Drawing on census records, historic maps, newspapers and original archival research, this talk explores how the railway altered the landscape, economy and everyday lives of those who lived there.

Rather than telling the story through railway engineering, it follows the people whose lives changed as agriculture, industry and community became intertwined. Through one Yorkshire parish, we discover how national events can be understood at a human scale and how one place reveals much bigger stories about Victorian England.

Pam Smith LHG is a local historian, retired professional genealogist and creator of the Rillington One-Place Study. Since 2004, she has researched the North Yorkshire parish of Rillington, using local records to explore how people, place and landscape have shaped one another over time.

In this talk, Sam Savelli, co-founder of Keepsake Family History, explores the story of his grandfather Gilbert, whose childhood took him from Baghdad to India and, eventually, to England.

At the heart of his story is St George’s College in Mussoorie, a boarding school high in the Himalayan foothills where British traditions, education and identity shaped his formative years.

Drawing on family interviews, diaries, photographs and local history, Sam will show how simple yet rewarding it can be to bring together fragments of family history and create a compelling story to share.

For more information about this research, visit: https://sit.gsa.ac.uk/project/decolonising-augmented-reality

Daisy Abbott is an interdisciplinary researcher and research developer. She specialises in game-based learning, serious games, 3D visualisation, and issues surrounding digital interactions in the arts and humanities. In particular, she is investigating the use of games to teach academic and research skills in Higher Education and the use of Augmented Reality for telling stories about history and heritage.

Alexandra Gilbert is a social historian and 30+ years a genealogist. Their ethos is reconfiguring scattered information to unlock a richer narrative for others to build on. They have appeared on radio and television and contributed to several publications discussing heritage topics in both the UK and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dr Patrice Connelly is a Brisbane-based musicologist, genealogist, and University of Queensland music lecturer. She also owns Saraband Music, specialises in early music, and is a frequent speaker for the Society of Australian Genealogists. Researching her family history since 1999, her ancestry is mainly English, Scottish, and Irish

Nick Young is a keen Thatcham historian, author and chair of Thatcham Historical Society. He has published several books and articles on Thatcham history and frequently gives community talks and tours. Alongside his historical pursuits, Nick is an electronic engineer, is an experienced teacher and works as a web developer and trainer.

Debbie Bradley is a professional genealogist and speaker. She is a member of AGRA and Administrator of the Family History Federation. Her own family history search has taken her all around the UK as well as into Germany. Her passion is exploring the stories our forebears never told us.

Susanah found her love for local history working in Nottinghamshire Libraries Local Studies. Moving to the National Archives library in Kew, these interests led to an MA in Local History in 2005 from Kingston University. Currently a trustee of the Wisbech Society and committee member of Fenland Family History Society.

Kelly Cornwell is a professional genealogist and family history speaker, with over 25 years experience of researching family histories across the UK and Australia. She is a member of AGRA, and on the team of Pharos Tutors where she runs several courses, in addition to being an Advanced Programme Mentor.

Margaret is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an author, experienced researcher, speaker and genealogist who specialises in Women’s History and Sports History. She is the Chair of FHS of Cheshire, trustee of Devon FHS and the Family History Federation as well as a Few Forgotten Women Team member.

Dr Charlotte Smith is the principal records specialist for modern legal records at The National Archives. Previously she worked for many years in an academic law school. Her research focusses primarily on the legal history of Britain and its empire in the (very) long nineteenth century.

Valerie Brenton is a professional genealogist, author and volunteer researcher at Dorset History Centre supporting their Friday Afternoon Family History Surgery. She is a MSc alumnus of the University of Strathclyde and member of AGRA, APG and RQG.

MD of Time Detectives, a Research Company for Broadcast Media and Private Commissions, including "DNA Journey", "Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted!" Regional TV, Radio, and Newspapers.

Julian Sproule MRHS is an independent historical researcher with an MA with Distinction from the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. His work spans the full social spectrum — from working-class women in industrial Dundee to European aristocratic networks — through archival collaborations in Belgium, Italy and France.

Barbara is the ringleader at Projectkin.org, a free, platform-independent community of family historians hooked on stories. Through public posts, recordings, and interactive events, members encourage each other to explore their personal connections to history. Barbara is in California and came to genealogy from a career in technology startups.

Anne-Marie is a PhD student at the University of Oxford where she studies the social networks of early-modern York, with a particular focus on recovering the connections of women.

George William Gregory was a Shrewsbury based dentist, living there from approximately 1876 to 1911. His troubled life was clearly portrayed by regular appearances in both local and national newspapers.

Content warning includes: domestic & occupational violence, attempted suicide and sexual abuse of a minor.

John Parkinson is a Qualified Genealogist (RQG) based in Mid Wales. He recently completed an MSc from the University of Strathclyde, and is undertaking a Diploma in the History of Medicine at the Society of Apothecaries. John's primary research interests lie in the historical lives of healthcare workers, especially dentists.

Julie Kathleen Johnson is a writer, professional genealogist, and PhD researcher in History at the University of Strathclyde. Her research focuses on marginalised people in Suffolk’s institutions, including workhouses and asylums. She is passionate about uncovering ordinary lives through archival records and making local history accessible to wider audiences.

Mark Bayley is a family historian, speaker and Head of Content at TheGenealogist, one of the UK’s leading genealogy research platforms. He specialises in developing innovative resources, uncovering new ways to solve family history puzzles and helping researchers explore the places their ancestors lived and the stories behind them.

The medieval era has interesting and meaningful data. Knowing where to look and what to expect can turn medieval research into a rich area of research. Medieval research into villages may not have been carried out in much detail before, so there are prospects for brand new discoveries.

Benedict Jephcote is a north Nottinghamshire local historian with specialisms in manorial histories, medieval genealogy and Clumber Park (1066-1938).

Many people exploring their family of local history limit their research to sources they can easily find online. However, only a tiny fraction of all the preserved archival sources have been digitised, so researchers are missing out on finding a huge range of information. Finding archival sources can be tricky. Each archive service may work in a different way. Online catalogues, managed by under funded services, can be clunky to use. Collections may not be preserved in the most obvious places. This talk will provide 6 basic steps that will provide a framework for finding archival sources in England and Wales. It will highlight key sources of information and help you to pinpoint the right archive at the first attempt.

Janice Tullock is a qualified both as an archivist and as a genealogist. She works with a wide range of organisations, companies, and individuals, including local archive services, universities, football clubs and international corporations, to manage and develop their archive collections. With nearly 40 years of experience in family history research, Janice’s own family history has taken her across the world, from Australia to Russia. Since 2020, she has operated her genealogy business, History Builders, where she combines her expertise in archival management and genealogical research to offer clients a distinctive perspective.