Real stories
Extraordinary real-life stories of ancestry research to inspire you
These family photos are all I have left of my grandfather and uncle who both died in the world wars
Debbie Cameron from Formby in Merseyside shares her family photographs, including of her grandfather and uncle who died in the world wars
My father never spoke about his war… but I discovered he could have been at the liberation of Belsen
Stephen King's parents ran a sweet making business and lived through the Second World War and the Blitz in Southend-on-Sea
I discovered my great aunt was a renowned artist who painted portraits of Battle of Britain pilots
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Rebecca Blacker Jones shares the story of her great aunt Elva Blacker, a celebrated war artist
It took 42 years, but a DNA test revealed the truth about my elusive great grandfather
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Rosemary Wilmot reveals how she found out more about her great grandfather George Gray
From fishing trawlers to Second World War submarines, my family have a long connection with the sea
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Hazel Garas shares some of her family photographs, including Second World War heroes
“If my 3x great grandfather was an inch taller, he would have been killed at sea in 1813”
David Joy discovered his ancestor Edward Rexworthy rose through the ranks in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars
“Nine-year-old James’ guardians attached a label to him and put him on a one-way train journey alone”
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Jan Marshall discovered her missing relative James Robinson's difficult upbringing
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
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
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
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
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