Who do you think you are? How to start researching your family tree

People researching their family tree has seen a rise in popularity over the last few years, thanks to programmes like BBC1’s Who Do You Think You Are?.
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But where do you start if you want to look back through your family history.

We asked our readers on Facebook what their advice is to anyone wanting to find out more.

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Many of you recommended talking to family members, such as your grandparents to get names of anyone they know and work back from them.

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Taylor Allen commented: “Be prepared for shocks, be prepared for your life to be taken over with research. But, it is good, as since I have been doing mine, I have found several cousins in Canada, and even met two of them before the pandemic. It is very worthwhile and gets even more exciting when you do your DNA.”

Helen Catchpole said: “Record everything. Who said what and where info came from e.g. hearsay, local paper, website. Remember anything is possible until proved different.”

Zoey Elizabeth added: “Ask elderly relatives. Drama isn’t juicy, it’s real life. Get a good notebook and a decent subscription. Try not to get confused when all the men in your family are named one of three things.”

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Sussex Family History Group's local family history eventSussex Family History Group's local family history event
Sussex Family History Group's local family history event
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If you know names and surnames and date of births you can search through records and websites such as Findmypast or Ancestry.co.ukStuart Marler said: “Start. Actually start. Talk to your parents, grandparents etc.”

Sandra Edwards added: “You can only get access to the 1921 census on Find My Past. Plus it is difficult to search for some people because of spelling mistakes also people you may know as Uncle Harry may have been christened as Henry. A lot of people use names they were not given at birth.”

Locally you can find a lot of information at the West Sussex or East Sussex Records Offices.

For any extra help there is Sussex Family History Group, which was set up in 1972.

A picture of the Sussex Family History Group's research room and Library at The KeepA picture of the Sussex Family History Group's research room and Library at The Keep
A picture of the Sussex Family History Group's research room and Library at The Keep
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It’s aim is to promote family history within Sussex and to help members and others with their genealogical problems, and has talks on family history.

Mick Henry, SFHG chairman, said: “We have our Library at The Keep manned by volunteers.

“We have transcribed and indexed all Sussex marriages, and we have nearly completed baptisms and burials from Parish Registers too.

“We have an extensive collection of transcripts of Monumental Inscriptions from churchyards all over Sussex. We have collected and indexed many of our members family trees, which

can be searched.”

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The group works closely with East and West Sussex Record Offices and is a charity with everyone giving their time and efforts for free.

Mick said: “As chairman unusual offerings and requests come my way.

“During the lockdown someone sent me a 200 year old farmers daily diary covering 1814-23.

“There is much out there on Victorian Farming, but very little on Georgian, so the SFHG transcribed the whole diary and now we intend to publish it.”

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The group currently has more than 3000 members worldwide and delivers them a quarterly journal by post or electronically. They also have a yearly conference and AGM.

Mick added: “Begin with those who are still alive and make contact with your family members for photos, stories, document.

“Be interested but occasionally sceptical too.”

Family historians often use West Sussex Record Office and libraries for their research.

A spokesperson, from West Sussex County Council, said: “Support is available for residents wishing to research their family history in any library across West Sussex.

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“For the most complex enquiries, our library staff will be able to liaise directly with Record Office colleagues.”

If you are a library member some websites are free to access either on the library computers or at home.

This includes Ancestry, British Newspapers Archive and Findmypast.

On Facebook, Caroline Paul said: “Work backwards. Find a roll of wall paper to pencil your family tree into whilst researching. Use trials on websites, use the library and the British library. Good luck.

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Sarah Best said: “Don’t rely on website transcriptions of documents. Look at the original document that usually goes with it.”

In East Sussex The Keep is a purpose built state of the art archive centre.

Stephanie Shepherd, development and communications officer from East Sussex County Council said: “It is the perfect place to start your family history research.

“The Keep provides free access to genealogy websites such as Findmypast and Ancestry, parish records for Brighton and Hove and East Sussex, local historical wills and inventories, as well as street directories and local newspapers. These can all be used to find out about your ancestors and how they lived.”

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In order to view documents which are kept at The Keeps stores you will need to pre-book a seat in its reading room, this can be done via the website.”

Last month Findmypast published the 1921 census which gave people more of an understand of their history and who had lived in their home.

It was taken on June 19, 1921 and surveyed 38 million people living in England and Wales during a period of economic turmoil between two world wars and recovering from a global pandemic.

Tamsin Todd, chief executive officer at Findmypast said: “It has been a great honour for Findmypast to work with The National Archives as its selected partner to digitise and transcribe the 1921 Census.

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“Our advanced search technology enables family historians to easily find and view images of the 1921 Census, and connect individual records into their family trees.

“Family historians around the world can now meaningfully search the Census to reveal where and how their ancestors lived and worked 100 years ago.”

The next census to be released will be the 1951 census, due for release in January 2052. The 1931 census was taken in April 1931 but was completely destroyed in a fire in 1942 at the Office of Works. There was no England and Wales census in 1941 due to the Second World War.

For more information, visit:

Findmypast which has the 1921 census: Findmypast.co.uk

Sussex Family History Group: sfhg.uk

The Keep, Brighton - www.thekeep.info

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