Family Tree UK

This is one of the most significant days in British history – 8 May 1945. Known variously as Victory Day, VE Day, V-E Day or V-Day, this day 75 years ago marked the securing of victory in Europe for the Allies in the Second World War as the leaders o

This year sees the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, more commonly referred to today as VE Day. Although not quite commemorating the end of the Second World War, the celebrations on 8 May 1945 certainly marked a significant milestone on the

A VETERAN’S TALE In a recent conversation with a friend and fellow historian I was thankfully reminded, that 2020 is also the 80th anniversary of Dunkirk. This remarkable chapter in the nation’s history is very well documented in word and on film. Ho

As an avid reader of Family Tree and a lover of the Dear Tom/Karen pages, for longer than I can remember, it feels somewhat strange to actually be sitting on the opposite side of the ‘metaphoric desk’, as I present to you the first, of what will hope

TAKEN A DNA TEST? Now what? Welcome to the DNA Workshop! In every issue of Family Tree, DNA adviser Karen Evans will be helping you gen up on your genes, so you can: • Learn practical skills with the DNA case studies • Try it out for yourself with ou

I almost feel as if I know Martin Leah junior already. Born in Broken Cross, Cheshire, in 1855, I must have bumped into him a dozen times when I was searching for his father Martin, my 2x great-grandfather who sadly took his own life. The same goes f

Plus: tip son how to inter view your family PULL - OUT GUIDE We all work long and hard recording our family history, gleaning every last clue from the archives and digitised records. Yet perhaps we should be careful not to miss the treasure that’s cl

I n recent years there’s been growing interest in house history, fuelled by the two series of the BBC programme ‘A House Though Time’. The good news is that it’s never been easier to start uncovering the history of your house, as more and more archiv

The bravery of our ancestors who fought in the armed services, worked in the Merchant Navy, or protected Britain and its allies during WW2 was commemorated with a range of campaign medals. If you’re lucky enough to have inherited a medal from this wa

With professional researcher David Annal as tutor in Family Tree, we give you the chance to: 1. Tackle research case studies 2. Learn about a broad range of records 3. Take your research to the next level. In each issue of Family Tree we will be sett

The 1841 Census (see FT April 2020) had demonstrated that a detailed census of the population of the UK could be successfully carried out and that people were (largely) willing to provide the required details. The authorities evidently felt that the

Now it’s time to put your research skills to the test. Each month we show you some documents and ask you a variety of questions relating to them. The documents themselves are just the starting points and you’ll need to look at other sources to find a

Last month we set you three challenges, each starting from an entry in an early census return. How did you get on? Document A: Harriet Green - 1841 Census of Awre, Gloucestershire I How old was Harriet at the time of the 1841 Census? Harriet’s age is

DNA Painter DNA Painter is a genealogy tool that allows you to make sense of DNA testing. By mapping segments of DNA to chromosomes, you can find out which ancestors gave which pieces of DNA, thus making it possible to find out how you and a DNA matc

Q I have a query that I would like help with. However, this could be a very simple answer – depending on whether you consider the signatures on the marriage entries to be the same person or different people. Let me explain… My 4x great-grandfather Ed

Over the centuries, large numbers of German-speakers settled in London and other towns and cities in England, Scotland and Wales. The two world wars of the 20th century caused many people with German ancestry to hide it – many changed their name, mak

Welcome to the Family Tree Subscriber Club. Members not only save money and get every issue delivered to their door, but can also get free access to our online library of video tutorials! Not a member? Find out how to subscribe on page 26 Get free ac

And there it was: the glorious rich remembered aroma. It drifted from a tiny shop in a medieval row across from my C of E school, just as it did in reality in 1950 whilst we small Christians were knocking seven bells out each other in the playground.