# Event Details - **Event Name**: Discover your family history day - **Event Start and End Date**: Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 11:00 am – Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 04:00 pm (+01:00) - **Event Description**: Want to research your family history but don’t know where to start? Or have you hit a brick wall piecing together your ancestors’ stories?About this EventJoin us for a day celebrating family history and be inspired by talks, original documents, and expert genealogy advice.Hear from specialists, discover documents to use in your own research, and meet experts from partner organisations who can help you piece together your personal family story.Featuring specialists from:The National ArchivesAncestryFindmypastThe GenealogistMigration MuseumVirtual Record Treasury of IrelandAs well as talks from house-history specialist, Mel Backe-Hansen and historian and genealogist Paul Crooks.A full programme for the day can be found below under the map of how to find us.Please plan your day carefully to ensure you are able to attend the sessions you are most interested in.TalksExpert-led talks will take place throughout the day across three different spaces. Please note these have a limited capacity, and will be on a first come first served basis. Some sessions take place simultaneously.Family history adviceMeet family history experts from The National Archives and other organisations throughout the day on a drop-in basis.Original documentsView examples of original documents from our collection related to family history research. Please note coats and bags cannot be taken into any displays with original documents. We do have a free cloakroom on our ground floor.Auditorium talks🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PMGetting started with family historyHost: Jessamy Carlson / The National ArchivesInfo: Unfamiliar with archives? Not sure where to start? Find out how to begin your family history research and make the most of our collection.🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:00 PMHouse historiesHost: Mel Backe-Hansen Info: House historian, Melanie Backe-Hansen, will guide you through sources, archive material, and top tips for researching the history of houses.🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:45 PMWhere will your family history take you?Host: Paul CrooksInfo: Discover how tracing one family's story led from London to the Caribbean and West Africa and learn simple ways to begin exploring your own family history.🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:45 PMIntroduction to British Army service recordsHost: Will Butler / The National ArchivesInfo: Learn about records relating to army service including personnel records and operational records such as war diaries. Some of this material is available for the first time following the recent transfer of historic service personnel files from the Ministry of Defence to The National Archives.Learning Space 3 talks🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PMTracing your Irish ancestryHost: Brian Gurrin / Virtual Record Treasury of IrelandInfo: Join Brian Gurrin from the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland who will identify newly recovered census transcripts and earlier census records in the VRTI to help find your Irish ancestors. 🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:30 PMHow to read a willHost: Ruth Selman / The National ArchivesInfo: Discover the types of information you might find in a will and how the document is likely to be structured, while picking up some tips to help you read older handwriting.🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PMGetting there: passenger listsHost: James Cronan / The National ArchivesInfo: In this session we will look at ocean travel between 1890 and 1960 and examine what the passenger lists can tell us about those people who left their homeland in search of a better life.🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PMUnderstanding the CensusHost: Jessamy Carlson / The National ArchivesInfo: Learn about the different censuses in England and Wales between 1841 and 1921, and how to read between the lines. Clore Studio talks🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PMPinning down your ancestors with The GenealogistHost: Mark Bayley / The GenealogistInfo: Time travel through your family’s landscape. Watch a village evolve, trace a forebear’s journey from farm to city, and uncover the stories hidden beneath familiar streets. See how Tithe, Ordnance Survey and Lloyd George Domesday maps can be overlaid onto modern satellite imagery, with pins linking directly to census returns and other key records, turning static information into vivid geography.🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:30 PMUnlock the 1921 Census with FindmypastHost: Rose Goodall / FindmypastInfo: Explore the history of the 1921 England and Wales Census, and learn techniques for finding relatives, refining searches, and making the most of original census documents.🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PMDigitising the past with Ancestry Host: AncestryInfo: Ancestry will talk about the digitisation process with The National Archives, as well as talk about exciting releases that have happened in 2026.Family History Experts🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMThe National ArchivesInfo: The National Archives’ experts will be on hand to help you get the most from our collection and discuss the best ways to tackle your family history research.🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMThe GenealogistInfo: The Genealogist is a leading family history website, offering over a billion historical records alongside innovative research tools that help people discover more about their ancestors and the places they lived.🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMThe Virtual Record Treasury of IrelandInfo: The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland is an international digital humanities project that aims to reconstruct Ireland's lost state collection following the destruction of its Public Record Office in 1922. This is an ever growing, open-access resource available online to those interested in Irish history.🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMFindmypastInfo: Findmypast are the home of British and Irish family history online. Join the team to uncover and understand the people, places and stories that have shaped your family history and discover where your family story leads next.🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMAncestryInfo: Ancestry will be available to answer questions about the website, help you break down those brick walls, and demonstrate how they work with The National Archives to digitise content, such as the recent release of records like the WWII Army Service Records. 🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PMThe Migration MuseumInfo: The Migration Museum explores how migration has shaped who we are, with personal stories at the heart of what they do. Take part in their story collection pop-up, where you will have an opportunity to add your own to the collection.Learning Space 1 Display🕑: 11:00 AM - 01:30 PMView original documentsInfo: View examples of original documents from our collection related to family history research. Please note coats and bags cannot be taken into any displays with original documents. We do have a free cloakroom on our ground floor.🕑: 02:15 PM - 03:45 PMView original documentsInfo: View examples of original documents from our collection related to family history research. Please note coats and bags cannot be taken into any displays with original documents. We do have a free cloakroom on our ground floor. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/kew/discover-your-family-history-day/100001997717952172 - **Event Categories**: pop-ups - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 5 hours - Location: The National Archives - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 12, max: 15, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: Kew - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: The National Archives - **lat**: 51.48008410000001 - **long**: -0.279279 - **full address**: The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Discover your family history day - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/fcd376975c68540690f238f8b73d8a78f9d60017f7a4ca0baa319d3d3ebe3901-rimg-w1200-h894-dce8e8e8-gmir.jpg?v=1787891426 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Discover your family history day being held? - **A:** Discover your family history day takes place on Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 11:00 am to Sun, 11 Oct, 2026 at 04:00 pm at The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing Discover your family history day? - **A:** Discover your family history day is organized by The National Archives. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Discover your family history day is ideal for art lovers, trade professionals, collectors, and exhibition enthusiasts exploring the latest in their field. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Kew, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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