Category Archives: Family History

#RootsTech Roundup Part 2

by thehistoryinterpreter

News from yesterday. First the decision. Do I catch up on my unwatched sessions from yesterday or start today and fit in the missed ones as and when? Of course the ‘to watch’ schedule can only get longer as other people recommend things to  watch. As eleven of the twelve on my list for today were 3pm or later, I decided to start with today’s 3am one and then try to fill in, although I did have other things to do today, not least do a final run through of my own RootsTech talk for tomorrow. This then is more part 2 than day 2 as most of these were Thursday sessions.

First then it was Kathryn Moore’s ‘Good Genealogists Don’t Guess: How to Evaluate a Record in 3 Simple Steps’. This was intended for newer genealogists but I wish it was fifteen minutes of essential listening before anyone was allowed to create an Ancestry or other online tree. Then it was back to catch up on some of Thursday evenings presentations, starting with ‘Tracing Transnational Lives: Bridging Records Between Countries’  from Allison DePrey Singleton. This covered a variety of lesser-known European and North American data sets and stressed the need to investigate the historical background when working with migratory ancestors.

Crista Cowan’s ‘What’s New at Ancestry’ was next on my list. She’s such an entertaining speaker. The innovations that are being rolled out include record and document transcription for documents that you upload, the ability to compare trees and censuses, the creation of AI stories and updates to the hints and person pages. There’s also a thing called Ancestry Preserve, whereby you can buy a box to send family treasures to Ancestry who will digitise the contents, be it audio tapes, 35mm slides and so on, for a price. This will then appear on your ancestry account. I can’t help wondering who then owns the copyright of these. 10 million records are being indexed by Ancestry each day. Do listen to Crista’s entertaining and informative talk to find out more.

‘When Nothing Found Means Something: Negative Search Results vs. Negative Evidence’ was next. With Diana Elder, taking us through a brick wall research process. This was a very interesting worked example. Having found out what was new and forthcoming (I don’t actually have any of the new features yet) at Ancestry, I moved to listen to Jen Baldwin telling us what was new at FindmyPast. This was more of an overview of what had been added over the past year, rather than what was to come, so I was aware of most of it. An incredible 100 million pages of newspapers are now available.

Still working my way through my Thursday watch list, next was ‘DNA’s FAN Club: Using Shared Matches To Solve Genealogical Mysteries’ by Paula Williams. Like most DNA talks the assumption is that people are working with numerous higher matches and have relatives closer than third cousins who have tested, so the advice wasn’t applicable to my situation but would certainly be helpful for others. Finally from yesterday, I listened to Heather Haunert’s, ‘Picture This: 50+ Image Ideas to Enrich Your Family History Story’, with plenty of ideas about things we could photograph to enhance our family stories. Some of the suggestions might have copyright implications, so would not be for publishing in a public forum. At that point I was RootsTeched out for the day and now I have to combine this with paralympic coverage, as well as Crufts but there will be another round up soon.

#RootsTech Roundup Day 1

by thehistoryinterpreter

For those who don’t know (and if you don’t, you’ve not been reading my blog long enough) RootsTech is the largest genealogical event in the world, with thousands of people attending live in Salt Lake City and many more taking part virtually from all parts of the globe. Many of the sessions are recorded and you can access these for free here. These remain online after the event, so you can watch presentations from this year and previous years at your leisure. This is a brilliant opportunity to learn more about research methods, sources, genealogy related technology, DNA, social history and much more. There really is something for everyone. Including a few talks from me!

I started the day with a 5am talk from UK researcher Davina Wilcock ‘Considering Location When Researching Your Ancestors’, a great introduction to the importance of place and as a One-Place studier, who am I to argue. Then at 6.30am my own pre-recorded session ‘Timelines for Genealogy; a powerful research tool’ went live. Excruciating as it is to listen to oneself, I did, thinking that I could comment and answer any questions in the chat. I could see other people’s comments but my screen lacked the blue ‘join chat’ button that others had.

At 3pm I had a clash, so I started with ‘The GPS in Practice: Examples of Reasonably Exhaustive Research’ with Angela Packer McGhie. The speaker gave worked examples of verifying evidence and analysing the reliability of records, defining reasonably exhaustive research. I appreciated that an English example was included. A very minor niggle, the speaker did refer to Bolton le Moor as a county. British geographical jurisdictions are confusing, particularly for those overseas and getting confused about them is common. She needs my session from 2025 ‘Where am I?: Are You Searching in the Right Place?!

Then it was back to catch up with ‘Poor, Pauper, or Pragmatic? Victorian Burial and Identity: interments in Philips Park Cemetery in Manchester 1866-1900’ with Dr Micala Hulme and I finally solved the lack of a join chat button. It seemed it was because my Family Search profile lacked my date of birth. It would have been handy to have been warned of this somewhere obvious. Interestingly, my own talk is suggested as a related talk alongside Micala’s. It was an interesting overview of Victorian burial practices with Manchester as a case study.

The first part of Diahan Southard’s DNA Swim School was next on my list. The session was very well presented and interesting but not relevant to me as she was focussing on looking for a 2x great grandparent. I don’t have any missing 2x great grandparents and only have one missing 3x great grandparent. The use of ancestral journeys, which she talked us through, is also less helpful to someone with 100% English ancestry. Nontheless, Diahan is a very entertaining and knowledgeable speaker.

Then I listened to a panel discussing Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy in 2026. The panel members and others are part of a Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy, who advocate for accuracy, transparency and privacy. A very balanced discussion, with the take away ‘Don’t let AI make the final decision for you’. Definitely a must watch. There were six more evening sessions on my schedule for day 1 but I decided to swap for Crufts and watch those later, one of the great positives of RootsTech. More tomorrow!

Image created using Canva

An Elusive Great Grandmother

by thehistoryinterpreter

Fanny Thomasine Bishop was my great grandmother on my paternal grandfather’s side. I feel like I ‘know’ my maternal great grandmothers; there are photographs and my mother shared memories of these two women. In the early 1990s, I was in contact with Fanny’s granddaughter but their lives didn’t overlap and she could not contribute anything. Fanny lived until 1921 and even though the family were very much working class, it seems usual that not a single photograph has survived, or at least not one that I have been able to locate. Everything that I know about Fanny has had to come from documentary research. She does flit in and out of the records, largely through the lives and many deaths of her children but to me, she remains a shadowy figure. Yet she intrigues me and I would love to know her better. In an attempt to understand and appreciate the life of a women who experienced many tragedies, a woman who struggled with poverty, a woman who must have possessed incredible resilience and who only legacy is her descendants, I decided to try to write her story.

I can only imagine what she looked like. Although I don’t have a photograph of her, I do have photographs of two of her children and three of her grandchildren. I also have photographs of her father and his siblings, her grandfather and, incredibly, her great grandfather, who lived to be ninety two, dying the year after Fanny was born. I am ambivalent about the use of AI. I have serious concerns about its impact on the creative industries and on the environment. I do however acknowledge that it is here and here to stay and perhaps I should be trying to understand it and through that understanding, be aware of its uses, its pitfalls and the ethical connotations. I can use those photographs of Fanny’s relatives and ask an AI agent of choice to create a period photograph that, in its opinion might be consistent with what the daughter/mother/niece of the uploaded photos might look like. Confession time, I tried this. The result was unnerving. Physically I strongly resemble my mother but I could see a resemblance to me. I asked someone who they thought the AI generated image looked like (without telling them that it was potentially anything to do with me) and they immediately named one of my daughters and not the one that looks most like me. I am not going to upload the result here, not even clearly watermarked ‘created using AI’. It isn’t something that I feel comfortable doing.

As part of investigating Fanny’s life, I considered her schooling and remembered that I did have a school photo that was given to me in connection with Fanny’s husband’s family, who lived in the same village. There was no date on the image and no names but it was meant to include the grandmother of the person who sent it to me and she was two years younger than Fanny. I investigated the schoolmaster, who was in post from at least 1871-1901. In this picture he looks to be in his late thirties or early forties, making the picture about 1870-1880. Unfortunately, school photographs look fairly similar from 1870-1910 and I don’t have the original to examine photographic techniques, or to enable me to research the photographer’s name. Fanny was likely to have been at the school from 1874-1882. So I have scrutinised this photo and if she’s in this photo I know which girl I would vote for. I would bet on which ones were her younger brothers too but I could be totally wrong. The resemblances I think I am seeing and resemblance is a tricky thing, might be because members of Fanny’s husband’s family would have been at the school at this time. So, are the circled children below my great grandmother and her brothers? I wish I knew.

I did enhance the child who could be Fanny, or indeed any number of other people and compared it to a picture of my father, her grandson, at a similar age. It has made the girl very blurry but I am happy with my guess, even though the words ‘clutching at straws’ come to mind.

What Comes Next for me in the Family History Part of my World?

by thehistoryinterpreter

I often write about what I’ve been up to in the previous few weeks and sometimes get the response ‘I wish I’d known you were doing x’, so I thought I’d look ahead for a change.

Today, yes, today, I am starting a new presentation of my ‘Putting your Female Ancestors into Context course. This is five weeks of online study, almost all of which can be done in your own time. You haven’t missed anything if you want to jump in and come along for the ride. Here where to find out more. There’s a similar course about writing up your family history, starting on 20 April too.

On 26 February, I’ll be running a workshop for the Society of Genealogists that is designed for those who are interested in rural communities, or who have ancestors who were rural dwellers. We have a whole two and a half hours so, after an introduction, participants are let loose in small groups to research a specific community and its inhabitants. The techniques can then be applied to your own ancestors. I’ve done a shortened version of this before and it was great fun but we didn’t have long enough, so this is an extended version, with different geographical areas to investigate. You can book for this here.

Early March brings the annual extravaganza that is Rootstech and the online version is free to attend with hundreds of speakers from across the world, speaking on a wide variety of topics. You’ll find me speaking  live but remotely at 3pm on Saturday 7th about researching British ancestors in the Twentieth Century. I’ve also done a recorded short presentation about using Timelines for Genealogy, which should be available from 4pm on 5th March. Recordings of talks I’ve given in previous years are also available. Do register to attend, there’s so much to learn.

April is going to be busy with the Really Useful Show in St. Ives (the one near Peterborough) and the Guild of One Name Studies Conference in Portsmouth. Bookings for this are remaining open for a few more days. I have a new talk to give for this ‘Preserving the Past for the Future’, about memories, heirlooms, family stories and photographs.

Also available to book is the Society of Genealogists’ Mental Health and Family History Day on 11 May, when I am joining some very talented colleagues to explore different areas of family history and mental health. I will be sharing some case studies of those who spent time in an asylum. If you’ve heard me talk on similar subjects before, I have found some new stories to include for this one. This is how to book for that one.

Looking ahead to the end of the year, on 13 November, I’ll be giving a talk about researching in Devon for Legacy Family History Webinars. You’ll be able to join me live for free but you might like to take out a subscription and view other talks that are part of Legacy’s “Year of the Genealogy Deep Dive”, featuring over 220 talks. Check out the full 2026 schedule and register here: 

I also have far too many other talks to give to various groups, both in person and online. In between all this I have two exciting trips away and a ‘big’ birthday to celebrate. Apropos of that, I just had to apply to renew my driving licence. Good grief, honestly, if you are ten years away from this milestone, start now. It took forever. I made the mistake of doing it online, as I thought this would be easier and quicker than filling in the form on paper. Don’t, just don’t. Four one time pass codes to negotiate. Mid-way through I had to swap to my phone and download an app. I hate trying to do things on my phone. Then I had to answer a load of questions I’d already answered. The grumpy old woman hat was very firmly on by this point. To top it all, my application failed as they didn’t like my photo and I had to encounter yet more one time passcodes.

Because peace and mindfulness is needed to restore balance, I am excited to report that I have a pair of blackcaps, that have been seen several times in my tiny, concrete infested garden. Here’s a hurried, blurry photo, taken through two panes of double glazing, to prove it.

’Tis the Season to be Quizzing – so you think you know your family history? Final Answers

by thehistoryinterpreter

If you’ve just arrived here, it may be that you’ve missed the questions for the a Family History Quiz. If you want to participate, stop reading now, or you will find the answers to rounds 5 & 6 below. Just go to round 1 and return here when you’ve done those questions.

Just some answers for you today then.

Researching Women

  1. When was the married women’s property act passed? 1882
  2. Which women were given the vote by the UK legislation of 1918? Women over 30 who were householders or wives of householders.
  3. What was the minimum legal age for the marriage of girls, with parental consent, in England and Wales in 1928? 12, although the age of consent had been 16 since 1885.
  4. In what decade did Marie Stopes open her first birth control clinic? 1920s
  5. In what decade did The Sex Discrimination Act remove restrictions on women’s financial rights, making it illegal for employers, banks, financial institutions and landlords to discriminate against women? 1970s.

All the answers in the above round come from my Putting your Female Ancestors into Context online course, If you want to focus on your female ancestors, the next presentation of this course starts in February. You can sign up here.

What do these abbreviations stand for?

  1. b.o.t.p Both of this Parish
  2. GRO General Register Office (I should disallow General Registry Office but hey it’s Christmas).
  3. PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
  4. d.s.p decessit sine prole (died without issue). You can have a mark without the Latin.
  5. FWK framework knitter.

This may be the final blog for 2025, so Season’s Greetings to all and special thoughts for those who find this time of year difficult.

’Tis the Season to be Quizzing – so you think you know your family history? Rounds 5 & 6

by thehistoryinterpreter

You’ve arrived on day 4, the final day, of a Family History Quiz. If you want to participate in earlier rounds, stop reading now, or you will find the answers to rounds 3 & 4 below. Just go to round 1 and return here when you’ve done those questions.

Here are the final quiz rounds

Round 5 Researching Women

  1. When was the married women’s property act passed?
  2. Which women were given the vote by the UK legislation of 1918?
  3. What was the minimum legal age for the marriage of girls, with parental consent, in England and Wales in 1928?
  4. In what decade did Marie Stopes open her first birth control clinic?
  5. In what decade did The Sex Discrimination Act remove restrictions on women’s financial rights, making it illegal for employers, banks, financial institutions and landlords to discriminate against women.

Round 6 What do these abbreviations stand for?

  1. b.o.t.p
  2. GRO
  3. PRONI
  4. d.s.p.
  5. FWK

Now for the answers to rounds 3 & 4. All the answers to round 4 come from my Discovering more about your Agricultural Labouring Ancestors online course, There’s a chance to brush up on your ag. lab. knowledge in the New Year. You can sign up here.

Round 3 Old Occupations

What did the following do?

  1. Pindar – looked after the pound
  2. Fletcher – one who put feathers on the ends of arrows
  3. Chapman – a merchant
  4. Cordwainer – shoemaker – originally one who used leather from Cordoba
  5. Badger – an itinerant seller of foodstuffs

 Round 4 Agricultural Labourers

  1. What was the name of the mythical person who was associated with a series of protests in the 1830s, that were directed at the introduction of threshing machines? These riots were predominantly conducted in East Anglia and the South East of England. Captain Swing
  2. What is the name of the series of county by county books, published by the Board of Agriculture between 1790 and 1820, that provide background information for those with rural ancestors? The General View of Agriculture
  3. What laws were repealed in 1846, reinstating a free market for grain in Britain? The Corn Laws
  4. Where can you consult the National Farm Survey for England and Wales? National Archives Kew
  5. Which English and Welsh census was the first to list the acreages of farms and the number of employees? 1851

Answers to rounds 5 & 6 coming up tomorrow.

’Tis the Season to be Quizzing – so you think you know your family history? Rounds 3 & 4

by thehistoryinterpreter

You’ve arrived on day 3 of a Family History Quiz. If you want to participate in earlier rounds, stop reading now, or you will find the answers to round 2 below. Just go to round 1 and return here when you’ve done those questions.

Round 3 Old Occupations

What did the following do?

  1. Pindar
  2. Fletcher
  3. Chapman
  4. Cordwainer
  5. Badger

Round 4 Agricultural Labourers

  1. What was the name of the mythical person who was associated with a series of protests in the 1830s, that were directed at the introduction of threshing machines? These riots were predominantly conducted in East Anglia and the South East of England.
  2. What is the name of the series of county by county books, published by the Board of Agriculture between 1790 and 1820, that provide background information for those with rural ancestors?
  3. What laws were repealed in 1846, reinstating a free market for grain in Britain?
  4. Where can you consult the National Farm Survey for England and Wales?
  5. Which English and Welsh census was the first to list the acreages of farms and the number of employees?

Now for the answers to yesterday’s round 2. Incidentally, all the round 2 questions were taken from my stage 2 family history course, which Devon Family History Society are running online in the New Year. If you think you need to brush up on your knowledge, head to the website as there are a three places left.

Round 2 answers

  1. What is a Glebe Terrier? Maps and descriptions of church-owned land—mostly C17th & C18th. Tenants often named and those owning neighbouring land may be referred to.
  2. In what century were the Protestation Returns and the Heath Tax created. Seventeenth century (half marks if you put 1600s).
  3. What kind of records will you find in class WO97 at the National Archives? Service Records of Soldiers discharged to a pension.
  4. Which data providing platform gives access to the 1910 Valuation Office Records (Lloyd George’s Domesday)? The Genealogist.
  5. Name 3 ways in which you could gain settlement, according to the 1662 Act. Birth; Marriage (for women) – kept when widowed; · Renting property worth £10 p.a. or more; Completing an apprenticeship in the parish; Working for a year under a settled master; Paying parish or poor rates; Serving as a parish official.
  6. What is a nuncupative will? An oral will made in presence of 4 witnesses – could be used until 1838. From 1677 had to be written up by someone and signed by testator unless physically incapable. Should begin ‘Memorandum Quod..…’
  7. Name four groups of people who were not able to make wills, under the terms of the 1540 Statute of Wills. Child (under marriageable age), lunatic, heretic, apostate, slave, prisoner, married woman (until Married Woman’s Property Act of 1882) unless she had been given property of her own under terms of a marriage settlement, or unless she had permission of her husband.
  8. On which Repository’s website will you find the Manorial Documents’ Register. The National Archives as part of the Discovery Catalogue.
  9. Define a journeyman. Half a mark for someone who has completed an apprenticeship. Another half mark if you said they worked by the day (from the French journee – daytime). They may have travelled about but no marks for ‘being on a journey’.
  10. What is a sojourner? Someone who is not settled in the parish. Half a mark for ‘not a permanent resident’ although they may been there for decades and just not done anything to become settled in the parish (see question 5).

’Tis the Season to be Quizzing – so you think you know your family history? Round 2

by thehistoryinterpreter

You’ve arrived on day 2 of a Family History Quiz. If you want to participate in round 1, stop reading now, or you will find the answers! Just go to round 1 and return here when you’ve done those questions.

Here are today’s questions, perhaps a little harder than yesterday’s.

Round 2

  1. What is a Glebe Terrier?
  2. In what century were the Protestation Returns and the Heath Tax created.
  3. What kind of records will you find in class WO97 at the National Archives?
  4. Which data providing platform gives access to the 1910 Valuation Office Records (Lloyd George’s Domesday)?
  5. Name 3 ways in which you could gain settlement, according to the 1662 Act.
  6. What is a nuncupative will?
  7. Name four groups of people who were not able to make wills, under the terms of the 1540 Statute of Wills.
  8. On which Repository’s website will you find the Manorial Documents’ Register
  9. Define a journeyman.
  10. What is a sojourner?

LOOK OUT ANSWERS TO ROUND ONE BELOW

Round One

  1. Which of the two English/Welsh censuses, that are open for public view, were taken in June? 1841 and 1921.
  2. Which English/Welsh census provides information about how long a couple have been married? 1911.
  3. Jane and Jack share one set of great-grandparents but no grandparents. How are Jane and Jack related to each other? Second cousins.
  4. At what repository are the wills that were proved in the Prerogative Court of York held? The Borthwick Institute.
  5. What does a time in the ‘where & when born’ column of an English or Welsh birth certificate usually indicate? A multiple birth.
  6. From what date were printed marriage registers, containing standard information, introduced in England and Wales. 1754.. I will accept 1753, as that is when the act was passed.
  7. What, in a genealogical context, is meant by the Commonwealth Gap? The hiatus in parish registers from 1653-1660 under Oliver Cromwell.
  8. Jane Brown was baptised on 2 February 1751, her brother William was baptised on 8 September 1752, both events took place in London. What is wrong with that statement? Neither of those dates existed due to the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
  9. Surnames derive from one of main four roots. What are they? Patronymics (from the father’s christian name), occupational surnames, locative surnames and surnames taken from personal characteristics or physical appearance.
  10. When was the Poor Law Amendment Act passed? 1834

’Tis the Season to be Quizzing – so you think you know your family history?

by thehistoryinterpreter

Who doesn’t love a quiz at Christmas time? I’ve already done dismally badly at two I’ve attended but it is the taking part that counts. Annually, most of my family participate in Gordon Gray’s charity Christmas Puzzle, even the grandchildren join in now, although I don’t think I’ve ever got it all right. Do give it a go if you like something cryptic. Other quizzes come and go. In an effort to find a quiz where I would get the answers right (I hope!), I’ve created my own.

This is just for a bit of fun. No prizes and definitely no arguing with the quizmistress. There will be forty points up for grabs over the next few days, all based on British (largely English/Welsh family history. Entirely up to you if you look answers up or not. Personally, I think it is good to see how you can do without resorting to search engines first but your quiz, do what is fun for you. Round 2 and the he answers to round 1 tomorrow.

Round One

  1. Which of the two English/Welsh censuses, that are open for public view, were taken in June?
  2. Which English/Welsh census provides information about how long a couple have been married?
  3. Jane and Jack share a set of great-grandparents but do not share grandparents. How are Jane and Jack related to each other?
  4. At what repository are the wills that were proved in the Prerogative Court of York held?
  5. What does a time in the ‘where & when born’ column of an English or Welsh birth certificate usually indicate?
  6. From what date were printed marriage registers, containing standard information, introduced in England and Wales.
  7. What, in a genealogical context, is meant by the Commonwealth Gap?
  8. “Jane Brown was baptised on 2 February 1751, her brother William was baptised on 8 September 1752, both events took place in London.” What is wrong with that statement?
  9. Surnames derive from one of main four roots. What are they?
  10. When was the Poor Law Amendment Act passed?

Have fun.

What’s all the Black Friday Lark? contains family history related offers

by thehistoryinterpreter

Today may or may not be Black Friday. I can confirm it is a Friday for all you retired types who aren’t quite sure. Black Friday now seems to last several weeks so if it is THE Black Friday is debatable. It is something that has spread from America and in the interests of imparting some history, it seems that the term originated in September 1869, when James Fisk, a railway magnate and Jay Gould, a financier and railway speculator, together with Abel Corbin, brother in law of US President Ulysses S Grant, forced up the price of gold by cornering the market. This was followed by a slump and panic in the gold market, with many people losing money. The US economy was already under pressure following the cost of the Civil War and the gold crash led to financial chaos.

There is another, largely discredited, theory that Black Friday referred to days when enslaved people were sold for a reduced price. This clearly has nothing to do with every retailer offering us deals in the run up to Christmas, so when did that start? In the 1960s, the police in Philadelphia used the phrase ‘Black Friday’ to refer to the increase in crime and social disorder during the pre-Thanksgiving holiday shopping rush. It seems to have been the 1980s when US retailers began using ‘Black Friday’ to refer to slashing prices and the UK followed suit. Now Black Friday seems last for weeks and to morph into January sales, which of course start on Boxing Day.

I am rubbish at marketing but I thought I’d point out a few Black Friday family history related offers that I am involved in. Pharos Teaching and Tutoring are offering 15% off all their online courses this weekend. Two of mine which are very popular start in the new year, Discovering more about your Agricultural Labouring Ancestors and Putting your Female Ancestors into Context. There are others later in 2026 that you can book now and claim the discount. These include Are you Sitting Comfortably: writing and telling your family history in April; First Steps to a One-place Study in September and In Sickness and in Death; researching the ill health and death of your ancestors in October. There are a load of great offerings from my colleagues too.

Pen and Sword have 30% off their prices, again this weekend only. Here you can buy my Women’s Work book or Marginalised Ancestors. I am offering Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of our seventeenth century ancestors for £5 plus postage to a UK address. From now until 8 December, you can have Remember Then Women’s Memories of 1946-1969 and how to write your own for £8 plus postage. Both of these have a cover price of £12.95. If you prefer fiction, then Sins as Red as Scarlet is on offer for £8 plus postage (cover price £9.99) for the next week too. There is more about the books on my website. Contact me using the box on the home page for details if you want any of these. If you don’t fancy any of this for yourself, they are also gift giving opportunities. Advert over.