Lives of service researching 19th-century soldiers

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

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

In this article in his series, military historian Graham Bandy will cover records and research advice to help you learn more about your ancestors who served in the Royal Air Force, and give clues to h

To some of us, post-1945 seems like yesterday – but if you are a younger researcher, this era could encompass several generations of your ancestors. More recent research is an important part of everyo

Q One of the photos is of my paternal grandmother in what I’m sure is a VAD uniform but I can’t find her listed anywhere. I’m assuming this was c. 1914/16, as my father was born early 1918. She was bo

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