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Birth, marriage and death records (BMDs) are one of the first kind of family records you'll discover when you start looking into your past. BMDs provide an incredible resource for tracing important events in your family's history. But what are they, exactly? And how can they help you trace your family tree? A brief history of birth, marriage and death records: The story of British birth, marriage and death records starts way back in 1538. The Church of England split with…

(main image via Tyne & Wear Archives & MuseumsTyne & Wear Archives & MuseumsTyne & Wear Archives & Museums)General Register Office births, marriages and deaths are a fantastic resource covering the entirety of England and Wales between 1837 and 2007. They not only allow you to discover when and where your ancestors were born, got married and spent their final moments, but also provide you with the information needed to order a copy of an original certificate from the General Register Office of England and…

The obvious place to start searching for your most destitute ancestors is our extensive workhouse collections. The benefits system of their day, workhouses were the places people turned to when they couldn't afford a basic standard of living. From a family history standpoint, the great thing about workhouses is that they've left behind detailed records, perfect for tracing relatives who otherwise may have gone undocumented.But workhouse records are not the only source you can look at when trying to…

Delving into your family's past is one of the most fulfilling things you'll ever do and getting started has never been easier. If you're new to the fascinating world of genealogy research, follow these four simple steps and you'll be well on your way to a flourishing family tree in no time. 1. What do you think you know? Write it down: First things first. Write down everything you already know about your family, with a question mark next to any…

If you're just getting started with your family history, it can be tricky to know where to look first. As one of the most recent publicly available record collections covering all of England and Wales, the 1939 Register is an obvious jumping-off point.Watch our video masterclass to find out why and how to make the most of this wartime Domesday Book.Throughout the masterclass, which was recorded live, viewers put their questions to our team of in-house experts. A select…

The year 1837 is a crucial one for genealogists because that's when the General Register Office (GRO) was established in the UK. For the first time, a central national index of all births, marriages and deaths registered in England and Wales was formed.This landmark moment in British history has helped millions explore their family trees ever since and made finding family in Victorian Britain relatively straightforward. 1. Start with birth certificates: Birth certificates will be one of the first types of…

Passenger lists, passport applications, naturalisations and other travel-related documents are unique family records. They connect you not only to the past but to your ancestors' incredible journeys between countries and continents. They can give you a glimpse of your distant roots and cast light on a family story which might be more diverse and fascinating than you'd ever imagined. Below is just a small sample of our extensive travel records collection, highlighting some of the genealogical gems you may have…

Getting started with searching Findmypast's records is easy. Our billions of individual records are divided into categories. Here's a summary of what you can expect to find in each of those collections and how they'll help your family research. Birth, marriage, death & parish records: This is one of the categories of records you'll probably use most often. These records, commonly known as BMDs, detail the most important events in your ancestors' lives and are essential for every family historian. Parish…

The phrase 'Ten Pound Poms' is used to describe the Britons who emigrated to Australia following World War 2 on the Australian government's assisted passage scheme. The purpose of this scheme was to enlarge Australia's population whilst supplying workers for the country's growing economy and industry.Britons were offered a way out of the rationing and deprivation of post-war life, shown visions of glorious sunshine and boundless possibility by a government desperate for an influx of labour.They were offered the…

To successfully build a family tree you'll need to use information on the family members you already know about to discover those you don't. The documents that help you do this can vary from prisoner lists to business indexes, military records to archived newspapers, but while those resources can be amazing for painting a picture of what your ancestor may have been like as a person, more often than not it's BMDs that allow you to identify them in the…