Buy tickets for Workhouses and social history: understanding records and building a research plan (online) at The Hold - Home of Suffolk Archives

A week of celebrating our 21st anniversary with webinars based on the theme The Ones Who Got Away.

The Society of Genealogists is hosting a Surname Study Day on 16 May 2026. This is a virtual event with the recordings available to those who pre-book. Members of the SOG can claim a discount (login to the SOG website). Guild of One-Name Studies members can also claim the same discount, for details please comment below for the code.

Genealogy and family history perhaps mean different things to different people, in much the same way that family trees and pedigrees do. I do not think it is specific as to what group of researcher, or type of individual use what terminology, nor do I think it matters. I take the view that engaging with the research of families is what counts, and incorporating associated disciplines as we try to unravel the lives of others with whom we share something, whether that is link to a place, link to a family or a surname, or genetics.

As with any project, you need to sit down and scope out your plan and what you want to achieve from the project. A surname project or One-Name Study is no different. Perhaps though, what is different is when the researcher started their research and that might have a direct correlation to how the project progresses and how the material is kept.

I have written a lot previously about One-Name Studies (If you are new here, welcome! – you can read all the posts about researching surnames HERE). A number of members of the Guild of One-Name Studies have an associated DNA project that runs alongside their study. I am no exception and have a study with Family Tree DNA (

The internet has shrunk the world to the size of a matchbox. It enables us through email or a variety of apps and websites to connect with people we knew from school, university or employment. It also bridges the gap between family and friends. Relationships can to continue, renewed and made online, and that a great thing. We can engage in online learning, from online providers such as Pharos Tutors and the Society of Genealogists, undertake degree courses and professional development.

The online world has provided the potential for books outside of their copyright to be available to researchers. Those providers offering access FREE are: Google Books The Internet Archive Project Gutenberg Hathi Trust ……. And, there may well be others. If you know of any please do leave a comment. In the Introduction to One-Name Studies course, we explore the broad topic of the history of surnames.

I was not sure that I was going to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year, but suddenly found myself on the sign up page and thought as it was still possible to sign up that I would. Over the years I have written about aims of surname studies, but this year I am going to share a more varied approach. 

A little earlier in the week, I held the first tutorial of the latest Introduction to One-Name Studies course. The topic of researching in the Middles Ages came up and we shared a number of links: Medieval Genealogy - site does give a security flag, but it is perfectly safe, I used it last night! Medieval Soldiers Database…

Having written the earlier post about Burns Night (Burns Night Part 1), I realised that I had not explored the surname more fully. I don't have time to create a significant post, but did want to share a few things with you, as I was quite surprised. I headed to Forebears.io and looked at the distribution of the surname BURNS for 1881 - direct link to the data…

This post concludes the mini series of Robert Burns and Burns Night - Part 1 and Part 2 I couldn't write about Burns Night, or a Scottish surname without writing about Clans and Tartans, even if it is in a limited way. Upon searching the site, Clans.com for the surname BURNS, it revealed 11 such tartans. Each tartan subsequently identified three different pallets - Reproduction, Modern and Ancient.

This is a rather long post, which I have split into three parts. Across the globe, thousands of people with Scottish Heritage celebrate the birth of the Scottish Poet Robbie Burns on 25 January. The first Burns supper was hosted by the Burns Club on 29 January 1802 which was thought to be the poet's birthday, however, a search of the Ayr parish records revealed that he was born on 25 January.

The Guild of One-Name Studies will be at the virtual stand at this event hosted by East Surrey FHS. If you are curious about One-Name Studies, or surname research, please drop by and see us. FREE to attend, but you do need to register, to do so visit the East Surrey FHS 

Remarkably, researching surnames is seen as a very niche topic, despite the vast majority of people having one (FN1). Our individual family histories are littered with surnames. Hopefully all different ones, though if your ancestors like my maternal line, they lived within the same 30 mile radius for 300 years, crossing the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. As a consequence I have multiple occurrences of the same surname, nearly all of which do connect, even if a generation back, or individuals to the side of my direct ancestors.

The topic of variants and deviants is addressed in detail during the Introduction to One-Name Studies course. Essentially we have likely all come across variants and deviants to our surnames, even if we have not called them that. Variants For the purposes of my own One-Name Studies I have registered two variants for ORLANDO, these are ORLANDE and ORLANDA. For my BUTCHER study I registered just one, BUTCHERS.

Purchased for my Guildford & District Collection, this was sent from Frederick Wait whilst he was serving from the Front in 1916. So, Who was Fred?….. A search of the Marriages for a B Turner in Guildford 1916+ to a Fred revealed one such entry. The marriage of Bertha A Turner to Frederick W Wait in the September Quarter of 1917 at Guildford.

However you spend the season, I hope you enjoy it whatever you are doing. Perhaps with friends, family and perhaps a little genealogy too.

Migration is the reason that a true one-name study is global. There have been peaks of migration, from the United Kingdom and various countries in Europe over time. The reasons for that migration varies depending on the starting point for the migration. Having made the decision to migrate there are a number of factors to consider, here some are listed from the…

The way we each learn is different, I prefer to write notes, so for me I am likely to recall something if I wrote it down having read it or heard it. There is a plethora of genealogical and historical learning offerings out there, so much so it is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all.  If I am undertaking research, say planning a book, article, course, I tend to make notes as I read.

Keeping track of our research, successes, next steps and research ideas is really important. Without it, and I speak for myself here, when I say, if it is not written down then all bets are off if I will remember or not. I maintain a research log. Over the years this has existed in various forms, but all forms record the same information.

Family history is akin to going on journey. When we start we do not necessarily know where we are going, we don't know what we might see on the journey, nor the destination. We use our starting point and move forward, doing rough arithmetic to estimate the year of birth for the next generation back. We work through the census hoping that the first names are different and therefore it is easier to establish who is who.

I am always amazed at the number of genealogists who are surprised or curious about the concept of One-Name studies.  Broadly speaking, we all have a surname. It might be one we were given at birth, one that was "given" to us, through adoption, one that came to us via marriage, or perhaps, if we are being individualistic, and have a surname that is a…

The Genealogical community, both on and offline is in the main a friendly one, where sharing knowledge and ideas for research is given freely and frequently. The internet has shrunk the world to the size of a matchbox, with interactions using social media platforms, or online provisions such as those operated by archives, record societies, local history groups and many, many other formats.

Any One-Name and surname research project will involve the collection of material, what I refer to as raw data. Regardless of where your surname originated from or where you reside, to undertake a One-Name Study and register this with the Guild the study should be global and there is no pressure on how soon you go global. So what follows below, in no particular order, are 

Family Trees, Pedigree, or lineage - are they the same, different or simply different things to different people? A family tree is something that I produce when I am researching. It is a rough drawing of who sits where in the family group, on occasions, the group has overlaps, siblings marry siblings, strengthening the relationship or connection with two families.

Regardless of what research you are undertaking, every separate fact contained within a document should be individually recorded into a database, and subsequently, every fact should be supported by evidence. The evidence documented with the citation, which subsequently can be seen/obtained from..... Let me provide an example: Below is an extract from the Practicalities of a One-Name Studies course which I wrote and tutor for Pharos Tutors and Teaching.

Surname distribution maps add a new and different dimension to a One-Name study. A surname may well have it’s origins in one Country, and a map can provide an interesting insight to how migration can influence the geographic spread of a surname. Going a step further, historical events can influence migration which in turn can be identified using a distribution map.

There are always more questions than answers, and always a burning obsession to find out more, even if the odds are against a successful search. Therefore it is no surprise that researchers choose their surnames of interest for a variety of reasons.  There are a variety of reasons for researching a surname, here are just a few: Researching as a link to the past  …

On the first of every month I do a series of things, all of which keep me organised and undertaking what I call my office housekeeping. Back-up computer files.  Downloads from talks, other genealogists etc, these are moved to my cloud storage, into the appropriate filing system. Photographs and screen captures (mainly book covers) saved in cloud storage. Back-up my genealogical database files.

One of the questions that is asked, of students on the Introduction to One-Name Studies course is about Organisation. The way we keep our study may differ from that of our own family history research. As I responded to a question from a student, I simply commented that it was important to look at the aims of your study. What followed, was that my fingers travelled across the keyboard at a fairly rapid rate and before I knew where I was I had written a very lengthy post.

A few weeks ago I received the following Question. Julie, I have been reading your site for quite a while. Would you be able to share some posts about One-Name Studies? Thanks, M I did answer M a few weeks ago and said that I would pull together a few posts. At the end of last week I was in the car, on the way down the M1, which is a long way from my native Surrey.

It has been some time since I wrote here, let alone write a Desk Ramblings. I needed to take a step back and remove one stress factor. That said, I don't view writing here as a stress. It has simply been a casualty of me getting overwhelmed.  I am feeling much better, there are still issues for me to deal with, but the worse is behind me.

Happy July everyone! I have another busy month with tutoring and presenting.  I have three talks with the Society of Genealogists: 5 July 2025 - Genealogical Research on the Isle of Man - Information and book HERE 12 July 2025 - My Ancestor was an Alien - Information and book HERE                     17 July 2025 - Getting the Most from a One-Name…

Our Genealogical pursuits are underpinned with the history relevant to the country where our ancestors hailed from, and also by wider current affairs. Our people, much like us today did not live in isolation. They, as we are, were affected by social, economic, political and religious facts. Impacted by decisions made by politicians, either those in office, or those that were part of a previous government.

The range of material that is key to unravelling our family histories is quite astounding. In the modern world with the commercial organisations holding rafts of data it is easy to believe that the material has always been available in this way, and anyone who has researched their family history for decades will be aware that over the last 25 years or so the internet has revolutionised the way we research, access and explore historical material.

Let me start by asking what is Family? Is the definition that you might find in a dictionary consistent? Has the meaning changed over the years? Has it broadened or As any former student of the One-Name Studies courses knows I reconstruct family groups and my starting point is from a marriage, and not a census. I am often asked why that is the case, and here is the reason.

Researching European ancestry is many things, from frustrating, saddening, exciting, challenging, and many other emotions. I tutor the Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe course for Pharos Tutors which starts in May 2025.  The course which runs over five weeks is accompanied by a 120 page resource pack. Writing such a course was fascinating, in our modern world as more and more material is coming online enabling research for afar as a…

Directories enables us to see a snapshot in time, whether that is a home or a business address. If you look at the image here which shows three directories from Guildford in Surrey, representing 1953, 1955 and 1963. I casually flick through the pages, coming across family members that have long since passed, living in areas that were once independent of Guildford, but now a suburb, in houses since demolished,  working for businesses long since closed, or farming on land on which the University of Surrey sits.

On the face of it culture might not have relevance to genealogy or family history. Frequently and more important in our ever changing world, things that are central to our heritage fade into the past. Replicated by the passing of the matriarchs in our families, the individuals that are the glue of our families.  If I look back at my own family, I am distinctly aware that as one generation fades the next one takes their place.