All Articles

Will we remember them?

Posted in For Family Historians, For Relatives

When Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old screens on BBC 1 on Armistice Day, it will mark the end of the centenary of World War One. Let’s hope that the film’s extraordinary emotional impact will galvanise more people to add their relatives’ records and stories to Lives of the First World War, the permanent digital memorial set up by the Imperial War Museum.

When patience and persistence pay off

Posted in Case Histories, For Family Historians, For Relatives

In this article, case manager Carolyn Felgate extends the definition of ‘patience’ and ‘persistence’ as she reports on her ten-year struggle to chip away at an impregnable genealogical brick wall – the case of Mary Margaret Baker.

Celebrity intestacies should be a warning to us all

Posted in For Relatives, For Solicitors

The multi-award winning soul singer Aretha Franklin, who died recently after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, leaves an enduring musical legacy – but no will setting out how she would like her $80 million estate to be distributed. In this article, Rosie Kelly reports on the widespread resistance to writing a will among celebrities and the general public alike, and spells out the consequences.

Between two families

Posted in Case Histories, For Family Historians, For Relatives

In this article, case manager Sam Watkin discusses an informal adoption arranged before the Adoption of Children Act 1926. When relevant public records are almost entirely absent, how can probate genealogists prove someone’s identity?

How genealogy and oral history can help vulnerable clients

Posted in Case Histories, For Solicitors

Over the past two years, Anglia Research has developed an innovative service with the Money Carer Foundation (MCF), finding long-lost relatives for their clients and developing resources to provide them and their carers with opportunities for understanding and reminiscence. It’s a natural extension of our work locating heirs and can make substantial improvements to a client’s quality of life, bringing families back together and helping people whose memories are failing to retain a sense of their identity and history.