Guides by Daisy Goddard

Keeping track of each thread of your family history research is no easy task, but gone are the days of paper files and bulky folders. Here’s how to use handy genealogy software to keep your research tidy, accessible and meaningful.

Whether you're filling in gaps on your family tree or discovering a relative's life story for the first time, here's how to explore the treasure trove that is the 1921 Census online.

If you've got Jewish ancestry, your family story has likely been shaped by persecution, migration and resilience. Records and old newspapers can help you to understand your ancestors' lives in vivid detail.

Your last name holds clues about your family’s origins, occupations, and even personality traits. Delve deeper into your surname to uncover fascinating insights into your ancestors' communities and identities.

Our surnames can reveal a lot about where we come from and the lives our ancestors lived. Find out how rare your last name is with family history - here's how.

If you encounter a gap in your family tree or an unexpected change to family arrangements, it may be because one of your ancestors got divorced. Digitised family history records can help you to uncover the full story.

Whether due to poverty, illness or old age, many of our ancestors spent time in workhouses, and their experiences were often harrowing. Here’s how to uncover their stories.

Our ancestors found themselves in trouble with the law for all sorts of reasons. Criminal records can reveal fascinating - and sometimes surprising - details about their lives. Here’s how to find out if one of your relatives spent time in prison.

When tracing your family tree online, it's important to know the difference between the maternal and paternal sides of your family. Here's what those terms mean, and how to keep track of them within your family history research.

When you’re first starting to research your family history, use birth, marriage and death records to discover key information which will form the basis of your family tree. Next, use censuses and other types of records to delve deeper and understand your ancestors’ lives.