A five-star family history event: Findmypast Live at The Savoy

2-3 minute read

By Ellie Ayton | September 28, 2022

With the historic Savoy Hotel as our backdrop, our team of genealogy experts hosted a VIP group of Heritage Open Day visitors for this special event on 14 September 2022. Together, we helped them unravel their pasts and inspire their futures.

In partnership with Heritage Open Days and National Trust, we welcomed guests to The Savoy Hotel, London for Findmypast Live, a day filled with family history surprises and genealogy tips. Hopeful attendees had entered a ballot to win a free ticket via Heritage Open Days, and 45 lucky winners were drawn at random.

A series of talks from our team of experts opened up a whole new world of family history discoveries.

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What's new at Findmypast?

Findmypast CEO, Tamsin Todd, walked attendees through new developments at Findmypast, from brand-new feature Tree Search, to the release of the 1921 Census of England and Wales.

Tamsin also shared how Findmypast’s historical newspapers helped her find a very personal family history discovery.

Bringing the 1921 Census to life

Mary McKee, Head of Content Publishing, showcased the incredible effort to bring the 1921 Census online, in partnership with The National Archives and the Office for National Statistics.

The 1921 Census is packed with endless family stories, secrets and surprises, and it’s only available online at Findmypast.

One night at The Savoy

Research Specialist Jen Baldwin took our attendees back to The Savoy 101 years ago, showing how the 1921 Census captured the stories of those staying at the hotel on 19 June 1921.

The 1921 Census can also reveal where your own relatives where, what they were and who they were doing it with one summer night a century ago.

Family history 'wow moments'

Before the delicious five-star lunch, Jen and Ellie Ayton, Senior Community Executive, treated some of the attendees to some genealogy ‘wow moments’ of their own. Having filled out what they already know about their family trees, Jen and Ellie delved a little deeper to uncover rich stories, and shared their advice on where to go next.

Findmypast experts and guests Live at The Savoy

Customer Support agent and Findmypast expert, Liam Boyle, shows guests the Elmslie family's story in civil records.

The afternoon saw the introduction of ‘genealogy speed dating,’ where Findmypast experts Jen, Mary, Ellie, Paul Nixon, Rose Staveley-Wadham and Liam Boyle took the attendees through the story of one family. The guests moved around six tables and picked up part of the Elmslie family story with each expert. The activity touched on the Elmslies in Irish records, their military connection, and more.

Findmypast expert Paul Nixon explores military records with guests during the afternoon's activity.

The wonderful day, filled with stories and discoveries, was made all-the-more special for us, as we were able to meet genealogy enthusiasts, beginners and members of our online community. We thank all our attendees for making Findmypast Live at The Savoy a rousing success.