background on the period in which our ancestors lived. Peruse the pages of national and local newspapers plus collections like The Gentleman's Magazine , which includes essays, biographies, illustrations, poetry and more. Search hints and tips When you're searching through our records, we want you to get the best results possible - these search hints will help. Instead of doing a general search from the Search tab, start your search at a specific collection, like the 1891 English census. You are much more likely to get relevant results. Tick 'Exact' on the information you're sure about to narrow down the number of results that you receive. However, if you're not finding your ancestors make sure that 'Match all terms exactly' is not ticked, this will give you a larger number of potential matches. When entering important dates, it's best to leave a couple of years' leeway, as the information given is not always correct. If you can't find your relatives in expected records try a different spelling. Variations in spelling (especially surnames) occur frequently in historical records - so if you can't find an ancestor, just enter the first three letters of their surname, in your search, followed by an asterisk (*). Also try different spelling variations on a name. Finding your ancestor's name does not guarantee that you've found the right ancestor. So cross-check your findings with other records. For example, if you have a birth record, you can cross-reference it with a census document. Keep a record of