"Published in the UK by the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd. in conjunction with the Association of Family History Societies of Wales."--T.p. verso.
Few previous publications have focused on Welsh family history, and none have provided a comprehensive guide to the genealogical information available and where to find it. That is why the publication of Beryl Evans's new Welsh family history handbook is such a significant event in the field. Her detailed, accessible, authoritative guide will be essential reading and reference for anyone who is eager to research ancestors from Wales. She describes the key archival sources and shows how the development of new technology, the internet in particular, has made them so much easier to explore. Drawing on her long experience of family history work, she gives clear practical advice on how to start a research project, and she sketches in the outlines of Welsh history, Welsh surnames and place-names and the Welsh language. But the main body of her book is devoted to identifying the variety of sources researchers can consult the archive repositories, including The National Library of Wales, civil records of all kinds, the census, parish registers, wills, the records of churches, chapels, schools, businesses, tax offices and courts, and the wide range of printed records. Beryl Evans's handbook will be a basic text for researchers of Welsh descent and for anyone who is keen to learn about Welsh history
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.
Welsh genealogy is usually included with its English cousin, but there are significant differences between the two, and anyone wishing to trace their Welsh ancestry will encounter peculiarities that are not covered by books on English family history. There is a separate system of archives and repositories for Wales, there are differences in civil registration and censuses, Nonconformist registers are dissimilar to those of other Churches and Welsh surnames and place names are very different to English ones. Welsh Genealogy covers all of this as well as the basic Welsh needed by family historians; estate, maritime, inheritance, education and parish records; peculiarities of law; the Courts of Great Sessions and particular patterns of migration. Written by Dr Bruce Durie, the highly respected genealogist, lecturer and author of the acclaimed Scottish Genealogy, this is the ideal book for local and family historians setting out on a journey to discover their Welsh ancestry.
If you want to find out about your Yorkshire ancestors, you can visit the many unusual and fascinating archives in England's largest county. As well as tracing when your ancestors were born, married and died, you can explore how they lived, how they spent their leisure time and what their home life was like. Rachel Bellerby's invaluable guide will introduce you to places that hold a wealth of information about Yorkshire's past, and the records you find in these archives will bring your research to life. Whatever you wouldlike to discover more about, from fairground travellers to Romany gypsies, from working deep underground in a mine to making a living from the North Sea, there is so much to learn. The many different archives that welcome family history researchers are explored here and explained. Often these archives are overlooked, yet they contain revealing information about the people who called Yorkshire their home. Dozens of places, from tiny museum archives to large research centres, are open for your research. Tracing your Yorkshire ancestors has never been more exciting.
Every family historian has child ancestors, and childhood experiences and records are an essential aspect of research into a past life. That is why Sue Wilkes's detailed and accessible handbook is such a useful guide for anyone who is trying to find out about the early years of their forbears. In Tracing Your Ancestors' Childhood she explores the history of childhood and education and brings together information about relevant records and archives into one handy reference guide. She outlines ancestors' childhood experiences at home, school, work and in institutions, especially during Victorian times. In the opening chapter she reviews basic family history sources, then she discusses records of childhood in detail. Specialist archives, published sources, recommended reading and other resources and documents are covered. She focuses primarily on England and Wales and covers the years 1750–1950. The second part of her book is a directory of archives and specialist repositories. Databases of children's societies, useful genealogy websites, and places to visit which bring the social history of childhood to life are all included.
Anyone who has had any success in researching their Welsh ancestry will know that a grasp of specialized Welsh genealogical methods and sources is only one of several factors that contributed to that success. They will know, for example, how important it is in Welsh research to have some understanding of the social, cultural, religious, and economic background of the communities in which those ancestors lived. This book attempts to broaden that understanding, especially for the period prior to 1800 when most researchers begin to experience difficulties. In addition, it aims to make readers more aware of some little-known sources and the special uses that may be applied to the information found in these sources.
A genealogist’s practical guide to researching family history online while avoiding inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information. The internet has revolutionized family history research—every day new records and resources are placed online and new methods of sharing research and communicating become available. Never before has it been so easy to research family history and to gain a better understanding of who we are and where we came from. But, as British genealogist Chris Paton demonstrates in this straightforward, practical guide, while the internet is an enormous asset, it is also something to be wary of. Researchers need to take a cautious approach to the information they acquire on the web. Where did the original material come from? Has it been accurately reproduced? Why was it put online? What has been left out and what is still to come? As he leads researchers through the multitude of resources that are now accessible online with an emphasis on UK and Ireland sites, Chris Paton helps to answer these questions. He shows what the internet can and cannot do—and he warns against the various traps researchers can fall into along the way.
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.