The trail that an ancestor leaves through the Victorian period & the twentieth century is relatively easy to follow
- the records are plentiful accessible & commonly used. But how do you go back further into the centuries before the central registration of births marriages & deaths was introduced in 1837 before the first detailed census records of 1841? How can you trace a family line back through the early modern period & perhaps into the Middle Ages? Jonathan Oates's clearly written new handbook gives you all the background knowledge you need in order to go into this engrossing area of family history research. He starts by describing the administrative religious & social structures in the medieval & early modern period & shows how these relate to the family historian. Then in a sequence of accessible chapters he describes the variety of sources the researcher can turn to. Church & parish records the records of the professions & the courts manorial & property records tax records early censuses lists of loyalty militia lists charity records
- all these can be consulted. He even
Includes:: a short guide to the best methods of reading medieval & early modern script. Jonathan Oates's handbook is an essential introduction for anyone who is keen to take their family history research back into the more distant past.