Lives on the ocean waves tracing your mariner ancestors before 1914

As a professional genealogist I’m sometimes asked to carry out research into a particular individual – to, in effect, compile a biography. These requests most frequently come from one of my oldest and

It’s an inescapable consequence of living in an island nation that, prior to the advent of air travel, everyone arriving in – or departing from – the country would have done so by sea. Over the centur

QMargaret Woodhall (née Smithson), born c1827 Liverpool (according to the 1851 census), was the sister of my great grandfather, James Murray Smithson, born c1835 in Edinburgh. Their father was William

Before the introduction of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales in 1837, it is the parochial registers recording the baptisms, marriages and burials of our ancestors

This is one in a series of articles; the intention is to provide an overview of useful family and local history records in existence, covering the period 1066-1485. Each article can be enjoyed as a st

A resurgence of interest in lug-rigged sailing vessels showcases the importance of Scotland’s former booming herring industry