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From trailblazing women's history to unexpected ancestry discoveries, understand the past, one family story at a time.
Although family history is deeply personal to each of us, it's also a valued form of historical research. Together, we're illuminating the forgotten stories of the past, connecting with our ancestors and the world in which they lived.We're passionate about supporting research in all of its forms, which is why we've partnered with the Women's Prize Trust to sponsor the new prize for female writers of non-fiction. You can read more about this exciting partnership here. Of course, non-fiction…
As a first-generation Australian on my father's side, I grew up not knowing my Irish family history. In my late twenties, I eventually met some Irish cousins and discovered that our grandfather had been murdered. It was the first I had heard of it. Information was sketchy and it was another 30 years before I discovered all the detail in Findmypast's online Irish newspapers. Search for stories in our newspapers and publications: Explore millions of digitised pages of newspapers and other…
The earliest historical Irish records, Ogam Stones and vellum manuscripts show that Ireland was a lineage society ruled by Clans.The history of Clans in Ireland needs to be considered when you're exploring the origin of your Irish name. Irish Clans: Clans were loose confederations of people that claimed common descent from a noble ancestor, the ancient kings or early settlers in Ireland. Membership of the Clan was by descent on the male line within four generations. Over time, this…
Female ancestors frequently did not create many formal records for us - their descendants - to find. Add to that a woman's maiden name changing with marriage. In the case of multiple marriages, that female ancestor may have more than one married name throughout her life.No wonder we struggle to identify or keep track of that great-great-grandmother. When searching for our female ancestors, sometimes it’s less about finding that one record naming her husband or parents and more about learning how…
Before you stands a statue of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Stuart Street is in front of you, while Prince Street and George Street branch out to your sides. In this city, you’ll also find Larnach Castle, bagpipes, traditional Highland dancers, malt whisky and haggis. If you haven’t guessed already, you’re in the centre of Dunedin, from the Scottish Gaelic Dùn Èideann, or Edinburgh. But you are not in Scotland. In fact, you are worlds away. Well, half a world…
For over 200 years, mudlarks have searched the exposed riverbed of the River Thames in London at low tide, looking for lost objects. Considered to be the poorest members of society, Victorian mudlarks in the 19th century scavenged for anything they could find which they could sell for a few pence.Today, mudlarking has become a popular hobby among history enthusiasts in London. Although I was born and raised in the United States, I moved to London in 2007 and became a…
“London is the place for me London this lovely city You can go to France or America, India, Asia or Australia But you must come back to London city”.“Well believe me I am speaking broadmindedly I am glad to know my Mother Country I have been travelling to countries years ago But this is the place I wanted to know London that is the place for me”.This catchy calypso tune was sung on the spot by Trinidad’s own…
If you’ve ever wondered, “how to find the history of my house”, the first question you might have asked is “who lived in my house?” But what can you do next? What about the house itself?You might want to find out more about what your house looked like years ago and what life might have been like in it. Here are my top ten tips to help get you started. 1. Examine house deeds and plans: You might be lucky…
In 1995 I bought a 1934 suburban, semi-detached house in Wolvercote, North Oxford that was like a time capsule. In this article, I describe how I discovered not only the history of my house but who lived in my house, using the 1939 Register and other family records. From my deeds and searches in birth and death records, I found that the people who lived in my house before me were Vernon Victor Collett (1900-1960), his wife Cecilia (nee Wells, 1897-1995) and their sons Basil…
Researching the history of a house can be an amazing adventure. Peeling back the layers of time to reveal the stories of former owners and occupants through each generation and answering the questions of ‘Who lived in my house?’ and ‘What is the history of my house?’. It can also inspire a new appreciation of your home and your place in its history. But, what do you do if you hit a wall? Much like family history or any other…