Paul Chiddicks

IS AI TRYING TO KILL ME? 🤖 I saw a headline yesterday claiming that there is more than a 10% chance AI could kill all humans. So I asked my own AI assistant, Dave at ChatGPT: “Are you going to kill me? Asking for a friend.” chiddickstree.substack.com/p/is-ai-tryi...

Thank you so much for your kindness and support Kelley, it’s greatly appreciated ❤️

@chiddickstree.bsky.social Saw this and thought of you AI machine 'helps save 25 million Lego bricks' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yesterday's Huguenot family history day feat. a visit to Society of Genealogists for informative talks, then a waking tour of Spitalfields!

Ancestral adventures in Toxteth Park Cemetery, Liverpool. Inspired by the #31daysofgraves challenge, I share my experiences of searching for ancestors who have no headstones, forms of unmarked graves, and 5 tips for your next graveyard quest! zoepullman4thefamilyarchives.substack.com/p/unmarked-g...

It is Day 6 of #AATP2026 and my introductory-level talk on New Zealand birth, death and marriage records is now available to watch! I would love to hear if it helps you find an ancestor's record that was previously eluding you! #familyhistory #nz #genealogy sog.org.uk/gold-library...

Thank you so much Zoe for your kind and generous donation @thefamilyarchives.bsky.social it’s very much appreciated

The October 2026 issue of Genealogy Matters Magazine is published! substack.com/@genealogyma...

Thanks so much Carol for your kind words and for taking the time to read Adelaide’s story. Your generosity appreciated.

News from #Cheshire Archives The new #Chester centre will open on Wed 13 Jan 2027 with the #Crewe centre opening in March 2027 Find out more 👉 www.cheshirearchives.org.uk/visiting-us/... Like to volunteer for @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social desks then please email chair@fhsc.uk, happy to have a chat

The life of Adelaide Springett, a child of Victorian London. Behind one photograph is a story of loss, poverty, trauma, and survival against the odds. If we’re to understand history, we have to remember lives like hers. chiddicksfamilytree.com/2024/02/15/a...

A new edition of The Chiddicks Observer has just been published. Each week is an opportunity to explore a different corner of history, heritage, curiosity, and the stories that connect them. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-chiddi...

A new edition of The Chiddicks Observer has just been published. Each week is an opportunity to explore a different corner of history, heritage, curiosity, and the stories that connect them. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-chiddi...

Here's a link to a list of all the talks that I do, together with a list of all my current bookings. My fee will be going up next year but all existing bookings and any new bookings agreed by the end of 2026 will be at the current rate. @federationfhs.bsky.social lifelinesresearch.co.uk/talks/

I went looking for a battlefield and found a cemetery. At Saint-Venant, I stood beside the canal, visited the memorial to 97 Royal Welch Fusiliers and walked among the graves of men killed during the desperate fighting of May 1940 chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-men-wh... #WW2 #France #Dunkirk

Applications now invited for the Society's new 'Social History Archive Partnership' bit.ly/4iFNuF0 This offers free 6-month access to content in @socialhistarchive.bsky.social, published by DC Thomson. The scheme aims to support independent historians who lack access to such resources #Skystorians

I went looking for a battlefield and found a cemetery. At Saint-Venant, I stood beside the canal, visited the memorial to 97 Royal Welch Fusiliers and walked among the graves of men killed during the desperate fighting of May 1940 chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-men-wh... #WW2 #France #Dunkirk

Thanks so much John for your kind words and for taking the time to read Adelaide’s story. Your generosity appreciated.

I went to Dunkirk looking for history. I found it in an empty barn. During my recent journey through northern France and Belgium, I came across a story that deserves to be remembered. A story of men whose names should never have been forgotten. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-trees-...

I went to Dunkirk looking for history. I found it in an empty barn. During my recent journey through northern France and Belgium, I came across a story that deserves to be remembered. A story of men whose names should never have been forgotten. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-trees-...

The latest Chiddicks Observer is out. 📰 Another week of fascinating family history, forgotten stories, brilliant writers and discoveries. If you love the stories behind the records, come take a look. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #ChiddicksObserver chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-chiddi...

Frederick George Parcell was 32 when he lost his life at the Old Palace School bombing in April 1941. He was a husband, father, son, market gardener and AFS volunteer. Every name remembered. Every story preserved. oldpalaceschoolbombing.substack.com/p/fireman-fr...

Frederick George Parcell was 32 when he lost his life at the Old Palace School bombing in April 1941. He was a husband, father, son, market gardener and AFS volunteer. Every name remembered. Every story preserved. oldpalaceschoolbombing.substack.com/p/fireman-fr...

The latest Chiddicks Observer is out. 📰 Another week of fascinating family history, forgotten stories, brilliant writers and discoveries. If you love the stories behind the records, come take a look. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #ChiddicksObserver chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-chiddi...

Some pictures from today’s research apologies for the picture overload. The context will come when I write the stories - part 2

Some pictures from today’s research apologies for the picture overload. The context will come when I write the stories - part 1

Want to learn how to be efficient on Social Media and harness its potential to assist you in your research? Check out my short course with @pharostutors.bsky.social 👇🏼 #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #OnlineLearning #ShortCourses www.pharostutors.com/using-social...

What a great week it has been. Happy 21st Birthday to @pharostutors.bsky.social 🥳🎉🎂 Celebrating the event with a series of webinars proved so successful, we are planning to deliver a continued programme of webinars in 2027! #WatchThisSpace #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #PharosWebinars

And that’s a wrap! Thanks to all involved with the @pharostutors.bsky.social 21st Birthday Celebration, our hosts, our tutors and especially those of you who attended our webinars & short talks and entered our prize draw! THANK YOU ☺️! #FamilyHistory #LocalHistory #OnlineTalks #OnlineCourses

Using Social Media for Family History. Whilst many people now use social media in some form, not all are getting the most for their family history research. www.pharostutors.com/using-social...

We have a wide range of courses to choose from. Check out our upcoming courses here: www.pharostutors.com/courses #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #DistanceLearning #OnlineCourses #GenealogyCourses

I asked ChatGPT if it was planning to kill me. It said no. I'm not entirely convinced. 😂 Is AI Trying to Kill Me? 🤖 chiddickstree.substack.com/p/is-ai-tryi...

Join us at the Family Tree Study Club, 14 September, as Julie Johnson shares ideas on how to and craft a life story for an ancestor. https://f.mtr.cool/lgbub3g7m7

Join us for the September DNA Club webinar, at which Michelle Leonard will be speaking about the ways in which testing multiple relatives can provide such a boon to your family history investigations. https://f.mtr.cool/debv58o700

For more than 50 years, the story of the Old Palace School disaster remained largely unknown. This week we tell the story of the day they were finally honoured with a permanent memorial. oldpalaceschoolbombing.substack.com/p/the-day-th... #OldPalaceSchool #Blitz #Firefighters #Genealogy

substack.com/@genealogyma...

The latest Chiddicks Observer is now live. Inside this week's edition you'll find another collection of stories, observations, and discoveries gathered from places, people, and moments that deserve a second look. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-chiddi...

When is a father a father? A birth certificate can tell us who was recorded. DNA can tell us who we're biologically related to. But neither can tell us who loved us, protected us, taught us or stood beside us. chiddickstree.substack.com/p/when-is-a-...

Do you have a curious ancestor? A scandal in the parish register? A census entry that made you laugh out loud? Find out how you could feature in ‘Dear Paul’ in Family Tree Magazine 🌳✨ chiddickstree.substack.com/p/dear-paul?...

Postman's Park is London's most honest monument - small glazed tiles fixing ordinary courage in perpetuity, no gilded statue, no flourish. It is living proof that heroism is most often a common soul being, for one minute, uncommon. #LondonHistory

‘Dear Paul’  Where the Genealogy Magic Happens…… A little behind-the-scenes look at my column in Family Tree Magazine. Scandals, surprises, census quirks… #Genealogy #FamilyHistory chiddickstree.substack.com/p/dear-paul?...

Fireman George John Joseph Hall who volunteered for the Auxiliary Fire Service, married in July 1940 beneath a guard of honour of fellow firefighters, and died just 9 months later at the Old Palace School. #History #TheBlitz #FamilyHistory oldpalaceschoolbombing.substack.com/p/afs-firema...

A discarded probate ledger. One forgotten name. A remarkable true story. I hope you enjoy the journey. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #Cheshire chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-name-i...

A discarded probate ledger. One forgotten name. A remarkable true story. I hope you enjoy the journey. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #Cheshire chiddickstree.substack.com/p/the-name-i...

Read my featured story, Was She Pushed? Did She Jump? Or Did She Fall In Genealogy Matters Magazine….. substack.com/@genealogyma...

Read my featured story, Was She Pushed? Did She Jump? Or Did She Fall In Genealogy Matters Magazine….. substack.com/@genealogyma...

I love tracking people down from book inscriptions! randomlygenerated.ca/blogs/family...

Great story! I went looking for an unknown person recently, too. All I had to start with was a signature in a book: toomuchbrudders.com/2026/08/19/s...