Records of over 5,000 Second World War civilian gallantry awards have just been published online for the first time by Ancestry, in association with The National Archives. I wanted to share some of the amazing stories that caught my eye – including an 11 year old facing down a bomb. The UK WWII Civil Defence Gallantry Awards, 1940-1949 collection Read More
To coincide with the recent nationwide release of the film ‘Suffragette’, the official watch list containing details of over 1,300 suffragette arrests has been published online by Ancestry, in association with The National Archives. Digitised from the original record held at The National Archives in Kew, the online collection available on Ancestry – England, Suffragettes Arrested, 1906-1914 – Read More
Authored by Richard Coplen and originally published in the Westmeath Examiner May 5th 2015. The Doyles: A Mullingar family fractured by the First World War The First World War was more destructive than any other war had ever been. It was the first genuinely global conflict, fought not just on the fields of France and Flanders, Read More
I’m just about to undertake an AncestryDNA test. I’m both terrified and exhilarated about what it might find. DNA testing for genealogy is a powerful tool, and is gaining attention at the moment. DNA sequencing makes the subject of your investigation – your own cells, the stuff inside you. It is inescapable and accurate. But Read More
When I first took the AncestryDNA test, my friend Anna asked me if I had tested any other members of my family. At the time I remember thinking very clearly that I already had hundreds of matches, the last thing I needed was more matches. Fast forward a few months and my Dad mentioned he Read More
Our Western European DNA When I was a child my grandmother used to tell me how her family descended from Black Forest Quakers who fled to Ireland to escape religious persecution in Germany in the 1700s. Like all the best family stories there was a kernel of truth, as I would later learn about my Read More
Village schoolmaster, William Thomas Swift, wrote an entry in his diary every single day from 31 December 1859 when he was 18 years old until 5 February 1915, just a few days before his death. His zest for life and interest in his fellow men shine through every entry and offer us a unique insight Read More
By Neil Holden, AncestryProGenealogists Alan Small recently won our Branch Out Sweepstakes, and received 20 hours of research with AncestryProGenealogists. High on Alan’s list of interests were the experiences and movements of his grandfather, John James Collins, who served in the British military both before and during World War I. Our research provided detailed Read More
Authored by Karyn Stuckey, Archivist at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers After the guns had fallen silent, thoughts turned to how to honour the dead. Faced with the dilemma of how to commemorate the dead, many organisations created Honour Rolls or memorials. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers created an ornate board, recording the names Read More