Category Archives: Famous Genealogy

It is a truth universally acknowledged…

…that wills are the most amazing source of family history. They can just as easily reveal new names to add to one’s family tree, or reveal a forgotten family secret – like a disinherited relative, an illegitimate child, or a … Continue reading

Posted in England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Shropshire | 1 Comment

The Sheppards: fame, family and fortune!

If you could choose to be related to any celebrity who has appeared on the well-known genealogy TV show Who Do You Think You Are?, who would it be? Well, if any of the stories that have been researched so … Continue reading

Posted in England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Shropshire, Who Do You Think You Are? | 6 Comments

Why YOU should do the #RussianDollChallenge?

Some of you may have heard of the #RussianDollChallenge, a hashtag I created on Twitter in September 2018 to discuss direct female ancestral genealogies. And why, you may ask, did this become a popular (dare one say, trending!) topic and, … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Women | Leave a comment

Explore cousin-marriages… within your family tree!

Marry your cousin? No way, you’re probably thinking. But there was a time, however, when marrying close relatives was not just usual, it was also the norm, and more often than not, a desirable experience. Marrying a first cousin, or … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, DNA, Engagement, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Italy, Marriage, Money, Spain | 4 Comments

Who Do You Think You Are Live! 2016

My head is still buzzing with information, my feet occasionally still hurt, and my bank account is a sad sight. Yes, the effects of the annual Who Do You Think You Are! Live trade fair are still fresh in my mind … Continue reading

Posted in 1939 UK Register, Bigamy, Birmingham, Birth, Colwall, Divorce, Emigration, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Jewish Ancestry, Marriage, The National Archives, United States, Wales, War, Who Do You Think You Are?, Worcestershire, World War I | Leave a comment

Jane Austen’s family tree

Like so many other great British female authors, such as Virginia Woolf or the three Brontë sisters, English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817) was a wonderful and prolific writer, but left no children. But although there are no descendants of the … Continue reading

Posted in England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Ireland, Marriage, Royalty, Ships, Women | 9 Comments

Who Do You Think You Are? Nigella Lawson

SPOILER WARNING! One of my favourite Who Do You Think You Are? episodes is the one starring Nigella Lawson (series 3, episode 6), the TV personality and cook book writer who has lately come under huge scrutiny due to her … Continue reading

Posted in Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Germany, Jewish Ancestry, Money, War, Who Do You Think You Are?, Women, Work | 1 Comment

Who Do You Think You Are? Marianne Faithfull

SPOILER WARNING! If you had to pick a likely description for Marianne Faithfull‘s background, you would hardly choose an illustrious knight in the Austro-Hungarian army, a Jewish grandmother who took part in the Viennese resistance during WWII or a sexually … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Germany, Jewish Ancestry, Marriage, War, Who Do You Think You Are?, Women | 3 Comments

Hit a brickwall? Look for answers… within the family!

Aside from spending hours sitting quietly in my local archive listening to my iPod as my brain races while I read through endless pages of baptism records, I do love looking at old newspapers in search of new clues. You … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, Famous Genealogy, Galicia, Genealogy, Illness, Marriage, Money, Property, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Women | Leave a comment

Exploring my possible Mormon relatives

When I was little, I used to attend Sunday School every week, while preparing myself for my First Communion and, later, for my Confirmation. It wasn’t what you might call a very spiritual experience, as our lessons were taught by … Continue reading

Posted in Colwall, Emigration, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, Mormonism, Ships, United States, Women, Worcestershire | Leave a comment