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Genealogy or Family History? Genealogy, the study of pedigree differs from family history. The genealogist is concerned with ancestral descent and establishing family relationships. The family historian aims to produce a well documented narrative history of interest to family members and future generations.
 
The study of family history actually puts the ‘flesh on the bones’ and includes the historical circumstances and geographical situations surrounding the family. How Far Back? In England and Wales you should be able to trace your family roots with comparative ease back to 1837 when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began. Getting back beyond 1837 normally relies mainly on the use of parish registers – with luck, and allied to other types of records, these might enable you to trace your family back to the 16th century. Beyond this can be extremely difficult, unless you can tie into a well documented pedigree, e.g. a famous person or a great land-owning family. How to Begin? Note the names of your close family and draw a rough family tree, starting with yourself at the bottom. If you are only able to go back as far as your grandparents, you are doing all right, particularly if you can fill in most or all of the birth, marriage and death dates. A great many people will not be able to get this far back at first so, if you are one of them, don’t let it bother you. The British love of red tape produced great record keepers! Write down the names of all older relatives who are still left in the family; such relatives can be a mine of information. They may have birth, marriage and death certificates, in which case, borrowing copies of these will save you time and money. Perhaps they will also have family bibles containing family history information going back many years, or photo albums or other documents that could help. You may find a relative has already started researching part of your family tree and will be willing to share this information with you. It will pay to contact them, either in person or by phone, letter or e-mail as soon as possible. Visit your local library and see if they have a selection of books on how to trace your family tree. Locate your nearest family history society. Even if your family does not originate locally, you will find meeting fellow family historians helpful, and listening to talks by knowledgeable speakers a bonus. If your family origins are further away, joining that local society could prove useful. The Federation of Family History Societies publishes a list of county societies on its web site www.ffhs.org. Each society publishes its own periodical, and virtually all produce a list of members’ interests. Membership fees are quite reasonable. Article Source: http://www.familyhistoryarticles.com Chalmers Cursley has been a family historian for 25 years. He is a member of the Society of Genealogists and the Guild of One-Name Studies. Please visit his Web Site and his Blog
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Ancestry Uk News

Focus on Family History - BBC News


BBC News

Focus on Family History
BBC News
Come along to this workshop and learn how to get the most out of digitised family history sources, including our records on Ancestry.co.uk. This workshop is aimed at beginners. Free - booking available in advance. Tel: 020 7332 3851 Email: ...

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How Ancestry.com Makes Money - Business Insider


How Ancestry.com Makes Money
Business Insider
It has around 850 employees in 10 offices, including 7 outside the US The company runs international genealogy sites in countries including Italy, Germany and the UK But Ancestry.com doesn't even have outside ads on its site (see screenshot above).

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Pay-as-you-go UK company entering US genealogy market - StandardNet


StandardNet

Pay-as-you-go UK company entering US genealogy market
StandardNet
Brightsolid and Ancestry.com also are conference sponsors. Also announced was a new Family Search application that will allow volunteers to complete digital indexing of names from digitized public records on their mobile devices.

and more »

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Family history firm Brightsolid launches in US - BBC News


BBC News

Family history firm Brightsolid launches in US
BBC News
"We are excited about the big year we have ahead of us as we look to provide fresh choice and value to Americans interested in researching their ancestry." Brightsolid operates findmypast.co.uk, genesreunited.co.uk and scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

and more »

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Merlene Davis: UK basketball star Valerie Still authors book about her ... - Lexington Herald Leader


Lexington Herald Leader

Merlene Davis: UK basketball star Valerie Still authors book about her ...
Lexington Herald Leader
"On the place where UK sits today, a place where I eventually set records, my ancestors were enslaved." Though she may be known in Kentucky for her 2763 points and 1525 rebounds, "I also have an extremely interesting history with my ancestors being ...

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