Guides
Beyond the Records - The Lives They Lived
Family History Guides
Practical help from real research experience
Family history has a habit of presenting us with puzzles.
Names change, spellings vary, records contradict each other, handwriting can be misread, places change over time and sometimes the people we're looking for seem to disappear altogether.
During more than 40 years of researching my own family history and the families of others, I've encountered many of these problems myself. I've also learned that sometimes the smallest clue, or simply looking at the evidence in a different way, can completely change the direction of your research.
That's the idea behind my Stories In The Branches Family History Guides.
I'm creating a growing collection of practical guides based on the problems, questions and situations I've encountered through real family history research.
The guides will cover a variety of topics, from understanding names and interpreting historical records to research techniques, common pitfalls and those little things you learn through experience that can make all the difference.
Why I created the guides
Many of the things I now instinctively look for took years to learn.
These guides are my way of sharing some of that knowledge and experience with other family historians.
They aren't intended to give you every possible answer, family history is rarely that straightforward. Instead, I hope they'll help you understand why something might have happened, what the evidence could be telling you and what you could try next.
They Haven't Disappeared - A Practical Genealogist's Guide to Names That Change in the Records
£7.99
Struggling to find an ancestor who seems to have disappeared from the records?
Sometimes the person you're looking for hasn't disappeared at all. They may simply be recorded under a different name.
Names change, spellings vary, nicknames replace formal names, and historical records don't always contain the information we expect.
Drawing on more than 40 years of family history research, Sharon Gwatkin explores the many ways names can change in historical records and shares practical techniques to help you recognise variations and search more effectively.
Inside this guide, you'll discover:
-
Why names and spellings change between records
-
How nicknames, pet names and diminutives can conceal familiar ancestors
-
The influence of Latin, dialect and regional naming traditions
-
Welsh and Scottish naming conventions
-
How surnames change through migration, handwriting and transcription
-
An A–Z forename research reference
-
The 10-level Name Ladder — a systematic approach to searching
-
Worked examples, practical checklists and quick-reference guidance
Whether you're relatively new to family history or have been researching for years, this guide offers fresh ideas for approaching those frustrating gaps in your family tree.
First Edition · 2026 · 23 pages · Digital PDF
Written and researched by Sharon Gwatkin
Stories in the Branches
£7.99 — Instant digital download
Not sure whether it's right for you? Download the free sample to explore the contents and read selected sections before purchasing.
You will receive a PDF (651KB) file
A Growing Collection
This is just the beginning.
I'll be adding guides covering different areas of family history research over time. I also plan to revisit and update existing guides when I have useful new information, examples or research to add.
Updated guides will be clearly identified by their edition, so you'll be able to see which version you're viewing.
After all, even after more than 40 years of research, I'm still learning too.
If one of my guides helps you make sense of a confusing record, find someone you thought had disappeared or simply gives you another avenue to explore, then it has done exactly what I created it to do.
Preserving stories, connecting generations.
