Guides

How to trace your family history for free.

Follow a free-records route from one family question to a checked research note, with clear limits on coverage and cost.

9 min read

FreeBMD, FreeCEN and FreeREG explained.

Choose the right free database, check its coverage and search without turning a similar name into an ancestor.

7 min read

Why AI invents ancestors, and how to catch it.

Use evidence labels, preserved contradictions and three family cases to stop a plausible story becoming a false ancestor.

9 min read

Before you upload family data to any AI.

Turn off training first, remove living-person details and understand which files stay local before starting with Claude.

6 min read

Before you publish to any shared tree.

Check the source, identity, reasoning and privacy of each family-history claim before adding it to a shared tree.

4 min read

GRO certificates: when to pay.

Decide whether a certificate will answer your question, then compare the GRO's paper, PDF and Online View options.

5 min read

One family on a map.

Four stories from Ed's archive show how places can connect records, expose mistakes and leave private questions unanswered.

6 min read

How much it costs.

A full cost table for free records, GRO certificates, the big UK subscriptions and Claude, plus three worked monthly budgets.

5 min read

What you need to start.

The minimum equipment, accounts and time this method needs, and a short list of what you can safely skip.

4 min read

How to get started.

Numbered steps for a first afternoon of research, from turning off training to seeding the archive with the people you already know.

5 min read

Backing up and protecting your research.

The 3-2-1 rule in plain words, GEDCOM exports that never leave your tree hostage to a subscription, and how to protect living relatives.

4 min read