World Archives Project: Belfast, Northern Ireland, The Belfast Newsletter, 1738-1925

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About this project The Belfast News-Letter began publication in 1737 as the "Belfast News-Letter and General Advertiser" and is in the running for the title of oldest continually published, daily English-language newspaper. The paper started with two four-page issues a week, eventually becoming a daily in 1855. The News-Letter contained both local and international news and advertisements.

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Project Instructions This collection contains images of the The Belfast Newsletter that contain birth, marriage or death notices.

Key all notices that contain a birth, marriage or death event. This may include births, engagements, marriages, deaths, obituaries and memoriams. You should only be keying vital events from notices that were published specifically to announce the vital event. Do not key any vital information from regular news articles.

Many notices will not include an event date. These notices should be keyed with the information available.

Gender will need to be inferred for an individual based off whether they are a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father of an individual, or by gender specific prefixes. If gender cannot be reasonably inferred, then leave this field blank.

When multiple relationships appear in a notice, only key a record for the primary person. For example, in an obituary where it states "William Collins was the husband of Charlotte Collins, and the father of Catherine Collins," key "William Collins" into the name fields and "Charlotte Collins" in the spouse name fields. DO NOT create another record with "Catherine Collins" as the primary record with her name in the name fields, "William Collins" in the father name fields and "Charlotte Collins" in the mother name fields.

Project-specific sample images and form field help:
Choose a sample image from below to see the corresponding form field examples.
Newspaper Page
Cover page, Section header, etc
Image with no data

Newspaper Page

Choose the "Newspaper Page" form type when the image contains notices of vital events.

Notice Type

Key the type of notice using the dictionary. Options are: Birth, Engagement, Marriage, Death, Obituary, and Memoriam. Notices are grouped together in sections on the image. When switching to the next notice type, you must add a new section (F11 or click the "add a new section" icon) and then key the new notice type.

Note: In some cases the notice was placed under the wrong heading. When this happens, key the correct notice type for the record.

Event Year

Key the year from the event date as seen on the record. If the year in the date is not given in the notice, the publication year at the top of the image should be keyed. If no event date is present, you may leave this field blank.

Event Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the event date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. If no event date is present, you may leave this field blank.

DO NOT key the event month from the publication date at the top of the image.

Event Day

Key the day from the event date as seen on the record. If no event date is present, you may leave this field blank.

DO NOT key the event day from the publication date at the top of the image.

Prefix

Key any titles before the given name, such as "Dr," "Mr," or "Mrs," of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Only prefix values should be keyed into the prefix field. DO NOT key military ranks.

On birth and death records "son", "daughter", "stillborn", "child", "unknown", or "not stated" may appear. Key these as prefixes if no name is given for the child. If "child of Robert Ferrars" appears, key "child of" as a prefix then key the father name as Robert Ferrars. If multiple children are listed in a birth record, key each child as a separate record.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the primary name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods.

On birth and death records "son", "daughter", "stillborn", "child", "unknown", or "not stated" may appear. Key these as prefixes if no name is given for the child. If "child of Robert Ferrars" appears, key "child of" as a prefix then key the father name as Robert Ferrars. If multiple children are listed in a birth record, key each child as a separate record.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the primary name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Surname

Key the surname as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.On birth and death records "son", "daughter", "stillborn", "child", "unknown", or "not stated" may appear. Key these as prefixes if no name is given for the child. If "child of Robert Ferrars" appears, key "child of" as a prefix then key the father name as Robert Ferrars. If multiple children are listed in a birth record, key each child as a separate record.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the primary name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Suffix

Key all titles, such as "Jr" or "III", following the surname of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.On birth and death records "son", "daughter", "stillborn", "child", "unknown", or "not stated" may appear. Key these as prefixes if no name is given for the child. If "child of Robert Ferrars" appears, key "child of" as a prefix then key the father name as Robert Ferrars. If multiple children are listed in a birth record, key each child as a separate record.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the primary name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Gender

Key the gender in its full form. Gender will need to be inferred for an individual based off whether they are a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father of an individual, or by gender specific prefixes. In some cases "male" and "female" will appear next to a name. On marriage records, key male for the primary person and female for the spouse, unless the name suggests otherwise. If gender cannot be reasonably inferred, then leave this field blank.

Residence Place

Key the residence place as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Separate any geographical locations with a comma. Ex: Dublin, Ireland. Residence place is typically found after the word "of." Example: "Shaw of Dublin.

"Do not key street addresses or names of hospitals. If the hospital name contains a geographical location, key the geographical location only.

Event Place

Key the event place as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Separate any geographical locations with a comma. Ex: Dublin, Ireland. Event place is typically found near keywords "'at" or "In." Do not key street addresses or names of hospitals. If the hospital name contains a geographical location, key the geographical location only.

Event Age

Key the age as seen at the time of the event using the dictionary provided for assistance. If present, age may be found next to the word "Age" or "Aged" and should be a number between 1 and 120.

Valid ages include numeric digits between "0" and "120" and fractions between "1/12" and "11/12." If an age includes years, months, and/or days key only the years. For example, if an age appears as 10 years, 7 months, key age as "10." If an age appears in months, such as 10 months, key age as a fraction: "10/12." If an Age includes years plus a fraction, such as 3 3/12, key only the year: "3." If the age is less than one month, key "0."

Father Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the father of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods. For engagements and marriages the primary person is the groom.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Father Surname

Key the surname of the father of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. For engagements and marriages the primary person is the groom.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Mother Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the mother of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods. For engagements and marriages the primary person is the groom.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Mother Surname

Key the surname of the mother of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. For engagements and marriages the primary person is the groom.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Spouse Prefix

Key any titles before the given name, such as "Dr," "Mr," or "Mrs," of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Only prefix values should be keyed into the prefix field.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Spouse Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Spouse Surname

Key the surname of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Spouse Suffix

Key all titles, such as "Jr" or "III", following the surname of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

For records where the notice type is "Marriage," key the groom's name into the name fields and the bride's name into the spouse name fields.

Spouse Gender

Key the gender of the spouse in its full form. Spouse gender will need to be inferred for an individual based off whether they are a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father of an individual, or by gender specific prefixes. On marriage records, key male for the primary person and female for the spouse, unless the name suggests otherwise. In some cases "male" and "female" will appear next to a name. If gender cannot be reasonably inferred, then leave this field blank.

Spouse Father Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the father of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering the periods. For engagements and marriages the spouse is the bride.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Spouse Father Surname

Key the surname of the father of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. For engagements and marriages the spouse is the bride.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Spouse Mother Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the mother of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering the periods. For engagements and marriages the spouse is the bride.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Spouse Mother Surname

Key the surname of the mother of the spouse of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. For engagements and marriages the spouse is the bride.

If a person's parents' names appear as "The Lady of William Henry Richardson," the father's name should be keyed as "William Henry Richardson," and the the mother should be keyed with "Richardson" in the surname field. If a person's parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly", the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the surname "Knightly" is the only thing that should be keyed for the mother. If the parents' names appear as "Mr. & Mrs. John Knightly (nee Isabella Woodhouse)" then the father's name should be keyed as "John Knightly" and the mother's name should be keyed as "Isabella Woodhouse."

Keying Image Samples

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Cover page, Section header, etc

Use the "Cover page, Section header, etc' form type for images that do not contain data, but might be interesting to look at because they provide context for the image set. Example: historical notes, affidavits, etc.

Image with no data

Use the 'Image with no data' form type for images that do not contain data or any useful context that might be interesting for someone to look at. Example: An image containing a blank background.