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From trailblazing women's history to unexpected ancestry discoveries, understand the past, one family story at a time.
Census records are the perfect way to tell the story of what your family looked like in times gone by. They reveal what your ancestors were doing and give us clues to where they may be found in other family records. Findmypast has a huge collection of these kinds of documents, and as any good genealogist will tell you, getting to grips with them can unlock a whole new world of family history discovery. Here are a few top tips…
If you ever focus your family research in a particular place – a town, a county, an island – you soon learn to recognise those surnames which are typical of the place. This might be because they either occur frequently or stand out as unusual, or often, in the cases of local names, both.Good examples are the surnames Camburn and Edenden in Whitstable, Kent, Bolitho in parts of Cornwall, Docwra in Cumberland, Quayle on the Isle of Man and Linklater in…
The contributions of Black seamen to the Merchant Navy have been overlooked for two reasons. The first is a disservice met by all merchant seamen, who are often overshadowed by the Royal Navy in our collective consciousness. The mere utterance of the word ‘navy’ conjures images of gunners and combat on the high seas. The second, more pointed reason for their neglect in maritime history, however, is that these mariners were Black.Black seamen have been present on board British…
The Royal Flying Corps was established by royal warrant in the spring of 1912. At first, it wasn’t entirely clear of its identity and had both an army wing and a naval wing. In fact, the naval wing split off in July 1914 to become the Royal Naval Air Service and it was only when that was reconnected to the military wing in April 1918 that the Royal Air Force was formed. The RAF was responsible to a newly-inaugurated Air Ministry to mark…
Once used to target the Black community and tarnish Afro-Caribbean culture, Notting Hill Carnival has become a national British icon, honouring multiculturalism and the uniting of diverse identities across London and the UK. However, the origin of Notting Hill Carnival will always be in the Caribbean and with London’s Black British community.It's difficult to comprehend the modern Notting Hill Carnival in the context of the 1950s. Race relations in the post-WindrushWindrush UK were appalling and further deteriorating.…
Black athletes excel in a great many sports today and the date at which Black sportsmen and women were accepted and gained prominence is a measure of the willingness of a particular sport to embrace change.For the country as a whole, the Olympics could be said to be paramount, as the athletes represent Great Britain on the most prestigious international stage. But who was the first Black British sportsperson to reach that pinnacle? John Edward London: The first Black…
After years of tension between Britain and the American Colonies, war broke out on 19 April 1775. At the time, there was a growing belief that King George III would support emancipation and several cases were fought in English courts for the emancipation of escaped American slaves residing in England. For slaves in America, reaching England meant freedom. Colonial slaveholders feared revolts inspired by these aspirations. In November 1775, Lord Dunmore issued a heated and controversial Proclamation during his term as Virginia’s royal…
In early June 1901, a Welshman died in the town of Strood, which lies just across the River Medway from the cathedral city of Rochester in Kent. He had been boarding in Pearson Street, which no longer survives but was situated off Station Road. He was around 78 years of age and born in Newport, Monmouthshire. He was a moulder by trade and was laid to rest in the local authority Cuxton Road Cemetery on 8 June. His name was Zachariah John Florida.…
Toxteth is to Liverpool as Brixton is to London – a centre of Black British history and culture. But Toxteth is by far the longer-standing Black community of the two, with a history dating back to the late 18th century. Toxteth's oldest Anglican church, St James, opened in June 1775 and is now a Grade II listed building, undergoing restoration while remaining open for services. As is likely to be the case with some of the parish churches in the port districts…
When we take time to look at ourselves, both individually and as part of the bigger picture, it's important to address the position genealogy and Findmypast takes within Black and non-white history.I am a white person writing this article and if you're a white person reading it, it's not a coincidence. Genealogy is a whitewashed industry, as a result of both overt and covert racism that occurred over centuries. Being able to tell somebody the exact percentage of Italian,…