Family Tree UK

Learn how to trace your family tree! Every issue is packed with: family history research advice hands-on learning experiences to help you become an ancestor super-sleuth & step-by-step guides to show you the path to tracing the past. From vintage documents to the latest in DNA, we’re here to help you discover more! Get the latest in genealogy news, software, books, archives and expert answers. Plus enjoy those reader stories that remind what it means to trace your family story. Research & remember your roots with Family Tree!

So, just why did they sometimes ‘lie’?

FamilyTree • Helping you discover your family story

MORE FROM US…

Papal dispensations marriage database • A new online database now allows researchers to trace Medieval marriages undertaken with papal dispension in a single database

MI5: Official Secrets – exhibition & talks • Investigate the hidden world of MI5 via a new exhibition at TNA, Kew – Ml5: Official Secrets – and explore the extraordinary stories behind the security of the nation with their exciting programme of in-person and online events

‘Reframing roots’: can family history hold the key to a happier life? • Long-time professional genealogist Celia Heritage has developed a pioneering therapy to help people understand their roots and their psychological impact on their lives today

Rare Second World War trade directories go online

New Cork records

Free online treasure trove of Scottish history • With 1.2 million images from Scottish archives, 335,000 records of Scottish places, 55,200 designated historic sites in Scotland, and 2,000 historic culturally significant objects included, the new project funded by Historic Environment Scotland has an impressive beta launch

DNA news • DNA Advisor Karen Evans reports on news from the genealogy scene

RootsTech round-up: coming soon

Beatrix Potter dollshouse restored & on display

New FamilyTreeDNA Mitotree • On 25 February 2025, FamilyTreeDNA launched the (beta) Mitotree. Announced just five years ago, the Million Mito Project aimed to capture the mitochondrial DNA of a million testers to generate a sizeable database, from which a new, more detailed, mitochondrial tree, showing the ‘family tree of womankind’ could be created

Dear Paul • This month Paul Chiddicks examines the oddities that can sometimes be found in the census returns, and asks whether sometimes transcribers haven’t ‘taken leave of their census’ …

Transcription Corner

FamilyTree • Helping you discover your family story

ILLEGITIMACY ON THE RECORD: stigma, concealment & the law • This month, Family Tree Academy tutor David Annal examines the social stigma that has historically been associated with illegitimacy, and reveals how parents went about concealing it in official documents

RMS LUSITANIA & THE GOETZ MEDAL the search for truth • Lisa Edwards tells us how a medal in the possession of her father prompted her to find out more about the tragedy of the Lusitania and the questions that still remain unanswered 110 years on

HIDDEN TREASURE • Researching her mum’s dad’s side of the family, Gill Shaw has a lucky break – and uncovers more of her great-aunt Lily Tonge’s tragic tale, too

How to guide: PERFECT PICTURES FOR YOUR FAMILY HISTORY • Genealogist and writer Wayne Shepheard gives us a handy step-by-step guide to enhancing old photographs, and creating impressive visuals, to accompany genealogy articles, blog posts, presentations, and – of course – to illustrate your family history book!

MOTHER’S SECRET: The Tale of Abandoned Twins & a New Life • Of all her genealogy endeavours, it is taking time to get to the nub of the stories of those who’ve lived before us, that Julie Johnson find most precious about...