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

1603, An English blacksmith using an anvil in a forge. The surname Smith comes from the occupation of blacksmith

Getting started

Where does my surname come from?

Scottish ancestry. A Shetland homeworker spinning together two cords of wool, c.1910

Discover your past

How to research Scottish ancestry

Indian Tea Plantation British in India

Overseas ancestry

How long were the British in India?

First World War soldiers at the Battle of Ypres, 1917 First World War records

How to find First World War records

Y-DNA

What is Y-DNA?

Holidaymakers queue for an open-top bus, 1921 census

The 1921 census – everything you need to know!

St David's Day Celebrations At Llandudno Welsh surnames

Discover your past

Welsh surnames: Why are there so few Welsh surnames, and what are the most common?

Best free genealogy websites

Getting started

The best free genealogy websites

Royal Marines records. Royal Marines practice a bayonet charge, 1940

Royal Marines records: How to find them

British soldiers at Anzio in Southern Italy, 1944. Second World War Army records

Second World War Army records: Where to find them

FamilyTreeDNA review

FamilyTreeDNA review

LivingDNA

LivingDNA review

A wedding party in Hellidon, Northamptonshire, c1896-c1920 marriage registers

Getting started

Where to find marriage registers in the UK

Suffragettes avoided being included in the 1911 Census by sleeping in unoccupied houses

Discover your past

When was the 1911 census taken?

A crowd of children waving union jacks as Queen Mary, wife of King George V, visits Brixton in south London to open the new Lambeth Town Hall, 14th October 1938 DNA ethnicity

How can DNA tests determine ethnicity?