Learning Centre

In the first of a 3 part series, this month we feature two very different but equally iconic and still popular resort destinations - Brighton and Blackpool.

Brighton first rose to prominence as a British seaside resort following the arrival of the railway under the reign of Queen Victoria in 1841. The railway brought Brighton within easy reach of the capital and proved a particularly popular day-trip destination as Londoners discovered the attractions of the sand and sea air in their droves. By the 1901 Census Brighton counted well over 120,000 inhabitants, many of whom had made the switch to healthier living conditions by the sea.

Unsurprisingly, the Victorian period also witnessed a flourishing of new buildings, including the construction of the Grand Hotel and West and Palace Piers in the 1860’s and 1890’s.

Take a look at our Postcard collection now

Contrastingly Blackpool, the “Jewel of the North”, was a comparative latecomer to the domestic tourism scene, only becoming a truly popular holiday destination for the factory and mill workers of Northern England and Glasgow from the early 1900’s onwards.

Despite a decline in visitor numbers, Blackpool to this day remains the most visited resort location in the UK, whilst its Pleasure Beach still ranks as the UK’s most popular free tourist attraction.

Have a look at these postcards of Blackpool and Brighton or search for postcards of your favourite British cities, towns and villages here. Don’t forget that you can attach postcards to life timelines in your family tree, providing excellent period images of the places your ancestors lived or visited.

For many of us, the mere mention of Brighton or Blackpool will evoke strong childhood memories of family holidays by the sea; azure blue skies, the smell of the fish and chips or fresh doughnuts, even the squawking of gulls intermingled with the sounds of the penny amusements on the pier. Maybe you had your faltering first kiss or holiday romance by the sea?

Are you one of those for whom the seaside holds very vivid and personal family memories?

If so, why not post your recollections to your family tree in the form of a story?

Then, better still, share your memories with other family members, perhaps even obtain photos of family holidays gone by to post to your tree.

Recapture the glories of summers gone by. Visit your tree to post your stories now.

We’ll have more to follow next month, as we explore two more great British seaside destinations. You’ll just have to wait to discover where!

As many Ancestry Members will know, the May Day Bank Holiday witnessed the largest family history event ever held in the UK and almost certainly Europe, as the inaugural Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE event took centre stage at London’s historic Olympia. As key sponsors, Ancestry.co.uk were there in force to meet the thousands of new and existing Ancestry members who made the trip from across the UK and farther afield to attend.

Key highlights of the show included the Ancestry Live Area, featuring Question & Answer sessions with Ancestry’s Chief Family Historian and renowned genealogist, Megan Smolenyak as well as series of presentations from Nick Barratt focusing on individual Ancestry Member family trees. Meanwhile, the Family History Lab proved particularly popular on the Ancestry stand, where stand visitors were able to have their family history explored in the company of one of the Ancestry.co.uk team.

Other highlights included the revealing of the 2005 Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes

Last month we focused on two useful but perhaps less-well known family tree tools, Research Notes & Shoebox

This month it’s the turn of Ancestry Community and specifically, creating new Message Board requests and Member Profile creation.

In the Ancestry Community area you will find the Ancestry Message Boards where you can contact a lot of highly experienced Members who can answer questions and help you get past brick walls. The message boards are also a great way of connecting with other Members searching for the same ancestors as you (or ancestors who lived in the same places as yours) and to share findings - you shouldn’t have to wait long to start receiving responses.

You’ll find these all under the "Ancestry Community" tab on the primary navigation bar.

The Message Boards are split up into surnames, locations and topics in order to make it easier to search the message boards or post a message.

Before you add a new posting/ question it is often a good idea to search the message boards to see if anyone has ever asked a similar question. The easiest way to search is to first click on location and then click on the country and then the county to which your query is related. Then try searching for the surname of the relatives you are looking for in the county category.
Start searching Message Board posts here.

If you can’t find any useful previous postings you can easily add a new posting or request for assistance at any time, by selecting the “Begin New Thread” option located towards the top of the relevant Message Board for the surname or county you’re researching.

Creating as comprehensive a Member Profile as possible will ensure you give yourself the best opportunity to engage with other Ancestry members to not only discover more about your ancestors’ past but also gain insights and tips into researching, using Ancestry.co.uk.

You can easily create and update your Community Profile at any time by selecting the "My Public Profile" link on the Ancestry Community homepage.

Since all information sits within your account details, you have complete control over what your chose to enter and display. No other members will be able to access and amend your profile.

Your Community Profile is waiting for you, why not create or edit it here now?

Channel 4 are currently looking for people to take part in a television documentary about those who have lost a parent in the past five years. They’re looking to explore how their passing has impacted your own life and your understanding of the parent who passed-away. They’re also interested in learning how this may have influenced the relationship with your surviving parent. Perhaps their passing revealed the discovery of a secret part of their life which until then had remained hidden? Or have you since found out something about your parent that you didn’t previously know?

Are you’re someone who has been effected by this and would be willing to share your experience? Or, maybe you’d like to find out more first. Either way, they’d very much like to hear from you.

Please contact Ruth on 0207 751 7362, or alternatively send an email to myfamily@rdfmedia.com. Your call or message will be handled in the strictest of confidence.

That’s all for now, see you next month.

The Ancestry.co.uk Membership Team