Features
Guides, tutorials, interviews, research and opinion pieces on family and social history
My relative earned medals for bravery in the First World War and was one of the first men to drive a tank
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader David Stokes discovered his relative George Harrington drove a tank in the First World War
The best genealogy courses available now
Discover how to learn family history skills with our pick of the best online and correspondence genealogy courses
I discovered what happened to my grandmother’s missing half-sister after their mother died
Victor Nutt discovered that his great grandmother, grandmother and great aunt all overcame hardship in Victorian England
My ancestor emigrated from Orkney to New Zealand. A century later, I made the journey in reverse
Bo Harris moved from New Zealand to Britain and traced her great great grandfather Robert Harcus, who emigrated from Orkney
“Granny remembered her father going to collect the bodies that were washing up on the shore at Stornoway in 1919”
William Cumming's family in the Outer Hebrides have survived generations of sea disasters, including the Iolaire sinking
My father’s carpentry genius was crucial to Allied surveillance in Burma in the Second World War
David Cunningham used his carpentry skills to build crates for airdropping radios into occupied Burma during the Second World War
I loved my great grandparents’ incredible prize-winning fancy dress costume from 1935!
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Jayne Turner shares her photographs of her family in the early 20th century
I discovered my ancestor was a suffragist who campaigned for women and the working class
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Erica Ward talks about her ancestor Eleanor Grizzell, who was a suffragist and Sheffield councillor
Historian seeks help identifying men in moving WW1 photograph
Bristol-based historian Ian Chard shares an evocative photograph of a Gloucestershire regiment from the Western Front – and asks if you recognise any of the depicted men from your own family tree
My grandfather lost his eye after being shot in the forehead on the Western Front
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Jon Gliddon discovered his grandfather Herman Pike lost an eye in the First World War
“My ancestors who were indentured or enslaved were a big part of Britain’s history”
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Kyle Ring discovered his ancestors in the colonial history of Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados
How to find Boer War service records
Jonathan Scott picks the best websites for finding Boer War service records in your family history research
Yorkshire surnames: How to tell if your surname comes from Yorkshire
If you have one of these unusual surnames in your family tree, it's a sign that your family came from God's own country
Crufts entries and accordions: These old family photographs vividly capture my East End grandparents’ lives
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Janice Oliver from Dunstable in Bedfordshire shares her family photographs
Old newspapers revealed my relative was a working-class suffragette who worked with Sylvia Pankhurst
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Anne Padfield's relative Rosaline McCheyne was a suffragette in London's East End
My ancestor rose from poverty to wealth in 18th century Britain by morally suspect means
Jean Thomson's 3x great grandfather William Jones was born in poverty in Wales and rose to be a lawyer and prison marshal in London
I unearthed the tragic story of my relative who fought for Australia in the First World War
Michael Wrigglesworth discovered what happened to his distant cousin Wilfred Collinson after he emigrated to Australia
My great grandfather played for Arsenal, stood for Parliament and set a cycling record
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Graham Sheppard shares the astonishing story of his great grandfather John
My grandfather was abandoned at an orphanage in Italy. Over a century later, I discovered the truth
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Paula Daily explains how she traced her Italian-American immigrant grandfather's origins
Second World War Army records: Where to find them
If someone in your family history served in the Army during the Second World War, here's how to track down their records
A newspaper article revealed that my ancestor died saving his wife and children in an accident
Nigel Ellis discovered that his great great uncle Samuel Scarff died saving his wife and children from a runaway horse
A rags-to-riches rise, a knighthood and a missing daughter: My ancestor’s astonishing life
In his family history research, Graham Ashdown unearthed a connection to Curtis Ashdown, a shipping magnate who was knighted by George V
Newspaper articles revealed my relative died in a First World War prison camp after the Armistice was signed
Maxine Foley Speakman shares how she discovered the story of her distant cousin Herbert Bolton's death in a First World War prison camp
100 cool British last names: From Anguish to Wildblood
Look no further for 100 cool British last names and their sometimes surprising origins from Alefounder and Sexey to Twelvetrees and Wildblood