Looking for tips to keep your family history research under control? Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine introduces a six-step plan to help you organise your paperwork, digital files, photos and books.

No matter what stage you’re at with your family history, it’s all too easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information you amass. Whether it’s certificates, old photos, reference books or just lots of digital data, continually sifting through piles of information can be disheartening.

Follow this six-step plan to get your research under control – allowing you to focus on the fun part of family history – finding your ancestors!

Read to find out how to organise:

• notes of your work in progress
• family charts, trees and record sheets
• original documentation
• family history memorabilia
• photographs
• your family history library

1. Your day-to-day notes

Start a research log, an ongoing document that shows what you’ve looked for and where – preventing you from duplicating and showing where the facts you have came from. You could also keep correspondence logs and a research record covering all ancestors.

Consider creating a small portable research which has an overview of your research, your working family tree and to do list, so that you don’t have to transport bulky and precious originals to libraries and archives.

2. Family history paperwork

If you’re determined to be super organised, have a separate binder (with acid-free pockets) for each surname on your tree. This can contain a copy of your family tree, record sheets for individuals and other information relating to the family such as census returns and trade directory details, etc.

Don’t be tempted to use cheap PVC pockets as these can strip the ink from the document; acid-free archive quality versions will give your documents top protection.

3. Precious original documents

Your original documents are the foundation of your family history and can include inherited documents such as BMD certificates, school reports, certificates for professional qualifications, service records, etc.

These are the items which you’ll be passing onto the next generation and so it’s worth taking the most care with this category, as these are the records which must stand the test of time.

Acid-free storage materials are used by record offices and archives and are widely available to members of the public from family history supply companies.

4. Genealogy memorabilia

Anything of a non-paper or bulky nature comes under this category and acid-free storage boxes are the best bet for long-term preservation. Wrap items such as family Bibles or fabrics such as a christening shawl or wedding veil in acid-free tissue paper before storing in the box.

5. Family photographs

If you have a collection of precious old photos, consider having them scanned and restored before keeping the originals in your own family archive. Sulphur-free boxes are perfect for photos if not stored in an album. Don’t use sticky labels on the back; if you want to write on the back use a soft lead pencil and write names, date and occasion.

6. Family history reference library

This doesn’t have to be anything grand, particularly as many of us don’t have room to store shelf after shelf of reference books, but it can be really useful to own a few key texts that will help you at all stages of your research. Ideas include:

• A dictionary of family history to help you understand key terms
• Books related to the geographic areas your ancestors came from
• Books that relate to a particular trade or industry
  

For free, printable or downloadable record sheets to help you organise your family history, visit the Family Tree website.
 
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

For many of us, the Christmas season means get-togethers with close and perhaps even distant relatives. Whether you love or loathe the prospect, with a little preparation you can turn your next gathering into an opportunity to enrich your family tree, as Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine explains in our latest blog.

When it comes to family history, your relatives are probably your biggest source of information apart from official records. Long-forgotten photographs, documents and certificates could be hiding away in attics and cupboards – and with a little planning could become part of the family tree.

At the next family gathering, why not make it your mission to gather this information together, enjoy a trip down memory lane and consolidate what each person knows about your ancestors and their lives.

Follow our six-step plan and enjoy a gathering to remember.  

1. What do you hope to gain?

You’re likely to come away satisfied from the get-together if you focus on a couple of objectives. For example, are you hoping for help in identifying unknown people on family photos? Or have you come across a family history mystery that older or more distant relatives might help to solve? Maybe you just want to find out what documents and papers belong to the family as a whole. Knowing your aims will help with step two…

2. Prepare your participants!

Contact your fellow party-goers to explain that you’re hoping to carry out a bit of fun family history research whilst you’re all together and would welcome their input. You could invite people to bring along old photos and do some scanning to share copies around. Or perhaps some relatives have old documents or certificates they might let you borrow. And if there are any relatives you feel will be particularly helpful in terms of information on particular ancestors, make a mental note to have a chat with them at the party.

3. Bring along a family history kit

Believe it or not, bringing along selected excerpts from your research can be a great ice-breaker and encourage your relations to help you in your quest to find ancestors. Just a few items such as a copy of the relevant part of the family tree, a few interesting photos and perhaps one or two birth, marriage or death certificates will set the ball rolling and get people reminiscing about grandparents, great-grandparents and maybe even stories relating to ancestors beyond that. And of course don’t forget you’ll need something for recording or writing down all this new information!

4. Set up shop

On the big day, find a corner where you can ‘set up shop’ and leave your family history research on display for people to look through. Have paper and pencils available for ancestor-identifying from old photos or recording any new information. If you can access a mobile scanner, teenage relatives might be willing to get busy scanning photos and documents, and you could also record mini memory sessions on your phone.

5. Make it all about the memories

Although dates are obviously key to us as family historians, in general these will always be available to us via family history records, even many years from now, whereas memories and knowledge are more precious and time sensitive. If anyone’s willing to share their reminiscences about the family in years gone by, this is a great opportunity to record that information and enrich your family tree. The same goes for old photos – aim to identify as many of those ancestors as possible whilst there are still people around who remember those pictured.

6. Can you gain any research buddies?

By the end of the gathering, hopefully everyone will have enjoyed a trip down memory lane and you’ll have gained some valuable new information. If anyone’s shown a particular interest in your research, why not enlist them as a research buddy? You could set up a WhatsApp group or e-mail circle to share your findings on a six-monthly basis or even organise a follow-up session.

(image: New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 25, 2019.
​ http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6f66e490-c325-0135-3c23-199488d815a9)

In the course of her research into the Scottish Anti-Vaccination League, Sylvia Valentine encounters many interesting stories.  In this blog for #AncestryHour she shares her latest findings where the connections of the individuals involved, as well as proving to be somewhat of a coup for the 'League', pose some tricky #familyhistory questions.  

​On February 3rd 1903, the Duchess of Hamilton gave birth to a baby boy, her first son. The child was named Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale, and was heir to the premier dukedom of Scotland.[1] His parent’s were Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, the 13th Duke of Hamilton and his wife Nina Poore.
In due course the Duchess gave birth to six more children.

• Lady Jean Douglas-Hamilton born 11 June 1904.[2]
• George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk born January 4th 1906.[3]
• Lady Margaret Douglas-Hamilton born 1907.[4]
• Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton, born November 12th 1909.[5]
• Lord David Douglas-Hamilton November 8th 1912.[6]  
• Lady Mairi Nina Douglas-Hamilton born 24th August 1914.[7]

 
On August 26th 1904, The Duke appeared at Wimborne Magistrates Court in Dorset to register his conscientious objection to the vaccination of his child and was granted his certificate of exemption. The word child is used advisedly, The Vaccination Inquirer and Health Review, the journal of the National Anti-vaccination League, refer to “…a little daughter…” and that the Duke had become a member of the Scottish Anti-Vaccination League.[8]
 
However, the numerous newspaper reports refer to “…an infant son.” The following is an example taken from The Bellshill Speaker.
 
The Duke of Hamilton applied to the Wimborne magistrates on Friday for a certificate exempting his infant son from vaccination. The Chairman—Why do you ask for this? The Duke—I have objection to vaccination. The Chairman-Very well, it is granted. It should be added that in Scotland conscientious scruples would not entertained, but in England the vaccination laws are voluntary.[9]
 
So, did the Duke claim exemption for his heir Douglas or his daughter Jean? Either is possible as in England and Wales, vaccination had to be performed by the time the child was three months old. Without reading the court documents or tracing the Registrar’s Vaccination Book it is impossible to identify which child was exempted. No earlier record of the Duke applying for exemption has yet been identified.
 
Whatever the gender of the exempted child, it certainly created something of a furore in Scotland. The law relating to conscientious objection which came into force in 1898 allowed parents in England and Wales to obtain a certificate of objection. However when the legislation was being considered by parliament, Scotland was specifically excluded from the legislation. Had these children been born at the family seat Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire, the Duke would have been unable to claim an exemption from vaccination, as the conscience clause was not extended to Scotland until 1907.
 
In 1905, John H Bonner undertook a speaking tour of Scotland on behalf of the National Anti-Vaccination League, to “educate’ the people of Scotland about the “evils of vaccination”. One of the locations where Bonner spoke was at Hamilton and Bonner’s account comments
 
At Hamilton we assembled within half a mile of the Duke’s palace, and the fact that his Grace had been enabled to apply for, and obtain, an exemption certificate considerably impressed the local people.  I was informed that in all probability the attention of the Duke was attracted to our question through an employee on his estate having suffered a term of imprisonment a year or two ago.[10]
 
 
A search of The British Newspaper Online discovered another court appearance by the Duke in 1906, the year his second son, George, was born.
 
At Wimborne, yesterday, the Duke of Hamilton obtained a vaccination exemption certificate on the ground that he conscientiously believed vaccination would be prejudicial to his child's health.[11]
 
But no further reports of court appearances have yet been located.
 
What influenced the Duke to become an anti-vaccinationist? Quite possibly because of the influence the Duchess, Nina Douglas-Hamilton who was a founder of the Animal Defence and Anti-vivisection Society.[12] Many anti-vaccinationists were also committed anti-vivisectionists, probably owing to the use which was made of calves to cultivate the cowpox lymph used in vaccinations. The Duchess remained committed to animal rights until her death in 1951.
 
The Vaccination Inquirer and Health Review of August 1907, reported that the Duke was to open a fete being held in aid of the N.S.P.C.C., with a “beautiful baby” class. Perhaps somewhat with tongue in cheek, a suggestion had been made that the committee should have a speciality class for ‘…un-cowpoxed bairns and that the Duchess herself could enter two.[13]
 
Did the Duke obtain exemption for “the Heir and the spare”? Did he allow his other children to be vaccinated?  It is impossible to know with any degree of certainty. What is certain is that the Scottish Anti-Vaccination League considered his membership to be something of a coup, one which would encourage others to follow his lead. It is a pity that the society records are not in an archive, but one can live in hope that somewhere, they are lurking still in a box and might yet be re discovered


[1] St George Hanover Square  Registration District, March Quarter, volume 01A, page 449.

[2] Poole Registration District September Quarter 1904 Volume 5a, page 243

[3] Poole Registration District March Quarter 1906 Volume 5a, page 241.

[4] Stockbridge Registration District December Quarter 1907 Volume 2c, page105.

[5] Avondale Registration District, November 1909 621/108, page 36

[6] Avondale Registration District, November 1912 621/88, page 30.

[7] Avondale Registration District, August 1914 621/74, page 74.

[8] The Vaccination Inquirer and Health Review, Volume 26, no.388, page 162, November 1904.

[9] Bellshill Speaker 2 September 1904.

[10] The Vaccination Inquirer and Health Review, Volume 26, no.311, page 213, February 1905.

[11] Globe 21 April 1906

[12] Jon Wynne-Tyson, Nina Mary Benita Douglas Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, September 2004.

[13] The Vaccination Inquirer and Health Review, Volume 29, no.341, page 88, August 1907

Should you pass on your family history research to someone who’s a stranger to you but with whom you may share a common ancestor? Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine offers her thoughts.

Three times in the past year I’ve had exciting emails from someone with whom I share an ancestor, who’s reached out to me either via my online tree on Ancestry, or through a DNA test I did a couple of years ago. It’s always great to get that feeling that we family historians love, when the possibility of finding new ancestors or even overcoming a brick wall presents itself.

Each of my new connections has turned into a friendship, but that initial contact got me thinking, do some similar cases not turn out so well? Have there been times when people have shared their precious research only to regret doing so? This blog isn’t intended to act as a guideline for what to do, as only you can make that decision, but instead to offer some thoughts on different ways to proceed with a new genealogy contact and to show how these partnerships can work well when handled with care on both sides.

Hello, third cousin once removed!

As family historians we revel in inter-generation links and in those clues that can help us back to the next generation or on to a new ancestor. Many of us will have worked on our family history for years and most probably will have spent quite a bit of money in pursuit of our obsession. So how much should you be prepared to share with a stranger?

The first step when someone reaches out to you as a potential family match is to work out which common ancestor you share (if indeed, there is one). It would, of course, be a waste of both of your time should your new ‘cousin’ turn out to have no connection to your family at all.

But once you’ve made the connection and established which common ancestor you share, then your joint project can begin. Even if you’re communicating with someone who’s completely new to family history this should be a two-way process with both of you contributing in your own way.

The start of a beautiful friendship?

A good way to look at the process is to imagine how it would work if you were starting a new friendship in the non-genealogy or non-online world. Of course you wouldn’t spill your life story to someone you happened to sit next to on the train. In most cases, friendship builds as trust is earned and information about both your lives will naturally reveal itself as the relationship grows.

Each of us will have our own feeling about how much of our tree we’re prepared to share but it makes sense to bear in mind the worst case scenario – that someone could take all the information you’ve given them about your ancestors, copy it straight into their own tree and pass it off as their own work. How would that make you feel? 

The more generations between you and your contact and that common ancestor, the narrower the portion of tree you’ll be interested in. So don’t feel that you have to share your whole tree at once or even at all. Some programmes (such as Family Historian) allow you to section off areas of your tree to share with a contact and of course it’s essential to safeguard the privacy of anyone who’s still alive and is featured in your research. 

Another option is to ‘drip feed’ the information as the two of you share your findings (and maybe collaborate on a research project together). You might be surprised how much you can learn from someone who’s new to family history. Family stories and memorabilia pass down different branches of the tree and you could be lucky enough to gain access to photos and paperwork you didn’t know existed.

Let’s work together…

As I mentioned at the start, my three tentative contacts have turned into partnerships where I hope we’ve both gained something. I’ve found a new Irish cousin, which has been really rewarding since my own family had lost touch with its Irish roots. We never knew why my 4 x great-grandfather was known as the ‘silver king’ but my new-found third cousin has helped me uncover newspaper reports about this ancestor’s role as a provisions dealer in Ireland and his brushes with the law. 

In return I’ve been able to pass on family photos from my own branch, allowing this cousin to see descendants of the ‘silver king’ and I’m also going to photograph some gravestones over in Dublin next month to help him with his research.
I guess what  I’m trying to say is that I went against my natural instincts to share my research and I tried to think about I could contribute to the partnership even when it seemed I was receiving more than I was giving. Whatever stage we’re at with our research, we’re all on the family history journey together and I’m sure you’d agree that it would be a sad day if we thought we’d learnt all there was to know about our ancestors and their lives.

For free advice on tracing your family tree, visit Family Tree's website.

(image copyright Ahsmann)

 
In the latest issue of Family Tree magazine, editor Helen Tovey introduces a new project – creating a family tree matrix. In our latest blog, we share this great project with the Ancestry Hour community, helping you to find red flags and promising leads in your genealogy research.

Sometimes when we come to a brick wall in our family history investigations it’s because we can’t find the details we’re after to enable us to continue searching. At other times it’s because we’ve found details but aren’t sure which of the information or paths ahead of us is correct.
 
For instance, perhaps you have an ancestor that you’ve found under several (apparently unaccountable) surnames through their lives in the records? Or perhaps you have an ancestor whose age varies wildly. By gathering a matrix of information about a person and their relations you can recreate (or reconstitute) the family – analysing your collection of data for red flags to be worried about, or promising leads.
 
How to create your family tree matrix
 
The column and row headings listed below are examples of table headings that you may like to include, when creating
your own collection of data for you to compare.
 
In this instance, the concept has been designed to relate to just one person (though it can include cross-references
to other people). The idea behind it is to help you build up a collection of clues that can be analysed side by side, to help you spot evidence that’s more likely, or less likely.
 
The premise is to think about the facts that we’re after and to have a range of records in which we can search for
them. When you have a puzzle on your hands, this log will give you the scope and space to record your details in a
layout that’s easy to study at a glance. You may like to copy these details into Excel to create your own spreadsheet.
 
Spreadsheet information to include
 
COLUMN 1
Forename
Surname
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of marriage
Place of marriage
Date of death
Place of death
Place of burial
Spouse
Parents
Children
Address
Occupation
 
ROW 1
(with space in column 1 left blank)
Birth certificate
Baptism
Marriage certificate
Marriage (other; parish, banns)
Death certificate
Burial (other: parish, etc)
Family ‘lore’ (oral history)
Family records (birthday books,
Family Bible etc)
School records
Apprentice
Occupations
Electoral registers
Trade directories
Phone books
Newspapers
Census 1841
Census 1851
Census 1861
Census 1871
Census 1881
Census 1891
Census 1901
Census 1911
1939 Register
 
Good luck with your own matrix and we hope it helps you solve your family history mystery or eliminate those red herrings, saving your time and energy.
 
For more on Family Tree magazine, visit the website.
 
(image © Crazyphunk)

By Lynn Heiden

I am a collector of old photos, sharing them every day on Twitter & Instagram & I especially enjoy researching any that have family names & blogging about them with a hope that they may eventually be returned back to their families. So this past week has been such a joy.

The story started last weekend when I received an email from a lady called Caroline from Wiltshire about a Blog that I wrote back last August about Walter, Matilda, Kathleen, Betty & Daisy Bartlett, as a result of buying two postcard photos with names on from Old Postcards.  I was quite pleased I had managed to find out so much about the family who came mostly from Somerset, not too far from us in Dorset.

Caroline had Googled one of her family surnames BARTLETT & came across my Blog, she was astonished to see the photos & her family history.  Walter was her Grandmother's brother.  She gave me her phone number & we've spoken on the phone a couple of times this week, a lovely lady.  I posted the photos off to her & she was thrilled to have them back in the family. She has been researching her family history for a while now.  This is another family photo she shared with me to add to my Blog, showing her Grandmother's Wedding group & you can see Walter & Matilda far right.

I posted on my Facebook page & Twitter about this update to the Bartlett story & Old Postcards contacted me to say that after reading my Blog she realised that she still has more Postcards from the same family, so she sent me the links to a few still in her store which I have passed on to Caroline, brilliant!  So, hopefully even if she doesn't want them for her collection, she will still have been able to see the postcards that some of her Ancestors wrote, back in the times when they didn't have telephones to keep in touch.

Another friend on Twitter @book_magpie Gill Edwards, also contacted me to say that she had bought three of the same family's postcards from Old Postcards too & that if Caroline wanted them she would gladly post them on to her, which she did the same day, how wonderful of her!

Everyone coming together to help each other is exactly what family history people are so good at!  It echoes the ethos of #AncestryHour helping people every week find answers to their questions & queries.

Keep up the good work everyone.

If you haven't read the Bartlett Blog yet here's the Link: https://lynnswaffles.com/2018/08/24/walter-matilda-kathleen-betty-and-daisy-bartlett/
​
You can find Lynn online at Lynn's Waffles 
On Facebook ​ www.facebook.com/lynnswaffles/
On Twitter twitter.com/LynnsWaffles

Firstly let me start off by introducing myself for those of you that don’t know me!
 
My name is Paul Chiddicks, aged 54 and I have been researching my family tree on and off, for the last 15 years.  I am an #AncestryHour regular and also contribute a regular blog to Family Tree Magazine.  I am writing this guest blog for the #AncestryHour web page.
 
​Now go on admit it, everyone's “googled” their own name haven't they?? Well I certainly have.
 
Were you surprised with what you found??  Was there a lot more content about you, available on the Internet, than you ever imagined?? Have a look now, you might get a shock!

​I'm sure we all have at some point, googled our own name, so what I'm going to try and do with this blog, is take that process a little step further.
 
“Just Google it”, I must say that phrase at least several times every day, but where would we be without Google, or any search engine for that matter?
 
So let's explore how using Google in our research can open a few new doors for us:
 
1) Now I'm not going to sit here and explain to you how to use the various Google search helps, such as speech marks, the plus sign and minus sign, asterix etc, there are plenty of guides or “how to pages” available on the internet that will teach you the specifics of using Google.
 
What I am  going to try and do is, point you in the right direction of some different ideas of what to search for, hopefully some ideas that you maybe haven’t considered before, that might just knock down that brick wall for you.
 
2) So what should you consider? Well apart from individual names, experiment with searching for streets where your ancestors lived, also look at images as well as straightforward web pages, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
 
3) As an example, my great-grandfather, Matthew Chiddicks, lived at 40, Shortmead Street, Biggleswade. Put that into Google and it leads you to this wonderful website listing the history of the properties in the street.

​http://www.biggleswadehistory.org.uk/Roads/shortmead_street_west.htm  ​Without using that type of search I might never have found this site.

4) Another search on an ancestral home at Plough Cottages, South Ockendon, brings up images of The Plough Public House, nestled alongside, are Plough Cottages, where Matthew Chiddicks also lived.

5) Use Google street view to locate where your ancestors lived and how the house looks today.  Take a screenshot of the image and you have a ready-made picture of your ancestor’s home.  Make comparisons if you have a picture of the same house in your photo collection.
 
6) Experiment with people’s names in conjunction with streets and areas that they lived in, again use a combination of web pages as well as images.  Look at Schools where your ancestors would have attended, look at school reunion sites as another alternative.
 
7) Consider your ancestors employment, look at companies they might have worked for, or occupations and Industries which they were engaged in.  Again be imaginative.
 
8) Don’t’ always abandon a search after one or two pages, look a bit further down the results pages that Google has provided.  I have searched my great grandfather “John Edwin Barnes” numerous times over the years.  My great grandfather died at Gallipoli during WW1.  A more recent Google of his name brought up an interesting find, he is mentioned in a book, Britain’s Lost Regiments, by author Trevor Royle.
 
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=q_3RBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT152&lpg=PT152&dq=%22john+edwin+barnes%22&source=bl&ots=uFbVrds1A-&sig=kc0tTogAzRBTxIS_5Eh6H_F4ohk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ-_n1hNDVAhXGIcAKHUsgA7E4ChDoAQgnMAA#v=onepage&q=%22john%20edwin%20barnes%22&f=false

​Without this later search, I would never have known about the book. It was such a wonderful surprise. None of this would have been possible without the original Google search.
 
9) So, in summary, be flexible, experiment, look at all aspects of your ancestors life. School, work, occupation, where they lived, what they did, hobbies, where they possibly socialised, clubs and organisations for example.
 
Working Men’s clubs were a big part of life a generation or two ago, as well as sports and social clubs. Did your ancestors socialise here? Are there any photographs online?
 
One final example to end with.
 
10) My grandfather was Secretary of our local Labour Club, The Rook Hall Club, putting this into Mr.Google brought up this site
 
https://www.francisfrith.com/uk/grays/rememberinggraysandrookhalldellroad_memory-458191
 
I then contacted the lady that made the post in the article. She was now living in Australia.  By absolute sheer chance, she recognised my surname, her husband went to the same school as my Father.  They kindly sent me some fantastic images of my Father, in a series of school photographs and a local street party.  These pictures are priceless to me now, but without my original Google search, I would never have found them.

So why not spend an afternoon trying various searches, experiment, be flexible, be patient and you just might be rewarded with a wonderful surprise or two that you never expected.
 
Please let me know how you get on……..
 
Paul Chiddicks
Researching the names:

• Chiddicks in Essex
• Daniels in Dublin
• Keyes in Prittlewell
• Wootton in Herefordshire and London
• Jack in Scotland
• Day in Essex, Kent and Gloucestershire
• Barnes in Poplar
• Dodd in East London

 
You can find me on twitter @chiddickstree and my own family tree blog page is 
​ https://chiddicksfamilytree.wordpress.com

So, you’ve made a good start on tracing your family tree and found some fascinating ancestors, what next? Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine shows you how to write up the history of your family to share with your relatives
 
You may be lucky enough to personally remember your Victorian ancestors and recall the tales they told, or perhaps your mother and father were brought up by parents who lived during this era. If you have some great family stories, consider writing them down for your own descendants to enjoy.
 
Even if family anecdotes for your ancestors are thin on the ground, you can still write up your family history by using your own memories as a starting point.
 
The planning stage
 
Whether you’re aiming to produce a small booklet or a complete family record book, the basics are the same: make a plan before you start to write.
 
First of all, who’s your intended audience? If you’re writing for relatives, you can stick largely to featuring your own ancestors and their immediate environment. However, if you hope to appeal to a wider readership, you might want to include some local history.

For simplicity, it’s usually better to concentrate on either your maternal or paternal line. Organise your research notes so that you can decide on a timeframe, the number of ancestors and different themes.
 
Starting to write
 
Before you begin, take a moment to consider your reader. You’re going to be taking the bare facts from certificates, censuses, directories, etc, and weaving these into an appealing account. A good way to start your story is to begin at an exciting moment.
 
Opening with words such as ‘Alice Hemingway was born on 1 October 1940’ will do little to engage your reader. Instead, a few extra words to put that fact into context could make all the difference: ‘Alice Hemingway made her entry into the world on 1 October 1940, in a busy hospital which was struggling to operate during the London blitz.’
 
You don’t have to write the story as an exact chronology; consider whether the tale of your ancestors might be better arranged into themed chapters such as marriage, childhood, working life, etc. You could also include details of local or national events to put the lives of your ancestors into context.

For example, say which monarch was on the throne when an ancestor was born, or how many people lived in your home village at the time your great-grandparents set up home there. Remember, not all of your readers will share your enthusiasm for dates, so ‘softer’ details such as local news, popular songs of the time and styles of dress will enliven the text.

You could also include excerpts from sources such as letters and diaries –allowing your ancestors to speak for themselves. And don’t be afraid to include the ‘black sheep’ among your ancestors – people’s faults and failings are another way of bringing the story to life. Having said that, beware of including information which affects people who are still alive and could be upset by the family’s story.

Finally, don’t forget to include information about yourself and your family, so that the story can be continued by your own descendants.
 
The finished product
 
Once you’ve completed your story, if possible pass it on to a friend or relative who can check it for grammatical errors. You can then consider which illustrations would help bring the text to life. Photos, letters, tickets and certificates can all help brighten up the pages and allow your reader to literally picture the family’s story.
 
When you’ve printed your final version, consider depositing a copy with your local family history society, particularly if you’ve included a large number of ancestors, as your work may help someone else researching the same surname.
 
Layout tips

• Consider using an index to help readers locate a particular topic
• List your sources
• Have a ‘further reading’ section for books you found helpful

 
Read up on it
Writing Your Family History, Gill Blanchard (Pen & Sword, 2014)
Write Your Life Story, Michael Oke (Hachette UK, 2011)

For more tips on exploring your family history, visit the Family Tree website.

(image copyright Thomas Martisen)

AncestryDNA has by far the largest autosomal DNA database at over 10 million testers and it is growing daily.  If you are interested in taking a DNA test for genealogy purposes or you have a DNA mystery to solve then it's essential to get into the largest database.  You cannot transfer into Ancestry as you can some of the other companies so you have to test with them direct.  They are offering their lowest price of the year for Black Friday so now is the time to buy if you've been holding off waiting for a good sale!
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The price of the AncestryDNA test in the UK has been reduced by £30 from £79 to £49 for Black Friday
(please note that this does not include shipping which is £9.99 for a first kit and £4.99 for each additional kit in the same order - maximum ten kits per order)
*sale ends 26th November 

AncestryDNA are also running Black Friday sales in Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada:

Ireland: Price reduced by €40 from €95 to €55
Shipping €9.99 per kit and €4.99 per additional kit in same order
*sale ends 26th November 

USA: Price reduced by $50 from $99 to $49
Shipping $9.95 for a first kit and $4.95 for each addtional kit
*sale ends 26th November 

Australia & New Zealand: Price reduced by A$41 from A$129 to A$88
Shipping A$29.99 for first kit and A$10 for each additional kit
*sale ends 26th November 

Canada: Price reduced by C$60 from C$129 to C$69 (looks like lowest price ever for Canada!)
Shipping C$19.95 for first kit and C$10 for each additional kit
*sale ends 26th November 11:59pm E.T.
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​Amazon UK also have Ancestry kits as a "Deal of the Day" on Black Friday so they are selling for the same price as the Ancestry website (£49):

MyHeritage are also having a Black Friday sale - they have reduced the price of their DNA kit from £75 to £49 in the UK and if you buy two or more kits free shipping will be included (if you only wish to order one kit standard shipping costs £9).   The sale price in Ireland is €49 with standard shipping of €9 for one kit but the same free shipping if you buy 2 kits or more deal is in force.  The sale price in the US is $49 and you can get free shipping by using the code FREE18 (US Only).  The sale was originally set to end on the 23rd but has been extended to the 25th now.
UPDATE: Amazon UK is selling MyHeritage kits HERE for £48 with free shipping as a Deal of the Day on Saturday 24th November (ends midnight).
UPDATE 2: MyHeritage have reinstated their £49 per kit and free shipping if you buy two or more for Cyber Monday

It's possible to transfer into the MyHeritage database for free from any of the other major companies - HERE is a link to upload your results to their site.  I would encourage anyone who has not yet taken advantage of uploading to do so prior to 1st December as MyHeritage are going to institute a small fee for extra features in the same way FTDNA does with their autosomal transfers but anyone who transfers in before the deadline will have the extra features grandfathered into their account for free.  It is well worth having access to MyHeritage's excellent tools especially their chromosome browser.  For more information on the changes read THIS MyHeritage announcement.
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On the back of a brilliant Thanksgiving sale which ended yesterday FTDNA are offering a Black Friday sale on all of their test kits.  Their autosomal offering (Family Finder) has $40 off bringing it down to just $39 plus shipping until 26th November and shipping has also been reduced to $9.95.
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Don't forget that FTDNA also have an autosomal transfer option so if you have tested at Ancestry, 23andMe (V3 and V4 only) or MyHeritage you can transfer into FTDNA and get all of your highest confidence matches for free.  If you would like access to all tools and FTDNA's ethnicity estimate you can get those by paying a small $19 fee.

Y-DNA tests are also on sale until 26th November as follows:

And finally the discount on their MtDNA Full Seqeunce test is $60 bringing the price down from $199 to $139 and this again runs until 26th November:

Living DNA are also having a DNA Day sale as follows:

UK: Price reduced from £99 to £69 plus shipping (£9.95 standard)

EU: Price reduced from €109 to €79 plus shipping (€12.95 standard)

US: Price reduced from $99 to $69 plus shipping ($9.95 standard)

Canada: Price reduced from C$149 to C$99 plus shipping (C$14.95  standard) 

​Australia: Price reduced from A$169 to A$119 plus shipping (A$14.95 standard) 

New Zealand: Price reduced from NZ$169 to NZ$119 plus shipping (NZ$14.95 standard) 

The Living DNA test gives a detailed regional breakdown of UK Ancestry and also includes Y-DNA and MtDNA haplogroup information.  LivingDNA's new Family Networks matching system is now in beta testing and all customers should have access to the matching database in the near future.  It is also possible to upload results from other major testing companies to LivingDNA and you will be able to take advantage of their new Family Networks matching database if you do that but you will not receive the detailed regional breakdown or Y-DNA and MtDNA haplogroup designations.  You can upload your raw data HERE.

LivingDNA also recently partnered with FindMyPast to be the provider of their new DNA test kit - the FindMyPast version of the test is also on sale for Black Friday as follows:

FindMyPast are selling their LivingDNA powered test for £59 plus £9.95 shipping per order (not per kit).  In Ireland the sale price is €69 plus €12.95 shipping per order.

This is the same test as the LivingDNA test and you will go into the LivingDNA database but be aware that the FindMyPast version does not include the Y-DNA and MtDNA information that the LivingDNA test does.  You can add this on for £19.90 in the UK or €24.95 but if you want the 3-in-1 test then it's cheaper to go with LivingDNA's direct deal at £69 (UK) or €79 (Ireland).  If however you don't want or need the Y and Mt information then the FindMyPast deal is better and, once again, you can upload to the LivingDNA database via FindMyPast HERE for free.

23andMe's Black Friday sale in the UK is offering £25 off their Ancestry only service bringing the price down to £54 per kit or £55 off their Health + Ancestry service bringing the price down to £94 per kit.  Shipping costs £9.99 (Standard). The sale ends on 26th November at 5am GMT.
UPDATE:  23andMe Ancestry only kits are also being sold on Amazon HERE with free shipping - they are not a deal of the day so it's possible the price will remain until the end of the sale.  The price for the Ancestry+Health kit is £103.99.

​In the US they are offering a Black Friday deal which ends on 25th November at 9pm PST: $30 off the Ancestry only service bringing it down to $69 and $70 off the Ancestry + Health service bringing to down to $129.  Shipping costs $9.95 per kit (Standard).  If you are in the US and want to get the Health + Ancestry test, however, there's an even better deal for Black Friday on Amazon - they're selling it for $99! This is just a 24 hour flash sale for Black Friday; you can see the deal HERE.

The Black Friday sale in Canada also runs until 25th November at 9pm PST; C$40 off per kit for the Ancestry only service bringing it down from C$129 to C$89 and C$90 off the Health + Ancestry service bringing it down from C$249 to C$159.  Shipping costs C$19.95 (Standard).

​There is currently no deal available for Ireland, other EU countries or on their International site.

MAJOR UPDATE: The 23andMe Black Friday sale ended on the 25th but for Cyber Monday they are having an even better flash sale!  Until Tuesday 27th Nov at 8pm GMT Ancestry Only kits are being sold with £35 off bringing them down to £44 plus shipping (£9.99 whether you buy one kit or more).  Ancestry + health kits are being sold with £75 off if you buy two or more kits bringing to total down to £74 per kit.  Ancestry + Health kits are also a "Deal of the Day" on Amazon though were you can pick one up HERE for £72.79 with free shipping until midnight GMT on Monday and there's no need to but 2 or more kits at Amazon. 

Ahead of the centenary of the end of World War I, Helen Tovey, editor of Family Tree magazine, shares her top tips on how to explore the Great War service of your ancestors.

Soon the World War I centenary Last Post will sound, 100 years on from the Armistice, 1918. At memorials in town squares and churches all over the world, many of us will say the words ‘we will remember them’. If you’d like to find out how to begin tracing your ancestors’ war years, it’s not too late to start.

Which World War I battles did your ancestor fight?

Of course, you’ll want to focus not just on the theatre of war, but on the events in which your family members saw action. Visit Wikipedia here to see a massive list of more than 300 military engagements during WW1, including those on land, at sea and in the air, from all over the globe. Link through to those of interest, for fuller information about each one.

Key records to seek in the archives and online

Essentially you’re on the lookout for these key archive records. Each of these is held in national collections, and digitised versions are available to view on the internet:

• Medal index cards – which will give name, rank, number, unit, medal entitlement. These are comprehensive and cover all ranks, officers and men. See Ancestry and National Archives.
• Service or pension records – which will give an outline of the soldier’s career (postings, promotions, dependents, physical health). An estaimated 70 percent of the soldiers’ service records were destroyed by fire following a bomb in World War II, therefore the odds are against you finding your man but you might. See Ancestry and FindMyPast.
• Unit war diaries – which give a day-by-day account of the unit’s activities and movements. Succinct and formulaic, these don’t mention individuals in detail and largely only officers by name. Other ranks are just referred to as, for instance, ’17 men’. Nevertheless, they are worth reading to get a feel for the unit’s activities – the peril and monotony of life in service, plus the chance to read diary entries for those key battles of history, or for the period around which your ancestor might have been wounded or killed. See Operation War Diary or the National Archives.
• Graves or memorials – if your ancestors died in the war, your first port of call should be the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, which lists the fallen, with name, rank, number, regiment, date of death and place buried, or details of the memorial on which their name is remembered.
  

Key treasures to ask family about

The wartime memorabilia that your family may hold can be extremely enlightening as to your ancestors’ service. If your ancestor has a common name, then these items can be even more valuable, helping you to identify key clues (such as regiment number, ship name etc) about your person.

Medals – ask around family members, including the wider family, as your ancestor’s medals may have been handed down a different branch of the family tree. Ask to see the medals or pictures showing the ribbons, medals and medal rim.

Photographs – official photographs weren’t taken of individual British service personnel so your best chance of finding a photo of your ancestor in uniform is to ask among the (wider) family again. if you can see the original, great, but if not ask for the clearest possible copy so that you can see the details of cap badge, shoulder titles, sleeve badges of rank, skills and so on. Each of these items will give you details and insights into your ancestor’s war years.

Other memorabilia – there may be letters sent back to family, photos, trench art (eg items made from the brass cartridges), cartoons, personal diaries, sweetheart badges or even a miniature soldier teddy bear mascot (given for luck to the lads by their families). Ask around and you may be in luck yourself in finding at least one of these items.

Find out much more about tracing your World War I ancestors in the November issue of Family Tree magazine – a centenary special.

(image © Bryan Ledgard)