Archive for November, 2009

Findmypast.com gets a makeover

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

As you’ve probably seen, the website’s been given a mini overhaul. We hope you find it pleasing on the eye and that it allows you to find what you’re looking for quicker.

The enhancements include:

  • a new look and feel for the main pages of the site to make it easier to navigate and find what you want
  • more photographs and graphics to give the website a personal touch
  • a new getting started page with a step-by-step guide
  • redesigned main screens, which will be clearer and easier for everyone to use
  • We very much hope you like the new design, feel free to leave a comment.

    Thanks for all the positive feedback so far. Carol Chapman mailed to say “I love the new web page! Much more appealing, and modern looking”.

    Geoff Lowe says, “I like the new layout of the web-site, much cleaner looking and easy to navigate. Keep up the good work.”

    Good to know you like it!

    Customer support backlog

    Monday, November 16th, 2009

    Just to let you know we’ve had a message from our fabulous customer support team. If you’ve been having difficulties getting through this could be why -

    “We are experiencing a much higher than usual number of queries at the moment which has unfortunately resulted in a backlog. We are endeavouring to clear this as soon as possible and do thank you for your patience at this time.

    Please be rest assured, all queries will be responded to as quickly as we possibly can. Perhaps you can find the answer to your question in our help & advice section.”

    The team should be up to speed soon so thanks so much for your patience.

    1851 census update - 13 counties go live

    Friday, November 6th, 2009

    We’ve added 13 complete counties the England and Wales 1851 census, which brings us tantalisingly close to completion.

    You can now search for your ancestors in the below counties, which are all newly transcribed from a fresh set of images:

    •Caernarvonshire
    •Carmarthenshire
    •Cardiganshire
    •Monmouthshire
    •Northamptonshire
    •Denbighshire
    •Pembrokeshire
    •Montgomeryshire
    •Herefordshire
    •Brecknockshire
    •Merionethshire
    •Anglesey
    •Radnorshire

    What were your ancestors up to in 1851? Find out now.

    New Welsh parish records dating from 1615

    Thursday, November 5th, 2009

    This morning we added 43,000 parish records for Montgomeryshire in Wales, which include baptisms, marriages and burials. They date from as early as 1615.

    Combined with our existing records for Montgomeryshire and Wales, these new additions give you more chance than ever of tracing your Welsh ancestors from the early nineteenth century and beyond.

    Find your Welsh forebears in our Parish Records Collection today

    New parish records – trace your Wakefield ancestry back to the 1600s

    Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

    We’ve just added 276,000 new parish records for Wakefield in Yorkshire. These include baptisms, marriages and burials, and date back to the 1600s.

    If you have gaps in your Wakefield ancestry or have been unable to get back beyond the 1837 cut-off for births, marriages and deaths, you may just find what you’re looking for in the new records.

    Find your ancestors among millions of parish records today