranges have been expanded such as in Findmypast's Leicestershire collections.  Not included in this total are hundreds of changes to FreeReg year ranges.

Here are the details of today's upload.

• Archive.org, Somerset - 15 image sets
• Archive.org, Derbyshire War Memorials - 2 locations
• Findmypast, Leicestershire Banns - 281 parishes
• Findmypast, Leicestershire Baptisms - 307 parishes
• Findmypast, Leicestershire Burials - 287 parishes
• Findmypast, Leicestershire Marriages - 306 parishes
• Findmypast, Staffordshire Parish Registers - 7 parishes
• Findmypast, Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions - 306 cemeteries
• FreeReg - 277 Parish Register sets (Dorset, Devon, Derbyshire, Berkshire)
• Gravestone Photos - 5 new cemeteries
• OPCDorset - 5 new data sets
• Surrey, Epsom and Ewell Records - 54 data set collections
• TINSTAAFL Marriages - 18 new parishes
• TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes

I still am very impressed with the hidden genealogical treasures available on archive.org's amazing digital book collections.  After manually reviewing over 214,000 pages and adding over 3,900 links to parish registers, memorial inscription lists, family pedigrees and other vital record information to the database, it has been worth every page!  It may have deteriorated my vision but I would do it all again.  There are hundreds of thousands more pages to review but a lot of the information I have found is unique to this resource.  The only graveyard survey available anywhere, etc.  And I do trust a survey recorded in the 1800s as it includes many headstones that have since crumbled or been removed.  Here is an example for St Weburgh, Bristol printed in 1890.  It includes 39 headstone transcriptions.

https://archive.org/details/gloucestershire03unkngoog/page/n611/mode/2up?view=theater

It is very satisfying finding such items in these old books and adding them to the database for all to find once more.  And archive.org is completely free!

I hope going forward, the changes and new data will be a joy to use and bring more success in your research.  Thank you for your encouragement and for the kind donations that have helped cover the costs of keeping the site up and running.

Until next time,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org

Big update on 5th March

Dear Users of the OGI,

Happy to report a large import of new and updated datasets was completed on Friday, 5th March bringing the total on Online Genealogical Index to 407,033.  Remember, a dataset can include thousands of names and dates.

Here is a breakdown of the new/updated items:

Findmypast

Essex Baptisms - 659 new and updated parishes

Lincolnshire Monumental Inscriptions - 295 new and updated data sets

Northumberland: National Burial Index - 139 new and updated data sets

Wiltshire: National Burial Index - 12 new data sets

FreeReg - 222 new data sets

Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - 5 new data sets

TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 22 new parishes

TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes

Gravestone Photos - 20 new cemeteries

As you can see, this was a large update and has also started my first FreeReg updates in 6 years.  I am now reviewing each county in FreeReg to update data on the server and add new information.  Expect some great new resources over the next few months as I work no this intensive update.  It demands the review of hundreds of changes for each county.

Thank you for your support and use of the site.  Glad to see that over 37,000 searches have been done since the site came online in 2014.

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org

Two more updates now uploaded

Dear Users of the OGI,

Happy to report there have now been a third and fourth update completed in 2021.  This has updated some Derbyshire and Wiltshire collections from Findmypast adding year ranges and new information.

Be assured, the genealogical community is still vibrantly active and updating information regularly.  

Here is the breakdown of the last two updates (added on 29th Jan and 12th Feb)

Ancestry Westminster Non-Conformist Records - 42 new data sets

Ancestry Wiltshire Non-Conformist Records - 192 new data sets

Dorset Online Parish Clerks - 8 new data sets

Durham Records Online - 11 new data sets

Findmypast Denbighshire Baptisms - 86 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Denbighshire Burials - 81 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Denbighshire Marriages and Banns - 92 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Derbyshire Births and Baptisms - 236 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Derbyshire Burials - 53 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Derbyshire Marriages - 101 new and updated data sets

Findmypast Dorset Burials - 3 new data sets

Gravestone Photos - 17 new graveyards

Lancashire Online Parish Clerks - 31 new data sets

TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 31 new parishes

TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 4 new parishes

Yorkshire BMD - 6 new marriage data sets

Current total on the site is 406,611.  

Have a wonderful February and enjoy your research.

With kind regards,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org

Two updates already in 2021!

Happy New Year to all the users of the Online Genealogical Index!

I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and have high hope and dreams for 2021.  

There was a small upload on 2nd Jan and a larger one today, 12th Jan.  I have been in hospital in-between these dates for yet another surgery and now have some time to get things recorded and new data gathered.

Here are the new addition details:

Cemetery Searcher - 2 new Grave Databases

Findmypast - Devon Burials 3

Findmypast - Devon Marriages 676

Findmypast - Durham Records Online 4

Findmypast - Montgomeryshire Monumental Inscriptions 19

Findmypast - National School Admission Registers 85

Findmypast - Northamptonshire Baptisms 199

Findmypast - Northamptonshire Burials 312

Findmypast - Northamptonshire Marriages 511

Gravestone Photos 19

TINSTAAFL Marriages 24

TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms 4

As you can see, 2021 has started with lots of changes so keep looking for those allusive ancestors as you may be surprised to find new records.

Best wishes,

Tim Manners

http://ogindex.org