Discover your past
Learn from the experts whether you are starting out on your family history or in need of specialist advice
The best genealogy courses available now
Discover how to learn family history skills with our pick of the best online and correspondence genealogy courses
Ancestry DNA tests fifteen champion athletes to mark start of Olympics
AncestryDNA has identified 30 genetic traits associated with sporting success and tested the DNA of 15 famous athletes
How to find birth, marriage and death records
We explain how to easily find birth, marriage and death records in the UK for family history research
How to find baptism records
Genealogist Paul Blake explains why English and Welsh baptism records are important in family history research, and where you can find them online
Autosomal DNA, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA tests: what's the difference?
Discover the difference between autosomal, Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA tests to help with your family history research
What's new?
Where can I find workhouse records?
In family history research, many of us will discover ancestors who lived in the workhouse - here's where you can uncover workhouse records
The Royal Naval Division: What was it, when was it founded and where can you find service records?
Discover how to trace a serviceman in the Royal Naval Division with our guide
Griffith's Valuation: What is it, and where can you find the records?
Starting from 1847, the Griffith's Valuation records list the head of every household in Ireland and are a useful resource for Irish family history research
Munitionettes: Who were they and what did they do?
12-hour shifts, poisoning and deadly explosions... discover the hidden lives of the women who built Britain's arms during the First World War
The Public Record Office of Ireland fire and the Beyond 2022 project
Nicola Morris looks back at the devastating fire at the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922, and explains how long-lost documents are getting a new lease of digital life
DNA
Discover how DNA testing can unlock your family history
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
The best DNA test kits for 2024 tried and tested
Debbie Kennett, author of DNA and Social Networking, explains why DNA testing is increasingly important in family history research.
Police access, health insurance, matching with distant relatives and more: Your DNA test questions answered
Will a DNA test affect your health insurance premiums? Can the police access the database? Your family history DNA test questions answered
Occupations
Discover the occupations and jobs people in your family history did
Post Office records: How to find Post Office employee records
Susannah Coster from The Postal Museum reveals how to use Post Office records in family history
Landmark occupational history of Britain reveals that the Industrial Revolution ‘started a century earlier than thought’
The University of Cambridge's Economies Past website has discovered that the Industrial Revolution started in the 17th century
What is an agricultural labourer?
Almost all of us will have agricultural labourer ancestors. Discover more about their lives and how to research them with our guide
Military
Military and army records, history, research and family history
Chelsea Pensioners’ service records: How to find them online
You may have seen 'Chelsea Pensioner' on a family history record - but who were the Chelsea Pensioners? And where can you find Chelsea Pensioners' service records?
Their Finest Hour website goes online
Their Finest Hour, a web archive of ordinary people's memories and artefacts from the Second World War, has gone online
"I found a map in the pocket of an old GI's uniform... and discovered a D-Day cover-up"
Gary Sterne talks about how he discovered a 'secret' US military historical objective at Omaha Beach on D-Day
Overseas ancestry
Learn how to search for your ancestry overseas and discover your international family tree
How to find passenger lists for ships
Simon Wills explains where to find online passenger list collections for ancestors who travelled overseas
Irish surnames: What are their origins, and what do they mean?
What are the origins of Irish surnames, and what do they mean? Discover how Irish surnames have changed over time and the origins of some common Irish surnames
How to research Italian ancestry
Do you have Italian ancestry? Discover how you can trace Italian ancestors in their home country with online family history records
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
Do you have photographs of your family in their gardens? Here’s how to uncover the stories behind them
Discover how to use clothes, photo types and more to date old photographs of your family outdoors in their gardens throughout the years
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
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
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
From a mysterious disappearance to meeting the Queen: These photographs reveal my family history
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Pamela Spencer shares her family photographs, including from the First and Second World Wars
Wartime weddings and trips to the beach: Discover my family history in these beautiful old photographs
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Val Thorley from Aberforth, West Wales shares her family photographs
How to date Victorian and Edwardian photographs
National Trust curator Catherine Troiano reveals some of her tips on how to date Victorian and Edwardian photographs
Church records
How to access church records, religious records, and discover religious ancestors
Parish chest records: What are they, and how can you use them in family history?
So-called because they were kept in chests in the parish, parish chest records include churchwardens' accounts, settlement orders, bastardy examinations and more
What is a marriage bond?
Discover how marriage licences were used as an alternative to marriage by banns in England and Wales, and how marriage bond and allegation records can be used in family history
Where to find death records
From death certificates to wills, there are many different family history resources you can use to find your ancestors' death records
TV series
Discover more about the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series
Heartbreak and joy on Long Lost Family as Melanie, 53, meets her sisters and nephew
In tonight's episode of Long Lost Family, Melanie Mackney tries to trace her sisters, while Sue Stalley tries to trace her son
Britain Behind Bars: What is it, and when is it on TV?
In new Channel 4 history series Britain Behind Bars, Rob Rinder visits three famous British prisons to learn more about their history
Celia Imrie finds out her ancestor was beheaded on Who Do You Think You Are?
Did Celia Imrie's ancestor plot to kill Charles II? The Calendar Girls star discovered her aristocratic family history on Who Do You Think You Are?