🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉 As we head into 2026, what are your family history goals? 📜✨ Break down a brickwall? 🧱 Trace a new line? 🌳 Finally organise those photos? 📸 Tell us what you’re hoping to discover this year!

🎧🌳 New episode alert! In this week's podcast we’re diving into the census, with Helen sharing clever tips on using the 1911 “fertility” census to uncover hidden relatives and grow your family tree. You might be surprised what you find! 🔗👇

Kickstart your research in 2026! Just sign up to our newsletter and we’ll send you a FREE digital edition of our December issue - packed with inspiration, tips, and festive family history reading. 🔗👇

💚 January Sale: expert family history learning for less than half price https://www.family-tree.co.uk/information/family-tree-january-sale We’ve reduced some of our most popular on-demand courses so you can learn more, for less. ✅ Instant access ✅ Learn at your own pace ⏰ Limited-time discounts

Doing some very serious family history research… 👀🎮 Wait - why does my family tree lead to Super Mario? 🍄🧢 Lamplight? Bridge painter? Leech collector? What’s the most interesting (or surprising) occupation you’ve found in your family history? 👇

Curious about your UK ancestors and their lives? Census records are a treasure trove of information, offering snapshots of your family’s past every 10 years. Check out our essential guide and learn how to unlock details like their birthplaces, occupations, and more... 🔗👇

Family history isn't just about names and dates. It has so many life lessons to teach us too. In the December issue Chris Paton looked at what family history can offer to help us understand the past. Sign up to our newsletter and download your free issue today! 🔗👇

👑 Who gets crowned on Christmas Day? On December 25, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. #thisweekinhistory

This Christmas, we’ve got a little gift for you 🎄✨ Sign up to our newsletter and we’ll send you a FREE digital edition of our December issue - packed with inspiration, tips, and festive family history reading. Our way of saying thank you, and Merry Christmas! 🔗👇

Don’t forget to leave out a cookie and some milk tonight 🍪🥛 What’s on your genealogical wish list this Christmas? A brickwall breakthrough? New records? A DNA surprise? 🎄🧬

🎧🌳 On this week's podcast we are joined by a very special guest - genealogy AI guru Carole McCulloch. We ask her the how, what, why of using AI to help us with our family histories. Find out if is AI for you, and how it can help you accomplish more in your research 🔗👇

🎅✉️ Found on Ancestry's newspapers.com, an 1883 letter published in The Leeds Mercury is believed to be the earliest note to Santa, written by 6-year-old Jane. New research shows 75% of children still write to Santa - and still, mostly by hand!

Ready to relax this Christmas? 🎄☕ Put your feet up and test your knowledge with our Family History Quiz! A fun way to keep your genealogy brain ticking. Give it a go! 🔗👇

AI is transforming ancestry research, with some saying it’s as revolutionary as the internet. In this guide, genealogist John Beaumont shows how Generative AI can speed up tasks, spark ideas, and free family historians to focus on deeper analysis and interpretation... 🔗👇

🥶 Who won the race to the South Pole? This week in 1911, Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen became the first person to reached the South Pole - just weeks ahead of British adventurer Robert Falcon Scott. #thisweekinhistory

It’s time for some festive digging into your family tree 🎄🧬 How close to the North Pole can you get through one of your ancestors? Lapland? Alaska? Northern Scotland? Tell us below ❄️👇

Join us today, 1pm, as Mandy Geary takes us on a tour of Family Tree Maker 2024. This session is perfect for anyone looking to organise, sync and enhance their family history research. Link below 👇

🎧🌳 In this week's podcast we chat about the how, what & why of creating a rock solid family tree. Plus Helen gives Nathan some to tips on using tags in Ancestry, and well as some good practice advice on storing documents. Listen now 🔗👇

Join us today at 12.30(GMT) as expert genealogist Michelle Leonard explores how DNA, anthropology, and genealogy helped identify WWI soldiers uncovered in 2008. Hear their stories and learn practical tips for researching WWI soldiers and tracing DNA-appropriate relatives.

🗂 Tree Tip Tuesday: Track your ancestor through multiple census years - it reveals moves, career shifts, and growing families #treetiptuesday #familyhistory #census

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Registration is open for 'Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors', supported by National Records Scotland & Scotland's People. 3, 10, 17, and 24 Feb 2026 Find out more: https://bit.ly/tracing_scottish_ancestors Everything you need to take your Scottish family history research further.

Follow our easy-to-follow 4 step plan, and learn how to start your family history, where to begin, how to find details, where to look for useful documents, how to start building an online family tree and more... 🔗👇

Join us 17 December - Discover how the Fromelles Project used DNA, anthropology and genealogy to identify WWI soldiers found in a 2008 mass grave. This webinar shares their stories and offers tips on researching WWI soldiers and finding DNA-linked relatives. Link below 👇

This week in 1854, Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade - a dramatic tribute to the cavalry charge during the Crimean War - was first published. Its lines “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die” captured the heroism (and tragedy) of duty under fire.

✨ Discover extraordinary family stories and powerful research tools in the new issue of Family Tree. Explore Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’, forgotten jobs, medal research tips, DNA terms, medieval wills & more. Perfect winter inspiration for every family historian. 🔍📖

🌳😃 It's time to celebrate your successes! Let us know how far back in time you have managed to get with your family history research! (Please don't make Nathan cry with envy though!) #familyhistory #celebratingyou #familytree

🎧✨ New podcast episode! Helen & Nathan discuss free palaeography courses, share tips for reading old handwriting, and talk about the quality of AI transcription tools. Link below 👇

📚 Tree Tip Tuesday: Genealogy isn’t just about names and dates — dive into local history books to see your ancestors’ world come alive.

Ever struggled to decipher the handwriting on an old document? 🧐 That’s where palaeography comes in - the study of historic handwriting found in manuscripts and family records. It can be tricky, but it’s key to unlocking your family’s past! ✨ Dive into our palaeography guide...

There’s just 24 hours left to double your donations to FreePRO!  FreeUKGEN will match donations til noon Tues 9th GMT. FreePRO goal = 7.5 million probate records, free & searchable forever. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4oMmxid Donte here: https://bit.ly/48NU7i2

There are many occupations described in historical documents or censuses that almost no one is gainfully employed doing any more. Join us, 8 Dec, for the Family Tree Study Club meeting, at which Wayne Shepheard will be presenting on the topic of Out of the ordinary occupations.

✨ Transform your research into a treasured family story ✨ ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iPlE79 Join the Family Tree AI Bootcamp, a new 4-week course (8–28 Jan 2026) that will transform your research notes, records & photos into a ready-to-publish family history.

🔍 Fun Fact Friday: This week in 1992, the world’s very first text message was sent. The groundbreaking message? A festive “MERRY CHRISTMAS.”

✨ It's here! ✨The Family History Handbook 2026 is available to pre-order right now! https://bit.ly/fh-handbook-2026 Included with the January issue of Family Tree magazine, the annual handbook is packed with useful reference guides, expert tips, and practical tools…

TONIGHT! Join us as David Annal explores over 300 years of legislation that shaped our ancestors’ lives - and the records they left behind. A must-watch for family historians. (Link in comments)

🎧🌳🎂 One year into his family-history adventure, Helen surprises Nathan with a pop quiz! From ancestors to archives, she starts with the question that started it all… Is he actually a Viking? Tune in to find out how much he really remembers. Link below 👇

Tree Tip Tuesday 🌳✨ Keeping a Research Log helps you stay organised, avoid repeating searches, and keep your family history research on track. Whether it’s a notebook or a digital template, a good log will help you navigate through the branches of your family tree! 💚

Join us, 4 December, and learn more about legislation for family historians in David Annal’s talk, which will cover more than 3 centuries of Acts of Parliament – and the impact they had on our ancestors’ lives and the records they kept. (Link in comments)

What is a second cousin? Or a third cousin once removed? Such 'cousin relationship' terms can often be very confusing, but they don't have to be. Work out who’s who on your family tree and don't forget to claim your free Family Tree Relationship Calculator. Read more below 👇

⚠️ Just a few hours left to grab this family history bargain! 👉 https://www.family-tree.co.uk/black-friday How to use Ancestry (but better) video course for just £19.99 (usually £55) Over 6 hours of video to help you use Ancestry like a pro!

It’s here! 🥳 👉 www.family-tree.co.uk/black-friday Our Black Friday Sale is now live, packed with brilliant offers to help you build your family tree with confidence. Take a look at everything on offer 👇 👉 www.family-tree.co.uk/black-friday

🤔 Did you know? The first-ever official international football match was played on Nov 30, 1872 in Glasgow! Scotland and England battled it out in front of 4,000 spectators… …and it ended in a classic 0–0 draw.

Whether it's convincing yourself that you're a Viking or relying too much on the facts of a handed down story - what is the biggest surprise you've discovered with your family history research?

🎄🎁 The season is almost upon us! If you’re shopping for someone who loves exploring their roots, we’ve handpicked a collection of thoughtful gifts that celebrate family, history, and the joy of discovery. (Visit the link in the comments...)

🎄 Tree Tip Tuesday: Family traditions tell a story - ask who began them and why. Sometimes the smallest rituals have the biggest roots! 🌱✨

Old family photographs are a vital part of genealogy. They not only show us our ancestors’ faces but also preserve social history, clothing, and context. Find out how to organise, preserve, store, date and identify these precious pictures with our in-depth guide. Link in comments

Join us as professional genealogist Kathie Ross takes us for a tour of Reunion for Mac in her presentation on Tuesday 25th November. Book your place today (link in comments)

Fun Fact Friday! In 1888, Queen Victoria became the first British monarch to have her voice recorded! It was captured on a wax cylinder - Before that? Everyone was just guessing what royalty sounded like! 👑🎙️

Not everyone can have an ancestor who operated the acoustic aircraft detection horns, but what is the most interesting occupation you've found for a family member on a census? On 8 December we are hosting a webinar on old, obscure occupations - Don't miss it! (Link below)

This week on the podcast, Helen & Nathan ask: If you could leave a selection of songs that represent who you are for your descendants, what would they be? 🎶 They also share the goals they want to hit before year’s end. Tune in for inspiration, reflection & fun! Link in comments