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Holt’s Family History Research

Richard Holt: Professional Genealogist

Blog Posts

  • Wills Petition Response
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    The Ministry of Justice responded to the Petition to #SaveOurWills on 1st March 2024. The response contains inaccuracies, which are outlined here in an email sent to the Petitions Committee, which is made up of 11 MPs.
  • Response to the Ministry of Justice’s Consultation
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    On 15th December 2023 the Ministry of Justice published a consultation on the storage and retention of original will documents. On the same day a press release appeared online, as well as a video on the MoJ’s social media accounts. This post contains my response to the MoJ’s consultation.
  • #SaveOurWills Flyer
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Here you’ll find a flyer to print and share with others at archives, libraries, heritage sites, etc., to help raise awareness of the Ministry of Justice’s proposals to destroy original wills after digitisation.
  • Justice for Wills and Probate Documents:
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    On 15th December 2023, the Ministry of Justice published a consultation, proposing to destroy original wills and probate documents following digitisation and after 25 years. This post includes some of my comments and experiences and tells you what you can do to help #SaveOurWills!
  • Charity Dispute, Local Politics and the Cost of Living Crisis
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Charities and the Cost of Living: The current cost of living crisis will have many households evaluating their finances. While today’s crisis refers to the cost of everyday essentials rising faster than average incomes, for many of our ancestors the cost of living was a constant struggle. The records of parish charities are often underusedContinue reading “Charity Dispute, Local Politics and the Cost of Living Crisis”

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  • A Word of Warning!
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Time and time again I see comments about the difficulty of researching before the introduction of civil registration in 1837. It seems like entries of birth, marriages and deaths, as well as the 1841-1921 censuses have become the go-to resources. The commercial genealogy companies certainly aim to publish the ‘big-ticket’ sources that generate the mostContinue reading “A Word of Warning!”

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  • Guest Blog and Twitter’s #AncestryHour
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Guest Blog I was delighted to be asked by Susie Douglas of Borders Ancestry and founder of #AncestryHour to write the July edition of her blog. The blog is entitled: ‘Navigating the Sea of Records: Royal Marine and Royal Navy Ancestors’ and can be read here: https://www.bordersancestry.com/blog/archives/06-2022 #AncestryHour I was also welcomed to the #AncestryHourContinue reading “Guest Blog and Twitter’s #AncestryHour”
  • A Village Steeped in Family History
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Visiting the places where our ancestors lived helps connect us with the past. My latest trip to Bledlow Ridge brought back many memories and reminded me of the stories shared by family members as well as those that I have uncovered through research.
  • Life After the Royal Marines – Theft, Fraud and Imprisonment
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    When Matthew Buyrn joined the Royal Marines in 1812 under the name John Dunmore, he probably had little idea where life might take him. He served in the Marines for the next twenty-one years before he was discharged in 1833. This is the story of theft, fraud and imprisonment.
  • The Ashby Family of Radnage
    by holtsfamilyhistoryresearch
    Connecting with distant cousins and other researchers can help add detail to our family history. This is a story of collaboration which helped me learn more about about my ancestors, including discovering never before seen family photographs.

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© Richard Holt, Holt’s Family History Research 2022

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