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. 41 years in the business. Loves a good map. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
https://lifelinesresearch.co.uk/
In 1939, when my mum was 11 years old, she won the 'Dux Medal' at her school, the 'Normal Practising Primary School' or 'Orwell Normal'. Her achivement was reported in the Edinburgh Evening News on 13 July 1939. And while sorting out a few things at my dad's house today, guess what I came across...?
November 11, 2025 at 5:17 PM
In 1939, when my mum was 11 years old, she won the 'Dux Medal' at her school, the 'Normal Practising Primary School' or 'Orwell Normal'. Her achivement was reported in the Edinburgh Evening News on 13 July 1939. And while sorting out a few things at my dad's house today, guess what I came across...?
I’m up in Edinburgh for a few days and it seems appropriate to post a link to a piece I wrote a few years ago about my Edinburgh-born great uncle, Samuel Christie Annal who spent the last few months of his short life fighting in the Myanmar jungle.
#LestWeForget #Remembrance2025
#LestWeForget #Remembrance2025
Remembered Always
Two years ago, I set myself the challenge of writing about an ancestor who died in military conflict, with the aim of publishing a Remembrance Day blog post to mark their life. In November 2022, I …
lifelinesresearch.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 7:26 AM
I’m up in Edinburgh for a few days and it seems appropriate to post a link to a piece I wrote a few years ago about my Edinburgh-born great uncle, Samuel Christie Annal who spent the last few months of his short life fighting in the Myanmar jungle.
#LestWeForget #Remembrance2025
#LestWeForget #Remembrance2025
10,000 words and counting...! 🥳
I think that's as good a place as any to stop for the day...
#AmWriting
I think that's as good a place as any to stop for the day...
#AmWriting
November 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
10,000 words and counting...! 🥳
I think that's as good a place as any to stop for the day...
#AmWriting
I think that's as good a place as any to stop for the day...
#AmWriting
It's taken me a while to arrive at this conclusion, but I now firmly believe that the only way to finish this book is to get on with it.
So that's what I'm doing today...
#AmWriting
So that's what I'm doing today...
#AmWriting
November 5, 2025 at 10:17 AM
It's taken me a while to arrive at this conclusion, but I now firmly believe that the only way to finish this book is to get on with it.
So that's what I'm doing today...
#AmWriting
So that's what I'm doing today...
#AmWriting
I'll be heading up the A41 in a couple of hours' time to speak to the good folk of the Aston Clinton U3A.
I'm giving them my talk on using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life.
It all starts at 2pm...
I'm giving them my talk on using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life.
It all starts at 2pm...
November 4, 2025 at 10:50 AM
I'll be heading up the A41 in a couple of hours' time to speak to the good folk of the Aston Clinton U3A.
I'm giving them my talk on using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life.
It all starts at 2pm...
I'm giving them my talk on using newspapers to bring our ancestors to life.
It all starts at 2pm...
Just to clear everything up, the person I'm researching was born in Holwell, which was in Bedfordshire but was transferred to Hertfordshire in 1897.
As a young man he moved to St Thomas Chapel which was in the Bedfordshire parish of Meppershall but was administratively part of Hertfordshire...
1/2
As a young man he moved to St Thomas Chapel which was in the Bedfordshire parish of Meppershall but was administratively part of Hertfordshire...
1/2
November 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Just to clear everything up, the person I'm researching was born in Holwell, which was in Bedfordshire but was transferred to Hertfordshire in 1897.
As a young man he moved to St Thomas Chapel which was in the Bedfordshire parish of Meppershall but was administratively part of Hertfordshire...
1/2
As a young man he moved to St Thomas Chapel which was in the Bedfordshire parish of Meppershall but was administratively part of Hertfordshire...
1/2
County boundaries weren't always as neat as we'd like them to be. The area around Meppershall in Bedfordshire was particularly complicated giving rise to this cartographical equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders:
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
November 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
County boundaries weren't always as neat as we'd like them to be. The area around Meppershall in Bedfordshire was particularly complicated giving rise to this cartographical equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders:
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
HARTFORD SHIRE intermixed with BEDFORD SHIRE
The Limits uncertain
#MappyMonday
Just about to head off to Dartford for my talk at the @nwkfhs.bsky.social AGM this afternoon.
I'm on stage at 14.15. The M25 seems to be clear. What can possibly go wrong...?
I'm on stage at 14.15. The M25 seems to be clear. What can possibly go wrong...?
November 1, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Just about to head off to Dartford for my talk at the @nwkfhs.bsky.social AGM this afternoon.
I'm on stage at 14.15. The M25 seems to be clear. What can possibly go wrong...?
I'm on stage at 14.15. The M25 seems to be clear. What can possibly go wrong...?
It’s one of those confusing days for me today.
First up, I’ve got a football session for Under 5 & Under 6 girls at 10am.
Then, I’m off to Dartford to present my talk on the impact of illegitimacy on family history research at the AGM of the North West Kent FHS at 2.15pm.
First up, I’ve got a football session for Under 5 & Under 6 girls at 10am.
Then, I’m off to Dartford to present my talk on the impact of illegitimacy on family history research at the AGM of the North West Kent FHS at 2.15pm.
November 1, 2025 at 9:25 AM
It’s one of those confusing days for me today.
First up, I’ve got a football session for Under 5 & Under 6 girls at 10am.
Then, I’m off to Dartford to present my talk on the impact of illegitimacy on family history research at the AGM of the North West Kent FHS at 2.15pm.
First up, I’ve got a football session for Under 5 & Under 6 girls at 10am.
Then, I’m off to Dartford to present my talk on the impact of illegitimacy on family history research at the AGM of the North West Kent FHS at 2.15pm.
#31DaysOfGraves Day#31 Memento Mori
Seven years ago today I spent a fascinating hour or so wandering around Abercorn Kirkyard in West Lothian looking at all the Memento Mori gravestones.
Here are a few of the best...
Seven years ago today I spent a fascinating hour or so wandering around Abercorn Kirkyard in West Lothian looking at all the Memento Mori gravestones.
Here are a few of the best...
October 31, 2025 at 12:42 PM
#31DaysOfGraves Day#31 Memento Mori
Seven years ago today I spent a fascinating hour or so wandering around Abercorn Kirkyard in West Lothian looking at all the Memento Mori gravestones.
Here are a few of the best...
Seven years ago today I spent a fascinating hour or so wandering around Abercorn Kirkyard in West Lothian looking at all the Memento Mori gravestones.
Here are a few of the best...
Well it is #Halloween today, so why shouldn't she get married 14 years after she died...? 🧟🧟♂️🧟♀️👻
October 31, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Well it is #Halloween today, so why shouldn't she get married 14 years after she died...? 🧟🧟♂️🧟♀️👻
Welcome to #BigScreenThursday*
Today I’ve been exploring Wiltshire in the company of Christopher Greenwood and his 1820 Map of the County of Wilts ‘from actual survey’. And a very fine piece of work it is too…
@natlibscot.bsky.social
* it’s a thing
Today I’ve been exploring Wiltshire in the company of Christopher Greenwood and his 1820 Map of the County of Wilts ‘from actual survey’. And a very fine piece of work it is too…
@natlibscot.bsky.social
* it’s a thing
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Welcome to #BigScreenThursday*
Today I’ve been exploring Wiltshire in the company of Christopher Greenwood and his 1820 Map of the County of Wilts ‘from actual survey’. And a very fine piece of work it is too…
@natlibscot.bsky.social
* it’s a thing
Today I’ve been exploring Wiltshire in the company of Christopher Greenwood and his 1820 Map of the County of Wilts ‘from actual survey’. And a very fine piece of work it is too…
@natlibscot.bsky.social
* it’s a thing
#31DaysOfGraves - Day #30 Colour
The municipal cemetery in Landau-in-der-Pfalz is also home to the historical Jewish Cemetery. The oldest stones are made from the local red sandstone which, unfortunately, isn't the most durable material for a gravestone. But there's a quiet beauty to them...
The municipal cemetery in Landau-in-der-Pfalz is also home to the historical Jewish Cemetery. The oldest stones are made from the local red sandstone which, unfortunately, isn't the most durable material for a gravestone. But there's a quiet beauty to them...
October 30, 2025 at 12:52 PM
#31DaysOfGraves - Day #30 Colour
The municipal cemetery in Landau-in-der-Pfalz is also home to the historical Jewish Cemetery. The oldest stones are made from the local red sandstone which, unfortunately, isn't the most durable material for a gravestone. But there's a quiet beauty to them...
The municipal cemetery in Landau-in-der-Pfalz is also home to the historical Jewish Cemetery. The oldest stones are made from the local red sandstone which, unfortunately, isn't the most durable material for a gravestone. But there's a quiet beauty to them...
Is anyone else experiencing this. There are lots of websites that just aren’t ‘loading’ for me at the moment; Ancestry, Findmypast, The Internet Archive, FamilySearch. I can’t get onto my Gmail account either.
But other sites are completely fine - like FreeBMD, TheGenealogist, the BBC…
But other sites are completely fine - like FreeBMD, TheGenealogist, the BBC…
October 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Is anyone else experiencing this. There are lots of websites that just aren’t ‘loading’ for me at the moment; Ancestry, Findmypast, The Internet Archive, FamilySearch. I can’t get onto my Gmail account either.
But other sites are completely fine - like FreeBMD, TheGenealogist, the BBC…
But other sites are completely fine - like FreeBMD, TheGenealogist, the BBC…
I’ve just finished reading The Wager by David Grann @davidgrann.bsky.social and I can safely say that it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, fiction or non-fiction.
Beautifully written and expertly researched, it’s an astonishing story which breathes life into its central characters.
Stunning!
Beautifully written and expertly researched, it’s an astonishing story which breathes life into its central characters.
Stunning!
October 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I’ve just finished reading The Wager by David Grann @davidgrann.bsky.social and I can safely say that it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, fiction or non-fiction.
Beautifully written and expertly researched, it’s an astonishing story which breathes life into its central characters.
Stunning!
Beautifully written and expertly researched, it’s an astonishing story which breathes life into its central characters.
Stunning!
When our less-literate ancestors were asked to sign their names they most often made a simple cross but some of them were more inventive. Like John Slaytter here who made this elaborate mark on an early 17th century Leicestershire will.
But what is it? A shovel? An arrow head? 🤷♂️
But what is it? A shovel? An arrow head? 🤷♂️
October 28, 2025 at 1:46 PM
When our less-literate ancestors were asked to sign their names they most often made a simple cross but some of them were more inventive. Like John Slaytter here who made this elaborate mark on an early 17th century Leicestershire will.
But what is it? A shovel? An arrow head? 🤷♂️
But what is it? A shovel? An arrow head? 🤷♂️
Is it just me or does anyone else see an inheritent design flaw with Friers Bridge?
Map: The county of Suffolk, surveyed by Joseph Hodskinson, 1783
@natlibscot.bsky.social maps.nls.uk/view/262718411
Map: The county of Suffolk, surveyed by Joseph Hodskinson, 1783
@natlibscot.bsky.social maps.nls.uk/view/262718411
October 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Is it just me or does anyone else see an inheritent design flaw with Friers Bridge?
Map: The county of Suffolk, surveyed by Joseph Hodskinson, 1783
@natlibscot.bsky.social maps.nls.uk/view/262718411
Map: The county of Suffolk, surveyed by Joseph Hodskinson, 1783
@natlibscot.bsky.social maps.nls.uk/view/262718411
#31DaysOfGraves #27 Trees
This is the gravestone commemorating my wife's 2x Great Grandfather, Hermann Hirsch in the Jewish Cemetery in Waibstadt, Baden-Württemberg.
The question is, is the tree attacking the stone or supporting it?
This is the gravestone commemorating my wife's 2x Great Grandfather, Hermann Hirsch in the Jewish Cemetery in Waibstadt, Baden-Württemberg.
The question is, is the tree attacking the stone or supporting it?
October 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
#31DaysOfGraves #27 Trees
This is the gravestone commemorating my wife's 2x Great Grandfather, Hermann Hirsch in the Jewish Cemetery in Waibstadt, Baden-Württemberg.
The question is, is the tree attacking the stone or supporting it?
This is the gravestone commemorating my wife's 2x Great Grandfather, Hermann Hirsch in the Jewish Cemetery in Waibstadt, Baden-Württemberg.
The question is, is the tree attacking the stone or supporting it?
A sad and stark reminder that the need for awareness of male mental health matters is nothing new...
Buried:
John Howlet inhumated
but laid violent hands
on himself & had no Xtian
burial Aug the 21st [1707]
Buried:
John Howlet inhumated
but laid violent hands
on himself & had no Xtian
burial Aug the 21st [1707]
October 27, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A sad and stark reminder that the need for awareness of male mental health matters is nothing new...
Buried:
John Howlet inhumated
but laid violent hands
on himself & had no Xtian
burial Aug the 21st [1707]
Buried:
John Howlet inhumated
but laid violent hands
on himself & had no Xtian
burial Aug the 21st [1707]
I 'love' (i.e. I really don't love) how the FamilySearch 'Full Text' search is incapable of working out that some documents are written in Latin and it attempts to find English words that 'kind of' look like the original Latin.
Yet another example of Artificial Stupidity...
Yet another example of Artificial Stupidity...
October 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
I 'love' (i.e. I really don't love) how the FamilySearch 'Full Text' search is incapable of working out that some documents are written in Latin and it attempts to find English words that 'kind of' look like the original Latin.
Yet another example of Artificial Stupidity...
Yet another example of Artificial Stupidity...
How's a person supposed to get any work done when items like this crop in old newspapers?
Who was Joseph Shore. What was his relationship to Alice Jones? What were the books? What happened to them?
I need to know more...
Who was Joseph Shore. What was his relationship to Alice Jones? What were the books? What happened to them?
I need to know more...
October 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
How's a person supposed to get any work done when items like this crop in old newspapers?
Who was Joseph Shore. What was his relationship to Alice Jones? What were the books? What happened to them?
I need to know more...
Who was Joseph Shore. What was his relationship to Alice Jones? What were the books? What happened to them?
I need to know more...
More often than not, I don't bother to correct the appalling transcription errors on Ancestry but when I do, I usually write something like this in the 'explanation' field...
October 26, 2025 at 8:27 PM
More often than not, I don't bother to correct the appalling transcription errors on Ancestry but when I do, I usually write something like this in the 'explanation' field...
I'm doing a talk for the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social as part of their AGM this afternoon and I just want it to be known that I didn't wake up at silly o'clock this morning and realise that the talk really needed a significant reboot and I definitely haven't spent the last three hours working on it! 😁
October 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
I'm doing a talk for the @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social as part of their AGM this afternoon and I just want it to be known that I didn't wake up at silly o'clock this morning and realise that the talk really needed a significant reboot and I definitely haven't spent the last three hours working on it! 😁
More excellent quality control here from Ancestry. There's page after page of this where, in most entries, nothing but the person's first name is recorded. How exactly are we supposed to find things...? 🤷♂️
October 24, 2025 at 11:21 AM
More excellent quality control here from Ancestry. There's page after page of this where, in most entries, nothing but the person's first name is recorded. How exactly are we supposed to find things...? 🤷♂️
So, who did your ancestors leave their chariots to...? 😁
"[to my loveing] wife Elizabeth Sotherton All her Jewells Rings Watches money in her own Custody Charriott & pair of my best horses & all furniture thereto belonging..."
"[to my loveing] wife Elizabeth Sotherton All her Jewells Rings Watches money in her own Custody Charriott & pair of my best horses & all furniture thereto belonging..."
October 23, 2025 at 8:06 AM
So, who did your ancestors leave their chariots to...? 😁
"[to my loveing] wife Elizabeth Sotherton All her Jewells Rings Watches money in her own Custody Charriott & pair of my best horses & all furniture thereto belonging..."
"[to my loveing] wife Elizabeth Sotherton All her Jewells Rings Watches money in her own Custody Charriott & pair of my best horses & all furniture thereto belonging..."