Features
Guides, tutorials, interviews, research and opinion pieces on family and social history

From the workhouse diet to chewing 100 times: weight loss expert evaluates diet tips from the past
Lauren Potts looks at the weight loss tips our ancestors would have known - and asks whether any of them work

This Christmas, interview your relatives and preserve precious family memories
How to interview older relatives about family history at Christmas

The truth about the Christmas baby boom: what your birth date says about you
Lauren Potts reveals the time of year most babies are born - and what it says about our ancestors
null
undefined

TheGenealogist: Putting genealogy on the map
Discover the best website for locating your family – and don’t miss our exciting reader offer!

From Father Christmas to gingerbread houses, the origins of beloved childhood Christmas traditions
Caroline Roope looks at our ancestors' favourite childhood Christmas activities

My father was adopted - I tracked down his long-lost half brother
Jennifer Wallig reveals how she tracked down the uncle she never knew

I research celebrities' family trees for Who Do You Think You Are? - here's what I want you to know about tracing your family history
Who Do You Think You Are? genealogist Sara Khan shares behind-the-scenes tips on how to research your family history

The best Christmas gifts for family historians from DNA test kits to historic newspapers
The best family tree gifts for the family historian or genealogist in your life

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

Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine index
An index of past family history articles featured in back issues of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine

Who were the Huguenots?
Kathy Chater explains how to trace Huguenot ancestors - Protestant refugees fleeing religious persecution in France - in your family history

The best DNA test kits for 2025 tried and tested
DNA expert Debbie Kennett reviews the leading commercial DNA tests on the market

What is the best UK family history software?
We consider the advantages of using family history software to start your family tree, and the pros and cons of RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Family Historian, Heredis, Legacy 10 and MacFamily Tree 10

The best genealogy courses available now
Discover how to learn family history skills with our pick of the best online and correspondence genealogy courses

Plough Monday: What is it, and when is Plough Monday 2026?
Everything you need to know about the English rural tradition of Plough Monday

How do I find probate records online?
Paul Blake explains how to use online Probate Calendars to track down your family's wills and research your family history

What is the line of succession?
Who is next in line to the throne? Find out with our guide to Britain's royal line of succession

The best websites for DNA family history research
Jonathan Scott wades through the jargon to bring together the best sites for understanding your family history using DNA testing

When were the Napoleonic Wars?
Did someone in your family fight for Britain in the Napoleonic Wars? Here's how to find family history records that far back

Irish petty sessions records: How to use them in family history
Discover how to use the records of Ireland's petty sessions in your family history research

"There was a cloud around my dad": Radio series reveals man's fight to recover family art stolen by the Nazis
New Radio 4 series The House at Number 48 reveals Antony Easton's efforts to trace his family's stolen art collection

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

Irish Chancery bill books: How to use them in family history
Discover how you can use the surviving records of Ireland's Court of Chancery in family history

What is a lunatic asylum?
We look at the history of lunatic asylums, and how to trace records of your ancestors who were held in them