Category Archives: Uncategorized

Six Days, Six Stones – Part 6: Astbury

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Lifelines Research

This the last of six blogposts written and published on six successive days, in which I take a look at a particular ancestral gravestone that my wife and I visited on our recent road trip. You can read the other … Continue reading →

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Incorrigible & Worthless

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Lifelines Research

Researching the lives of our military ancestors can be difficult at the best of times but when it comes to retelling the stories of the seven million men and women who served in the British Army during the First World … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Sources, research, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You Had One Job…

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Lifelines Research

I’ll try to keep this brief. I’ve blogged a lot in the past few years about the problems with many of the databases on the major commercial genealogical websites and in particular the various county-wide English and Welsh parish register … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Sources, research, Soapbox, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A mariner’s tale – with a twist

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Lifelines Research

William Annal was born to the sea. His father, John, together with his uncle William, left their native Orkney, and worked as fishermen along the UK’s east coast, before eventually settling on the Thames Estuary in Gravesend, Kent, sometime around … Continue reading →

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A very convincing theory

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Lifelines Research

This is the third and final part of the story of how I broke down a 30-year old brick wall in my research. Read Part One and Part Two first… My search for the origins of my great great grandfather, … Continue reading →

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False dawns and first cousins

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Lifelines Research

This is the second of a three-part blog, telling the story of how I broke down a 30-year old brick wall in my research. Read Part One here… The information that my grandma passed on to me had allowed me … Continue reading →

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Did you know that I knew my father?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Lifelines Research

This is the first of a three-part blog, telling the story of how I broke down a 30-year old brick wall in my research. “Did you know that I knew my father?” We were in Saughton Cemetery in Edinburgh sometime … Continue reading →

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You really can’t do it all online…

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Lifelines Research

Yesterday, I made a flying visit to the library of the Society of Genealogists in London. The main purpose of my visit was to view some parish registers which I had identified as being part of their collection, thanks to … Continue reading →

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A mystery wedding photo

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Lifelines Research

Every now and then, I dig out some old family photos and see if I can work out who’s who. I usually vow, then and there, to sort them all out, scan them and begin the process of identifying as … Continue reading →

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A census release with a difference

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Lifelines Research

In a previous life, when I worked for The National Archives, I was actively involved in planning and delivering the launch of the 1901 and 1911 censuses for England & Wales. Now, I’m delighted to announce my involvement in the … Continue reading →

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