Christmas is time for giving

Posted by Laura Gibson on December 10, 2021 in Holidays

Christmas is all about sharing time with loved ones & where we can, giving back to the community, especially in times when we’ve experienced being without our family & friends. Below are some festive stories we’ve found within the Historical Photographs and Prints, 1704-1989.   20 Dec 1945 – Much interest is being paid in Read More

Remembering John Richard Archer 1863-1932

Posted by Laura Gibson on July 26, 2021 in United Kingdom

  July marks the anniversary of the death of John Richard Archer, the first Black mayor in London; a Lancashire-born photographer, seaman, singer, political activist and pioneer who died on 14 July 1932. Archer was involved in local politics from the early 1900s until his death and became Mayor of Battersea in 1913. We explored Read More

The Kenney Sisters and their Fight for Women’s Suffrage

Posted by Laura Gibson on April 30, 2021 in United Kingdom

We have many people to thank for the important role they played in establishing the right of women to vote in the United Kingdom. Three such people are sisters Annie, Jessie and Nellie Kenney, whose actions were invaluable to the fight for woman’s suffrage. Ancestry genealogist Simon Pearce explores their inspiring story and the records Read More

Marking 125 years of the modern Summer Olympic Games

Posted by Laura Gibson on April 15, 2021 in Events

Held in Athens, Greece, the 1896 games were the first modern Summer Olympic Games and this year marks 125 years of British athletes taking part in the sporting event.   The opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games took place on 6 April 1896 in Athens in front of 60,000 spectators. Although the ancient Read More

Remembering the Titanic with Simon Pearce

Posted by Laura Gibson on April 14, 2021 in history hub

Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the infamous RMS Titanic, one of the worst disasters in maritime history. Genealogist Simon Pearce journeys through Titanic’s fateful voyage from Southampton to New York and explores the collections which can help bring the Titanic’s backstory to life.   Through historical documents, you can discover remarkable details Read More

Remembering the Café de Paris with Simon Pearce

Posted by Laura Gibson on March 5, 2021 in history hub

The Blitz is a chapter of the Second World War (WWII) many of us will be familiar with or will have at least heard of. We may have parents, grandparents or aunts and uncles who lived through the German bombing raids of the British Isles between 7 September 1940 and 11 May 1941 which claimed Read More

Understanding Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Posted by Laura Gibson on February 4, 2021 in Collections

Birth, Marriage & Death records, including Parish records, are key collections for family historians. They can provide details about important milestones in your ancestors’ lives and are the foundation of family history research. When a birth, marriage or death is registered, a certificate is filled out and the information is kept on file. They include Read More

Exploring your Jewish family history

Posted by Laura Gibson on January 27, 2021 in Research

From passenger lists to Holocaust records, you can search the Jewish Family History Collection on Ancestry UK, the world’s largest online collection of Jewish historical records. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Arolsen Archives and USC Shoah Foundation for entrusting us with these incalculably important collections. Arolsen Archives is an organization dedicated to documenting National Read More