Family HistoryYour guide to resources.

Who Do You Think You Are?
Jerry Springer

Gerald Norman (Jerry) Springer was born in Golders Green, North London, in 1944. Jerry’s parents dramatically escaped from Nazi Germany to London just three days before the outbreak of World War Two. They later moved from London to the United States.

Jerry's grandmothers were not so lucky. Both were killed in Nazi concentration camps and Jerry has little information about their fate. Jerry undertakes a painful and disturbing search for information in surviving Nazi records. His research leads him from the horrors of the ghettos to his grandmothers' deaths.

Going further back Jerry uncovers his great-grandfather, Abraham Springer. Abraham came from the small town of Neustettin, now in Poland. In the 19th century the town was in the German kingdom of Prussia. Documents reveal that Abraham too had to struggle against, but ultimately overcame, anti-Semitism.

Getting started

Start your investigation by talking to your immediate family if you are researching relatives from overseas. They may point you towards relatives who still live in the country of origin. Researching your ancestry may, like Jerry's story, involve plenty of travel. This may be necessary as far more information is available locally. The National Archives does not hold locally created records of other countries, so you will not find their birth, marriage death or census records here.

If your ancestors were immigrants to Britain or naturalised British subjects, The National Archives holds Home Office records of naturalisation for the period 1801-1987.

Going further

You will find more information on tracing your Jewish ancestry from the Moving Here website. The website lists the main sources available for research, both within the UK and abroad. It will also give your historical context for the records and topics covered.

For ancestors who left Britain, migration records (also known as passenger lists) are invaluable in helping you find your overseas ancestors. Outwards Board of Trade Passenger Lists contain the names of people leaving ports in the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1890 and 1960 for final destinations outside Europe and the Mediterranean.