Welcome to the Family History Social

English or Welsh family tree brick walls? Why not get some help? There's a well received beginners level course, delivered weekly to your computer to study when you want, which offers information packed, step-by-step tutorials. Provided by Nick Thorne (a.k.a. The Nosey Genealogist), it's great for those people new to family history who would like some expert guidance on how to find their way around those potential difficulties and pitfalls that we all stumble across when researching our family history. Also of great  benefit to those who are a bit more advanced, this course quickly takes the student on to look at the many different record sets and archives that you may not have thought to look. Places that your ancestors may be hiding in full sight. Nick Thorne is a leading family historian (with a number of years of researching family histories behind him) and in the course there are also some contributions from Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content from TheGenealogist.co.uk Topics covered in the 12 months include: The census collections; The Parish records; The Parish Chest; Dade Registers; County Record offices; Nonconformist; Religious records; Clandestine marriages; City and Town Directories; Census substitutes; Apprentices; Professionals; Army ancestors; Royal Navy ancestors; RAF forebears; Merchant Navy ancestors; Illegitimacy; The Workhouse; Poor Law; Death records; Burial; Wills; Rural ancestors; Bankrupts; Black sheep; Genetics and DNA; Occupations; Maps and Charts; The National Archives; Family Search Centres; Passports; Manorial records; Old Newspapers and much more! It costs £9.95 a month but there's currently a special trial offer available. It's well worth checking out at http://familyhistoryresearcher.com/trialoffer/

Here are some of the things people are saying about this course: "You communicate in an understandable way! Thank you for the modules that I have had so far." P. Martin. "I have enjoyed the time as a FHR member and thank you for your helping hand in trying to solve a problem printing out the guides." T. M.   U.K. "I would like to thank you for the resources, which I have received weekly, they are very interesting and informative, also a big thank you for thebrilliant customer service." P. Beilby. "I am finding the course very useful, even though I have been doing family history for many years." Kind Regards, H. Stephens.  

Strategies when your family history research hits that brick wall. Review the Research that you have previously got together Information that you may have found a few years ago that may include names, dates or other details that now provide clues, given new facts that you've since uncovered. Organising your files and reviewing your facts may uncover just the clue to move you onto the next stage. Go back to the original source You may have kept the names and dates from that old census record, but did you also keep track of other information that was to hand such as ‘years of marriage’ and possibly even the ‘country of parent's origin’ if your family moved internationally? Or, perhaps, in error, you misread a name or a family relationship? Be sure to go back to those first records you kept, making complete copies and noting down all clues – they may all come in handy in later research. Widen your search When you're stuck on a particular ancestor, good practise is to widen your search to other family members and neighbours. When you can't find a birth record for your ancestor that lists his/her parents, maybe you can locate one for a brother or sister. Or, when you've lost a family between census years, try looking for their neighbours. You may be able to identify a migration pattern, or a wrongly mis-indexed census entry that way. Often referred to as "cluster genealogy," this research technique can often get you past those brick walls that had proved so troublesome.

Question your data & verify accuracy Many brick walls occur simply from data that is incorrect. In other words, the sources you’ve uncovered may be leading you in the wrong direction through their inaccuracy. Respondents not telling the truth on Census Forms/ Birth, Marriages and Death records was possible, as was information such as their correct age or whether married or not. Attitudes were different back then and many people felt very uncomfortable divulging true personal information. Also, published sources often contain transcription errors when being noted down. Try to find at least three records to verify any facts that you already know and then judge the quality of your data results. Check possible name variations used Your brick wall may just be something as simple as looking for the wrong name. Variations of last names and ancestors using middle names or even ‘nicknames’ can really complicate research, so be sure to check all manner of spelling options and possible variations. The 'all in one' search facility and phonetic search options on TheGenealogist helps enormously to find those people who may have used middle names or names easily misinterpreted on census documents- on TheGenealogist we can see an example of this with the records of a Benjamin Freke.

Search record results for Benjamin Freke on TheGenealogist Know Your Geography Even though you know that your ancestor lived on the same street, you may still be looking in the wrong county for your ancestor. Town and county boundaries have been subject to change over time as populations grew or council boundaries changed. Keeping up with geographical changes can help break down those brick walls! The many boundary changes and other changes to administrative areas mean that some local advice can save you a lot of time and frustration. The South West of England, as an example, has gone through a number of administrative changes over the years- such as the abolishment of the county of Avon in 1996. This created the authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, City of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. To the person unfamiliar with the local area, research can become very confusing but it highlights how boundaries in the UK have changed from time to time. It is always worth getting some local guidance from a local Family History Society for example, in the first instance. Seek out help- there’s a number of sources available! Fresh eyes and a fresh perspective can often see beyond brick walls, so try running your theories by other researchers. Use a specialist forum like – www.roots-forum.co.uk  Post a query on a website ‘help’ forum such as www.thegenealogist.co.uk/forums  Also, check with members of the local historical or genealogical society, they can possibly offer advice and guidance. Be sure to include what you already know, as well as what you'd like to know and which tactics and methods you've already tried so those helping you do not waste time duplicating effort.