The Family History Show is back!

The Family History Show is back in its online incarnation this month, on Saturday 18 February from 10am to 4pm.

The success of last year’s online event, much appreciated in the family history community, has ensured its return. With new talks and all the features of a physical family history show, this virtual event – organised by Discover Your Ancestors – can be easily accessed from around the world in the comfort of your own home.

You’ll have the opportunity to put your research questions to an expert, watch free talks and to speak to family history societies, archives and genealogical suppliers by text, audio, video chat or email.

Make a date in your diary and snap up an early bird ticket now for only £7! You’ll also get a downloadable goody bag worth over £10.

The new talks at this latest show will be given by Nick Barratt, historian, author and professional genealogist; Keith Gregson, professional researcher and social historian; Donna Rutherford, DNA expert; and Stephen Gill, Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

You can also visit exhibitors, societies, archives and companies in the virtual exhibition hall. Here there will be the opportunity to talk to some of the stallholders by text, audio or video all from your own home.

Show partners include the Society of Genealogists, AGRA, GenFair, TheGenealogist and S&N Genealogy Supplies.

Get your tickets now at thefamilyhistoryshow.com

400,000 Irish records added at TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist has released 371,400 Kildare Catholic parish registers covering 323,923 records of baptisms, 46,914 marriages and 563 burials to make it easier for its Diamond subscribers to discover their Irish ancestors from this eastern part of Ireland.

Also released are more than 29,000 individuals recorded as Irish Tithe Defaulters. These records from 1831 can be a useful stand-in for the 1831 Irish census which was almost completely destroyed in 1922.

Tithes were levied on all occupiers of agricultural land, no matter what their religion was and the Roman Catholic population of Ireland particularly resented paying these tithes to the Church of Ireland (the established church) on top of often supporting their own priests. Refusal to pay the tithes came to a head in the years 1831 to 1832, beginning what is known as the ‘Tithe War’ in Ireland.

To alleviate the Church of Ireland’s shortfall the Clergy Relief Fund was established in 1832 by the Recovery of Tithes (Ireland) Act 1832. This provided the affected clergy compensation in return for providing the government with the names of the defaulters.

Many of the non-payers named were ordinary folk such as labourers, farmers and widows who would most likely have been Roman Catholics and so not part of the congregation at their local Church of Ireland parish church, but surprisingly there are also magistrates, peers of the realm and even knights.

Read TheGenealogist’s featured article: Can’t Pay or Won’t Pay – The Tithe Defaulters