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Welcome

Family history’s all about making connections – between people and places, family stories and global events... What discoveries will you make as you journey on your family history quest?

Find your ancestors all over the globe!

Many of our ancestors left their homeland for new lives across the world, especially in the era of British Empire. Start tracing your family worldwide with Emma Jolly’s guide to the best online resources for your research

Ancestor’s travel log

Professional genealogist Emma Jolly advises, ‘When

TOP SECRET CELEBRATION! GCHQ 1919-2019

GCHQ historian Tony Comer speaks to Helen Tovey about the 100-year history of this intelligence organisation that has helped to change the path of history. Read on to learn about key chapters in the amazing story of GCHQ and investigate ways in which you can uncover the role of your Secret Service ancestor

NEVER HAS THERE BEEN A BETTER TIME TO EXPLORE YOUR SURNAMES & PERHAPS REGISTER ONE

In the latest in her series about undertaking a one-name study, Julie Goucher details online learning resources

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. It’s time to tuck into Rachel Bellerby’s genealogy treats

Find your ancestors travelling abroad

Passenger records offer an opportunity to not only discover whereabouts your ancestors went overseas, but also how they got there and who they went with. Find out more with Simon Wills

Behind the scenes

Dress historian Jayne Shrimpton sheds light on the photographic studio conventions that can help you to interpret your ancestors’ portraits

Heirlooms and ephemera – stories for your blog

Look around your home at the photos and memorabilia – and have a think about the stories they may tell about times gone by. Here Paul Carter shows how to use them to enhance your family history and write about them to provide fascinating material for a blog (your blog!)

Taken a DNA test?

DNA tests grow ever more popular and can lead to fascinating new insights about your ancestry. There is a lot to learn, but help is at hand with Karen Evans’ practical advice for making so much more sense of your DNA

‘I’m supposed to have German roots…’

DNA is a fascinating topic, but it definitely raises questions among the curious! Catherine Ball, Chief Scientific Office at AncestryDNA, is on hand to help Nikcole understand what her test results mean

NEWS

RARE PEPYS PLATE FINDS LONDON HOME

CHANCE TO RESEARCH YOUR FAMILY’S MIGRATION STORIES

Aunique Family History Day focused on migration is

NEWS

WORTH £28!

NEWS

Sacred heritage artefacts being returned to their ancestral homes

DEAR KAREN

Karen Clare shares more genealogical gems, tragic tales and fantastic family history stories sent in by readers. This issue we’re counting the ancestors in a cemetery, finding out how bollards got their shape and sharing a touching discovery about the origins of a name

Finding Annie

After his father’s death, Peter Maher set about seeking the story of his Irish roots – tracing relations to America, piecing together a suspected conspiracy and reinstating the long-forgotten ‘Annie’ to the family fold

The Second World War Experience Centre

Set up over 20 years ago, to record the personal testimonies of those who lived through the conflict, the Second World War Experience Centre now has over 10,000 memories archived for posterity. Helen Tovey explores this important project, international in scope, which was set up to collect and share the unique story of individual men, women and children from the time

Out of the darkness

Stephen Komarnyckyj explains how the opening of the Ukrainian KGB files helped him to understand his family’s past

La mia familia Clemente

Katie Warr’s genealogy journey took her to Italy to dig into her roots in this beautiful country. Here she tells her story – in 1,000 words

My Cuckoo clock-maker ancestors

The 19th century was the beginning of the boom era of the Cuckoo clock business, which by the 1870s was producing 1.8 million Cuckoo clocks a year. Very large numbers of Black Forest wall clocks were exported to England in the 19th century, and many German families and clockmakers migrated to London to make their livings. Here Jack Morath outlines his family connection to this fascinating industry

Twiglets

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

The Family Tree SUBS CLUB

Welcome to the Family Tree Subscriber Club.When you’ve joined Family Tree not only do you save money on your favourite family history read, you can also enter the ‘Subs Club’ competitions and offers – only available to subscribers to Family Tree

Spotlight on... Botany Bay Family History Society

Jean Campbell introduces Botany Bay Family History Society, located in New South Wales, Australia. It is south of Sydney, on the southern shore of Botany Bay, hence the name, within the Sutherland Shire

Books

Michelle Higgs tells Karen Clare about her new book, which can help you uncover long-hidden stories of relatives between the 18th and 20th centuries who suffered from mental illness

DIARY DATES

Find or post diary dates at www.family-tree.co.uk/Events for FREE or email them to editorial@family-tree.co.uk

NEXT ISSUE

• Investigating our families in the 1700s

Your letters

Displaced people in a post-war world, tips on deciphering gravestones & more...

On my cyber-travels

Diane Lindsay steps into time and space to recapture cherished memories and explore the places once lived in by her ancestors

Grow an international family tree

Many of us are more interconnected than we think. And as more people trace the branches of their family tree and international clues are hinted at by family stories, heritage and DNA, we may well find that our roots reach out across the globe. Here are some leads to help you trace and treasure your family worldwide

Your questions answered

With our panel of experts Jayne Shrimpton, David Annal, Tim Lovering, Emma Jolly and Christine Wibberley

FAMILY TREE ACADEMY

Discover The answers to last issue’s challenges

Join The Family Tree Academy & become a skilled family historian

The Family Tree Academy is specially created to help you discover more about the records, resources and research skills you need to become the best genealogist you can be! Read on to join in with Family Tree Academy challenges

This issue’s Theme is 17 Th & 18 Th century sources

Now it’s time to put your research skills to the test. Have a look at the following documents and answer the questions below. The solutions aren’t always in the documents themselves; sometimes you’ll need to look at other sources to find the answers