Author: Jo Laver
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Transportation To The Penal Colonies
Transportation to the penal colonies is a fascinating subject. Has your surname history or family research uncovered that your ancestors endured transportation to the penal colonies? Punishment for criminals in the 18th century was harsh. This article is kindly provided by ‘Victorian Crime and Punishment’ . It outlines the reasons for transportation to the penal…
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Genealogy Alphabet – An Alphabet For Family Research
Genealogy Alphabet. An alphabet for family research Make your way through the genealogy alphabet with our selection of essential family history words which you’ll come across when discovering your ancestors. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘The past is a foreign country’ – and this foreign country comes with a foreign language, as we discover when…
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Your Guide To Scottish Surnames
Scottish Surnames have a long and often troubled past. The Romans name it Caledonia, the Gaels called it Alba, but today it’s known as Scotland, a country with a rich and complex history. After surviving many invasions and battles over the centuries, it’s only apt that Scottish surnames have a complicated but intriguing background. So…
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Family History Interview Tips
Once again we have teamed up with Family Tree Magazine, who have kindly provided this article about how to interview relatives and provided us with their family history interview tips. A must-read for those embarking on a journey of family research… If you’re lucky enough to be seeing relatives, make the most of the opportunity…
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Planning a Clan Gathering?
Planning a Clan Gathering takes some organisation and is a great opportunity for you to meet other family members, share history and have a good get together. Have you ever thought about organising a Family or Clan Gathering? The task can seem a daunting one, but here at Hall of Names, we regularly speak to…
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Our shield artist
We would love you to meet our shield artist, David Barker. He has been a specialist in heraldic art for well over four decades! His wealth of expertise comes from years of practice. If you have ever wondered how we create our heraldic shields, this article explains how we first met our shield artist David. Plus,…
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American with family roots in the UK?
Do you have American family roots in the UK? Delving into your family tree can be an amazing adventure and it is fascinating to discover your American roots. Moving around the world was just as common in the time of your ancestors as it is today. Between 1836 and 1914 millions of Europeans migrated to…
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Tips From a Professional Genealogist
Tips From a Professional Genealogist Use tips from a professional genealogist to help with your family research. Here at Hall of Names, we specialise in coats of arms and surname histories. We love to hear our customers’ stories about their families and are often asked for advice on how to go about tracing an individual…
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How To Trace Your Welsh Ancestors
Trace your Welsh Ancestors with our handy guide. Our friends at Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine have kindly provided the following article, with great tips and links. As the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? series traced the family tree of Welsh-born comedian Greg Davies, Jonathan Scott reveals six fantastic websites to aid your…
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Tracing Your Irish Roots
Tracing your Irish roots can be a fulfilling and rewarding task. At Hall of Names, we have many visitors to our website, hoping to discover more about their Celtic roots and the meaning and history of their Irish name. Our database has over a million surname histories, including many thousands of Irish surnames and ‘sept…