The subscription website FindMyPast is now available in the club rooms. There are desktop shortcuts with automatic logon on the Mac and all PCs (except number three in the far corner, which was proving recalcitrant; I’ll fix it Thursday). The board authorized a three-month subscription and we got a two-week free trial, so it will be available until the middle of April.

FindMyPast has data for the British Isles: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. My grandfather, for example, fought for England in World War I, and I found records of his service at FindMyPast.

What do they have that’s not at Ancestry? That’s difficult to say, since both databases are changing all the time. They have records for passenger ships leaving the UK from 1890 to 1960; Ancestry has US arrival records. They also have British newspapers.

Workshops: Since most of us are new to FindMyPast, I’ve scheduled a couple of workshops. These are on Saturday mornings the 16th and 23rd at 9 in the club library. The first is almost full – without my having announced it! – so I added the second. You can sign up at our club calendar or by replying to this post. I’m hoping participants will try out FindMyPast before then and come to the workshop with questions and comments and ready to help one another. I have not used FindMyPast much myself. For more info in the meantime, try their YouTube channel.

Happy hunting!