Lord Beaverbrook, great grandfather and newspaper magnate who served in the Cabinet during the two world wars, has always dominated Jodie Kidd’s family tree.
Jodie, born in Guildford, Surrey in 1978, travels first to Newcastle and then to Canada in search of the less well-known characters among her ancestors. Her mother’s grandfather was the mysterious Sir Rowland Hodge, who made his fortune building ships during the First World War. Despite fleeing Newcastle following a terrible scandal he was still awarded a title a few years later.
Lord Beaverbrook was Canadian and Jodie was keen to discover how deep her roots went across the Atlantic. After her investigations revealed her family’s involvement in an infamous 19th century murder, Jodie discovered that she descends from some of the earliest European settlers to arrive in 17th century America.
If, like Jodie, you are researching relatives from overseas, start your investigations by talking to members of your family. They may point you towards relatives who still live in the country of origin.
Researching your ancestry may involve travel. This may be necessary as far more information is available locally. The National Archives does not hold locally created records of Canada so you will not find Canadian birth, marriage, death or census records here. For Canadian ancestry you may wish to visit the Canadian Genealogy Centre.
Like Jodie, your great grandfather may have served his country during one of the two world wars. You can search the World War One medal indexes or Army service records between 1914 - 1920. Our concise research guides, such as one on Campaign and Service medals can help you understand the military records we hold.
To help you trace ancestors who may have emigrated you can search outward passenger lists by name. The information on these lists usually include name, address, occupation and date of departure but they do not include an indication of how long the passenger intended to stay. You could also search the catalogue for other records relating to emigration such as the records series Colonial Office Emigration Original Correspondence (CO 384). For more information see our research guide on emigrants.
First World War Army Service Records
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