Paul Blake (England) Paul Blake is a full-time researcher, lecturer and writer, with over twenty years experience, and he holds the Diploma in Genealogy from the Institute of Heraldic & Genealogical Studies. Based in London, England he specialises in London and military ancestry but has wide general expertise and is therefore available for commissions for all England and Wales. He is a regular visitor to The [British] National Archives and the several London record offices. He is joint author of the books, The complete guide to creating your own family tree and Discover your roots (UK and US editions). He is a regular writer for Family History Monthly magazine, including its monthly Q&As section, Your Family Tree magazine and other periodicals. Paul also contributed to the highly successful Readers’ Digest book, Explore Your Family’s Past. Paul has undertaken research for the television series The People Detective and Revealing Secrets, and has appeared on the latter, as well as on BBC national and local radio. Paul has worked as an advisor to the History Channel and the BBC and undertaken research into the family histories of several celebrities for the Sunday Magazine. Paul lectures widely on a variety of genealogy and related subjects, in England, in North America and elsewhere overseas, and on cruise ships. Paul has served on many committees. He is a past chairman, of the Society of Genealogists Executive Committee and of its Lectures Committee. He was vice-chairman of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Family History Societies, and its Director of Publicity. He serves on The National Archives Online Advisory Board and on the Regular Users Committees of TNA and the Family Records Centre. Paul is President of the East Surrey FHS and a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists. (biography taken from APG website)
Unlock the Past Cruises – 5th and 10th
Publications – Paul plans to contribute several Unlock far Past guidebooks in 2015
Topics
- A brief history of the photograph
- A titanic story: the unknown child
- Alien immigration to England after 1795
- Alien immigration to England before 1795
- All the women and children of the 42nd regiment of foot: the Indian mutiny of 1857
- American loyalists, land grants and claims
- An introduction to British genealogy
- Births, marriages and deaths at sea
- British army records 1660-1913
- British probate records: an introduction to sources
- British property and land records: an introduction to sources
- Celebrities uncut
- Child migration schemes from England to Canada, Australia and elsewhere
- Codpiece to Calvin Klein: aspects of male and female attraction
- Cricket bats to haystacks (2 hours)
- Crime, criminals and punishment in England
- Crime, criminals and transportation to America and the West Indies, 1615-1776
- Crossing the pond: emigration to America (sources in Britain)
- Deptford to Battersea
- Discovering your British roots (2 hours)
- Discovering your English and Welsh ancestry (2 hours)
- Discovering your Irish roots (2 hours)
- Discovering your Scottish roots (2 hours)
- Emigrants to north America before 1776 (sources in Britain)
- Genius in the genes?
- Gentleman’s Magazine
- London genealogy – or the metropolitan nightmare
- Manorial records
- Maps and plans for genealogical research in Britain
- My ancestors in the Royal navy
- Nelson’s women
- On the rock
- Only a pauper whom nobody knows: the poor law in England and Wales
- Particular places – an introduction to English local history
- Protestant nonconformity in England and Wales (2hrs)
- Records of Royal Naval ratings
- Records of the British in India
- Records of the city of London for the family historian
- Royal navy records: and introduction to sources
- Sake Dean Mahomed – the first Indian entrepreneur
- So, what was so important about the Mayflower then?
- The British in India
- The British occupations of Menorca, 1708-1802
- The courts of equity
- The Gibraltarian
- The gypsy and the scullery maid
- The life and times of the pirates, Anne Bonney and Mary Read
- The man who didn’t find Dr Livingstone
- The National archives of England, Wales and the United Kingdom
- The Scots Irish; part 1; the roots from Scotland to Ireland. The who, what, where and when
- The society of friends: British Quakers from the 17th century
- The tithe: its history, records and administration
- The unwrapping of Christmas
- The visual record
- Time: the stuff that life is made of
- Tragalgar: the fatal victory
- Two twentieth century sources: the ‘Lloyd George domesday’ and national farm survey
- Using British probate records to discover the origins of your emigrant ancestors
- Using findmypast.co.uk for finding your immigrant ancestors
- Using the national archives of England, Wales and the United Kingdom to find your emigrant ancestors
- What did you do in the war daddy? – British army records from 1914
- World war I military records
- ‘you invited us, jack’: a brief history of immigration to Britain