After confirmation that the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show was moving from London Olympia to the NEC in Birmingham, the actual show dates have now been formally announced for the event next year.
The show is now scheduled to take place between the 16th to the 18th April 2015. Falling later than the usual February show, it's a real break with tradition, with the event organisers hoping a different date and different location (with easier parking) will enable more visitors to attend than ever before.
Will you be going and what do you think of the new venue for the show?
The NEC in Birmingham to host WDYTYA? Live in 2015
Recent developments at TheGenealogist have seen the release of over 650,000 individuals who died in the First World War. Details include name, rank, regiment, place of birth, place of residence, place of enlistment, service number and the cause, date and place of death. These records are uniquely linked to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to show you where your ancestor is commemorated.
Soldiers Who Died in the Great War has been added to the huge military collection on TheGenealogist, encompassing many unique record sets from Casualty Lists and War Memorials, to Rolls of Honour and much more.
The BBC have now released the names of the celebrities taking part in the forthcoming 10th TV series of Who Do You Think You Are?
Much anticipated by family historians, the programme has no schedule date as yet but this is expected to be announced shortly. In the meantime, the celebrities to be featured include Mary Berry, Brian Blessed, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Martin Shaw, Tamzin Outhwaite, Twiggy, Reggie Yates, Brendan O'Carroll and Sheridan Smith.
It promises to be another great series and shows that even after a decade, the programme is still as popular as ever with us family historians. Will you be watching this summer and which celebrity are you most looking forward to seeing?
Mary Berry will be one of the celebrities featured on Who Do You Think You Are? this summer
This forthcoming weekend, Saturday 28th June, sees one of the major family history shows in the North of England, the Yorkshire Family History Fair. It is one of the largest family history shows in the UK , now in its 19th year and there are over 70 exhibitors expected on three floors.
There is plenty of parking, refreshments are available all day and lifts to take visitors to all three floors. The fair is open from 10am to 4.30pm and features a number of free talks including Mark Bayley from TheGenealogist.
If you've not been before, the fair is at The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York YO23 1EX. Admission is £4.50 for adults and children under 14 have free admission.
There's more information available on the Yorkshire Family History Fair website.
It promises to be a great fair. Hopefully see you there!
Mark Bayley will be talking at the Yorkshire Family History Fair this Saturday
Following rumours circulating for a while, it has now been officially confirmed that Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2015 will be relocated at the NEC in Birmingham. With the shortage of major exhibition venues following the closure of Earls Court in London, show organisers have taken the decision to base the show in a more central location.
The WDYTYA Live offical website remarks that "Bringing the show to the world-class NEC allows us to offer visitors a central location, opening it up to more exhibitors and visitors from across the whole country, giving even more people the chance to unravel their family history."
What do you think of the venue change for 2015? Will you be going? Let us know.
Who Do You Think You Are? Live moves to Birmingham
Founded in 1988, the Friends of The National Archives has recently reached its 2014 target of achieving over 1,000 members.
The Friends of the National Archives is a voluntary organisation and registered charity, dedicated to supporting the TNA's role in preserving and providing access to the nations records. The Friends also get involved in voluntary project work to assist The National Archives.
If you'd like to know more or are interested in becoming a member, more information can be found on The National Archives website.
Family Tree DNA, the genetic genealogy company and established market leader in the field of DNA testing, has announced they have now processed more than 1,000,000 DNA tests, many for family history research purposes.
The family finder test finds relatives within 5 generations and gives a detailed geographic breakdown of where your ancestors originate from, by comparing a person's DNA to the DNA of other users in the Family Tree DNA's huge database.
Here in the UK, TheGenealogist.co.uk offers DNA testing through Family Tree DNA. The range of DNA tests available can be found by clicking here on TheGenealogist website.
If you're looking for information on on a certain regiment or have a general interest in military history, the latest data CD from S&N may be of interest.
Newly released is 'The History of the Northumberland Fusiliers 1674-1902'. With over 220 years covered and including some of the major campaigns the regiment fought in, such as the American Revolution and the Anglo-Spanish War, it's a fascinating CD resource.
Each chapter of the regiment's history is described in detail and also contains maps and illustrations. More information can be found on the S&N Genealogy website.
Today, Monday 9th June 2014, sees the opportunity for the general public to apply for free used microfilm from The National Archives. The redundant microfilm is being disposed of due to increasing online access in the reading rooms at Kew.
The offer opens today and closes on Sunday 27 June at 5pm. The films will be allocated by lottery, a draw will be carried out using numbered balls, with a separate draw for each batch. Requests are only accepted for whole batches. The films are free but successful applicants must arrange removal and meet the costs of removal from The National Archives.
Latest news from TheGenealogist is the launch of over 80,000 fully searchable records of British and Commonwealth prisoners, of all ranks, who were captured in the First World War. The new records provide access to records of all servicemen taken prisoner between 1914 to 1918.
From Senior Officers captured, to the NCOs and Privates in the Infantry, the records are all found in the exclusive ‘Prisoner of War’ collection on TheGenealogist. You can search all ranks for the first time on any family history website,giving access to the many soldiers, sailors and airmen captured and held behind enemy lines.
The records are fully searchable and provide the main details including, forename, surname, rank, regiment and the date the information was received. Records are found quickly and easily using the specific ‘Prisoner of War’ interface on TheGenealogist.
Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist comments: “The new Prisoner of War records we’ve published are a great new unique resource for all family historians. If our ancestors were either officers or in the lower ranks, there’s now more chance than ever to discover their details including when they were taken prisoner and when they were released. Sadly many men never returned and our records will hopefully show the brave men who endured the terrible hardships of the Prisoner of War camps will not be forgotten and can now easily be traced by their descendants.”
