This talk looks at free online sources that are often overlooked in preference for the main commercial websites. It is focused on English and Welsh resources. The talk gives ideas of where else you could go to expand your hunt for your ancestors’ life story.

Regular sailing schedules between Liverpool and North America began in 1818, and during the 19th century Liverpool became the primary port for emigrants from the British Isles, northern Europe and Russia to North America, Australia, and the rest of the British Empire. Learn how and why this came about, understand what the experience was like going to, in, and leaving from Liverpool. Learn how to identify, access, and use the records of the port and shipping that are available.

The probate system in England and Wales changed significantly in 1858. Learn how the English probate system worked before and after that change, see what records are available and why they are of value. Learn tips and tools for procedures which will simplify the search process, whether the ancestor’s location in England is known or unknown.

Lloyd’s Shipping Lists, and the allied publications are the go-to resources for information about merchant shipping over 100 tons worldwide since 1696. Lloyd’s of London created its first news sheet in 1696. Its successor Lloyd’s List issued in 1734 was a weekly journal of news about ships arriving in English and Irish ports. The New Lloyd’s List ran as a rival beginning in 1769, and replaced it 1773, dropping New after 1788. The frequency of publication changed to daily with annual indexes, advertisements were introduced in 1854. Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Index began publication in 1880. Further changes were made especially during WWI and WWI with additional records being created. Shipping records are still being produced. The Lists created by Lloyd’s are the go-to place for shipping over 100 tons worldwide to get information on the vessels, their masters, and their owners. The presentation will show examples of the different records and how to interpret and understand the information contained. We will look at what is online, and where to look when not online. Plus, once identified where can one look for more information about the ships and the people involved.

Every family has them, ancestors who worked on the land. How can we find out more about them, the farms where they worked and the lives that they led? This session covers a range of sources, many of them under-used, which will help to shed light on the working lives of our rural British ancestors.

This webinar was presented live during the 2022 Surname Society annual conference. Ian Hartas talk will cover some of the basic techniques in how to get the best out of local BMD sites and also cover a basic walk through on them to suit newcomers.

This webinar was presented live during the 2022 Surname Society annual conference. The sources we rely on for our family histories provide information, but the analysis of that information and formulation into proof requires a structured method. Currently there is little guidance on this for beginning and intermediate family historians, especially in the UK. This talk will discuss methodologies, what they are and why they are useful. It will introduce a research methodology and show how it can be used to successfully solve complex cases.

The 1921 UK Census was released earlier this year. Come explore what is new and different in this census. Learn how to search the indexed records, to understand the results, and how to take what you learn about your family further.

Learn how to effectively use the research tools, indexes and catalogs on this large website to find your ancestors and to put them into their correct historical context.

It can be quite daunting to find your ancestors who lived in the Greater London area as records are held at numerous archives. Parishes number in the hundreds and surprisingly, many Londoners in the 18th and 19th centuries were quite mobile. This presentation will take you through a variety of…

Have you noticed that the given names of our eighteenth and nineteenth century English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestors were drawn from a surprisingly small pool? But how small a pool? How common were our ancestors’ given names? More importantly, how rare were the less common names? Lists of the most common 10, 20, 50 or 100 names are surprisingly unhelpful unless they include frequency statistics. For example, Jeremiah, was ranked 26th in England in the 1800s but the most useful information is its frequency; it was carried by only one man in 500. Most villages had fewer than 500 males at that time. This webinar focuses on given name popularities, changes in popularity, and the reasons for such changes. It also covers spelling variants, abbreviations, and diminutives. For example, if you don’t know that Polly was a diminutive of Mary or that Nellie was a diminutive of Ellen and Eleanor and Helen, you might struggle to find entries for your ancestors. Our ancestors’ given names and surnames are the gateways into our family history research. Learning more about their names may prove useful in determining their ancestry or finding other family connections.

Have you noticed that the given names of our eighteenth and nineteenth century English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestors were drawn from a surprisingly small pool? But how small a pool? How common were our ancestors’ given names? More importantly, how rare were the less common names? Lists of the most common 10, 20, 50 or 100 names are surprisingly unhelpful unless they include frequency statistics. For example, Jeremiah, was ranked 26th in England in the 1800s but the most useful information is its frequency; it was carried by only one man in 500. Most villages had fewer than 500 males at that time. This webinar focuses on given name popularities, changes in popularity, and the reasons for such changes. It also covers spelling variants, abbreviations, and diminutives. For example, if you don’t know that Polly was a diminutive of Mary or that Nellie was a diminutive of Ellen and Eleanor and Helen, you might struggle to find entries for your ancestors. Our ancestors’ given names and surnames are the gateways into our family history research. Learning more about their names may prove useful in determining their ancestry or finding other family connections.