The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? will premiere on BBC1 at 9.00pm on Wednesday 13 August.
The first episode will feature actress Patsy Kensit, who explores her father Jimmy, a close associate of the infamous Kray gangsters.
The other celebrities confirmed to explore their family histories in the sixth series are Esther Rantzen, Jodie Kidd, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Boris Johnson, David Suchet, Ainsley Harriott, and Jerry Springer.
SPOILER ALERT: If you want to check out some of the latest gossip from the show, click here.
Tuesday July 22, 2008
Issue 67 on sale now!
Issue 67 of Your Family Tree
is on sale now! In the latest issue of
Britain's favourite genealogical title we shed light on the records of your ancestors' employment, revealing the best
sources to find out what working life was like for miners, publicans, policemen and many more. We also show you the best
online sources for tracking your ancestors who moved to Australia, and we set the scene for the Olympic Games by telling the story of the London games of 1908.
Records of employment – Find details of your ancestors' working lives from dockers to the clergy and more
Rate books – We examine the records of homeowners and tenants in your family tree
Travelling performers – The incredible lives of circus showmen and fairground workers, plus the records they left
The Edwardian Olympics – As the Olympics arrive once more, we look at those who competed in London 1908
Plus... find Australian family online, how to get started with newspapers, our region guide to Worcestershire, a free CD packed with
family history software, including MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Silver and much, much
more!
At 100 pages, and selling for £4.99, the new-look issue 67
of Your Family Tree is great value for money. Pick up your copy today,
or subscribe online by clicking here and entering the code P037
Tuesday July 15, 2008
DNA reveals Bronze Age ancestors
Two German family historians have discovered links to their 120x great-grandparents.
DNA tests have proved that Manfred Huchthausen, 58, and Uwe Lange, 48, of Söse valleyin Lower Saxony, are directly descended from bones discovered in the same area, from the Bronze Age, some 3,000 years ago.
The results mean that Mr Huchthausen and Mr Lange have officially the oldest family trees in the world.
“I can trace my family back by name to 1550,” claimed Mr Lange. “Now I can go back 120 generations.”
After the bones of 40 people were discovered in the cave in 1993, thousands of people volunteered their DNA to find a possible match.
"We used to play in these caves as kids," addedd Mr Lange. "If I'd known that there were 3,000-year-old relatives buried there I wouldn't have set foot in the place."
Scientists believe that some of the skeletons may have been buried in the cave as a result of human sacrifice.
Now there’s a real skeleton in the cupboard!
Friday July 11, 2008
Win a beautiful framed historical print
Share your family photos and choose from thousands of fascinating images in this month's Your Family Tree competition.
Your Family Tree has teamed up with the people behind the Mary Evans Picture Library to give you something extra special.
We'd like you to share your images from the past as part of an exciting new project called The History Album, in which your photos can be part of a digital archive of the past.
In return, you could win one of 15 superb historical print from www.prints-online.com to put up on your wall.
Simply click here, upload your favourite old photos and send an email to competition@thehistoryalbum.com, including the name of your uploaded album, to enter the competition.
Your images will automatically be included in the album, and then a panel of judges will select the winners of: one 24x20 inch framed print; four 20x16 inch framed prints; and ten 16x12 inch framed prints.
The competition closes on 31 July.
Tuesday July 08, 2008
Familyrelatives subscriptions at family history days
Attendees at a number of family history events in the coming months will have the chance to win free subscriptions to Familyrelatives.com.
The records website is offering visitors to the Records of Death Day on 4 October, the chance to win of five free annual subscriptions.
Heritage Family History, host of the Familyrelatives sponsored event, will draw the winners from a raffle on the day.
In a similar vein, attendants of the free Bristol & Avon FHS Open Day on 27 September, will automatically be entered into a draw for subscriptions to Familyrelatives and Ancestry.co.uk.
The event at Thornbury Leisure Centre, South Gloucestershire, is also a perfect chance for you to find out more about your West Country ancestors.
Records of Death Day costs £25 and is held at Canterbury Christ Church University, Chatham, Kent. Find out more here.
Monday June 30, 2008
Britain's Greatest Untold Story
Family historians are being urged to tell their best untold stories at Blenheim Palace on Friday 4 July.
To coincide with the stately home’s own untold story of the last 300 years, visitors will be encouraged to tell their own unreleased stories from their families’ pasts. Those unable to attend hcan tell their stories here.
The historic palace, home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill, will then pick the most fascinating story and display it for all visitors to view as ‘Britain’s Greatest Untold Story’, and place more secretive tales in a time capsule in the grounds.
This poem, sent in by Marion Gray, was letter of the month in YFT 66, and perfectly sums up why we all spend so much time in pursuit of out family history.
I find it so emotional As I scan the family tree Just to trace the generations Which all struggled afore me. I study each in detail And I bring each back to life; Oh, each has had such troubles Rife within a life of strife. All tried to scratch a living All a-swim against the tide; All valiant and mindful Of the family’s guarded pride. Yet spells with little money And a lack of useful work Taught each, parental management, Was a duty not to shirk.
Yet varying responses Were expressed each dawning day And in sundry-torn directions Did my forebears make their way. Some languished in the poor-house With the family scattered wide; Oh, what misery and heartache For lost dreams and hope to ride. And debtors prisons waited To entrap more than a few, Hoping hope against all hope Someone could pay the due. And who, of course, is blameless When they steal their daily bread To be scattered to the four winds And to transportation sped.
Oh, what misery and heartache Bring the mists unto the eye Where Salvation’s hope is hastened By necessity to die. So hearken, generations Of my family gone ahead, I take interest in your story For your memory’s not dead. Oh, would that I had been there In your greatest hour of need, To give a little comfort And some seed of hope to feed. Too late now for assistance Though remembered long in time Beyond your comprehension By the latest in your line.
Tuesday June 24, 2008
Issue 66 on sale now!
Issue 66 of Your Family Tree is on sale now! In the latest issue of
Britain's favourite genealogical title we shed light on your relatives' childhoods, revealing the best
sources to find out what life was like for them in their formative years. We also reveal the best
online sources for old maps of your ancestors' communities and find out about the British who fought against the USA in the War of Independence.
Records of childhood – Discover the fascinating records of your ancestors' early years
Prisoners of war – Find the amazing stories of your war heroes who were taken captive
Doctors – Medical marvels in your family tree, and the records they left behind
The war against independence – Find out what life was like for British soldiers in the American War of Independence
Plus... find old maps online, how to get started with gravestone inscriptions, our region guide to Clwyd, a free CD packed with
family history software, including Serif WebPlus 8 and much, much
more!
At 100 pages, and selling for £4.99, the new-look issue 66
of Your Family Tree is great value for money. Pick up your copy today,
or subscribe online by clicking here and entering the code P036
Thursday May 29, 2008
Win Family Tree Maker by telling us what you think!!
We want to know what you think about Your Family Tree!
Whether you've been subscribing since Issue One or if this is your first copy, please give us your thoughts and help us to give you more of what you want in the magazine by clicking here.
Everyone who enters will be entered in a prize draw to win one of ten copies of the excellent Family Tree Maker Platinum Edition, cortesy of Ancestry.
Win a portrait of your ancestor!
In this month’s Your Family Tree competition we’re giving three lucky
winners the opportunity to have their ancestor immortalised in a
portrait.
These oil paintings from Daniel John Bell Studios are worth £176 each and are a perfect way to remember a relative.
For your chance to win one of these great prizes, click here
Tuesday May 27, 2008
Issue 65 on sale now!
Issue 65 of Your Family Tree is on sale now! In the latest issue of Britain's favourite genealogical title we show you the best ways to discover the lives of your 20th century ancestors, revealing the best sources to bring your family tree up to date. We also reveal the best online sources for finding your sea-faring ancestors and, with summer on the horizon, look at how your relatives holidayed.
20th century ancestors – We show you how to get around restrictions to shed light on your recent family history
Beside the seaside – From Cornwall to Casablanca, we look at where your ancestors spent their summers
Carpenters – We discover how resourceful chippies were and nail down the most useful records
Seafaring ancestors online – Don’t get lost at sea, as we reveal where to find passenger lists, and offshore births and deaths on the internet
Plus... Track down the British in India, how to get started with parish registers, our region guide to East Yorkshire, a free CD packed with family history software, including OrgPlus 7 Express and much, much more!
At 100 pages, and selling for £4.99, the new-look issue 65 of Your Family Tree is great value for money. Pick up your copy today, or subscribe online by clicking here and entering the code P035
Wednesday May 21, 2008
Win a hard-drive to keep your data safe!!!
In this month’s Your Family Tree competition we’re giving away cutting-edge My Book Home hard drives to five lucky winners.
These stylish external hard drives give you an extra 750GB of extra file storage to store extra photographs and files, and back up your current files to keep them safe.
For your chance to win one of these great prizes, click here
Tuesday May 13, 2008
WDYTYA? Live pics
See some of Your Family Tree 's highlights from Who Do You Think You Are? Live....
...
Proceedings from over 200,000 trials from the Old Bailey have been made fully available online.
The trials, which took place in the historical London court between 1674 and 1913, can be searched online by clicking here.
If you read the Criminal Ancestors feature in last month’s YFT 63, you’ll realise the importance of such a resource, both in discovering the black sheep of your family and those forebears who were victims of crime.
If, however, you don’t find anyone familiar among the records, you can always look up notes involving famous murderer Dr Crippen and playwright Oscar Wilde.
Pick up next month’s copy of Your Family Tree (65) for a full review.
Issue 64 on sale now!
Issue 64 of Your Family Tree
is on sale now! In the latest issue of Britain's favourite
genealogical title we give you the definitive guide to the census,
showing you how to make the most of all the records from every census year, from all over the UK. We
also help you discover adoption records and, on the anniversary of the Penny Black, we look at how your ancestors used the post.
Census – We show you the websites and organisations that provide census data, where you can find them and how to make the most out of them, right up to 1911!
Going postal – The history of the postal service and how your ancestors made use of it
Adoption records – The records, restrictions and sources for overcoming this family history hurdle
WWI records online – Use Ancestry's Medal Index Cards, and other online resources, to find Army ancestors from the Great War
Plus... A tragic tale uncovered from a final photo, how to get started with death certificates, our region guide to Leicester,
a free CD packed with family history software, including a The Complete Guide to Heraldry and much, much more!
At 100 pages, and selling for £4.99, the new-look issue 64 of Your Family Tree is great value for money. Pick up your copy today, or subscribe online by clicking here and entering the code P034