Tuesday 7 July 2009

We're going to be archived by the British Library

I had an email today from the British Library Web Archiving Programme. The British Library Archive is extending its remit, and now instead of just preserving printed matter, it is extending the archiving process to other contemporary forms of documentation. Websites and blogs are now included in their archives.

They have chosen this blog and the FitzhenryDNA site for archiving, so we will be preserved as long as the British Library exists (and it's got a pretty good record for longevity, having started in 1857 as the British Museum Reading Room).

Anyway, all this deserves a big Hurrah!

Here's more about the Web Archiving Programme at www.webarchive.org.uk

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Monday 6 July 2009

The elusive Norman Edward Fitz-Henry turns up in America

In April last year, I did a posting on the Winchester/Ashtead families of William Fitz-Henry and concluded that there were a few of William's children that I had not managed to trace once they had reached adulthood.

One of these was Norman Edward Fitz-Henry, born to William's first wife Barbara Morrison in Winchester in June 1865.

Neither he or his parents were found in the 1871 census, but I believe that this was because William was stationed with the regiment in the East Indies at the time (personal communication from Brian Bouchard). However the older children (Henrietta and William George) were being schooled in Winchester.

In the 1881 census, Norman himself was at school at the Churchill House School in Merton Surrey, near to Ashtead where his father and new wife Martha Eagles were living. And until recently, that was where we had lost Norman. Lesley had previously looked for him in Australia and New Zealand - she found a Norman, but not the one in question.

This was until we found William's will of 1885 in which he left "to my son Norman Edward presently residing in Texas Three hundred pounds."
(If you want to see the transcription of the rest of the will it is here on the FitzhenryDNA website)

In 1884 Norman had sailed from Liverpool to New Orleans on the British Paddle Steamer "Texan" of Liverpool. He travelled in steerage with no other members of his family.

In 1897 he was living in Portland Oregon - here is the extract from the Portland City Directory:
"Norman E FitzHenry (Portland Ptg Co) 204 Stark, bds 29 4th N."
If some-one would decipher the abbreviations for me I would be most grateful!

And on March 5th 1901 Norman died in the "FP Hospital" Tacoma of a brain abscess. He was noted to be 34 years old, single but no occupation was given. His burial was organised by Hook undertakers in Tacoma. The FP or Fannie Paddock Hospital later became the Tacoma General Hospital and there's more about its history here

Norman seems to have evaded both the 1890 and 1900 US censi, so any more details about that part of his life would be very gratefully received.

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Friday 3 July 2009

More discount prices on DNA testing for July 09

The June discount offer from FamilyTreeDNA has now ended, but here's the July offer hot on it's heels.

FamilyTreeDNA say
We have decided to offer for the month of July a variation of our recent promotion:

Y-DNA37 – promotional price $119 (reg. price $149)

Y-DNA67 – promotional price $199 (reg. price $238)

mtDNAPlus – promotional price $119 (reg. price $149)

IMPORTANT: since this promotion will run through the month of July, we encourage you to spread the word starting now, as the natural tendency is for people to order at the last minute, and we will not extend it beyond this month.

I've highlighted the Y-DNA37 test as this is the standard test for our type of One-Name study testing.

If anyone out there is thinking about DNA testing for family history purposes, please email in complete confident if you have any nagging doubts or queries

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Wednesday 1 July 2009

A Blog of "consistently high standard" says the Guild of One Name Studies...

I've taken the title a bit out of context, but it looks good.
Back in February I entered the Blog for the Publication Awards of the Guild of One Name Studies (GOONS).
The awards for the various categories have been made. We didn't win, but to quote the citation in this month's journal:
"Weblogs: Eight entries of a consistently high standard.... This made it very difficult to pick a winner and we debated backwards and forwards for some time before selecting the PASK/PASKE one-name study blog".
Click here to visit Teresa and Stuart's Pask(e) blog.

Next year .... next year.....


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