Genealogy Chat

It occurs to me that there are many books of use to the Family Historian - and not just 'how to' books, either. Put your favourites on here with a brief description. OC

Family Secrets by David Leitch (His search for his birth mother) The Victorian Age 1815-1914 by R.J. Evans (A good general history of England/Europe in the Victorian Age, with much social detail A Social History of England by Asa Briggs (A standard classic history of England from Roman times to the present day, again with much social detail) The Common People by G.D.H. Cole and Raymond Postgate (A standard school text book in the late 50s - 18th 19th and 20th century history from a social point of view) Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson (Autobiographical account of a Victorian country childhood) The Country Child by Alison Uttley (Fiction) (Another Victorian/Edwardian country childhood) Any more?

For peeps interested in St Ives, Cornwall... 'Downlong Days. A St Ives Miscellany' by Eddie Murt (history of lower part of the town known as Downlong, from personal memory and previously published works such as the St Ives Weekly Summary) And any book by Cyril Noall Bex

If you have a bargain book sale shop near you I picked up Diane Marelli's 'Meet your Ancestors' ,and Mark Herber's 'Ancestral Trails' for under a fiver each . They also have 'Who do you think you are?' from the tv series for £4.99. Kim

A Journal of the Plague Year.......Daniel Defoe A fictional reconstruction based on true accounts. Originally published in 1772. Rural Rides.....William Cobbett Records a number of fact finding tours made on horseback through the south of England in the early 1800s. Chris

Voices from Dickens' London by Peter Ackroyd This is the best book I've seen yet on London 19th century social history. Apart from Dickens' own observations it includes articles drawn from diaries and newspaper articles. Really good read Kat

hi Commissioned officers 1660 -1960 by sir Robert Drew Laura

Kim...I have Diane Marelli's book....I found it an excellent read. For anyone who has'nt read it...it is the 4 year diary of Diane on her journey to find her ancestors before Ancestry etc came on the internet. I enjoyed it that much I googled her website and emailed her telling her so, something I have never done before....she sent me a really nice email back...she sounds a lovely lady! Linda

Linda, yes I emailed her too... and got a nice personal reply back. I thought it was a very easy and informative read ideal for the beginner and the old hand alike, not too stuffy or dull. Particularly like the bits about remembering her relative's strange name 'Asor' we all have moments like that... Kim

The Diary of a Country Parson James Woodforde (most common version available is Passages and Extracts selected by John Beresford - not considered the best selection by purists, but still excellent) Fantastic firsthand view of life in rural England in the second half of the 18thC. Parson Woodforde lived in Somerset, Oxford (Uni) and Weston Longeville, Norfolk. He paints a fascinating picture of small town and village life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The English - A Social History 1066 - 1945 Christopher Hibbert Maybe not a cover to cover read, but it has an excellent index! Merry

A Comedy of Errors - or The Marriage Records of England and Wales 1837-1899 (also Vol 2, the same) Michael Whitfield Foster Michael was allowed to conduct two three month studys at the GRO. He was given a desk in the corner and allowed to look at their systems, methods and work practices.Tells you all you could ever want to know about the GRO. Fantastic explanations of why we can't trace those certificates! Merry

The Victorian House - Judith Flanders. A riveting read. Jill

Gibson Guides! If your ancestors are scattered around the country, like mine are, these are invaluable for working out what is available. A lot of the information is available on the internet these days, (or courtesy of fellow researchers on GR!) but the books on wills, local censuses and early sources are worth every penny. My copies are very battered! With Elizabeth Hampson Marriage, Census and Other Indexes for Family Historians, A Guide to indexes, published and unpublished, compiled and maintained mostly by family history societies or individuals. Local Newspapers, 1750-1920: A Select Location List. England and Wales; Channel Islands; Isle of Man. New edition in preparation. From the mid-18th century the provincial press began to carry news of local events. This indispensable location list describes concisely, by county and local area, what newspapers were published, when they were published and where they can be consulted today. Quarter Sessions Records for Family Historians. Not the easiest of sources to use, the records of Quarter Sessions contain a wealth of administrative information on all classes and are invaluable for fleshing out the bones of skeleton pedigrees. Generally but not invariably in county record offices, the survival of the records and provision of finding aids vary widely. Probate Jurisdictions: Where to Look for Wills. Wills and their associated records are amongst the most useful and important records for family and local historians. Before 1858 (when centralised civil courts were introduced) there was a wide variety of ecclesiastical courts throughout England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with over-lapping jurisdictions. This Guide, arranged by pre-1974 counties, provides simply presented information on the courts, their jurisdictions (with maps), periods of coverage, indexes and other finding aids, and present locations of records. Also included are locally held post-1858 records and copies of the printed indexes for all England and Wales. Bishops' Transcripts and Marriage Licences, Bonds and Allegations: A Guide to their Location and Indexes. These records, which often supplement parish registers, vary in their extent and finding aids and are not always in the most obvious record offices. Covering England and Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Man, this is an essential reference work. The Hearth Tax, Other Later Stuart Tax Lists and the Association Oath Rolls. The Hearth Tax, for which records survive between 1662 and 1674, is the best known of taxation sources for local and family historians, listing the inhabitants of most houses in England and Wales, by county and parish. This booklet at last provides a clear and simple Guide to the lists that survive in the TNA and elsewhere, with their dates, condition and any published transcripts. Similar records for Scotland and Ireland are listed. Also included are an assortment of subsidy rolls, poll tax lists and the 'Marriage Tax' of the late 1690's (where they survive, of very comprehensive interest). Additionally references are given for the 1695/6 Association Oath Rolls, for England and Wales, Channel Islands and transatlantic colonies, signed by many of the adult male population. With Judith Hunter Victuallers' Licences: Records for Family and Local Historians. Of all widely held occupations, those who ran pubs. are the best recorded. For the 19th and 20th centuries there are voluminous records in local archives, and much in Quarter Sessions for the 18th century and earlier. National archives record the issue of wine and even occasional ale licences from 1552 on, naming the licensee, place and often the inn. With Heather Creaton: Lists of Londoners. Finding aids for the whole Metropolis, with indexes in over 100 locations; complex sources and jurisdictions explained.

Continued! With Colin Rogers Poor Law Union Records, 1834-1930. 1. South East England and East Anglia (with Cliff Webb). Beds., Bucks., Cambs., Essex, Herts., Hunts., Kent, London, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex. 2. The Midlands and Northern England. Ches., Cumbd., Dbys., Durh., Lancs., Leics., Lincs., N'hants., N'humb'd, Notts., Rutland, Staffs., Warw., Westm'd, Yorks. 3. South West England, The Marches and Wales. Berks., Cornw., Devon, Dorset, Glos., Hants., Herefs., Oxon., Shrops., Som., Wilts., Worcs., Wales (incl. Monmouths.). 4. Gazetteer of England and Wales (with F.A. Youngs). County by county, each PLU and its constituent places. PLU's formed the basis for Civil Registraton and Census districts. Parts 1-3 list the records of the Unions created under the New Poor Law of 1834 to their abolition in 1930; some earlier 'Gilbert Union' and other 18th century incorporation records are also included. In many counties PLU records survive in vast quantities, whilst in others they have all but disappeared. Mostly in CRO's, some are found in smaller repositories. References to the TNA holdings in MH9 (staff registers) and MH 12 (correspondence) are also included. County sketch maps show PLU boundaries and county overlaps. Entries under each PLU are divided into categories 'A', those likely to include names of paupers, and the general public (as in rating valuations), of most interest to family historians, and 'B', administrative records, of great importance to local and social historians. Poll Books, c.1695-1872: A Directory to holdings in Great Britain. Until 1872, when the secret ballot was introduced, voting for Members of Parliament, by those entitled to vote, was a public matter, and a record of just how they did so was kept and frequently published. Before 1832, in England and Wales, only those with 40s. freeholds could vote (for County members) but these included many of relatively humble status. After 1832 the franchise was greatly widened, but poll books continued to be published. This Guide lists concisely the location of all known printed and manuscript poll books in public repositories, throughout England, Wales and Scotland. Coroners' Records in England and Wales. Colin Rogers provides a detailed and informative introduction to the records and a Glossary of terms, whilst Dr R.F. Hunnisett, the authority on medieval coroners' records, describes the holdings at TNA. With Mervyn Medlycott and Dennis Mills Land and Window Tax Assessments, 1690-1950. The Land Tax Assessments list the owners, in England and Wales, of property worth 40s. or more in annual income, and often the occupying tenants as well. From c.1780 to 1832 they were used to establish voting qualifications and are usually found in Quarter Sessions records. For 1798 there is a nationwide assessment in TNA. There are also many pre-1780 lists, and the tax and its records continued until the mid-20th century. LTA records for Scotland are also included. Perhaps the most notorious of 18th century taxes, the Window Tax, has left few records, but those lists of taxpayers that are known to survive, identified in a recent nationwide survey, are incorporated in the Guide. With Mervyn Medlycott Militia Lists and Musters, 1757-1876. The Militia Lists date from 1756 to around 1830 (with later regimental records). Parishes had to provide several militia-men for training, and all males between 16 and 45 (with variations) were liable for ballot. In some counties such lists survive, with occupations and, in the 19th century, ages, number of young children, infirmities etc. Even more useful are the Posse Comitatus of 1798 and the Levee en Masse of 1803, with similar wide-ranging lists of those liable for service or able to provide necessities such as horses and carts. These have been researched in detail for the first time and many previously unknown listings discovered, important additions to the number of quasi-census lists pre-dating the official records. Local Census Listings, 1522-1930: Holdings in the British Isles. Quasi-censuses pre-dating the decennial national census records survive in unexpected quantity. They include locally retained lists made for the 1801-1831 censuses; and many others in earlier centuries. For the first time these have been comprehensively listed.

Nudge, for when I have money that's not going on certs.

Flippin' hec Kim...great minds think alike! Perhaps we should start a Diane Marelli Appreciation Society lol. Linda

'Akenfield' by Ronald Blyth. I think there was a movie, but the book really intrigued me even though my lot came from elswhere in the British Isles. Early 1900's reminiscences, rural life in Suffolk. Heather in Australia

How to get in to a site when you need to by the crew

or How to survive a sinking ship by Robinson Cruso