It’s that time of year, the summer’s drawing to an end, and you’ve probably packed the children or grandchildren off to school for another year. But we’re keen to make sure that it’s not just the little ones heading back to the classroom. In our quest to make sure you get the most from your family discoveries, the Ancestry Academy will be ringing its bell for the first time!

But what does this mean?

Well, from Monday you’ll be able to access a daily timetable. From here, you can begin your Ancestry Academy lessons.

Monday morning’s first period will teach you how to build your family tree, while in the afternoon you can learn more about census records. If you’re a whizz kid and find the tutorials too easy, you can join the Top Set and take your discoveries to the next level.

To give yourself a break, take advantage of the free period. This is your opportunity to win some great prizes – make sure you don’t miss out!

You know how teachers feel about any late arrivals or lessons missed! So make sure you’re on-time and keep checking back every day for the latest tutorials. On Friday we’ll be testing your knowledge – make sure you take the exam to earn your Ancestry Diploma!

Dust down your blazer, get your pencil case ready and make sure you’re on-time for enrolment at the Ancestry Academy.

Find out more

As scary as this might be we are already thinking about Christmas here, and it’s not just us its Channel 4 too!

Channel 4 are looking for families of all shapes and sizes to take part in a brand new family entertainment series. This exciting new series is all about bringing families together and observing how different families spend the festive season in 21st Century Britain.  For all those selected to take part Channel 4 are offering the chance to win a life-changing prize just in time for Christmas!

If you would like to take part in this series or simply find out more visit the Channel 4 website using this link.

The Royal Aero Club needs your help! It’s looking for photographs of World War I pilots, to complete its impressive archive. It has details of around 200 early flyers whose pictures are missing – perhaps you could take a look and see if you recognise any of the names?

In the early days of the War, most pilots took their initial training through the Royal Aero Club, before joining the Royal Flying Corps or the Royal Naval Air Service. Successful pilots were given an Aviator’s Certificate. Like a modern passport, this flying licence needed two photographs – one was pasted into the licence; the other was kept by the Club.

As a result, its comprehensive archive includes over 28,000 index records and 34 volumes, containing about 13,000 photographs of early aviators. If you can’t find information about a pilot in military records, there’s a good chance you’ll find them in these volumes.

Unfortunately, Volume 4 is missing. Volunteers from the Royal Aero Club Trust – established in 1998 to maintain the Club’s unique historical collection – are busy compiling a ‘virtual’ replacement album, using photographs from other sources.

Thanks largely to Cross & Cockade (the First World War Historical Aviation Society), the Trust now has replacement images for about two-thirds of the pilots. But it’s still short of around 200 images.

Check the list of pilots whose images are still missing. Do you recognise their names? Can you help track down their photographs? Aero Club Trust Find Missing Heroes

Any help you can offer would be very gratefully received. If you can provide a copy of one of these missing photographs, or if you have any ideas about where may be a good place to look, please email the Royal Aero Club Trust.

Andrew Dawrant, Royal Aero Club Trust

If like me you’ve been hooked on family history as a result of the BBC’s fantastic Who Do You Think You Are? series, you’ll be delighted to know that series eight starts on Wednesday 10th August at 9pm. I can’t quite believe we’re in series eight already, but like previous years, this year’s line-up looks like we’re in for some real celeb treats.

EastEnders icon June Brown kicks off the first episode and among the other celebs we’ll see JK Rowling, Sebastian Coe and Larry Lamb. To make sure you keep up to date with all of the Who Do You Think You Are? buzz we’ll be bringing you blog posts following each episode. Don’t forget to checkout our Facebook fan page and Twitter page to join the debate on what the celebs uncover.

If you’re interested in reminiscing over the 2010 series, you can check out our dedicated page with all of last year’s highlights. With rain predicted this weekend I’m planning on watching some of my favourite episodes; Jeremy Clarkson (series one), Stephen Fry (series two), Kim Cattrall (series six) and my all-time favourite Rupert Penry-Jones (series seven).

What are your favourite Who Do You Think You Are episodes?

In this month’s issue of Updated our resident Ask the Experts answer another missing persons puzzler and how to track down an untraceable Irish soldier.

If you have a question you would like us to answer then send us your questions now*

*Terms and Conditions apply: I understand that by sending questions to ‘Ask the experts’, I grant Ancestry.com Operations Inc. a perpetual license to distribute or republish such questions at its discretion, with credit to me. I release Ancestry.com Operations Inc., its agents and assigns, from any obligation to make payment hereunder and from any liability incurred in connection with the use of the questions. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. may edit the questions for content, length, and/or clarity. I warrant that I am at least 18 years of age.

By Luke Mouland, Kith & Kin Research

Wednesday marked the launch of the new Dorset Records Collections at Ancestry.co.uk, providing a wealth of vital information to those attempting to trace their West Country roots, with over four hundred years’ worth of records being made searchable online.

Whilst these records offer an undoubtedly important snapshot into the lives of our forebears, the collections also provide a fascinating insight into the history of Dorset as a county – the very backdrop against which these family dramas were played out. Indeed, when explored further, they are a reflection of what was taking place within the wider community at any given time.

For example, the parish of Fordington, which lies on the outskirts of the county town of Dorchester, suffered tremendously from the devastating effects of the cholera outbreak of 1849. A simple search of the burial register of St. George’s Church for that year soon reveals the extent of the outbreak, with a marked increase in the number of interments during that period. It is also possible to see from the ages of those recorded in these documents that a greater number of parishioners were dying whilst in their prime or during infancy. In just three months, the outbreak is said to have killed more than 33,000 people throughout Britain.

Meanwhile, on searching through various marriage registers, it soon becomes clear how the arrival of the railways had a shattering impact upon rural communities in Dorset and the strong social ties which had existed there. As the nineteenth century wore on, marriage registers illustrate how the expansion of the railway network and an increase in public transport led to unions between local residents and partners who lived much further away. The register for Holy Trinity Church in Shaftesbury notes that some were living as far away as York or London. Of course, on the other hand, the railways also enabled many Dorset folk to escape from these rural communities, in order to seek work in the cities and manufacturing districts.

On a similar note, the records will also prove useful to those whose Dorset ancestors emigrated abroad. Following the move towards mechanised farming in the first half of the nineteenth century, many agricultural workers found themselves redundant, poverty stricken and desperately in need of work. Whilst many sought employment in the rapidly-growing industrial areas, many others fled abroad during the 1830s to establish new lives in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and South Africa. With the arrival of these new collections online, their descendants will now have access to vital information about their earlier forebears here in the UK.

So, whether you are tracing your Dorset roots or simply have an interest in local or social history, these collections will paint a fascinating picture of the county’s vivid history and take you on a truly magnificent journey of discovery. Therefore, I urge you to take a look and see what you can uncover.

By Luke Mouland, Kith & Kin Research

The team at Ancestry are excited to announce the release of two major record collections, which will prove a vital resource to those researching their Dorset forebears. Today, the Dorset Parish Records, 1813-2001 and Dorset Wills and Probate Records, 1565-1858 have been launched online for the first time, providing access to over four hundred years’ worth of records relating to those who lived, worked and died in the county.

Parish records are a key ‘stepping stone’ for anyone wishing to trace their forebears before the introduction of civil registration in 1837 and can help bridge important gaps in our ancestry. They act as a mine of information for the family historian and often providing an essential link between us and our forebears. Meanwhile, probate records offer a fascinating insight into the intricacies of our ancestors’ lives and the legacies they left behind, helping us to learn more about them as people. In short, these collections will be hugely important to those looking to further their Dorset research.

But even those without Dorset connections will find these collections appealing, particularly as a source of local and social history. I was rather interested to discover the burial record of Dorset author and poet, Thomas Hardy, which appears in the registers of St. Michael’s Church in Stinsford. Or, I should say, the burial of Hardy’s heart. As the document states, “his ashes rest in Westminster Abbey, his heart lies here.”

So, without further ado, I point you towards these fantastic records and invite you to take a browse through the collective history of this beautiful county. View records now.

In this month’s issue of Updated one of our resident Ask the Experts Chris Paton answers some puzzling questions.

Chris Paton is an expert in English, Scottish and Irish family and runs the Scotland’s Greatest Story research service. This month he solves a puzzling census mystery and explains how a missing maiden name can be found.

Other features in this month’s Updated include details of a new naval collection of WWI records, details of 4 new Irish collections and some invaluable tips of how to get the best out of your online tree.

If you have a questions you would like our experts to answer then send your questions to Asktheexperts@ancestry.co.uk*

*Terms and Conditions apply: I understand that by sending questions to ‘Ask the experts’, I grant Ancestry.com Operations Inc. a perpetual license to distribute or republish such questions at its discretion, with credit to me. I release Ancestry.com Operations Inc., its agents and assigns, from any obligation to make payment hereunder and from any liability incurred in connection with the use of the questions. Ancestry.com Operations Inc. may edit the questions for content, length, and/or clarity. I warrant that I am at least 18 years of age.