Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013

FIBIS will again have a stand at the ‘Who Do You Think You Are Live’ exhibition next month and  the theme of this years show is  ‘Migration ‘, so you can expect workshops and experts exploring the  subject. FIBIS is one of the few Family History Societies to be  included in the new Migration area and you will find us at  stands 1, 2, 3 and 4.  We shall put up a floor plan once we have received it from  the Organisers.  If you have any items of interest that relate to migration  that you would like to have shown is the special lockable  showcases that will be in this new Migration area, please  contact Elaine MacGregor at  [email protected].

Our team will be available to answer your questions for all three days of the event and our Chairman, Peter Bailey, will be giving the following talks.

Friday February 22nd, 2013 at 10:30am

Armies in British India

The majority of Britons serving in India were in the Army. If your ancestor was amongst them, it helps to know if he was in one of the East India Company armies, the Indian Army or in a regiment of the British Army – and if he was an officer, a non-commissioned officer or an ordinary soldier.

All records relating to his service are retained in the India Office Records at the British Library. FIBIS Chairman, Peter Bailey, author of works on this subject, will explain how to find your way through the hundreds of records available.

Saturday February 23rd, 2013 at 4:00pm

Researching Ancestors in British India

Some three million Britons lived and served in India over the three and a half centuries of Britain ‘s presence there. From 1600 to Independence in 1947, the East India Company, and the British controlled Government of India, won that country with their armies and governed it with a Civil Service. Britons from all social classes were recruited to run every aspect of social, commercial, political, economic and military life and many today have ancestors who took part in this.

Excellent records of such persons are available. FIBIS Chairman, Peter Bailey, will explain these and where and how to get access to them.

About the Who Do You Think You Are Live exhibition

Who Do You Think You Are Live returns to London ‘s Olympia on 22nd-24th February for its seventh year. You ‘ll find leading genealogy experts, one to one sessions, informative workshops and over 150 exhibitors  specializing  in researching your family tree all under one roof. Plus you never know who you might meet at the show. FIBIS has managed to reunite several long-lost cousins at the show. Here are just a few of our success stories from us attending previous Who Do You Think You Are Live shows.

2010 – Noel Gunther and Charlotte Harwood. This story featured on the Who Do You Think You Are Live website for a while. You can now read their story here.
2011 – Valmay Young and Pat Scully. At the 2011 show Noel Gunther was helping on the FIBIS stand when Pat came to ask for some research advice. Noel recognised one of the family names Pat was researching as being one of Valmay’s family names. It turns out that they are third cousins two times removed and thanks to Noel managing to reunite them at the show they have been able to help each other add a few more twigs and branches to their family trees.
2012  – Penny Kocher and Nick Smyth. This story featured in the Who Do You Think You Are magazine earlier this year. You can hear Penny and Nick tell their story on the FIBIS YouTube Channel.

More to explore

The 2013 show will feature ways to look deeper into your ancestry whether you ‘re just starting out on your family history or you ‘re a seasoned researcher. You can ask an expert for advice, identify and date mystery photos, attend one of the workshops and investigate the resources of libraries, museums and family history societies from across the UK.

Once again there will be  the old favourites like the Military Pavilion,  Society of Genealogists ‘ Workshop Programme, Photography Gallery  and the DNA area.

The Celebrity Theatre will play host to stars from BBC1 ‘s television series Who Do Think You Are? and the first confirmed celebrity is actor Gregg Wallace. Gregg, and other unconfirmed celebrities,  will be taking to the stage at WDYTYA? Live and talking about their experience on the TV show and their ancestry trails.

‘Heirloom Detective ‘ and antiques expert Eric Knowles will be on hand to date and identify family treasures, so why not bring them along to the show and find out more about the relics which have been passed down the generations of your family.

You can also visit the huge variety of companies and services involved in family history who are exhibiting at the event; from all the major online resource holders to libraries, museums and dozens of family history societies from across the UK. Not to mention all the companies who can show you how to create and store your family tree information, restore your old photos, take a genealogy course and more. There is a vast array of exhibitors who can provide the information and advice you need.

How to get tickets

You can book your tickets for Who Do You Think You Are Live  by phoning 0844 873 7330 or by visiting www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk where you ‘ll also find all the latest news as well as great competitions and offers. You could also join the Who Do You Think You Are Live  Facebook page and follow @WDYTYALIVE on Twitter so you can share your thoughts about the show.