15 September 2020
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MyHeritage added more than 19.3 million records to its collections in August 2020. We take a look at some of the highlights.
Last month, 19.3 million records across 15 different collections were added to MyHeritage from all over the world. The new collections include seven from the U.S.: death indexes from Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Nebraska; birth indexes from Massachusetts and Wisconsin; and a marriage index from Wisconsin.
Three new collections from Australia were added: a birth index, a passenger list, and a wills and probate collection. From Canada, a Nova Scotia birth records collection was added. MyHeritage also added updates to both the Greece Electoral Rolls collection and to the France Death Index.
Also added was an index of displaced persons and refugees from the World War II era and an update to the Israel Genealogy Research Association collection, both completely free.
The August collections bring the total number of historical records on MyHeritage to 12.52 billion historical records.
Start exploring below:
United States, Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1840–1910
This collection of 3.4 million records contains information on births recorded in the U.S. State of Massachusetts. Records include the first name and last name of the child and the year and place of birth, and note the volume and page number where the record appears.
The birth of Joseph Patrick Kennedy — father of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States — is recorded in this collection.
Birth record of Joseph Patrick Kennedy [Credit: MyHeritage United States, Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1840–1910]
United States, Massachusetts, Death Index, 1840–1910
The 2.2 million records in the Massachusetts Death Index contain information on deaths recorded in Massachusetts, United States, between 1840 and 1910. The index contains information on the deceased and year and place of death, and note the volume and page number where the record appears.
Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1808–1907
This collection of 1.2 million records consists of marriage records from the state of Wisconsin from 1808 to 1907. The records include the name of the bride and groom, marriage date, and marriage county.
The marriage record of Jerome Case and Lydia Bull can be found in this collection. Jerome was a businessman who manufactured threshing machines. Later, he went on to become the mayor of Racine, Wisconsin and a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.
Marriage record of Jerome Case and Lydia Bull [MyHeritage Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1808–1907]
Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1808–1920
The 1 million records in the collection consist of birth records from the state of Wisconsin from 1808 to 1920 and include the name of the infant, birth date, and birth county.
This collection contains a record of the birth of actor Robert E. O’Connor — most famous for his role as Paddy Ryan in the 1931 film, The Public Enemy.
Birth record of Robert E. O’Connor [MyHeritage Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1808–1920]
Wisconsin, Death Index, 1808–1909
This collection consists of death records from the state of Wisconsin from 1808 to 1909 and includes the name of the deceased, death date, and death county.
This collection includes the death record of businessman, officer, and politician John Benton Callis. John served in the Civil War as an officer for the Union Army and later served as a representative from Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Death record of John B. Callus, [MyHeritage Wisconsin, Death Index, 1808–1909]
Arkansas, Death Index, 1935–1961
This collection is an index of deaths filed in the state of Arkansas from 1935 to 1961 and contains the given and surname of the deceased, the date of death, and the mother’s given name. In some records, you can also find details on the death and/or birth location.
Nebraska, Death Index, 1956–1968
This collection is an index of deaths in the state of Nebraska from 1956 to 1968. Records may contain the full name of the deceased, the date of death, the county within Nebraska, and a state file number.
The collection has been obtained thanks to the outstanding work and tireless efforts of Reclaim the Records.
Australia, New South Wales Birth Index, 1787–1916
This collection of 4.9 million records is an index of births registered in the Australian state of New South Wales. Records contain the first and last name of the child, the name of the father and mother, and the year of birth.
While this index is predominantly pertaining to New South Wales, it is possible that births that occurred elsewhere but were registered in New South Wales may also be included.
The birth of social reformer and suffragist, Rose Scott, can be found in this collection.
Birth record of Rose Scott [MyHeritage Australia, New South Wales Birth Index, 1787–1916]
Australia, Outwards Passengers from Victoria, 1852–1915
This collection of 1.7 million records provides passenger lists of individuals leaving Victoria, Australia between the years 1852 and 1915. Records may contain the last name and given names of the departing individual, estimated year of birth, month and year of departure, and first and last name of the ship master.
In some records you can also find the name of the ship, destination, a title or note about the circumstances of the individual, age at departure, name of the alternate ship master, and information about the original records. All of the original records are located in the Public Record Office of Victoria. In the near future, we will also be adding quality scans of the records to the collection.
The passenger record of Sir John Bowser, the 26th Premier of Victoria, appears in this collection. In the record below, we see that John was traveling from Australia to London, England. John would ultimately make his way to Scotland to study at Edinburgh University before returning to Australia to begin his life as a statesman.
Passenger record of John Bowser [MyHeritage Australia, Outwards Passengers from Victoria, 1852–1915]
Australia, Victoria, Will and Probate Index 1850–2009
These 1.3 million records are an index of probate registers for Victoria located in Melbourne, Australia. The collection includes the name of testator, death date, place of residence and address, occupation, date of testament, declaration, names of children or heirs, name of spouse, name of administrator of will, guardians and relationships, nature of grant, and names of witnesses.
Most of the documentation listed in the probate registers are wills that were handwritten in narrative form. Probate records are court records created after an individual’s death that relate to a court’s decisions regarding the distribution of the estate to the heirs or creditors and the care of dependents. This takes place regardless of whether there is a will or not. The Probate Registry is responsible for determining what document or documents constitute the last will of the deceased and/or who is entitled to be the personal representative of the deceased. When these determinations have been made, a grant is issued to the estate of the deceased person. Like Australia, Outwards Passengers from Victoria, 1852–1915, mentioned above, high-quality scans of the records will soon be added to the collection.
The will and probate record of renowned opera singer, Nellie Melba, can be found in this collection. Nellie, originally named Helen Porter Mitchell, changed her last name to Melba because she came from Melbourne Australia.
Will and probate record of Nellie Melba [MyHeritage Australia, Victoria, Will and Probate Index 1850–2009]
Canada, Nova Scotia, Birth Index, 1908–1917
This collection contains birth records from the province of Nova Scotia from 1908 to 1917. Records include the name of the child, the date of birth, place of birth, and gender of the child.
When available, you will also find registration information that can be helpful when looking for the original birth certificate.
Greece, Electoral Rolls and Male Registers, 1856-1950, Update
This collection includes information on male voters throughout Greece from 1856 to 1950. The records, which include images, contain the voter’s given name and surname, father’s name, age, and occupation.
The collection consists of voter lists from 56 regions of Greece, and two male registers from another two regions. Most of the material covers the decades of 1860, 1870, and 1880, while the voter lists of Athens include records from the 1920s. The voter lists are sorted by province (επαρχία), municipality (δήμος), and town/village.
The information in this collection is from the Vlachogiannis Collection of the General State Archives of Greece. With this month’s update, there are now a total of 1.4 million records in the collection.
MyHeritage recognize and thank Greg Kontos for his invaluable contributions to the publication of this collection.
Voter registration record of Nikiforos Lytras [MyHeritage Greece, Electoral Rolls and Male Registers, 1856–1950]
France Death Index, 1970–2020, Updated
This collection contains death records of French citizens and nationals from 1970 to 2020. Records contain the deceased person’s full name, gender, date and place of birth, and date and place of death. This index will be helpful to genealogists looking for more information about their French family members who passed away since the early 1970s. With this month’s update, the collection now contains 25 million records. This collection will continue to be updated regularly as additional records are released.
While most of the birth and death locations in this collection are in France, there are over 2.5 million records of persons who were born or died in neighboring and nearby countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland, as well as countries which were former French colonies — such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, and Vietnam.
The death record of Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974, can be found in this collection.
Death record of George Jean Raymond Pompidou [MyHeritage France Death Index, 1970–2020]
Index of Jewish Displaced Person and Refugee Cards, 1943–1959, Free
This free collection consists of emigrant registration cards from Munich and Vienna from 1945 to the mid 1950s, refugee case cards from Barcelona from 1943–1945, refugee registration cards from Hungary from 1956–1957, and emigration case files from Warsaw from 1945–1949. Records contain the first and last name of the primary individual, birth date, birth place, the names of any accompanying individuals, the place of emigration, and the destination. Records are from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
After the fall of France, tens of thousands of Jewish refugees seeking to flee Nazi Europe streamed into Spain from France. The JDC set up an office in Barcelona and provided support, housing, and emigration assistance to these refugees. The JDC also assisted refugees waiting for emigration papers and passage on transatlantic vessels. There are index cards for 8,220 refugees supported by the JDC.
With the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, more than 18,000 Jews fled to Austria. The JDC helped emigrants waiting for resettlement, housing some 11,000 refugees in hotels, private dwellings, and camps. The JDC also supported two kosher kitchens in Vienna and furnished medical and religious supplies. While some stayed in Europe, refugees emigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and Latin America.
The JDC’s operations in Poland were reestablished immediately after the end of World War II. One of the JDC’s principal activities was to provide assistance to those seeking to emigrate. Most of Poland’s surviving Jews, including those repatriated from the Soviet Union, left Poland during this period, particularly after the Kielce pogrom of 1946. There are approximately 6,400 case file cards.
The registration cards from Munich and Vienna pertain to Jewish survivors who registered with the Emigration Department of the JDC in Munich and Vienna after World War II for help in emigrating to countries other than Israel. There are individual cards for 51,554 displaced persons in Munich and 25,374 for persons in Vienna.
Each record contains a link to view the full record on the JDC website.
Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA), Free
This free collection contains various genealogy-related records found in Israel or related to Israel, mostly in Hebrew and English, and they appear in their original language from the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) database from 1837 to 2020. The records come from archives as well as publications on open shelves in libraries where archival permission has been granted.
Surnames and first names are transliterated to Hebrew or English, depending on the language of the original material, to enable researchers who are not familiar with one of these languages to find the information they seek.
Including this month’s update, the total number of records in the collection is 972,287.
For more information click here.
Summary
MyHeitage hope these valuable collections offer new avenues for your family history research. Searching these collections on MyHeritage is free. To view these records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data or Complete subscription. Records from the free collections, such as the Index of Jewish Displaced Person and Refugee Cards and the Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA), do not require a paid subscription to view or save records.
If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from these collections match your relatives. You’ll then be able to review the record and decide if you’d like to add the new information to your tree.
Enjoy the new collections!
