Available Family History Talks

Tailored family history talks for major organisations and local groups and family history societies.

Notably I am a regular speaker at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live! History Show at Olympia, for the Society of Genealogists in London and the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury. In 2013 I presented at 'Exodus. The Movement of the People' the international conference organised by the Halsted Trust.

The talks below are a selection of what I offer but can usually be adapted if required, while new ideas are welcome! Please email me to get a price for a talk, providing details the date, time, venue, the subject you require and whether or not you require me to bring my own equipment.

  • Do You Know Who You Are Yet? (A general talk on why family history appeals to so many.)
  • Tracing Your Ancestors Through Death Records
  • Wills and Probate Records: An Introduction
  • Wills: not just a source for your better-off ancestor!
  • The Parish Chest
  • Newspapers for Family Historians
  • The Workhouse and Its Records
  • My Workhouse Ancestor –concentrates more on work house life rather than the records
  • The Poor in Records
  • Maps & Other Land records
  • Manorial Records
  • Tracing a 16th and 17th Century English Family Tree
  • Surnames: An Introduction
  • How Far Did Your Ancestor Travel? -How far our ancestors migrated within the UK before the advent of the railways
  • I've Lost My Ancestor Before 1837. How Can I find him?
  • Pre-1837 Sources. -A guide to some of the most useful sources for earlier research
  • School Records & 19th Century Education -Covers the type of schools available and the records you may find
  • The GRO Index – Just How Accurate Is It? -The truth about the accuracy of the GRO index may make you review your research technique and help knock down some brick walls!
  • I've Lost my Ancestor in the GRO index! - Tips on how to locate those ancestors you fail to find in the index
  • Good Research Techniques for Beginners and Improvers
  • Becoming a Professional Genealogist
  • Exploring your Ancestor's Parish Church & Churchyard

Feedback

I really enjoyed the talk on Saturday and the way you deliver it is great - I don't drift at all.

Joyce Holder

Thank you very much for your talk today. You had a captive audience, who were very appreciative and we all learned a lot.

Kevin Johnson

Thank you for the excellent short course last Saturday, with all its helpful information, advice and tips. I have already been inspired to use FamilySearch in a more profitable way, and to start thinking about where to look next.

Pooler Clements

Firstly I would like to say how wonderful your lectures were this week. I could have listened to you for hours. You really know how to bring a subject to life and have made my desire to learn even stronger. I found an absolute gem! My Grt Grandfather's Brother's records. 27 pages of them! I am SO chuffed, and I would never have managed it if it hadn't been for your instruction yesterday!

Caroline Richardson