Fun Things to Do

Has your family got a story to tell?

If you’ve never done any genealogy research before, the chances are you’ve thought about it. Every family has intriguing tales – long-lost uncles who sailed off to America; fallen soldier heroes; romantic elopements; and occasional darker tales of bigamy, divorce or crime. Many people would love to know more, but feel put off by the thought of hours trawling through record offices and spending hundreds of pounds subscribing to websites or paying professional researchers.

Family history can take over your life – the quest to find great-uncle Charlie on the census might keep you up till the small hours – but these days, as more and more records are placed online, you can also trace your ancestors relatively cheaply and easily, dabbling in genealogical research during your lunch hour.

What might you uncover?

Basic birth, marriage and death facts are relatively simple to acquire (although sometimes missing ancestors can drive you mad), and once you have these, it’s time to find out more about individuals.

I have to admit that lists of names and dates leave me cold, and it’s the stories behind the facts that I’m interested in. Tracking down a relative in Old Bailey court reports or a pauper relative in workhouse records; getting my hands on my grandfather’s army service record (and discovering that he was demoted for ‘laziness’!).

These sources bring all the census records and BMD certificates to life, and you can find many such on the internet. And there’s a huge array of interesting collections: old newspapers (the British Library is currently making millions of pages searchable online with Findmypast.co.uk); criminal records and court reports; workhouse records; unusual treasures stowed away in local archives, but easy to discover when searching their online catalogues.

Most people trace their trees linearly, following direct ancestors through the male line. But often, branching out, for example finding out more about your grandparents’ siblings or in-laws can uncover equally remarkable stories. You might even decide to start investigating both your paternal and maternal lines at once. My family trees have branched out even further, and my father and I currently have Newby, Smith, Frost, Marquis and Parsons trees on the go!

A legacy for future generations

It might sound strange, but family history can bring you closer to living relatives. I inherited my family history research from my father, who started our tree with his brother many years ago. I was barely in double digits when I found myself sitting in front of a microfilm reader in Leeds Library, scrolling through spidery handwriting, scribbling down Newbys.

Genealogy isn’t a finite project. Thanks to the constant release of records online, on-going digitisation work by record offices all over the UK, and a few research trips here and there, we’re still making new discoveries all the time. At the moment I have a juicy divorce record from the 1870s to track down at The National Archives.

If you’re on the brink of beginning your family tree, then take the plunge! You never know what you might discover and pass on to your own descendants!

Good starting points

Simon Fowler, Tracing your Ancestors (Pen and Sword, 2011)
Karen Foy, Family History for Beginners (The History Press, 2011)
Chris Paton, How to Trace Your Family Tree on the Internet (Pen and Sword, 2011)
Jayne Shrimpton, How to Get the Most from Family Pictures (SoG, 2011)

Ancestry.co.uk and Findmypast.co.uk are the two biggest online providers of genealogical information among many, and they also have plenty of how-to-guides to help you start your research.

The National Archives website is packed with guides and information about the records held at Kew and a vital resource for beginners: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

For Scottish and Irish connections, try the Scotlands People website Scotlands People and the National Archives of Ireland.

Family History Monthly magazine is Britain’s fastest growing genealogy magazine. Find out more at http://www.familyhistorymonthly.com