April 2020

Family Tree UK

Get the know-how you need to explore your roots

Family Tree UK2 min read
Welcome
The question of how best to write our family history is one that’s right at the heart of all that we do, isn’t it – the need to trace and preserve the stories, to tell them and share them, and do our best to ensure they’re passed on to the next gener
Family Tree UK2 min read
News
A lottery-funded project to record thousands of memorial inscriptions from headstones in a churchyard in Devon has come to fruition. A dedicated group of volunteers has spent two years deciphering the inscriptions on ancient and weathered headstones
Family Tree UK1 min read
Appeal For ‘Mayflower’ Links To Families Left Behind In England
Devon Family History Society (FHS) is hosting a Mayflower International Genealogical Conference this summer and wants to hear from family historians with links to the Pilgrim Fathers. The Mayflower left Plymouth for the New World in September 1620 an
Family Tree UK2 min read
Family Historians To Help Boost Online Military Records Service At Top Alexandra Palace Show
Visitors to Family Tree Live will be able to order copies of deceased relatives’ military records from 1920 onwards from the Ministry of Defence – and help develop an online service in the process. At London’s historic Alexandra Palace this 17 and 18
Family Tree UK2 min read
Charles I Execution Vest To Reveal City’s Gory Past
The silk vest worn by King Charles I when he was beheaded is to go on show in a major new exhibition exploring 700 years of public executions in London. While usually kept in restricted access in the Museum of London, the inclusion of the pale blue-g
Family Tree UK2 min read
#AncestryHour
Susie Douglas, the founder of Twitter’s #AncestryHour, looks at fresh ways to investigate the lives – and deaths – of your ancestors If you are looking to get closer to your ancestors now is the time to get creative! As the past has already ‘happened
Family Tree UK1 min read
New Releases Round-up
• TheGenealogist.co.uk has launched a new collection of more than 500,000 records; RAF Operations Records Books covering 1915 to beyond WW2 (Air 27 at The National Archives): www.thegenealogist.co.uk/news • Ancestry has released part two of its World
Family Tree UK1 min read
Your Free Records
At Family Tree we’ve teamed up with UK family history website TheGenealogist.co.uk to offer you selected free sources from its extensive online collections. Read on to learn about the census and other genealogy records you can search today for free…
Family Tree UK9 min read
Dear Karan
We launch this issue’s proceedings with a remarkable story reported in the press nearly 73 years ago and unearthed, as it were, by our regular archive newshound Teresa Williams. The article is from The Daily Mirror of Monday, 16 June 1947 and reads:
Family Tree UK7 min read
Beginner’s Guide
Tracing your roots doesn’t have to cost the earth with these simple tips, says Katie Byrne, so jump right in and make a start on finding out about your family history today At the end of your research tether, or perhaps at the very start of your gene
Family Tree UK10 min read
Where To Find Parish Registers
Parish registers are recordsof baptisms, marriages and burials created by local churches that can help you trace your ancestors to before civil registration – and back to Tudor times. Chris Paton gives the lowdown on what’s available online When rese
Family Tree UK7 min readDesign
Keeping It In The Family
Family heirlooms can provide unique insight into the lives and times of our ancestors. Whether they be pearls or paperweights, Melody Amsel-Arieli explains the value of recording, researching and preserving these family treasures now and for the gene
Family Tree UK6 min read
Family Treasure On A Durhan Shore
Maggie B Dickinson is on a quest to trace the true tale behind a family memento, found on the shore many years ago. Let’s catch up with her, ‘at the coast’ I’ve come to Durham’s Heritage Coast on a mission that includes viewing Seaham Hall Beach, one
Family Tree UK4 min read
Twiglets
Well, this is a first: using the newspaper report of an inquest into my 2x great-grandfather Martin Leah’s suicide to work out where some of his children lived, and how they fit into the tragedy. But despite the grim subject matter, the snippet from
Family Tree UK8 min read
Revealed…
Discover the secrets for making the dream of writing up your family history a reality: with Ruth Badley, Jackie Depelle, Diane Lindsay, David Ryan and Mike Sharpe – 5 specialists whose unique take on preserving the stories of the past we hope will in
Family Tree UK1 min read
Putting Them In The Picture
Make sure you name the people. Study the photo carefully. Take a look at the four generations in this family photograph. It speaks volumes – family features, clothing and just look at the great-grandfather’s hands. (If only the people in such picture
Family Tree UK2 min read
Here Are Mike Sharpe’s Top 10 Tips To Set Help You Write Your Story
1 Define the scope: You may wish to focus on a single family, all of whom share the same name. Or you could write about multiple family lines that converge to one individual. Or it may be that the information you have lends itself to being a biograph
Family Tree UK1 min read
Your FREE Family Tree Ultimate Kit
‘Family Tree’ archive box: Perfect for storing your ancestor keepsakes and treasures ‘Family Tree’ archive box: Perfect for storing your ancestor keepsakes and treasures How to write your family history: A practical workbook showing you how to write
Family Tree UK4 min read
Your Digital Family Tree Helpdesk
Welcome to the digital family tree helpdesk. Here we’ll provide step-by-step tips to help you get the most from your family history program and your online family trees… Some people prefer to use a family history program, others to have their researc
Family Tree UK3 min read
The Lunch Hour Genealogist
The below abbreviations are ones that you might come across regularly when using historic records: ackd. Acknowledged bur. Buried cem. Cemetery née Maiden name rec’d Received Many of us have a family tree at more than one online location, something w
Family Tree UK5 min read
Your DNA Workshop
DNA DISCOVER YOUR STORY 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 our tas
Family Tree UK2 min readTechnology & Engineering
Task Of The Month
Here is your User Profile page. I have uploaded several tests to GEDmatch with permission from their owners. They appear as ‘Your DNA resources’ with a unique kit number. The letters at the beginning of the kit number used to denote which DNA company
Family Tree UK2 min read
DNA Defined
MyHeritage DNA includes a tool for triangulation which I find easy to use. You are able to add matches to the tool and see if there are any areas of triangulation. In the image (left) I know match A and B are both related to me via Ernest Meadows and
Family Tree UK3 min read
The Family History Federation
Back in 1974, when the then-named Federation of Family History Societies was founded, the family history scene was in its infancy, at least when it came to groups and socialising. Its early years would see dozens of family history societies come into
Family Tree UK6 min readComputers
TECHY TIPS For Family Historians
Genealogy tech guru Paul Carter advises how best to organise your digital family history research so you can reap the benefits of a clutter-free computer that is easy to search and update as you grow your tree ‘A place for everything, and everything
Family Tree UK4 min read
Join The Family Tree Academy & Become A Skilled Family Historian
With professional researcher David Annal as tutor in Family Tree, we give you the chance to: 1. Tackle research case studies2. Learn about a broad range of records3. Take your research to the next level. In each issue of Family Tree we will be settin
Family Tree UK4 min read
Documents In Depth – #3 death certificates
Registration of deaths began in England and Wales, along with that of births and marriages, on 1 July 1837. There was no change to the layout and content of death certificates until 1 April 1969. Each entry consists of nine columns. In most cases the
Family Tree UK1 min read
Your Family Tree Academy Document Challenges
The documents themselves are just the starting points and you’ll need to look at other sources to find all of the answers. This month’s challenges each start with information about someone’s death. Barnabas Almond – Probate Calendar, 1888 I How old w
Family Tree UK3 min read
How Did You Do?
LEARN THE ANSWERS TO LAST ISSUE’S CHALLENGES Last month we set you some challenges. Each case started with some information about a marriage. How did you get on? Stephen Montagu Burrows – marriage announcement, 1890 I When and where was Stephen bapti
Family Tree UK3 min read
Guardians Of The House Of Worship
For centuries, churchwardens ensured that parishes kept the records of baptisms, weddings and burials that are now vital for tracing our ancestors. But who were these church officials, and was your ancestor one of them? Simon Wills explains The role
Family Tree UK4 min read
Tales from MY TREE
My mum’s mother was Muriel Annie Phillips. Born in 1902 in Erith, Kent, she grew up to be an attractive and talented lady. Her piano playing was excellent and she planned to teach piano. She also worked in the florist’s shop in Pier Road. During Worl
Family Tree UK9 min readFashion
Your Questions Answered
Q Here is a family wedding photograph that I initially thought might represent a marriage that occurred in 1887. However, now looking at the ladies’ dresses and hats, my feeling is that it is more likely to date to after 1900. Could you please provid
Family Tree UK8 min readDesign
Author Q&A
Q Your portrayal of Audrey Withers is so evocative. How did you go about piecing together her life story? A I set about researching Audrey Withers’ life in the same way I do all my books, which is to approach the archive that houses the family papers
Family Tree UK3 min read
Subs Club Exclusive Offers!
FREE BRAND NEW BENEFITS! Get free access to Family Tree Academy’s fantastic growing collection of video courses, packed with expert tips to take your research to the next level! There are nine courses to choose from so far, led by expert historians a
Family Tree UK3 min read
One Hundred Years Of Memories
The Slough Trading Estate was previously a government dump for broken down vehicles in World War I. On 17 May 2020 it will be a 100 years since the Memorandum of Association was signed by a syndicate of seven men forming the Slough Trading Company, t
Family Tree UK1 min read
Family History Galore At Family Tree Live!
Taking place for the second year in the stunning grand hall at London’s Alexandra Palace on 17 and 18 April, visitors will be able to enjoy more than 125 fascinating workshops and lectures, one-to-one advice sessions, living history entertainment, DN
Family Tree UK3 min read
Diary Dates
Find or post diary dates at www.family-tree.co.uk/Events for FREE or email them to editorial@family-tree.co.uk From 1 April Talks & courses London EC1. The Society of Genealogists’ events this month kick off on 1 April with Joe Studman’s talk on Hist
Family Tree UK1 min read
Major New Exhibitions
East London. The Museum of London Docklands’ major new exhibition Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery reveals rare finds from London’s biggest Bronze Age hoard, including a pair of terret rings – the first examples of their kind ever to be found in
Family Tree UK8 min read
Your LETTERS
On Monday 2 July 1860, it was advertised by public bills and all over the county that the famous pedestrian John Mountjoy – my 2x greatgrandfather, whose wonderful feats had been heard far and wide through the medium of the sporting papers – was to v
Family Tree UK1 min read
Family Tree
Editor - Helen Tovey helen.t@family-tree.co.uk Assistant Editor - Karen Clare Digital Editor - Rachel Bellerby rachelb@warnersgroup.co.uk Editorial 01778 395050 editorial@family-tree.co.uk Senior Designer - Nathan Ward nathanw@warnersgroup.co.uk Desi
Family Tree UK1 min read
The Family Tree Notice Board
The first step to encouraging your family and friends into family history is talking about it – keep it general, fun and get the memories flowing. This month, how about chatting about a much-loved bake? Is there a recipe that’s a firm family favourit
Family Tree UK3 min read
Some Are Born Great…
If you could discover a famous ancestor or family connection, who would it be? There can’t be many among us, especially with familiar surnames, who haven’t hoped and fantasised, albeit briefly. I occasionally permit such a moment myself. Not that I’m

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