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
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
Don't make this mistake when researching your family tree
How to avoid 'tree theft' while researching your family history
How much does Findmypast cost?
What do family history website Findmypast's new Family Tree and Everything pricing structures mean, and how much do they cost?
Findmypast discount code and British Newpaper Archive discount code
The lastest Findmypast discount codes and special offers and British Newspaper Archive discount codes, including 50% off this September
What's new?
Get the most from your Findmypast subscription
Findmypast's Research Specialist, Jen Baldwin, shares her tips on getting the most from the millions of records only available from this leading resource for British and Irish family history
Gypsy surnames: How to tell if you have Gypsy ancestry
What are the most common Gypsy surnames and first names, and how can you tell if you have Gypsy ancestry? Find out with our guide
Most common Gypsy first names, from Athalia to Valentine
If you have these first names in your family tree, you might have Gypsy ancestry
The best DNA test kits to uncover your family history
Debbie Kennett, author of DNA and Social Networking, explains why DNA testing is increasingly important in family history research.
Get more from your DNA test with MyHeritage DNA
Debbie Kennett takes a look at how you can get the most out of your DNA test results using MyHeritage DNA
DNA
Discover how DNA testing can unlock your family history
US biotechnology company to purchase 23andMe
Troubled DNA testing company 23andMe is to be purchased by a leading biotechnology company
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
Alarm bells rang when I couldn't find my Dad's birth record — I took a DNA test and was amazed at what I discovered
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Nicola Crawley reveals how she found out the truth about her father's paternity thanks to a DNA test
Occupations
Discover the occupations and jobs people in your family history did
The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree
An Anglican or nonconformist clergyman in your family tree can be a treat for genealogists, says Jonathan Scott
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
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
Military
Military and army records, history, research and family history
The amazing story of the 'unkillable soldier' who fought in three wars across 48 years and lost a hand and an eye
Julian Humphrys tells the extraordinary story of Adrian Carton de Wiart VC, the man they called the ‘Unkillable Soldier’
Battle of Britain pilots: How many pilots were killed and how can you trace them?
Jonathan Scott surveys the best websites for researching Battle of Britain pilots and ground crew
When was D-Day, and what happened?
When was D-Day, and what happened? Gavin Mortimer takes us inside the bloody landings by Allied forces in Normandy on 6 June 1944
Overseas ancestry
Learn how to search for your ancestry overseas and discover your international family tree
What are the best Canadian genealogy sites?
Discover the best websites for researching Canadian genealogy
Irish census records and census substitutes: Where to find them
Although many have been destroyed, Irish census records and their substitutes are still essential tools for anyone researching their Irish roots
Irish ancestry: How to trace Irish ancestry
Discover if you have Irish ancestry with the help of our list of the best Irish ancestry websites
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
Old photographs: Your complete guide to cleaning, storing and displaying your family photographs
Helen Dawkins on the best way to make sure your old family photographs survive for future generations
RHS calls for help identifying 16 Victorian calling card photographs
The Royal Horticultural Society has published its collection of 756 Victorian calling card photographs online
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
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
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
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
Church records
How to access church records, religious records, and discover religious ancestors
Over one million Teesside parish records go online
A new collection over one million Teesside parish records has been added to Ancestry
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
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
TV series
Discover more about the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series
Rob and Rylan's Passage to India: What is it, and when is it on TV?
Rob Rinder and Rylan return with new travel TV show Rob and Rylan's Passage to India
King & Conqueror: The true story of William the Conqueror's family
Discover the true story behind the BBC's drama King & Conqueror, and William the Conqueror's family tree
Long Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal: What is it, and when is it on TV?
Everything you need to know about ITV's new Long Lost Family special, Long Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal
