Friday, 24 March 2023

Large Parish Register Booklet import adds hundreds of new resources for Bedfordshire

Dear OGIers,

It has been good to hear from a few of you this month saying how useful the database is in your research.  That is my goal, make research simpler.

I have found 44 Booklets published in the 1920s and 1930s for Bedfordshire Parish Registers on the Internet Archive (Archive.org) so now have each section linked in the Online Genealogical Index for easy use.


Many dedicated researchers spent years transcribing parish registers and publishing these in small quantities for interested parties.  Luckily, many are now available on archive.org for free.  

Archive.org has 6,750 links in the OGI.  These will take you to the exact page of an old book or magazine showing genealogical data. 

Today's import of 1,000 new data sets brings the current database total to 453,189.

Here are the details of today's upload:

  • Ancestry - Hampshire Baptisms - 310 parishes
  • Ancestry - Tyne and Wear Non-Conformist - 77 parishes
  • Archive.org - Bedfordshire Parish Registers - 512 data sets
  • Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 44 new data sets
  • GravestonePhotos.com - 3 new burial places
  • Lancashire OPC - 3 new data sets
  • OPC Dorset - 7 new data sets
  • Shropshire BMD - 1 new data set
  • Staffordshire Burials - 30 burial places
  • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 11 new parishes
  • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes
I hope those of you with Hampshire and Bedfordshire ancestors will find new information with today's update.

Until the next one,

Tim Manners

Tuesday, 14 March 2023

March Update: Ancestry recovers thousands of Rootsweb pages

Dear OGIers,

A successful past month of finding over 2000 new data sets for the Online Genealogical Index.  Ancestry's Rootsweb was/is a system that allows individuals to create and host their own genealogical websites.  A few years ago, due to a data breach, tens of thousands of these sites were removed.  Over the past few years, many have been repaired and reposted.  This month's update adds hundreds of these lost pages back online and represented in the OGI for your research.  Today's update brings the current data set total to 452,189.  All researched and manually added by myself!

Here are this months update details.

  • BathBMD - 10 new marriage data sets
  • Cornishgraves.org.uk - 5 new graveyards
  • Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 208 new data sets
  • Findmypast Lincolnshire Baptisms - 370 new data sets
  • Findmypast Roman Catholic Records - 169 new data sets
  • Genuki.org - 8 Cornish data sets
  • Gravestonephotos.com - 15 new memorial collections
  • Helston History - 6 new War Memorials
  • Kernowyon.co.uk - 27 new Cornwall data sets
  • Lancashire OPC - 7 new data sets
  • Lancashire.bmd.org.uk - 13 new data sets
  • MyHeritage.com - 15 Lancashire data sets
  • OPC Dorset - 6 new data sets
  • Penryncornwall.com - 6 new data sets
  • Rootsweb sites - 711 recovered data sets
  • Shropshirebmd.info - 152 new data sets
  • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 32 new parishes
  • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes
  • Web.Archive.org - 192 lost data sets now recovered
  • Westcountrygenealogy.com - 42 new Cornish data sets
I am confident there are thousands of more resources waiting to be catalogued and added to the OGI to help you in your research.

If a place or data set is not available, make sure you check with FreeReg.org.uk as they are constantly adding to their data.  Also the many digitized films being released weekly at FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/records/images/beta) is worth checking.

Thank you for your use of my site.  It has been a labour of love and has been my first point of call when doing my own research.  I hope it becomes your one-stop-shop as well.

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

Saturday, 11 February 2023

Big February Update pushes OGI total over 450K!

Dear OGIers,

Big update today as I have been working hard on the first Findagrave update for over 5 years.  This means I have had to manually compare the data in the OGI with what is currently available on Findagrave by what is currently represented in the database.  A very long-winded process but worth it for all of us.

Today's update adds 806 data sets and pushes the total over 450,000 which have all been personally researched and transcribed into the system!

Here are the details.

  • Bath BMD - 10 new data sets
  • Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 76 new data sets
  • Durham Records Online - 5 new data sets
  • Findagrave - 478 new cemeteries
  • Findmypast Greater London Burial Index - 23 new cemeteries
  • Findmypast Kent, Folkestone Monumental Inscriptions - 6 new cemeteries
  • Findmypast Northumberland Baptisms - 6 new parishes
  • Findmypast Northumberland Burials - 1 new parish
  • Findmypast Northumberland and Durham Memorial Inscriptions - 7 new cemeteries
  • Geneanet Cemetery Project - 32 new cemeteries
  • Gravestonephotos - 3 new cemeteries
  • Kingston BMD - 1 new data set
  • OPCDorset - 1 new data set
  • Shropshire BMD - 119 new data sets
  • Staffordshire BMD - 21 new data sets
  • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 14 new parishes
  • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes
It is possible that hundreds of thousands of individuals are represented in these new additions to the Online Genealogical Index.  I certainly hope your ancestors are included!

Until the next update,

Tim Manners

Saturday, 28 January 2023

January update part 2

Dear OGIers,

Thanks to the hardworking transcribers at FreeReg, the Online Genealogical Index has grown this week.  Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of volunteers are transcribing parish registers throughout the UK and these are updated daily at freereg.org.uk.  They are always looking for new volunteers to help out.  You can choose a specific parish or county to support.  Take a look at their site.  It has been a struggle to keep up with all their hard work but I am going county by county to try to catch up.  Sussex has been scanned and all new parishes have now been added to the OGI.


Along with these additions, a number of other sites have added to today's upload of 360 new data sets.  The total of the OGI database now stands at 449,943.

Here are the details for today's upload.

  • Cornwall OPC Database - 53 new data sets
  • FreeReg - 294 new parish data sets
  • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 11 new parishes
  • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes

  • I will continue to add the new FreeReg parish registers as time allows.  The OGI is still growing and will continue to be the best resource online for finding genealogical data for England, Wales and the Isle of Man.  It highlights all the hard work transcribers and photographers (headstones, etc) are doing on a daily basis.

    Until the next update,

    Tim Manners

    Tuesday, 17 January 2023

    First Update of 2023!

    Dear OGIers,

    A Happy New Year to you all.  I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season.  We enjoyed time with extended family for my mother's 90th birthday.

    Meanwhile, I have been sneaking some research time to find new resources available to add to the Online Genealogical Index.

    This latest upload of 316 data sets brings the grand total to 449,583.

    • BillionGraves - 103 new cemeteries
    • Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 71 new data sets
    • Findmypast Middlesex Monumental Inscriptions - 5 new cemeteries
    • Findmypast National School Records - 10 new schools
    • GravestonePhotos - 1 new cemetery
    • Kingston BMD - 1 new Birth data set
    • LAN OPC - 18 new data sets
    • OPC Dorset - 1 new record set
    • Staffordshire BMD - 17 new data sets
    • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 18 new parishes
    • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new parishes
    • Yorkshire BMD - 68 Marriage data sets
    The big sites are not releasing new collections as often as they used to but the privately owned sites are still busy collecting data.  FreeReg is always adding new information but since they updated their site a few years ago, new additions are, unfortunately, very vague and harder to track.  I still highly recommend using their site if you cannot find anything elsewhere.

    I look forward to a busy year of finding new resources for this site and adding them regularly for your research success.

    Until the next update,

    Tim Manners

    Friday, 30 December 2022

    Final Update of 2022

    Dear OGIers,

    One final update for this year brings a variety of resources including more marriages from the excellent Hardwick Marriage Index.

    This week's update brings the grand total of data sets on the Online Genealogical Index to 449,267 and includes the following.

    • Archive.org - 18 Croydon church graveyards
    • Cornwall OPC Database - 100 new data sets
    • Durham Records Online - 9 new data sets
    • Gravestonephotos.com - 14 new cemeteries
    • Kingston Upon Thames BMD Civil Registration - 4 new data sets
    • Lancashire OPC - 12 new data sets
    • Sheffield Indexers - 11 new data sets
    • Staffordshire BMD Civil Registration - 10 new data sets
    • TINSTAAFL Marriage Project - 11 new parishes
    • TINSTAAFL Norfolk Baptisms - 2 new parishes
    I am always glad to see new data being released almost on a daily basis and am grateful for those who are so dedicated in publishing new information to aid our genealogical research.


    Best wishes for 2023 and I look forward to finding more treasures online to add to the OGI.

    Kind regards,

    Tim Manners

    Monday, 12 December 2022

    December update brings big boost for Yorkshire research

    Dear OGIers,

    Thanks to Ancestry, a large update was added to the database on 9th December.  It includes 983 data sets in North Yorkshire and covers parish registers from 1558 to 1997.  The Online Genealogical Index now includes 449,063 data sets.

    Here are the details of this update.

    • Ancestry North Yorkshire Parish Registers - 983 new data sets
    • Cornwall Online Parish Clerk Database - 79 new data sets
    • Findmypast Norfolk Baptisms - 3 new data sets
    • Gravestone Photos - 6 new cemeteries
    • Lancashire Deaths - 1 new dataset

    In 2022, 13,747 new data sets were added to the database.  I expect to reach 450 thousand very soon.  Each data set can include a dozen headstones or thousands of parish registers.

    Thanks to those who reached out to highlight dead links.  I was able to use web.archive.org to find the last backed up version so none of the genealogical data was lost.  

    Thank you for your continued use of the site.  It will continue to grow in 2023.

    Best wishes, 

    Tim Manners

    https://ogindex.org