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
During the mid to late 19th Century, Fife became an area of aggregation for lunatics in Scotland. The word lunatic originates from the Latin word of ‘luna’ meaning moon. There was a belief that the changes in the cycle of the moon caused periodic or intermittent insanity, affecting people’s cognitive behaviour. The Victorians identified two Read More
Sharing your family’s legacy is so important for strengthening family bonds and reliving traditions that will make memories for every generation. It can be particularly valuable if you’re just starting out in your family history journey, or are trying to break through a brick wall. Take the time to sit down with your living relatives Read More
Ancestry Progenealogists‘ Simon Pearce, explores some of Ancestry’s key collections for researching the military careers of your ancestors. The armed forces were incredibly diligent at keeping records of those who dedicated their time and careers to military service. As such, military records can be incredibly beneficial when researching the lives of your ancestors; not only Read More
Our latest Irish collection, Ireland, Poor Law Union Removals From England, 1859-1860, gives us a window in to what life was like as an Irish pauper living in the UK in the late 1850’s. Irish paupers were often looked upon negatively, as an unwanted expense on the local communities in which they resided across England, Read More
Sometimes your family history research can take you on an unexpectedly romantic journey. This was the case for Marc Orton and Robin Snyder Orton from Virginia, USA. Three years ago, the couple began researching their family history, uncovering a number of interesting discoveries including a lineage tracing back to England’s Midlands. For their 40th wedding Read More