Findmypast Friday July 5th

Explore your early American roots this weekend with a selection of new additions, including:

British Officers Serving In Early America, 1614-1787

Explore six fascinating 19th century publications that record then names and details of British Army Officers serving in America prior to and during the Revolutionary War.

These lists will allow you to discover your ancestor's rank, regiment and details surrounding their service history. Each record is available in a PDF format.

Pennsylvania Immigrants, 1727-1776

Explore this 1856 publication which, in its own words, is a 'A Collection of Upwards Of Thirty Thousand Names Of German, Swiss, Dutch, French And Other Immigrants In Pennsylvania From 1727 To 1776: With A Statement Of The Names Of Ships, Whence They Sailed, And The Date Of Their Arrival At Philadelphia, Chronology.'

As well as names, these records may also provide you with historical and biographical notes. The prefece went on to add that 'present descendants of the early German, Swiss and French immigrants, now numbering millions living in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and in the Western States, will be enabled, of they procure this publication, to ascertain the time of their ancestors' arrival and other facts of value to most of them.'

Pennsylvania, Oath of Allegiance

Did your ancestor arrive in Pennsylvania between 1727 and 1775 or between 1786 to 1808? This records hold the names of thousands of male immigrants who were required to take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown and the Province of Pennsylvania as well as immigration lists between 1786 and 1808. Within these pages you will find your ancestor's name, the ship they arrived on, there and arrival ports, and arrival date. Names are organised by vessel.

All males over sixteen years of age were obliged to take this oath and declaration, as soon as after arrival as possible. The lists of foreigners arriving after 1786 including the names of wives and children. The full oath can actually be found on image number 9. An index to surnames begins on image number 675.

British Army Records & Regimental Histories

One new publication, The CIV and the War - Illustrated Souvenir of the City of London Imperial Volunteers, has been added to the collection.

As quoted at the beginning of the publication, 'The history of the City of London Imperial Volunteers for service in South Africa is of a very interesting character and well illustrates the loyal feeling that always animates the Corporation and the citizens in times of emergency.'

British & Irish newspaper update

This week we have added 132,230 brand new pages to the collection. We are delighted to welcome over 100,000 pages to our specialist country pursuits publication Field, which covers an array of topics, such as farming, fishing and country house management. It is a wonderful window into the world of the Victorian country gentleman, and we now have 2,348 issues available to search.

We have also added new pages to two of our Staffordshire titles – the Walsall Observer, and South Staffordshire Chronicle and the Staffordshire Sentinel. These new pages cover the late 1890s and early 1900s,

International records update – Austria

Three indexes of Austrian births, baptisms, marriages and burials are now available to search.

These indexes contain more than 165,000 names and cover nearly three centuries of the country's history between 1651 and 1940 and will automatically generate hints against any names stored in your Findmypast family tree.