I have three autosomal DNA kits to give away: two Ancestry kits and one MyHeritage kit. If you’re over 18 and a UK resident, then you can find details of how to apply for one of these below. Submissions will remain open until the end of April 2023, so get your application in as soon as you can.… Read the rest ..read more

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more…” Ever had that feeling you’re not in Kansas anymore? Historical language often presents a major barrier to our understanding, and unfamiliar terms can sometimes prevent us from moving forward with our research. The confusion and displacement which Dorothy Gale voices when she steps out into the land of Oz for the first time in MGM’s iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz should resonate with many family historians.… Read the rest ..read more

The Six Hats of genealogical thinking. Schematic (C) Sophie Kay, 2022. Get your thinking cap on. Throw your hat into the ring. Wearing many hats. The hat can be a powerful analogy for how we think and act. Changing our hat can transform our attitude: wearing a fedora might turn you into Indiana Jones, ready for perilous adventures involving snakes and priceless historical artefacts.… Read the rest ..read more

I’ll start today with a minor confession. Microfiche readers pose a big problem for me. Not because of their mechanics or the often poor visibility, but because of the intense backlight used to illuminate the film. Unfortunately I suffer from an aggressive form of migraine which presents exactly like a stroke (paralysis, loss of vision, hearing, speech), and – most unfortunately – is triggered by bright lights.… Read the rest ..read more

Just a little hint of some of the themes I have in the pipeline for you here at The Parchment Rustler over autumn/winter 2021. Image credits: Ishihashi slide c/o Wellcome Collection, CC-BY 4.0; Tunnel 29 photo and Six Hats image (C) Sophie Kay. You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet of late here at The Parchment Rustler – at least in terms of new articles coming out (believe me, the behind-the-scenes stuff never stops).… Read the rest ..read more

Welcome to another article on my Negative Space methods for family history research! If you’d like to hear more, you can catch my Keynote talk on Negative Space at THE Genealogy Show this week (available online until the 25th July 2021). Tickets available here. Our process with physical jigsaws can get us thinking about how we solve genealogy problems.… Read the rest ..read more

Where were YOUR ancestors on the evening of Sunday 19 June, 1921? It’s not long to go now before you can find out. Excitement is building in the genealogy world as one of the most hotly-anticipated record releases in a long while edges closer to public view, promising to unfold countless family history stories across the nation and beyond.… Read the rest ..read more

Ah, the census – a classic game of ancestral hide-and-seek: pages upon pages of names, ages, occupations, places of birth…sometimes illegible, sometimes containing little (or big) white lies to confuse us. Anyone who has researched their family history in the British Isles through the 19th and 20th centuries will know the wonder, joy and frustration of trying to hunt down ancestors within census records.… Read the rest ..read more

Dishevelled and worn down by life, the old man trudges through the streets, inspecting the floor for the slightest hint of dog’s mess he can collect for his pail. Once the bucket is full, he will make for the local tannery to sell the contents for the highest price he can obtain.… Read the rest ..read more

Oh, the times when it happens. A fresh breakthrough when searching the records leads you to a result for your ancestor. Momentary delight is rapidly displaced by a sinking feeling of puzzlement as the scrawled handwriting reveals an occupational term which is a complete mystery to you. Such frustration. Strange occupations.… Read the rest ..read more