Find your family stories
Your discoveries: How one family history discovery can change everything
3-4 minute read
By Ellie Ayton | July 17, 2025
Three Findmypast members uncovered remarkable stories that brought their ancestors to life and changed how they see their own place in history.
Family history isn’t just names and dates. It’s real people, real lives, and often, unexpected truths.
If you’ve ever thought about starting your family tree, or you’re thinking about returning to it, a little inspiration might be all you need.
Search for your family stories
What could you discover?
Sometimes all it takes is one record, one photograph, or even one conversation to completely transform your understanding of your family and the lives of those who came before you.
“My ancestor was a survivor”
One quiet evening, Amanda was browsing Findmypast’s newspaper archive when she stumbled across shocking headlines from 1863. Her 3x great-grandmother, Mary Tomlinson, had survived a violent shooting at the hands of a jealous ex-lover.
Mary had always seemed like a quiet figure in Amanda’s family tree until she read the newspaper accounts. They told of a broken engagement, jealousy, and a violent confrontation.
The tale made headlines in newspapers across the country and shocked the public, like this one in Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser, 21 March 1863.
During celebrations for the Prince of Wales’ marriage, Mary had been seen with another man. Her former fiancé, Joseph Simpson, reacted with rage. He bought a rifle, found Mary at work, and shot her in the neck. Remarkably, she survived. Joseph fled and later took his own life.
"I cried when I read it."
Not only did she uncover a traumatic event, but she also learned how Mary met her future husband: she worked with his siblings. For Amanda, this wasn’t just a record; it was a window into Mary’s resilience and a reminder of how complex and human our ancestors really were.
“I thought I’d learned everything about my grandfather. I was wrong.”
Richard thought he’d hit a dead end researching his grandfather, William Freeman, who served in the Coldstream Guards during the First World War. With many war records lost in a fire, it seemed there was nothing more to find, until a single school record turned everything around.
As a boy, William had been sent to Kerrison Reformatory School after a few minor brushes with the law.
As a teenager, William was found guilty of stealing a gold chain, as detailed in this article from the Norwich Argus, 25 October 1912.
Upon leaving, his father arranged for him to enlist. Amazingly, not only did the school track William’s military service, but the record revealed addresses, promotions and his movements.
Kerrison Reform School kept in touch with its pupils. Here, we can track William's movements during the First World War. View the full record here.
Then came a clue that opened the floodgates: a reference to a “sister,” Mrs Gaul, at the Britons Arms pub in Norwich. She turned out to be William’s stepsister, and through her, Richard discovered a tangled web of family history: three marriages, half-siblings, criminal charges, military service, and even athletic achievements.
"I couldn’t believe it. One line in a school record blew the story wide open."
A life that had seemed lost to time was now vivid, complex, and deeply human.
“My Uncle Joe’s silent sacrifice”
Findmypast member Denise discovered the harrowing story of her great-uncle Joe, an RAF serviceman captured during the Second World War. Imprisoned on Ambon Island in Indonesia, Joe faced starvation, disease, and horrific conditions as a prisoner of war.
The story emerged through a combination of family-held documents and official wartime records, including a telegram from the King and a letter from a fellow prisoner.
Denise's uncle, Joseph Devon, pictured in the Liverpool Echo, 7 November 1945.
Joseph's death as a POW, reported in the same newspaper.
Most haunting was a detail passed down in the family: prisoners had eaten wild berries in desperation, not knowing they caused Beriberi, a deadly disease. Joe didn’t survive.
Details of Joseph's tragic death are in our prisoner of war records. You can view the full record here.
Sadly, Joe didn’t survive this ordeal.
"It’s hard to comprehend the cruelty they endured."
Joe died far from home, in silence, but his story, once buried, now lives on through those who uncovered and shared it.
It’s easy to start your own journey
These discoveries didn’t just reveal facts; they forged deep emotional connections to the past. They showed that behind every record is a story waiting to be told, and sometimes, all it takes is one search to find it.
Start your own search today, and see what stories your family history holds.
