The Genealogist

GenMates Weekly News

Last week I tried publishing the GenMates News Update here on the Blog and we received a very positive response to it. So going forward we will publish here and send an email to GenMates members letting them know that the latest update is online!

A number of members have written to me and told me that they love the idea of Blogging but haven’t a clue what to do! So for them I have put together a new Squidoo Lens which explains how to Blog! You can take a look at it by clicking on The Blogging Guide. It is also complimented by our more advanced Blog for those who would like to make some money from their blogging. You can check that out by clicking on Blogging for Money.

GenMates itself has now risen to nearly 600 members and in the coming week we are due to be featured in Family History Monthly which we hope will see a further influx of members. Our 1911 Census Online Petition is also featured this month in Your Family Tree! Both Magazines are available from 28th September 2006 in the UK

The free offer of my Introduction to Scrapbooking ebook together with Shaking The Family Tree is still available for those who haven’t managed to get a copy yet. You can grab a copy by going to An Introduction to Scrapbooking.

You will remember that I mentioned all the problems we were having with 1and1.co.uk The Worst Web Hosts I haave ever encountered! Well some good came out of it as we now have a couple of additional domains registered which we think you will find of interest. Those are The Amateur Genealogist and The Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy

Just returning to the subject of Squidoo - if you have been looking for a way to put together your own website at no cost then Squidoo is definitely a possibility for you! You can join up by going here: Join Squidoo and if you want to take a look at my first Squidoo Lens then click on Genealogy and Family History.

I also look forward to seeing you at GenMates soon!

Family Historians Demand Their Rights!

The UK Government continues to claim that the 1911 UK Census Returns are confidential. They claim that they cannot be released under the 100 Year Rule despite the fact that the UK Freedom of Information Act 2005 should make them available.

The reluctance of the UK Government to release this information continues to confound Family Historians and a Petition has been launched to attempt to get them to reconsider their position. The petition can be signed at Get The 1911 Census Online

Genealogists are asking why when Northern Ireland saw the release of both the 1901 Census and the 1911 Census in 1960; the Freedom of Information Act 2005 removed the restrictions placed on the release of information and prior to 1911 the average release period for Census Returns was 80 years they cannot have access to the 1911 UK Census information.

Genealogists and Family Historians would derive immense benefit from being able to further research their Family Histories if the 1911 Census Returns were made available. We recognise that the release of the census returns after 100 years is determined by long-standing government policy however the Freedom of Information Act 2005 supersedes that policy. We also acknowledge that the 1911 census form included the following emphatic assurance to householders: ´The contents of the Schedule will be treated as confidential. Strict Care will be taken that no information is disclosed with regard to individual persons.´ Again this is superseded by the Freedom of Information Act 2005.