Twenty years ago family history was very different to what it is today. The idea of genealogy data being available anywhere other than archives was almost unthinkable. As we know that has all changed and one of the companies that helped make those changes was S&N Genealogy.

It is fascinating to read how the business has grown and evolved, often leading the way in a world that was becoming increasingly digital and internet orientated.

I remember those early days (although not the full twenty years ago) when only the 1881 census (in the form of a transcript from Familysearch) and 1901 census (after it’s initial teething troubles) were available digitally, so to fill in the gap I ordered the 1891 Sussex Census CD set from S&N.

This served me well until the images became available online, indexed as well. I still have the CDs in a drawer somewhere, now superceded by internet access, including S&N’s TheGenealogist website.

Congratulations S&N on your 20th anniversary, it has been an interesting 20 years. I look forward to the next couple of decades.

Copyright © 2012 John Gasson.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Every once in a while it feels like a particular genealogical resource has been created just for my benefit, such is the case with one of the latest releases from The Parish Register Transcription Society.

I have been eagerly awaiting the latest parish register transcription CD since it was announced last year, because it covers the parish of Henfield, Sussex which has been home to my Trower ancestors for a couple of hundred years.

The transcriptions cover the following registers for the following years:

Naturally I have consulted the Henfield parish registers dozens of time, usually on microfilm or microfiche at the West Sussex Record Office, but to have this transcript available at home is going to be a great boost to my research.

Although I have probably extracted every Trower in the registers, this transcription will become particularly handy when it comes to tracing descendants of my ancestors as a result of the marriages of the women of the family. Each new family surname requires another visit to the parish registers.

This collection of transcriptions is available to buy on CD through their website and others (I ordered my copy from the Sussex Family History Group) or it can be searched online through their pay-per-view Frontis website.

For those with Sussex ancestors the PRTS are currently working on the following parishes: Cuckfield, Pagham, Slinfold and Coldwaltham.

Copyright © 2012 John Gasson.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The eight stamps are a colourful set of stamps featuring a mixture of historic and modern images based on key aspects of genealogy featuring example from the Isle of Man, the border of the stamps bear the most common surnames occurring in the Isle of Man 1891 census.

The eight themes on the stamps are:

• Baptisms
• School Days
• Working Life
• Weddings
• Family Album
• Emigration
• Memorials
• Family Tree

The stamps were created in association with the Isle of Man Family History Society and Manx National Heritage and also celebrate the centenary of the Society of Genealogists.

The good news for UK genealogists (or those visiting) is that IOM Stamps & Coins will be at the Manx National Heritage stand at Who Do You Think You Are? Live next weekend (stand 903). They should have sets of the stamps for sale at the stand and although I am not really a stamp collector I think I might make an exception for these and pick up set.

As well as learning about Isle of Man research you can also enter a free draw at the stand to win a VIP research trip to the Isle of Man (it is a shame I don’t have any relatives on the Isle of Man to research).

If you can’t make it to Who Do You Think You Are? Live you can also order the stamps online through the Isle of Man Post Office Website.

The picture on the left is of my well used Explorer 123 – South Downs Way (Newhaven to Eastbourne) dating from 1996, with a nice picture of the Seven Sister and the coast guard cottages at Seaford Head adorning the cover.

A Brief History of the Explorer Map

On the Ordnance Survey Blog you can find two posts describing the origins of the Explorer map and the various incarnations over the years:

The history of the iconic OS Explorer Map

The history of the iconic OS Explorer Map – part 2

If you want to see some of the different map covers over the years then I would recommend taking a look here (but be warned it is only for the real map addict).

A Question of Scale

Of course their usefulness is down to their scale and the level of detail that they show. The scale of an Explorer map is 1: 25 000 which is the equivalent of 2½ inches to 1 mile (or 4cm to 1km if you prefer). All of England, Scotland and Wales is covered by the 403 maps in the series.

As with any map there has to be a compromise between the level of detail featured and the size of the map. Large scale maps (perhaps better described as plans) show an awful lot of detail but the size of the map needed to cover a few miles on the ground makes them impractical for slipping into a rucksack or opening out on a desk without several pairs of hands.

Exploring the Explorer

The level of detail on an Explorer map is just right, you can cover quite a large area on one map, but with a decent amount of detail. All those little symbols on the map are described on the Ordnance Survey website as well as on the edges of the maps themselves.

Along with showing all the important things like paths and roads, churches and schools and contour lines, some of the most important things for me are that it shows:

1. Field boundaries and ditches.
2. Parish and other administrative boundaries.
3. Paths, tracks and roads (whether public rights of way or not).

Not only does it show a lot of detail but a lot of those features are named, a lot of the larger rural properties (houses and farms) are named, as are some parcels of woodland, a lot of roads are named or numbered also most hills are also identified.

I could go on but probably the best way is to take a look at the map yourself.

Where can you find them online?

Two of my favourite places to find Explorer maps online are:

Ordnance Survey Get-a-map – Zoom in to the maximum level to see the scale at 1:25 000, the only drawback is that the area of map available to view at any one time is only about 1¼ miles (2km). Click on the round purple button to launch the map viewer.

Bing Maps – To view a much larger area you can use Bing Maps, there are several different styles that you can use to view the maps including a couple of different Ordnance Survey scales, although a lot of the zoom levels are just enlargements of the same underlying data.

There are of course many places online and offline to buy copies of the paper maps, and if like me you often find the place you are interested in is split over two paper maps then check out the OS Select service, which allows you to have a map printed to your requirements, centred on the location you want (except Channel Islands and Isle of Man).

I think it will be a great asset, it will be a useful tool for my family history research (and blogging) but the problem is that it is not essential for what I do. Sure it will probably make my life easier, but do I really need it?

There are lots of things I could use it for, the main one is probably for note taking at archives or libraries, but several other uses have come to mind as I wrestle with whether to buy or not.

• I would like to use it as a temporary digital photo album. In connection with my external hard drive I could use it to share my digital photos, and especially my family history photos, where I can also use it to capture memories and additional information.
• I love the idea of being able to blog and check email while I am away from home, perhaps even when I am out walking.
• I would love to have access to the internet when I am out and about, so I can check train times, ending eBay auctions etc.
• I want to have something else to do on the bus going to and from work. Just think how much work I could get done in that half hour each way.
• With a small scanner I can take it with me when visiting family members as a portable scanning unit for photos and documents.
• Of course I would have my family history loaded on there so I can show everyone and anyone my family tree at the drop of a hat.

But still at the back of my mind is the nagging fact that I don’t actually need it, it is more of a convenience rather than a necessity.

So if you have a netbook please let me know in the comments what you use it for? What interesting ways have you found to use it in your research? I need all the help I can get to convince myself that I should have one.

I have been using Family Historian since June 2002 (version 2.0.7) and have had no call to change in all that time. I love the flexibility in it’s diagrams and queries, and it’s records window just seemed so intuitive to me when I first started, although I know it is not to everyone’s taste.

Details of what’s new in version 4 can be found on the website where you can also download a free 30 day trial (existing Family Historian users should make sure they read the note about installing the trial version over their existing version before downloading).

I will be downloading the upgrade shortly and will give you an update on it’s new features in due course.

I have a splendid map from The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies but unfortunately it is approximately A3 size, not really practical for taking to the record office with me and not the sort of thing I want to be scribbling notes on as I go about my research (even if it is only in pencil). If only they or someone else produced a range of county maps that researchers could download and print copies.

I am sure there would be a market, just as there appears to be for old Ordnance Survey reprints, if I had the time I would try and do something on Google Maps or such like. I would love to be able to overlay parish boundaries, registration district boundaries and any of the dozens of other administrative divisions on a present day or historic map.

If anybody knows of a such product, preferably free, then let me know, until then I will make do with my old OS maps.

So if you are not already searching eBay why not give it a try? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Your research names (if they are not too common, otherwise you may get swamped with results)
• The places where your ancestors lived (eBay is a great place to find old postcards)
• Books and magazines (both old and new, and don’t forget family bibles, maps and church guides)
• Medals (as I write this there are nearly 2,500 WW1 medals and ribbons listed, and don’t forget other militaria).
• CDs, microfiche and printed transcriptions (numerous data sets are available, including family history society transcriptions)

Don’t forget you can also save your search terms and have eBay email you when an item is listed that matches your requirements, and there are some pretty good advanced search features which allow you to search more precisely.

There is lots of information on the site in their help pages about buying, selling and finding stuff (http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help).

Finally, please make sure you know exactly what it is you are buying (make sure it is genuine) and that the dealer is reputable (check their feedback rating), because I won’t be held responsible for anything that goes wrong.

In future posts I will hopefully feature some of my successful purchases, that is if you don’t outbid me!