Genealogy and family history

There are hundreds of family genealogy sites on the web which give information on how to research your own family tree.

A major site is ancestry.co.uk which requires you to register but you can start off with a free trial. Other subscription sites are available such as findmypast.co.uk. These sites also let you send a sample of your DNA to trace your heritage.

A lot of free information can be found on the Internet at sites like www.british-genealogy.com and www.genuki.org.uk

Remember you can go back via your mother’s family or your father’s family in order to increase the chance of finding some interesting ancestors. It is best to interview all living relatives first to get a picture of the immediate family’s layout but remember some memories can become hazy very quickly. Once you have a few acts you can them go on to look at records in Local Record offices or the local history section of public libraries. Many records are also held at the Public Record Office in Kew. Many parish records have been recorded by the Mormons so it does not necessarily mean a trip to the Parish Church where your ancestor was born or married although this may prove exciting.

The American Revolution

If you are lucky enough to trace your relatives back to the 1770’s/80’s then who knows some may have been in the armed forces fighting for the American cause. This site is well worth a look. To sign up as a Son of the American Revolution you have to be male and prove that someone in your line fought in that conflict. There is also a category for daughters as well.

https://ourpublicrecords.org/the-ultimate-guide-to-sons-of-the-american-revolution-records/ – The Ultimate Guide to Sons of the American Revolution Records.

The rest of the site is a great resource for tracing people at other periods in the USA.

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