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Books. Biographies or Autobiographies.

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 19 Aug 2021 18:36

Has anyone bought a book that relates to you or your knowledge or even mentioned your family?

Gwyn in Kent

Gwyn in Kent Report 19 Aug 2021 18:45

I have got a book published by a local history group in Herefordshire, which has a photo of a girl c. 1906 who just has to be related... It's like looking at a picture of our elder daughter when she was young.

Sadly no names are mentioned and I haven't been able to find out more, but she is shown as a villager, where I have ancestors going back to at least 1770s.

nameslessone

nameslessone Report 19 Aug 2021 18:49

I’ve also bought local books that have photos of family business.

maggiewinchester

maggiewinchester Report 19 Aug 2021 19:23

Years ago, I bought a book about Middleton Moor, as it's where my Suffolk ancestors lived for generations - and the 'Baggotts' are mentioned.
Since then,my daughter's bought me books about Suffolk by Allan Jobson - again, ancestors are mentioned.

For the past few years, I've been scouring charity shops for 'Grove of Eagles' by Winston Graham (Poldak fame), as it's based on true documents, and is about my Cornish Killigrew's. I could get it on Amazon, but it's more fun looking for it.

LaGooner

LaGooner Report 19 Aug 2021 19:27

I bought a book from our local town on the subject of the men who fought in WW1. A lot of our relations are in it and OH's two great uncles are pictured on the front cover.

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 19 Aug 2021 19:48

I hope you find that book maggiewinchester, it will be good bedtime reading.

Wow That's exciting LG :-D

Caroline

Caroline Report 19 Aug 2021 20:44

I have a book with pictures of distant relatives and their shops in Cornwall.

Andysmum

Andysmum Report 19 Aug 2021 21:13

I have a book about the village where my ancestors lived, written by a cousin of my great-grandfather, which mentions a lot of family, complete with pictures.

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 19 Aug 2021 22:07

Andysmum that is the kind book I would like to find.

Andysmum

Andysmum Report 19 Aug 2021 22:23

Yes, ZZzzz it's fascinating. It was originally published as "subscription only" so was a very limited edition. I was very lucky the first time I visited the village to get chatting to someone who had a copy. After reading a bit of it, she allowed me to take it to the shop next door, which did photocopying, and I copied the whole thing!! It took ages!!

Kucinta

Kucinta Report 19 Aug 2021 23:26

I have a book of photographs of Islip, that mentions the Misses Read, family members who ran a village shop and distributed the post during the latter part of the C19th, and early C20th. Also some Loveday rellies, the family worked in the rush working industry for centuries.

JoyLouise

JoyLouise Report 20 Aug 2021 01:10

My cousin’s husband wrote books with a local bent and it was lovely to learn many years later from his son that my Dad gets a mention in one of them.

The son sent me a photocopy of the page and a couple of pics from the book but I am on the lookout for a copy so I can pass it on down the family.

My daughter, too, got a mention, in a book written by her uni lecturer.

I lay no claim to fame by any author but when I was young and before I was married, I was chosen from the audience*** to appear on a quiz and won! It was not hard because there was a time limit so when it came to the last question and we were all stuck, someone stood in front of we three contestants and mouthed the answer. :-D

***
Not so much as chosen but pushed by all of my older colleagues on a visit to the television studios. When the young guy came to our row, they actually told him I’d be good at the darned quiz. They probably frightened him into submission as they were a forceful lot!

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 20 Aug 2021 12:17

The book I'm reading at the moment is The Radium Girls, I was an industrial radiographer and through the book I realised why people thought I should glow in the dark etc.

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 20 Aug 2021 14:22

Another book I bought a long time ago "Smoke in the Lanes" was all about travellers/gypsies and mentioned some of my relatives so with that knowledge I could come forward with my research. :-D

LaGooner

LaGooner Report 20 Aug 2021 14:39

I would love to track down a book on the Princes of Wales from way back when but have not yet succeeded. It would really help with research work

ZZzzz

ZZzzz Report 20 Aug 2021 14:44

Have you tried Amazon or Waterstones?

LaGooner

LaGooner Report 20 Aug 2021 15:00

I have looked on most sites but I cannot find any with really detailed accounts for them yet.

Andysmum

Andysmum Report 20 Aug 2021 15:35

I have just been looking at the World of Books site, which sells new and second-hand books, many of which are out of print.

There are several books on various Princes of Wales, including one about Owain Glyndwr and another about Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, whom I have never heard of.

The site doesn't tell you much about the contents and these particular books have no reviews, so you might have to buy them to see how good they are.

https://www.worldofbooks.com/

LaGooner

LaGooner Report 20 Aug 2021 15:58

Thanks Andysmum. I have heard of both of them. I will take a look and see if they might be worth buying and adding to my collection of reference books