Who Do You Think You Are?

Email wdytyaeditorial@ourmedia.co.uk Write to WDYTYA? Magazine, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST You expect some surprises when researching your family history. It's one of the things that makes it so interesting. I did not, however, expect the surprises

Family history website Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk) has added parish records from North Yorkshire. The sets are 'North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1558-1812’ (2,678,402 records); ‘North Yorkshire, England, Chur

we all rely very heavily on surnames when we’re doing our family history research - indeed,it would be impossible without them - and they are a fascinating area of study in their own right. In my own ancestry I have some unhelpfully familiar ones. In

Birth, marriage and death records are key sources that form the foundation of accurate family history. If you are new to the hobby then you may feel bewildered by all of the advice and different records that are available online. The first question m

WGEN 2-4 March 2023 WHERE Salt Lake City, Utah, USA,and online PRICE $98 if you can attend in person, or FREE for online attendees familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023 Roots Tech, the world's largest family history event, takes place annually in S

The 1921 Scottish census was released online on 30 November 2022 St Andrew’s Day. All 4.8 million records are available on ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk), a website run by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), where family historians can

The four-engined aircraft tried to get home and away at high speed, whilst slightly losing height. I slowly got closer, until I could make it out with my bare eyes. I gradually lost some height and positioned myself 100 to 150 metres beneath my targe

Methodism began in the 1730s when John Wesley (1703-1791) founded what he called “religious societies”. Wesley preached widely across England, travelling round the whole country each year. He was supported by his brother Charles the hymnwriter and ot

Hugh Bourne was born at Ford Hayes Farm in the hills above Stoke-on-Trent in the Potteries. He read John Wesley's sermons early, and was converted in 1799 at a Wesleyan Methodist ‘love feast’, where worshippers came together to celebrate their faith.

This month we’ve brought together sites for researching city, town and village memorials, as well as plaques and rolls of honour in schools, hospitals, workplaces and outdoor spaces. The commemoration of the centenary of the First World War produced

During 2022,1 prepared commemorations of war memorials in Northern Ireland that had been unveiled or dedicated in 1922. One of the most important sources I used was the Imperial War Museum's War Memorial Register (iwm.org.uk/memorials), which contain

First set up in January 1917, the Women’s Land Army (WLA) was a civilian organisation that employed women to work on the land during the First World War. In June 1939, the organisation was restarted, recruiting tens of thousands of mostly young women

Q My grandfather, Herbert George Strong (born 1878), was living with his wife, Alice, and son, Albert Edward (my father), in Worthing in 1911. He was a private (267680) in the 17th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment and was discharged from the arm

Q I’ve been sent this photograph by a cousin, believes it shows my 3x great grandmother, Miriam Laverick (1846-1922). However, I feel that the lady in the photo was born earlier than 1846 and think it may be Miriam’s mother, Christiana Potts (1816190

Q Can you identify the Scottish regiment that my great uncle, John Reilly (born in 1883), was in from this photograph? It dates from around 1900. During the First World War, John (far left) was in the 3rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps. Th

The ‘Explore Historical Images’ feature on FamilySearch (familysearch.org) was only unveiled in 2020, but has now undergone its first significant revamp. The tool allows you to browse the free website’s enormous collection of scans of records from ac

On 15 May 1883, in the village of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Murdo Mclean, a 60-yearold crofter from Edinbane, gave evidence to the Napier Commission, whose report is now regarded as an invaluable source of the social history of crofters: inhabita

Màiri Mhòr nan Oran is hailed as one of the most committed and eloquent land reformers in the history of Scotland. Born in the township of Skeabost, Skye, as Mary MacDonald, Mairi Mhor was raised in a croft but moved away from the island to seek work

Until the introduction of a civil Court of Probate in 1858, wills in England and Wales were proved by Church of England courts. Although most wills were proved locally, for various reasons many people had their will proved at a higher court. In north

We visit the Highlands and Islands in the wake of the 1921 census appearing on the official government website ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk) Despite teething troubles with this long-awaited debut, there was a tangible sense of relief that

Many of our ancestors would have sought poor relief from the local parish if they.faced destitution. The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act created the Victorian workhouse system that’s familiar to most of us. Before then, parishes were responsible for admi

For Windows and macOS $35.99 Windows ($23.99 upgrade), $71.99 macOS ($47.99 upgrade);heredis.com/en It's been a couple of years since Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine last took a look at Heredis. It's a powerful tool for Windows and macOS that sits

Channel 4 March (to be confirmed) In 1943, facing execution by the Nazis, Dutch artist and writer Willem Arondeus had a message that he wanted to ensure was passed on to the world. Although the exact wording is disputed, the meaning is always clear.

A yacht drifts by lighthouses and inlets on the coast of southern Norway and Denmark in 1912. On board are two men, Walter and Hugh Archer, who appear to be cruising the waters at their leisure. In reality, they are British spies who’ve been recruite