Many family historians will come across direct links to ancestors who lived & worked in the countryside as farmers labourers landowners village tradesmen & professionals
- for most of us have rural ancestors. Yet despite the burgeoning interest in genealogy these people have rarely been written about with the family historian in mind. No previous book has provided a guide to the documents & records from medieval times to the twentieth century that researchers can use to find out about their rural ancestors & the world in which they lived. That is why this accessible & informative introduction by rural historian Jonathan Brown is so important. He describes the make-up of country & village society
- the farmers large & small the farm-workers the landowners & estate-owners & the local business people the tradesmen & merchants. At the same time he identifies & discusses the relevant national & local records indicates where they can be found & offers essential advice on how this information can be used to piece together the lives of distant & not so distant relatives. Tracing Your Rural Ancestors is essential reading for anyone who is looking for an insight into the history of rural life work & society.