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Just starting out?

Begin by building your family tree. Start with yourself and your parents and build out from there. This will give you a base from which you can easily identify gaps in your knowledge and highlights the questions you’ll need to ask your relatives. Engaging other family members is the key to successful research.

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Need help searching?

Ancestry has by far the greatest breadth and depth of family history records available online today. Whether you are just starting out or looking to further your family research you will be able to discover a whole host of information aside from just names, dates and places including military, occupational, societies and more. However census and BMD records are likely to form the backbone of your research and a good place to start is with the most recent birth, marriage and death records in your immediate family.
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Having difficulty finding yourself or someone else in the BMD Index’s? Click here to find out why and how to overcome the typical hurdles…

For hints and tips on how to get the most out of our records you should watch our Searching tutorial, presented by Tony Robinson. Click here to view

What’s the meaning of my surname?

Where did my ancestors live? Did they stay in the UK or emigrate overseas? What did they do for a living?

These questions will be familiar to many, irrespective of whether you’re just starting out or are already some way into your family research. Well, now you can discover these and many more fascinating facts relating to your ancestors and their surnames by using Ancestry’s latest Family Facts features.

For example, did you know that Turner means a maker of wooden, bone or metal objects, or even a an official in charge of tournaments in the Middle ages as well as a guard in a watch tower in Southern Germany?

Nearly 30% of all turners in England and Wales were living in either Lancashire or Yorkshire around the turn of the 20th Century.

Family History Toolbox

Use our tools and tips to help you discover your family history

From the Ancestry Library

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