FindmyPast launches new "A Family History of..." podcast series

From FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk):

New podcast brings Britain and Ireland’s past to life through the real families who lived it 

• Historian Lucy Worsley is first guest exploring her grandmother’s life in new podcast which offers a radical retelling of the events that shaped Britain and Ireland
• A brand-new original podcast, A Family History Of... launches on Spotify and Apple Podcasts today, exploring defining moments of British and Irish history through the eyes of real families who experienced them.

Each four‑part series follows one real person’s life through a major historical event, using original records, historical newspapers, and contextual sources to uncover how ordinary people experienced extraordinary times. It focuses on the stories not told in history books, blending gripping storytelling, archival research and intimate personal reflection, showing how individual lives illuminate the wider history of Britain and Ireland.

Regular host Jen Baldwin — genealogist and research specialist at UK family history platform, Findmypast — is joined each month by a special guest whose family history or area of expertise connects to the story being told. 

The series weaves in Census records, birth, marriage and death records, crime, school, military records, historical newspapers and more, all available on Findmypast, to showcase how genealogical detective work can be pieced together to create a compelling life story.

The debut series A Family History Of Wartime Women, features historian Lucy Worsley, who revisits the life of her grandmother, Edna, uncovering a woman shaped by two World Wars, seismic social change, and long‑buried family secrets.

The series opens in industrial Birmingham, where Edna is born just days after the 1911 Census records a nation on the cusp of transformation. Listeners are drawn into the smoky streets and tight communities that define her early childhood as Britain entered the First World War. Rationing, civic duty, and upheaval are the forces that shape her formative years.

As the 1930s unfold, Edna steps into adulthood as a boot shop assistant, navigating new freedoms and lingering societal pressures. Against the backdrop of the Blitz during the Second World War — aged 30 and pregnant — she marries Lucy’s grandfather. But wartime Britain is full of hidden complexities, and Lucy reveals a shocking family discovery about the marriage which she believes her grandmother never knew.

Host and genealogist, Jen Baldwin, says: ‘History is most powerful when it’s personal. Every family has stories that reveal what life was really like during the biggest moments of our past. With this podcast, we wanted to bring those stories to the forefront, using amazing historical records and newspapers on Findmypast, real people and the voices of those who carry these histories today.’

First guest and historian, Lucy Worsley, says: ‘Exploring my grandmother’s life has shown me how much of women’s history remains hidden in plain sight. Her story is dramatic, painful, surprising — and yet in many ways completely ordinary for her generation. A Family History Of Wartime Women shows just how much we can learn when we take the time to uncover the lives of the women who came before us. I’d encourage everyone to have a listen to this unique take on British and Irish history, wherever they get their podcasts.’

The next series, launching in April, will explore the Irish Famine through the eyes of the MacKenzie family, with special guest Trinity Dublin historian and founding member of EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Fiona Fitzsimons. Further episodes will follow lives through the 1926 General Strike and The American Revolutionary War.

Listeners can discover more about the research behind the stories and explore fascinating historical records and newspapers discussed in the episodes on the podcast website, as well as in special bonus episodes.

The podcast is the newest offering from longstanding media company DC Thomson Media, whose portfolio includes hit true crime podcasts Was Justice Served? and Who Killed Annalise? as well as top golf podcast Bunkered.

The first series of the podcast, A Family History Of Wartime Women, is available to listen on all major steaming platforms from Tuesday 3 March 2026. 

(With thanks to Madeleine Gilbert)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Glasgow City Archives launches online catalogue

Glasagow City Archives has launched an online catalogue at long last! Here's their announcement:

We are delighted to announce the launch of our online catalogue, which is now available at https://cityarchives.glasgowlife.org.uk/. 

The catalogue includes descriptions of our core Glasgow local authority archive collections (refs: A-H). These collections document the rise of various public bodies in the city until many united under the banner of Glasgow Corporation, the largest local authority in Scotland and, for a time, the largest city administration under one council in the UK.

In celebration, we’ll be posting a collection highlight from these descriptions every day this week.
Thank you to all Glasgow City Archives staff, past and present, who worked hard behind the scenes to make this possible. Our thanks also go to our IT and Digital colleagues for their expertise and support. 

The catalogue was launched last week, and you can find examples of some of the records highlighted from it in a series of posts on the archive's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowCityArchives. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Review: Genealogy Methods and Techniques: A Practical Guide to Research, by Dr. Karen Cummings

A huge thanks to Harriet Hurley at The Crowood Press for sending me a review copy of Karen Cummings' new book, Genealogy Methods and Techniques: A Practical Guide to Research. The following is the description for the book from the website: 

This book takes the reader on a journey through a series of research strategies, providing guidance at every step of the way. With clear explanations, real-life case studies and over 100 tables, charts and illustrations, it will equip you to apply best practices to your own research right from the start.

The following is my impartial review.

Genealogy Methods and Techniques: A Practical Guide to Research, by Dr. Karen Cummings (The Crowood Press, 2026; £16.99)  https://www.crowood.com/book/genealogy-methods-and-techniques/ 

Many would-be genealogists believe that family history research involves simply diving into online databases and copying other people's family trees from online resources, letting what can be found with ease guide the research process, rather than the skills and consideration of the genealogist that are actually required for successful research. 

Thankfully, Karen Cumming's new book takes a welcome and thoughtful look at the necessary methodology for an effective ancestral pursuit. As she notes in her introduction, "It is quite easy to create a family tree these days. With such a wealth of material available at your fingertips online you can work back through the generations quite quickly, creating a family tree in no time at all. It is easy to create a family tree, but how do you know it is your family tree?"

Structured across eleven chapters, Karen tackles the subject matter with a welcome non-academic tone, exploring what it means to carry out research, and how to be effective in doing so, with her book packed with tips and case studies to guide the reader along the way. 

The introductory chapter defining the nature of family history research is followed by a step-by-step approach to the basics in the subsequent four chapters, inviting you to lay and check the foundations of your research, how to get organised with your research, how to evaluate evidence (what does a document tell you, but also, what does it not tell you?), and how to identify and record the sources consulted (in both academic and more simplistic formats). In Chapter 6 she then looks at how archives categorise their holdings, and how to effectively look for their records on catalogues and datasites (and how to look for gaps in their holdings), and then from Chapter 7 considers how to effectively plan for research by creating source surveys. 

Chapter 8 is one of the bigger chapters, discussing how to put research together, with many effective case studies to illustrate some of the challenges involved, followed then by a detailed consideration of standards in Chapter 9. This chapter includes considered coverage of two standards codes used to help genealogists work out if they are on the right track with their efforts, one from the Society of Genealogists in London called the 'Standards and Good Practice Guide', and then the American based Genealogical Proof Standard, followed by other useful techniques to help with problem solving, such as family reconstitution and the mapping of ancestors' locations. 

Chapter 10 is then a bit of an oddity, a short and well-written look at the use of DNA in family history research, with some methodological considerations for that as a particular field of research, but which does feel a little bit out of place compared to the preceding chapters. This may simply be a reflection of just how different a research tool it is to the traditional archive based resources used by genealogists covered earlier in the book, and which Karen quite rightly notes must still be considered when carrying out genetic genealogy research. Chapter 11 concludes with a simple afterword to the whole tome. 

Mercifully written in plain English rather than in a more formal academic tone adopted by other works in the field, this is a very effective guide that will help the humble genealogist stay on track with their research. Each chapter is clear, concise, and well illustrated, concluding with a summary of key points and action points to consider in going forward. 

Whilst the book almost exclusively relies on English based records alone for its case studies, the point of the work is to show how to find records - any records - and how to consider them and employ them for your research, and thus the techniques discussed can be just as effectively applied to research sources in Scotland, Ireland, or anywhere else in the world. Genealogy Methods and Techniques is a cracking work which I have no hesitation in recommending to all those wishing to become genealogical researchers rather than genealogical sheep!

(With thanks to Harriet) 

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

University of Strathclyde to host two-day Scottish Family History Course in May

From the Strathclyde Institute of Genealogical Studies, news of a forthcoming two-day in-person Scottish genealogy course event at the University of Strathclyde:

Intermediate Scottish Family History Research course

Join us on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th May 2026 at the University of Strathclyde for an engaging two‑day Intermediate Scottish Family History Research course. 

Participants are welcome to arrive from 8:30–9:00 am each day, with teas, coffees and biscuits available to help you settle in before the sessions begin.

The course will run until 5:00 pm on day one and conclude at the earlier time of 4:15 pm on day two.

Designed for intermediate level researchers, this hands‑on course features talks from prominent Scottish genealogists and educators, covering research techniques and using a variety of Scottish records. In-course exercises will provide hands-on learning to embed the skills and knowledge covered. This course is also suitable for anyone who attended the 2-day Introduction to Scottish Family History Course (summer 2025). 

The two‑day course fee is £165.00 (participants are asked to bring their own lunch. tea/coffee and biscuits will be available throughout the day).

The two-day event will see talks by myself (Chris Paton), Catriona Haine, Judith Russell, and Alison Spring. You can find details of the full programme at https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/scottishfamilyresearch/. I'll be giving the following talks on Tuesday 5th: Scottish Burgh and Trade Incorporation Records, An Introduction to DNA Testing, and Scottish Research Resources Before 1800.

I hope that you can join us!

(Don't forget also that I will also be participating in Strathclyde's two-day Irish family history course from April 21st-22nd 2026 - further details on this can be found at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2026/02/university-of-strathclyde-to-host-two.html)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist extends its English and Welsh National Probate Calendar coverage

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

Over 2.5 million names added to TheGenealogist’s National Probate Calendar

TheGenealogist today announced a major expansion of its fully searchable National Probate Calendar with the release of the years 1880 to 1899, extending this essential source for uncovering ancestors’ details, family relationships, and social history across late Victorian Britain.

As with earlier releases, TheGenealogist has transcribed every field within each entry, allowing researchers to search far beyond a name alone. Users can pinpoint the right person by filtering on spouse, occupation, place of death, residence, executor details and more, making it far easier to distinguish between people who share the same name, or where spellings vary between records.

This new addition comprises 1,097,915 searchable probate records and names 2,596,550 individuals. Alongside the deceased, the index captures executors and other named parties, which can reveal close relatives, married daughters under a new surname, in-laws, business partners, employers, employees and trusted friends who might otherwise be missed.

Probate Records frequently include an address, occupation or status, the date of death, the court where probate was granted and the value of the estate, to which TheGenealogist has added the value in today’s terms. For family historians, these details can unlock new leads, confirm identities and provide a clearer picture of an ancestor’s circumstances at the end of their life.

TheGenealogist’s Head of Content, Mark Bayley, commented: "Many researchers overlook probate records, but they can shed light on the details other records miss, often naming the people who mattered most in someone’s life. By transcribing every field, our keyword search helps you jump directly to the record you’re after, and often to a new branch of the family."

Among the individuals found within these newly released records is William Morris, one of the most notable designers of the Victorian era. Researchers can explore his entry in the probate records and learn more about his life and legacy in this accompanying article: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2026/william-morris-8935/ 

To explore the new National Probate Records collection, visit TheGenealogist.co.uk/wills. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

PRONI extended opening hours in March

From the Public Record Office in Northern Ireland (PRONI):

We are extending our opening hours on selected dates for the beginning of 2026.

During extended opening on Thursdays, the Search Room and Reading Room will be open until 8pm so that everyone has an opportunity to access our facilities.

We will also be open on selected Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Upcoming Late Thursdays
Thursday 19 March

Upcoming Saturday Openings
Saturday 7 March

PRONI has also confirmed something I mentioned a few months back:

We’re delighted to share that a brand-new PRONI website is on the way! Built with our users and community in mind, the refreshed site will make it easier than ever to explore our collections, discover local history, and keep up with events and workshops. 

For more news on PRONI's events and activities visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni (for now!), and its various social media channels. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds records to 1881 UK worldwide army index

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added records to a census substitute for 1881 for those serving in the army overseas. 

British Army, Worldwide Index
There are over 235,000 new additions for the year 1881 to explore.

In total, there are similar indexes for the decennial years from 1841-1881, corresponding woth the decennial censuses, and all drawn from muster rolls of regiments as held at the National Archives in Kew, England. 

For a link, and details of other records released this week for England and Australia, visit https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/historical-records. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Seachdain na Gàidhlig - World Gaelic Week 2026

Next week see's the latest Seachdain na Gàidhlig (https://seachdainnagaidhlig.scot), also known as World Gaelic Week, in which all things Scottish Gaelic are celebrated by those of us proud of Scotland's oldest continuously used language. 

The theme of the next week will be Cleachd i no caill i - Use it or lose it. The Gaelic language is in a fragile state after centuries of discrimination, although it is finally at the point where the numbers of speakers is finally beginning to rise again, thanks to initiatives such as Gaelic medium education and the efforts of our own governments here in Scotland, run by the SNP, Greens, and Labour/Liberal Democrats at various points since our parliament was reconvened in 1999. That being said, there is still an ongoing decline in usage in the native heartlands of the Western Isles, where it remains in regular community use, so much work has yet to still be done.

There will be various events across the country (and worldwide!) next week where you can find out more about the Gaelic language and ways to learn it, attend concerts, and much more - details can be found in the above website link. Here in East Ayrshire, the East Ayrshire Gaelic Forum (of which I am the secretary) will be holding two events next weekend - a Cafaidh Cabadaich or 'conversation cafe' on Saturday 28th at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock, and on Sunday 1st March a Coisich anns a' Phàirc event, a walk around the park at Dean Castle, Kilmarnock, starting at the car park, where you can meet like minded learners, speakers and enthusiasts. Both events will be run from 1-3, and are free to attend. Our forum is also working on a few other exciting events over the next few months, but more on that in due course!

Cleachd i no caill i - agus bidh fàilte romhaibh uile! Use it or lose it - and you will all be most welcome!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Reopening of Glasgow's People's Palace delayed indefinitely

The People's Palace museum on Glasgow Green (pictured below, courtesy Wikipedia), which has been closed since April 2024, will not be opening anytime soon according to Glasgow Life. The arms length council body, which runs Glasgow's cultural attractions, had initially hoped to re-open it by 2027, but now finds itself in a situation of escalating costs for its revamp.

Quite why the Scottish Government won't contribute to the refurbishment of one of Scotland's most important museums is beyond me - I'm sure if it was in Edinburgh they would be singing a different tune.

You can read more about the story at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy03kxrz70zo and more about the museum itself at https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/peoples-palace.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Scottish Indexes conference on 28 February

The next Scottish Indexes (www.scottishindexes.com) conference takes place on Saturday 28 February, with the following talks confirmed:

• ‘Family History Research at the National Library of Ireland’ by Steven Skeldon
• ‘Researching British Prisoners of War, 1914 –1919 and 1939 –1946’ by Ken Nisbet
• ‘Patients and staff: stories of health and wellbeing’ by Lorna Steele-McGinn
• 'Introducing the Archives and Manuscripts of the National Library of Scotland' by Chris Cassells
• ‘Braking Brick Walls: How local Family History Societies can help’ by Alan Beattie

For further details visit the Scottish Indexes website.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.