England has been gripped with football fever this month, as expectations were surpassed and the national team reached their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years. 

Sadly the team did not make the final, but they have certainly restored a bit of national pride. I have spoken to a lot of people recently who don’t even like football, but they have succumbing to the party atmosphere that has surrounded England’s success. 

My family history never ceases to amaze me, even after exploring it for 16 years, but what happened the other day really blew me away! I was subject to an incredible coincidence the likes of which I have never experienced before and doubt I will again. 

 

I was at my Godparents’ house (...do people still have Godparents?!). Anyway, they were telling me about an antiques fayre they had recently been to. My Godfather handed me a small silver snuff box that he had just added to his collection. 

Fathers are special to us all year round. But once a year we get an official opportunity to say a proper thank you. 

Father’s Day has been celebrated on the 19th of March since the Middle Ages as this as St Joseph’s Day, the earthly father of Jesus. This is still the case in most of Latin America.  

 

However, many European countries and America have adopted the third Sunday of June to celebrate Father's Day, which this year is the 17th. 

But what if you want to make this Father’s Day even more special? As well as spending time with him, why not give him a unique and deeply personal present that really shows how much you value him...? 

Knowing about your ancestors and what they did is great, and learning about their lives by reading books and watching documentaries is interesting. 

 

But what if you could take this to another level? What if you could actually live a day in the life of your ancestors? 

 

At Footsteps we take you back in time and make that happen. You can spend the day with an expert who will be able to give you a unique understanding of your ancestors’ lives. 

The beautiful and historic town of Windsor is gaining a bit of a reputation for celebrating love in the face of adversity.  

 

When King Edward VIII abdicated to marry his American sweetheart Wallis Simpson, he took the title of Duke of Windsor. Windsor was also where Prince Charles married his life-long love, Camilla Parker-Bowles. 

And on the 19th of May this year, the tradition will continue with Prince Harry, as he marries American divorcee Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. 

Learning more about where you’ve come from and the people who made you can be the most rewarding journey you ever make. 

 

Maybe you have been inspired by the experiences of the celebrities on Who Do You Think You Are? 

 

But right now, you might be working and raising a family and you haven’t really got time. So you put the idea on the back-burner and maybe you’ll get into it when you retire. 

Ben Nicholls, leading international genealogist and founder of Footsteps, recounts a wonderful recent experience in his own family history research... 

 

"DNA is magic! It makes the seemingly impossible, possible. I love it.  

 

When memories and documents are lost, DNA can provide answers that no other source can. Best of all, it is becoming rapidly more popular and more accessible to the general public. 

 

As the DNA wizards continue their research, we realise that our genetic codes can tell us more than we ever thought possible about ourselves and our ancestors. 

 

I took a DNA test a while ago to learn about my ethnic background and as a bonus, I got an e-mail last year from a lady called Fionnuala, who had also done a test. 

 

It turned out we were quite closely related. Our mutual ancestors were from the Scottish town of Helensburgh, near Glasgow where my mum was born. Our small branch of the family left the area long ago. As children, mum took us to Helensburgh and we met her uncle but once he died, our last living family connection to the town was lost. 

 

In this week's blog, Ben Nicholls, leading international family historian and founder of Footsteps, recounts a recent client engagement and what it meant to both the client and to Ben... 

 

"One of my customers, Katherine, agreed to have a chat with me about her experience with Footsteps. Listening to her feedback was really heart-warming, and also quite emotional to be honest! I’m excited about sharing this with you. 

 

Katherine approached us in early 2017 to help her find out more about her family history after reading an article about Footsteps in the local press." 

Finding out about your family history is more popular than ever and can be very rewarding. 

 

In order to get the most from your research and make it an enjoyable and sociable experience, we recommend you follow these five tips... 

Of all the national saints' days in the UK and Ireland, arguably the most popular is St Patrick's Day. The Irish love for a party is world-famous and infectious, and many English people in particular claim Irish heritage for the day so that they can join in the festivities! 

I even heard an English guy once claim that he was of Irish descent because his grandmother fell down the stairs on a holiday in Dublin!