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  • 4 Nov 2024 2:54 AM | Anonymous

    The Newberry has recently completed the digitization of over 750 maps printed in Italy during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Franco Novacco Map Collection, one of the strongest of its kind in the world, reflects Europeans’ evolving conceptions of the world during a time of widespread exploration and colonization. 

    Many of the maps in the Novacco collection feature battle scenes, such as Il Grande et miracoloso fatto d'arme navale... a black-and-white map portraying the Battle of Lepanto, created by Stephanus Ghebellinus in 1572. 

    Il Grande et miracoloso fatto d'arme navale... Stephanus Ghebellinus, 1572. Call number: Novacco 4F 109 (PrCt)

    A large portion of the collection includes world maps of all sizes, ranging from functional to more experimental. One 1590 cordiform map, for example, places the heart-shaped world inside of a fool's cap, resulting in an unsettling visual commentary on previous conceptions of world geography. A 1555 map, alternatively, presents the world in gores, or segmented parts, which can be cut out and pasted onto a sphere to create a globe. This blend of art, science, and history is at the heart of the Franco Novacco Collection.

    Cordiform world map within fool’s cap. 1590. Call number: Novacco 2F 6 (PrCt)

    “Whether you want to wander through marveling at sea monsters or compare intricate differences in representations of Rome, the Novacco Collection has something for you,” David Weimer, Robert A. Holland Curator of Maps and Director of the Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography, emphasized. “These maps illustrate the startling breadth of scientific and artistic practice in Early Modern Europe.” 

    The Newberry Library acquired the Novacco Collection from the Venetian map collector Franco Novacco himself in 1967. Since then, the maps have only been available for viewing on-site in the Newberry’s reading rooms. In early 2022, the Newberry received generous funding from Mr. Rudy L. Ruggles, Jr. and Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps to begin digitizing the entirety of the collection. 

    World map in gores, Antonius Florianus, 1555. Call number: Novacco 4F 46 (PrCt)

    Using special cameras and lenses designed for flat art photography, image technicians from the Newberry and The Digital Archive Group created high-definition images that will enable researchers around the world to study these maps in staggering detail. The Newberry Digital Initiatives and Services team then organized the digital assets, adding descriptions and metadata to improve searchability and ease of access. 

    With growing digitization technology and newly fortified digital asset management systems, this project plays a role in the Newberry’s larger goal to increase the accessibility of its collections, making it possible for anyone around the world to view renowned archival documents. 

    "Although the Newberry holds one of the world's premiere map collections, this format has been significantly underrepresented in our digital library, since we lack facilities for oversize digitization," said Jen Wolfe, Digital Scholarship and Outreach Librarian. "The Novacco digital collection allows us to start to fill in that gap and open up more of the Newberry’s cartographic materials to a global audience." 

    The Novacco Collection has been fully digitized and is now available as part of the Newberry’s growing, free Digital Collections, with high-resolution files available for public re-use. The maps may be of particular interest to scholars of map history, geographers and cartographers, art historians, and map enthusiasts. 

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Lili Pangborn is Communications Coordinator at the Newberry.

  • 1 Nov 2024 5:24 PM | Anonymous

    I received a somewhat frantic e-mail recently from a reader of this newsletter. She mentioned a specific genealogy CD-ROM disk that was produced a few years ago, but her question could apply to any CD disk of any topic. She wrote (in part):

    "Help! I have a CD-ROM disk of [name deleted here] and it cracked. I want to replace it, but can't seem to find it anywhere. The company that produced it no longer appears to be in business. Any suggestions? Is there any other CD-ROM that has equivalent materials?"

    Sadly, I was not able to offer much help. A cracked CD disk is useless, except maybe as a coaster for your coffee cup. Even a scratch the size of one human hair can render a CD-ROM disk useless; if it has visible physical damage, the problem is even worse. To make matters worse, the company that produced her disk is now out of business, so I doubt if she can find a low-cost replacement. I referred her to to eBay to see if she can find a used copy of the same CD for sale.

    With a bit of hindsight, anyone can quickly determine what my correspondent SHOULD have done: she should have made a backup copy while the CD was still usable. Then again, how many of us ever do that? I know that I occasionally create CD backups although not as often as I should.

    Such a solution would not have been practical a few years ago. To make it worse, many od today’s computers don’t even contain CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disk drives (although you can still purchase EXTERNAL CD-ROM drives that plug into modern computers’ USB connectors. 

    Blank CD disks cost 40 cents or less when purchased in quantity at most any discount store. Making backups of your CD disks should be a trivial exercise. After all, how much would it cost you to replace a CD-ROM disk that becomes defective?

    Most new computers or new CD-ROM drives include software to write to the CDs. In fact, most have an option to copy the entire contents of a disk to a new, blank disk. This is true for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux systems. Check the software already installed on your computer; I suspect you will find that you already have everything you need. If not, you can download free software that will make copies for you.

    Macintosh users already have the required software: open FINDER, click on APPLICATIONS, click on UTILITIES, and then click on DISK UTILITY. In fact, the Macintosh Disk Utility will duplicate Macintosh, Windows, and Linux disks alike. If you would like a more robust disk duplicating program but one that is available free of charge, look at Burn at http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net.

    Linux users have a variety of free CD-ROM utilities to choose from. I normally use K3B but can find others.

    A Second Backup Plan

    With today's hard drives typically having a storage capacity of a terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) or more, it is now practical to create backup images of CD disks and to store them on a hard drive or, perhaps even better, on USB flash drives. After all, one large hard drive can now store hundreds of CD-ROM disk images. Probably the best method is to create .ISO images of the original CD disks. An .ISO "image" file is a method of merging all the files on a CD into a single compressed file according to a defined format. 

    You can read more about .ISO images in the Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_disc_image.

    The process is somewhat similar to creating a .ZIP file: many files can be combined into a single file for archival purposes. Having a single file simplifies the issue of maintaining backup copies. When needed, you can extract the .ISO file and copy it back to a new, blank CD-ROM disk or to a USB flash drive that will be identical to the original. ISO images are especially useful when the original CD contains hidden files, a common occurrence. The .ISO files will store hidden and non-hidden files alike without any extra intervention required.

    A comment about USB flash drives: Flash drives are a good news/bad news situation. The bad news is that flash drives have their own issues about how long data can be stored. Seehttps://www.usbmemorydirect.com/blog/how-long-do-flash-drives-last-usb-drive-lifespans/ for all the details. The good news is that flash drives have become so cheap that you can now save 2 or 3 or even more copies on different flash drives without going broke.

    My advice? Never make a single copy on a flash drive. Make at least 3 different copies onto different flash drives and then save them in 3 (or more) locations.

    Microsoft does not supply software to create .ISO files. However, most third-party CD and DVD burning utilities will add that capability. If you do not presently own a Windows program that creates .ISO images, InfraRecorder at http://infrarecorder.org/ does a great job of creating ISO disks on Windows systems. Best of all, it is free, open-source software that doesn’t include junkware. Insert a disc, click the “Read Disc” button, and select a source drive to read from and destination ISO file to create.

    Macintosh users already have all the software needed to create .ISO files; look at Disk Utility as described earlier. Several free Linux utilities are available to copy disks and to create .ISO files; look for the program called K3B or something similar.

    A Word About Copyrights

    Anytime you make copies of something, you should stop to think about copyright laws. In the U.S., copyright laws generally allow you to make backup copies of anything you legally own for your own personal use. However, you cannot give or sell copies to anyone else without the copyright holder's permission. As long as you make backup copies and keep them strictly for your own use, you should not have a problem with copyright laws.

    Your Action Plans

    I'd suggest you look at all the CD-ROM disks you already own. Which ones would be disastrous if they were damaged beyond repair? Make a copy of those disks NOW!

  • 1 Nov 2024 12:26 PM | Anonymous

    In September 2024, we published 56 million historical records from 8 collections. The newly added records are from the United States, Canada, France, Ireland, and Poland. They include births, deaths, burials, and marriage records. Some of the collections also include images.

    Search them to discover a family treasure!

    More details about each of the collections added may be found in the MyHeritage Blog.

  • 1 Nov 2024 12:16 PM | Anonymous

    From an article by Carol DiPirro-Stipkovits:

    I have loved maps since grade school, and I’m still fascinated by them. I’ve been gifted several over the years and my home now has a dedicated wall to hold the collection of both those and estate sale finds, which includes a large pull-down from a local elementary classroom dated 1964. Am I aging myself? Do these still exist? 

    Understandably, when I discovered the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, I was thrilled. David Rumsey is President of Cartography Associates, a digital publishing company based in San Francisco. In 1980, after a successful career in real estate, Rumsey, who is clearly even more fascinated with maps than I am, began to collect eighteenth and nineteenth century maps of North and South America, the era during which modern cartography began. Eventually, he expanded his collection to rare sixteenth through twenty-first century maps of America, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific, Arctic, Antarctic, and the world. The collection now contains over 150,000 maps and other cartographic items and is one of the largest private map collections in the world. In 1995, Rumsey made his collection available to the public by building the online David Rumsey Historical Map Collection. There are now over 130,000 items online with new additions being added regularly. The collection is available on his website davidrumsey.comfor free viewing.

    How can these maps help genealogists? Old maps bring your ancestors’ hometowns to life. They give you a glimpse at what the world looked like when your ancestors lived there and what was happening at that time. You can also see borders change over the years. 

    To search this collection, find as much information about your ancestor’s hometown as possible—country, state, ancestral town name, other geographical details such as nearby villages, rivers, railways, etc. These are all clues to find the right place on a map. I pay attention to railways as I have ancestors who were employed as trainmen so likely lived close by. Use the search box at the top right of the site. If you can’t locate your ancestral town, try searching nearby village names. 

    If your ancestor lived in an area that was involved in a disaster, say the Chicago Fire or San Francisco earthquake, using these as search terms may show reconstruction plans or detailed drawings of buildings that were damaged or destroyed. 

    The newest feature is “search by text on maps,” which can be accessed next to the search box. A quick search of “Tonawanda” came back with 694 results. The maps can be viewed by hovering your cursor over each result. When you find a map you’re interested in, choose ‘Open in Georeferencer’ and use one of my favorite tools on this site: map overlays. There’s so much you can do with this feature including overlaying it with a modern map to find lost street names.  You’ll want to play with opacity until its easily readable. Clicking Compare in the bottom right will give you additional maps of the same area. 


  • 1 Nov 2024 11:59 AM | Anonymous

    Historic Scottish “cabinet papers” dating from the period leading up to parliamentary union with England have been published online for the first time.

    Researchers have spent four years painstakingly transcribing and editing the records of the Scottish Privy Council, described as one of the “most important” parts of Scottish government, between the years 1692 and 1708.

    The records, which have now been published in a freely-accessible online database, provide “key insights” into the executive government of the day during a period that included revolution, Jacobitism, and the formation of the union with England.

    Alastair Mann, honorary senior research fellow at the University of Stirling, said: “The Scottish Privy Council was one of the most important institutional branches of Scottish government in the early modern period, focusing on the period from the revolution of 1689 to the union of 1707.

    “This record is the nearest we have to ‘cabinet papers’ of the time and provides key insights into executive government during a dynamic period of revolution, Jacobitism, famine, economic struggle and parliamentary union with England.”

    The Scottish Privy Council Project was launched in 2020 and saw researchers at the universities of Stirling and Dundee study, edit and translate more than three million words contained in the records.

    Alan MacDonald, senior lecturer at the University of Dundee, said: “Privy Council records were edited and published in a series of printed volumes – nearly 50 in total – covering the period 1545 to 1691.

    “Given the importance of the Privy Council in early modern Scotland, these volumes quickly became central to Scottish historical scholarship, sustaining countless books, articles, and doctoral theses with the breadth and richness of material they contained.

    “However, the withdrawal of public funding in the 1970s meant that the final tranche of Privy Council records, covering the years up to the council’s abolition in 1708, has always remained unpublished.

    “While most of the Privy Council’s registers were written in something very close to the English of the period, they presented some linguistic difficulties, especially around the use of specifically Scots terms, chaotic punctuation, and a wholly unstandardised approach to spelling.”

    Dr Mann added “It is our hope that this website and its records are a foundation for research into government and policy in a dramatic period of flux and transition in the economic, political and social life of the people of Scotland.”

    The Scottish Privy Council Project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

    The database can be found at https://spcr.ac.uk/.

  • 1 Nov 2024 6:26 AM | Anonymous

    The following is an announcement written by Findmypast:

    This Findmypast Friday, discover three centuries of global history.

    We've updated our South African record collection this week, adding over 1.6 million baptism, marriage and burial records from across the country to three of our existing record sets. 

    These new additions cover the years 1660 to 1996, so there are over 300 years of global history to delve into. We've also added pages to ten newspaper titles, spanning from 1910 right up to 2003.

    South Africa Baptisms

    We updated our South African baptisms this week - there are around 1.2 million new and improved records for you to discover, with both images and transcriptions available.

    South Africa Marriages

    There are also new images and transcriptions to explore within our South Africa marriage set. These additions are from Cape, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal and Transvaal.

    Explore this record.

    In addition to both spouse's names and ages, you may be able to glean an address, a marriage place and additional notes from within these records. Be sure to check the original image to ensure that no key information is missed. 

    South Africa Burials

    Rounding off this week's trio of South African updates we have 400,546 new and improved burial records, from four provinces across the country. 

    New pages from Skegness to Sussex

    There are 153,774 new pages to discover this week. 

    West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 1 April 1953.

    We've updated ten regional titles including the West Lancashire Evening Gazette and the Sussex Express.

    Here's a full rundown of what we've added to our newspaper archive this Findmypast Friday. 

    Updated titles:

    • Bucks Advertiser & Aylesbury News, 1990, 1992, 2000
    • Dewsbury Reporter, 1990, 1994-1995, 1999-2002
    • Epworth Bells, Crowle and Isle of Axholme Messenger, 1911-1915, 1935-1939, 1951-1959, 1970-1973, 1994-1995, 1997, 2000-2003
    • Halifax Evening Courier, 1991-1992, 1995, 1997
    • Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 1994-1996, 2001-2002
    • Littlehampton Gazette, 1979-1980, 1992
    • Skegness Standard, 1989-1990, 1992, 2003
    • Sussex Express, 1965-1973, 1985, 1992, 1994-1995
    • West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 1953, 1974, 1987, 1999
    • Worthing Herald, 1990, 1992

    Last week we added over 13,000 19th century military records - explore the full release here.

    Solve a WW2 mystery

    For the third weekend of our family history challenge, it's time to jump forward to the eve of the Second World War.

    Using the 1939 Register, see how the family's life looked on the brink of yet another global conflict. What can you discover with this detail-rich resource?

    Tune into the Family History Show

    Join Ellie and Liam for the Family History Show, as they dig into the life of Audrey Hepburn using some fascinating family history records.

    Watch now


  • 1 Nov 2024 5:38 AM | Anonymous

    Today is the first day of the month. That is a good time to back up your genealogy files. Then test your backups!

    Your backups aren't worth much unless you make a quick test by restoring a small file or two after the backup is completed.

    Actually, you can make backups at any time. However, it is easier and safer if you have a specific schedule. The first day of the month is easy to remember, so I would suggest you back up your genealogy files at least on the first day of every month, if not more often. (My computers automatically make off-site backups of all new files every few minutes.)

    Given the events of the past few months with genealogy websites laying off employees and cutting back on services, you now need backup copies of everything more than ever. What happens if the company that holds your online data either goes off line or simply deletes the service where your data is held? If you have copies of everything stored either in your own computer, what happens if you have a hard drive crash or other disaster? If you have one or more recent backup copies, such a loss would be inconvenient but not a disaster.

    Of course, you might want to back up more than your genealogy files. Family photographs, your checkbook register, all sorts of word processing documents, email messages, and much more need to be backed up regularly. Why not do that on the first day of each month? or even more often?

  • 31 Oct 2024 4:27 PM | Anonymous

    The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has identified the suspect in the murder of Melonie White.

    On Aug. 27, 1994, two hikers found a female body near Gypsum Wash in the Lake Mead Recreation Area and called 911. The next day the Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Melonie White. The cause of death was determined to be a homicide due to evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. The LVMPD Homicide section took over the investigation.

    At the time, all investigative efforts were exhausted in the attempt to identify the suspect responsible for White’s murder. The case remained unsolved and was assigned to the LVMPD Homicide Cold Case Section.

    In May 2010, during a review of White’s murder, LVMPD Homicide Cold Case detectives requested additional forensic testing of the evidence left at the scene. A DNA profile was located and loaded into CODIS, but there was no match.

    In 2021, cold case detectives, with the assistance of the Vegas Justice League, sent the unknown suspect profile to Othram to identify the suspect.

    On Aug. 26, 2024—almost 30 years to the day of recovering White’s body—detectives were notified by Orthram that forensic genetic genealogy identified Arthur Joseph Lavery as the suspect in this case.

    Lavery was living in Las Vegas at the time of the murder and moved to California in the mid 2000’s. He died on Feb. 20, 2021, from heart disease and complications from COVID.

    Republished courtesy of LVMPD

  • 31 Oct 2024 11:50 AM | Anonymous

    Scotland’s People has released records of around 180,000 admissions to HMP Barlinnie, Glasgow, dating from 1882 to 1899. This release also includes a prisoner photograph album, providing photographs of over 2,000 inmates. This release gives researchers an exciting opportunity to explore the story of Scotland’s largest and most infamous prison. Users can explore the construction of the prison itself, and uncover the stories of people who spent time in Barlinnie.

    Image

    Outside Barlinnie Prison. Courtesy of Newsquest

    Barlinnie Prison, situated on the north-eastern outskirts of Glasgow (no date).
    Image credit: © Newsquest (Herald & Times)

    Building Barlinnie

    HMP Barlinnie was built to replace eight small prisons across Glasgow city and the west of Scotland. Glasgow's rapid population growth in the 19th century meant these existing custodial facilities were increasingly rundown and overcrowded. Major General Thomas Bernard Collinson, the architect and engineer to the Scottish Prison Department, was called up to produce plans for Barlinnie prison. The original drawings consisted of four accommodation blocks which were four-stories high and could house 200 prisoners.

    A site on the north-eastern outskirts of the city in Riddrie was purchased in 1879 and construction started in 1880. The building of the new Barlinnie prison took six years to complete.

    Image

    Map showing Barony area of Glasgow. NRS RHP5641/1/4

    This map of the east of Glasgow city, 1902, depicts a rural landscape, which is now an urban area. Barlinnie Prison can be found located east of Riddrie near the Monkland Canal which is now the route of the M8 motorway. 
    National Records of Scotland (NRS), RHP5641/1/4

    Image

    Outline of Barlinnie Prison. NRS IRS118/81

    The outline of HM Prison Barlinnie can be found in this Inland Revenue Field Map from the early 20th century. 
    Crown copyright, NRS, IRS118/81

    Barlinnie was created by an order by the Secretary of State, 27 June 1882, under the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1877, as a place of legal detention for criminals of all descriptions. An Order in Council, 26 July 1882, declared the prison to be a General Prison for Scotland.

    The construction of Barlinnie eased overcrowding at Glasgow (Duke Street) Prison and allowed the Prison Commissioners to close the inadequate prisons at Campbeltown, Rothesay, Airdrie, Hamilton and Lanark.

    Each block of the prison was brought into use upon completion, and the first prisoners arrived at A Hall on 15 August 1882. B, C and D Halls were completed between 1883 and 1892, and a further block ‘E Hall’ was added in 1896 to ease overcrowding. This increased capacity to approximately one thousand prisoners.

    To keep costs down, prisoners from A Hall were used as labourers to construct further accommodation blocks and structures within the boundary walls. The prisoners involved in this work were serving short sentences of three to fourteen days and received a different diet from longer serving prisoners. They were given a supplement to their morning meal; ‘a six-ounce roll and half-a-pint of buttermilk before going to their work in the morning’ (Crown copyright, NRS, Prison Commissioners for Scotland, Minute Book, HH35/2, page 360).

    Barlinnie alias “BarHell”

    Life as an early inmate at HMP Barlinnie was extremely hard. It soon developed a reputation as a tough prison, and across the years prisoners have nicknamed it ‘BarHell’ and the ‘Big hoose’. Initially, prisoners were occupied breaking rocks from the local quarry. A common punishment for unruly behaviour appears to have been ‘handcuffs behind [their back] & canvas jacket at night’ or a number of nights. The prisoner would be assessed as fit for this punishment by the Prison Surgeon, and the warden would administer the cuffs and or jacket (NRS, Barlinnie Governor’s Journals, 1880-1891, HH12/25).

    Religious services in the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian faiths were provided from when the prison first opened in August 1882, but a chapel in the prison grounds was not completed until 1894. The prison chaplain notes that access to library books were appreciated by prisoners but they ‘prefer books that treat on secular subjects, rather than those whose works which discuss religious topics’ (Report of Medical Advisors to the Prison Commissioners, 1882-83, App., XXXI, p. 103).

    In the 1930s structural additions were made, including staff offices (1933), a gymnasium, and a new library (1939). From 1946 onwards, Barlinnie General Prison served as a place of execution and the prison’s purpose-built hanging shed was used on 10 occasions between 1946 and 1960. Those who went to the gallows included the serial murderer Peter Manuel (1958) and nineteen year old Anthony Miller (1960). The bodies of the executed men were buried in unmarked graves in the prison grounds.

    New thinking around punishment and rehabilitation in the 1970s saw the introduction of an experimental therapeutic facility designed to reform the most violent and disruptive inmates. The Barlinnie Special Unit (BSU), was in operation between 1973 to 1994 and sparked worldwide interest. Those committed to the BSU did not wear prison uniforms and had some input on how the unit should be managed. Despite some high-profile success stories, such as the sculptor and writer Jimmy Boyle, the unit was closed due to the loss of confidence from government ministers and prison officials. The prison was progressively modernised between 1997-2004, with flush toilets being added to cells, and finally ending the practice of ‘slopping out’.

    The end of an era

    After 142 years as Glasgow’s main prison, the story of HMP Barlinnie is close to ending. The prison now holds 500 more prisoners than it was designed for, and is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. In 2020, HMP Barlinnie was deemed unfit for purpose and a new purpose-built prison - HMP Glasgow – is scheduled to open in 2027.

    The release on Scotland’s People of the admission registers of HMP Barlinnie, and its associated photograph album of prisoners, will give researchers a fascinating insight into the people behind the prison’s imposing walls. In some instances, we can put a face to the names listed, and explore how and why these men ended up in prison, and what happened to them after their release.

    Death over breakfast

    Prisoner profile: Thomas Johnston

    The Aberdeen Journal dated 26 January 1891 states that two men quarrelled ‘over the quality of the meal provided for his breakfast, and both proceeded to the backyard “to fight it out”’. The men involved were John Wood, aged 46, and his stepson Thomas Johnston, aged only 17. Wood was killed.

    Johnston and his three brothers lived with their mother and Wood in a cramped two roomed apartment at 138 Drygate, Glasgow. The bedroom accommodated the adults while the children, including Wood’s own son from a previous marriage, Alexander, slept in the kitchen. Wood “was addicted to liquor” and had previous altercations with his eldest stepson, Thomas. Wood had repeatedly taunted his stepsons about their Chinese heritage and their original last name of Jan Sing. Wood and Johnston had previously fought one another, causing Johnston’s mouth to bleed.  

    Image

    Thomas Johnston's birth certificate, 1873. NRS 644 / 5 / 117

    Birth certificate of Thomas Johnston or Jan Sing. His father has signed the register using his ‘mark.’
    Crown copyright, Statutory Register of Births, 1873, 644 / 5 / 117

    Johnston also felt that that his stepfather belittled his youngest brother, James. By looking at witness statements taken before the trial, the boys’ mother stated that the deceased “had always an ill feeling towards my youngest boy James aged 4 and a half years from my first marriage”. 

    On the morning Wood was killed, Thomas’s brother Samuel, aged 15, gave evidence that a quarrel had occurred over a breakfast Wood had cooked. He heard Wood “calling my mother’s family pigs and he said he was not going to feed them” (Precognition papers, NRS, AD14/91/20). Wood entered the kitchen where the boys were trying to sleep. Samuel’s witness statement describes how Wood entered the kitchen and said he would “fight the whole Mongolian race of them and he challenged Thomas to fight.”

    The fight took place outside and witnesses say that Thomas received a heavy beating. The two men were dragged apart by neighbours on the tenement stair. Thomas took out his knife used for cutting tobacco and stabbed his stepfather in the heart. Wood was taken back to their flat and it was not until later that his family realised he had been seriously wounded. Thomas dressed and reported himself to the nearest Police Station to give himself up.

    The post-mortem of Wood took place two days after the incident on 27 January 1891. The cause of death is listed as “penetrating wound to the heart, inflicted by a sharp instrument.” (NRS, Court Trial papers, JC26/1891/52)

    Initially charged with murder, Thomas Johnston plead guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

    Image

    Thomas Johnston's entry in Barlinnie register. NRS HH21/7/9

    Thomas Johnston was sent to Barlinnie Prison on 4 March 1891. This was his first criminal conviction. Johnston was released exactly a year later. His age on admission is given as 17 and his height 5 foot 3 and a half inches. He was listed as working as a brush maker. 
    NRS, Barlinnie Prison register, HH21/70/9 p.101

    Three years after his release from HMP Barlinnie, Thomas Johnston married Elizabeth Scott and their union is recorded in the 1895 Statutory Registers of Marriage.

    A Barlinnie native

    Prisoner profile: Peter Davidson alias John Porter

    The recent Barlinnie Prison records release includes a rare example of a photograph volume of prisoners for the period 1882-1891. Although images do not exist for all prisoners, this unusual record allows us to follow one individual, through multiple stays, in Barlinnie Prison.

    The first time John Porter appears in the photograph album is on his liberation from HMP Barlinnie in March 1883. He had just served 60 days for ‘Being a rogue & vagabond’, under an act designed to criminalise begging and rough sleeping.

    Image

    Porter appears in the photograph album. HH21/70/97 p. 10

    Peter Davidson alias John Porter. The photograph was on his liberation from Barlinnie Prison on 23 March 1883.
    Crown copyright, NRS, HH21/70/97 p. 10

    John Porter from Glasgow looks much younger than his 17 years. The prison admission book notes that he has a tattoo on his left arm of ‘AD JH’ and details his small stature of five foot, 2 inches, and his weight of 118 pounds.

    He appears again in December of the same year. Despite the short time between stays, he seems to have matured considerably:

    Image

    Second appearance of Porter in photograph album. HH21/70/97 p. 40

    John Porter on the day of his liberation from Barlinnie Prison on 30 December 1883.
    Crown copyright, HH21/70/97 p. 40

    Porter’s third and final appearance in the Barlinnie Prison photograph volume is in July 1885. Porter is aged 18 and according to the admission register, has grown to the height of five foot 4 inches. His mature appearance is a contrast to the portrait taken a little over a year earlier.

    Image

    Third appearance of Porter. NRS HH21/70/97 p. 55

    John Porter appearing for the third time in the photograph volume.
    Crown copyright, NRS, HH21/70/97 p. 55

    On this occasion he was imprisoned on a charge of Contravention of the Police Scotland Act 1871, Section 15. This relates to evidence of vagrancy and the intent to commit felony. The longest prison term for this crime was three months, which Porter received with hard labour. He arrived at the prison on 21 April 1885 and was released on 21 July 1885, as stated on his photograph.

    Although he was only photographed three times by the Prison authorities, Porter had become a regular inmate of Barlinnie Prison during his teenage years, primarily for offences of vagrancy. Porter served a total of five short sentences between 1883-1885. The detail below from Barlinnie Prison admission register informs us that he has been in the said prison four previous times, and gives his last prisoner number as ‘7/1890’.

    Image

    Porter's admission entry. NRS HH21/7/1 p. 162

    ‘Four’ times previously in Barlinnie Prison for John Porter. His age, 18, and height, 5 foot 4 inches, are also recorded. Detail from Barlinnie Prison admission register, 1885.
    Crown copyright, NRS, HH21/70/1 p. 162

    This would not be his last committed crime. While being tried at Glasgow High Court on 11 September 1888 for multiple charges of theft, he claimed he could not have committed the offence as he was in Barlinnie Prison at the time. His statement recorded in the court minute books, is given below: 

    Image

    Porter's statement. NRS JC13/116 p. 40

    The High Court minute book records the details of Porter’s trial and his own statement to the court on 11 September 1888.
    Crown copyright, NRS, JC13/116 p. 40

    Despite the alibi provided by Porter, stating that he was released on 'the evening of the 3rd of August' this does not account for the spate of thefts he was charged with. They were believed to have taken place after he was liberated from prison between 1 and 9 August. Porter was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. By searching the admission registers, it appears that Porter was not sent to Barlinnie to serve this sentence. As he was a repeat offender, he may have been sent to, the-then newly opened, HMP Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. 

    A dangerous affair

    Prisoner profile: Hugh Abernethy

    Hugh Abernethy, aged 26, was admitted into Barlinnie Prison on 28 June 1887, having plead guilty on a charge of assault. Unfortunately, Abernethy’s likeness was not captured by the prison’s photographer, but his case was an infamous one and it was followed closely by the press.

    The case files present a timeline of events:
    •    On 28 February 1887, Abernethy visited the Kelvinside area of Glasgow to see his sweetheart, Euphemia Hamilton. Abernethy fired a revolver at Hamilton before fleeing the scene. Hamilton was not injured. 
    •    On 12 May 1887 Abernethy appeared at Hamilton’s place of work, Findlay & Reid bootmakers on Charlotte Lane. Upon seeing Hamilton standing behind the shop counter, he took aim and fired, but missed her a second time. At this point, Abernethy turned the gun on himself, injuring his neck and head in the process.

    When the case came to trial, Abernethy’s counsel, Mr McClure, asked for as ‘lenient a sentence as possible, because no bodily harm was done to the person attacked’ (Glasgow Weekly Herald, 2 July 1887). McClure went on to state that Abernethy did not ‘belong to the criminal class’ and had been courting Hamilton but discovered that she had been ‘going with other men.’ His ‘state of desperation’ was protracted when he found out that Hamilton was married and had an illegitimate child. Abernethy went to her house to seek an explanation, but when Hamilton refused to see him, he committed the above offences.

    Hearing that the accused had tried to kill himself after the second attempt, the court decided Abernethy was ‘not in his right mind’. However the judge declared that he should not have sought revenge on a woman who had wronged him. Given that he attempted to shoot Hamilton on two separate occasions, Abernethy was sentenced to spend only 12 months in Barlinnie.

    Image

    Abernethy enumerated in 1911 census. NRS 644/8 18/13

    Hugh Abernethy’s family enumerated in the 1911 census at 37 Stanhope Street, Glasgow. The marriage of 16 years has created 5 children, but only 4 are alive.
    Crown copyright, NRS, 1911 census, 644/8 18/13

    After serving his sentence in Barlinnie Prison, Abernethy appears to have reset his life. He can be found in the 1911 census aged 50, married to Jessie Taylor (married 1894), with four children.

    In this article we have explored the diverse history of HMP Barlinnie, reflecting on its inmates over the centuries. The admission registers of Barlinnie (Glasgow) and Perth General Prisons, Largs Jail and Edinburgh's Bridewell and Calton Prisons are accessible on Scotland's People. The Prison registers record guide will give you tips on searching the records and what type of information these register contain. 

    Further reading

    For more information on searching the Prison Registers on Scotland's People, and what they contain, see our Prison register record guide.

    You may find the handwriting in the prison records difficult to read. Look at the guides on reading older handwritingunfamiliar words and phrases, and search the glossary for assistance with abbreviations, legal terminology, occupations and other unfamiliar words.

  • 30 Oct 2024 10:14 AM | Anonymous

    Announcing the Focus on the Society of Genealogists' Genealogical Treasures and Collections with Else Churchill (a 30 minute talk)

    Tuesday, 5 November 2024 14:00 

    Delve into the treasure chest of SoG’s collections. In each session you’ll learn more about one of our collections or record sets. You’ll discover how you can access and use these sources to further your research or historical knowledge. 

    This month we will be focusing on SoG Sources for the armed services.

    Book here: https://members.sog.org.uk/events/653fd4ab33d2260008c5ce6b

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