06 February 2023
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Esteemed genealogist and family history friend to many Audrey Collins passed away in early February, after a short illness. Researcher, author, speaker and records specialist, Audrey Collins was renowned for her good humour, her warm and friendly character and her family history knowledge of course.
David Annal, tweeting @Lifelinesresearch: “My good friend, former colleague and co-author, Audrey Collins, passed away at the weekend after a short illness. I know that Audrey’s loss will be felt by genealogists all around the world and that she will be sorely missed.”
His sentiments were echoed by many across Twitter due to Audrey’s keen involvement in many aspects of the genealogy scene and her willingness to help those whose path she crossed.
Chris Paton @GenesBlog: “Audrey was an absolute legend, always so good-humoured and so knowledgeable - she will absolutely be sorely, sorely missed. RIP Audrey.”
Audrey Collins was most recently Family History Specialist at The National Archives, Kew @UKNatArchives: “We are extremely sad to learn of the death of our longstanding family history expert Audrey Collins. She was a much-loved and respected colleague, as well as a prominent figure in the global genealogy community, which she dedicated much of her time and expertise to.”
Her long genealogy career saw her employed the official census historian for the Office for National Statistics for the bicentenary census celebrations in 2001, and around that time she also served on the advisory panel for the 1901 census digitisation project.
Also an author, Audrey penned and co-wrote several genealogy titles, including Birth, Marriage and Death Records: A Guide for Family Historians, by Audrey Collins and David Annal.
A renowned speaker on the genealogy conference scene, as well as the virtual family history world, her wisdom, humour and humanity will be missed across the board.