Wills and probate records can be a great source of understanding of individuals. Who were they, and where were they located? What was their status in their community? What property did they own? Who were the administrators of their estates? Who were their heirs, and what did they inherit? What relationships might they have had with other people? The surviving records of England and Wales span from the 14th century to the present. Learn the history of the records before and after 1858, when civil courts took over probate responsibility from ecclesiastical courts. Learn about research guides to the records and how to read them. This webinar was first released 28 July 2021 on the Genealogy Guys Learn website.

Often viewed as a rural retreat for London residents, Surrey presents unique challenges for genealogical research due to its shifting boundaries over the 19th and 20th centuries. This talk will help you build a solid foundation for exploring your Surrey roots with confidence, guiding you through the complexities of tracing your Surrey ancestry, offering strategies to streamline your research journey. Learn about the essential archives and genealogical sources available, both online and in-person, and gain insights into where to find support from local Family History Societies.

An insight into the wealth of information that is available within newspapers including the British Newspaper Archive and The Gazette as well as hints and tips for getting more out of searching and finding useful articles within the newspapers.

Discover how and where to locate records relating to your Essex and East London Ancestors. Learn about the changes of jurisdictions, and the various depositories that hold the keys to researching your family history. Once one of the seven Kingdoms, Essex and its neighboring East End towns/boroughs are steeped in history – from Tudors hunting in Epping Forest, to the Windrush arriving in the port of Tilbury. Find out how the landscape, particularly the Thames Estuary, played its part in shaping the county and its people. From probate courts to manors, schools to newspapers, a vast array of sources will be covered.

Understand original steps in getting from event – birth, marriage or death to an index; how online services impact searches; how to obtain inexpensive certificates. Access procedures and costs for obtaining birth, marriage and death certificates in England and Wales has changed radically in the last few years. Positively, the reduced costs make it such there is no excuse for not getting all birth and death certificates. Negatively, people are losing sight of what they are actually searching to get the certificate. – Learn the original process of getting from an event to a listing within an index (local or national). – Learn what rules and laws changed the above processes over time. – Understand differences between original and new indexes. – See the impact of which versions of the indexes are being searched by the different online services. – Learn how to purchase, and quickly obtain birth and death certificates. – See the different versions of the certificates that can be currently purchased. – Learn alternatives for obtaining cheaper marriage records.

The county of Hampshire covers over 1 million acres, bordered to the south by the English Channel and includes the Isle of Wight. As one might expect the ancestral roots of the county are widely represented by agricultural workers, but it also has a strong maritime history. This includes not only coastguards, fishermen, and latterly Merchant Navy seafarers, but also the Royal Navy with its Portsmouth dockyard, now home to Nelsons’s flagship HMS Victory. Join Gill for a user’s guide to online and offline resources, including local archive collections, a guide to boundary changes, and where to search for missing ancestors. Our aim is research enlightenment.

Yorkshire is the largest county in England and was historically divided into three Ridings: West, North and East. Today there are four sub-counties in Yorkshire. The webinar will explain the complexities of parish jurisdictions and county boundary changes to assist in locating the relevant archives, and societies, for researching records and documents. The varied landscape will be explored to provide a background to the main industries which influenced migration in and around Yorkshire.

New record images create the most complete set of records to identify the over 5.5 million soldiers served in the British Army during World War I. This is a large topic, but research has gotten easier during the last couple of years as original resources and indexes have become available online, and new finding aids have been created. This lecture examines what records were destroyed during WWII, what records survived along with how to use the new indexes, online originals and how to interpret them. Plus put the soldier’s actions into battle context.

Do you have ancestors from Buckinghamshire? If so, then this talk is for you. Join Richard Holt for a whistle-stop tour of the key resources available for research in this county. Our journey of discovery will cover the main archive and how to use their catalogue; along with some smaller archives as well. Find out about a number of online resources that will help you track down your ancestors and learn about their lives. Discover how jurisdictional boundaries might impact your research and how to discover the necessary information. Learn about the many societies, including family history societies, which you can turn to for more information and advice. At the end of our journey you will be equipped with the resources that will enable you to have greater success in your research.

Our ancestors were people, just like us. They were born, they lived, they died, they laughed, they cried, and they fell in love – or should that be luff…? Join people-finding wizard and genealogist Kirsty Gray on a journey through her one place study about the small Devon parishes of Luffincott and Tetcott; learn about the history of these villages, their inhabitants and their challenges, as Kirsty talks you through the trials and triumphs of conducting a one place study. This exploration of the past of a remote and rural part of Devon is sure to providing a fascinating window into the past and be a great example of the benefits conducting a one place study can bring.

Birmingham was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and the world’s first manufacturing town. This talk will equip you to start your research on your Birmingham ancestors. Learn about the challenges of researching in Birmingham and discover the key archives and sources for genealogical records. Find out how key themes in the city’s history, such as migration, strong Roman Catholic and non-conformist traditions, and the rise of manufacturing, are reflected in genealogical records. Sources covered include legal and ecclesiastical archives, local government, business, institutions, societies and schools. Investigate where else you can get help for researching here such as the Family History Society. Note that the talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.

Learn about apprenticeship, freeman and guild records and how they controlled your ancestor’s trade. Identify sources to put your ancestor into a true occupational context.