Findmypast

Findmypast The UK's best family history website - unlock your family history today The possibilities are endless. Who knows what you might find?

Finding a name is just the start... Findmypast helps you understand your family history, one discovery at a time. Delve deeper into your family tree by getting to know the world your ancestors lived in — their triumphs, setbacks, and heartbreaks — to uncover your family’s unique story. Step into a map, explore your ancestor’s antics in the pages of a newspaper, and join a thriving community of pas

sionate family historians. House Rules

This is a community page for professional genealogists and family history researchers to discuss, share stories, and inspire each other. It’s an inclusive family, so we hope that both experienced historians and those just starting to build their tree will enjoy participating in our many conversations. On Facebook, as in everyday life, we expect our community to treat each other with respect and courtesy. In order to maintain a vibrant and healthy Facebook community, and to make sure everybody gets to have a say, we’ve established a few house rules. Unfortunately, we can’t respond to every single comment or query (although we’ll do our best to). We are confident that members of our community will not post any comments that fall into any of the following categories, but we reserve the right to remove any materials that are:

• Defamatory, abusive, threatening, condescending or obscene, or that violate the rights (including rights of privacy) of others.
• Fraudulent, misleading, spam, or promoting competitors.
• Protected by intellectual property laws, (or any other laws or regulations) unless you own or control the rights or have received all necessary consents.
• Offensive to our brand, our staff or members of our community.
• Advertising third party services or products. We also reserve the right to ban users from our page and report users to Facebook should they contravene the rules above or Facebook’s own Terms and Policies. Please note that content posted on our page does not necessarily represent the views of Findmypast.

Elizabeth the Queen Mother was born on this day in 1900 👑 Often considered the matriarch of The Royal Family, many remem...
04/08/2025

Elizabeth the Queen Mother was born on this day in 1900 👑

Often considered the matriarch of The Royal Family, many remember her for her indomitable spirit during the Second World War and her mischievous sense of humour.

Delve into more snapshots of her life with our free gallery ⬇️
https://bit.ly/3IHzQkA

Imagine there's one 'golden rule' for family history 🥇 In your opinion, what is it?
03/08/2025

Imagine there's one 'golden rule' for family history 🥇

In your opinion, what is it?

Have you ever researched your family history and got stuck in the early 20th century? Do your family seemingly disappear...
02/08/2025

Have you ever researched your family history and got stuck in the early 20th century? Do your family seemingly disappear from the records without a trace? 🤔

Well, they may have changed their name ⬇️

Picture this: it's 1914 and Britain is at war with Germany. Anti-German sentiment is so strong that it leads many with German heritage living in Britain to distance themselves from their roots.

Thousands of families changed their surnames to sound 'more British' during this time. But how do you find out if your family was among them, especially if you have no idea what their previous surname was?

Luckily for us, newspapers like The Graphic tracked the effect of the war on German surnames and published them in these tables between 1914 and 1919—an untapped resource for us today 👏

One of these tables might be the clue you need...

Explore them for free ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4lNiRw2}

01/08/2025

This week marks the anniversary of a law that changed the lives of thousands of working-class families in Britain. Join us for a quick look at the 1900 Act that finally banned children under 13 from working underground in coal mines—and why it matters to family historians today.

Did politics shape your ancestors’ lives? Let’s talk about it.

QOTW: Have you ever explored how politics and law shaped your ancestors’ daily lives?

"I'm here because she survived." ❤️ It was 11pm at night and Amanda was scrolling through our newspaper archives when sh...
01/08/2025

"I'm here because she survived." ❤️

It was 11pm at night and Amanda was scrolling through our newspaper archives when she discovered something about her three times great-grandmother that made her cry....

Mary Tomlinson was born in the 1820's and in March 1863, she was almost murdered by Joseph Simpson - the man she was once engaged to.

They were in love, they'd had their portraits taken in Lichfield but during the local celebrations for the Prince of Wales' wedding, Mary was seen with another man. Mary and Joseph had an explosive argument, and Joseph became dangerously jealous, causing Mary to break off the engagement.

Amanda continued in her research and discovered that only days later, Joseph bought a double-barrelled rifle. He went to Mary's work, waited for her and after another argument, Joseph shot her in the neck.

Joseph fled and later turned the gun on himself. Mary however, survived.

During the shooting, she was supported by two witnesses - Emily and Arthur Rice, who were siblings of the man she would later marry - Charles Rice, Amanda's three times great-grandfather.

To Amanda, Mary is more than just a name on a family tree - she's a survivor. Thank you Amanda, for sharing your story. 💙

Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear them ⬇️

Today marks the beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele 🎖️ In memory, here is the story of the 'Last fighting Tommy of ...
31/07/2025

Today marks the beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele 🎖️

In memory, here is the story of the 'Last fighting Tommy of WW1' - Harry Patch ⬇️

Amidst mud and gunfire, Lance Corporal Patch saw action at Passchendaele, where he was seriously wounded in September 1917. Harry and his Lewis gun team were caught under an exploding shell. Three of his fellow soldiers, his friends, were killed in the blast.

He was still recovering when the war ended the following November.

When the clouds of war gathered once more, Harry served as a fireman in Bath, doing his bit on the home front. He didn't speak about his wartime experiences until he turned 100.

He returned to Belgium in 2007 ahead of the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. There, he said: "Too many died. War isn't worth one life."

Harry was briefly the last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War from any country, becoming affectionately known as the 'Last Fighting Tommy'. He died at the incredible age of 111 in 2009.

Thank you for your service, Harry ❤️

📷 Country Life, 24 June 2004 https://bit.ly/46YtsPX

Could you find a distant cousin from a social media post? 😮 Add in a few surnames from your family tree into the comment...
30/07/2025

Could you find a distant cousin from a social media post? 😮

Add in a few surnames from your family tree into the comments, and let's see if you can make any connections 🤗

29/07/2025

Just for fun... What's a name from your family tree you love, and a name you don't?

Comments them below ⬇️

'We shall wear the scars of this disaster for a hundred years...'Those were the prophetic words printed in a newspaper f...
28/07/2025

'We shall wear the scars of this disaster for a hundred years...'

Those were the prophetic words printed in a newspaper from early August, 1914.

The First World War began on this day in 1914, a conflict that would result in millions of lives lost and the world as we know it forever changed.

How did the war affect your family? ❤️

Here are some of the headlines they might have read ⬇️
https://bit.ly/44YpbJQ

As the Lionesses prepare to face Spain in the Euros final, they carry the legacy of a forgotten generation... Will you h...
27/07/2025

As the Lionesses prepare to face Spain in the Euros final, they carry the legacy of a forgotten generation... Will you help us share it? ⚽

A generation of women who not only stepped up to keep the factories open during WW1, but who also kept the nation's spirits up and raised money for charity.

They were the Munitionettes: women who worked the frontlines of industry. They swapped overalls for kits, laced up their boots, and played the game they loved with fire in their lungs.

Delve into their story ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4maOoYv

Do you have any famous people or historical figures in your family tree? 🤔 Whether they're rulers, performers or politic...
26/07/2025

Do you have any famous people or historical figures in your family tree? 🤔

Whether they're rulers, performers or politicians, no matter how distant, we'd love to know. Add yours to the comments ⬇️

To inspire you, here are six famous descendants of Robert the Bruce ⬇️
https://bit.ly/3TSuXYo

Remembering the women of the Women's National Services - we thank them for their contributions during WW2 🎖️ Did any of ...
25/07/2025

Remembering the women of the Women's National Services - we thank them for their contributions during WW2 🎖️

Did any of the women in your family serve? We'd love to hear their stories 💪

📷 Illustrated London News, 8 July 1939 https://bit.ly/41a9KNs

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