Dave Annal Lifelines Research
@davelifelines.bsky.social
Family historian, lecturer, author. Former Principal Family History Specialist at The National Archives. Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. 42 years in the business. Loves a good map. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
Just my great grandmother’s Prudential Assurance certificate from June 1919…
February 15, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Just my great grandmother’s Prudential Assurance certificate from June 1919…
I'm back home after a week in Edinburgh clearing out my parents' house and I've just begun the huge task of sorting out all the old documents that I found - a task which will probably take me the rest of my life!
Here's the receipt for my grandma's Hoover which she bought in February 1950.
Here's the receipt for my grandma's Hoover which she bought in February 1950.
February 14, 2026 at 1:44 PM
I'm back home after a week in Edinburgh clearing out my parents' house and I've just begun the huge task of sorting out all the old documents that I found - a task which will probably take me the rest of my life!
Here's the receipt for my grandma's Hoover which she bought in February 1950.
Here's the receipt for my grandma's Hoover which she bought in February 1950.
Reposted by Dave Annal Lifelines Research
#GenHour! Join Speaker of the Month @janetfew.bsky.social for workshop on 26 Feb: Resources for Filling in Agricultural Labourers’ Lives
Work in small groups, explore case studies, learn practical sources & methods for researching agricultural ancestors
portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...
Work in small groups, explore case studies, learn practical sources & methods for researching agricultural ancestors
portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...
Resources for filling in Agricultural Labourers’ Lives with Janet Few
Interactive Workshop on Zoom by Janet Few, Experienced family, social and community historian
portal.sog.org.uk
February 13, 2026 at 10:25 AM
#GenHour! Join Speaker of the Month @janetfew.bsky.social for workshop on 26 Feb: Resources for Filling in Agricultural Labourers’ Lives
Work in small groups, explore case studies, learn practical sources & methods for researching agricultural ancestors
portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...
Work in small groups, explore case studies, learn practical sources & methods for researching agricultural ancestors
portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...
I'm speaking live via Zoom to the Fleet & Farnborough Group of the Hampshire Genealogical Society at 7.30 (GMT) tonight.
We'll be looking at using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life...
#ReadAllAboutIt #Genealogy
We'll be looking at using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life...
#ReadAllAboutIt #Genealogy
February 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM
I'm speaking live via Zoom to the Fleet & Farnborough Group of the Hampshire Genealogical Society at 7.30 (GMT) tonight.
We'll be looking at using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life...
#ReadAllAboutIt #Genealogy
We'll be looking at using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life...
#ReadAllAboutIt #Genealogy
How to create the perfect Family History documents:
1. Have ancestors who wrote and received letters
2. Have ancestors who kept those letters
3. Wait 50 years or so
Et voila! The minutiae of everyday life is now fascinating, poignant and historically relevant…
#ClearingMyParentsHouse
1. Have ancestors who wrote and received letters
2. Have ancestors who kept those letters
3. Wait 50 years or so
Et voila! The minutiae of everyday life is now fascinating, poignant and historically relevant…
#ClearingMyParentsHouse
February 12, 2026 at 7:50 AM
How to create the perfect Family History documents:
1. Have ancestors who wrote and received letters
2. Have ancestors who kept those letters
3. Wait 50 years or so
Et voila! The minutiae of everyday life is now fascinating, poignant and historically relevant…
#ClearingMyParentsHouse
1. Have ancestors who wrote and received letters
2. Have ancestors who kept those letters
3. Wait 50 years or so
Et voila! The minutiae of everyday life is now fascinating, poignant and historically relevant…
#ClearingMyParentsHouse
More discoveries from my parents’ house…
My mum attended Boroughmuir Secondary School from 1939 to 1945 and was very proud of gaining a Certificate of Merit with distinction in French and History. So, that must be where I got it from - the History, not the French!
My mum attended Boroughmuir Secondary School from 1939 to 1945 and was very proud of gaining a Certificate of Merit with distinction in French and History. So, that must be where I got it from - the History, not the French!
February 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
More discoveries from my parents’ house…
My mum attended Boroughmuir Secondary School from 1939 to 1945 and was very proud of gaining a Certificate of Merit with distinction in French and History. So, that must be where I got it from - the History, not the French!
My mum attended Boroughmuir Secondary School from 1939 to 1945 and was very proud of gaining a Certificate of Merit with distinction in French and History. So, that must be where I got it from - the History, not the French!
Do we have any antique microscope experts in the house? This was my dad’s and I’m trying to find out if it’s worth anything or if it’s of any historical interest. No name or any distinguishing marks…
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
February 11, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Do we have any antique microscope experts in the house? This was my dad’s and I’m trying to find out if it’s worth anything or if it’s of any historical interest. No name or any distinguishing marks…
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
Essential reading for all serious family/local historians…
'I would set off, with some sense of what I might be looking for, and see what I stumbled across...'
Is going for a walk a valid methodology for a historian? And if so, how much theory do you need to read before you start?
Some thoughts in my latest blog post:
manyheadedmonster.com/2026/02/10/i...
Is going for a walk a valid methodology for a historian? And if so, how much theory do you need to read before you start?
Some thoughts in my latest blog post:
manyheadedmonster.com/2026/02/10/i...
Is Walking Research? A Methodological Ramble
Mark HailwoodI needed to try something to get me writing again. Blessed with a period of research leave to resume work on my book – Everyday Life in the Seventeenth Century English Village &#…
manyheadedmonster.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Essential reading for all serious family/local historians…
More discoveries while clearing my parents’ house. The certificates of banns for my mum’s parents’ wedding in 1926 - read in both parishes.
February 10, 2026 at 10:54 AM
More discoveries while clearing my parents’ house. The certificates of banns for my mum’s parents’ wedding in 1926 - read in both parishes.
I’m up in Edinburgh for another week of clearing my dad’s house and I took the opportunity to pop up to Cramond yesterday lunchtime to see what the birds were up to… #Birdwatching #Cramond
February 10, 2026 at 5:21 AM
I’m up in Edinburgh for another week of clearing my dad’s house and I took the opportunity to pop up to Cramond yesterday lunchtime to see what the birds were up to… #Birdwatching #Cramond
Before writing your will you need to decide who to leave your violin to. Hubert Hacon a Norwich surgeon, writing his will in February 1700/01, left his to his nephew:
I Allsoe give to his Sonne Hubbert my Violin I bought of Saml Sirffield and a bow to itt...
I Allsoe give to his Sonne Hubbert my Violin I bought of Saml Sirffield and a bow to itt...
February 7, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Before writing your will you need to decide who to leave your violin to. Hubert Hacon a Norwich surgeon, writing his will in February 1700/01, left his to his nephew:
I Allsoe give to his Sonne Hubbert my Violin I bought of Saml Sirffield and a bow to itt...
I Allsoe give to his Sonne Hubbert my Violin I bought of Saml Sirffield and a bow to itt...
Some of the documents that we use in our research have a real history of their own. Like these muster rolls for the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment of Foot, which would have followed the regiment through Portugal, Spain and France between 1809 and 1814.
February 5, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Some of the documents that we use in our research have a real history of their own. Like these muster rolls for the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment of Foot, which would have followed the regiment through Portugal, Spain and France between 1809 and 1814.
It’s #OnePlaceWednesday and I’m recommending a book written by a friend of mine. The Lindens has a One Place theme - and I’m not going to let the fact that it’s a work of fiction get in my way.
The Lindens: One House, All The People Who Called It Home
www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...
The Lindens: One House, All The People Who Called It Home
www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...
The Lindens
The Lindens spans 150 years in the life of a house in t…
www.goodreads.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:10 PM
It’s #OnePlaceWednesday and I’m recommending a book written by a friend of mine. The Lindens has a One Place theme - and I’m not going to let the fact that it’s a work of fiction get in my way.
The Lindens: One House, All The People Who Called It Home
www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...
The Lindens: One House, All The People Who Called It Home
www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...
Three years ago today we lost this absolute legend.
There's hardly a day goes by that I don't think about something I'd like to ask her or recall some of her words of wisdom. How else would I know how to spell necessary ('one collar two sleeves' - so, 1 'c' 2 's's)?
RIP Audrey Collins (1954-2023)
There's hardly a day goes by that I don't think about something I'd like to ask her or recall some of her words of wisdom. How else would I know how to spell necessary ('one collar two sleeves' - so, 1 'c' 2 's's)?
RIP Audrey Collins (1954-2023)
February 4, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Three years ago today we lost this absolute legend.
There's hardly a day goes by that I don't think about something I'd like to ask her or recall some of her words of wisdom. How else would I know how to spell necessary ('one collar two sleeves' - so, 1 'c' 2 's's)?
RIP Audrey Collins (1954-2023)
There's hardly a day goes by that I don't think about something I'd like to ask her or recall some of her words of wisdom. How else would I know how to spell necessary ('one collar two sleeves' - so, 1 'c' 2 's's)?
RIP Audrey Collins (1954-2023)
Place #3
The National Archives
The National Archives
February 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Place #3
The National Archives
The National Archives
Place #2 (and a bit)
Kennedy’s, Goswell Road*
*it had to be done 😎
Kennedy’s, Goswell Road*
*it had to be done 😎
February 3, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Place #2 (and a bit)
Kennedy’s, Goswell Road*
*it had to be done 😎
Kennedy’s, Goswell Road*
*it had to be done 😎
Place #2
The London Archives
The London Archives
February 3, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Place #2
The London Archives
The London Archives
Place #1
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
February 3, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Place #1
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Today’s lesson is, ‘You can’t do it all online’.
As my dear friend Audrey Collins used to say, ‘Sometimes you need to go to a place and look at a thing’.
With that in mind I’m visiting 3 places today: one that I’ve never been to before, one I haven’t been to in a year & one that I visit regularly.
As my dear friend Audrey Collins used to say, ‘Sometimes you need to go to a place and look at a thing’.
With that in mind I’m visiting 3 places today: one that I’ve never been to before, one I haven’t been to in a year & one that I visit regularly.
two men are standing next to each other in a kitchen and one of them says " london baby "
ALT: two men are standing next to each other in a kitchen and one of them says " london baby "
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Today’s lesson is, ‘You can’t do it all online’.
As my dear friend Audrey Collins used to say, ‘Sometimes you need to go to a place and look at a thing’.
With that in mind I’m visiting 3 places today: one that I’ve never been to before, one I haven’t been to in a year & one that I visit regularly.
As my dear friend Audrey Collins used to say, ‘Sometimes you need to go to a place and look at a thing’.
With that in mind I’m visiting 3 places today: one that I’ve never been to before, one I haven’t been to in a year & one that I visit regularly.
My dad was born in 1933 in his parents' house at 18 Sciennes Road, Edinburgh. He only lived there for a couple of years before they moved out to Carrick Knowe but the house stayed in the family until the 1940s and was later owned by friends who lived there until the 1980s.
#MyFamilyHistory52Maps
#MyFamilyHistory52Maps
February 2, 2026 at 9:49 AM
My dad was born in 1933 in his parents' house at 18 Sciennes Road, Edinburgh. He only lived there for a couple of years before they moved out to Carrick Knowe but the house stayed in the family until the 1940s and was later owned by friends who lived there until the 1980s.
#MyFamilyHistory52Maps
#MyFamilyHistory52Maps
I've never been to Colne in Lancashire and I don't think that this item from the Burnley Advertiser of 25 February 1865 is going to encourage me to visit anytime soon!
"Not a single event of more than passing interest has transpired during the past week... Trade is dull in the town."
#SlowNewsDay
"Not a single event of more than passing interest has transpired during the past week... Trade is dull in the town."
#SlowNewsDay
January 31, 2026 at 2:11 PM
I've never been to Colne in Lancashire and I don't think that this item from the Burnley Advertiser of 25 February 1865 is going to encourage me to visit anytime soon!
"Not a single event of more than passing interest has transpired during the past week... Trade is dull in the town."
#SlowNewsDay
"Not a single event of more than passing interest has transpired during the past week... Trade is dull in the town."
#SlowNewsDay
This has gone straight into my top ten of the ‘Best Maps I Have Ever Seen’.
I mean, will you just look at the colours!!! 😍
I mean, will you just look at the colours!!! 😍
Thanks to @thefnl.bsky.social this exceptionally rare Tudor map of Kingsbridge in Devon has been acquired for public research at the Devon Heritage Centre, after more than four centuries in private hands.
January 30, 2026 at 10:14 PM
This has gone straight into my top ten of the ‘Best Maps I Have Ever Seen’.
I mean, will you just look at the colours!!! 😍
I mean, will you just look at the colours!!! 😍
I'm on the road again this afternoon, heading for east Hertfordshire where I'll be speaking to the Thorley U3A. I'm on stage at 2 o'clock and I'm giving my latest talk. It's all about newspapers, but it's also about stories...
January 30, 2026 at 11:05 AM
I'm on the road again this afternoon, heading for east Hertfordshire where I'll be speaking to the Thorley U3A. I'm on stage at 2 o'clock and I'm giving my latest talk. It's all about newspapers, but it's also about stories...
A rare example of a death certificate with the person's names the wrong way round. His name was actually Townsend Howard NOT Howard Townsend. An understandable error perhaps but a bit depressing that the official from the workhouse registering the death didn't know Townsend's proper name...
January 29, 2026 at 5:59 PM
A rare example of a death certificate with the person's names the wrong way round. His name was actually Townsend Howard NOT Howard Townsend. An understandable error perhaps but a bit depressing that the official from the workhouse registering the death didn't know Townsend's proper name...
This is a new one to me. A child who was born in 1847 was baptised in 1853, some distance from where he was born. The clerk wrote in the margin:
"Bapt[ised] Hypothetically"
Apparently this is an option where it's uncertain whether the child had already been baptised or not.
#EveryDaysASchoolDay
"Bapt[ised] Hypothetically"
Apparently this is an option where it's uncertain whether the child had already been baptised or not.
#EveryDaysASchoolDay
January 29, 2026 at 12:44 PM
This is a new one to me. A child who was born in 1847 was baptised in 1853, some distance from where he was born. The clerk wrote in the margin:
"Bapt[ised] Hypothetically"
Apparently this is an option where it's uncertain whether the child had already been baptised or not.
#EveryDaysASchoolDay
"Bapt[ised] Hypothetically"
Apparently this is an option where it's uncertain whether the child had already been baptised or not.
#EveryDaysASchoolDay