WDYTYA? LIVE 2017 University of Hull stand Search for Theatrical Ancestors
I love finding new resources to look for my ancestors and working out where they may have worked and lived. It was thus a pleasure, while gathering new ideas from the stands at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show at the NEC, to come across Professor Katharine Cockin of the University of Hull.
Professor Katherine Cockin was on a stand that was introducing family historians to the AHRC Ellen Terry and Edith Craig Database. From talking to her I learnt of the project to make available the database to those who may be searching for their theatrical ancestors and thought that this was worth publicising.
Databases such as these can be a very useful resource for the researcher looking into their family tree. I hope you find this video of use.
At the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show last week I was introduced to a great service from Story Terrace for people who are researching their family history. Story Terrace will take your family story and match you with a writer who will then work with you to make a fabulous hard back book. If you want to add to your family tree a book that includes the stories that you have found in your research, then this may be for you!
As they explained, life is worth writing down as we all have moments that we don’t want to forget. Perhaps it is our childhood memories, our ancestors lives or simply those stories that our parents and grandparents have to tell. Story terrace offers a complete service that allows you to preserve your stories in a beautiful book. They offer to pair you with one of their professional ghost-writers so that together you can create a one-of-a-kind biography.
I’m just back home after my trip away to dear old ‘Brum’ to see the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show (some of my own family history relates to this city).
In its second year at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham it certainly continues to meet expectations as being the world’s largest family history show. There were all levels of researchers attending over the three day event. From talking with many of them I could quickly see that some were quite clearly just starting out in tracing their family trees and looking for some help with where to find their forebears.
There were also those more experienced researchers wanting to see if any of the new records and tools, that the major sites were offering, would help them discover more about their elusive ancestors. A number of professional genealogists were at the event to network and give lecture talks, or work on the many stands that packed the hall.
TheGenealogist.co.uk stand and presentation theatre
I really enjoyed mixing with my fellow minded family historians at the show and catching some of the really interesting talks such as those by leading genealogists Laura Berry and Celia Heritage, plus the Breaking down brick walls talk by Mark Bayley on TheGenealogist stand.
I also got to talk to some old and new friends and catch up with some of my fellow bloggers in the family history blogosphere. Dick Eastman, from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and I shared commiserations about how tired our feet felt by the Saturday and it was really good to meet up in person with John D. Reid from Canada’s Anglo-Celtic Connections blog.
I shall be posting some videos from the event shortly, but in the mean time here are a few photo’s to give a flavour of the show.
Celia Heritage gives a genealogy tutorial on TheGenealogist stand.
Lectures were held in several theatres throughout the hall.
Genealogy products for sale at the S&N Genealogy Supplies stand.
Some of the stands at the WDYTYA? Live 2015.
A Spitfire on display at the NEC for the WDYTYA? Live.
Many Family history societies were attending at the WDYTYA? Live show.
Laura Berry, a Professional Genealogist who has worked as one of the lead researchers on family history television programmes and written the book Discover Your Ancestor’s Occupation.
Professional genealogist, writer and teacher: Celia Heritage.
Andrew Chapman, the Editor of Discover Your Ancestor’s Magazine.
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