THE WORLD’S A STAGE – and our ancestors are the characters…

Are you ready for the 1921 Census?

It’s not often that we get the chance

UNSEEN CHARLES DICKENS PHOTO REVEALED BY DR BRIAN MAY AND PHOTO HISTORIAN DENIS PELLERIN

An unseen photo of Charles Dickens is one of the highlights of an archive photo collection charting the first three decades of photography

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WELLBEING CONTRIBUTION AND PRESERVING HERITAGE RECOGNISED AT ANNUAL AWARDS

The winners of this year’s Community Archive and

Sir Michael Palin urges the public to help safeguard the future of the UK’s churches

A national debate to help safeguard the future of the UK’s local churches has been launched by the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church buildings support charity

Sculptural tribute to Victorian eco pioneer

RSPB founder Emily Williamson is to be honoured with a statue created by sculptor Eve Shepherd, whose design was chosen by public vote

Industrial scale medieval tannery discovered at Fountains Abbey

The discovery of a medieval tannery at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire has surprised archaeologists by its industrial scale, a far-cry from the tranquil monastic community often imagined

Outdoor exhibition honours ‘forgotten’ archaeologist

Thirteen monumental sculptures weighing more than 21 tonnes by Venice-born artist Gianfranco Meggiato will be presented in an outdoor exhibition at the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park in Sicily, Italy

25th anniversary of the UK Government Web Archive

From its inception a quarter of a century ago, the Archive has grown to comprise more than six billion resources. Now, plans are in place to take a further step towards preserving this material

2021 Wallace Clare Award

The Council of the Irish Genealogical Research Society has announced that the 2021 recipient of the Wallace Clare Award is Julian C. Walton, MA, FIGRS

22 million US obituaries added to FindMyPast

Obituary notices spanning all 50 US states have been added to the Obituaries Notices collection at FindMyPast

Get organised with DNA Matches from MyHeritage

MyHeritage has just introduced labels for DNA Matches, a new way to organise your DNA Matches into customised groups

New heritage tour partnership

MyHeritage has recently announced a partnership with Expedia, to create the Heritage Travel Hub

THE FUTURE OF FAMILY HISTORY

As we welcome in a new year, Dr Nick Barratt invites us to look ahead at what the coming decades might hold for family history – and sounds a timely warning that the excitement around new digital releases should prompt us to think about how we use the wealth of data available

DRESS AT THE TIME OF THE 1921 CENSUS

As we look forward to identifying ancestors on the 1921 UK Census, Jayne Shrimpton takes a look at what men, women and children would have been wearing during this decade

THE BIGGEST NEWS STORY OF 1923

People didn’t want bad news headlines after the horrors of the Great War. Simon Wills looks at an incredible story of courage and fortitude that captured the media’s attention and touched the public

A FAMILY ON THE MOVE

This month, Gill Shaw’s research takes her across the Atlantic, as she spots ancestors named on the passenger lists of US-bound ships. But someone isn’t where they should be...

THE PRINCESS AND THE PAINTER’S WIFE

E. Mary White shares a fascinating tale from her recent research, when her quest to discover why her seemingly ordinary ancestor was listed next to a princess on the baptismal record led her to follow her family’s fortunes in Georgian London

No GRO registration or parish register: the birth of William Molien Morgan

Richard Morgan explains how he traced the birth of his great-grandfather without the benefit of a birth certificate or parish register entry

ARE YOU READY FOR THE 1921 CENSUS?

The wait is almost over - and early in 2022 family history enthusiasts from across the world can look forward to finding out about their ancestors in England and Wales in 1921. To make sure that we can hit the ground running, here are a few tips with Helen Tovey to help you get the most from this massive new record collection

REGISTERING CATHOLIC ESTATES AND OTHER CATHOLIC SOURCES

Stuart A. Raymond explores the rich variety of records that you can explore when tracing your Roman Catholic ancestors, many of which can take us well beyond what we’d expect to find in the parish registers

Where did our ancestors live?

The Family Tree Academy is here to help you grow your genealogy skills. The aim is to help teach more about the search skills and source know-how needed to step up your family history research. In this issue, Family Tree Academy tutor David Annal discusses administrative units, their boundaries, and the implications for our family history research

JOIN THE FAMILY TREE STUDY CLUB

Since December 2020 we’ve been holding an online family history study group on Zoom and we’d love you to join us

Books & gifts

Family history books & other gift ideas to enjoy with Helen Tovey & Rachel Bellerby

DIARY DATES

DISCOVER LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, PLUS ON-SITE AND HYBRID EVENTS

Your DNA WORKSHOP

Welcome to the DNA Workshop! In every issue DNA adviser Karen Evans will be unpacking a reader case study, and helping you learn how to use your DNA research at home. It’s time to unlock the story of your genes…

WHAT’S NEW?

LivingDNA map share If you have tested or

CELEBRATING A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2021 & SOME NEW PROJECTS FOR 2022

The UK genealogy scene has seen some noteworthy changes in 2021, and here we take a look at just a few of the highlights. We also explore some of the many plans and projects that Family Tree readers have written in to the magazine about. We hope you find them enjoyable reading, inspiring you to new research goals in 2022 too

Spotlight on... Quaker Family History Society

Ben Beck of the QFHS introduces this specialist society, showcasing some of its detailed records and resources that can be a huge help to anyone with Quaker ancestors

Your questions answered

I sent for my father-in-law’s WWII service record,

Your letters

The value of background reading and more