Tracing Your Railway Ancestors

Author: Di Drummond
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844686701
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
Di Drummond's concise and informative guide to Britain's railways will be absorbing reading for anyone who wants to learn about the history of the industry and for family history researchers who want to find out about the careers of their railway ancestors. In a clear and accessible way she guides readers through the social, technical and economic aspects of the story. She describes in vivid detail the rapid growth, maturity and long decline of the railways from the earliest days in the late-eighteenth century to privatization in the 1990s. In the process she covers the themes and issues that family historians, local historians and railway enthusiasts will need to understand in order to pursue their research. A sequence of short, fact-filled chapters gives an all-round view of the development of the railwaysIn addition to tracing the birth and growth of the original railway companies, she portrays the types of work that railwaymen did and pays particular attention to the railway world in which they spent their working lives. The tasks they undertook, the special skills they had to learn, the conditions they worked in, the organization and hierarchy of the railway companies, and the make-up of railway unions - all these elements in the history of the railways are covered. She also introduces the reader to the variety of records that are available for genealogical research - staff records and registers, publications, census returns, biographies and autobiographies, and the rest of the extensive literature devoted to the railway industry.

Tracing Your Twentieth-Century Ancestors

Author: Karen Bali
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 147388506X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
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.

Tracing Your Ancestors

Author: Simon Fowler
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844686744
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
This accessible, well-organized, easy-to-use beginners guide to the world of family history is essential reading for anyone who wants to find their way into this fascinating subject. In a series of short, practical chapters Simon Fowler takes readers through all the first steps that will reveal the lives of their ancestors and the world they lived in. He looks at every aspect of research, from finding family papers and interviewing relatives, through exploring websites, archives, newspapers and directories, to all the other sources that can throw a light into the past. In a clear, straightforward way he explains how vital records of births, marriages and deaths can be used as the starting point in a sequence of eye-opening family detective work. Simon Fowlers introduction, which is founded on a career of genealogical research and writing, is an indispensable basic book for anyone entering in the field.

Tracing your Ancestors using the UK Historical Timeline

Author: Angela Smith
Publisher: Pen and Sword Family History
ISBN: 139900333X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 309

Book Description
A practical handbook for family historians looking to verify dates and add historical context to their British ancestry. Ancestral research can often lead to a foggy realm of the distant past where dates and details become muddled. For those interested in shedding light on their British family lineage, this volume offers a wealth of genealogical resources. Here you will discover what records are available and how far back they go. It also presents a handy timeline to historical events from 1066 to the present. Created with the family historian in mind, each page presents historical facts of genealogical relevance alongside significant socio-cultural events. The timeline focuses on subjects such as migration, extreme weather, epidemics, famine, taxation, transport, the armed services, organized labor, political unrest, and scientific advances. Entries cover all four countries of the UK plus Ireland and the Channel Islands, as well as significant historical events in the wider world. Genealogically, it includes information on changes to BMD certificates and the associated register entries, as well as to censuses and the facts they collected, plus much more.

Tracing Your Ancestors Through Local History Records

Author: Jonathan Oates
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473880580
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 150

Book Description
Family history should reveal more than facts and dates, lists of names and places it should bring ancestors alive in the context of their times and the surroundings they knew and research into local history records is one of the most rewarding ways of gaining this kind of insight into their world. That is why Jonathan Oatess detailed introduction to these records is such a useful tool for anyone who is trying to piece together a portrait of family members from the past. In a series of concise and informative chapters he looks at the origins and importance of local history from the sixteenth century onwards and at the principal archives national and local, those kept by government, councils, boroughs, museums, parishes, schools and clubs. He also explains how books, photographs and other illustrations, newspapers, maps, directories, and a range of other resources can be accessed and interpreted and how they can help to fill a gap in your knowledge. As well as describing how these records were compiled, he highlights their limitations and the possible pitfalls of using them, and he suggests how they can be combined to build up a picture of an individual, a family and the place and time in which they lived.

Tracing Your West Country Ancestors

Author: Kirsty Gray
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783376619
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 196

Book Description
This book is an essential handbook for those researching their ancestry in the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset and the city of Bristol. It begins with an introduction to the identity of The West Country, its geography and history over the centuries. It then guides family historians through the wealth of historical records available both online and in archives and libraries in order to add the flesh to the bones of the names of ancestors on their family trees.West Country expert Kirsty Gray highlights fascinating details that can be uncovered about the places where our ancestors lived, their occupations and the distinctive features, identity and character of the West Country itself. She provides case studies of some notable individuals from the counties as well as records of those individuals who never hit the headlines.This practical and informative guide is a must have for readers wishing to find out more about all aspects of life in this area of England.

Tracing Your Lancashire Ancestors

Author: Sue Wilkes
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783035641
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Book Description
If you want to find out about Lancashires history, and particularly if you have family links to the area and your ancestors lived or worked in the county, then this is the ideal book for you. As well as helping you to trace when and where your ancestors were born, married and died, it gives you an insight into the world they knew and a chance to explore their lives at work and at home.Sue Wilkess accessible and informative handbook outlines Lancashires history and describes the origins of its major industries - cotton, coal, transport, engineering, shipbuilding and others. She looks at the stories of important Lancashire families such as the Stanleys, Peels and Egertons, and famous entrepreneurs such as Richard Arkwright, in order to illustrate aspects of Lancashire life and to show how the many sources available for family and local history research can be used. Relevant documents, specialist archives and libraries, background reading and other sources are recommended throughout this practical book. Also included is a directory of Lancashire archives, libraries and academic repositories, as well as databases of family history societies, useful genealogy websites, and places to visit which bring Lancashires past to life. Sue Wilkess book is the essential companion for anyone who wants to discover their Lancashire roots.

Tracing Your Rural Ancestors

Author: Jonathan Brown
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1844686663
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
Many family historians will come across direct links to ancestors who lived and worked in the countryside as farmers, laborers, landowners, village tradesmen and professionals for most of us have rural ancestors. Yet despite the burgeoning interest in genealogy, these people have rarely been written about with the family historian in mind. No previous book has provided a guide to the documents and records, from medieval times to the twentieth century, that researchers can use to find out about their rural ancestors and the world in which they lived. That is why this accessible and informative introduction by rural historian Jonathan Brown is so important.He describes the make-up of country and village society - the farmers, large and small, the farm-workers, the landowners and estate-owners, and the local business people, the tradesmen and merchants. At the same time he identifies and discusses the relevant national and local 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. Tracing Your Rural Ancestors is essential reading for anyone who is looking for an insight into the history of rural life, work and society.

Tracing Your Poor Ancestors

Author: Stuart A Raymond
Publisher: Pen and Sword Family History
ISBN: 1526742969
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 200

Book Description
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.

Tracing Your Pre-Victorian Ancestors

Author: John Wintrip
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 147388067X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
Tracing Your Pre-Victorian Ancestors is the ideal handbook for family historians whose research has reached back to the early nineteenth century and are finding it difficult to go further. John Wintrip guides readers through all the steps they can take in order to delve even more deeply into the past. Carrying research through to earlier periods is more challenging because church registers recorded less information than civil registration records and little census data is available. Researchers often encounter obstacles they don't know how to overcome. But, as this book demonstrates, greater understanding of the sources and the specific records within them, along with a wider knowledge of the historical context, often allows progress to be made. Most important, John Wintrip concentrates on how to do the research on the practical steps that can be taken in order to break through these barriers. He looks at online services, archives and their catalogues, factors that can influence the outcome of research, wider family relationships, missing ancestors and mistaken identity. Throughout the book he emphasizes the process of research and the variety of resources and search tools that can be used.