Parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are one of the main staples of the family historian. Anyone tracing their family tree back further than civil registration and the census in England will almost certainly look at these sources. Indeed, many of you will have spent hours scrolling through microfilms of registers in the pursuit Read More
June 6th 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the pivotal moment in WWII that began the liberation of German-occupied France and paved the way for the Allied victory and the end of the war. Also known as the Normandy Landings and codenamed Operation Neptune, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history, with soldiers Read More
May 12th is International Nurses Day – a chance to not only say thank you to the men and women who continue to work in the nursing field, but also to those who have served the medical profession throughout history. We dug into the UK, Historical Photographs and Prints, 1704-1989 collection to find these ten Read More
There are many different reasons why people decide to research their family history. From nosey-ness and blind curiosity, a desire to track down a mysterious family member, or finding yourself in a new stage of life – the desire to explore and understand more about the people who came before you can come out of nowhere Read More
The stork is circling the grounds of Kensington Palace as we patiently await the arrival of Harry and Meghan’s first baby. Due at the end of April, the rumour mill is working overtime as people place their predictions at what name Harry and Meghan will give to the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild. As it would appear our Read More
David Tattersfield, trustee from The Western Front Association, introduces the WWI Pension Ledgers to Ancestry, and explains the specific value of the Merchant Marine Cards by way of two key events from WWI history. Most British First World War historians focus their attention on the battles fought by the British and Commonwealth Armies in France Read More
What are the London City Directories and what value can they bring to your family history research? London Metropolitan Archive’s Public Services team explain the valuable detail to this collection, and how the London City Directories can be helpful for your exploring your ancestral connections to the London area. What are London City Directories and Read More
The 1939 Register is a valuable resource for family history research, particularly it learning more about your more recent relatives. It is the only surviving overview of people in UK and Wales from 1921 to 1951 – the 1931 census was destroyed during World War II, and the 1941 census was cancelled because of the fighting Read More
Keeping your family up-to-date with your family history discoveries can be a great way to get more people interested in your research. But we all know that when it comes to updating your relatives on your exciting new findings, some will want to know more than others. So how can you keep your fellow fact-hungry Read More
Ashley Barnwell, Ashworth Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne, explores the ethics of keeping family secrets hidden. At the International Family History Workshop in Manchester 2017, I presented my research on Australian family secrets. As a sociologist, I am interested in the connections between the small events of everyday life and the large events of Read More