Karen Raynor wants to know: "I wonder if you can help. My great grandmother was born in American and came to the UK prior to 1901. She is shown in the 1901 census living with her sister who was also an American subject and who had married a German American subject. I believe she may have come from Alabama but am not certain. Please can you give me any assistance on where to look now for further details? I live in the UK and do not have time to visit the USA. I do not know whether my great grandmother became a UK citizen. She married my great grandfather who was a UK citizen and resided in the UK up til her death. Any help or pointers you can provide will be gratefully appreciated."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

There are two routes you can take, first have a look at a naturalization application. The records of nationalization are stored at The National Archives and they reveal where she came from. Alternatively, you could try looking in ships passenger lists though this is a lengthy search. These records are also at The National Archives.

Paul Tregunna wants to know: "We have traced our family line back to Bernard Tregunna married Catherine Varcoe August 31st 1706. This was relatively straight forward as the Tregunna family were located in the village of Veryan, Cornwall. However Bernard's parents are not traceable in Veryan and we presume he relocated from another village. We checked the Courtnay Institute transcripts of both Uny Lelant and Falmouth parishes. While these are not as good as seeing the originals they do confirm the following IGI entries Bernard Tregunow - son of Robart, baptised in Uny Lelant 29 Sept 1684 Mary Tregunow - daughter of Robert, baptised in Falmouth 13 October 1694 This supports the move from north Cornwall to south Cornwall. We also checked the death registers for Falmouth. The only entry in the period 1684 to 1707 was for an Elizabeth Tregunow. There were transcripts of death registers for Uny Lelant for the relevant period. Could you advise what steps we should now be taking? Thank you for any help you can give."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Your best bet, is to continue researching at The County Record Office, where you will find the original parish registers. You may also find local wills if so, they can verify or contain information about these family links that you have already found.

Following on from Karen's question, Jacqui Bell wants to know: "Are any records of naturalization, or an index available on-line?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Some indexes are available online, at The National Archives website www.nationalarchives.gov.uk but the documents themselves can only be viewed at The National Archives at Kew.

Reg Johnson, Australia wants to know: "I am from Canberra, Australia. My god grandfather, Edward Henry Bedford, died in Kent on 30th April 1870. In his will he mentions “..my two daughters the children of my present wife…” and also “..my present wife Mary Ann Bedford. I have requested a searched in the 1871 Census for Mary Ann Bedford to no avail. Cannot find ‘the two daughters’ as I don’t know their names. I have searched the National Probate Registers. So, my problem is how to trace Mary Ann Bedford and the two daughters. (I might add he had a son, Frederick Austen Bedford, who came out to Australia and to whom I descend from. For some unknown reason Fred wasn’t mentioned in the will. He died in Melbourne Australia in 1899)."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Start by identifying the parish in which he died and then use parish registers to see if there is a record of his marriage or the baptism of his children.

Barry Read wants to know: "Hi Dr Nick, Where do you think they are, I am tracing my GG Uncle Mr Mark Read and his family. Mark was born to William & Mary Read 1853 West Tytherley Hants ,He married Alice Dewey From Braisfield Hants in Mottisfont Hants 10/1/1874. They had 3 children Emily 1876 ,George 1877, Lavinia 1880. I have found this family on the 1881 census living in Cherville St, Romsey,Hants ( Emily was staying with grand parents on the 1881 census) after that I cannot find any trace of them. 1891, 1901 census brings a blank . Where do I go next? Ever hopeful"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Working forwards in time, is always more tricky than working backwards. However, you can look for the marriages of the children using www.1837online.com and then see where they are located. This should help you search the census returns more effectively as many of the online databases have name transcription errors.

Ruth Barker wants to know: "Dear Nick How common is it for people to be left off the civil registration indexes? I have been looking for an ancestor, Robert Deans. According to the 1881, 1891 and 1901 censuses he was born in about 1847 in Sunderland, but there is no listing for his birth on the GRO index. I have searched a number of years either side and obtained certificates for two others of the same name who are not the person I am looking for (at least, the information does not tie up with what I know from anecdotal and other sources). Is it possible that his parents simply forgot to register his birth? Any thoughts would be welcome Thank you"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Yes it is, especially before 1875. You should really focus on local sources such as parish registers. However, bearing in mind it is Sunderland, you could be there a while!

Eileen Carkett wants to know: " Dear Dr Barratt, I would like to ask how I could trace the whereabouts of an Orphanage that my husband's father was put in about 1910. I have discovered that his parents were both alive at that time and actually went on to marry other people and have children. My husband's father and his three siblings were born in West Ham. Thank you "

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

It is likely, that the orphanage would be located near the children's place of birth. Head for the local studies centre for the district concerned and see if there are any records there. You may find the listing in a trade or street directory, and in any case there will be historic records and access to local newspapers which would help narrow down your search.

Michael Green wants to know: "I've been trying to research our family history for around 12 years now, and have traced my paternal great grandfather (William John GREEN - born 29-2-1836) from his army discharge papers PRO ref: WO97/1383 dated 22/9/1868, show his place of birth as ' born in the parish of Antrim, near the town of Antrim, in the County of Antrim': attested into the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots, at Belfast 4/11/1854. From his marriage certificate (Colchester, Essex, 24/7/1863) his father is shown as 'DAVID GREEN - labourer'. I have employed the services of a researcher in the Antrim area to look for any records of his birth, or details of his father or other family etc, but with no gain. My question is, where do you suggest I go to now, or how do I obtain further possible information about my Irish ancestors, where I've been stuck since March 1993!"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Sadly, the answer is likely to lie in Antrim. As I am sure you are aware, there are few surviving census returns for Ireland, so you are reliant on parish registers. With a common surname like Green it is going to be very difficult to get a conclusion. There may be some records of land holding or employment or possibly a directory listing, but as he was a labourer the chances are unlikely. The only chance you have is if he settled in England and his family came across with him. In this instance you would need to look at census returns, but this is a long shot! Unfortunately this is a common problem and there is often no resolution.

Michelle Gray wants to know: "I was wondering if you could tell me where I get information about Births Deaths & Marriages before 1837? Do I have to go to Parish or Local town/village records?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

There was no civil registration before 1837, although baptisms, marriages and burials were recorded in parish registers. Most of these have been deposited in the relevant county record office. Some transcripts or name indexes are available. One of the best resources for name searching is The International Genealogical Index.

Emmer wants to know: "In several 'Who Do You Think You Are' programmes,you have related to family members of a more recent period, i.e. since 1901. I would love to trace living relations, particularly since I have had so few family members, and none now alive. How would I go about this? I have traced the areas where my families have lived, none of whom I was aware of before starting my research. Second problem. My Grandmother - not known to me, recorded on my Fathers Birth Certificate in 1915 his Father as having the same surname as her own Maiden name. However, I am unable to trace a marriage certificate. She would have been in her early 30's and the fathers occupation was 'Private in Northumberland Pioneers'. I have been onto the various War Office/Casualty sites without results. If you are able to direct me, it would enable me to overcome the 'brick-wall' which I seem to have been stuck with for such a long while. I have loved the programme and the mix of research projects undertaken"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

We used a technique called forward reconstruction, where we track down siblings of a known relative and look for their children. This involves scouring the birth, marriage and death indexes and ordering relevant certificates until we have found a match. As you can imagine this was very time consuming! With regard to the second problem, you could try looking for his service records at The National Archives. Please bear in mind though that a lot of records were destroyed during WWII, so you may not find him.

Gogs164 wants to know: "Am i able to trace natural grandparents even though my father was adopted?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Adoption is a sensitive subject and there are routes you can take to track down natural parents or grandparents. The National Adoption Register was introduced in 1927, which is probably the best place to start. Before this date there is no central registry and so it will be much harder.

John A. Hart wants to know: "I was born in 1941 and given up for adoption I have found my birth mothers name and her parents names etc. therefore I am able to trace the family back. BUT I could only find out my birth fathers name occupation and religion. How can I find more information about my birth parents and what happened to them? My grandfather was a guest in "Her Majesties Prison Lewes" in Sussex in 1881 (Census) How can I find out what crime he had committed and what his sentence was? He was married at the time, his wife living with their 2 two month old daughters How can I find out if the girls were twins? My Great Grandfather on the 1891 Census was 72 years old and was an Army Pensioner. How can I find out about his Army career? My wife's Grandfather was a train driver employed by LNER, I have confirmation that his regular Loco was the Gresley A4 "SILVER LINK" but we have been told by my Mother-In -Law that he also drove the "Mallard" & the "Flying Scot". He was with LNER in the early 1930's and retired in about 1960. How can I find confirmation of his entire career with LNER? Any help you can give me regarding the above would be greatly appreciated"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

You can find out more about your birth parents by using the same techniques to work backwards, only in reverse. This means spending time and money looking for later life events (marriage, death depending on circumstances). There are websites that allow you to search modern electoral lists in a n attempt to trace their current whereabouts if still alive. The National Archives holds records of prisoners and the offences they committed. There are information leaflets available on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk To see if they were twins look in the civil registration indexes and they should share the same registration code. The National Archives also holds records of discharge to pension, arrange by date of discharge. If the records survive, you are likely to find information about his entire career, as well as biographical data. However, only the earlier records before 1854 can be searched online. And finally, guess what? The National Archives also hold staff records for most railway companies. The quality of information will depend on the company and his rank but there should at least be a record for his service for some of his career.

Geoff Harris wants to know: "My father was born illegitimate in 1920. His mother died aged 37 in 1927. I know his fathers name was Reuben Harris although he died in 1922/25. Somewhere between the above dates he was sent to prison but we don't know what for. I have tried the archives in London (St. Anne's Gate) but they wrote saying unless it was murder or a high profile case records are destroyed after five years. As we have no further information on him (age/birth/death) is there any way we can trace him."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Possibly, there may be additional records at The National Archives. Calendars of prisoners can be cross-referenced against trial records although without a precise date it may take you a while to search the records. Have you tried local newspapers? There's an outside chance the case was reported.

Lyndsay Harrowmaid wants to know: "Dr Nick - How long did it take you to research each episode for the BBC2 series?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

It varied greatly. The first step was to build an extensive family tree as far back as possible, and then flesh it out with further research in local and specialist archives. On average I would say between 4 - 6 weeks per celebrity. Sadly I never got to the Caribbean, so I don't know how long that took!

tt006b5937 wants to know: "Are there any records other than birth certificates which might give me the name of my great grandfather. My grandad was illegitimate and the father’s details are missing from his birth certificate. He was born in 1921."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Possibly, a lot depends on the circumstances. He might have been baptised or christened, so check the parish records for clues.

Marilyn Dahneke wants to know: "There is a period from about 1664-1670 where there were no marriages and christenings registered because of the great plague. Are there any other sources where this information might be obtained?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Not really. You may find more information from burial registers or bills of mortality. Alternatively work back from a will - if this survives for the family you seek.

Catherine Swann wants to know: "I've got an 1848 marriage certificate that says the age as 'official age' could you tell me what that would be?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Official age can be read the same as full age. It is tempting to conclude they were over the age of 21. However, people often lied about their age, so nothing is certain.

John Spearing wants to know: "When will the Census details for the years 1901 onwards be available on line?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

1901 is already online and has been since 2002. Census records are closed for 100 years; so the next release date is 2012 when records of the 1911 census are due to appear. However, this may be reduced in light of government reviews of closure periods and the open government initiative.

Lesley Donington wants to know: "On one of my lines on my father's side I have traced my ancestors back to 1841 census, but as it says he was not born in the county how can I find out where? He had died before the 1851 census. I'm stuck!"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

There are several possible lines of research, none of them easy. The first thing to do is to establish when he died. Most obvious route is through parish registers and it might be worth looking for a will. This could provide clues about the families origins. However, if the parish they were living in 1841 was near the county border, try widening your search to look for marriage records across a larger geographical area. If you an find other family members in 1851, you might be able to track their movement back in time through the parish of birth of any children listed. A lot of course depends on the information you have already found 1841.

Eric wants to know: "Dear Nick, I've read somewhere that no-one is any more than 40th cousin from anyone else in the world. Any truth in this?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

A recent study by Professor Sykes has claimed that we are all descended from seven women in Africa thousands of years ago!! Genetic testing is certainly making its mark in family history at the moment. And bearing in mind we are all from the same gene pool, there is probably some truth in the claim!!

Ceriann wants to know: "I've really enjoyed the series and would love to research my family's history (I have an Irish surname and really want to know when my ancestors moved to here). What's the best way to start the research? Thank you!"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

Work back in time, starting with oral history from living relatives and see how far back you get. Then you can try cross-referencing this with official sources such as birth, marriage and death indexes plus census returns. Sooner or later you will find an ancestor who seems to appear from nowhere, and this at least narrows down when the move was likely to have taken place. If you are lucky and it took place before 1901 there is a chance you will pick up further information from census returns.

Marilyn Dahneke wants to know: "Marilyn Dahneke What is a bill of mortality?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

During epidemics, particularly in urban areas, notices of deaths were recorded to monitor the spread of plagues. Known as bill of mortality, these are often found in local archives.

Michael wants to know: "How can I find out if one of my ancestors died in the first world war?"

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

The best place to start is The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website www.cwgc.org.uk where you will find information on where they were buried. Alternatively, try searching 1837online.com

Moderator - we've just had a response from one of our visitors - Jacqui Bell, who has told us the following: "Thanks Nick for the help on naturalisation. I've just found Nationality and Naturalisation: Valenta, Wendelin, from Austria. Resident in Brighton. Certificate A2796 issued 30 December 1878. This is my great great great grandfather."

Dr. Nick Barratt said:

That's fantastic news! Try to access the application papers, which will give you even more information about your families origins in Austria. Who knows, there could be a overseas research trip!?