Tracing your family tree can often lead to some fascinating discoveries, surprising everyone in the family. Some discoveries are good, some can be very tragic. As we approach the 11th November and Remembrance Day, we take a look at one family and how the war altered their family history. Using the ‘smart search’ features on one of the research websites I use- TheGenealogist.co.uk , we demonstrate how technology can help us remember those heroes of yesteryear.This is a comprehensive way to trace your family history online through the years. The sophisticated ‘master search’ facilities allows us to follow a family and get a snapshot of their lives. With this example, we take a look at the family of Benjamin Freke, a family butcher from Bristol. Born in 1871, using the Master Search facility on TheGenealogist we find him. From the 1901 Census listed here, we find the records of Benjamin’s two children, Frank and Albert. From here, we can find the birth record for (Benjamin) Frank Freke born in 1899.
Frank and Albert (pictured above) are again picked up on the 1911 Census, as can be seen from the genealogy website I use: In 1911, Frank is now 12 and still classed as a scholar with his younger brother and probably destined to work in the family business in Bristol. On the census, he is listed by his middle name ‘Frank’ rather than his first name Benjamin, which can often confuse researchers. Frank was growing up in troubled times and with the dark clouds of war gathering, he would find himself by 1917, at the age of 18 obligated to join the fight against Germany. The next fact we find about Frank is his listing on the research website where we find he was tragically killed in 1918 at just 19 years old. We search in the ‘World War 1 Deaths’ section and find the details for Benjamin Frank Freke. Private Benjamin Frank Freke is tragically killed in 1918 as is confirmed in the war death records as documented online.
Using online family history research websites can help you find the heroes in your family. Using modern technology to find information about your family can lead you to discover things about them you never knew, including tragedies such as this one where a family loses a son in the Great War.
The great thing about family history fairs is that information is available from both the 'host' society on local genealogical matters and also societies from other areas of the UK that attend the fairs. This gives the researcher the opportunity to ask for (and buy) information on areas of interest relevant to their family history. It's also a useful exercise if you've hit that research 'brick wall' and are struggling to know which direction to turn next. Asking a local expert can make all the difference and help you overcome that research hurdle. The typical family history fair will also feature guest 'talks' and occasionally the presence of companies that provide products and services that can be used by the family history researcher. The talks are well worth attending, providing informative, useful information that can only help you in your research. Often the talks are given by leading 'personalities' in the industry, such as Nick Barratt who formerly assisted on the BBC 'Who Do You Think You Are?' programme and Mark Bayley, Head of the Online Division from TheGenealogist.co.uk who provide nuggets of help and advice for the family history researcher. As well as the local family history fairs, there is also the major fair, held at Olympia in London. Organised by 'Who Do You Think You Are?, it is by far the largest and features the widest selection of genealogical products and services available. As the online method of research is becoming more commonplace and more essential for the researcher, it is worth taking advantage of the show 'offers' that are often available at these events. You will often see a special discount available for online subscriptions to family history research websites and it's worth taking advantage of these offers. Just look out for the stands at your next local show, often they can demonstrate how the website works and what records it contains so you get a feel for what the site looks like. If you're unsure if there's a family history fair near to you, it's worth a Google search to find your local city/town/ county society and they will have a page dedicated to when the next local fair is scheduled. Then enjoy your visit! The current schedule published so far for Family History Fairs for 2013 is: 2013 January Sun 27th Bracknell Family History Fair (Bracknell) February Sat 16th FHS of Cheshire Family History Fair (Northwich) 22nd to 24th Who Do You Think You Are? Live (Olympia) March Sun 3rd Merseyside & Cheshire Family History Fair (Port Sunlight) Sat 16th Harrogate Local & Family History Day (Harrogate) April Sat 13th City of York Family History Fair (New Earswick) Sat 27th Family History Fair (Pudsey) May Sat 4th Gloucestershire FHS Family History Fair (Gloucester) Sat 11th Sussex Family History Fair (Haywards Heath) Sat 11th Scottish Association of FHS's (Galashiels) Sun 19th Kent Family History Fair (Maidstone) June Sat 1st Sheffield & District FHS Family History Fair (Sheffield) Sat 29th Yorkshire Family History Fair (York) September Sat 7th The National Family History Fair (Newcastle) Sat 21st The Yorkshire Group of FHS's (Doncaster) October Sat 5th Oxfordshire FHS Open Day & FH Fair (Woodstock)