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December 2012
Fortunes & feuds How to find the secrets in your ancestors’ wills!
Write up your family history on a shoestring Genealogy & the afterlife Leave a legacy to treasure
PARISH CHEST WEBSITES Unlocked, online & ready to search
Turn detective Strategies for sorting facts from fiction £4.75
Top experts, free advice, competitions, news & forum at www.family-tree.co.uk
CONTENTS
December 2012 Vol 29 No 2
6 Genealogy news Belinda Griffin has the latest family history news, including plans for the WWI centenary and an appeal from organisers of WDYTYA? Live.
12 Writing up your family history without breaking the bank Val Davies makes some brilliant budget suggestions for creating a permanent record of your research.
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17 Examining the small print
Discovering a will is one of the most exciting aspects of family history research. Jenny Jones tells you why.
22 Inside story: Genealogy & the afterlife
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COV STOREYR
Chris Paton contemplates what will happen to his family history, indeed his own life story, after he’s gone.
Cover images: will © Sally Stray/Family Tree; photo © Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy. Shutterstock images: magnifying glass © Maria Isaeva, ivy © graph, key © Karin Hildebrand Lau.
26 Parish chest – unlocked & online
Jeremy Palmer lifts the lid of the parish chest to extol the treasures within – and now online.
32 Dear Tom
Explore the serious, sublime and ridiculous facets of family history with Tom Wood’s genealogical gems.
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36 Twiglets
Follow Gill Shaw’s tree-tracing diary.
38 Discovering Documents: confirmation cards
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John Titford takes a closer look at Anglican confirmation records, which you may find in your own archives.
40 Stage struck!
Theatrical ancestors are not the easiest people to track down, but luckily Emma Jolly steps into the limelight to help you on your way.
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46 Hit & myth
Catherine Stewart explains why you should turn detective to sort fact from fiction in family stories.
49 Discover digital
Decluttering? Discover our digital editions or get the best of both worlds with a joint digital and print subscription at a bargain price.
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Fortunes & feuds. This issue we help you to discover ancestors’ wills, parish chest records and how to sort fact from fiction in family stories.
Family Tree is printed in the UK.
www.family-tree.co.uk
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p40 December 2012
Family Tree
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CONTENTS 50 No place like home When Angela Buckley was asked to research a neighbour’s house history, she didn’t expect to unearth a tragic story at the heart of its foundations.
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54 Treat yourself or a loved one to a Family Tree subscription
Join our happy band of Family Tree subscribers, save over £20 a year while getting your favourite magazine delivered to your door for free, and you’ll also receive a history of your chosen surname, worth £20.
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56 Who Do You Think You Are? Find out LIVE!
Get a sneak preview of Who Do You Think You Are? Live 2013 and grab the chance to buy two tickets for just £25 in this special reader offer.
58 I’m Jewish... now what?
Discovered you have Jewish roots? Melody Amsel Arieli gives expert tips on how to trace your family history and what makes you a Jew.
63 The wherry skipper
Neil Storey recounts life and work aboard black-sailed trading wherries.
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68 Reviews
Latest genealogy products reviewed.
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72 Free digital data
Get access to 100,000s of names via our free family history search site, which has census records, eBooks, archived publications and software.
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74 A romantic elopement?
June McKinnon explains how she traced Scottish ancestors who emigrated to South Africa as the Anglo-Boer War raged.
77 Have you discovered Family Tree online yet?
Take a look at our website today and you’ll find news and blogs, exclusive digital data, competitions and free advice on our lively forum.
78 Your Q&A: genealogy advice
Our experts David Frost, Barbara Dixon and Steven Smyrl answer your general family history queries.
82 Your Q&A: photo-dating
Jayne Shrimpton offers insider dating clues for old family photos.
84 Your Q&A: military
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Tim Lovering helps readers to solve military family history mysteries.
87 Mailbox
Your news, stories, views and tips.
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90 Diary dates
What’s on in December.
93 Your adverts 98 Thoughts on...
Diane Lindsay tunes into the past...
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Family Tree
December 2012
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