Welcome to the Family History Social

Join us in York next week for an exciting day of ancestral discovery! 

Explore a diverse array of genealogical exhibitors and family history societies from across the country when they gather in The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, York Racecourse. You’ll also be able to catch free talks on the day and consult with family history experts all in one place.

Enjoy the convenience of ample parking and refreshments available throughout the event. This is a must-attend gathering for all family history enthusiasts. 

Delve into your heritage and uncover the mysteries of your past family. Get your tickets now and take advantage of our 2 for 1 ticket offer!

The Family History Show – York

Make a Day of it

Book a session with an expert and listen to a talk in the morning, then have lunch in our restaurant area before finishing the day by exploring the stands, chat with exhibitors and societies, plus catch another talk before you go.

The Family History Show York features:

• Free talks held throughout the day in two large lecture areas
• Book a free personal 1-2-1 session with an expert
• Free goody bag on entry worth over £7.99
• Free Parking and Local Train Station
• All Day Refreshments
• Wheelchair Friendly Venue

2 For 1 Ticket Offer

Get your tickets now and save! Get two tickets for £12 (£12 each on the day) and you’ll also get a goody bag on entry worth over £7.99. 

Save 50% by getting two tickets for £12 for the York show here: https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/york/tickets/

Talks you can look forward to at the York show include:

10:30 Breaking Down Brick Walls

Mark Bayley - Online Genealogy Expert

How to resolve stumbling blocks in your family history research using new and unique search strategies to find those missing relatives. Techniques he will cover will include searching for a family using just the individuals’ forenames, keyword search tools (using criteria other than a name to search on) and other advanced search techniques. The talk also covers unique data sets such as Non-Conformist records, Non-Parochial records, Fleet marriages, Will images, Parish Records, Military Records, Directories, Newspapers and more.

11:30 Researching and Writing your Family History

Nick Barratt - Historian, Author and Professional Genealogist

Using a real case study, the talk explores how to research and write your family history to publication standard.

12:30 Pinpointing Your Ancestors

Mark Bayley - Online Genealogy Expert

Unleash the power of historical records and maps to reveal the art of pinpointing your ancestors. Join us for an illuminating talk that brings your family’s past to life through geographic connections.

13:30 Chasing Million Eyres - From Yorkshire to Kamchatka

Jackie Depelle - Family History Tutor and Speaker

Little do we know what awaits when starting out on the family history trail. Very often our ancestors led ordinary lives however they all have their place in history and certainly made us who we are. Occasionally though we find something really unexpected about our families or our research touches on the lives of those who moved in very different social circles. This is exactly what happens in this case study where an accidental discovery becomes a vortex of amazing coincidences and almost a parallel family history universe.

14:30 Genealogy Hints and Tips

Keith Gregson - Professional Researcher & Social Historian

Keith shares top tips & techniques for finding elusive ancestors, illustrated by some fascinating case studies.

Talk times may be subject to change, please check the timetable at the venue on the day of the show for any changes.

2 For 1 Ticket Offer

Get two tickets for £12 for the York show here: https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/york/tickets/ 

Find Out More at: www.TheFamilyHistoryShow.com 

To mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, The Genealogist adds Enlistment Records to their Free Record Collections

In time to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6th June, TheGenealogist has added United States WWII Army Enlistment Records (1938-1946) to its ever-growing Free Records Collection. In these records, we can find the names and particulars of American soldiers who joined up to serve their country and fight for freedom.

These records provide detailed information about enlistment dates, service branches, ranks, and more about US soldiers from this time.

While Operation Overlord, the code name for the Battle of Normandy, was an Allied operation consisting of British, Canadian and other Allied nations' troops, the Americans provided the bulk of the soldiers for the Liberation of Europe on 6 June 1945, and so this new record set will have many of the young men who fought in D-Day listed.

[American assault troops in a landing craft approaching Omaha Beach, Normandy, France]

This new addition brings the total number of Free Records you can access on The Genealogist to over 10.9 Million. There’s a rich collection for researchers to sink their teeth into, with records dating back to 1086!

Simply register for free at The Genealogist to access:

• The 1086 Domesday Records
• The Image Archive - Thousands of historic photos and illustrations
• US WW2 Enlistment Records
• UK Rolls of Honour
• Dam Busters Records
• War Memorials
• Tree View - A free family tree builder

You can research even further by registering for a free First Steps Subscription, giving you 3 months’ access to Births, Marriages, Deaths and the 1891 to 1911 census for England and Wales. Find out more at https://thegenealogist.co.uk/firststeps 

Read TheGenealogist’s feature article where we explore the fate of four brothers whose enlistments can be found in these newly released records: D-Day – Operation Neptune 6 June 1944 and the real Private Ryan https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/d-day--operation-neptune-6-june-1944-7495/ 

Lifetime Discount Offer!

For a limited time, you can claim a Diamond Subscription to The Genealogist for just £99.95, a saving of £40! Plus, you’ll also get a free year’s subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine (Worth £24.99)

To find out more and claim the offer, visit https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBDDY624

This offer comes with a Lifetime Discount, meaning you’ll pay the same discounted price every time your subscription renews.

This offer expires on 31st July 2024.

The General Register Office (GRO) for England and Wales has put the prices up for ordering birth, marriage and death record certificates.

Now, to order a digital image download (instantly available after purchase) it will cost £3 (previously £2.50).

The new price for a PDF (available for births from 1837 to 1934 and 1984 to 2021 and deaths from 1837 to 1957 and 1984 to 2021, which takes up to four working days to become available) is £8 (up from £7).

For a print certificate with an index reference the price has now become £12.50 (was £11).

£16 is the new price for a print certificate without an index reference (increased from £14).

https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp

Unlock the Military Histories of Your Ancestors with TheGenealogist’s Latest Release of Army Lists

The Genealogist has added 1.8 million individuals to its Military Collection with its latest release of Army Lists from 1837 to 1959.

Family history research often requires scouring military records to uncover the career details of ancestors who had served in the British Army. A key resource for such research are the officially published Army Lists that provide comprehensive details about officers and warrant officers, including their ranks, regiments, and service appointments.

Subscribers to TheGenealogist can now access an extensive collection of digitised Army Lists, which can significantly enhance their understanding of an ancestor's military career. These records detail officers by regiment, rank and seniority, offering a detailed snapshot of the officer corps at any given time.

[CAPTAIN (TEMPORARY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL) A. C. DE WIART ADVANCING TO THE ATTACK THROUGH AN INTENSE FIRE BARRAGE]

This resource is excellent for tracking the careers of officers, offering a chronological record of promotions, transfers, and retirements. It provides a wealth of information crucial for family historians, including dates of promotions, brevet ranks, and the duration of an officer's service. Additionally, these records include information about officers who retired or resigned, often with specific dates of departure from active service.

The Army Lists can provide insights into where officers served in staff positions or held special appointments, for example as instructors or aides-de-camp. This additional context can be invaluable in understanding an officer’s career and their contributions to the military beyond their regimental duties.

Moreover, the lists encompass officers serving in colonial forces and the Indian Army, reflecting the global reach of the British Empire. Some officers may have transferred between these forces, further enriching the historical context for researchers.

TheGenealogist’s digitised Army Lists are an indispensable tool for anyone looking to explore their family's military history. With this resource, family historians can uncover the detailed dates of their ancestors’ service and gain a deeper understanding of their military careers and contributions.

Read TheGenealogist’s feature article, The Stiff Upper Lip: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/the-stiff-upper-lip-7471/ 

Lifetime Discount Offer!

For a limited time, you can claim a Diamond Subscription to The Genealogist for just £89.95, a saving of £50! Plus you will get a free Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine (Worth £24.99)

To find out more and claim the offer, visit https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBMLT524

This offer comes with a Lifetime Discount, meaning you’ll pay the same discounted price every time your subscription renews.

This offer expires on 31st July 2024.

For the first time, you can now pin down your ancestors in 1851!

TheGenealogist’s latest release makes it easy to locate an ancestor geographically in the 1851 census. With a choice of historical and modern georeferenced maps, this welcome development makes it simple to explore the place where your ancestors lived and discover their surroundings.

Census records have always been a staple resource for family historians. With the particulars of the street or road name, researchers will often turn to a modern map to see if they can locate where their forebears lived. This, however, can be fraught with difficulties if the road name changed over the years or the area was redeveloped. Thus, TheGenealogist has been working through its census collection, linking the records to the detailed map collections on its Map Explorer™. 

The 1851 Census of Edinburgh linked to Map Explorer™ locating Howard Place, the family home of novelist Robert Louis Stevenson

• The 1851 census now joins the ranks of other key censuses (1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, and the 1939 Register) already integrated with the innovative Map Explorer™.
  
  
• With just a click of a button, researchers can pin their forebears’ residences down to a parish, street or building and trace the routes they would have taken to visit local shops, pubs, churches, workplaces, and parks.
  
  
• Historical maps reveal the location of major roads and the nearest railway stations, shedding light on how our ancestors would have travelled to other parts of the country to work, visit relatives or their hometowns.

With this latest release, subscribers of TheGenealogist can now explore their ancestors’  neighbourhood in 1851, making it easier to uncover hidden stories and discover connections to family that lived nearby.

For those family historians on the move, TheGenealogist allows you to trace your forebears’ footprints while walking down modern streets using their “Locate me” feature. Imagine retracing your ancestors’ steps and discovering the places that they had frequented! 

When viewing a household record from the 1851 census on TheGenealogist, you’ll now see a map indicating where your ancestor was during the night of the census. Clicking on this map seamlessly loads the location in Map Explorer™, enabling you to explore the area.

Read TheGenealogist’s feature article where the 1851 census locates the Edinburgh house where a famous author was born:

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/a-leading-light-on-the-map-of-the-1851-census-7470/ 

Lifetime Discount Offer!

For a limited time, you can claim a Diamond Subscription to The Genealogist for just £89.95, a saving of £50! You’ll also receive a free Research Pack worth over £60.

To find out more and claim the offer, visit https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBCEN524

This offer comes with a Lifetime Discount, meaning you’ll pay the same discounted price every time your subscription renews.

This offer expires on 31st July 2024.

This offer includes a free research pack containing the following:-
- Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine (Worth £24.99)
- Researching and Locating Your Ancestors Book by Celia Heritage (Worth £9.95)
- Regional Research Guidebook by Andrew Chapman (Worth £9.95)
- Family Tree Chart (Folded)
- Birth Year from Census Date Calculator
- 10 Generation Relationship Calculator
- Ticket to The Family History Show - choose from York 2024, London 2024 or Online 2025

Total Savings: £113.24 - Save Over 55%

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

TheGenealogist has released 225,395 heads of households and property owners from the 1910-1915 Lloyd George Domesday Survey, covering the county of Surrey.

This boosts its ever-growing Landowner and Occupier records from this period to a total of over 2.6 million. The coverage of these IR 58 records now includes all the boroughs of Greater London plus Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire and with this release, Surrey.

Fully searchable on TheGenealogist and added to its powerful Map Explorer™, this resource allows researchers to find ancestors’ property from all of Surrey's parishes. 

Lloyd George Domesday Survey map locating a plot linked to the record of renowned horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll on TheGenealogist

The records reveal the names of owners and occupiers of each property and can provide detailed descriptions of the numbers and types of rooms in the house, plus what it was constructed of and the extent of its garden or grounds. A great example is Munstead Wood, which we look at in our featured article below. It was described as being a detached residence built of Bargate stone, brick and tile. There was a hall, sitting room, dining room, book room, workshop, kitchen and scullery. Also noted were the store rooms, some spare rooms and offices. The residence was a four bedroom home, with another three rooms allocated as servant’s bedrooms. Covering 14 acres, this home and grounds can then be seen on the contemporary map, linked to the record, as a triangular plot outside the town of Godalming.

This extensive project has seen a long term collaboration between The National Archives and TheGenealogist to conserve and digitise these records. These Lloyd George Domesday Survey records comprise the IR 58 Field Books and their accompanying IR 121 to IR 135 Ordnance Survey maps and join the millions of records in TheGenealogist’s powerful research tool, Map Explorer™.

Visit thegenealogist.co.uk/1910Survey for more information.

Read TheGenealogist’s article, The Strange Case of Jekyll (and Hyde) the Garden Expert, in which these records were used to find the property of a notable resident of Surrey: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/the-strange-case-of-jekyll-and-hyde-the-garden-expert-7431/

Get 15 months for less than the price of 12

To celebrate this latest release of the Lloyd George Domesday Records, TheGenealogist is offering readers a superb offer! You can claim their Diamond package for just £114.95, (£60 off, plus a subscription to the Discover Your Ancestors Online Periodical worth £24.99) Total saving £84.95!

This offer comes with a Lifetime Discount, meaning you’ll pay the same discounted price every time your subscription renews.

To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBLGD424 

This offer expires: 31st July 2024

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, which puts a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations and Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

NEWS:

This new release from TheGenealogist...

We have all delved into our family history yearning to understand the lives of our ancestors, but after we have found them in the births, marriages and death records we will often turn to the census records to discover where they lived. But what happens if you've hit a brick wall in your research, struggling to piece together the puzzle of their past because they were, somehow, not at home on census night? What resource can we turn to as a substitute?

It may be that we have found our ancestor in their home and discovered that their occupation reveals that they were a shopkeeper or small business person. What we would now like to know is where they ran their business from and discover more about the village, town or area of the city in which they worked.

The latest release from TheGenealogist contains over 10 million new individuals recorded in directories from the first two decades of the 20th Century*. This virtual bookshelf stacked with volumes from the early 1900s to 1929 includes publications from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland.

These directories are filled with listings of people, their addresses and details of the places they lived in. Other directories list businesses and offer a fascinating glimpse into ancestors from this time. 

Harris & Co can be found in the Hampshire directories on TheGenealogist

You can use these records to discover the street address of your great-grandfather or their shop/business, perhaps learn where your great-grandmother practised her dressmaking trade from, or find the names of your ancestors' neighbours in the street listings. These directories will also reveal any listings of official positions that they may have held in charities, societies, local administration, etc., or even unearth your ancestor's telephone number!

With some books you can read topographical details about the village, town or city in which your ancestor lived. This will give you a better feel for what their area was like at the time that your forebears lived there.

Better than 50% off!

To celebrate this latest release, TheGenealogist is offering its 12 months Diamond Package for just £98.95 – that’s over 50% off!

To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBDIR424

Expires on 12th May 2024.

This offer includes a lifetime discount! Your subscription will renew at the same discounted price every year you stay with us.

This includes the following:-
Subscription to Discover Your Ancestors Online Magazine (Worth £24.99)
Discover Your Ancestors' Occupations by Laura Berry (Worth £9.95)
Researching and Locating Your Ancestors by Celia Heritage (Worth £9.95)
Regional Research Guidebook by Andrew Chapman (Worth £9.95)
Discover Your Ancestors Periodical Compendium Volume 1 (Worth £9.95)

Total Savings: £105.79

Read TheGenealogist’s article, More than just an address:

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/more-than-just-an-address-7346/ 

NEWS:

This post on The National Archives' website is announcing their new CEO and Keeper

Saul Nassé has been appointed by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport as Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives and will take up the post at the end of July. He takes over from Dr Jeff James who has led The National Archives successfully since 2014.

Saul Nassé is a Fellow of Robinson College, University of Cambridge and former Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment, the University’s examinations business.  In his eight years with the organisation, he developed new digital propositions, grew international reach, and deepened engagement with teams around the world.

Previously, Saul held leadership roles at the BBC both in the UK and India.  As Controller, BBC Learning, he led the teams that commissioned and produced educational content, such as Bitesize and Domesday Reloaded.

Andrew Wathey, Chair of The National Archives Board said:

‘I am excited to welcome Saul Nassé as the next Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives. He brings a wealth of leadership experience in a variety of high-profile roles, and a deep commitment to The National Archives and to the enormous potential presented by archives in a digital age.  He will be an excellent ambassador for The National Archives, building on the organisation’s successes as we take forward our vision Archives for Everyone.  I very much look forward to working with him.’

About his appointment, Saul said:

‘The National Archives is an extraordinary institution, preserving the records of the nation and enriching the lives of individual citizens.  It’s a privilege to be asked to be the next Chief Executive and Keeper, and I look forward to working with the team, the board and colleagues across the worlds of archives and culture.  I believe that together we can truly create archives for everyone, enhancing the impact of the collections in the future.’

Further information on The National Archives here.

Get ready to paint the town green this St. Patrick's Day with a bumper release from TheGenealogist! They have just announced the release of 1,769,007 individuals to their Irish Catholic Parish Record Collection and 1,263,399 Irish Wills for their subscribers.

For the many family historians with Irish ancestors, these latest records will be a welcome addition to the celebrations of this day that is so close to the hearts of the Irish.

In this latest release from County Tipperary transcripts for over 80 parishes have been added: A full list of the coverage may be found here: https://thegenealogist.co.uk/coverage/parish-records/ireland/#tipperary

Also making up the releases in the “St Patrick’s Day Parade” are these records of Irish wills:

Dublin Will and Grant Books 1272-1858,Calendar of Wills and Administrations 1858-1922, 

Irish Will Indexes 1484-1858, Prerogative and Diocesan Copies of Wills and Indexes 1596-1858, Will Registers 1858-1900 and Soldiers’ Wills 1914-1918

So raise a glass of Guinness, wear some green and enjoy this latest release from the Emerald Isle.

To go with these records, read TheGenealogist’s article: A Long Way From Tipperary: 

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/a-long-way-from-tipperary-7187/

Save Over £74 on our Diamond Personal Premium Package

To celebrate this latest release, TheGenealogist is offering its Diamond Personal Premium Package for only[£109.95, a saving of over £74.

This offer includes a lifetime discount! Your subscription will renew at the same discounted price every year you stay with us.

To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBIPR324

This offer expires at the end of 8th June 2024

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

123,255 individuals recorded in Worcestershire Parish Records have just been released by TheGenealogist in time for The Family History Show, Midlands on Saturday 16th March 2023.

This welcome addition to TheGenealogist’s growing collection of parish records includes transcripts of early entries stretching back to Tudor times. Family historians with ancestors from this English county now have the chance to go as far back as 1538 – a time when Henry VIII had recently become the Supreme Head of the Church of England (1534), was dissolving the monasteries and had, by then, been married three times!

Released in association with Malvern Family History Society, this is the latest fruit of an ongoing collaboration where high-quality transcripts of Parish Records are being made available on TheGenealogist, as well as FHS-Online.

The Green, Broadway, Worcestershire from TheGenealogist’s Image Archive

In this latest release from Worcestershire, records from the following parishes have been included: Abberley, Abbots Morton, Alfrick with Lulsley, Alvechurch, Areley Kings, Astley, Bayton, Belbroughton, Bengeworth, Beoley, Berrow, Besford, Birlingham, Birtsmorton, Bishampton, Bockleton, Bredon, Broadway, Bromsgrove, Chaddesley Corbett, Church Honeybourne, Church Lench, Churchill with Blakedown, Claines, Cleeve Prior, Clifton on Teme, Cofton Hackett, Colwall, Daylesford, Leigh with Bransford, Lindridge, Mathon, Pershore Holy Cross, Pershore St Andrews, Pontardawe, Redmarley D'Abitot, Shipston on Stour, Shipston-on-Stour, Teddington, Warndon, Welland, Whittington, Wick, and Wolverley.

This collaboration is part of an ongoing project where family history societies transcribe records for their areas before they are released on both TheGenealogist and on FHS-Online. The latter website brings together data from various Family History Societies across the UK, while providing a much needed extra source of funds for societies.

If your society is interested in publishing records online, please take a look at www.fhs-online.co.uk.

Read TheGenealogist’s article Unearthing Worcestershire's Past here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2024/unearthing-worcestershires-past-7117/

Save Over £74 on our Diamond Personal Premium Package

To celebrate this latest release, TheGenealogist is offering its Diamond Personal Premium Package for only £109.95, a saving of over £74.

This offer includes a lifetime discount! Your subscription will renew at the same discounted price every year you stay with us.

To find out more and claim the offer, visit: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/MGBPRS324

This offer expires at the end of 8th June 2024.

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!