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Welcome

From showing you how to become a super-sleuth genealogy researcher, to creating your own family history website to showcase your findings, we can help trace your tree…

FAMILY HISATIORY NEWS

Karen Clare reports on the latest genealogy news. If you want to see your story featured, email it to editorial@family-tree.co.uk or post to our Facebook page at facebook.com/familytreemaguk

Archives find brews up interest

A 17th-century ‘shopping list’ discovered hidden in

Watch live-streamed RootsTech talks

The world’s biggest family history event, RootsTech

Memorial unveiled to victims of war time civilian disaster

A long-awaited memorial to commemorate the Bethnal

Overseas armed forces records new at Findmypast

Findmypast has added more than 320,000 British Armed

Rescued WW1 pension cards to be digitized

More than 6 million WW1 pension records that were saved

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Susie Douglas, founder of Twitter’s popular #AncestryHour, takes a look at the year ahead for this friendly online community of family history enthusiasts

Genealogy site adds millions of records

TheGenealogist.co.uk has released millions of records

‘I do’ in the church of my

With Prince Harry set to wed in St George’s Chapel

80 years of stories remembered from warship’s past

A Royal Navy warship that survived historic events

YOUR FREE RECORDS

At Family Tree we’ve teamed up with UK family history

A policeman’s lot?

Explore the serious, sublime and the ridiculous facets of family history in this genealogical miscellany. This issue, Tom Wood attempts to make sense of some census conundrums and unusual birth records

Discover how to create a website (& the rewards in store for you)

The World Wide Web offers a treasure trove of genealogy information and opportunities to make contact with relatives. Create your own website and add your family’s story to the mix. Professional website developer Paul Carter shows you the achievable steps you need to take to make this dream a reality

How to organise a Family History Day

Find out how to plan a successful family history event in your local area with this handy guide from David Gynes of Dorset Family History Society, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in March

The rise & demise of the Stuart family 1603-1714

As family historians, our paper trail often peters out with the Georgians. Yet the Stuart era preceding it includes some of our most famous events from British history: the Gunpowder Plot, the English Civil War, the Execution of Charles I, the Restoration, the Plague, the Great Fire, the Monmouth Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite rebellions. Steve Roberts explains the history and family tree of the Stuart monarchs over the period in which they ruled England, Wales and Scotland, and we hope it will inspire you to trace your own ancestral lines that bit further too

Top 10 tools for Irish family history

Did you know that there are more than 70 million people alive today, living in all corners of the Earth, who can claim Irish ancestry? Might you be among this vibrant diaspora? Helen Tovey has rounded up 10 useful resources to help you research your roots back to the Emerald Isle, and discover a heritage to be proud of

Create a Dig for Victory garden

Today we might garden for enjoyment, or to save a little money on shop-bought vegetables. Kath Garner looks back to the time when growing your own was part of the British war effort in the Second World War

The lunch hour genealogist

Being busy doesn’t mean you have to neglect your favourite hobby, you can still learn in your lunch break! Squeeze just 60 minutes of family history into your daily routine and you’ll soon start to see your tree blossom. So settle down with your lunch and tuck into Rachel Bellerby’s genealogy treats

Scottish inheritance Part 2 Who could inherit a house?

This issue genealogist Chris Paton takes an in-depth look at the records documenting inheritance of a house and land in Scotland…

Spotlight on… The Channel Islands Family History Society

If you have ancestors in the Channel Islands, and particularly Jersey, you can find helpful information and invaluable advice through The Channel Islands Family History Society, writes Mary Billot

Become an online super sleuth!

The millions of records held by the popular family history websites are invaluable, and yet how many genealogical gems do we miss because we’re unsure how to mine each site properly? Rachel Bellerby quizzed the experts for a number of the major ancestorhunting websites that family historians turn to time and again to discover how to carry out effective searches. We hope that this information will help you turn up new clues and leads about your folks. Just turn over to begin…

Finding clues in your family photo albums

Jayne Shrimpton reveals the ancestor-hunting clues in our old family picture collections

Giving a voice to mothers of the Great War

When researching our World War I ancestors it’s often the men’s war that we know most about – the sons, brothers, fathers and uncles caught up in the confiict – and, to a lesser extent, the war work undertaken by women. But what about the mums who were left behind, enduring the dreadful wait for news, fearing the worst, while trying to look after the family and run the home? As Mother’s Day approaches, Jacqueline Wadsworth investigates this hidden social history of the Great War

Techy tips for family historians

Make the most of digital devices, websites, apps and gadgets, with genealogical web guru Paul Carter

Safe deposit

Over the coming year Julie Goucher will be spotlighting a website each month that is either unusual, overlooked or simply fascinating. It is an ideal way to expand and bring to life your family history

Documenting your sources

Tracing your family history can be a thrilling experience, but don’t let your enthusiasm hamper your future efforts, as Simon Wills explains

How did you do?

Read on to find out the answers to last issue’s Family Tree Academy challenges. Our Academy tutor David Annal explains all

Join the Family Tree Academy & become a skilled family historian

Running all through 2018, the Academy learning experience will help you discover more about the records, resources and research skills you need to become the best genealogist you can be. We have case studies for you to pit your wits against, documents for you to decipher, old handwriting for you to tackle, and more…

Your document challenge

Studying tithe records

Your brainteaser challenge

What’s your next step?

Your transcription challenge

What does this baptism register say?

Your case study challenge

Which baptism is right & where’s the marriage…?

FAMILY TREE ACADEMY

We hope you’ve enjoyed the Family Tree Academy challenges. To find the answers to this issue’s questions, see the April issue, on sale from 13 March. Discover how you’ve got on!

Books

THE CRIME WRITER’S CASEBOOK by Stephen Wade & Stuart Gibbon

Book news in brief

Bloomsbury has published an entertaining and well researched

ADVICE…

With our experts Chris Paton, Emma Jolly, Jayne Shrimpton, David Frost, Rebecca Probert, Mary Evans and Christine Wibberley

Twiglets

Diarist Gill Shaw charts the rollercoaster ride of researching her family history

DIARY DATES

A major new photography exhibition at the National

MAILBOX

With a moral dilemma and proven tips for successful family history society meetings, your letters are a fascinating read…

Tighten your belts

This month’s snippet sees Keith Gregson taking a look at wartime rationing

A little bit of everything

Diane Lindsay has received her ancestral DNA results and, although not revelatory, she’s quietly thrilled at what they confirm about her genetic history