Denise Cross - Genetic Genealogist

10/05/2026

I am working my way through the list to see how many are genuine. I think several are mistranscribed...
Although worth noting that 'knight of the thimble' is another way of saying 'tailor' - you learn something every day!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2157750750987708&set=a.120863947267812

. Britain’s first census was compiled in 1801. In a subsequent survey conducted in 1881, residents were asked to furnish their ‘rank’, profession or occupation, resulting in such oddities as 'fish-bender' or simply 'disinfector of railways'.
Credit: and

07/05/2026

Why is it that when you solve one mystery it just opens up a whole load more mysteries? I have been down some long dark rabbit holes this morning I can tell you!

17/04/2026

I have never come across a parish register like this before! Each baptism not only gives the exact date of birth but also a very detailed family history for each person. I cannot tell you excited I was to discover this little gem in Yorkshire!

15/04/2026

You have to love a Victorian murder mystery!

Golden retriever Stanley, dubbed Sherlock Bones, lives where Mary Ann Ashford murdered her husband.

13/04/2026

Fed up of seeing this? Always seems to happen when you urgently need to know the maiden name of an ancestor!
Anyway - a quick work around - open the page up in another browser. I used Microsoft Edge instead of Chrome and it worked fine. Also worth noting that if you ever need to switch between 2 accounts, you can open one in another browser and it saves you keep logging back in/out.

13/04/2026

You may or may not be aware but the marriage certificates that you order from the GRO in England and Wales, are not copies of the original documents. They are copies of the transcription that the registrar has to send every quarter to the GRO. The original entries made, usually on the day, at the church or registry office will contain the actual signatures of the informants. The other will not.
This is a snippet from the original entry from the marriages of my 2x great grandparents and the same from the certificate I ordered from the GRO. Can you see the difference?

13/04/2026

How often do you use tags?
Sadly Ancestry haven't yet made tags visible from the 'view tree' page. Imagine how amazing it would be if you could instantly work out which lines end because the person either died young or never married. What an amazing visual guide that would be! Despite that not being possible I do still use those labels from the 'life experience' tags on a regular basis.
Have you tried using the custom tags? I use these to record things such as whether I have the relevent certificates for each individual.
I am currently trying to upload them all to Ancestry as I go along but they aren't always obvious unless you check the media folder.
Let me know in the comments if you use any other custom tags!

13/04/2026

Finding myself between cases (just finished an unknown grandfather case and awaiting DNA results for my next one) I have decided to revisit my own family tree.
Since the loss of my paternal cousin a few years ago I have not been motivated to look at that side for some time. I have decided however to get out my paper files an update them, check them against my online tree and collate all the sources etc. It has of course meant utilising my stationery resources, firing up both the scanner and printer. My office looks like a disaster zone!
Anyway I will try and update both this page and my blog as I go along and find things that are worth sharing...

01/04/2026

This week I have lost a longstanding client and cousin. We connected originally via Ancestry as we shared a 2x great grandfather. Her DNA helped us prove that connection (a story I might post about in my blog) and from there we became friends. She then became my client when I worked on both her and her husbands tree. I worked on several mysteries in her tree, a couple of which are still unsolved. I am struggling with the fact that even if I eventually work them out she won't be around to tell.

01/04/2026

Every case starts with a free consultation, after which budgets can be agreed upon for any further research.
£20 per hour for general research and one to one sessions.
Genetic Genealogy starts at £150 for the initial DNA analysis. Further fees depend on the complexity of the case, feel free to message me to discuss this further.
Workshops can be arranged for groups - price on application.
I am also available for talks on either genealogy or genetic genealogy - again, prices vary depending on the event.

19/03/2026

I was trying to learn all the Irish counties this week (inspired by St Patrick's Day) but realised that I didn't know how to pronounce some of them. So I found this video on Youtube.
In the comments I will add a link to the site I used to learn the counties which is absolutely brilliant.

This video teaches you how to pronounce the counties in Ireland as said by a native.