If you fancy trying something a bit different, or want a bit of a break from your usual research, why not make a single ancestor the subject of a research project, writes Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine?

Most of us will have heard of, and might even be involved with, a surname project or one-name study. But have you ever considered on starting a research project which focuses on the life and times of a single ancestor in depth? It might be an ancestor who’s the subject of a family legend you’ve never been able to prove, or perhaps a person who’s proved something of a stumbling block when it comes to your research.

By concentrating on that person for a few weeks or months, you can use a variety of research skills to deepen your understanding of your ancestor, including:

• Using maps to follow your ancestor’s geographical journey from birth to death
• Exploring house history to find out more about the homes where your ancestor lived, and what life might have been like in their town or village
• Studying trade and occupation records to get a deeper understanding of your ancestor’s working life and what the job might have involved
• Looking at the wider picture, as you consider how historical events might have affected your ancestor, or even the big stories they might have read about in the newspapers
• Going beyond the census and birth, marriage & death records to flesh out the basic facts

 
Which ancestor should I choose?

Quite simply, it’s up to you – you might want to go on instinct and choose an ancestor who’s always fascinated you, or who seems to have a background story. All that matters is that you feel enthusiastic about the project, and ready to delve into that person’s life.

Most probably you’ll already have gathered the basic data on the person in question, such as following them through the censuses, and obtaining documents for their birth, marriage and death. Now it’s time to widen the search.

So, where to start? Your census data will tell you when and where your ancestor lived at ten-yearly intervals, so you could begin by plotting their various homes on an old street or town map. If you lose track of an ancestor between censuses, consider resources such as poll books or electoral rolls to check in on the person.

Trade directories might help you to follow the progress of ancestor’s career, or even just provide an insight into which trades and industries were prevalent when your ancestor was resident in a particular town or city. Victorian directories are rich in detail, even down to giving information on how often post was collected from pillar boxes, and how frequently the mail coach called into the town. The University of Leicester has an excellent selection of English and Welsh historical directories.

What records could I study?

Family Tree’s online guide to what records are held where shows you the range of records available, and how you can access them.

For example, you might have seen your ancestor’s death certificate, but have you checked whether they made a will? (which might mention other ancestors, as well as personal possessions). Perhaps that person’s death was mentioned in a local, or even national, newspaper. The British Newspaper Archive can point you in the right direction, and remember that many people are mentioned by initial and surname (rather than forename) in older newspapers.

Presenting your project

As your research progresses, you might want to present it in a different way to your regular family history. Because a one-ancestor project delves deeper into the human side of the story, it might well interest those relatives who might otherwise give family history a wide berth.

A scrapbook, loose-leaf binder or even a special notebook would allow you to create a This Is Your Life type presentation, adding information as and when you find it. There are no time or size limitations – this is a project which can fit into however much time you have available.

Top tips

• Don’t forget to add any information that you find to your ‘main’ family history research records – and also consider whether this new research throws light onto any other ancestors
  
• Use visual resources to enrich the project – maps, photographs, postcards and newspapers can all play their part. Traders such as Tuck DB Postcards and Francis Frith have a great range of street and town views
  
• If your ancestor’s home town is within a reasonable travelling distance, consider a genealogy road trip and see for yourself where that person went to school, spent their leisure time, married and was maybe even buried

For more research tips, genealogy challenges and case studies, join the free of charge Family Tree Academy.

Written by Michelle Leonard

AncestryDNA now have over 10 million testers in their database!  This is by far the largest autosomal database in existence and DNA Day brings the best price of the year so far from Ancestry.  Getting in the largest database is important for everyone interested in DNA testing for genealogy purposes but it is especially important if you have a mystery to solve (e.g. adoption, unknown parentage, illegitimate grandparent etc).  You cannot transfer into Ancestry as you can some of the other companies so you have to test with them direct.  The sheer size of the database (larger than the others put together) makes testing at Ancestry a top priority for mysteries as the larger the database the better the chance of close matches.
​
The price of the AncestryDNA test in the UK has been reduced by 25% from £79 to £59 for DNA Day 2018
(Please note that this does not include shipping which is £9.99 for the first kit and £4.99 for each additional kit in the same order - shipping has recently become 50% cheaper as well)
*Sale ends 26th April 23:59 GMT

Ancestry are also running DNA Day sales in Ireland, USA and Canada:

Ireland: Price reduced by 25% from €95 to €71
Shipping €20 for first kit and €10 per additional kit in same order
*Sale ends 26th April 23:59 GMT
​
USA: Price reduced by 40% from $99 to $59
Shipping $9.95 for first kit and $4.95 per additional kit in same order
*Sale ends 29th April

Canada: Price reduced by $40 CAD from $129 CAD to $89 CAD
Shipping $19.95 CAD for first kit and $10 CAD per additional kit in same order
*Sale ends 30th April

UPDATED: 23andMe in the UK have now joined the other companies by having a DNA Day sale - it is a one day only sale with 30% off tests beginning and ending on DNA Day itself 25th April.

23andMe now offer both their original Health + Ancestry test which includes autsomal matching, Y-DNA and MtDNA haplogroup information and certain health reports as well as a cheaper Ancestry Only test which omits the health reports.  The sale prices for DNA Day are:

UK
Health + Ancestry:    £104 (plus £9.99 shipping)
Ancestry Only:             £55 (plus £9.99 shipping)

There are also DNA Day sales taking place in the US and Canada with 30% off both types of test too:
​
USA
Health + Ancestry: $139 plus shipping
Ancestry Only:          $69 plus shipping

Canada
Health + Ancestry: C$174 plus shipping 
Ancestry Only:          C$90 plus shipping

23andMe have the second largest database out of all the major companies with over 5 million testers now so testing here cannot be overlooked especially if you have a mystery to solve.  Many people do test for the health results but the addition of the Ancestry only test last year was very welcome and there are now more people testing solely for genealogy purposes.

FURTHER UPDATE:  23andMe are allowing people who have tested at AncestryDNA to upload their raw data to their site for 24 hours only and in return they will receive 4 free reports:

The four free reports are as follows:

Please be aware that "DNA Family" is not 23andMe's DNA matching facility - this is known as DNA Relatives.  DNA Family will just give you an overview of the number of people who match you and at what relationship levels they match you.  It will also give you a broad look at their locations and ancestry composition as well as some quirky comparisons between them and the average 23andMe user e.g. percentage for who's more likely to feel jittery after drinking caffeine or more likely to be able to wiggle their ears!  It will not tell you who they are or give you means to contact them but if you have a mystery, for instance, and you're not yet in the 23andMe database it will tell you if you have any close relatives there and you can then make an informed decision as to whether it is worth buying a kit to see who those people are.  Even if you are just curious to see if any close cousins have tested at 23andMe this will give you a good indication of that.  If you do wish to see your DNA Relatives list, though, you will need to purchase a 23andMe kit.

​This is what the top of my DNA Family page looks like to give you an idea:

As you can see if tells me that I have four people in the close family to second cousin range - if you were to get a result like that then it could be very worthwhile getting a kit in the sale to see who those people are.  

This is a new departure for 23andMe as they have never accepted uploads before and it will be interesting to see if it leads to anything further.  Perhaps they will allow unlocking of matching for a fee or perhaps you will always need to buy a kit to get access to your match list.  We will have to wait and see.  I am unclear at this point if this 24 hour upload deal is for US Customers only but it seems that may be the case as UK and International customers are reporting an inability to upload.  Also you have to create new accounts to use it and cannot upload new people to your existing 23andMe accounts.  23andMe have now released an information sheet HERE and If you would like to upload use this link HERE.

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

UK: Price reduced by £40.80 from £120 to £79.20 plus delivery
UK Standard Delivery (5-7 working days):   £9.95
UK Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): £14.95
​
EU: Price reduced by €55.80 from €159 to €103.20 plus delivery
EU Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): €12.95
EU Premium Delivery (5-7 working days):     €24.95

US: Price reduced by $79.01 from $159 to $79.99 plus delivery
USA Standard Delivery (5-7 working days):   $9.95
USA Premium Delivery (2-3 working days): $39.95

Canada: Price reduced by C$63.80 from C$199 to C$135.20 plus delivery
Canada Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): C$14.95 
Canada Premium Delivery (5-7 working days):     C$49.95 

​Australia: Price reduced by A$63.80 from A$199 to A$135.20 plus delivery
Australia Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): A$14.95 
Australia Premium Delivery (5-7 working days):     A $69.95 

New Zealand: Price reduced by NZ$63.80 from NZ$199 to NZ$135.20 plus delivery
New Zealand Standard Delivery (14-20 working days): NZ $14.95 
New Zealand Premium Delivery (5-7 working days):     NZ $69.95 

The Living DNA test gives a detailed regional breakdown of UK Ancestry and also includes Y-DNA and MtDNA haplogroup information.  Please note that Living DNA currently do not offer a matching database but one is in beta testing and will be launched in the autumn of this year.  It is also now possible, via the One Family One World Project, to upload results from other major testing companies to LivingDNA and you will be able to take advantage of the new matching database if you do that but you will not receive the detailed regional breakdown or Y-DNA and MtDNA haplogroup designations.

The specialist military genealogy website has added the 1800’s Worldwide Army Index, containing over 500,000+ records compiled from musters contained in WO 10-11-12 War Office Paylists held at the National Archives, Kew.
 
Whilst census returns have revealed many long-lost souls there was still the matter of many thousands of British (English, Scottish, Welsh & Irish) subjects who remained unaccounted for. Some of them would have been merchant mariners or Royal Navy subjects away on the highs seas or folk who simply upped and emigrated. A great number were army personnel.

• The 1851 Worldwide Army Index lists all officers and other ranks subjects serving in the January-March quarter of 1851 together with their regimental HQ location. The index is effectively a military surrogate for the 1851 census taken on 30th March 1851. Also included are recruits, boy soldiers, bandsmen and civilians working in the armed forces as clerks, pension recruiters and suchlike. Colonial regiments which invariably had numbers of British subjects are also included. The index consists of over 243,000 lines indicating army number, rank, first and last names, regiment and regimental HQ location. This index does not contain the names of commissioned officers as in 1861 their names were excluded from the Paylists. Officers might nevertheless be identified in the 1861 edition of the published Army Lists.

 

• The 1861 Worldwide Army Index lists all other ranks subjects serving in the April-June Quarter of 1861 together with their regimental HQ location. The index is effectively a military surrogate for the 1861 census taken on 7th April 1861. The index consists of almost 250,000 records. Other ranks are indicated by army number, rank, first and last names, regiment and HQ location. The index is augmented by an additional 11000 lines of notes indicating detachments, attachments, units recruits will likely join and so on.

 
Many thousands of men of the British Army were serving overseas in far flung parts of the British Empire over many decades of the 1800s. Many of those serving in 1851 could well have been born as early as 1810 whilst others who joined in the census year might well have continued their service as late as 1872, exceptionally 1877.
 
If a male subject cannot easily be found in the 1851 census then he may not be where expected; or in Ireland (where there is no 1861 census equivalent); serving in the navy or abroad. There is a high probability that he was serving in the army.
 
The 1871 Worldwide Army Indexes are also included in Forces War Records collection. Please consult the relevant index introductions prior to searching.
 
Records in these collections are likely to include the following:

• First name
• Surname
• Army Number
• Rank
• Regiment or Corps
• Battalion or Company
• Intended unit for recruits
• Regiment location
• National Archives Reference

             

Uncover every clue in the hunt for the female members of your family, with Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine’s guide to the top resources for finding the women in your family tree.

Whilst it can be tempting to begin your family tree search by following your surname through the generations, if you fail to research your maternal line you’re missing out on a huge section of your ancestry.

Find the women within your family tree with our guide to the top resources for finding female ancestors.

1. Marriage certificates
The number one resource for taking your family tree back a generation, since a bride’s maiden name (and often the name of her father also) will be listed on the certificate of marriage, allowing you to search for that person’s birth record and thus the names of the parents. Remember also that a person listed as witness to a wedding might be a family members such as a sibling or cousin, perhaps pointing you in the direction of a maiden name.

2. Historical newspapers
Remember that 19th-century newspapers often identified individuals by a surname and initial only, so a search for an ancestor’s full name may not yield the full results. Notices of marriages, births & deaths, obituaries and engagement announcements can all give clues to help with your research.

3. The census
A valuable resource for tracing female ancestors through from childhood, to marriage and sometimes on to widowhood. Look for clues from the names of relatives staying with an ancestor who aren’t part of that nuclear family, since elderly mothers sometimes lives with their children, or young single women would lodge with family members.

4. Parish records
When searching for a female ancestor before civil registration be sure to check birth records for each of that person’s children since birth certificates sometimes include the mother’s maiden name, which could point you in the direction of her marriage and/or baptism record.

5. Family heirlooms
Women are often the keepers of the family archive and so check with members of your family if they have items such as old photographs, certificates, a family Bible or hand-written recipe books. Many a clue can be found on the back of a photograph, the flyleaf of a book or from newspaper clippings.

Online women’s history projects

• Women’s History Network
• English Heritage, Women who made history
• Women’s Archive of Wales
• Mapping Memorial to Scottish Women
• Women’s History Guide, National Archives of Ireland
  

 

Here is an opportunity for the #NotAtRootstech followers to pose a question. Ambassadors are given the opportunity to interview keynote speakers and celebrities who are appearing at RootsTech. Obviously there are only a certain number of opportunities and Ambassadors cannot be greedy and attempt to grab all the slots, so a system has been set up where we can apply for an opportunity to ask our chosen speakers some questions.
 
Some opportunities are described as “Sofa Chats” where a group of ambassadors sit down and chat and others “Backdrops” which someone has described as a Red Carpet style opportunity to pose a couple of questions.
 
The interview opportunities were released earlier this week and I have secured a sofa chat opportunity with Steve Redwood* CEO of FamilySearch on Wednesday 28th February and a backdrop opportunity to ask Henry Louis Gates Jr.* a couple of questions on Saturday March 3rd.
 
For those of you unable to attend Rootstech you can let me know what question you would wish to ask either of these speakers, and I will do my best to pose one of these questions on your behalf. Email me at sylvia@recoveryourroots.co.uk
 
Obviously I can’t promise to ask your question, but I would be interested to hear your ideas.
 
 
*The RoostTech website provides these helpful biographies for both speakers
 
Stephen T. Rockwood is president and chief executive officer of FamilySearch International (www.FamilySearch.org). Rockwood, who most recently served as director of the international division at FamilySearch, became president and CEO on October 1, 2015. Prior to joining FamilySearch, Rockwood specialized in creating unique service offerings for worldwide customers of such brands as MasterCard International, AT&T, Disney, Office Depot, and Citibank among others. He was also a successful entrepreneur building two companies from the ground up that were later acquired by larger companies
 
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates has authored or co-authored twenty-two books and created eighteen documentary films, including Wonders of the African World, African American Lives, Faces of America, Black in Latin America, Black America since MLK: And Still I Rise, Africa’s Great Civilizations, and Finding Your Roots, his groundbreaking genealogy series now in its fourth season on PBS. His six-part PBS documentary series, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (2013), which he wrote, executive produced, and hosted, earned the Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Program—Long Form, as well as the Peabody Award, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and NAACP Image Award.

Enlist some help

Once you’ve exhausted the above options, you can widen the net by doing a little more research. A recent antique price guide such as Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide has lists of thousands of antiques, along with history, dates, identification tips and prices.

Keep an eye open for antique fairs in your area, as such events often have q&a sessions with antiques experts, or offer members of the public the chance to bring along a treasured item to be valued.

Once you’re done a bit of research and have more information such as the maker and date of your heirloom, you can look for more details online. Websites such as Live Auctioneers and The Sale Room have lots of data about items for sale at auction houses around the world, and even if you’re not intending to sell your treasure, you could pick up some valuable background information.

Discover more heirlooms

Be aware that some family heirlooms which might have made their way outside of the family; it’s surprising how many second-hand bookshops and antique shops contain family items which are labelled with a person’s name. Search eBay and other online auctions for potential items and encourage other family members to keep an eye out too. You can often set up an alert on an auction website, whereby a family surname or other detail would trigger an e-mail to you if an item which matched these details came up for sale.

If you’re helping to sort through the possessions of a deceased relative, check every box thoroughly, as heirlooms are not always stored in the way that you might think valuable possessions would be; in the past, people sometimes concealed their treasured items for fear of theft, and not all treasures are found in a jewellery box or safe. For example, photo frames might contain other photos behind the one on display, there could be items in the pocket of clothing or in a box that is labelled as something else entirely.

A new life for your heirloom

After all your detective work, remember to share and write down any information you find about the treasure in question, to help future members of the family. Consider creating a document which lists why the item’s important to the family, who it belonged to originally, how it was used, any information about its provenance, and any family stories attached to the item.

If the item is to be stored away rather than used or displayed, use acid-free storage materials where possible; or if you prefer to keep the item on display in the house, consider ‘resting’ it periodically, as museums and galleries do, to give it time away from dust, daylight and pollutants.

For lots more advice on exploring your family history, visit Family Tree.

Useful websites

LDS heirloom preservation videos.
Judith Miller’s expert antiques blog.

Further reading

Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2016-17 by Judith Miller (Mitchell Beazley, 2015)

Antique Marks: an indispensable guide to identifying and interpreting your antiques by Harper Collins (Collins Need To Know, 2006)

[image copyright lspider2]

Black Friday weekend is right around the corner and it is now a tradition for most of the major DNA testing companies to offer their best deal of the year at this time.  These Black Friday sales are a great opportunity to pick up DNA testing kits if you've been thinking of testing yourself or other relatives and if you want to give any as Christmas presents it's best to buy now rather than later.  The sales will be over very quickly so take advantage while you can.

​Here is a quick round-up of the DNA sales on offer over the next few days:
​

AncestryDNA has by far the largest autosomal DNA database at over 6 million testers and it is growing daily.  If you are interested in taking a DNA test for genealogy purposes then you simply cannot ignore the sheer size of this database.  Additionally if you have a DNA mystery or brick wall you are trying to solve using DNA, it is imperative to test at Ancestry to fish in the largest pond.  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!
​
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 £20 for a first kit and £10 for each additional kit in the same order - maximum ten kits per order)
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 GMT

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

Ireland: Price reduced by €36 from €95 to €59
Shipping €20 per kit and €10 per additional kit in same order
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 GMT

USA: Price reduced by $40 from $99 to $59
Shipping $9.95 per kit
*sale begins 23rd November at 21:00 PST and ends 27th November at 20:59 PST
UPDATED: Amazon have made AncestryDNA kits a Cyber Monday Deal of the Day! They're selling kits for $54.99 plus free shipping - best deal I've seen for Ancestry by far but US only - see HERE


Australia & New Zealand: Price reduced by A$50 from A$149 to A$99
Shipping A$29.99 for first kit and A$10 for each additional kit
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 AEDT

Canada: Price reduced by C$50 from C$129 to C$79
Shipping C$19.95 per kit
*sale ends 27th November at 23:59 ET
​
Ancestry are also offering subscription discounts depending on your geographic location
​

If you've been thinking about taking the plunge on Y-DNA or MtDNA testing then this is the time to do it.  There is a $40 saving on the Y-37 test and a $30 saving on the Mt FMS test.  For Y-DNA it is cheapest to start at Y-37 - if you want to test to Y-67 it is better to buy the Y-37 test and then upgrade to Y-67.  

In addition to the regular sale prices FTDNA also send out special holiday reward codes to existing customers during their holiday sale; you will receive one holiday reward code per kit each week on a Monday up until the end of the year.  These codes can be used in addition to the sale prices bringing the cost down even lower.  If you have existing FTDNA kits then all you have to do is sign in and click on "Holiday Reward" on your homepage:

​The reward codes look like this:

If you don't want to use your gift code you can share it with someone else or add it to the FTDNA Coupons 2017 Spreadsheet.  I will be publishing a selection of codes from my own kits on my Genes & Genealogy Facebook page each week so keep an eye out for those if you're looking for a particular code.

Here are my codes from this week (valid until 26th Nov):

If you use one of my codes please comment on the original post HERE so others know it has been taken

Also if you have been thinking of upgrading to a Big Y test this Holiday sale offers the best deal I've ever seen!  Firstly there is $100 off the regular price ($475 instead of $575) and you can also use a reward coupon on top of that - there are a few $100 and $50 off coupons so if you're very lucky you could get it for $375.  The best bit though is that anyone who orders a Big Y during the sale will have their Y-STR test upgraded to Y-111 for free!  In order to take advantage of this offer you have to already have taken a Y-STR test but if you haven't done that you could buy one in the sale and upgrade once it registers on the system.  For full details on how much this deal could save you check out Maurice Gleeson's calculations on his blog post HERE.

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.

MyHeritage have also announced a Black Friday sale.  Their autosomal DNA kit has been reduced to just £39 in the UK (shipping costs £12 for one kit and is free if you buy two or more).  The price in Ireland is even lower at €39 (shipping costs €12 for one kit and is free for two or more) and the price in the US has been reduced to $49 (shipping costs $12 for one kit and free if you buy two or more).

It is also still possible to transfer into MyHeritage for free from any of the other major companies - HERE is a link to upload your results to their site.  MyHeritage is one of the newer offerings on the market but as more people test with them their database will grow and you will begin to see unique matches there.  It will, therefore, start to become more important for everyone, especially those with mysteries to solve, to be in this database in addition to the others.  Be aware, however, that there is a serious problem with MyHeritage's matching algorithm and this means the amount of DNA shared with matches on there has to be treated with great caution for now.  MyHeritage are aware of the problem and promise it will be rectified soon.  For further information on this issue see CeCe Moore's recent post HERE.
​

​​23ANDME​

23andMe was the only major company not to be offering a Black Friday deal but on the Friday morning this changed so I've updated this article to include their offering.  In the UK it is a Christmas sale that runs through until 26th December that is being offered; £20 off either the Ancestry only service or the Health + Ancestry service.  Shipping costs £9.99 per kit (Standard 7 working days) or £19.99 per kit (Express 2-3 working days).  

A similar Christmas sale has sprung up for the European site (these kits are sold in Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands).  The sale runs until 26th December and offers €30 off the regular price of both the Ancestry only service bringing it down to €69 and the Ancestry + Health service bringing it down to €139.  Shipping costs €9.99 per kit (10 business days) or €19.99 Express Shipping (2-3 business days).

​In the US they are offering a Black Friday deal which ends on Sunday 26th November: $30 off the Ancestry only service bringing it down to $69 and $50 off the Ancestry + Health service bringing to down to $149.  Shipping costs $14.95 per kit (Standard 5-8 days) or $41.95 (Express 2-3 business days).  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.

There is also a Christmas sale now up for Canada and it also runs until 26th December; C$30 off per kit for both the Ancestry only service bringing it down from C$129 to C$99 and the Health + Ancestry service bringing it down from C$249 to C$219.  Shipping costs C$19.95 (Standard 5-8 days) or C$29.95 (Express 2-3 business days).

While many of us begin our family tree research at home, there’s a whole world of family history information available offline. Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine explains how to use the wealth of resources held at archives, record offices and libraries around the country.

Today’s family tree researchers are fortunate to be able to access so many digitised records from the comfort of home, with a wealth of data available online which can save us hours of research in a record office or library. However, as you progress beyond beginner stage, your search for ancestors is sure to lead you to the rich resources held by the UK’s record offices, archives and libraries, and this is where your family tree moves to the next level as you access a whole new wealth of information.

A key rule of family history is always to double check any information that you find online, and record offices, archives and libraries are the places where you can do this, exploring historical documents which mention your ancestors, such as the census, parish records, old newspapers and trade directories. Expanding your research will also bring you into contact with the UK’s family tree community and you can meet others with the same interests at family history societies and genealogy fairs around the country.

Read on to discover why you should take your research beyond your own home, how to find out what information’s held where, and what you need to know before making a trip to an archive.

Archives, record offices and libraries

Britain’s local and county record offices, archives and libraries are the custodians of millions of records relating to our ancestors, and these form the building blocks of family history research. By using information from parish records, the census, newspapers, businesses and councils, you can explore what life was like for your ancestors and build your research into so much more than just names and dates on a family tree chart.

Many records such as business archives, church and school records and workhouse information can only be found in a record office or archive. The UK is home to millions of historic records which cover centuries of history and it hasn’t been possible to make all of this information available online. Handling records which carry an ancestor’s handwriting, or hold information about their lives, is one of the highlights of family tree research. Staff at these centres are one of its key resources; they are trained to help visitors make the most of their day, and discover resources of which you might not even be aware.

So, how can you work out what information is relevant to your ancestors, and where you can find it? Discovery, from The National Archives is a UK-wide catalogue which brings together listings of records held by more than 2,500 repositories across the country. More than 32 million records are listed, 9 million of which are accessible online.

You can also explore the holdings of the town or county record office for the area where your ancestors lived. Most UK archives have an online catalogue which lists the archive material that they hold, and you can browse a list of these repositories via the National Archives Discovery catalogue mentioned above. The catalogue also includes archive collections held by museums, universities and charitable trusts, which can be a valuable source of information for ancestors who worked in a particular occupation, or were part of a club or society.

Preparing for your visit

Once you’ve identified what documents you’d like to see and where they’re kept, there are a few simple preparations you can make ahead of your visit, to make the most of your research trip. Firstly, take a copy of your family tree (or the relevant section) so that you have crucial dates relating to your ancestors to hand. If you’ve been able to find catalogue reference numbers for the records you’re going to be looking at, take a note of these; you may even be able to order the documents beforehand to be waiting when you arrive.

Find out whether the archive you’re visiting allows the use of laptops and cameras, and if it’s your first visit, you’ll probably need to bring along a couple of forms of ID (such as a passport and utility bill) so you can be issued with a reader’s ticket. Also pack a couple of pencils and a notebook, as most archives don’t allow the use of pens, to protect the documents in their care.

Finally, once you’re at the archive, be sure to take a note of what facilities are available to researchers. Many places offer free of charge access to family tree websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past, and many have libraries of local history books which can be hard to find elsewhere. During your visit, be sure to take a note of which documents you consulted, even if that document proved not to be a help; this will save you needlessly repeating the search at a later date.

Why join a family history society?

Whatever stage you’re at with your family history, consider joining a family history society. The UK is home to hundreds of societies dedicated to tracing ancestors in different parts of the country, or those which specialise in specific surnames or ancestors who belonged to a particular religion or nationality.

Most societies publish a regular journal with articles written by society members, as well as holding meetings with talks by specialist speakers. Society members can often access the members-only section of the society’s website and are usually entitled to use the society’s specialist library or research facilities.

If you’d like to get involved, a good starting point is to visit the Federation of Family History Societies website where you can explore a list of British and overseas societies. Consider joining two societies – one in your own area, where you’ll be able to easily attend meetings and meet other enthusiasts, as well as a society in the region where the majority of your ancestors were based, to give you access to specialist knowledge of an area of the country which might not be familiar to you.

Family history society members are usually very willing to share their knowledge and expertise with others, and by attending meetings and getting involved with projects the society runs, you’ll have the chance to become more involved in the family history community and improve your own knowledge and research skills.

Your out & about essentials

Be well prepared for your research trips with this essentials tool kit:

• Sharpened pencils and a notebook
• A copy of your family tree
• Essential names and dates relating to the ancestor you’re researching
• Camera and laptop (if the archive allows these)
  
• Reference numbers for documents you’d like to look at (or pre-order these beforehand)

 
image copyright copyright Bibliothek Wissenschaftspark Albert Einstein

For more advice and tips on family history research visit the Family Tree website.

23andMe is one of the major DNA testing companies and up until today it has been substantially more expensive to test with them for genealogical purposes in the UK.  Unlike other leading companies who sell tests solely for genealogy, it has only been possible to buy a combined health and ancestry test from 23andMe for £149 including shipping.  

For some time, however, they have offered an Ancestry only test without the health reports in the US at a much reduced price ($99) and I have long wished they would also offer this here in the UK.  The good news is that today an Ancestry Only test for the UK, Canada and selected EU countries (Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and The Netherlands) was finally launched bringing 23andMe's price more in line with the other companies. 

I'm delighted that customers in the UK and other countries who also have not had access to the more affordable test before can now buy 23andMe tests for family history without having to pay for the health reports as well.  The test is being sold for £79 + £9.99 shipping in the UK, €99 + €9.95 shipping in the five EU countries and C$129 + C$19.95 shipping in Canada.  There is also an international price of $99USD + shipping for countries in which 23andMe is unable to sell their health test; you can see a list of these countries HERE.  Shipping costs will vary between countries and custom charges could apply.

This is excellent news for anyone who wants to test at 23andMe in the UK without paying £149 to also get the health information and it makes 23andMe much more affordable for genealogy.  It is especially helpful for those with a mystery to solve who should try to get in all of the major databases.  My recommendation for those with unknown ancestor mysteries has previously been to test at 23andMe last due to the cost and to wait for sales but now I will be recommending the Ancestry only test as it is a more viable way to get into 23andMe's database.

The Ancestry Only test includes ancestry composition (23andMe's ethnicity estimate), Y-DNA (males only) and MtDNA haplogroups, information on how much Neanderthal DNA you inherited and, most importantly, your DNA cousin match list and tools to work with it.  Be aware that you have to opt in to DNA Relatives to receive your matches.

Other autosomal tests, apart from LivingDNA, do not give you Y-DNA or MtDNA haplogroups and these can sometimes be helpful when trying to work out how someone matches you.  If you are looking for Y-DNA and MtDNA matching databases, however, only FTDNA's standalone Y-DNA and MtDNA tests offer this service.

If you have not yet taken an autosomal DNA test I would still recommend testing at AncestryDNA first due to the sheer size of their matching database (over 5 million at the last count).  23andMe, however, have the second largest autosomal database at over 2 million testers as of April this year.  This new more affordable test means you could get into both databases at a much reduced cost.  I recommend transferring your AncestryDNA and older 23andMe tests to FTDNA but be aware that you will only get your highest confidence matches due to chip incompatibilities so it is still worth considering doing a full Family Finder test at FTDNA if you want the lower confidence matches.  Another thing to take into account is 23andMe recently moved to the new GSA chip that is not compatible with being uploaded to FTDNA or regular GEDMatch but can be uploaded to GEDMatch Genesis.

This is a step in the right direction from 23andMe and very welcome for the UK testing market and genetic genealogy community!

Bring a whole new perspective to your family history research by visiting the village that your ancestors called home. By Rachel Bellerby of Family Tree magazine.

Imagine walking down the streets your ancestors once trod, stepping into the church where they celebrated baptisms and weddings, and maybe even finding the old family home. All of these could be a reality when you visit the village where your ancestor once lived.

Before your visit

If your research has led you to identify your ancestor’s home village, consider taking a trip to that location – both to discover more about your ancestor, and for the sheer pleasure of seeing the places that would have been so familiar to them.

To make the most of your visit, see what you can find discover before your trip. For example, what old buildings which your ancestor might have known (such as a village church, pub or schoolhouse) are still in existence? If the street where your ancestor lived no longer seems to exist, could it simply have changed its name over the years? Compare a historic and a modern map to see what you can discover. Even if you can’t find the actual house or street, there are likely to be some landmark buildings still in existence close by, such as the village shop, market cross or war memorial.

You could also try to get an idea of how the village would have looked when your ancestor lived there. Old paintings or postcards can show local landmarks such as the high street, village church, etc, that bygone villagers would have known – Francis Frith has a great selection: www.francisfrith.com. Also check whether there are any trade directories in existence for the years your ancestor was there (local history libraries usually have copies) to see what businesses, schools and churches served the local community; perhaps you might even be able to identify where your ancestor worked if you’ve found his or her occupation on the census.

Research notes

Next, prepare a working file for use during your trip. This could include a copy of your family tree;  notes on the relevant ancestor(s) such as date of birth, street where they lived etc; information on street names or landmarks you’re hoping to see; the dates your ancestor was resident in the village and notes on any questions you’re hoping to answer during your visit.

You could also find out the location of the nearest museums, archives and local history libraries which could form part of your research trip. Whilst you’re in the area you could take the opportunity to discover resources which aren’t available to you online. Are any of the older parish records for the village still kept at the church? If so, make contact with the minister and request an appointment to explore these.

Try an online search to find out whether the village has a local history group or civic society and if so, try e-mailing a request for information about the ancestor(s) in question, explaining that you’ll be visiting the area and hope to find out more.

In the same vein, you could find out whether there are any history talks or meetings that you could attend whilst you’re in the area; perhaps a nearby family history society or local history group is holding a meeting which would coincide with your visit, giving you the chance not only to enjoy the talk but also the opportunity to meet local family history enthusiasts.

Making the most of your trip

Once you’re in the village, look out for blue plaques and information boards and talk to locals in the village shops and pub. Nearby museums may have displays of artefacts relating to local crafts and industries, and maybe even a library or photo collection. Local bookshops and museums often stock history books about the surrounding area that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Remember that some of the buildings your ancestors would have known may not now be fulfilling their original use. For example, the schoolhouse may now be a café, or the village hall could be the office of a small business. Your earlier background research using old photos and maps should help you here, as will a careful look at any buildings which appear to be from the period your ancestor was in the area.

If you’re staying in a family-run bed & breakfast or hotel, remember that your hosts will most likely have an in-depth knowledge of the area and its local families and may well point you in the direction of more information.

And most of all, enjoy your time in your ancestral home village – take in the atmosphere, the views, the buildings around you… you’re standing in the place your ancestors did, looking at the scenery they saw and the buildings that they passed on their way to work or school. What a special experience.

Top tips

• Do your homework beforehand to maximise your chances of discovering information during your visit;
• Take photos of relevant buildings for your research file;
• Photograph information boards in the village for later use;
• Explore the surrounding towns and hamlets – your ancestor may have worked in these, or visited for market day, local festivals. etc.

For more tips on making the most of your family history research, visit Family Tree’s website.

(image copyright DS Pugh)