Rosemary Collins reports on data releases and genealogy news
Ministry of Justice proposes to digitise wills and destroy originals
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has opened a consultation on proposals to digitise all post-1858 wills in England and Wales, then destroy the originals.
Civil registration of probate in England and Wales was introduced in 1858. Digital copies of wills from 1858 and after can be purchased from the Government’s Find a Will website (https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/) for £1.50. For many family historians, ordering their ancestors’ wills is an important part of their research.
The MoJ says the proposals are necessary due to the increasing cost of storing the 110 million documents, currently about £4.5 million per year. It proposes keeping the physical copies for 25 years and then destroying them, while preserving the wills of some famous historical figures.
Justice Minister Mike Freer said: “Historic wills can provide us with a unique window into the past and we want to make it as easy for amateur and professional historians alike to access these documents. Digitalisation allows us to move with the times and save the taxpayer valuable money, while preserving paper copies of noteworthy wills which hold historical importance.”
The Society of Genealogists responded: “Digitisation may provide more convenient access to documents and prevent further damage by overhandling etc, but digitisation is not preservation. The documents themselves are of legal and historic interest and should be preserved as such.”
The consultation will be open until 23 February 2024. Visit tinyurl.com/ GovWillConsultation to find out more. If you want to sign the petition to #SaveOurWills, go to tinyurl.com/ SaveOurWillsPetition.
MyHeritage announces new AI tools
Family history website MyHeritage (myheritage.com) has announced that it is launching two new AI tools for its users.
The first tool, AI Record Finder™, is an AI chat-based search engine that allows a website user to ‘chat’ with an AI assistant. If they supply details about a person they are searching for, such as their name and place of birth, AI Record Finder™ will show them the MyHeritage records where the person can be found.
You can try out the tool at myheritage.com/research/ai-record-finder/.
