‘Is this truly my ancestor - or simply someone with the same name?’

Every family historian faces this question on a regular basis – and it’s not always an easy one to answer! This brand new family history course will teach you practical techniques to help you:

1. identify potential research problems;
2. master tactics to help you solve them with confidence.

Join the course to learn step-by-step tactics to help you work through your research puzzles – and perhaps resolve a long-standing conundrum along the way!

How can this course help you?

It’s easy to get stuck…

When faced with a “brickwall” – a point of difficulty or confusion which we don’t know how to overcome – our family history may come to a grinding halt. Yet this needn’t be the case: the right methods can get you moving again!

But there are tactics to help you progress

Once you learn the techniques to help you work through research problems, you’ll find that your family tree will continue to flourish, bringing fresh progress and discoveries in your family history.

Avoid the disappointment of a mistake with wide-reaching consequences

Getting it wrong; for instance - accidentally accepting a namesake, rather than correctly identifying your ancestor - will mean that all your work on that branch from then on will involve someone else’s ancestors rather than your own.

That sounds more than a little devastating, doesn’t it? But on this course you will learn a range of techniques to help you avoid this situation - and tackle your research problems head-on.

The genealogy methods which Dr Sophie Kay will teach you are:

• Practical
• Do-able
• Repeatable
• Applicable to all eras of family history
• Used by professionals and amateur researchers alike

Join the course and learn step-by-step tactics to help you work through your research puzzles.

THAT’s what this course and the accompanying workbook is here to help you with! (When you sign up to the course you receive a digital copy of Dr Sophie Kay's brand new workbook Is This My Ancestor? included)

What will you learn on this family history course?

Over the 5 weeks of the online Is This My Ancestor? family history course, tutored by Dr Sophie Kay, and hosted by Family Tree, you will transform your family history with a range of techniques to confront tricky research problems with finesse!

‘Is this my ancestor?’ is a question that we’ve all faced numerous times along our family history journey. You’ve found an entry, or perhaps multiple entries, in the search results. How can you work out – accurately – which relate to your ancestor?

This brand-new course teaches step-by-step processes to separate your ancestor out from those sneaky namesakes. We’ll learn practical methods, see them in action on case studies, and how to apply them to maximise your chances of success.

What’s in store for you each week?

In Week 1 of the course, we’ll chase down migratory ancestors! Get to grips with Topping-and-Tailing, a clever tactic to spot when a same-named person in different places is actually one individual on the move;

In Week 2 we’ll discover how to really ‘look everywhere’. Embrace the strategic thinking of the Extracts method, combining multiple record sets to deliver a truly thorough search;

In Week 3 we’ll supercharge our analytical skills! Unite logical thinking, creativity and much more with the Six Hats method to stay focused and effective, and avoid overlooking vital details.

In Week 4 we’ll tackle conflicts of evidence, helping us to root out mistakes and spot some real nuggets of information when our ancestors surprise us.

In Week 5 it’s time to become a ‘brickwalls black belt’ and bring together all the tactics from the course! Explore effective ways to weave these methods into YOUR research sessions, adapt them for pre-19th century research, and select the right tactic to solve even the knottiest of genealogy problems.

When can I take the Family Tree Brickwalls Workshop course?

The Family Tree Brickwalls Workshop will be running in June 2026 (Tuesdays, 2nd to 30th, 7.30-9pm UK time). Course participants will receive a digital copy of the accompanying Is This My Ancestor? 52-page workbook.

In addition to articles and case studies, the Workbook includes a wealth of worksheets and ‘training arena’ exercises, supporting you in:

• Growing your genealogy research skills
• Gaining confidence in exploring the records
• Putting your learning into practice and applying these methods to your own family history from the very first session of the course

Is this course for you?

Whether you’re just starting out in 19th and 20th century research, or learning to adapt these techniques for earlier eras, the Family Tree Brickwalls Workshop course and accompanying Is This My Ancestor? workbook will prove a handy research aid. Rather than feeling stranded, wondering what to do next, frustrated by a seemingly unsolvable puzzle, you will have techniques to help you make progress.

We all know that in family history not all puzzles are solvable, but having studied the select combination of techniques that Dr Sophie Kay will teach on the course, and then employed them in your own family history research, you‘ll be equipped to tackle your research challenges with confidence, and taken your family history progress on to the next level.

You'll find this course rewarding if…

You’re keen to take your genealogy quite literally to the next level – sharpening your skills and mastering techniques that you can turn to time and again when doing your family history, so that a ‘brickwall’ becomes a problem that you can solve;

You are ’stuck’ – for instance, you have reached a point in your family history research where you’re just not sure what to do next;

You’re drowning in finds but can’t choose the ‘right one’ – for example, you feel as though you’ve searched extensively for clues about your ancestor, have gathered details, but can’t tell which are the correct ones for your family;

You’d welcome practical advice – realistic steps, that you can use on your own family history, to work through your research roadblocks;

You enjoy learning with fellow genealogy enthusiasts – sharing the pleasure of learning skills together that will stand you in good stead for years and years to come.

About the Workbook

Is This My Ancestor? will also be available to purchase as a print publication from 2 June 2026.

Any queries, please email [email protected]