3 November 2026
Why your ancestor's age changes in every census
The same woman is 24 in 1841, 36 in 1851 and 44 in 1861. Nobody is lying to you, or at least not always. Here is what census ages really mean and how to pin the truth down.
The blog
Notes from the archive.
Honest, practical writing on tracing your family history: what things cost, where the records are, and how to get past the walls that stop most people.
19 October 2026
Give someone their family history this Christmas
Which family history package can still arrive by Christmas, what to do if you are too late, and how to gather the starting details without asking the person.
3 October 2026
Finding the soldier in your family before Remembrance Day
His service record may have burned in 1940, but his number, his medal card and his battalion's war diary usually survive. How to find a First World War soldier in your family.
15 September 2026
The workhouse in your family tree: Lancashire poor law records
Families hid the workhouse so well that many descendants have no idea it is in their tree. The records know. Here is where to look, and why there is no shame in what you find.
23 August 2026
DNA testing: what it can and cannot tell you
A DNA test will not hand you a family tree. Used properly, it does something better: it proves whether the tree you have is true. Here is what the tests really deliver.
8 July 2026
How much does a professional genealogist cost in the UK?
An honest guide to what family history research costs in the UK, how hourly billing works, and why I price my research differently.
30 June 2026
The gift they will never expect: a family history traced and told
For the person who has everything, their own ancestors are the one thing nobody else can give. How a traced family tree works as a gift, and when to order one.
17 June 2026
Tracing Irish ancestors after the 1922 records fire: harder, not hopeless
The fire at Dublin's Public Record Office destroyed centuries of Irish records. Here is what was lost, what survived, and how Irish family lines can still be traced.
27 May 2026
Stuck on a genealogy brick wall? Seven methods that actually break them
Every family tree hits a wall eventually. After seventeen years of research, these are the methods I actually use when an ancestor refuses to be found.
6 May 2026
Tracing ancestors who worked in the Lancashire cotton mills
Weaver, spinner, piecer, tenter: if your family comes from Lancashire, the cotton industry is almost certainly woven into your tree. Here's how to find them.