Chronicology

06/11/2025

It has taken 5 Years of Study and I am now fully graduated with a Masters Degree from the University of Strathclyde. I couldn't be happier about what I have achieved and this journey that I have been on. I've met some amazing colleagues whom I consider friends and the future looks very bright.

22/10/2025

🧬 The Genealogical Six Hats: Decision Making in Genetic Genealogy

How can you make clear, confident decisions when faced with tricky DNA research questions? Discover the Genealogical Six Hats method, adapted from Edward de Bono’s concept, to help you think creatively, logically, and critically about your family history evidence.

Join Dr Sophie Kay for this live, interactive workshop as she demonstrates the Six Hats approach through a real DNA case study. Learn how to assess evidence, challenge assumptions, and improve your decision-making in genetic genealogy.

Tuesday 4 November 2025, 19:00–21:00 (Online)
Book your place: https://portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1170355

💡 Led by Dr Sophie Kay – professional genealogist, geneticist, and AGRA Member.
Please note: this session will not be recorded to encourage open participation.

22/10/2025

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new interface is like for a site that I use daily as part of my research.

🌟 The new FreeBMD launches tomorrow! 🌟

We’re excited to announce that the new FreeBMD will be live from 10am tomorrow! You’ll find the link right on the FreeBMD website: just click through and explore.

The new site has been designed for today’s users: it’s faster, easier to use, and works beautifully on phones and tablets. You’ll also find new features such as:

🔹 Autosuggest for names, counties and districts
🔹 One-click searches across all of England & Wales
🔹 Improved accessibility and modern design
🔹 Download and share your results easily

👉 Visit www.freebmd.org.uk
from 10am tomorrow to try it out and let us know what you think!

10/10/2025

The British Newspaper Archives is an invaluable resource for genealogists which is run in partnership with The British Library and Findmypast. It has an incredible amount of papers for research. More recently, I was excited to find that they added the British publication Jackie to its' library, a weekly teens magazine that ran from 1964 to 1993 and includes 1525 issues. This includes the popular Cathy and Claire' pages which was like an agony aunt page for young girls with what might be considered now, some questionable advice! This is an amazing addition to the collection for those who remember the paper fondly! here are just a few snippets from 1965.

( Images © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.)

04/10/2025

Call for papers - We are inviting abstract submissions (deadline 16 Nov) for the RQG Conference to be held in Birmingham 25 April 2026. Presentations welcome on the theme 'Exploring the Past, Embracing the Future' https://www.qualifiedgenealogists.org/2026-conference

29/09/2025

Huntingdon Library
Saturday 25th October
10:30am-2pm
Get online week: Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Research Session
If you are looking to start tracing your family history and don’t know where to begin, or need some help with an elusive ancestor - do come and see our friendly volunteers from the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society. You never know what you might discover...

FREE Drop-in session. No need to book.

Image of two Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society members

24/09/2025

The names of over 13,000 Cypriots are included in the Registers for Macedonian Mules from WWI at TNA - or at least that was what I found in these 8 volumes! I suspect I missed the first set of books somehow, however, I still managed to take 1,244 photos which will be transcribed for my research.

24/09/2025

21/09/2025

Just back from the 3 day Secrets & Lies conference held by the Halstead Trust. What a wonderful event with excellent talks by Karen de Bruyne, Janet Few, Calista Williams, Sarah Wise, Donna Rutherford, Maggie Gaffney, Else Churchill to name but a few!! Amazing company, seamless conference and inspiring talks. Time to engage in some sleep!!

10/09/2025

Save the date for an exciting event! Registration for RootsTech 2026 opens on September 24! Whether you’re newly curious about family history or an expert genealogist, this global conference is for you. Don’t miss out—mark your calendars now!

https://www.addevent.com/event/wT26276552