Internet Library of Early Journals
More and more material is being digitised and made available on the Internet. One such site is the Internet Library of Early Journals which is a joint project by the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford, conducted under the auspices of the eLib (Electronic Libraries) Programme.
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej They have digitised at least 20 consecutive years of:
Gentleman’s magazine 1731-1750
A British –focused miscellany of information about people, places and events including news summaries, biographies and obituary notices.
Annual Register 1758-1778
An annual survey of European and world events from a British perspective. It includes a section on births, marriages, promotions, appointments and deaths.
Auckland City Libraries has The Annual Register from 1758 to date. There is an index which covers 1758-1819. We have also created an index of names mentioned in this publication up until 1839.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 1757-1777
Started in 1660, initially as a forum for the publication of scientific papers of both a general and a specialized nature, although increasingly a learned journal carrying refereed papers from established scientists.
Notes and queries 1849-1869
“A medium of intercommunication for literary men, artists, antiquaries, genealogists etc” carrying brief reports of completed research on humanities and related subjects and questions inviting answers in subsequent issues
The Builder 1843-1852
a mine of information on domestic and foreign building developments from the perspective of the architect, engineer, constructor and art historian, including accounts of new buildings, materials, processes and books, and articles on ancient monuments and other historic buildings
Blackwoods Edinburgh magazine 1843-1863
Started in 1817. It is a medium for imaginative literature, publishing English poetry, essays and especially prose fiction, and pioneering the presentation of European literature (particularly German) to a British audience
Auckland City Libraries has this magazine from 1817-1980. The earlier issues contain a monthly register which includes a British chronicle. This chronicle included such things as promotions and appointments, and birth, deaths and marriages. Looking through the volumes held at Auckland City libraries I was able to find a section on marriages until June 1831.
The value of these magazines for family history researchers goes beyond the lists of names that we are all intent on perusing. They are useful as a tool to get the look and feel of another time and aid you in contextualising the people you are researching.
