United Kingdom

  • Your Great Grandparents Did ‘What’ ?

    Nov 22

    The great thing about doing your family history is not just gathering names and dates, but rather learning more about our ancestors' daily lives. One very interesting period of time to explore is that of the Victorian era – 1840s to 1900, whether in Europe or America, many people followed some strange and bazaar, yet accepted behaviors. First ...

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  • Old English Occupations

    Nov 19

    So many of us do have some English heritage in our family tree. Besides finding English ancestors, we need to learn about their occupations. The terms for certain occupations has changed over the years. So when you look an records of the United Kingdom – census- marriage- death certificates from England and there is an occupation listed for a p...

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  • Europeana 1914-1918 Collections

    Nov 11

    With this being the 11th  month of the 11th day, it is important to note the work being done to preserve material related to the thousands of ancestors who were involved during the 'Great War' what would eventually be called World War One. There is a special project in Europe for the last couple of years to collect memorabilia and stories from t...

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  • Life in 1901 England

    Sep 22

    That date was some 111 years ago which seems quite a long time ago, but very possibility you have close relatives on the family tree who lived during that time. My father was born in England in 1905, so certainly his parents would have been a part of that year. The online site, 'Living At The Time of the Census' refers to the United Kingdom officia...

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  • WorldGenWeb Project

    Aug 11

    If you have not reviewed this online site, WorldGenWeb Project, you need to check it out. Being world - it does have genealogical sources from all the continents. Their archives come from public domain records and placed for free use on the Internet. You begin by clicking on the continent you are interested in examining. There will be a list of nat...

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  • Read a Queen’s Journal

    Jun 30

    Such a  treasury is finding and reading an ancestor’s journal or diary. It is like getting the opportunity to speak to them directly.  With a journal they have confined in their writings their deepest thoughts and feelings. One of most well-known historical figures was Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who ruled from June 1837 until her de...

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  • Using the British Newspapers

    Apr 13

    Many researchers have ties to the United Kingdom through their ancestors.  My father and his family came to America in 1912 from Manchester, Lancashire County, England. Some earlier branches of that family came even earlier, many in the 1880s. Once you know if you have some British lineage; with some names, dates and locations, using newspapers of...

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  • Pranksters on April Fool’s Day

    Apr 1

    The first of April is April Fool’s Day, that special 24 hours for those individuals who love to trick or get the best of someone with a special hoax or ruse. You may have already discovered an ancestor; usually it seems to be a great uncle, who loved practical jokes or fooling people. By all means do include stories of some of their mischievous ...

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  • Ancestral Patent Medicines & Home Remedies

    Feb 25

    For our grandparents and great grandparents, most did not go to doctors on a regular basis. Instead people around 1900 (in many countries) used various home remedies, homeopathic methods or an array of ‘patent medicines’ such as Omega Oil which claimed to be "natures own remedy for pain, with a sparkling green color, and there’s nothing else ...

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  • A Close-up Look at Records of London, England

    Jan 24

    The largest city in England, that of London, has been a major factor in millions of English citizens lives for centuries.  Even if you had an ancestor from another portion of England they were affected by what was done in London. The online site, London Lives, is so intriguing, rich in tens of thousands of manuscripts and fifteen databases to p...

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