Make your mark on history with a Findmypast family tree

The question of how to preserve your family’s legacy for future generations is a big one – but Findmypast is the perfect place to start.

Unlocking the stories hiding in your family history can help you understand how your own forebears experienced pandemics and wars, victory and triumph, and how through all that, they got you to where you are today.

Laying the first roots of your Findmypast family tree is entirely free. Begin by adding yourself and immediate family, before venturing out into everything else you remember: aunts, uncles, grandparents.

Once that’s done, the fun begins. Census records are comprehensive even for the beginner, and depict how your family changed throughout time. The 1921 Census of England and Wales, available exclusively online at Findmypast, is a treasure trove of family stories. It serves as a snapshot of life on one summer evening – did your family have lodgers? Were they employed or out of work? In fact, censuses can unveil more than just your own family. Try Findmypast’s innovative address search and discover who inhabited your house throughout history. Who slept where you sleep, or cooked where you cook?

Then it’s time to start expanding your research. Findmypast have the most comprehensive online collection of British parish records and many of these are exclusive, so you won’t find them on any other family history website. These birth, marriage and death records will build the branches of your family tree. Findmypast’s groundbreaking Catholic Heritage Archive project ensures that they also have the largest online collection of Catholic records in the world. Don’t forget about the name and year variant tools – these can help you pinpoint ancestors who perhaps changed names, or cheekily knocked a couple of years off their age.

But their lives were more than just a series of dates, and Findmypast’s handy hints feature will help you uncover more details. With the relevant people added to your family tree, they will suggest records that match each person, helping you kickstart your research in the most impactful way. They may recommend military records, for example.

Every family in Britain will have been affected by the World Wars. Since Findmypast is home to the largest online collection of British Army records, you could unearth vital details such as rank, rating, and sometimes even a physical description or portrait. Their expansive Photo Collection also includes thousands of historical photographs from the First and Second World Wars. Just one short search can transform into an incredibly poignant experience.

You might think that’s the end, but you’d be wrong. Add foliage to your family tree by scouring over 60 million historical newspaper pages from across the United Kingdom and beyond. From notices to headline news, you could unlock stories about your ancestors that may have otherwise stayed lost in time. Whatever the story, social history is a fantastic way to paint a bright and bold picture of your ancestor’s character.

Findmypast’s philosophy is clear: understanding your past can help you shape the future. If you’re looking for a touching but hassle-free gift, then don’t subscribe alone. Treat a loved one to a gift subscription and embark on this incredible journey together. After all, there’s no present quite like their past.

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