family history

Tracing merchant seamen, 1857-1918

A frustrating aspect of researching merchant navy ancestors is the ‘black hole’ between 1857 and 1918 when there are no records for individual seamen. This podcast looks at what records there are for this period, how to access them and ...
Finding your family in Canada

Researching in Canada is vastly different than researching in the UK. Records are especially different in areas originally settled by the French. This talk gives an overview of record keeping in Canada, how the records are organised, and where to ...
How a chisel, a mule, a shipping container and a cloud contribute to family history

A thought-provoking journey through thousands of years of development of family history record keeping and record preservation. Not all technology over the millennia has changed and, surprisingly, the future is not entirely digital. You’ll see your own family history research ...
Preparing the 1911 census for digitisation

The National Archives held a one day conference at Kew on Saturday 1 October 2011. The conference brought together an audience wanting to know more about the census, from genealogists to local and social historians. The conference looked at all ...
English burial and cemetery records online and on film

This talk gives an overview of online sources for English burial and cemetery records, including which of the major London cemeteries have online records. Both free and pay-for-view websites, and all parts of the country are covered, though is not ...
The 1911 Census: a vision of England

The 1911 census was the 12th national census of the United Kingdom, and in many ways it represented a watershed in the history of census taking in this country – it was the first to use technology and was by ...
The Hong Kong colonial cemetery

The National Archives provides a treasure trove of material for discovering more about our colonial ancestors. This talk focuses on the former British Colony of Hong Kong – a thriving trading centre and home to merchants, the military and members ...
Dr Williams’ Library: an early birth registry

Dr Williams’ Library in London is an essential resource for people who are researching the history of protestant nonconformity in England and Wales. But the library has also given its name to an important collection of registers and certificates which ...
What can you learn from a DNA test?

Chris Pomeroy, of the Pomeroy DNA Project, reviews the history of DNA testing and explains how it can be used by family historians, as well as discussing the experiences of leading family history projects that are using DNA testing to ...
Irish land records – British Sign Language video

With the loss of the 19th century census returns for Ireland, Sharon Hintze guides us through the alternative sources for family historians researching their Irish ancestors.
Irish land records

With the loss of the 19th century census returns for Ireland, Sharon Hintze guides us through the alternative sources for family historians researching their Irish ancestors.
Civil registration and beyond

The National Archives’ Audrey Collins takes civil registration as her topic and reveals some of the little-known facts and stories behind the records.
Civil registration and beyond – British Sign Language Video

The National Archives’ Audrey Collins takes civil registration as her topic and reveals some of the little-known facts and stories behind the records.
The Manorial Documents Register

Liz Hart, from the National Advisory Service, provides an introduction to the various types of manorial records and offers a practical guide to using the Manorial Documents Register.
Introducing the 1911 census

Mark Pearsall is a family history specialist at The National Archives. Here he provides an introduction to the newly released 1911 census and tells us how invaluable it will be for family historians.