Author: Richard Backhouse

February 14, 2021

You may find details of your ancestors in the Births, Marriages and Deaths sections of local newspapers: Births may just be an announcement of a new baby’s arrival but, if your ancestor was ‘of the middling sort’, there may be more detail about the baby’s parentage Sometimes there are detailed reports of weddings, including what […] – read more…

February 14, 2021

Look for him in muster rolls but don’t always assume the first person you find with his name is actually him! Usually, however, if two soldiers in the regiment had the same name, the parish where each was born will be noted alongside his name which will help you identify your man. The General Service […] – read more…

February 14, 2021

In various formats, directories have been published for over 300 years and offer unrivalled information for both family and local historians. However, information gathering took some time. A directory dated 1871 was probably correct only in 1870 and even then should not be relied on too heavily as being precise, accurate or comprehensive. Ordinary working […] – read more…

February 1, 2021

What is the purpose of taking a census? It certainly was not originally intended to help would-be genealogists! Run by the Office of National Statistics [ONS] and completed every 10 years since 1801, this year it is on Sunday 21st March. They say they are making it easy for everyone to take part because you […] – read more…

January 25, 2021

Our research team at the University of Newcastle (Drs Shaw, Donnelly, Burke and Parkes from the School of Education) are conducting research into family history and DNA testing and its impacts on people’s understanding of themselves and their place in history, as well as some general demographic information. To this end, we are conducting an […] – read more…

January 22, 2021

Another “Really Useful Family History Show” is taking place on Saturday 10th April. Book your place for the price of £10. More than 20 inspiring speakers including Ian Waller, Penny Walters, Stephen Gill, and Janet Few. Recordings of talks will be available for seven days; there will be exhibitors; workshops and and online experts available. […] – read more…

November 17, 2020

Hampshire Archives Trust – Talk About Hampshire Quakers – Rosemary Dunhill A HAT online talk on 24 November at 7pm – FREE! ‘A people not fit to breathe in English Aire’ Hampshire Quakers before the Toleration Act. Quaker beliefs reached Hampshire in about 1655, attracting supporters in many parts of the county. Their commitment and […] – read more…

November 16, 2020

Hello and greetings from Kensington and Chelsea libraries, I am writing to invite you to the London History Festival 2020, which we are this year running online – I hope you’ll find an event or two you might like and also, that you’ll help us promote the Festival by sending this invite to your members and/or […] – read more…

October 28, 2020

            Ten suggestions: Choose a scrapbook with pages that can be added to or reordered when new photos or titbits become available. Less is more: serious scrappers often shy away from multi-picture collages in favour of one or two dominant photos for a more dramatic and less chaotic effect. Select […] – read more…

October 14, 2020

If there’s one tip you should definitely take on board, it is this one… Indexes and transcriptions can be wonderful at directing you to the source record but you should always confirm the information by viewing the original for yourself. This is because transcriptions are sometimes incorrect; nor do they always include every detail. Parish […] – read more…