Getting started with a one-place study

Most of us have unfortunate brick walls in our family trees – those frustrating relations who seem to have appeared into the world as if from nowhere. Perhaps a person does not feature in the baptism

Everyone has a family history story they can tell, but many people do not think they have the skills to do it justice in a publication. Frequently comments are heard such as, “I do not have any experi

The strong social norms of Britain’s working class helped generations of immigrants integrate. But today’s fractured society makes that far harder, with worrying implications for the future

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

I remember, many years ago, a potential client making a very specific request. They wanted me to research their family but they were only interested in the direct male line. ‘I don’t want to know abou

Many people associate clans with Scotland, but the word originated in Ireland in the early Middle Ages. It derives from the Irish clann, meaning children, and is used to describe a highly organised hi