News and Articles

09 September 2008

Brits discover the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – hobbies and occupations are passed down the generations

• A quarter of adults in the UK have discovered they share similar hobbies and occupations to their ancestors

Despite changing times and modern technology, many Brits have discovered they have not only inherited a surname or eye colour from their ancestors but also a ‘hobby gene’, with similar hobbies and career paths being passed down through the generations.

Research commissioned by findmypast.com, the UK’s premier family history website, has found a quarter (26%) of people have discovered they share either the same pastime (17%) or profession (9%) as some of their ancestors*.

While just 2% of men today work in a traditional ‘father and son’ family trade, one in twenty (5%) Brits continue to take part in family hobbies that have been passed down through several generations, such as Morris dancing, fishing and sailing, in their leisure time. And encouragingly, it’s not just the older generation that is keeping up with traditions, as nearly a fifth (19%) of the under 35s have also discovered they share a hobby or leisure interest with their forebears.

Boris Johnson discovered his interest in politics and journalism has been passed down from his great-grandfather, while Patsy Kensit recently discovered two generations of walking stick finishers in her family tree, while researching her family history for the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?**. Many actors and actresses have their talent in their genes, such as the Redgraves and Barrymores, with Drew Barrymore able to trace her ‘acting gene’ back nearly 200 years.  

Elaine Collins, Commercial Director at findmypast.com, said: “We tend to think of the trades and pastimes our ancestors participated in as outdated, but it appears that while many specific occupations may have changed or disappeared over time as social trends and the economy has shifted, many of these core skills and interests are still being passed down from generation to generation.  You would be surprised with how many people have found that they actually come from a long line of doctors, actors, sailors or stamp collectors.

“Many people polled would have only discovered the link after tracing their family tree and learning more about their roots and where they came from, which can be both rewarding and insightful.  Just speaking to family members can help you to plot the first branches of your family tree, and there are many records available online to help you trace your ancestors as far back as the 1500s to discover who they were and where they lived.”

Interestingly, the ‘hobby gene’ is strongest for people in Scotland and Northern Ireland with 31% having discovered ancestors with similar occupations and hobbies.  Londoners also have the ‘hobby gene’ with 27% sharing similar occupations and hobbies with their ancestors.  And 25% of people in the South West and Wales have also found the ‘hobby gene’. People in Scotland and Northern Ireland seem to be more traditional with 8% handing down a family trade or pastime from great-grandparents to grandparents to today’s generations.  

Findmypast.com offers access to over 600 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of birth, marriage and death records, parish records, military records, census, migration and occupation directories, and current electoral roll data.

ENDS

Notes to Editors
*Opinium Research LLP carried out an online poll of 2,234 GB adults in July 2008 for findmypast.com.

**Who Do You Think You Are? airs on BBC One on Wednesdays at 9:00pm.  Patsy Kensit and Boris Johnson were showcased in series 6.

Case studies available on request.

For further information, please contact:
Vicky Perry/Erica Howard
Lansons Communications
+44 (0)207 566 9708 / +44 (0)207 566 9714
vickyp@lansons.com / ericah@lansons.com

About findmypast.com

Leading UK family history website findmypast.com (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.

Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.

In April 2007 findmypast’s then parent company Title Research Group received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 600 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records.

In November 2006 findmypast launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

As well as providing access to historical records, findmypast is also developing a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.

Over 1.7 million people in the UK have researched their family trees and findmypast.com has over 800,000 active registered users, revealing the mass appeal of genealogy and findmypast.com’s position as the leading family history website based in the UK.

Findmypast.com was acquired in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company which was awarded The National Archives’ contract to publish online the 1911 census.

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