Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i Family Tree UK

Genealogy: that connected feeling As I’m writing this page, RootsTech is in full swing and upwards of half a million family history enthusiasts from around the globe are taking in genealogy presentations, sharing news, and making connections with distant kin via the ‘Find Relatives at RootsTech’ tool. And as I look over the pages of this issue one last time before we send them off to the printers, that sense of connectedness leaps out from every page. Australian genealogist Michelle Patient invites those yet to do so, to dip their toes into the world of DNA with her getting started guide. Canadian surname sleuth Wayne Shepheard reveals how he got to the bottom of a mysterious case of changing names, and fellow Canadian Christine Jackson tells the intriguing tale of…

NEWS Men of Worth transcription project A project to transcribe the War Hospital Register of the Keighley War Hospital, West Yorkshire, has issued a call for volunteers The War Hospital Register archived at Keighley Library contains 13,214 names of servicemen who were treated there. It also contains the names of German prisoners of war who were being held locally and required treatment from time to time, notably from the influenza epidemic. Keighley War Hospital at Morton Banks was originally The Morton Banks Fever Hospital and after local funds were raised, extra wards were built to turn it into a war hospital. It opened in time to take some of the first casualties from the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 and continued until the end of the war. Andy…

New webpage launched by FamilySearch FamilySearch have launched a new webpage, created to help users access family history help and information The new webpage at http://familytr.ee/newwebpage enables guests to better access FamilySearch’s existing site services, such as visitor information, collections and hours of operations, and also introduces many new and expanded services. For example, anyone around the world can now schedule 20-minute appointments for free personal research consultations with a specialist. The page is currently available in English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Chinese – with Japanese and Italian to be added soon. David Rencher, chief genealogy officer for FamilySearch and director of the Family History Library, said: ‘The Family History Library offers the largest collection of genealogical materials in one place, making it a premier destination for family history…

A GUIDE TO SURNAME RESEARCH Changing surnames Wayne Shepheard considers a complex surname situation, reflecting on how and why someone may wish to change their family name, and highlighting useful insights as he goes along (Source, Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Reference Number: 283 PET/2/84) I am the Online Parish Clerk for Cornwood parish in Devon and have in my files a great deal of information about individuals who lived and worked in the area over the past several centuries. A couple of years ago I was asked if I had any information about a man who had served as the Vicar for the parish: Reverend Herbert Augustus Warburton Gardner-McTaggart. The individual requesting the information was a member of No.255 Squadron RAF and was writing a biography about one of…

JOIN THE FAMILY TREE STUDY CLUB We set up the study club to run through the winter months on Zoom, but the meetings are proving so enjoyable we’ve decided to continue, and we’d love you to join us. WHEN WILL THE STUDY GROUP BE MEETING? 6.30pm Monday 15th March 6.30pm Monday 12th April 6.30pm Monday 10th May WHO CAN JOIN? Subscribers to Family Tree print or digital issue. HOW CAN YOU JOIN? Please email helen.t@family-tree.co.uk and we will send you the meeting link. ABOUT THE MEETINGS The Family Tree Study Club meetings are available to subscribers to Family Tree. • Each meeting will last about an hour. • The meeting will begin with a short presentation, followed by a floor discussion. At the March meeting we look forward to Mark…

A RARE VIEW THAT POST-WAR WORLD The story behind the pictures Jonas Sjoberg has a remarkable collection of photographs, depicting people in Britain in the years after the Second World War. How did he come by this treasure-trove, and what stories can the pictures tell? Family Tree: Jonas, you have a unique collection of vintage photographs – please can you tell us a little about how you acquired about them? Jonas: When the photographer KG Kristoffersson decided to have his long overdue retirement, he turned to me and offered his archive of photographs to me as he knew that I would care for them and have the means to make them available to future generations. The archive is massive, beginning with the first pictures he took in 1939 on glass…

FIND FREE FAMILY HISTORY CLUES ONLINE STARTING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY How to get started with family history – follow our easy and free steps below Family history is a really versatile hobby. Just by grabbing a notebook and phoning a relation, you can begin to gather clues about your family tree. Of course, not everyone has relations to call, but fortunately the internet is a treasure trove of family history records, too, which all of us can relish searching. 3 easy steps to start your family history today! 1 Get a notebook and start jotting down what you know about your family (your name, birthday and birth place; then do the same for your parents and grandparents). Do you know your grannies’ maiden names too? Write it all down. Jot…

Developments at Vivid-Pix Vivid-Pix’s recent acquisition of Reunions magazine will help family, class alumni, and military reunion participants & planners. Edith Wagner, editor and founder of Reunions, said, ‘We are delighted to be able to continue our long service of information, inspiration and ideas to reunions and reunion planners… Vivid-Pix … services are of great interest to our readers who are always looking for new ways to celebrate. The eagerly awaited future of reunions will be bright.’ Other developments at Vivid-Pix include a new free video series with information on how to record stories in bite-size videos, tutored by storyteller and genealogist Laura Hedgecock: https://www.vivid-pix.com/education.html Find out more about Vivid-Pix developments (including user-friendly photo-editing software, audio captioning your photograph collection and more, see: https://www.family-tree.co.uk/news/vivid-pix-developments (Family Tree would love to hear…

Restore those faded mid 20th-century family snaps to full colour Do you have albums full of colour snaps that have faded over the years? MyHeritage’s new colour restoration feature can help you bring them back to their former glory The new feature, licensed exclusively by MyHeritage from DeOldify, was created by Jason Antic and Dana Kelley and uses deep learning technology to restore the original colours of a photograph, sharpening the image in the process. The process creates a new version of your original image, which you can download and share. Get started at http://familytr.ee/colorrestore…

WHAT EVIDENCE DOES DNA HOLD TO HELP YOU? Starter guide Discovering DNA DNA testing is just the latest tool, put to use by family historians on their research quest, explains genealogist and DNA enthusiast Michelle Patient. See how it can help you too Over the years various ‘new’ tools have entered the family history market and enhanced our research. From original documents to card indexes, microfilm to CD indexes, letters to email correspondence, and more recently websites with online databases of indexes, transcriptions and digitised original records. Each change has benefited our ease of access to information and the gathering of evidence, as well as helping us to find others to work with researching our ‘ancestral’ lines. The latest tool family historians are using is DNA testing. Image used with…

FAMILY & COMMUNITY HISTORICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY Spotlight on… THE FAMILY & COMMUNITY HISTORICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY If you’re interested in the community you live in – or where your ancestors lived – The Family & Community Historical Research Society is the society for you. It’s a nationwide charitable organisation that offers a mix of family, local and social history, writes Rob White People who join family history societies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are content to plot their family tree back as far as they can go, while others are curious about the communities in which their ancestors lived and worked, and seek to find out more about those places. The Family and Community Historical Research Society (FACHRS) is for family historians, amongst others, who have completed their basic…

UP YOUR GENEALOGY GAME! What else is there apart from wills? (a closer look at probate records) Improve your family history search skills with the Family Tree Academy. This issue, David Annal digs deeper into probate records, and demonstrates how they can help your family history research Throughout the year, the Family Tree Academy will be there to help you grow your genealogy skills. As ever, the aim will continue to be to help teach more about the search skills and source know-how needed to step up your family history research. Probate records In the February issue we took an in-depth look at using and understanding our ancestors’ wills. There’s no question that, when it comes to family history research, wills are the most important records held by the probate…

UNLOCK THE STORY OF YOUR GENES MAKING DNA WORK FOR YOU Your DNA WORKSHOP Welcome to the DNA Workshop! In every issue DNA adviser Karen Evans will be unpacking a reader case study, and giving step-by-step tips for you to use in your DNA research at home. It’s time to unlock the story of your genes… DNA CASE STUDY 'WHERE DOES 45% A SCOT COME FROM?' READER SUE WRITES: When my father-in-law got his first AncestryDNA results he was 96% England, Wales and North-west Europe, 2% Irish & Scottish and 2% Sweden. Given his family tree, that made sense. Now he's 77% England North-west Europe, 6% Welsh and a mystery 17% Scottish. Similarly my husband’s first results gave him 79% England and North-west Europe, and 21% Irish & Scottish. Presumably at…

DIARY DATES DISCOVER LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN SOFA! LEARN ANY TIME, ANYWHERE Online talks & courses ONLINE EVENTS The Virtual FHF Really Useful Family History Show, 10 April The Family History Federation and Parish Chest host their second family history show, with presentations on genealogical topics, ‘ask the experts’, access to family history societies and commercial vendors, and Family Tree Study Club sessions, open to all attendees to the show. Visit family history society stands to access local expertise and information and enjoy presentations and workshops from more than 20 speakers. Talks are available to ticket holders for up to 7 days. Talk topics include ‘Life in the Workhouse’ (Gillian Draper), ‘The Real Mr Selfridge’ (Ian Porter) and ‘Jewish…

Was your ancestor featured in ‘Who’s Who’? TheGenealogist has added almost 100,000 Who’s Who records to its Occupational Records collections, with entries covering individuals from all over England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, USA, New Zealand and further afield In general the format of a Who’s Who is to print a listing for various notable persons together with their biographical information recorded in a concise paragraph or two. The oldest and best-known of these is the annual publication Who’s Who, which is a reference work on contemporary prominent people in Britain published annually since 1849, some of which are available to search on TheGenealogist. The records can be used to discover more about an ancestor’s achievements and are ideal for identifying where next to apply your research. Who’s Who records will confirm…

A NOVEL IDEA Finding facts in fiction Travel back in time with a book: genealogist and fiction fan, Kim Cook, shows how a wellchosen novel can be just what you need to gain a richer understanding of the worlds your ancestors once lived in While family historians must be meticulous in their research, sticking always to proven facts, there are many times when context and atmosphere are sadly lacking. It is in this area that observant, well-written fiction can provide what is missing. The best authors fall into two categories – those such as Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope who were keen observers of society and conditions in their own life-time, and those like Bernard Cornwell who, after sustained and accurate research, write of earlier times. Even where these books…

CRICKETER ANCESTORS THE SOUND OF LEATHER ON WILLOW April marks the beginning of the cricket season, when a leather ball can once more be struck by the willow of the cricket bat. So this seems a timely month in which to consider our ancestors who played this sport professionally, writes Simon Wills The earliest references to cricket in the UK come from the 16th century, but by late Victorian times it was hugely popular. Some men were good enough at the game to make a living from playing cricket, and became known as professionals. They were paid by their cricket clubs, by a match patron, or by charging amateurs to compete against them. It is said that the sport reached its peak in the two decades or so before the…

UP YOUR GENEALOGY GAME! Putting it into practice Two key steps to follow These pointers will help you locate probate records in the archives. Obviously, at the moment, access to the archives is difficult. However the links below will help you consolidate your knowledge, track down the records you need, and prepare for a future trip 1. If you are looking for probate records, other than wills, before 1858, read The National Archives' research guide: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/wills-and-probate-before-1858-further-research/ 2. Learn about three centuries of Chancery equity suits, 1558-1875, at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/chancery-equity-suits-after-1558/. Not for beginners, these records will nonetheless give you a huge insight to your ancestors’ daily lives If you have ideas for subjects or research skills that you would like to see covered on the Family Tree Academy pages, please email helen.t@family-tree.co.uk…

BECOME A DNA SUPER-SLEUTH! WHAT'S ON? DNA DAY Every year on April 25 genetics enthusiasts come together to observe National DNA Day National DNA Day commemorates the discovery of DNA’s double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 and the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. The aim of National DNA Day is to offer the public an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the latest advances in genomics and explore how those advances might impact their lives. It is an opportunity to find out more about the science behind the DNA test. WHAT TO DO ON NATIONAL DNA DAY Take a DNA test – Fulfil your curiosity and learn more about yourself and your family by investing in a DNA test. Some testing companies…

BITE-SIZE FAMILY HISTORY The LUNCH HOUR GENEALOGIST Being busy doesn’t mean you have to neglect your favourite hobby, you can still learn in your lunch break! It’s time to tuck into Rachel Bellerby’s genealogy treats Know-how in under 100 word Genetic distance This refers to the number of differences or mutations between two sets of DNA test results (Y-chromosome or mitochondrial). An exact match would be a genetic distance of 0 and differences are given in centimorgans. For autosomal DNA comparisons the genetic distance would refer to the length of the segment, again given in centimorgans. Project idea The eliminator! This month we’re challenging you to take on an elimination project that will allow you to ensure you have the correct records for a particular ancestor. Most of us have…

SHARING YOUR VIEWS Your LETTERS A treasure-trove of shared pictures, thoughts & even a Family Bible Georgian-born babies I bought this fine late Victorian photograph of St. Saviour’s Almshouses, in the parish of West Norwood, Surrey, a while ago. It depicts some 80 portraits representing four generations. It is remarkable to think that some of these folk were born in the first decade of the 1800s, when the Napoleonic Wars were raging! Howard Lambert Editor: What an exciting thought Howard! In addition, if anyone has ancestors dwelling in the almshouses in the late 1800s, they may of course be depicted. But putting a name to each face would not be easy! Family Bible family reunion required As an avid genealogist and subscriber I am always saddened when entering a charity…