Download or read book Tracing Your Pauper Ancestors written by Robert Burlison and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-09-19 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many family historians will come across direct links to ancestors who were affected by poverty. Yet despite the burgeoning interest in genealogy, the history of pauperism and of poor relief has rarely been written about, and no previous book has provided a guide to documents and records that family researchers can use to their trace their pauper ancestors. In this accessible and informative introduction, Robert Burlison gives a vivid account of poverty and the poor. He identifies relevant records, indicates where they can be found, and offers essential advice on how this information can be used to piece together the lives of distant and not so distant relatives.

Download or read book Tracing Your Poor Ancestors written by Stuart A. Raymond and published by Pen and Sword Family History. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Provides a wealth of information about . . . people who have gone through debt collectives, hospitals, bankruptcy, crime, homelessness—the list is huge.” —UK Historian Many people in the past—perhaps a majority—were poor. Tracing our ancestors amongst them involves consulting a wide range of sources. Stuart Raymond’s handbook is the ideal guide to them. He examines the history of the poor and how they survived. Some were supported by charity. A few were lucky enough to live in an almshouse. Many had to depend on whatever the poor law overseers gave them. Others were forced into the Union workhouse. Some turned to a life of crime. Vagrants were whipped and poor children were apprenticed by the overseers or by a charity. Paupers living in the wrong place were forcibly “removed” to their parish of settlement. Many parishes and charities offered them the chance to emigrate to North America or Australia. As a result, there are many places where information can be found about the poor. Stuart Raymond describes them all: the records of charities, of the poor law overseers, of poor law unions, of Quarter Sessions, of bankruptcy, and of friendly societies. He suggests many other potential sources of information in record offices, libraries, and on the internet. “Packed with incredibly useful reference information which no family historian should be without.” —The Essex Family Historian

Download or read book Tracing Your Coalmining Ancestors written by Brian Elliott and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-02-11 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1920s there were over a million coalminers working in over 3000 collieries across Great Britain, and the industry was one of the most important and powerful in British history. It dominated the lives of generations of individuals, their families and communities, and its legacy is still with us today _ many of us have a coalmining ancestor. ??Yet family historians often have problems in researching their mining forebears. Locating the relevant records, finding the sites of the pits, and understanding the work involved and its historical background can be perplexing. That is why Brian Elliott's concise, authoritative and practical handbook will be so useful, for it guides researchers through these obstacles and opens up the broad range of sources they can go to in order to get a vivid insight into the lives and experiences of coalminers in the past. ??His overview of the coalmining history _ and the case studies and research tips he provides _ will make his book rewarding reading for anyone looking for a general introduction to this major aspect of Britain's industrial heritage. His directory of regional and national sources and his commentary on them will make this guide an essential tool for family historians searching for an ancestor who worked in coalmining underground, on the pit top or just lived in a mining community.??As featured in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine and the Barnsley Chronicle.

Download or read book Tracing Your Theatrical Ancestors written by Katharine M Cockin and published by Pen and Sword Family History. This book was released on 2023-07-31 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can you find out about the lives of ancestors who were involved in the world of theater: on stage and on film, in the music halls and traveling shows, in the circus and in all sorts of other forms of public performance? Katharine Cockin’s handbook provides a fascinating introduction for readers searching for information about ancestors who had clearly defined roles in the world of the theater and performance as well as those who left only a few tantalizing clues behind. The wider history of public performance is outlined, from its earliest origins in church rituals and mystery plays through periods of censorship driven by campaigns on moral and religious grounds up to the modern world of stage and screen. Case studies, which are a special feature of the book, demonstrate how the relevant records and be identified and interpreted, and they prove how much revealing information they contain. Information on relevant archives, books, museums and websites make this an essential guide for anyone who is keen to explore the subject.

Download or read book Tracing Your Nonconformist Ancestors written by Stuart A. Raymond and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-04-30 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We all have Nonconformist ancestors. In the mid-nineteenth century almost half of the English population were Nonconformists. And there were very few villages where there was not at least one Nonconformist chapel. Local and family historians need to be aware of the diversity of Nonconformity, and of the many sources which will enable them to trace the activities of Nonconformist forebears.Stuart Raymond's handbook provides an overview of those sources. He identifies the numerous websites, libraries and archives that local and family historians need to consult. These are described in detail, their strengths and weaknesses are pointed out, and the contribution currently made by the internet is highlighted.Most Nonconformist denominations are discussed not just the mainstream Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers and Methodists, but also obscure sects such as the Muggletonians and Glasites, and even the two groups who regularly appear on our doorsteps today Jehovahs Witnesses and the Mormons.The religious activities of our Nonconformist ancestors tell us a great deal about them, and provide fascinating insights into their lives.

Download or read book Tracing Your Kent Ancestors written by David Wright and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-07-31 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genealogically and historically, Kent is an important maritime county which has played a prime defensive role in English history. It is large and diverse and replete with great houses, castles and other family homes, many with their own archives. It is also a fascinating area of research for family and local historians, and David Wrights handbook is the perfect guide to it. For thirty-five years he has been working with the various Kent archives, and his extensive experience means he is uniquely well placed to introduce them to other researchers and show how they can be used. He summarizes the many different classes of Kent records, both national and local. For the first time he draws together the best of modern indexing and cataloguing along with other long-established sources to produce a balanced and up-to-date overview of Kentish genealogical sources where to find them, their contents and utility to researchers. Tracing Your Kent Ancestors is essential reading and reference for newcomers to family history, and it will be a mine of practical information for researchers who have already started to work in the field.

Download or read book Tracing Your Army Ancestors written by Simon Fowler and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This well-known author has produced yet another excellent guide for researching ancestors who have served in the Army. The book is an ideal text for reference when investigating army personnel. Military Archive Research.comA splendid publication with a great deal of valuable information. Michael Brooker, Guild of Battlefield GuidesWhether you are interested in the career of an individual officer, researching medals awarded to a soldier, or just want to know more about a particular battle or campaign, this book will point you in the right direction. Assuming the reader has no prior knowledge of the British Army, its history or organization, Simon Fowler explains what records survive, where they are to be found and how they can help you in your research. He shows how to make the best use of the increasing number of related resources to be found online, and he pays particular attention to explaining the records and the reasons behind their creation, as this information can be very important in understanding how these documents can help your research.

Download or read book Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors written by Stephen Wade and published by Pen and Sword Family History. This book was released on 2020-12-02 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “excellent book . . . a great introduction to legal terms, offences, procedures, sentences, and much more besides” trom the author of Writing True Crime (Ripperologist). The history of the British prison system only had systematic records from the middle of the nineteenth century. Before that, material on prisoners in local jails and houses of correction was patchy and minimal. In more recent times, many prison records have been destroyed. In Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors, crime historian Stephen Wade attempts to provide information and guidance to family and social history researchers in this difficult area of criminal records. His book covers the span of time from medieval to modern, and includes some Scottish and Irish sources. The sources explained range broadly from central calendars of prisoners, court records and jail returns, through to memoirs and periodicals. The chapters also include case studies and short biographies of some individuals who experienced our prisons and left some records. “All in all, it is a fascinating read, even if you don’t have prisoner ancestors! Wade has managed to explain the complexities of the criminal system, its records and how they affected our ancestors with his well-researched and illuminating guide.” —Family and Community Historical Research Society Newsletter “Overall, it provides an excellent starting point for family historians to investigate their relations who ended up behind bars.” —WDYTYA? Magazine

Download or read book Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings written by Ruth Alexandra Symes and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-11-30 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Could your ancestors write their own names or did they mark official documents with a cross? Why did great-grandfather write so cryptically on a postcard home during the First World War? Why did great-grandmother copy all the letters she wrote into letter-books? How unusual was it that great-uncle sat down and wrote a poem, or a memoir? Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together and managing their collective affairs. With industrialization, improved education, and far more geographical mobility, British people of all classes were writing for new purposes, with new implements, in new styles, using new modes of expression and new methods of communication (e.g. telegrams and postcards). Our ancestors had an itch for scribbling from the most basic marks (initials, signatures and graffiti on objects as varied as trees, rafters and window ledges), through more emotionally charged kinds of writing such as letters and diaries, to more creative works such as poetry and even fiction. This book shows family historians how to get the most out of documents written by their ancestors and, therefore, how better to understand the people behind the words.

Download or read book Tracing Your Potteries Ancestors written by Michael Sharpe and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-03-30 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An easy-to-use reference for those looking to trace English ancestry connected to the North Staffordshire pottery industry. Tracing Your Potteries Ancestors introduces readers to the wealth of information available to those wishing to trace their North Staffordshire roots. Michael Sharpe gives a fascinating insight into the history of this part of the Midlands, which was for so long dominated by the pottery industry. The six pottery towns—Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton, and Longton—are at the heart of the story. His handbook is an essential guide for anyone researching the life of an individual or family connected with the area, bringing together all the relevant local and national archives for the first time. In a series of short, information-packed chapters, it describes the lives and experiences of ordinary people in this most extraordinary of landscapes. It charts the transition of the Six Towns from scattered farming communities to a thriving industrial conurbation. The living conditions of the urban poor, health and welfare, the influence of religion and migration, education, leisure pursuits, and the traumatic experience of war are all explored, and the many different archives and sources that are open to family history researchers are explained. “Impressively researched, expertly written, deftly organized and presented, Tracing Your Potteries Ancestors: A Guide for Family & Local Historians is an extraordinarily informative and thoroughly reader-friendly resource.” —Midwest Book Review

Download or read book Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and State Records written by Chris Paton and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-12-27 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The ideal instructional guide and reference for anyone doing genealogical research” by the author of Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet (Midwest Book Review). Despite its Union with England and Wales in 1707, Scotland remained virtually independent from its partners in many ways, retaining its own legal system, its own state church, and its own education system. In Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records, genealogist Chris Paton examines the most common records used by family historians in Scotland, ranging from the vital records kept by the state and the various churches, the decennial censuses, tax records, registers of land ownership and inheritance, and records of law and order. Through precepts of clare constat and ultimus haeres records, feudalism and udal tenure, to irregular marriages, penny weddings and records of sequestration, Chris Paton expertly explores the unique concepts and language within many Scottish records that are simply not found elsewhere within the British Isles. He details their purpose and the information recorded, the legal basis by which they were created, and where to find them both online and within Scotland’s many archives and institutions. “A useful and very readable introduction to Scottish records, with many case studies to assist the reader, but there is also much in it that may be new to more experienced family historians.” —The Local Historian, journal of the British Association for Local History “Leads the reader through the Scottish record jungle.” —Canada’s Anglo-Celtic Connections

Download or read book Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors written by Ian Maxwell and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-02-29 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors is an expert introduction for the family historian to the wealth of material available to researchers in archives throughout Northern Ireland. Many records, like the early twentieth-century census returns and school registers, will be familiar to researchers, but others are often overlooked by all but the most experienced of genealogists. An easy-to-use, informative guide to the comprehensive collections available at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is a key feature of Ian Maxwells handbook. He also takes the reader through the records held in many libraries, museums and heritage centres across the province, and he provides detailed coverage of records that are available online. Unlike the rest of the British Isles, which has very extensive civil and census records, Irish ancestral research is hampered by the destruction of many of the major collections. Yet Ian Maxwell shows how family historians can make good use of church records, school registers and land and valuation records to trace their roots to the beginning of the nineteenth century and beyond.

Download or read book Tracing Your Female Ancestors written by Adéle Emm and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-01-30 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A simple, easy-to-use guide for British family historians wishing to trace their female ancestry. Everyone has a mother and a line of female ancestors, and often their paths through life are hard to trace. That is why this detailed, accessible handbook is of such value, for it explores the lives of female ancestors from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 to the beginning of the First World War. In 1815, a woman was the chattel of her husband; by 1914, when the menfolk were embarking on one of the most disastrous wars ever known, the women at home were taking on jobs and responsibilities never before imagined. Adèle Emm’s work is the ideal introduction to the role of women during this period of dramatic social change. Chapters cover the quintessential experiences of birth, marriage, and death; a woman’s working and daily life, both middle and working class; through to crime and punishment, the acquisition of an education and the fight for equality. Each chapter gives advice on where further resources, archives, wills, newspapers, and websites can be found, with plentiful common-sense advice on how to use them. “A unique and information packed instructional reference and guide, Tracing Your Female Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians is an extraordinary and thoroughly user friendly manual that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Genealogy collections and supplemental studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review

Download or read book Tracing Your Twentieth Century Ancestors written by Karen Bali and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2016-10-30 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The recent past is so often neglected when people research their family history, yet it can be one of the most rewarding periods to explore, and so much fascinating evidence is available. The rush of events over the last century and the rapid changes that have taken place in every aspect of life have been dramatic, and the lives of family members of only a generation or two ago may already appear remote. That is why Karen Balis informative and accessible guide to investigating your immediate ancestors is essential reading, and a handy reference for anyone who is trying to trace them or discover the background to their lives. In a sequence of concise, fact-filled chapters she looks back over the key events of the twentieth century and identifies the sources that can give researchers an insight into the personal stories of individuals who lived through it. She explains census and civil records, particularly those of the early twentieth century, and advises readers on the best way to get relevant information from directories and registers as well as wills and other personal documents. Chapters also cover newspapers which often provide personal details and offer a vivid impression of the world of the time professional and property records and records of migration and naturalization. This practical handbook is rounded off with sections on tracing living relatives and likely future developments in the field.

Download or read book Tracing Your Huguenot Ancestors written by Kathy Chater and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-04-19 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A well researched, informative and helpful book for the many family historians whose Protestant ancestors lived in Northern Europe.” —Federation of Family History Societies Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, many thousands of Protestants fled religious persecution in France and the Low Countries. They became one of the most influential immigrant communities in the countries where they settled, and many families in modern-day Britain will find a Huguenot connection in their past. Kathy Chater’s authoritative handbook offers an accessible introduction to Huguenot history and to the many sources that researchers can use to uncover the Huguenot ancestry they may not have realized they had. She traces the history of the Huguenots; their experience of persecution, and their flight to Britain, North America, the West Indies and South Africa, concentrating on the Huguenot communities that settled in England, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands. Her work is also an invaluable guide to the various sources researchers can turn to in order to track their Huguenot ancestors, for she describes the wide range of records that is available in local, regional and national archives, as well as through the internet and overseas. Her expert overview is essential reading for anyone studying their Huguenot ancestry or immigrant history in Britain. “This is a useful, up to date, practical guide for anyone who has, or thinks they have, Huguenot ancestors in the British Isles. It provides social and contextual assistance along with guidance on what records have survived, where to find them and how to use them.” —Milner Genealogy

Download or read book Tracing Your Ancestors Using DNA written by Graham S. Holton and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-02-28 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An easy-to-use, straightforward guide for British family historians looking to trace their ancestry using DNA testing. DNA research is one of the most rapidly advancing areas in modern science, and the practical use of DNA testing in genealogy is one of its most exciting applications. Yet there is no recent British publication in this field. That is why this accessible, wide-ranging introduction is so valuable. It offers a clear, practical way into the subject, explaining the scientific discoveries and techniques and illustrating with case studies how it can be used by genealogists to gain an insight into their ancestry. The subject is complex and perhaps difficult for traditional genealogists to understand but, with the aid of this book, novices who are keen to take advantage of it will be able to interpret test results and use them to help answer genealogical questions which cannot be answered by documentary evidence alone. It will also appeal to those with some experience in the field because it places the practical application of genetic genealogy within a wider context, highlighting its role as a genealogical tool and suggesting how it can be made more effective.

Download or read book Tracing Your Edinburgh Ancestors written by Alan Stewart and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland for the last 500 years and more. The 'Athens of the North' is the centre of Scottish banking, medicine, architecture, law and publishing. It is the home of Scotland's national museums and the location of the Queen's official residence in Scotland and of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It is also the site of the Edinburgh Festival and Royal Military Tattoo, and the seat of the devolved Scottish government. The city is steeped in national, local and family history, and Alan Stewart's handbook is the perfect guide to it. He takes readers through the story of Edinburgh from the earliest times up to the present day, showing how its colourful history has affected the lives of their ancestors. The many genealogical records of Edinburgh are described in detail, and appendices cover genealogy websites, family history societies, and Edinburgh's many archives, museums, art galleries, castles and palaces.