Tracing Your Pre-Victorian Ancestors

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.

John Wintrip qualified as an information professional and spent thirty years working as a science librarian, mainly in university libraries. After early retirement he started a new career as a professional genealogist. He has carried out research for hundreds of clients both in the UK and overseas, holds a Diploma in Genealogy and is a Member of AGRA.

"And finally, this month, Pen and Sword's latest genealogy title tackles the pre-Victorian era. It is possible, on Ancestry.co.uk, to reach back into the 18th century - we've done it with our own research and now, armed with this superb new title, we can make a more comprehensive job of it when we resume our efforts. Absolutely priceless and essential reading for amateur and professional genealogists alike."-- "Books Monthly" "John Wintrip's experience as a librarian shows in his detailed analysis of the various types of archival catalogue, both online and in local archives. You might have to do a bit more leg-work to explore pre-Victorian records but there's a lot of information to be found if you know how to search - and this book should help you to do just that."-- "Who Do You Think You Are?" (5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM) "This book is highly recommended, especially for researchers wanting a thorough framework by which to do their English research, or those North American researchers wanting to better understand how English research processes are different."-- "FGS FORUM, Fall 2017" "This intelligent book does explore many of the pre-Victorian records available, of course, but its key premise - a valuable one - is to teach a thorough methodology to one's research."-- "Your Family History" (4/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)